"Mommy?" The little curly haired girl was sitting on the kitchen counter, feet dangling over the edge as she watched her mom.
"Yes, sweet girl?" Stevie had her infant strapped to her chest as she worked on making a baby bottle, and dinner.
"When I get big," Alli lingered for a moment, a smile on her cute face. "I want hands just like yours." She announced, which caused the blonde to giggle softly.
Creasing a brow, Stevie couldn't help but smile. "And why is that?" She asked, leaning into the counter to ensure her five- year- old that she had devoted all of her attention to her for the moment.
She shrugged, suddenly getting a little shy. "Because you do everything..." she replied. "You make dinner, you tuck me in, you braid my hair, and play the piano...." Allison thought Stevie was just magic.
She could do it all, and Alli was more aware of that than most kids could ever be.
"I also really want red nails, and rings." The little girl added with a cheesy little grin.
Stevie tossed her head back, letting out a deep, almost tear filled laugh. "One day," her voice grew softer as she stared into the identical brown orbs. "You'll do all of those wonderful things, but until then..." she brought her hand up, index finger meeting the tip of Allison's button nose. "You're busy being our baby." Stevie motioned towards Lindsey, who was just coming through the kitchen doorway with their two oldest in tow.
"Yeah, what mom said." He grinned softly, one hand meeting the small of Stevie's back as she leaned into his side.
"Mom, look!" Crew hurried in, pushing Lola out of his way to show Stevie his new baseball jersey.
She giggled lightly, nodding with as much enthusiasm as him. "My baseball star."
~~~
Stevie sat up in the queen size bed just a little past four, having found it incredibly hard to find any rest. She had tossed and turned all night, and wasn't at all surprised when she woke up alone.
He hadn't slept well either- she could tell by how often he'd sit up, readjust his pillow, and then fall back down dramatically. He'd done it a handful of time, making it obvious just how uncomfortable he was... uncomfortable and anxious, but she wouldn't mention that.
With her long cardigan over her shoulders, the blonde slipped out into the hallway.
It was still dark- the only sound was the rain hitting the roof, and the television on low volume.
She sighed softly when she found him curled up on the sofa- fast asleep as the morning news played as background noise.
"Steph?" He whispered, having heard her trail down the hall.
"It's me," she assured, hand meeting his shoulder from the other side of the couch. "Go back to sleep." She whispered, leaning down to leave a kiss on his head.
He nodded lightly, hardly able to keep his eyes open. "Love you, baby." He mumbled, shifting on the sofa to get a little more comfortable.
"I love you." She patted his arm, before she ventured into the kitchen.
It felt weird being there without Clancy... It felt lonely and quiet.
~~~
"It's going to be beautiful..." Stevie was sitting on the living room floor, being that all of Clancy's furniture was still in packed into boxes by the door.
They'd just arrived in Paris that morning, picked out all of the stuff she'd fill her tiny apartment with and were eating pizza on blanket, all before noon.
"I was thinking of putting my record player there," Clancy was standing in the living room doorway, motioning to the opposite corner. "Because I want my posters to line that wall..." she was talking aloud, mostly to herself, but she was so excited, she couldn't even sit still.
Stevie smiled softly, eyes falling to her husband, who was laying on his stomach, on the blanket right next to her. "Daddy better find the hammer..." she teased, long nails grazing his arm, just to make him to chuckle. "He's got work to do." She added, a loud laugh escaping her the moment he'd pulled her down to the floor with him.
Lindsey carefully rolled over, tickling her side as he hovered above her. "Huh?" He grinned, listening as Stevie's giggles filled the air around them. "I'd like to see you use a hammer." He joked, leaning down to leave a soft kiss on her cheek.
Clancy stood in the doorway, watching as the couple got lost in their own little world. Sometimes it felt like it was just the two of them and everyone else was drown out.
It seemed like that's how it was supposed to be... Like they were the perfect married couple. Two people, who still really adored one another after as many as years of marriage as they'd shared.
She didn't think, not in a million years that anything could ever come between that... nothing could ever come between her parents. It seemed impossible.
~~~
"We should get around and go see her." Lindsey's voice pulled the blonde back into reality as he flicked on the kitchen light.
She had been sitting at the table, in the dark, drinking a cup of coffee. "Of course," she quickly pushed herself up, bringing her cup along with her as she followed him back to the bedroom.
It was already six in the morning, so they got around quickly and headed out into the chilly, windy air. It was only sprinkling by then, but Lindsey had grabbed an umbrella on the way out the door.
They crawled into the back of a taxi almost immediately, and the moment they began their journey back to the hospital, Stevie's mind began to wander.
She thought about Clancy- her sweet angel and how much she needed her youngest daughter... She couldn't do life without Clancy and that became incredibly obvious to Stevie that morning.
And then she thought about her other kids- the three she'd left in California without saying a single word. She didn't call, or text to let them know what was happening, which might have been wrong, but it didn't seem that way in the moment. When she got that call, there was only one person she wanted to talk to and she was already in Paris, waiting for them in a hospital bed.
And then suddenly, she thought about Lindsey... their marriage, mostly. They'd just gone back and forth the night before they left, and there they were, having not even spoken any further about their argument.
Shifting in her seat, she looked over at him for a moment before she slipped her hand in his. "Honey..?" She whispered.
"Hm?" He glanced up from his phone, eyes melting right into hers.
Swallowing hard, she sank into his arm. "I promise you, there was nothing going on between-"
"Steph," he cut her off, a deep sigh following her name. "We can talk about this any other time." That was the very last thing on his mind- he could really care less, in that moment.
She bit down on her lower lip as her gaze fell down the carpet floor, this feeling of embarrassment washing over her... which was probably worse than anything else.
