"Earthquake!" Kat yelled as the twins screamed. "Shit!" I yelled then quickly grabbed Nova from Kat and ran towards the dining room.
I had experienced earthquakes since moving to LA but they were usually small and lasted a couple seconds. This one was huge.
Pictures were falling off of the walls and the world was shaking violently.
I held the girls close to my chest as Kat and I ducked under the dining room table.
"This is so bad!" Kat cried out as the shaking subsided. "Yeah.." I breathed out as the girls screamed.
I trembled from the fear as I held the girls tighter. "It's okay.." I whispered as my phone started ringing. "It's probably Colby." I mumbled, but was too afraid to even move. I was scared that the girls would get hurt.
I was scared that another earthquake would hit.
"Are you going to answer it?" Kat asked as I shook my head. "I can't move." I said as a sudden pain filled my abdomen.
I didn't even realize that when I dove I probably ripped the stitches that were still healing.
"I'll get it." She said and ran to grab my phone before crawling under the table again. By the time she got back the phone had stopped ringing.
"Are you going to call him back?" She asked as I shook my head. "No, he'll call back in five seconds." I said as my phone started ringing again.
"Told you." I said then answered the phone and put it on speaker so I could calm the girls down. "V? Are you okay?" Colby asked as I sighed and rubbed my hand along each of the twins backs.
"That was scary." I said as the girls slowly calmed down. "Are you and the girls okay?" He asked frantically as I nodded.
"I might have ripped a couple stitches, but we're okay." I said and hugged the girls. "Are you?" I asked as he sighed. "Yeah, Sam and I were on our way home." He said as I nodded.
"Can you wait to drive for a couple minutes...I don't want another one to hit." I said quietly. "Yeah, I'll wait. There's gonna be an aftershock so just stay where you are, okay?" He asked as I nodded. "Okay." I said then sniffled.
"You're okay, baby. I'm proud of you for keeping yourself and the girls safe." He said as I hugged them, kissing each of their heads. "They're scared." I said as Kat answered her phone.
"You're doing great. I'll be home soon and I can help you keep them together. I'm just glad you're alright." He said as I nodded. "I'm glad you're alright, too. Please drive safe." I said then looked down at the girls.
They were looking at me with blank looks on their faces. Their rosey cheeks were flushed because of how much they were crying. "It's okay darlings." I whispered then kissed their heads.
"I'll be home soon. We're gonna sit here and wait for a little bit then drive home." Colby explained as I nodded. "Okay, I love you." I said then hugged the girls. "I love you more." He said then hung up.
Kat and I sat under the table with the girls for a while, waiting for the aftershock to hit.
It felt like an eternity, but I was relieved when it happened. It surprisingly wasn't as bad as the initial earthquake and we were more prepared so the girls didn't wake up.
"I think it's safe." Kat said as I looked down at my sleeping girls. "I want to wait until Sam and Colby get here." I said as she smiled sympathetically. "Okay, we can wait." She said as I snuggled the girls.
We waited for just a little while longer before the front door opened. "Violet? Kat?" Colby called out as the girls fussed in my arms. "Shhh, it's just daddy." I said as they walked into the room.
