Alone With Them

Chapter 5

Of course the animatronics had been watching her, after all, Cathryn had been the one taking the picture. They did that to everyone pointing a camera or, in most cases, a phone in their direction. Cathryn took a deep breath and, despite the rank stench the restaurant gave off, felt a little better.

Joan wasn't allowed next to her for the majority of the time, so Cathryn spent most of her evening sitting in silence and listening to the adults' small talk. Most of their conversation was incredibly boring, so she crossed her arms on the table and used them as a makeshift pillow. It was the only thing she could do, after all, she was definitely too old to go play in the pirate area with Chance. After trying for what seemed like forever, she had almost dozed off – would she never fall into a dreamless sleep! – when she heard Uncle Brandon mention his wife, Aunt Irene, who had stayed home with Andrew.

"I got another message from Irene," he told Mom while holding up his phone. "She's not feeling well enough to get out of bed and she thinks Andrew is coming down with it, too."

"That's horrible," her mom said sympathetically. "How long has Irene been feeling sick?"

"Since last night. I'm so sorry to do this to you, Aundrea, but–"

"Save it, Brandon, I'd be happy to keep Chance for an extra month," her mom said, cutting him off. "It's no problem."

"I know, but I still feel horrible. Especially now that business at the clinic has been picking up a little. I'll need more help than ever, but I couldn't have you come in."

"I insist."

"So do I, Auny. I couldn't do that to you. What, with your job at B.A.'s and Chance, there's no way you'll have time for it all."

"You forget that I have Cat. The two of us have been through stressful times before, this will be nothing for us. Trust me," she said with a smile, placing her gentle hand on Uncle Brandon's. Maybe her uncle couldn't see it, but out of her peripheral vision, Cathryn noticed the little twitch in her mom's left eye. She knew how hard it would be to balance an extra stomach for a month. It didn't help that Chance was practically a black hole. Cathryn had the feeling her mother didn't want her listening in on the conversation, so she forced her breathing to remain even, allowing her to spy longer unnoticed.

"Are you sure? I'd hate for the kid to get sick but I'm sure Joan could watch him if she had to."

"What, Dad?" Joan asked, perking up. She had been too engrossed with her nails for the past few minutes that she'd barely caught a word.

"Nothing," her father shrugged off casually, so she went back to minding her own business. Cathryn buried her face deeper into her arms. She would hate to get caught eavesdropping but her curiosity was stronger than her conscience.

"No, you're alright," her mom insisted again, making Cathryn's stomach buzz with nervous energy. She was starting to feel nauseous again but she wasn't sure if it was from the conversation or thanks to the terrible food.

"Fine, but let me know if you can't handle it. I can always figure out another way to make everything work," Uncle Brandon insisted. "I don't want to make it harder for you to make ends meet, Auny."

"I'm not worried about bills," she laughed, and Cathryn knew she was telling the truth. She was worried about paying for food, gas, and practically everything else. Plus spending time with her daughter on top of it all. Cathryn knew her mom had a habit of excessive worrying and hated that she was one of the causes of the wrinkle appearing on her forehead. Her mom wasn't even that old, but thanks to being a single mom and working multiple jobs, she looked like she'd aged a good 20 years.