Cheaper by the dozen plus one - Book 1 & 2 (COMPLETED)

Chapter 13

"You have to decide who is making the bacon and who's cooking" the president told him with an amusing smile.

"So what's it going to be Tom?" Shake asked as Kate walked in, "Tom, did you pick up my dry cleaning?" She asked her husband.

"Yes dear, it's in the front closet" he answered with a slight attitude in his voice because of her bad timing.

"I guess the wife just answered our question" Shake said to the president, "the wife's name is Kate, Shake" she told him walking out of the room.

"What a whiner" Nigel whispered to Kyle as they watch from the balcony, "I want a answer by Monday Tom, this meeting is over" Shake told him and he and the president left.

Kate walked over to the front closet opening the door and all the kids toys came tumbling down. She ignored the toys and grab her dry cleaning, "am going to get ready" she told Tom and went upstairs.

Tom wasn't looking where he was going and ran into Mark who was hold a bowl of warm water so it turned over on his suit. "Sorry dad" Mark told him and ran off as Tom groaned in frustration.

So he head upstairs to get change but he saw Nora and Hank leaving her room half dressed. "What is this?" Tom asked totally confused, "Hank slept over" Nora informs him like it's no big deal.

"You have a problem with that?" She asked giving him attitude, he stepped closer to them.

"Yes I have a problem with that! This house is G rated" he told her raising his voice at her.

"Woah, chief, Nora's a big girl, she can-" Tom immediately cut Hank off, "now would be an excellent time for you to be very, very quiet, chief" Tom snapped at him.

Hank shuts up, "now get dress and get down stairs" Tom snapped at them and walked off to his room.

As soon as he walked in Kate turns to him, "I can't believe you let things get so bad around here, I cant believe it" Kate complained.

"What can I say? You didn't pick the perfect moment to have a career" he told her as he removed his shirt.

"Oh wow, ok am not even going to touch the hypocrisy, you told me to go to New York! Remember that! Mr. I can handle it, everything will be ok, go kate go! Help me would you" She argued and turn her back to him for him to zip up her dress.

"So your telling me, you didn't want to go to New York?" Tom question her ask him moved behind her. "No, I want a lot of things, so do you, that's the problem" she told him, "this isn't working" he told her.

"Yeah that's my point" she told him softly, "I ment the zipper" he told her upset.

They both glance at the entrance of their bedroom and saw Jessica and Kim at the door watch them. They ran off immediately when they saw that they have been caught spying on their parents, who they have never argued before.

Kate signed and faced Tom, "let's just get through the next hour, ok" she said to him, "ok" he unwillingly agreed.

They glared at each other and walked away from each other, soon enough they were completely dress.

"Ok everybody, I know it's been a difficult day. But I need all of you, and I would really appreciate if you could put on happy faces alright. Everything is great and we're a big happy family, and if you could remember all the lines I told you, say nice things to Oprah, love your hair things like that. If can't find something nice to say don't say anything. Big smiles let me see them!" Kate says as everyone rush down the stairs and Sarah gave her an awkward smile.

Mark came down the stairs with a sad face, Skylar was too busy fixing Henry's hat to see him.

"Mom, Beans dead" Mark to her, "nobody cares about your stupid frog right now FedEx, ok" Sarah told Mark with an attitude.

"Stop calling me that" Mark complained before attacking her this caused everyone to start arguing as Tom and Kate tried to get Sarah and Mark to stop fighting.

Tom sees Nora at the top of the stairs with stairs with Hank, "Nora! We need you down here!" He yelled to her, she walked away from Hank and went downstairs to help with her siblings.

Nora went straight to Mark but he ran off upstairs away from everyone fighting, eventually the camera crew left after seeing that this was not the big happy family they thought they were going to see.
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Later in the night Kate began to clean upstairs, "feel free to sleep on the couch" Kate told Tom as she pass him.

"You read my mind" he told her and head down the stairs but was stop by Jessica who exit the bathroom.

"Daddy, are you and mom going to get a divorce?" She asked sadly, he picked her up into his arms and hugged her.

"Mark's gone" Kate announced suddenly making Jessica and Tom looked at her in shock. She held up a note left by him, 'Big Family Stinks!' The note said.

Tom rush into Charlie's room, "Mark's gone" he told him, he got up immediately, "What?" He asked in shocked.

Kate went to tell Skylar, she immediately burst into tear and called Calvin to ask him to ask his little brother if he has heard from Mark.

Skylar immediately grab Jake's extra skate board and a flashlight and ran out of the house with the others in search of Mark. When Skylar got the call from Calvin informing her that his little brother hasn't heard anything from Mark she became even more worried about her brother.

She skate around with Jake to make sure she didn't lose another brother, "Jake let's go back, let see if mom or dad had any luck" She told him.

He signed sadly and nod, instead of skating back to the house they just walked in silence back home.