A Hart To Call Home

Chapter Twenty-Two

Luca woke before anyone else the following day. Kit was curled in his arms with her face pressed against his chest, her unruly hair was in his mouth, and he had to spit it out. She was also drooling on his bare chest; it was all stupidly cute. He smoothed her wild hair back as he held her there. He had to piss, and one of his arms was going to sleep, but he didn't want to move her. Finally, he had to disengage from her and gently roll her off him. She made a little mumbling sound and then turned over, taking his pillow with her and clutching it to her chest.

"You got me turning into a softie, Cricket," he said with a sigh before he stepped off the bed.

After a quick freshen-up, he made his way to the bathroom and headed out to make coffee and breakfast for everyone. He found the leftover pizza mostly eaten, but the remnants sat on the couch. Andre was gone, so he must've made his way upstairs after that.

As he headed into the kitchen and started the coffee, he heard a coughing noise from above. He frowned and looked around, hoping someone would randomly materialize. When that didn't happen, the coughing got louder. He grabbed a glass of water and headed upstairs swiftly. He found Andre passed out in the hallway in front of his bedroom door. Luca rolled his eyes as he walked past his brother but then hurried into Leonardo's room.

He stepped in swiftly and found Leonardo red-faced and coughing hard. He was in a wheelchair and looked to have just left the bathroom.

"Dad, you, okay?" Luca headed towards him just as Leonardo's coughs finally subsided; they sounded so deep and painful.

"You're here," he croaked.

"Yeah, here, drink this." Luca handed him the water.

"Thank you," Leonardo cleared his throat. "Luca...you... came back?"

"Last night," Luca confirmed. "Let's not get all, whatever, about it, but I'm going to hang around here for a while, alright?"

"Okay," Leonardo said as a storm of emotions passed over his face. "That makes me very happy, Luca."

"Do you need medicine or something?"

"Not yet, I have that with my breakfast," he explained. "I assume Andre may have slept in."

"Yeah," Luca snickered. "I can make you breakfast; what do you want?"

"Those omelets have been good."

"You have those a lot; I'll make you anything you want, Dad."

"Chocolate chip pancakes?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

"Really?" Luca found the request amusing. "Done then."

"Do you think I could eat downstairs?" Leonardo asked, "I am feeling good today; I slept well last night."

"That cough didn't sound good," Luca mentioned.

"Believe me, son, it can be much worse," he said gravely.

"Let me just clear the hallway, and I'll come back and get you," Luca offered.

"Clear the hallway?" Leonardo questioned as Luca stepped out.

He walked over to Andre and gave him a nudge with his foot, "Get up."

"What?" Andre groaned as he opened one eye. "Go away, Luca. Out of my room!"

"You're in the hallway," Luca informed him.

"What?" Andre sat up with a cringe, "oh, my head."

"Passed out right in front of your door, that's so... me of you," Luca joked.