Enough To Go Around

Distance makes the heart grow fonder

"I miss you." Sherri murmured into the phone as she was getting ready to drop kids off at school. "The bed is so big without you spooning me."

"I miss you too my love, my love, my love." Teri said back. "And I miss spooning you."

"Bayley snuggles with me sometimes now, but I can tell it's not something she wants to do all the time. And you know how cuddly I get during pregnancy."

"I know. You didn't wanna leave my side during the first one." She said. "How're all the kids doing? Specifically Jonah. The twins, Griffin, and Bayley have been texting me off and on."

"Jonah has kind of locked himself away in his room." Sherri said. "And every time I try to get him to talk between John Wayne and MacArthur, but he won't. He puts his earphones in now. I don't know what's wrong with him." She added almost in tears.

"Hey," Teri said softly. "It's okay. I'm sure something is going on that he isn't ready to tell us yet."

"He's so broken Teri." Sherri said, "And the thoughts that keep going through my head aren't helping."

"What's going through your head baby?" Teri said.

"How are we supposed to take care of a small child and a broken teenage boy?" She murmured.

Teri took a deep breath, as much as she hated to think as him as broken, that's what he was.

"I don't know baby." She said. "We'll figure out a way."

"I wish you were here." Sherri said needing to be held by her wife.

"Me too love, me too." Teri said.

- - -

Jonah was hunched over a book in the car on the way to school. The other kids were talking amongst themselves in the back seat.

Sherri put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Do you have a game today honey?"

Jonah's head snapped up, "Oh shit yes I do." He said his eyes going wide. "It's another Orange County game too."

"Honey, you're going to go into a panic attack." Sherri said as she pulled into the John Wayne drop off loop.

The four John Wayne students said their goodbyes and then quickly and quietly slipped out of the car.

Jonah was rocking back and forth as Sherri managed to get into a parking lot to give him her full undivided attention.

"Mom," he got out.

"I'm right here baby." Sherri said. "What's wrong? You've been real quiet for the last couple of days."

"I just don't feel well, that's all." He said. "I didn't want to bother you with it."

Sherri then noticed how pale the boy was and that in the 70-something degree weather that he was shaking. She then put her hand on his forehead to feel him burning up.

"Oh baby, you're not going to school today. I'm calling Ethan right now." She said pulling her phone up out of the cup holder. It rang through the Bluetooth speakers and they heard a, "Hi Sherri. Is everything okay?"

"The boy isn't feeling well and feels like he has a temperature. I'm taking him home not to MacArthur." Sherri said backing out of the parking space that she was in.

"Okay, can he hear me?" Ethan asked.

"Hi," Jonah got out.

"I told you that you looked like hell yesterday. Why didn't you tell your mom?" He asked.