What If

Under Control

Morning streamed into the bedroom window. The sun streamed in at the same familiar angle that it did in his own home.  He reached across drowsily and felt the empty spot of the bed.  A smile came across his face..a hopeful smile. Maybe all this shit lasted only a day. He opened his eyes to find big brown eyes staring at him from the doorway.

"Daddy....are you alive?" Jessie whispered.

Brian blinked and moaned as he pulled himself up in the bed. "Unfortunately," he mumbled into the pillow.

The little girl wasn't deterred and climbed into the bed and began to poke him. Brian tried not to flinch at her touch. After all, he did like kids...he just was a little weirded out at this one that was his. "Mommy said for me to wake you up."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Brian asked through a yawn and seeing the clock read 7:14  am.

"Mommy says I'm a morning person," the little girl announced as she tugged on her pink pajamas. "She says you used to be a morning person but hard work maded you tired."

"Mommy said that, huh?" he asked the little girl and she nodded. She looked like a perfect mixture of him and Kate and he felt his heart swell with a little bit of pride of having such an adorable kid.

She nodded seriously. "Are you going to runaway again this morning?" she asked.

He could feel his eyebrows crash together. "I don't have anywhere else to go," he quipped but Jessie didn't catch the humor. She shrugged her tiny shoulders and jumped off of the bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked pulling himself into a sitting position.

"Mommy maded bacon," she said happily. "Do you want some?"

Brian ran his hand through his unkempt hair. "Yeah...that sounds good."

Jessie offered him her small hand. He looked down at it, unsure if he should take it. But in the end, she was too cute to refuse.

=========================

"Mommy I woke daddy up," Jessie announced as they entered the kitchen.

"Thank you, my queen," Kate smiled at her daughter and handed her a small plate of bacon and eggs to the little girl. She and Brian watched as the little girl carefully navigated her way to the table.

"Good morning," Kate said to Brian  as she moved to pour a cup of coffee and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. "where are you headed? 

"Work," Kate said quickly as she picked up her own mug.

"You're leaving me with the kids?" he asked surprised. 

Kate narrowed her blue eyes. "It's Monday...its your day," she said in a frustrated tone.

"My day for what?" he asked.

"To take Jessie to daycare and Kat to winter camp," Kate explained "Unless you want them to stay here with you. But I thought you and your dad had some studio time today."

"We do?" he asked but then asserted. "Oh yeah, we do."

She looked at him curiously. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean...yesterday was weird."

"I had a bad day," he repeated and she sighed. "I'm fine though. Really."

 She turned and poured her coffee out and began to wash he cup. "Leana called me this morning."

Brian wasn't sure if she was just making conversation so he just waited for more detail.

"Sounds like you and Jimmy had quite a discussion."