Previously: "let's go to the zoo boys!"
After spending most of the day at the zoo, I decided it was nap time for Penny and Gavin and that we needed to come back home. They both fell asleep on the car ride home which made it easier for me, but I had to be careful because I didn't want to wake them up. Lily and DJ amazingly Also fell asleep on the car ride home although I know DJ was really trying to fight it. So one at a time I brought all of them in with Ethan's help. After putting them all in their beds I laid down on the couch appreciating the silence for a moment. "You look sleepy" Ethan said, sitting next to my feet. "Cause I am" "so take a nap" "what if the kids wake up?" "I'll be here, don't worry. I think they're starting to like me." "I know the girls do, DJ is still on the fence, and Gavin, I'm his favorite, so he might not like you for a while but we'll get there. He doesn't like sharing me. Especially with his sisters." Ethan chuckles lightly at my comments but notices that I closed my eyes. "Maybe I should stick around more so the boys can get a good opinion of me." "Mmm maybe" then I mumble something Ethan doesn't understand since I'm basically fully asleep. "You take a nap too mommas, you had a long day." Ethan states quietly to himself while patting my leg and covering me with a blanket.
I wake up confused. How did I fall asleep? Where's Ethan? Where's the kids? I begin to kind of panic when it's still quiet. Lily and DJ at least, should be awake. I get up and head up to the kids' rooms. Penny is still in her bed, but Lily is gone, in the boys' room, Gavin is awake and making grabby hands for me but he just woke up too since he heard me coming. DJ isn't in his bed either. When I pass the window I hear Lily and DJ scream laughing and Ethan too. I look out it and see Ethan playing with them on the trampoline. I come back down the stairs and go out into the backyard, joining them. "Looks like you guys are having fun out here" I smile "Ethan was teaching us how to do tricks" I raise my eyebrow "oh he was, was he?" "Yeah just a couple of them" he shrugs. Lily jumps up. "WANNA SEE THEM?" "Oh yes, please show me" I sit down in one of the outdoor chairs with Gavin in my lap and watch the three of them do the tricks. After a couple of minutes I start to head back into the house alone when I hear penny scream. I start running into the house and up the stairs to her as fast as I can but I can't find her anywhere I search the whole upstairs and downstairs. I even check the basement and the garage. I rush back outside. "Ethan" he turns his head to look at me and can see the panic in my face. He rushes over to me "what's wrong?" "I can't find her" I whisper "find who?" Ethan starts to whisper too "Penny. She's not anywhere in the house, E, I've never lost one of the kids before and their mom is supposed to be home soon. What do I do?" "Let's check the house again and if she still isn't there, we can check her friend's houses, Okay?" I nod my head. "I don't feel safe anymore Ethan. Something's wrong I just know it" I walk over to Gavin and pick him up. "DJ, Lily, let's go inside, okay?" "But we're having fun out here. I don't wanna come in yet." Lily pouts. "Lily please" I beg. DJ gets off the trampoline and follows Ethan inside. Lily can tell something is wrong so after a minute she begins to walk inside also. I scan the backyard, just to make sure penny didn't come outside and I missed her. I still don't see her.
I gather the kids in the living room and sit them on the couch together. "Penny's missing" Lily states it like a fact. I look at her with terror in my eyes. "Um..?" "She has a special hiding spot." "Why don't I know about this?" "Mommy says we're not allowed to go in there or talk about it. I'll go get her-" "well, wait. Show me where it is. Just Incase for next time." Lily shrugs her shoulders "okay"
I follow Lily upstairs into the girls' shared room. Lily heads to the closet and turns to the left. Amazingly, there's a little door there just big enough for the kids to fit in. Sort of like a crawl space. She opens the door and crawls inside. I stick my head in and it looks like it's attached to a secret room? Standing in the other side of the room is Lily and Penny. I get a weird feeling just sticking my head in so I crawl backwards and out back into the bedroom. "Girls, come out here." I hear some shuffling and then Lily comes back out. "She says she's staying in there until mommy comes home" "Penny come on. Please come out. We can make cookies! You love making cookies." She sticks her head into the closet "with chocolate chips?" "As many as you want" her face lights up excitedly. I'm just relieved I didn't actually lose her.
