Fever

Fever Pt 60

Later that day
Nicki POV

"Do you have homework?"I asked once we were all back in the house.

"Yeah but I'm hungry. Can you fix me a peanut butter sandwich please Mommy?"Karim asked politely.

"Yes, I can, my handsome man."I smiled at his manners. I made him an afternoon lunch and watched as he got his work out. "Just some stuff for you to sign."He gave me his folder which held his conduct chart and a few sheets on what the students would be learning this year.

Megan walked into the kitchen with Missa on her hip. "Put me down!"Missa yelped to the top of her lungs. "I can walk!"She snapped, running back up the stairs to get her toys so she could play.

"Don't roll your eyes at me!"Megan yelled at her. "She's at that age, wanting to boss everybody around."I pointed out.

"Well, I'm not the one she gonna be bossing around."Megan said, going into the fridge.

"I'm gonna go check on Kennedy."I got up, putting Karim's folder back into his Spider-Man book bag and went upstairs.

"Kenny! Do you have stuff your teacher wanted me to sign?"I asked, walking into her room. She was on the floor with her book bag inside out as she looked through it, pulling everything out.

"Yeah."She said.

"Well, where is it?"I waited.

"Hold on, please, I'm looking for something."She seemed really agitated so I got down on my knees so I could see what the problem is.

"You need help?"I asked causing her to jerk her backpack away from me. "No!"She yelled, making my eyes widen.

"I want to look for it myself."She told me.

"Maybe I can help you find whatever you're looking for."I suggested.

"No I got it."She pulled out the sheet from her teacher for me to sign. I began to write my signature then I noticed Kennedy staring me down.

"What?"I asked.

"You write slow."She giggled. "Girl."I mumbled, leaving her room. I came back downstairs to see Karim watching Mickey Mouse while Missa played with her black American girl dolls and Megan sat at the kitchen island on her phone.

"I've looked over all the cameras and still haven't spotted my ring."Megan sighed, hopelessly. I placed my hands on her shoulders, massaging them.

"It's okay."I said for the hundredth time today. Megan is torn over the loss of her ring but I'm not tripping about it. That just means I'll have to get her a newer, better ring that will look ten times better than the one she lost.

"I've also checked every car in the garage even though I know it's not in them."She added. "Just relax,"I tried to say, massaging her shoulders still.

She finally calmed down, prompting me to get started on dinner. I decided on something simple to cook: red beans on rice and cornbread lathered in butter.

Megan made blue raspberry koolaid to go with the food and placed it in the refrigerator to get cold while we waited for the food to finish.

A few hours later, the five of us sat down to eat while Macy and Reese went around whining to get food out of one of us.

"Time for baths."I got up from the table, gathering everyone's plates once we were finished eating.

I drew warm to hot water in the bathtub so the Missa and the twins could bathe.

"I can do it myself."Missa took the towel from me, trying to put the bar of soap in the towel while I helped Karim clean himself up. For the most part, they were becoming more and more independent and cleaning themselves up. I'm just making sure they catch every part of those dirty bodies since they've been in school all day today.

"All finished."Megan and I said in unison, grabbing dry off towels for them to dry off with and letting the water out of the tub.

They got dressed in their pajamas and got into their beds.

"Mommy, read me a bed time story."Karim said to me.

"Okay, which book?"I asked them, going over to the mini sized bookshelf full of children's books they've accumulated over the years. The three of them decided on "Where the Wild Things Are" so that's what I read them. And by the time I got to the middle of the book, the twins were knocked out but Missa was still wide awake.

"You want me to keep reading?"I asked her. "That isn't gonna work on me."She shook her head, making me laugh.

"Girl, go to bed."I tucked her into her baby bed and kissed her forehead. I turned off the bedroom light and cracked the door, going to my own room where Megan was just getting out of the shower.

"How was your shower?"I asked in a caring voice. "Refreshing. Although I'm still bummed about my ring."She got into the bed beside me.

I kissed her lips and whispered goodnight then turned off the lamp on my bedside and went to sleep.