Plan B ✓

A Couple Years of Up All Nights

*6 Years Later*

"Indie, Brady! Please hurry up. We cannot be late today!" I yell up the stairs as I try and feed our one year old daughter Samara her oatmeal. It appeared to be a losing battle as all she wanted to do was be as stubborn as her siblings, laughing gleefully every time I let out a frustrated sigh.

I hear Chris coming down the stairs before he places a kiss on my shoulder. "Good morning love." He says in greeting before dropping a kiss on the baby's head and avoiding the sticky fingers she stretches out in greeting.

"Can you go make sure they're ready? They seem to listen better to you in the morning."

"Of course." He runs back upstairs. I hear muffled talking followed by doors slamming and three pairs of feet thunder down the stairs.

"Sorry Mama." Indie and Brady say as they sit down at the kitchen table and I place their waffles and pancakes in front of them.

"Thank you." I whisper to Chris.

"We're a team." He looks down at his watch and almost chokes on his coffee. "Shit! I gotta go."

"Don't forget you're picking Indie up from tap tonight."

"I remember and I'll be there." He promises before running out the door.

...

I was sitting at Brady's flag football practice that evening when my phone starts to ring. "This is Presley."

"Hi Mrs. Evans. This is Holly from Tiny Dancers."

"Hi."

"We were just wondering when you'd be by to pick up Indie. Class ended 15 minutes ago."

"Chris was supposed to pick her up. Has he not called?"

"No ma'am." I start to panic.

"I'm going to try and reach him. I'll call you right back." I say before hanging up and immediately calling Chris. He doesn't answer. I swear under my breath, looking down at Samara as she slept in her stroller before calling the studio back. "Hi Holly. I couldn't reach him so I will be there in 10 minutes to pick her up. I'm so sorry. This will never happen again."

After I get off the phone with her I call my mom to come and watch the rest of Brady's practice and to bring him and the baby home afterward. "I owe you so much for this." I say when she gets here.

"I'm your mom, and these troublemakers' grandma. This is part of the job description. You just go pick up your daughter." I nod and kiss my baby goodbye before running to my car and peeling out of the parking lot and break nearly every speed limit in between the field and the dance studio.

I rush in and Indie is sitting happily in the lobby. "I'm so sorry." I tell her and the instructor.

"It's ok. This stuff happens. We just want to make sure this doesn't happen again."

"It won't. Thursday I will be here at 7, to pick her up." She nods and I take Indie's hand as we walk out to the car. "I'm sorry sweetheart."

"It's ok Mama. Is Daddy ok?"

"I'm not sure." We drive home in silence after that and I almost explode when I pull into our driveway and his car is there. "I want you to head upstairs and drop your bag in your room, ok?"

"Yup. Is Daddy gonna be in trouble?"

"That's still to be determined." We head inside and she immediately runs upstairs. Before I can get too far into my house I hear my mom pull up outside with the other kids.

I meet her at the door. "So he's here I see." Mom says, looking at Chris's car unimpressed.

"I don't know the full story yet so we're withholding judgement until then."

"And how many ways did you envision killing him before you settled on that answer?"

"I'm not sure they've discovered a number high enough yet."

"I'll be home tomorrow if you want me to pick the kids up from school and keep them for the weekend."

"I'll let you know in the morning."

"I love you Presley."

"I love you too Ma." She kisses my cheek before leaving.

I make sure the kids are bathed and settled in their rooms for the night before finally venturing into mine and Chris's where I find him already passed out on the bed. I roll my eyes but decide that it's not worth it to get into this tonight and I change for bed and crawl in next to him. After I bring the blankets up under my chin, I feel him reposition himself so he's spooning with me, his arm coming across my middle and holding me to him. I roll my eyes, smile fondly, and let sleep take over, letting this problem go until tomorrow.