JP Part 2

Moving On

Months later

"Stop, stop." 

Joseph moans, waking me up. I sit up in bed turning to him while rubbing my eyes. Every night was like this since we came home from the hospital. 

"No, no, don't touch her."  He cries and I sigh. 

Starting a small countdown in my head as to when he would wake up. He gasps as he sits up and I catch him in my arms. 

The guilt eating me alive.

"Last night you only had one," I say while laying on the couch with my eyes closed. Joseph was on the floor, playing with the twins. 

"I think that's improvement." He says and I feel a kiss on my lips. "I'm surprised you always wake up." He says and I open my eyes to meet his, his eye was still a little swollen but most of the bruising was gone and he could finally walk again. He was just starting to become more energetic and the spark is returning to his beautiful green eyes. 

"I'm a light sleeper." I lie and he kisses me again.

 "I love you." He says for the first time since the incident and the pain in my chest from the guilt wearing me down lessens a little bit more. 

"I love you too," I say, reaching up and ruffling his fast growing blonde hair. Joseph comes from the arm of the couch and sits down on my chest, leaning back. He was always as light as a feather compared to other things that have sat on me and I turn my head to look at the twins. 

PJ turns to us with a small smudge of oil on his cheek and Ella sits back from the small egg shaped thing they were creating. Suddenly they both toddle over to us as fast as they can.

 "Daddy! Daddy!" 

They scream and turn my head pretending to sleep. Joseph gets up and helps the little monsters get onto the couch whispering small words of encouragement as they hop on top of me and start shaking me and jumping. Little Ella pries my eyes open and I hop up, grabbing both of them in my arms in surprise and they squeal.

 "What's up?" I ask when I land them back on the ground. 

"Daddy, I got the robot put together and Ella did the coding but we can't figure out how to turn it on," PJ says with his hands stuffed in his pockets looking down. I remember that feeling when I had to ask my dad for help when I was his age. I get down on my knees and Joseph comes over, leaning against the wall. 

"I can help too you know," He offers and Ella turns to him, "But papa every time you try to help us our inventions start to smoke," she says and I look at Joseph, raising an eyebrow. He shrugs, "What can I say, I'm more of a car guy." He grunts and I laugh.

 I ruffle PJ's jet black hair and grab the large holo wrench from his tiny fingers. I pick up the light blue egg shaped pod and was impressed by the detail, this was their best work by far. With the treads on the bottom to make the robot move led eyes with tiny lashes. 

"What is its purpose?"

 I asked while opening the back of the bot and figuring out where they went wrong. The first thing I taught them when I realized they were gifted was before you start building you should always have a purpose and build your invention around that purpose. It was the first thing my father taught me when he discovered my gift.

 I find the source of the problem in the back of the bot where a wire wasn't corrected right. "It's to help us with our inventing! Like bring us tools and follow us around." PJ explains and Ella hops up with arms open wide, "And bring us apple juice pouches!" She says while shaking her little fist and squealing. 

PJ rolls his eyes and Joseph laughs so hard he has to join us on the floor. 

"Ah, you are definitely my little girl." He says and gives her a little hi five. PJ looks up at me. 

"Daddy am I more like papa or you?" he asks and I pull the wire out.

 PJ hands me some wire strippers and a pair of pliers with a metal cap. 

"Hmm, I think you have your moments where sometimes you and your sister are like me when you're a little too serious for your age. But most times you're like your papa with your playfulness and laughter. That's one of the things I love the most about your papa and I'm glad you two inherited that." I tell PJ and look up at Jojo.

 His smile made my day with his head tilted as he watched me. Our eyes meet and as always I'm assured that this is still the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.

 "You're going to make me cry, sweetheart." He says and I go back to the robot. Stripping the light green wire and splicing them together. Then cap the electric wire. 

"Ah, that should be it, an easy fix. You just forgot to splice the life cables is all." I tell PJ and Ella, placing the robot on the ground. Ella comes over and pushes the power button. The robot buzzes to life. It turns to the twins and I dust off my hands on my pants as Joseph comes close.  

Ella and PJ hold their breath, 

"Hello, I'm Ringo! What are your names!"

 The little bot introduces itself and the twins celebrate their success. Joseph lays his head on my shoulder as we watch them. 

"Peter," when he says my name I have a feeling that I already know what he wants. 

"Can we have one more?" He asks and his fingers intertwine with mine. He looks up at me and I look at him then back at the twins. 

"My names Ellucillana and this is Peter James. But our daddy and papa call us Ella and PJ." They explain to Ringo. 

"Hmm, I think we can handle one more."