our future

the toughest kid

title: kid on the block - phora (wtf is going on with him anyway? like... he is not okay)
skylar's POV
the next day

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"okay so all you need to know is in here. it covers everything from allergies to their favorite movies or tv shows. i know it seems like a lot but.... well it actually just is a lot. it also has finneas and claudia's phone numbers right here as well as maggie and patrick's just in case you can't reach us." elle explains to me, handing me a neat color coded binder with small tabs marking what category they were or what the information was about. "i'm sorry" billie whispers to me, though elle playfully pushes her to show her that she heard. "i'm actually really glad that you did this. this will help a lot" i assure them. "i made reservations at 8 and it's like 7:50 so we should probably get going" elle suggests. "alright. you guys have fun" i wave to them as they start to make their way out. "bye mommy! bye mama! i love you!" i hear gray yell from the top of the stairs. "bye gray! i love you!" billie yells back in the same tone, making him giggle and run away. "i love you guys!" elle tells the kids as they wave to her and billie from the top of the stairs. "i love you!" they all shout in somewhat unison. they finally finish their goodbyes and billie and elle leave. "you guys ready to have some fun?" i ask, cocking an eyebrow as i look up at them with a smile. 

next thing i know we're building a fort in the theater room with pretty much all the pillows and blankets in the house, or at least all the ones we could find in five minutes. "this is gonna be my room and this one can be yours" emory explains to me as she puts up the pillow border between the two "rooms". "okay well which rooms are your brothers'" i ask. "they share a room in real life so they have to share a room in pretend too" she answers, pointing over where there is a slightly bigger space that will fit them both. "that makes sense. can you watch your brothers for a few minutes while i go get some snacks?" i ask. "yes ma'am" she nods and watches them intently as they playfully nudge each other, both giggling madly. "be careful you too" i order.

"OW" i hear one of the boys scream and start crying. i run to the theater room and see gray curled up on the floor with his head in his hands. "let me see gray" i demand, trying to move his hands away from his head, assuming it's just a little bump. he moves his hands and i see blood on them as well as a small gash in his head. "okay, let's take a little trip to the bathroom" i suggest, picking him up and rushing to the bathroom with him in my arms. "where does your mommy keep the bandages and stuff?" i ask, trying to remember what it said in the binder. "they're in here" emory says, opening up the cabinets below the sink and grabbing a little bin full of everything i might need. "thanks em. now gray, this is gonna hurt a little bit and i'm sorry but it's what we need to do. once i'm done with this we're gonna go for a little car ride okay?" i explain to him. "okay" he sniffles and nods a little. i pour a little bit of hydrogen peroxide onto a cotton ball and dab it against his wound, making him scream in pain. "i know buddy, i know. squeeze my hand" i comfort him and rub his back a little bit. he does as i tell him and  i finish up. i grab my phone from my pocket and decide to call claudia instead of billie or elle so i don't interrupt anything. i'll call them later.

"hey claudia, this is skylar. i work for billie and elle." i explain when she answers the phone. "aunty claudy!" emory exclaims and reaches for the phone. "one sec em" i put up a finger and continue to talk to claudia. "so i think gray is gonna need stitch-" i start but she cuts me off. "i'll be over in a minute." she tells me and hangs up. 

finneas, claudia and will get here in like two minutes and take grayson from me. "you guys stay here with them, i'll take him to the ER" finneas orders, holding grayson in his arms protectively. "okay, will do." i nod. claudia stays with me and i clean up the bathroom. "i'm gonna get fired aren't i? this is the first time they've left me with the kids overnight and one of them has a hole in their head!" i exclaim as i put everything i used away where emory showed me. "you're not going to get fired. they have accidents like this all the time, this one just happened to be under your watch. it's okay. kids get hurt. he'll be fine. over the years we've found that gray has a tough skull.  he'll be okay" claudia assures me. "i should call billie and elle shouldn't i?" i sigh, really hoping i don't lose my job. "you haven't called them yet?!" she exclaims before taking a deep breath. "yes. yes you should call them." she agrees with me in a calmer tone than before. 

i grab my phone and call elle, hoping she'll answer. after what seems like forever, elle finally answers. "h-hey skylar. what's um... what's going on?" she asks, obviously out of breath. "i'm sorry if i'm interrupting anything but i feel like i should let you know... gray had a little accident and he's um... he's going to the ER." i explain to her, probably noticeably nervous about telling her. "ugh, again? damn it" she groans. "what happened?" she asks. "he hit his head on the corner of the entertainment center and has a gash there now. finneas is taking him to get stitches or something, claudia and i are watching finn and em." i tell her. "okay. we'll go to the hospital. do we need to come home?" she asks. "no, claudia and i got it." i assure her. "alright. i'm gonna call finneas and tell him we're on our way." she says and hangs up. 

once finneas and gray get home, gray runs to me and hugs me. "hey bud, how'd it go?" i ask. "i have staples in my head!" he exclaims and points to them. "oh really? how was that?" i question with a small laugh. "he took it like a champ, didn't you little man?" finneas answers from behind gray. "yeah i did! the nurse said that i was the toughest kid she'd ever met" he tells me with a wide smile. "i bet you were! you're definitely the toughest kid i've ever met, don't tell your siblings though" i whisper the last part to him, making him giggle. em and finn went to sleep about twenty minutes after finneas and gray left. i think will is asleep in the fort with them as well. "why don't you go get some rest? the fort is still up" i tell him. "okay sky" he agrees. "i love you uncle finneas, i love you aunt claudia, i love you sky" he says as he hugs each of us. we all say it back and he walks to the theater room. 

now just to wait and see what happens tomorrow.