The first thing Vern noticed when she opened her eyes, was Bobbi still lying asleep in her lap. The second thing was the room around her was filled with sleeping men. Damen was stretched out on the end of the bed. Riggs was sitting on the floor with his head and arms laying on the side of the mattress. Oliver had managed to crawl into bed next to Bobbi, allowing her legs to drape over his lap. Rodger was asleep in the pink bean bag chair that he had pulled over close to the bed. Vern smiled at the amount of love these men had for Bobbi. She felt a warmth growing in her chest as she closed her eyes once again, allowing sleep to find its way back to her.
"Auntie Ronica, Auntie Ronica." Vern awoke once again to Bobbi's little hands pushing against her shoulders. "Auntie Ronica, you awake?" Bobbi continued to whisper.
Vern kept her eyes closed but offered up a smile to Bobbi. Once her mind and thoughts caught up to each other, she realized she was just blessed with a new moniker. She took a moment to soak it in before responding. "What's wrong, Baby?" she whispered back.
"I scared," Bobbi told her.
Vern began running her fingers across Bobbi's scalp, trying to calm her down. "Why are you scared?"
"It's too dark."
"Can you see me right now?" Vern whispered to her.
"Yes."
"What is my mouth doing?" Vern asked.
"Auntie Ronica is smiling," Bobbi told her.
"That's right little one. If you can see Auntie's smile, then it's not too dark. Now go back to sleep." She began humming another lullaby as she pressed Bobbi's head back down to her lap.
"I hungry," Bobbi whispered instead of sleeping.
"Now you're hungry? I thought you were scared."
"No. Now I hungry," Bobbi reiterated.
Finally opening her eyes, Vern was met with a very smiley Bobbi. "Alright, Auntie will take you down to the kitchen, but we have to be very quiet. See all the boys sleeping around us? We don't want to wake them up."
Bobbi looked around for the first time to see all her favorite men sleeping close to her. She turned around and nodded silently, not wanting to wake anyone.
Vern slowly and silently led Bobbi off the bed and out of the room. As they descended the stairs, they could tell the house was completely empty. All the staff had gone home for the night. Finding their way into the kitchen, Vern found the light switch and pressed against it. She quickly saw the sign letting her know Bobbi was not allowed in this room. She stuck her tongue out at it, eliciting a giggle from Bobbi herself. Bobbi quickly followed suit, sticking her own tongue out at the signage.
Vern saw what she did and reached over to tickle Bobbi's side. "Don't tell your Daddies I did that."
"I won't," Bobbi promised.
Opening the fridge, Vern began pulling out leftovers from dinner. She realized that neither her nor Bobbi had eaten. Dish after dish she set on the counter, her tummy rumbling at each one. When she was finally finished, she began to open all the containers so they could see what was inside. "Bobbi, come here," Vern beckoned, pulling a stool up to the counter so Bobbi could see. "Tell me what you want."
Bobbi Pointed at different dishes, allowing Vern to begin preparing her plate. Before sticking it in the microwave, Vern took a moment to inspect what Bobbi had picked out. "You know what Little One, there's no protein on this plate. How about we give you some meat?"
"No," Bobbi said forcefully. "I don't want any."
"But don't you want to grow up big and strong?" Vern asked.
"No meat!" Bobbi said again, shaking her head.
"Do you ever eat meat?" she asked her.
"No, she doesn't," a strong male voice responded.
Both girls looked over to see a very sleepy Riggs standing in the kitchen entrance. He walked over to them, running his fingers through his hair. Bobbi jumped down from the stool and ran into his arms. "Daddy!" she yelled, as he picked her up.
"Hey Bug, what are you doing up so late?" he asked, giving her a big hug and kiss.
"My tummy hungry. Auntie Ronica making us food!"
Riggs lifted an eyebrow towards Vern. "Auntie Ronica? Seems someone is considered family now."
Vern gave him a sarcastic smile while placing the plate in the microwave. "Well, we always knew deep down that it was bound to happen sooner or later."
Riggs placed Bobbi in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. He walked over and began inspecting the various containers of food on the counter. Grabbing a plate, he started to dish up after Vern. When the microwave dinged, Vern handed him Bobbi's plate, then placed hers inside.
Walking over to the table, Riggs placed the plate with a fork in front of Bobbi. "Now behave and try to eat this without getting it all over the place, okay Bug?"
