Close To You

Chapter 7

"Bills, bills and more bills. Sean, do we get anything but bills anymore?" Sean shook his head, Skylar quick to follow suit, though she probably didn't have the slightest idea what her parents were talking about. "Car payment, house payment, electric, phone, Playboy?" Sean looked up sheepishly.

"I cancelled my subscription four years ago. They really listen to you, don't they?" Ellie only shook her head, smiling, then continued leafing through the bills. "Student loan, hospital bill, water... Oh, look, we won fifty-thousand dollars!" She held up the familiar yellow envelope, grinning.

"If that were true, we should have won about five times by now."

"I know," She sighed. "That certainly would be nice, wouldn't it?" Sean pulled her into a hug.

"I promise, baby, one day I'll be able to give you and Sky anything you want. For now, there are loads of bills we're barely making, but hey...we're already in the hole, why not have some fun while we're there?" Ellie couldn't help but laugh. No matter what happened or what situation they were in, Sean somehow always managed to find a bright side.

"Oh, that reminds me, Mr. McMahon returned your call today." Sean rolled his eyes and went back to where his daughter sat, entertaining herself with the Barbies she had talked her dad into playing with.

"What excuse now?"

"Actually," She started, sitting down beside him, "he didn't say anything bad. In fact, he said he'd be rather interested in seeing you." Sean looked up, Malibu Barbie and blue dress in hand.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am! He also said he'd be more than happy to get you in there first thing tomorrow." Sean looked at her, his eyes gleaming with hope, but also fear from being shot down again.

"Really?"

"Yep. I took it all down on paper, but someone-" She looked down at Skylar, who grinned and waved. "thought it would be funny to turn mommy's note into a skirt for Skatin' Stacy here." Ellie held up the Barbie, which indeed was wearing shreds of the paper as something that might have resembled a skirt to a four-year-old. Sighing, she looked over at the counter and the pile of books that lay on top of it. "Along with my homework." Sean chuckled, patting her comfortingly on the shoulder. "It was supposed to be the studyguide for my test coming up...guess I'll just have to use the book now." Sean looked down at Skylar, who put on her patended baby's grin and went back to her toys, since none of this obviously concerned her. Ellie got up to go to the counter when she visibly wavered, catching her balance on the counter's edge. Sean immediately jumped to his feet and was at her side, much to both her thankfulness and chagrin.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concern marring his handsome features. She touched his arm, forcing a weak grin to reassure him.

"Sean, honey, I'm fine, really. Just got dizzy all of a sudden."

Sean looked at her warrily for a moment before nodding and resuming his seat, but not before asking one last time if she was okay. She didn't bother to tell him about how they had been coming more frequently over the past few days, because, quite simply, she didn't feel it was anything for him to be worried about. He had enough on his mind as it was; he didn't need to hear his wife was having these problems. Besides, she was, after all, studying to be a doctor- wouldn't she know if something were wrong before anyone else?