23. Elle
I walked around my house like a lost puppy.
I dropped Miracle off to Gisele, seeing her only for a brief time, not enough time to satisfy me not by a long shot but I eased my mind by assuring myself that tomorrow I will be spending the whole day with both of my sisters.
Seeing Gisele with a deep gash on her face was hard to take as her oldest sister, what was harder was that they protected me from not allowing me inside the shop. What if I had been in there? Would things have turned out better or worse? Maybe if I had been there, Gisele would not have gotten hurt because I would never have allowed that.
Walking to the kitchen, I busied my mind with some menial chores cleaning the cupboard fronts that were already clean, but it was something to keep me from storming across the road to Gisele’s.
An hour later my kitchen was even more sparkling fresh and clean, my stomach rumbling reminding me that I skipped breakfast that morning. Opening the fridge, I eyed the contents for something to eat for lunch, finally settling on my favourite tuna, mayo, and diced onion sandwich. Pulling the ingredients out, I grabbed the wholemeal bread from the cupboard and dropped it all to the bench top and set about making myself something to eat. Everything was going swimmingly until I pulled the ring on the can of tuna and removed the lid. The waft of the fishy smell filled my nostrils swirling around me, my stomach immediately rolled violently, and for the second time I vomited in my kitchen sink. Only this time, it wouldn’t stop. Retch after retch hurled everything that was in my stomach until there was nothing but a disgusting yellow bile, the taste it left in my mouth worse than the smelly vomit.
“Oh lord save me,” I groaned out loud, looking down in the sink and nearly vomiting again at the globby mess of regurgitated food. “Gross Elle.” Turning on the water, I attempted to wash the yuck down the drain, my whole body aching with the effort just to remain standing up.
Gastro
“I must have picked up gastro at Miracle’s school,” I deduced, talking to myself, a habit I started when Dutch had been a puppy. He always got so excited when I spoke to him, like he enjoyed my conversations. It was something I did up until the day I left the house by that night he was dead.
I missed my little man, his playfulness, his happy excitement. His presence in my life helped with during the times Jake took off for one of his jaunts, sleeping in my bed with me, just keeping me company. I much preferred Dutch’s company than I did my own husbands.
A wave of sadness flooded through me at the memory of my sweet tiny Chihuahua, I was still adamant about not getting another dog, the very idea of replacing Dutch was unimaginable and would remain so forever. Optimus gave me the special dog time I needed from time to time and that was more than enough for me.
Fighting back to urge to dry heave as I pushed the last of the vomit down the plug hole, I took a bottle of disinfectant poured it around the sink dumping half the bottle down the plug in an effort to get rid of the pungent smell. Satisfied that the odour was removed, I cleaned up the kitchen forgoing lunch instead deciding I needed a nap. Pressing a hand to my stomach, I gave it a rub, mentally willing it to give me a break.
“I can’t believe you are engaged!” I gushed to my sister, sitting beside her on her couch, Claudia sitting in one of the recliners where Josh physically put her in even reclined it for her then demanded that she ‘stay.’ Literally he told her to stay put in the chair while he went back to work for a few hours then come back to escort her home. Next door!
“I know,” Gisele said happily, “he proposed last night while we were in the shower!”
“In the shower! Gisele!” Claudia too gasped in shock, but her smile was wide obviously as happy for our sister as I was.
That morning, Jami had Gisele and Claudia go to the new police office to give their statement concerning what they went through the day before, even I had been interviewed but I didn’t have a lot to tell them thanks to the quick thinking from Gisele telling me that the shop was closed and using my former married name.
I was still dirty on her for that but for now I was going to let it go until she was fully recovered and give her time to bask in the happiness of her new engagement.
“What?” Gisele answered innocently, “it was the perfect proposal.” Holding out her hand, I looked again at the massive rock on her finger. A pang of something that was foreign to me passed through me when Gisele showed off the ring again much as it did the first time. It couldn’t be jealousy because I was done with marriage, hell I was done with men period.
