Covered In Ink

Bonus chapter bitches!

"Just stay there, I'll grab your bag, the baby stuff and Cooper," he told me, before bolting from the stairs. He returned no more than a minute later, armed with two duffel bags. He disappeared into the living room, reappearing with an annoyed looking Cooper under the other arm.

"Dora," he complained, pouting at his father.

I heard the car door slam and Ryan was back in a flash. He helped me up, but in the end he just carried me anyway. My walking was too slow apparently. Once I had buckled myself in, Ryan took off, heading for his mom's place. She still lived with Archie, in the same house that I had grown to know like the back of my hand over the years.

Archie was dribbling a basketball in the driveway when we arrived. He had only just turned fifteen and was already over six feet tall. He had overtaken his mom and I a long time ago.

He had a striking resemblance to Ryan, and a lot of their mannerisms were the same. The main difference was their hair colour, Archie's beings shade or two lighter than Ryan's.

Archie jogged over as Ryan unbuckled Cooper from his car seat. I put down my window and Archie leaned against the door.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"We're going to the hospital," I replied. "We were wondering if your mom could look after Cooper for a while."

"She's grocery shopping, but I'll look after him until she gets back," he grinned. "I'm his favourite uncle anyway, he told me last time he was here."

I smiled. "Thanks a bunch."

"No worries," he replied. "Good luck."

I nodded, waving as Ryan handed Cooper over.

"Feed the poor kid some chicken, would ya?" Ryan asked, ruffling Cooper's hair, then Archie's. They both gave him the same unimpressed facial expression after that.

"Call me with the news!" Archie shouted to us. I gave him a thumbs up out the window.

"Chicken!" Cooper cried in response.

I watched them retreat into the house, Cooper pulling Archie's hair affectionately.

"He's a lot like you," I commented as we drove away. Ryan was giving me concerned looks, but I was really just hoping that he would keep his eyes on the road so we wouldn't crash and die before we got to the hospital.

"Which one?" He asked, groaning as we had to stop at a traffic light.

I pondered that question as another jolt of pain rattled me. It felt like someone was chopping up my insides with a rusty spoon. Wow that was graphic. God, my imagination is disgusting.

Originally, I had meant that Ryan was a lot like Archie, but he was also very similar to Cooper. I saw similarities in both appearance and personality.

"Both," I replied in response to his question.

"You think Cooper is like me?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah, well you have the same eyes, and he has the same ears as you. You both smile with the right side of your mouth more. He copies what you do y'know. You're always whistling, and when he thinks nobodies watching he tries. He just ends up spitting everywhere, but it's adorable."

He smiled. "Well, I think he's more like you. He has your dark hair, your dimple, your button nose. He laughs like you, he sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating and-"

I gasped, interrupting him. "I do not stick out my tongue when I'm concentrating!"

"Yes you do," he laughed. "You do it when you're writing, but mostly when you're in the studio."