New Beginning: Tortured by the Past, Haunted by the Future

Home from Pine Valley: Chapter 55

  Johnny rolls over in bed and looks at Tracie who is on her stomach, sleeping soundly on her side of the bed.

He smiles at his sleeping wife, then removes the covers, gets out of bed and places them back on Tracie.

Bending down, he picks up his t-shirt from the floor and puts it.

Looking back over his shoulder to make sure Tracie is still sleeping as he opens the door of the bedroom and heads towards Marissa's room.

He has only been home for a day and he still can't help but to want to just check in on Marissa. Maybe it's the guilt of not being at the hospital yesterday but that just may all be in his head.

He reaches for the doorknob, turning it and opening the door where he finds Marissa, lying in her crib, playing with her blanket when he walks in.

"What are you doing up smiley?" Johnny says as he walks closer to the crib, reaching in and taking her out of it. "How are you feeling today? Let me check."

Rissi just smiles at him as he picks her up and feels her head.

"You are so much like your mommy, beautiful little girl." Johnny says as he reaches into the crib to grab her and her blanket than heads downstairs to the family room.

Johnny sits in the recliner and holds his daughter close to his chest as he puts the television on, reclining the chair back.

Giving her a kiss on the forehead, "Daddy is never going to let anything bad happen to you or Madison. I promise. I love you girls with all my heart and soul." He says to her.

Marissa looks at him and says, "Dadda"

Johnny's eyes widen as he hears her first words and says, "What did you say Rissi?"

Marissa repeats, "Dadda."

Johnny's heart melts as he hears the words for the first time and just smiles as he remembers Madison's first word was momma, now they are even.

The alarm clock goes off at 6:30AM and Tracie rolls onto her side and hits the snooze button on the clock then turns to reach for Johnny but he isn't there with her.

She sits up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, then pushes the covers off of herself, getting out of bed.

Grabbing her sweatshirt from the chair, she puts it on over her tank top, then slips her feet into her moccasins.

Opening the bedroom door, she first heads to Madison's room, opening the door to check on her.

She sees Madison, sprawled out in bed, the covers completely off of her and one leg hanging off the side of the bed.

Shaking her head, she walks towards the bed, gently picking up Madison's leg, putting it on the bed then pulling the covers on her.

She kisses her on the forehead, smiles and says in a low voice, "You are just like your daddy." Then she walks to the door, shutting it a little. She then heads next door to Marissa's room.

She finds the door open and walks further into the room, where she finds that Marissa is not in her crib.

She walks out of the room and to the stairs.

Once downstairs, she hears the television on in the family room, where she finds Johnny and Marissa sleeping in the recliner.

Tracie walks into the room and grabs the blanket from the couch and covers them both with it before heading to the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee for John and a pot of tea for herself before she heads for a run this morning.