~Sang~
The next morning is a relatively calm one as I get the kids dressed and ready to go to work with me. There's a daycare center in the pediatrics wing of the hospital for employees and patients.
Makes being a single mom a hell of a lot easier.
I know that I have Axel and the others if I ever really need help, but they have their own jobs and responsibilities. And I'm sure the boys would love to spend the day with the twins, but we have a schedule to keep. Just because it's summer, doesn't mean they get to play all day.
After I finish getting them dressed, Morgan in a yellow top with a white skirt and sandals, Cole in a green shirt with jeans and sneakers, I sit them at the kitchen table with bowls of cereal, and rush to my room to get myself ready.
We overslept a bit since it took some time to get them back to sleep after they woke up, even with Phil's help. They seem to be ok now, but I know my kids, they're putting on a brave face to show the world. They're way more insightful than four year olds should be, but I guess that's what happens when they have a bunch of uncles who excel in pretty much everything, and a mother who wants to give them every advantage in the world and the opportunities she never had.
I shake myself out of my macabre thoughts and finish getting dressed in my pink and white scrubs. I throw my hair in a pony tail, slip on my sneakers, and grab my messenger bag before heading to the kitchen to grab the twins. They've just finished eating, so I fix Morgan's hair into two braids, part Cole's hair to the side, grab their jackets off the coat rack, and then we're out the door.
They're both quiet as I strap them into their car seats and we drive off to the hospital. The ride there isn't the normal production of singing and wiggling around in the backseat, but they do hum along to the radio. I hate that their own father has caused them to feel this way just because he can't think before he speaks.
Just you wait till I get my hands on you Nathan Griffin, you're going to wish you stayed away longer when I get through with you.
All too soon, I'm pulling into the hospital parking lot and turning off the car. I take the twins up to the daycare on the fourth floor, leaving my bags with their snacks with the nurse in charge, and head down to the second floor, in patient care, to start my shift.
Most of the morning goes by without a hitch, that is, until Dr. Roberts walks up to my desk, with Sean in tow.
Oh boy, here we go.
"Hi Phil," I greet, as I paste on a fake smile. "Thanks for helping me get the kids back to sleep after their father broke their hearts."
"Now Sang, put the claws away," Phil chuckles. "Sean's just here to talk."
"That's nice," I reply. "Is he here to tell me that Nathan's been grounded for the rest of eternity, or that he's decided to become eunuch and is on his way to get castrated? No? Then I don't want to hear it."
"Sang please," Sean pleads. "You have to know that none of us feel that way, even Nathan. He's always had a trigger temper."
"His temper is nothing compared to North's, Sean. And if North was sane enough not to say something so utterly disrespectful, than I have no sympathy for him."
"Pookie, you must know that none of us are ok with what Nathan said, and if he'd show his face it'd be black and blue."
"What do you mean if he'd show his face?" I ask confused.
"He hasn't been back since he left your house last night," Sean tells me.
"Hm, if I didn't want him black and blue myself, I'd be concerned that Volto got him," I muse aloud.
"Oh no," Phil steps in. "Nothing that drastic happened. We had him pay a little visit to Raven's gym last night. He's most likely just sleeping it off in a motel."
"Where'd he get the money for a motel?" Sean asks, the same time that I ask, "So he is black and blue?"
"Now, Sang," Phil chides. "Be nice. But yes, he is black and blue."
"Where is he?" Sean asks him.
"Right now? No idea," Phil tells him, but the twinkle in his eye makes it unbelievable.
"Phil?" I ask. "Where is Nathan?"
"Hopefully doing some good."
With that cryptic comment, they leave to take Sean on a tour of the hospital, and I get back to work.
~Morgan~
"Morgan? Did Daddy Nate really mean all that mean stuff he said to Mommy last night?"
"No, Collie. He was just being a big old meanie jerkface."
"But then...why did he say it?"
"Mommy always said Daddy Nate had a temper. Maybe he just wanted to hurt Mommy."
"But why?"
"I don't know, Cole. Adults are weird."
We're sitting in the middle of the playroom building the tower on the Lego box. I wish I could tell Cole why Daddy Nate said what he did, but I'm lost myself. Daddy Nate should love Mama. You don't say mean things to the people you love. Unless you're Uncle Rave, but he always says it in Russian and Mommy says that he doesn't mean it.
I know Daddy Nate didn't really mean it when he said we aren't his. I hope he didn't. Could he have?
I hope not. We finally have our family whole. We were doing ok with just Mommy and our uncles, but we've always hoped that our dads would come back and that we'd all be one big happy family the way we're supposed to.
