Chapter 12 #2
“We love you, Momma,” he repeated, then he yawned and a few seconds later, he was out.
I stood there, looking down at the boys and feeling warmth blossom in my chest. I’d never given thought to having a family, but hearing these kids call me ‘Momma’? It did something to me and I found I liked hearing it, though a male version would be better.
While they slept, I hurried to the kitchen. A few people were moving around, trying to put some food together. Probably for dinner.
“Um, hi?”
They turned to look at me. “Welcome to the kitchen, sir,” a large woman said. Her cheeks were chubby and begged to be pinched. “I’m Amelia, the chef. Is there something I can do for you?”
“Eddie and Jack are feeling a little hungry, and they were looking to have some soup.”
“Oh, of course. We can help with that.”
“Um…. I don’t mean to be a pain, but they want me to make it.”
She smiled and I liked her immediately. “Then let’s work on it together, how about that? I’m going to assume it’s their mother’s chicken noodle soup.”
“Yeah. They even asked for vegetables. What kid eats veggies?”
“Ours is an odd family. The kids love to eat, and they’re not overly picky about most things, though there are some exceptions.
Plus, their mom’s soup was a comfort food for them, and I’m thinking that’s what they’re looking for now.
Not necessarily the vegetables, just the emotions that the soup brings with it. Now, let me show you how to make it.”
She reached up and grabbed a large pot from the overhead rack.
She added eight cups of water to it before she turned the burner to high.
Afterward, she went to the refrigerator and pulled out some cooked off chicken breasts and diced them up, along with some amazing smelling herbs, then slipped them into the concoction.
“There are frozen vegetables on the left side of the unit,” she said. “Pick what you think would work best for what they want.”
I did as she asked, and pulled out some mixed vegetables, corn, mushrooms, and onions.
“Into the pot,” she directed me as she went back to the refrigerator, opened the door, and took out a jar of soup base. Then, after adding a few heaping teaspoons she put a bit of liquid aminos in.
“The things on these shelves are the boy’s food,” she told me, gesturing to a few well stocked items. “For Mr. Lockhart everything is fresh, but the kids have very varied tastes, so we keep a lot of food on hand that can be used quickly. It was their mother’s idea.”
“She sounds like a good woman.”
“She was. She insisted on cooking for her family, even if it was just ordering a pizza. She used to tell me that she never wanted them to doubt they were loved.” She sighed.
“It took Mr. Lockhart a few years to get back into a good headspace. He did it for his boys, though. Never, in all my years, have I met someone as dedicated to his kids as he is.”
And I knew this. Just watching him, the way he smiled at them, the way they acted when he was around, told me there was a great deal of love between them.
After about twenty minutes Amelia took the lid off, inhaled deeply, and smiled. “Okay, this should be just about done. The bowls are in the cabinet to your left. Make sure you grab one for yourself. And after you eat, maybe you should take a nap too? You’re looking a little pale.”
One of the side effects of the pills usually had me taking a nap at some point during the day. I had been able to stave it off until the time I’d normally get home, then crash before getting up, eating, and going back to bed.
“Can’t. Need to watch the boys.”
She gave me a kind smile. “After they eat, they’ll go back to sleep. Just put them in their room and take the one next door. As long as they know you’re nearby they’ll be fine.”
Sleep sounded good. I hadn’t done much of it the night before, because I was too stressed about this whole Momma thing.
“Maybe a nap will do me good,” I said.
“I promise you, it will. Now, go eat. When you’re done just leave the dishes on the table and we’ll collect them.”
She gave me a tray to put the bowls on, and I carried it to the room where the boys were fast asleep, curled up together like interlocking pieces of a puzzle. I almost hated to wake them, but I’d made a promise, so that choice wasn’t really mine to make.
“Hey,” I said, nudging them gently.
Their eyes opened and when they focused on me, I got the sweetest smile. “Momma,” Eddie whispered, reaching up and stroking his fingers over my cheek.
“I have your soup, if you want to eat.”
He sat up slowly, never taking his gaze off me. He slid off the couch and down to the floor where the soup sat on the table. Before I could wake Jack he was sitting up too. I wondered about this whole twin telepathy thing, because they always seemed in sync.