Instantly the face of the handsome Judd flashed in my mind, the memory of how masterfully he touched my body, how easily he aroused me pulling orgasm after orgasm from me. My behaviour that night still made me cringe, but I also missed that side of me. Funnily enough, Jake’s constant jibes that I was a cold fish was totally opposite to Judd’s description of me during our night together nearly three weeks ago now.
Life went on and knowing that I would never see Judd again made it easier to daydream about my tryst and accept my wanton actions.
It had been just one night, one unforgettable night, the most private details I would take to my grave.
Keeping them private even from my sisters. Most certainly our mother.
In the kitchen I could hear my dad and Jami talking quietly. Dad gave in this morning after how happy he saw Gisele was to be marrying the love of her life, even despite her ordeal. Dad was not a stupid man, nor was he into carrying a grudge. After dad decked Jamison, he cooled off enough to help Jami and Josh capture what Gisele and Claudia referred to as the dirtbags, Jami was forgiven, and all was good again in the Blessing household. Well, not all together happy. Gisele’s injury and Claudia’s pregnancy was still a matter of concern for the men in our family who were still very much pissed off, but I had a good feeling that life was going to get back to normal soon.
The only problem now was the entire family was watching Claudia like a hawk, and that was not a good thing. Claudia wasn’t the kind of person that liked to be molly-coddled but now that her pregnancy was out add to that the events of the day before, my sister was feeling like she was under a microscope.
Shifting from the couch I walked over and sat down on the arm of the recliner Claudia was sitting. “Hey chickee, how goes it?”
Looking at me through her lashes, Claudia gave me a look that spoke volumes, at least it did to me.
“Josh, driving you nuts I gather?” I asked this time getting a one finger salute, making both Gisele and I both smile.
Instead of Claudia answering me, Gisele jumped in with the story of a very jumpy Josh.
“He literally brought her back here after our interview and told her to sit, reclined the chair and even put a blanket over her lap.” Gisele recalled with glee, “then he went into my kitchen and found some salted plain chips, and a can of lemonade put them beside her on the table and declared that there was no need for her to move until he gets back.”
Suddenly mum entered the room, dad and Jamison followed. Mum took up the story from Gisele.
“He then gave me strict instructions how and when to take Claudia to the toilet, that she was not allowed to use the upstairs bathroom and then he put Optimus outside to remove any walking hazards.”
Everyone including dad and Jamison laughed at that, everyone except Claudia.
“Claude, anything to say?” I asked having way too much fun at my sisters expense.
Pressing her fingers to her temples, Claudia began chanting, “I love my husband, I love my husband, I love my husband.” Over and over.
The room erupted into an uproar of laughter at my sisters antics, even Miracle was giggling from the bean bag chair she had folded herself in, minus Optimus who was currently howling at the back door letting everyone in town he was not happy about being outside in the cold.
Deciding that what Josh didn’t know would not hurt him, I got up to go let him in, at the same time my phone pinged with a notification from a group about my favourite tv show. Instead of reading it I tossed the phone to Claudia, deciding that she needed a distraction even if for just a few minutes.
“Here, tell me what’s going on,” I ordered her not explaining myself because there was no need to.
Rushing to the back door, I quickly opened it bracing myself against the gust of wind, “Come on you ugly pug,” I said affectionately to the small dog with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, “get in here before the town’s people decide to have you picked up by the RSPCA for being a public disturbance.” I told the dog, reverting back to my old habit.
Thankfully, the bout of sickness I experienced the day before was gone, no sign of a rolling stomach or any need to vomit in a sink.
Thank God.
Stopping to fill Optimus’s bowl with dry food, I gave the pug a few minutes of attention before Miracle noticed he was inside and stole him from me. My niece was in love with the ugly mutt, they were inseparable unless she was in school. Actually, it surprised me that she had yet to talk her mother into letting her take Optimus to school with her and there was no doubt in my mind that she will eventually.
