"You have to be extra careful..." The blonde reminded the curly haired girl that was sitting on the sofa next to her.
"I know, mommy." Alison was way too excited to listen to all of that, she just wanted to hold her new little sister. "I'll be so, extra, super, really, very careful." She held out her hands, sitting as still as possible, like she had been told.
"She's so tiny..." Lola was standing right behind them, leaning over the back of the couch to watch.
Alison could hardly take her eyes off of Clancy, who was all wrapped up in a little pink blanket. "When do her eyes open?" She wondered, trying to see if she had brown eyes like her, or blue like everyone else.
With a faint laugh, Stevie held onto the back of her new borns head lightly, only to ensure that Ali wouldn't drop her. "She's a tired girl." She had the sweet smile trailing across her face as she watched her older daughters gaze down at the six pound infant. "It's hard work doing all the growing." She added, leaning back into the cushions a little further to relax as her eyes traveled to the doorway, where her husband was staring with a look of pure contentment written across his face.
He'd been watching the entire time- he was so enticed with the little family he had created with her... Well, four kids now, so maybe not such a small family, after all. But perfect nonetheless.
"Should we show her around?" He wondered, pushing himself away from the doorframe to trail into the living room.
Wrapping her shawl around her arms a little tighter, Stevie carefully slipped off the sofa. "Can daddy take Clancy?" Her voice was gentle, watching as Ali half heartedly passed her over.
"Can I take her to school with me?" She asked as she quickly followed behind the couple. "The other kids won't believe this." She assured with wide eyes.
Tossing her head back, another one of Stevie's giggled filling the hallway as she traveled next to her husband with her hand on his arm. "Sweet girl..." she lingered, a soft sigh escaping her.
"She has the tiniest nose, daddy." Alison was so close on their trail, she was nearly stepping on the back of his feet.
He grinned lightly, staring down at Clancy as they stood in the hall outside her nursery. "This is heaven..."
~~~
She jolted up from a deep sleep, heart beating a mile a minute as she hurried to find the phone. "Lindsey?" She leaned over her husband, who was just beginning to stir. "The phone is ringing." She grumbled, trying to grab it off his nightstand. "Hello?" She answered on the third or fourth ring.
"What's wrong?" His eyes were just hardly adjusting to the light of the bedside lamp she'd turned on. "Steph?" His hand met her hip, running the other across his face to wake up.
But instead of replying, she just stared down at him, listening to the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Who is it?" He creased a brow, pushing himself up on his elbow.
She shook her head, tears filling the brims of her eyes as this feeling of pure panic washed over her. "Okay..." Stevie spoke into the phone with a nod as she looked her husband right in the eyes. "Thank you for calling." She added, swallowing hard before she hung up the phone.
"What?" He was worried by then- the look in her eyes told him something was wrong far before she got the chance.
"Clancy..." she whispered, eyes so blurred from tears, she could hardly see him anymore. "She's in the hospital." Her voice cracked, one hand meeting her forehead to push her bangs out of the way.
There was no hesitation, within a split second, he'd jumped up and tossed his legs over the edge of the bed. "What happened?" Lindsey ran his fingers through his curls as he stood up and looked back at her.
She was still sitting in the center of the disorganized sheets and duvet, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He just said that there had been an accident." Her voice was hardly audible, but he understood it.
He tossed his arms out to his sides, shaking his head in disbelief. "You didn't ask any questions?" Lindsey couldn't believe she'd just acted so mundane over the phone, when this was the exact opposite of that. "Huh?" Lindsey didn't mean to sound so harsh, but he couldn't believe she hadn't even asked anything.... What kind of accident? What she alright? Where was she? Who was she with? He had all the questions.
She could feel herself begin to grow incredibly flustered, already worried and then being yelled at on top of it didn't help. "I'll call Karen and see if she can get us on a plane out there sometime today." Stevie slowly slid to the foot of the bed, slipping her silk robe over her shoulders.
He stared at her for a second, watching as her hands had begun to shake from the built up nerves. "I'm sorry." Lindsey could tell that she was getting very overwhelmed, and he probably wasn't helping... actually, he knew that he wasn't. "I'm sorry, baby." He repeated in a near whisper.
She nodded lightly, waving a hand as she headed through the room. "Pack a bag." Stevie mumbled.
~~~
With her glasses covering her tired eyes, the blonde nearly stumbled over her own two feet as she tried to catch up to her husband. "Lindsey, slow down." She was almost begging him as she reached out to grab the back of his shirt. "My hips..." she whispered, head meeting his back the moment he'd come to a stop at the curb, right outside the airport doors.
They'd been traveling for nearly fourteen hours, including a layover, which was their designated time to argue. But once they were back in the air, Stevie curled in close and made him promise that they wouldn't fight anymore. However, the travel time was enough to make them both antsy, especially when a crisis was awaiting them in Paris.
"My hips hurt so bad." She wrapped one arm around his waist from behind, head still pressed to his back as he tried to flag down a taxi.
"Come on, Steph." He patted her lightly, silently telling her to let go. "Get in." Lindsey opened the back door, helping her climb into the SUV as he tossed the bags into the back. "The hospital, please." He told the driver, sliding in next to Stevie, before he slammed the door closed.