“Thank you, Momma,” he said, joining Eddie on the floor.
They picked up the silverware and dug in.
Amelia had put some bread rolls on the tray as well as a dish with butter in it.
I slathered some on each and gave them to the boys who took them from me.
This whole scene was so domestic, and I loved everything about it.
Maybe it was time to start giving consideration to founding a family of my own.
Well, after I found a husband. And a house. And a job.
“This is so good, Momma,” Jack gushed.
“Mhm!” Eddie added, putting another spoonful into his mouth.
I picked up my utensil and dug in. Even though it had been made with more or less instant ingredients, it was some of the best soup I’d ever had. I slurped it down quickly, but the boys still beat me.
“You guys are quick.”
They smiled. “You always said we ate too fast.”
I had nothing I could say about that. “Are you still hungry?”
“No,” Jack said with a yawn.
“Tired though, huh?”
He nodded and I stood. “Well, let’s get you guys to bed.”
“But Momma, we want to stay with you!” Jack said, his voice almost in a panic.
“I’m going to take a nap too. I’ll be in the room right next to you.”
“And you won’t leave, right?” Eddie asked, wrapping his fingers around mine.
“Not going anywhere,” I promised.
“Okay.” His expression told me he wasn’t convinced. “You left us before.”
What could I say to that? What had them so damn sure I was their mother?
Uncertain what to say, I hefted them up and carried them to their room.
Once there I put them in the same bed so they wouldn’t feel alone, then covered them up, kissed their foreheads, and turned to go to the room next door.
I admit it, I was exhausted. Just needed a nap and I’d be fine, though.
“Good night, guys.”
“Love you, Momma,” they said in unison.
“And I love you too,” I assured them.
Flicking off the lights, the room became surprisingly dark.
I couldn’t even see a glimmer of light around the high, wide windows that were covered by a fabric that seemed to absorb the sunlight.
This would have been good in my apartment.
Maybe I’d have to ask Brent about it. More than likely it was ridiculously expensive, and I wouldn’t be able to afford it, but it was good to dream.
The bed looked like heaven, and all I wanted to do was sleep for a while. I didn’t bother to take off my clothes, instead crawling on top of the blankets and smooshing my head in the most freaking comfortable pillow I’d ever felt. I was out like a light in seconds.
At one point, I thought the bed moved, but then dismissed it and let sleep take me once more. That, as it turned out, was a mistake. When I woke I sat up and scrubbed a hand over my eyes. Then I swallowed back a scream as I found I wasn’t in bed alone anymore.
Laying there, pressed against me, were two bears, with long, sharp looking claws.
I had no idea how they got in or made it past anyone in the mansion, but they were in the room with me, and I was freaking the fuck out.
I carefully extricated myself, then made a beeline to the boys’ room.
I rushed in, ready to grab them and get the hell out of Dodge, but they weren’t there.
Now fear rushed through me. Did something happen to them?
Was it the bears? Could they have done something to the boys?
I reached into my pocket, grateful to find my phone hadn’t slipped out while I slept. I pressed Brent’s number, my desperation ratcheting up. He answered on the third ring.
“Hey, we were just finishing and packing the gear.”
“Brent? Brent, the boys are gone.”
He was suddenly quiet. Then he growled, “What do you mean when you say gone?”
“I put them down for a nap and then laid down myself. I know I shouldn’t have, but I haven’t been sleeping and… no, there’s no excuse. I’m so sorry. It was only about an hour, but when I woke up there were bears in the house!”
“Bears?” he asked.
“Yes! They were on the bed with me, sleeping behind my legs.”
“Well, holy shit,” he said, sounding so damn proud. “They had their first shift!”
I blinked several times. “What the fuck are you talking about? The boys are gone!”
He chuckled. “Uly, I need you to go to the kitchen and ask Amelia to make you some of my private hot chocolate, then have a seat in the great room. We’re on our way back, but it’ll be a couple hours before we get there.
Stay with Amelia, okay? Don’t move from there.
I swear, I’ll explain everything when we get home.
Don’t worry. The boys are safe, I promise you that. ”
And then he was gone, leaving me in a state of panic the likes of which I’d never experienced, even when I didn’t have my meds.
And what did he mean ‘shift’?