Giving the dog one last good scratch on his back, I stood up to go back into the lounge room when the front door opened at the same time Claudia let out outraged wail.
“For the love of Moses what now,” I muttered to myself taking off to see what was up Claudia’s butt now.
Reaching the room, the female emotions being displayed by my sisters and my mother was nothing short of a soap opera scene. Tears tracked down Gisele’s face, mother was clutching her hands to her chest rocking back and forth while Claudia had a look of treachery.
The men? Well, they looked out of their depth, looking like they wanted to be anywhere but there. Josh was on his knees in front of his wife with an expression of absolute disbelief, his head hung down and I think he was counting.
Okay time to sort this out.
Noticing that Claudia was clutching my phone staring at it like she wanted to throw it, I walked over and plucked it from her fingers and read what was on the screen. What I read I could not believe.
“No, no, no,” I whispered making myself read the words again to make sure it was not something in my imagination.
It wasn’t.
Star of Chicago Fire gets married.
I was speechless, totally without speech.
My brain refused to compute but the pit of my stomach knew different.
Taylor Kinney got married.
“How could he?” I wailed angrily to my sisters and mother, “how can I watch the new season knowing that he is married in real life?”
Gisele was the first to answer, “It’s like a bullet through the heart,” she cried but she wasn’t finished. “Before there was hope but now all hope is gone.” She sobbed brokenly.
I understood her pain, I too felt like hope that the sexy actor would knock on my door and profess his love for me was lost now that he was married.
Married!
Jamison was the first to break through the female wailing.
“Will someone tell me what the f— frig is going on?” he yelled stopping the curse for Miracle’s benefit. Not that the little shit didn’t know every curse word under the sun, as well as how to sign them, but we all decided now that she was talking to try to curb our language around her in hopes that it might help her not swear, especially at school.
Dad chuckled deeply, his humour at our reaction to the bad news very evident. He knew what was going on.
“Jury, I believe our lovely ladies have discovered the man of their dreams is off the market,” Dad told Jami in between chuckles.
“The man of their dreams?” Jami echoed incredulous, his eyes narrowing in on his new fiancé. “I’m the man of your dreams Gisele!” he reminded her looking pointedly at the rock on her ring finger.
“Oh, don’t fool yourself Jury,” Josh muttered still on his knees in front of his wife. “To them there is no one better than bloody Kelly Severide.”
Josh was correct. He was used to our obsession with the show and the actor in question, but Jamison? He was still a newbie, his time here for the last few months we had not had too many marathons because we were still waiting for the new season to land.
He would learn and submit; That much I was sure about.
“Honey,” Gisele crooned, getting up from her seat and walked to her soon-to-be husband. “You are the man of my dreams, but the rule is if our tv crush knocks on our door then I’m sorry baby I do what I have too,” she shrugged, “it’s the rules. Isn’t that right chickees?” she asked me and Claudia looking to us for back-up.
Which of course we did.
“Absolutely,” I agreed.
“That’s the rule, sorry,” Claudia shrugged smiling.
“Get over it Detective,” our mother added not exactly oozing with sympathy for poor Jami.
“See,” Josh grumbled, who was now rubbing Claudia’s feet as if the conversation was not blowing his mind like it was for poor Jamison.
“I think we should have a day of mourning,” Georgina declared suddenly and emotionally. “Tomorrow, we wear black.”
Gisele, Claudia, and I all nodded in agreement, after all we were in shock. It was the least we could do, right?
Finally, the topic of conversation changed from the bad news to other things, dad started talking about repairing the shop ceiling before we re-opened the next day. Then to Claudia and Josh’s baby, it was then a thought sprang into my head so randomly my breathe caught in my throat almost chocking me.
Suddenly I felt the blood drain from my face, my hands started to shake uncontrollably, my mouth went dry.
How did I forget that my period was late?