You Fill My Heart

Those Nights

"Look mommy!" John squealed in accomplishment, adjusting the item in his hands with a tilt.

"All done?" Amy asked, glancing down at the toddler smearing blue polish all over her toenails.

Not being able to do much of anything, Amy felt that John was feeling neglected by her recently. So to assure him that she still wanted to spend time with him, she'd ask him if he wanted to do little things with her: read a story, watch a movie, share a snack, little things that she could do to occupy time with him.

Since today was Thanksgiving Day and everyone was off of work and school, she took that time to paint her nails, and John- having seen the little bottle of polish- wanted to do it too.

He really tried to paint them for her since she couldn't bend, but just ended up painting more of her actual toes then the nails- he tried though.

"They look so pretty John, thank you!" She flashed him a smile, "Are you excited to celebrate Thanksgiving at Grandma Margret's today?"

Still holding the small cap-brush with his fingers, he nodded, "Yea, granma food good!"

"Is that all you care about? Feeding that fat little tummy of yours?" she joked playfully.

John gave her an inquisitive look as if to say 'who you calling fat?' "Noooo, da cookies are good!"

"Good to know. C'mere, I want to show you something."

John stood from his place by the coffee table, going to his mother's side. Pushing a few buttons on the phone in her hands, she brought up an image of a 9-month-old John, sitting in a highchair- little bits of white meat between his chubby baby fingers.

"Do you know who that is?" Amy asked, placing the tip of her index finger on the side of the screen. He shook his head. "That's you on your first Thanksgiving!"

He shook his head again in disbelief, "Nooo"

"Yesss, that was right before you started to cry because you dropped your food on the floor"

John smirked in amusement at the image of his baby face. "Where daddy?" he asked, peering closer next to the screen.

Sighing, she tapped a nail against the plastic casing. "Daddy wasn't there that day"

His eyes squinted in confusion, pushing his body tighter against the arm of the pink chair. "Why?"

She pushed a piece of hair out of his eyes, "Well because me and daddy weren't together back then like we are now", admitting truthfully with a twinge of sadness. Seeing his eyes in their squinting fashion, she made the screen go dark, hoping it would be enough to curb his impending 20 questions about the past. "I think it's time we wake daddy up, he's been sleeping long enough, huh?"

"Yea!" he squealed, bouncing on his feet and making a dash for his bedroom.

Lowering her feet gently onto the hardwood and slowly starting to make her way out of the confinement of the chair, she waddled after him, stopping at the closed door.

The door squeaked slightly as it was being opened. John made his way over to the right side of his small bed where his dad was face down on the mattress; his face pressed firm against the pillowcase decorated in trains.

Amy waddled slowly to the left side, using the end table as a bracing point as she rose her right foot. Using the tips of the holders her toes were currently placed in, she nudged his exposed back, "Wakey wakey".

Feeling the disturbance against his skin, Ricky swatted blindly at the air with his hand that wasn't pinned against the pillow, before letting it fall, still asleep.