Smiling at her selection of food, Bobbi began to dig in. "Okay, Daddy!"
Standing in the kitchen, Riggs gave Vern a tight hug, thanking her for taking care of Bobbi when they needed her. "So, who gave you the name?" he teased after letting her go. "Did you give it to yourself?"
"No. She woke me up saying it. I had no idea she was going to gift it to me."
"Gift you what?" Damen asked as he walked into the kitchen.
"Damie!" Bobbi yelled, jumping out of her seat.
Damen quickly caught her in his arms. He picked her up and held her tight before sitting down in the chair with his sister in his lap. "Hey Bug, why are you awake? It's really late."
"I hungry and Auntie Ronica said I could eat." She reached over and picked up her fork full of food. On its way to her mouth, some of it fell on the floor. Damen took it from her and began feeding her.
"Oh, that's the gift," he remarked, nodding his head. Looking over his shoulder, he asked one of them to make him a plate too.
"So, this is where the party is," Oliver smiled as he and Rodger walked into the kitchen. He made a beeline for Bobbi, planting a kiss on her head. "Kind of late to be having a family dinner, but I'm down for it." He and Rodger both grabbed plates and began serving themselves.
After a few minutes, all you could hear in the kitchen was silverware clinking against plates and the laughter of the people sitting around the table. No one spoke about the night's events. They were all thinking the same thing, what if it triggers Bobbi? Instead, Rodger began showing them a different side of himself. He started with one bad dad joke after another. Pretty soon they were all chiming in, trying to outdo the person sitting next to them. Little Bobbi didn't understand a lot of what they were saying, but she did enjoy their laughter. She stayed content in her brother's lap, allowing him to feed her. He continually gave her squeezes around her waist, even tickling her sides off and on. The sound of her giggles made him continue doing it. Once a bottle was placed in her mouth, Bobbi began getting tired once again. She laid her head against her brother's chest and quickly fell asleep.
"I loved this," Damen announced to everyone at the table.
"What? The feeding and cuddling?" Riggs asked.
"No, all of us sitting here as a family, eating, and joking. It's been a long time since this house has seen or heard this much love," he told Riggs.
Nodding his head in agreement, Riggs understood where he was coming from. "Yeah, it has been a long time for sure."
"I'm considered official family now?" Vern joked with them.
"Yes you are," Damen confirmed. "You and Andy both."
Riggs chuckled at Vern's expression. "After all, you are Auntie Ronica now. There are certain expectations attached to such a prestige's rank."
"I have a feeling some of those expectations are going to be showing up on a regular basis with gift in hand," she teased.
"I'm sure showing up with Andy will be gift enough," Oliver assured her. "Bobbi doesn't get to play with other littles on a regular basis."
"Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?" she asked him.
"How long do you think she'll stay regressed this time?" Rodger asked everyone.
Shaking his head, Riggs stared at his little girl sleeping on her brother's chest. "I don't know. After the surprise she had tonight with Fanning, it might be a while."
"You know what didn't happen tonight though?" Oliver asked everyone. "She didn't have a panic attack. I'm not saying they are over with, but I think we're making progress."
Damen smiled down at his sister, thinking back on the events of the night. "God, she kicked ass though, didn't she?"
"I think we may have found the key to her success. As long as she is prepped ahead of time and knows what's going to happen, then she's good to go. It was the surprise of Fanning that tipped her over the edge," Riggs explained.
Damen shrugged his shoulders while petting his sister's head. "Maybe, but only time will tell. We'll know more when she's big Bobbi."
Riggs walked over to Damen to remove Bobbi from his arms. Everyone said their goodnights, leaving the mess in the kitchen for staff to clean up once they got to work in the morning. Oliver and Riggs took Bobbi upstairs and laid her in bed in the suite. They crawled in on either side, allowing the darkness to quickly take over.
The sun was streaming in through the windows when Riggs finally awoke. His phone was quietly chiming next to his head. He reached over to see text messages from Damen.
Damen: You up?
Damen: Hello?
Damen: Get the fuck up! WTH?! It's nearly noon!
Damen: If you don't answer, I'm coming up!
Riggs: I'm up. What do you want?
Damen: Dr. Chris will be here at 1. That's in about 45 min.
Riggs: What does he want? It's Sunday.
Damen: ??
