The Only Way Out [Book 2]

Chapter 35 - Big Girl Panties

A/N: This chapter had a different title until recently.

***Bea's POV

"I'm hungry, Mommy," Ferris says as we walk into the living room and I hear her little tummy rumble.

I have to admit that I'm hungry also. The salad I had earlier was good but it wasn't filling. Throughout the years, I've noticed their portions have gotten smaller but their prices have stayed the same.

Those cheapos.

"I'm hungry, Mommy," Ferris draws out the 'e' as she tugs on my pants and I laugh with a snort.

"Me too, sweet girl," I smile as I drop my overnight bag by the couch and we make our way into the kitchen. It dawns on me that Harry won't be able to eat his chicken sandwich and French fries since he's sick and I'm practically salivating over the thought of it. "Let's have some French fries, yeah?"

"Yeah! I love French fries, Mommy," Ferris says before tootling ahead of me.

I turn on the light even though it's in the middle of the afternoon because the storm clouds are still blanketing the sky. It's raining and gloomy and the perfect day to stay at home. The only thing that would make it better is if Harry weren't sick so we could cuddle.

God, I wish I could cuddle him right now. I need his cuddles.

"Mommy, I said I love French fries," my hungry daughter pulls me out of my thoughts and I nearly have a heart attack.

"Ferris, don't climb on that!" I rush over to where she's hanging onto the seat of her high chair. I wrap my hands around her torso and squint in pain as I lower her to the floor. "You could fall and get hurt and Mommy would be sad."

Ferris says a quiet 'oh' and I come up with a solution that I know will be a hit.

"Would you like to eat at the big girl table?" I ask and she can't contain her excitement. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' Okay, let's wash our hands first."

Ferris nods and we walk over to the sink. She's too short to reach and I can't pick her up, so I come up with the next best thing.

"Hold out your hands, please," I kindly tell her while pumping some soap in my hands.

I turn on the faucet and rub my hands under the stream to lather them up. Cupping my hands, I turn to Ferris and rub her hands between mine, not even caring if it's a stupid idea. Her smile is the only thing that matters right now.

As I rinse my hands, I remind myself that I'm doing the best that I can and that's all I can do.

"Look! Bubbles, Mommy," Ferris giggles and I look down as she claps her hands, causing a few bubbles to float away. "They're so cute!"

I agree with my sweet girl as I bring some water to her hands, giving her a big smile as I praise her for being a big girl.

After I dry our hands, we walk over to the table and with my unseen help, Ferris climbs onto one of the dining chairs and proudly sits like a big girl.

"Okay, here we go," I sing-song as I push her chair in and she giggles. I take the food from the bag and sit down next to my daughter. I open the carton and spill the French fries in the empty portion and smile, "Some for Ferris and some for Mommy."

"But where's Dadda and, and, and Baby Brother?" Ferris asks before shoving a small fry in her mouth.

"Baby Brother is sleeping in his room, and Dadda is sick, so he's sleeping too," I explain and she worriedly looks up at me as she chews. "Oh, Dadda will be okay. I gave him some medicine to feel better."