I wish I could do more to help Cole. I'm the older twin. It's my job to make sure he's ok. Cole likes to act tough, but he's really just a big softy. Mommy always says how much he reminds her of Daddy North. Mommy said that he has a temper too.
If Daddy North could stop himself from saying hurtful things to Mommy, why couldn't Daddy Nate?
"Excuse me? You're needed in room 5. Something about the kid's food coming out the wrong end, if you know what I mean."
"Oh shoot! Stay here with the kids. I'll be right back."
I turn towards the talking and see Nurse Emma rushing out. There's a big muscly man in blue scrubs with a face mask that the doctors usually wear, and a cap thing that the surgeons usually have on. His blue eyes look kinda sad like Uncle Brandon's used to in old pictures. His voice was a little deep while he was talking to Nurse Emma. Not as deep as Daddy Silas, but still deep. And kinda familiar...
"Hey kids," he says as he comes over. "What are you guys doing?"
"Playing Legos," Cole answers.
"Who are you?" I ask with squinty eyes. "Mommy told us not to talk to strangers, and we've never seen you here before."
"I'm new here," he answers as he sits down. "And your mommy's right. You shouldn't talk to strangers. I'm Nurse Honey."
"Your mom named you Honey?" Cole asks in surprise.
"Hah, no buddy. But my girlfriend did a really long time ago. Guess it kinda stuck with me."
My head tilts to the side as I look at him. There's something weird about his left eye. The color around the skin is all wrong. And why does he have that stupid cap and mask on? He can't be a nurse here, new nurses don't get baby duty. And those muscles...
"You can take that stupid mask off," I huff. "I know it's you, Daddy Nate."
His eyes widen as he looks at me and chuckles. He pulls the mask down and now it's clearly Daddy Nate sitting in front of us.
"You're really smart, Morgan. Just like your mom. How did you know it was me?"
"The skin around your eye is weird. And your eyes look sad like the old pictures of Uncle Brandon. Your size and voice are kind of a dead giveaway too. We know you Daddy. Mommy made sure."
"Wow," he laughs. "You really are just like your mom."
"What do you want, Daddy Nate?" Cole asks with squinty eyes. "You said really mean things to Mommy last night."
"I know, kiddo," he sighs. "And I'm really sorry. I didn't mean any of it. Sometimes, I have a bad habit of putting my foot in my mouth."
"Uncle Raven has that problem," Cole tells him. "But Uncle Corey just threatens to put him on time out and he fixes it. Are you gonna fix it, Daddy?"
"Yeah, buddy, I'm gonna do everything I can to fix it. You and your sister mean the world to me, and I was a real idiot for running off at the mouth like that."
"Uncle Raven hit you, didn't he?" I ask with my eyes squinted.
Daddy Nate's eyes widen before he asks, "How did you know?"
"The color around your eyes. It's makeup right? Mommy uses it when she doesn't want us to know she's tired. She used a lot this morning."
"I really messed up last night, you guys," he sighs. "I always told myself that when I had kids, they'd always know that they were loved, and they'd never want for anything. I wasn't there for you guys all these years and now I go and do this. I really made a mess of things, huh?"
"Yeah," I answer truthfully.
"Do you think you guys could ever forgive me?"
"We know you didn't mean it, Daddy Nate," Cole pats his hand. "But you hurt Mama. So no." Then Cole punches Daddy Nate in the arm.
"Ow. Ok, I know I deserved that." he winces. "Who taught you how to hit like that?"
"Mama," we both answer together, right before I hit his other arm.
"Ow. Morgan! What was that for?"
"You hurt our feelings. And because Mama won't hit you in front of us, so we need to know you learned your lesson."
"Hitting people doesn't solve anything," he tells me.
"Neither does saying mean things just to hurt people." I turn up my nose at him.
"You're right," he sighs. "I'm really sorry, Morgan, Cole. I'll take whatever punishment you deem necessary. Just please, don't shut me out of your lives."
"Why would we do a silly thing like that?" I ask confused.
"You're our dad," Cole adds. "Uncle Marc says that daddies say stupid things all the time."
"Must be one of those times," I add.
"So, you guys forgive me?" he asks hopefully.
"No," we say together.
"Weren't you listening?" I ask with my hands on my hips.
"You hurt Mommy," Cole adds. "So Mommy has to forgive you."
"And then we'll think about it," I finish.
"Your mother's never going to forgive me for this."
"Of course she will silly." I shake my head at him. "Mommy loves you. You just have to show her how sorry you are."
"And if we know anything," Cole adds. "It's how to get on mommy's good side after we've done something bad."
"Cole, I think it's time for Operation Save Daddy Nate."
"So you guys are going to help me?"
"Duh!" we say together. "You're our dad!"
Man,boys really are stupid.