Okay. Breathe.
The first thing Freddie had to do was calm down and access the situation. Sarah had left him. That was clear. She hadn't been happy with their relationship in a while, especially since he started adopting children. When she started having babies of their own that was when she really went nuts.
So she was gone.
Now Freddie had to focus on the kids. His poor babies. From now on he was going to be their only parent. That was so depressing.
"Daddy! Daddee!!"
The panic returned. He could feel his lungs constrict as he tried to gasp for breath. The kids would be wanting to eat soon. But what? What did they have in the house? Cheerios? Oh hell no, he couldn't do this. He couldn't.
Polly ran over to him. "Daddy I'm hungry!"
"Okay, just let me. . ."
The twins joined in. "We want to eat."
Surrounded by a bunch of little bodies, Freddie went into the messy kitchen and tried his best to put together something the kids wouldn't complain about. While they sat at the table eating, Freddie went back on the phone calling the people he knew. Surely someone somewhere knew what happened to Sarah.
"Sorry," was the answer he got. "I don't know where she went. I saw her at the bar with some guy."
Freddie hung up, feeling worse. It wasn't enough that Sarah left him and the kids, she ran off with some loser. Great.
"Daddy," Eloise said with her mouth full. "Where's Mommy at?"
"Yeah, we want Mommy." said Alfie.
The rest of the kids soon picked this up. Freddie loved how when one kid started something the rest just had to follow. Really great.
"Okay, okay," Freddie sat down and took a couple of them on his lap. "I have to tell you guys something, okay? Mommy had to go away for a while."
"Is she dead?" Stella whispered with wide eyes.
"No. Of course not," Freddie said.
"Is she in jail?" Polly asked. "My friend's daddy had to go away when he robbed some store."
Freddie reminded himself to monitor who his babies were around. "No, no one died and no one went to jail. Your mommy had to go somewhere to rest. It's just going to be us from now on, okay? Just daddy and the kids."
The kids looked at him and nodded. Freddie felt a sudden sadness when he said those words. Just him and the kids.
What were they going to do now?