Once the daze over Nick and Reece's grope-tease really wore off, even after this time, I started to really focus once again. Or tried to. Toddlers wanting food, leaving incredible messes that I was sure were records, babies still needing feeding, cuddles, play, even with the help it was a huge job. One baby was a full time job. Five of them?
Once Elena was gone though, Matt, Kate and Logan were more or less let off. I was still annoyed with them for lying to me but Matt was fine and we'd more or less come to an agreement about him calming down. Sort of.
I sat there at the end of the day, staring at the mess left behind as Nick tried to get them to sleep upstairs, watching the washing machine churn away and feeling a little dazed now over the wash of chaos. Normal chaos. I should have been relaxed, should have felt like it was 'almost over'. Shouldn't I? I wasn't entirely sure why they'd let Demetruis out anyway. To lead them to the 'main warehouse?' I wasn't sure. This was not a part of the plan Elena or Clayton had elaborated on. Just that 'he was loose' and they were going after him and the drugs. Maybe they were concerned that if I knew too much, I'd sneak after them.
Maybe they were right about that.
"You want me to clean this up?" Reece stepped into the kitchen and gawked at it. His eyes went to my foot.
"I could use some help, yeah." I admitted, making my way over slowly, using the heel now that I could more or less put weight back on it. We cleaned up, wiped up sticky food, stuck dishes back in the dishwasher, and tried to clean the kitchen. I sighed, leaning against the bench when it was more or less cleaned from the custard powder, salt and tomato paste artwork I'd left behind in my rush of cooking.
Reece flopped beside me, dropping his head, but he didn't seem as tired as I was. "Seem funny to you that Demetruis is out?"
"I figured they wanted him to lead them somewhere." I nodded.
"Yeah, me too. Wish I could help."
"Me too. I like this life. It's just...hard to keep switching from this to that, then back again." I admitted. I loved my kids more than anything I had ever loved, ever, loved Nick equally as much... but it was hard to switch off 'adrenaline' or 'soldier' once it was on. I wondered if there was a switch.
"We should go for a run." Reece said quietly. "It might help."
"We've got to watch kids, remember?" I sighed. Honestly, as much as I could go a while without it, some part of me did need it. Need to run, to chase rabbits, to hunt, and to get all this pent up frustration out. I wanted to go fight beside Elena and Clayton. I couldn't though. Clayton was right. Elena was alpha and this had to be her moment.
"I'll talk to Jeremy. I'm sure they can handle it now they're asleep."
The bigger kids might have passed out, after I'd let them race in circles around the house like crazy things all day, set up a tent in Matt's room with the promise that they would not go anywhere except that room all night, and probably the twins. But the toddlers? It didn't sound like it. I could still hear Nick upstairs, trying to convince three very awake toddlers they were tired- but I let Reece head upstairs anyway.
A car got my attention and I went outside, trying to get goop off my top, seeing a face I hadn't seen for a long time now. Jamie smiled at me, putting a finger to her mouth, as she slid out of the car.
"Jeremy doesn't know you're here, does he?" I asked softly, and she shook her head, a wicked grin on her face.
"Can you help sneak me into his bedroom?" She asked softly. She was wearing a trench coat, heels, and I knew from experience what that meant. Jamie was either undressed under there or more or less seconds from it. I snorted, she shhhed me, and we made our way upstairs.
