Casey Jones
"Hey..." Frankie said, carrying Isa's half empty plate. He watched me carefully as he put the plate in the sink next to mine before clearing his throat. "Um, Frost and I are on call today and tomorrow, so I called Tommy to see if he could come by if we got called in. I hope that's okay."
"Yeah, that's fine." I nodded and sipped my coffee.
"I figured you needed the help. But look on the bright side...we might not get called into work. Korsak said he would help too."
Reaching out, I put my hand on his shoulder. "Look, I appreciate all of your help and knowledge about kids. I'm still learning as we go, but without Jane here, I'm kinda rudderless. So, thanks."
"I'm just glad I could help and rub it in your face that I know more about kids." He smirked, getting a shoulder bum in response.
Before I could say anything, the sound of Isa crying was heard. Frost appeared in the doorway covered in half digested pancakes with a look of sheer terror on his face at the same time as my phone started to ring.
"Um, guys...I think I need some help." He said, his arms out in front of him in an effort to keep most of the mess away from his already dirty t-shirt.
"Shit..." I dropped my half empty coffee cup in the sink, pushing away from the counter.
"You get the phone, I'm sure it's Jane. I'll take care of Isa..." Frankie said and looked at Frost with concern. "And him too."
"You sure?" I asked as a formality while heading straight towards my phone. I glanced at Frankie one more time before picking my phone up and got a wave, indicating he was okay and would take care of Isa...and Frost.
For a second, I froze. The sound of my phone ringing, and the sound of Isa crying gave me a moment of pause. I wasn't sure who I wanted to attend to most, but in the end, Jane won. I needed Jane's help at the moment, so I hit the accept button and did my best to sound casual.
"Hey, Beautiful..." I said.
"Hey yourself." Jane sighed tiredly.
"You sound tired." A heavy sigh that mimics Jane's escaped from me before I could stop it.
"I am. It was a long flight." Jane said and then paused as the sound of Isa crying carried to her. "Is everything okay?"
I cringed as the sound of crying got closer and closer. There wasn't much I could do but admit defeat as Frankie came around the corner holding Isa wrapped in a clean towel. "Um..." I hesitated as I reached out for the crying kid.
"I want Mommy." Isa cried in my arms.
"Hold on Izzy, Mommy's on the phone." I moved Isa around to my left hip for better balance. I gave Frankie an understanding smile in response to his apologetic one.
"I'm sick, Mommy..." Isa hiccupped into the phone as I held it up to her ear.
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry I'm not there." Jane tried to speak around the lump that had formed in her throat. "I bet Dada is taking good care of you though."
Isa was quiet as she listened to Jane and nodded when she was asked a question. Even though Jane couldn't see her, I watched with an amused smile on my face.
"You have to answer Mommy, she can't see you." I couldn't help but chuckle.
"I want to see Mommy." Isa said as I used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe at the steady flow of tears rolling down Isa's cheeks. "Please..."
"Okay. Will you let Uncle Frankie take you and get some clean jammies on while I set up the iPad so we can FaceTime?" I posed the question and waited for the answer that came in the form of an emphatic nod. "Okay. I'm gonna get Uncle Frost some clean clothes while you get dressed too and then we'll talk to Mommy. Deal?"
