Lab Rats: The New Rat

Chapter 28: Happy-ish Birthday

Davenport's POV
(5 months later)

I got up extra early to decorate for the 1st day of school. Well, mostly for Adam's birthday. He wasn't exactly thrilled about going back to school on his birthday. I made sure to get the freshest donuts from the bakery a couple blocks away. They were his favorite. Whenever they had samples he would take the entire platter and sit down at a booth and eat them.

Even Tasha was blown away by the effort I put into this. She woke up to help me but I insisted she go back to bed. I wish I could've gone back to bed too. I had been up since 3:50. Man would I kill too get a little shut-eye for 10 minutes.

But this was just a little more than a birthday/first day of school. I was still trying to earn back brownie points with the kids. They'd all backed away from me after Delaynee's video. They blamed me for not treating her well enough.

At the beginning, none of the kids would really talk to me. Now that 5 months had passed, Chase and Adam slowly made their way back to me. Things between us were back to the same. Bree and Leo were a different story. They took it really personally.

I can just see the way they look at me. Like they have never known me before. Everytime.

The living room had streamers with Adam's favorite colors. Which was the rainbow.

Once I felt very accomplished with my decorations, I checked the clock. 6:10. Ten minutes before Bree's alarm went off and twenty before the guys's went off.

I went back to the room where Tasha was reading a magazine. I knew what she was reading. There had been a article published about me in a tabloid. About how I was no genius and the people who really made the inventions had quit and that's why nothing new had come out of Davenport Industries in 5 months. It made me sick. No piece of that article was the truth.

Well there was one part.

About not putting out a product in 5 months. I had been so concerned with my family, inventing new technologies hadn't even crossed my mind.

"Why are you reading that?" I asked. I was frankly quite surprise she was reading it.

"Because it's the truth." Tasha said without even looking at me.

"No it's not. What are you talking about Tasha?" I asked, with growing concern.

"You're not smart at all. You aren't even smart enough to keep your family together. Those kids, Bree and Leo... they hate you. Soon when you disappoint them once again, Chase and Adam will see the other side and resent you." Tasha said staring right at me.

I looked at my wife, who'd never been that cold to me before in disbelief. In shock. In horror.

"What are you saying??" I asked, trying to make sense of this situation.

"And you're too dumb to see your marriage is crumbling right in front of your eyes." she said, rolling over the question I had asked.

"No."
"No, No, No... NOOO!!"

I gasped for breath. I couldn't tell where I was but once the blurriness faded, I could tell I was in the living room on the couch.

It was just a nightmare.

I got off my couch trying to snap out of that terrible dream. I checked my watch and it was about the time all the kids were up and getting ready. They usually stayed in the lab until almost school. Or Leo would stay in his room.

I finally sat down at the table to read the newspaper. To get my mind off that horrible dream.

I went on the computer to check some things for work and to reply to some emails. Anything to get that horribly vivid dream off my mind.

I checked the cameras downstairs to see if the kids were up and moving. And they were.

Adam and Chase looked like they were arguing and Bree was on the computer.

I had to remind myself that everything was okay. While the vivid nightmare had me rattled, I needed to stay focused on what was important. My kids.

I heard the hiss of the elevator and got into position. The first up was Adam and his face filled with wonderment when he saw all the decorations.

"IS IT CINCO DE MAYO?!?" He asked

"No silly, it's your birthday! Happy Birthday Adam!" I replied

" Wait that's today? HECK YES!" He yelled and gave a giant bear hug that almost squeezed the life out of me. After that he raced off to get the breakfast I prepared.

Another sound of the hissing elevator and the rest of the kids were on the main floor.

They all went up to Adam and said "Happy Birthday" to him, simultaneously. Adam just smiled with a pancake hanging out of his mouth.

Bree and Leo headed for the door, without any breakfast.

"Hey, hey where ya going?" I asked, trying to seem as "chill" as possible.

I've heard that's what the kids are saying today.

"Leo and I are headed to the coffee house. Bye" Bree said without any regard for the decorations.

"Well see, I made this breakfast that I'd like all my family to enjoy. So could you just stay here this morning." I said nervously. I felt walking on the world's most fragile eggshells. And if I step on one, it would explode.

"You want the ENTIRE family here, is that correct?" Bree asked.

This didn't seem to be going in the direction I'd been hoping for.

"Umm, yes..?" I replied, worried about what Bree or Leo could say next.

Leo walked up to Bree, and whispered something inaudible to me.

"No." Bree replied to Leo.

This response made me even more curious to what Bree's next response would be.

"If the whole family is supposed to be here, tell me when Delaynee arrives. Then we'll come back." Bree said, and she walked away. Bree and I both knew that she'd won that.

With my last little sliver of hope I asked:

"Leo, would you like to stay?"

Leo just stood and stared at me for a couple seconds. Crap, I was about to be bested by a teenager again.

Leo's gaze broke from me and was directed at Adam, who was delving into the pancake pile.

"Happy Birthday, Buddy." Leo said calmly.

After he said that, Leo walked out, following Bree.

I looked back at Adam and Chase who were eating pancakes. While I was happy that I had part of my family, I wished the whole family could be here.

I needed to take charge... Now.