The Perfect Family

Chapter 26: Emilie

At 3am later that night, I hear a loud crash come from downstairs, followed by a faint screech.

"Jack, what is that?" I ask, attempting to wake him.

"It's probably just the wind, babe. The scream was probably just some teenager" Jack responds half awake.

"But it came from downstairs. I'm going to go see what's up" I say.

"Alright. You go do that" Jack yawns as he falls back asleep.

When I head downstairs, I find Lucy in the kitchen standing at the open refridgerator, attempting for something in the back.

"Hey, little princess. What are you doing up?" I ask as I rub my eyes and look at the time on the microwave, which reads 3:15am.

"I'm thirsty. I want apple juice. Can you help me get it, please?" Lucy asks as she runs her hand through her greasy and tangled blonde hair.

"Okay, but remember to go to the washroom before going back to sleep" I answer as I rearrange a few things in the fridge and get Lucy her juice.

"Okay, mama" Lucy nods as she waits patiently for her drink.

"Here you go, sweetheart. Now, let's get you back to bed. You want to have lots of energy later for papa's birthday" I say as I hand her the princess tumbler filled with apple juice.

"Oh, yeah. That's right. I'm going to make him something at school" Lucy yawns as she rubs her eyes and takes another sip of her juice before we head back upstairs.

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Later in the morning as Jack rushes to get everything ready for work and the girls are getting ready for school, I come downstairs with Kyson and try to get him to relax.

"Jack, honey calm down. Everything is going to be fine. You have nothing to worry about" I assure him as I stop him from running frantically through the halls in his suit and tie.

"Really, Em? The publisher is coming by today to give me the final say on if the book is good or not. This is so stressful. Aghh!" Jack responds as he loosens his tie.

"Jack, baby, look at me. You've done this countless times before. You have nothing to worry about. I have faith in you; I always have" I said as I placed my free hand to his cheek and kissed him quickly but passionately.

"Okay, sweetheart. Thanks. Have I ever told you that I love you?" Jack asks as the kiss comes to an end.

"I may have heard it before" I laugh.

Just as Jack takes a seat on the couch, the twins come downstairs all dressed and ready with everything for school but their lunches.

"Ahh! It's a princess, it's a huntress. I better run!" Jack says  as he catches sight of Julia and Lucy.

"Papa you're so funny!" Lucy giggles.

"Happy birthday, papa. We love you" Julia says.

"Thank you, sweetie. Remember to be good today. That's the only present I want" Jack smiles as he hugs them both.

"Whoa, I seem to be missing a child" Jack says as he releases his grip of the twins and looks left and right. 

"Maddox is still in bed, remember?" I remind him. 

"Oh right. But I see you guys later right?" Jack asks.

"Of course you will" I answer as I set Kyson down and start making the twins' lunches.

Within thirty minutes, Jack and the girls are out the door. I told Jack earlier that we would see him later, but really it'll be sooner than he thinks.

~X~

11:30am, Kyson has been napping for an hour and 15 minutes and Maddox is watching Curious George on an endless loop. I take advantage of the time that I have and prepare the boys' clothing for when we go out and I make a couple arrangements to ensure that Jack's birthday goes as smooth as possible.

"This is Emilie Alexander, Julia and Lucy's mother. I would just like to call in and say that I'll be picking them up from school around noon. They have an appoinment" I say as I am connected to the attendance office at their school.

"We'll make sure they're down right away. Have a good day" the secretary responds.

It pains me to have to lie about the reason why, but at the same time it feels kind of wonderful as the adrenaline continues to rush through me. Jack is usually the one who thinks nothing of little white lies as long as they are used for the right reasons.

While I get the boys' clothing ready for the day my motherly instinct begin to tingle as I hear screams come from Maddox's bedroom. I rush to his bedroom and am speechless at the sight in front of me. Maddox is laying on the floor and he is turning blue. I think to myself for a moment, how could this have happened? But I don't take much time to dwell on that as I call Jack.

"Hey, honey, what's up?" Jack asks as he answers on the third ring.

"Meet us at the hospital as soon as you can" I respond. 

"Why? What's wrong?" Jack asks as he senses the panic in my voice.

"It's Maddox. I heard him panicking in his bedroom a while ago, I just got there and I found him blue on the floor" I explained, the panic increasing in my tone of voice.

"Alright. I'll be right there" Jack says just before he hangs up to tell Sean he's leaving.

Kyson is napping, but I know I'll have to wake him up to get ready. As I carry Maddox over my shoulder, I rush our bedroom to get Kyson. I don't know how much longer I have before Maddox starts to look more and more like a smurf.

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Jack and I arrive within a couple seconds short of each other.

"Hey" Jack says as he locks the car and is completely out of breath when he approaches.

"Hey, let's go. I really hope he's okay" I say as a tear runs down my face as I look at my toddler son completely still and possibly not breathing.

"He's a fighter, Em. He'll be okay. I know it" Jack assures me as we head inside.

We walk into the emergency area of the hospital and realize that it is packed with people who have broken bones, suffered brain injuries, and everything else imaginable.

"How can we help you?" a blonde receptionist who appears to be our age asks as she looks up at us from her clipboard.

"My name is Emilie and this is my husband, Jack. Our son Maddox was having a panic attack and when I got to him I found almost completely blue. He's been drooling and staring blankly into space for 20 minutes. I think it might be a seizure. Please help us" I say I hold Maddox close to my chest and kiss his head of blonde hair.

"Of course, I just need the patient's last name and someone will be able to see you right away" the receptionist says.

"Oh yes, of course. Our last name is Alexander" I answer.

"Thank you. Please have a seat and your son will be seen right away" the receptionist says as she types Maddox's name in the computer. As she does so, all of his medical history shows up on a colourful  spreadsheet.

"You know, we might be here a while. We should probably arrange for someone to pick up the girls if we can't make it" Jack suggests.

"Sure, that sounds good" I respond as I look down worriedly at the jerking toddler in my arms.

"I'll make some arrangements. I'll be right back" Jack says as he steps out to make a call.

As he walks out, I make sure that Kyson is still asleep in the double stroller. I look at Maddox and take the time to tell him how much I love him and how I only want him to be okay.

"Hey, baby. My sweet Maddox Lincoln, you're going to be okay. Mama and Papa love you so much. We're going to do everything we can to keep you healthy, happy and safe. We've come so far for the past two and a half years, please don't let go now" I wept a series of tears on his cheek before placing a kiss on his flawless forehead.