Riggs: Fine. I'll jump in the shower.
Riggs quietly snuck out of bed, leaving Oliver and Bobbi asleep. When he got out of the shower, he saw Oliver leaning up against the bathroom counter. "What's going on? Usually, you wait until we're all up."
Wrapping a towel around his waist, Riggs walked over to give Oliver a kiss. "Seems Doctor Chris is making a surprise visit."
"On a Sunday?" Oliver asked a bit shocked.
"Exactly. I'm thinking it's not good, whatever it is."
Oliver turned the shower on and began undressing. "Well, I'm coming too. We can ask Nanny to take care Bobbi."
Agreeing, Riggs left to get dressed, calling Nanny as he did so. By the time he and Oliver stepped into the living room, Doctor Chris was waiting for them. Damen and Rodger were already there, having a drink and making small talk.
After taking a seat, Doctor Chris asked where Bobbi was. "She's upstairs with Nanny. She was just waking up as we were headed downstairs. Why?" Riggs asked.
Taking a deep breath, the Doctor began explaining his last-minute visit. "There were some abnormalities in Bobbi's bloodwork."
Damen immediately sat forward in his chair, while Riggs and the rest narrowed their eyes, waiting for the doctor to continue. They could all feel the same dread in the pit of their stomachs.
"When I sent in the blood, I asked for a complete panel to be done. That included a hormonal screening as well. A couple things came back that left me feeling a bit uneasy. First, as you all can probably guess, Bobbi is extremely anemic. This would cause her to sleep more, feel lethargic, be unable to focus, pale skin, and have a poor appetite, to name a few."
Damen nodded his head, letting the doctor know she had all those symptoms. "We just thought that was from her years of drug use."
"Yes and no," Doctor Chris agreed. "She doesn't eat the meat that she should, so she's not getting the iron she needs. Once we correct that, she should be much better."
"What's the next abnormality?" Riggs pushed.
"There were high blood levels of the hormone inhibin that detect ovarian issues. I would like to get Bobbi admitted to the hospital so we can run a few tests to see what is going on inside of her."
Damen began stuttering over his words. "Y-you w-w-want my sister to go to the hospital?" He was flabbergasted at the thought of that. "Why would I okay that? Why can't you do the testing here at the house?"
"Because he's not just testing for blood related issues. Isn't that right?" Riggs questioned the Doctor.
Nodding his head, he turned to address Riggs personally. "You're right. I don't have what I need here to run the tests. If we get her admitted to the hospital, then I can keep her comfortable while we do what we need to. I can also get the results much quicker, which will allow us to pivot if needed and not waste her time or mine. This can be a long-drawn-out process if you insist on having it done here. If she goes in, I can see what I need to within a couple of days. Which would you rather have for her? In my opinion, and as far as her mental health is concerned, the quicker the better."
A few minutes went by with no one saying a word. They were all deep in thought, worrying and stressing about what was best for Bobbi. Damen sat back in his chair; his head being held in his hand. "What hospital?" he asked.
"We can go to Mercy General. They have everything we need," Doctor Chris assured him.
"No way. That place is filled with addicts and drunks. Think of something else," Damen demanded.
"Well, there is a small, fully staffed, private hospital that can meet our needs. They have doctors that are doing amazing research and are top of their class. She would have a private room and a personal nurse that is assigned to only her. There is one downside though," Doctor Chris told him. "It's in Arizona."
Damen looked to Riggs to see what he wanted to do. They had known each other their entire lives, which made their conversation without words and only expressions easy to have. Riggs turned his attention back to the doctor. "Make the phone call. Let Oliver know the name of the hospital so he can run background checks on the staff with Burney and Jack. She needs a private room large enough for a Queen-sized bed and a cot. And Doctor Chris, not one word of this gets out to anyone. That includes our own staff here."
"Give me a secure room and I can have an answer for you very soon," the Doctor promised.
"Rodger, can you take the Doctor to the other wing. He can use my office," Damen instructed. "And Rodger, you stay with him."
Nodding his head, Rodger left with the Doctor in tow. The other three took a minute to sit in silence, absorbing what they just heard. "How do we break this to her?" Damen asked.
"That all depends on who we are dealing with. The little Bobbi or the big one," Oliver told him.
Riggs stood from his seat and began walking towards the door. "Well, there's no time like the present. Let's get to it, shall we?"