Tossing a waffle onto a glass plate, Lindsey winced lightly as the edge burned the tips of his fingers. "Orange juice, or milk?" He asked his youngest daughter, who had been sitting at the breakfast bar for quite a while, watching as her father trailed around the kitchen aimlessly.
That was territory in the house that he wasn't quite familiar with. He knew the home studio, the living room, and even the lawn all pretty well, but the kitchen? He didn't even know where they kept the toaster.
This wasn't their normal routine, not in the slightest. However, since Carrie had called an hour earlier to tell them that she'd be late, and Stevie wouldn't get out of bed, it was Lindsey's responsibility to get the three kids out the door for school... It was quite the morning task.
"Milk, please." Her voice was soft and tired- she wasn't ready to be up either.
Nodding his head, he grabbed a cup out of the cabinet to pour her a glass. "So, does mommy usually do your hair?" He wondered out of curiosity, simply because her blonde curls were sticking up like crazy.
"Miss. Carrie does my hair." She replied, trying her best to tip the syrup over her waffle all by herself. "Mommy used to, but she said she's too tired in the morning." She continued to ramble on, while Lindsey poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Slow down, kid." Crew caught the bottle of syrup right before she dumped it all over the counter. "No one could help you out, or what?" He raised an eyebrow, nonchalantly throwing shade in his fathers direction.
"Mommy is still sleeping and Miss. Carrie couldn't come today." She mumbled as a little pout danced across her face. "So now daddy has to do it and he doesn't even know how." She added, which caused Lindsey to chuckle in return.
"I live with two Stevie's." Lindsey whispered under his breath as he brought his cup up to his lips to take a drink.
"Dad's trying his best, Clancy." Lola's voice snuck through the room as she lingered in the foyer. "That's way more than we can say for other members of this family." Venturing further into the kitchen, Lola set her backpack down in a chair before she grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl.
"Mom's taking a nap, because she has to deal with your shit all the time." The fifteen year old spat back, not at all enthused with his older sister in that moment... or any other moment, for that matter.
Wrinkling up her nose, Lola scoffed. "She's sleeping, because she doesn't know how to function after-"
"Enough." Lindsey's voice was loud, and harsh, which caused all three of the kids to pipe down immediately. "She's asleep, because it's the crack of dawn... end of story." He wasn't going to tolerate the bullshit, not at seven in the morning. "Crew, get your shoes on and get in the car." He ordered, setting his cup down on the counter as a group of quiet little birds sat ideal. "Lola, do your sisters hair." He added as he led the way back through the room.
He didn't always stick up for his wife- he could honestly admit that, and she didn't always stick up for him, but Lindsey also wouldn't willingly sit back and listen to their kids belittle her as a mother.
She had her own share of issues, like almost everyone else. She was still human and all humans, one point or another, make mistakes in life. It's just natural. But they didn't understand it all... Hell, Lindsey didn't understand it most of the time, but that didn't mean he wasn't occasionally trying.
"Do you think she'll be up by the time we get home?" Crew was sitting in the backseat, slouched all the way down with his MP3 player in hand.
"I think you should just worry about having a good day at school." Lindsey didn't want to answer anymore questions- he didn't even want to think about it, let alone try to explain it to them.
"That means no." Lola chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Mommy promised that she would take me to the park today, so she'll be up." Clancy was certain of it- certain that Stevie wouldn't let her down... not again.
"She only tells you that sort of stuff to get you off her back." The oldest assured, eyes still focused on the world outside the car. "She isn't taking you to the park." She added in a cold, blunt manner.
Hitting the breaks harder than normal, Lindsey stopped at the curb right by the front door of the high school."Have a good day." He mumbled, motioning for the older two kids to get out. "Carrie will be here to pick you up."
~~~
Slipping downstairs, a little after ten that morning, Stevie's sleepy eyes took in the morning sun that was beaming through the living room curtains.
She had just woken up, immediately being greeted by the peaceful sound of nothingness... She liked it like that sometimes. It made life feel simple and easy.
Two things she hadn't felt in a long time.
"Good morning!" The nanny's chipper voice caused her to flinch instantly.
"You're gonna give me a heart attack, Carrie."' She mumbled, hand on her forehead as she trudged through the kitchen.
She was still in her silk nightgown, hair pulled up into a loose clip with no makeup, glasses and puffy eyes. She looked exhausted.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. B." The younger woman was following close behind, pausing in the doorway to speak with her boss.
"Where's Lindsey?" She creased a brow, opening the cabinet to pull out the bottle of brandy.
Biting down on her lower lip, Carrie tried not to make eye contact. "Umm, I was late this morning, so he took the kids to school." She shrugged, not exactly sure what Stevie was expecting... She didn't have a tracking device on the man.
"Good," nodding lightly, she poured the liquor into a cup. "Maybe he'll be gone for the rest of the day, like usual." She stated as she added a little coffee in with it.
"He said that you went together yesterday?" The blonde was trying to sympathize with Stevie- she really was.
And Stevie had opened up a little to their nanny, who had become a huge part of their family over time. She was only twenty- five, but she was wise beyond her years and for some reason, even with the big age... Stevie and Lindsey both shared quite a bit with her.
She shook her head, brows wrinkling up to refrain from crying. "Nothing helps us anymore." She shrugged, staring into Carries deep blue orbs as the tears finally left her own.
With a heavy sigh, she pulled her in for a hug. "It's going to be okay." She whispered, even though that was a hard promise to make.
