Mary and Halley (sequel to When Mary Met Halley)

eleven

Jasper melted down and cried for his mother half the night and we took turns staying up with him, though he was inconsolable. None of the kids ended up sleeping well.

"Mama shouldn't come back and upset Jasper like this," Shiloh had said in grave disapproval at two in the morning while we sat listening to the boy yelling "I want my Mama! I want my Mama!" over and over and over again while Leif and Halley tried to calm him. 

"I hate your sister a lot," Halley said mildly the next afternoon as she poured more coffee for us. 

It was three. Jasper was passed out on the couch with one of Hazel's sweatshirts hugged to him, and Leif snored in the chair where he'd fallen asleep with an open bag of dill pickle Kettle chips on his lap. Shiloh and Hank were next door with Leif's sisters.

"I know, right?" My eyes were gritty from being woken up so many times. Halley had the day off though and I didn't want to waste it sleeping. We'd already taken advantage of our rare alone time in bed.

"Maybe we can get a restraining order," she mused.

 I'd been considering it too. "Yeah, I'll find out." Not that she would respect one. 

She added amaretto creamer to our cups and handed me mine, slinging an arm around my neck in a half-hug and kissing the top of my head. "The good news is, I love you." 

The words made me hum a little, happily. "That is good news. I love you too."

"I know," she said. The cat jumped on the table and she pushed him off. He meowed and stood on his hind legs, reaching to paw at her cup. "Get out of here, you crazy cat," she told him fondly. 

Poe was on the fridge, where it was warmer, snoozing. He opened one eye to make sure he wasn't missing food and then went back to sleep with a little mutter.

I raised my cup. "Thanks."

"What's on head radio?" 

I grinned a little when I realized it was Stevie Wonder, though in general I was feeling pretty down after my sister's disruptive visit. "Isn't she lovely," I half-sang. "Isn't she wonderful?" 

"Aw," she said, her ears turning pink. "Says you."

PK jumped up again, started to slide off, and grabbed Halley's purse. He and it fell to the floor, spilling the contents everywhere. 

"That's it, out," she said, flicking her fingers at him. He was afraid she had water on them, as she sometimes did, so he ran into the other room.

My phone got my attention and I read the text as I knelt to help her pick up the billion things from her Mary Poppins-esque bag. "Gwen says the kids want to go to the children's museum, not that you probably want to."

She made a face. "What about Chuck E. Cheese's? At least they have pizza there."

I relayed this to Gwen, but the kids wanted the museum.

"Alright," she relented good naturedly. "Natasha told me they're doing the bottle rocket thing today that Shiloh liked before, so she'll be happy."

An hour later she was driving us there in the minivan. Jasper had woken up and refused to come so Leif and Ruby were staying with him. Ruby was his favorite person after his mother, with Leif as a close third. 

Therapist Sarah had gently pointed out how he had seen me fighting with Hazel too many times to feel comfortable loving me too much; he saw it as a betrayal to Mama if he fully trusted me. I got it, but it still sucked.

"I love these heated seats," I said, adjusting mine a little for maximum comfort. "How's Grandpa?" I asked Shiloh. My dad had just gotten home from a three-week haul the night before, from the looks of his truck cab out front.