#thread with: phoenix mariah

[theavaevans]

The Announcement

INVOLVED: Ava M. Evans, Samuel Evans, Blue Evans, Siena Evans, Phoenix Evans, and Luca Evans TIME FRAME: Wednesday, February 5, 2020 LOCATION: Evans’ Home; Seattle, Washington SUMMARY: Ava and Samuel finally reveal the big news to their children and are met with mixed emotions.

Blue plopped down on the couch with her phone in hand, texting with Ariel. She hated these family meetings. She truly didn’t understand why her parents called one, twice a month. They were always over the stupidest things, none of which ever really involved her.

Phoenix rested on the loveseat, her legs over the arm of one side of the chair, her back pressed against the other arm as she re-read Stop Telling Women to Smile by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, really dissecting it this second time around.

Luca sat on the floor in front of the couch, he sat there unmoving as he blinked slowly. He didn’t know what this was about but he guessed they never did. Hopefully no family drama would come from this one unlike the last one.

Siena sat on the couch Indian style and she rested her head in her hands, elbow pressed into her leg as she waited. Pulling her hoodie down off her head she revealed her bald head once more. She knew everyone had mixed feelings about and she didn’t know what possessed her but she loved the confidence it gave her everyday she stepped out the door.

Samuel moved for the couch and sat down before his children, licking his lips he waited with them. For this, he’d let his wife take the lead and run with it, he was not sure what it would lead to. Sitting them in his gym attire, he’d planned to go however plans changed. So sitting back he slid his hands into his hoodie pocket looking to their middle daughter with a sigh. All her beautiful hair was gown, and at what cost?

Ava flushed the toilet and pulled herself up from the floor carefully as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Quickly she moved for the sink, rinsing her mouth out with water before she brushed her teeth. She couldn’t go without doing so, even though she knew her family was waiting on her. Tapping her toothbrush on the side of the sink, she let all the water drop from it before placing it back in the holder and moved to exit the bathroom, rubbing her stomach gently. She moved down stairs and sat beside her husband, looking around at their children before she looked at him. Taking a breath, she began, “your father and I called this family meeting because we have something very important to share with you…”

As his wife finally surfaced Samuel looked her over, damn he hated not being there every single time she needed him to be. However, he rested his arm on the back of the chair looking at her as she spoke and he rubbed her shoulder gently. He was here to support, speak when needed, and make sure their children were informed.

Luca sat there, hands in his lap and as his mother sat down he looked at her blinking slowly. He was so not on her run right now, she’d hurt his feelings for the last time. No longer his mother’s baby boy, he was a young man he didn’t need her comfort anymore. He’d run to his daddy instead. As she spoke he continued to look at her with an unreadable expression.

Siena sat there and she shifted on the couch and looked to her mother as she finally sat down before them. As she began speaking she looked to Blue and Phoenix nevermind what everyone mood was right now, it sounded serious.

Phoenix slowly lowered her book as their mother finally appeared and began speaking to them. She looked over at Siena and Blue, then down at Luca as she nodded slowly. What could she possibly be about to tell them?

Blue looked up from her phone, gazing between her parents as Ava began to speak.

“This affects everyone,” Ava said softly, looking each one of them in their eyes. “It’s going to change things drastically in this house and everyone needs to be prepared,” she said thoughtfully before she grew quiet. She looked at her husband, leaning into him slightly. “In about 9 months, you all can expect to have two more siblings,” she said out-right. “I’m about 6 or 7 weeks pregnant with twins,” she explained to them all.

Luca continued to sit there and as his mother gave details he continued to look. He looked to his father for a moment before going back to her. Upon her announcement, he didn’t flinch or make a sound. He could have imagined this, his mother had gotten sick in front of him that much he remembered. And then their parents had shared a few words, that much he witnessed without them knowing. Luca stood up from his spot on the floor and said “good” before he walked off quietly, walking away from them all as he moved back up the stairs to his room, unaffected.

Siena listened as her heart actually started to race because she could have only hoped nothing too serious or even deadly at this point was happening. As her mother went on and dropped a huge bomb like this on them her eyebrows rose slowly. “Twins?” she asked as if she didn’t already hear her mother a second ago. “Mom?!” She said in shock, her mother was older than she was when she had Luca and Blue was going to leave for school. She was next and then Phoenix. What were they going to do? As Luca got up and walked away she looked to him shocked as well, the usually bubbly and happy kids were literally not himself anymore.

Blue sat there, slowly placing her phone in her lap as her mother began to speak. Clearly whatever it was, was extremely serious by her tone and she needed to pay attention. As Ava announced that she was pregnant with twins, her mouth dropped. “What?” she said out loud, baffled. Twins? That wasn’t one, but two babies. Her neck jerked back as she thought about it. “What?” she said again from pure shock as she tried to come to terms with it in her mind. As Luca got up and walked out, Blue watched the back of his head still really unable to speak.

Phoenix looked to her parents, then to her siblings, then back to her parents. As their mother told them all that she was pregnant, she accidentally dropped her book off her lap as she sat up straight in the chair. “Pregnant?!” she questioned. Her mind ran a mile a minute before she said, “but… you’re old…” Looking at Luca as he got up and walked away, her eyebrows rose to her hairline. Something was seriously wrong with that boy. Looking back to her parents, Phoenix continued. “I mean… is it safe for you and the babies?” she asked.

Ava grew quiet, giving all of their children time to process what she had just told them and she gazed, looking around at all of their faces as they went over it in their heads. As Luca spoke, then got up to leave, Ava frowned. “Luca, honey,” she said gently, but the boy was gone anyway. She sighed deeply before she looked to Blue, Siena, and Phoenix. “Twins,” she said looking to Siena as she confirmed. She looked at Blue, watching the girl’s face of shock before she looked to Phoenix and she frowned even deeper. She was not old. “Yes, I’m fine, the babies will be fine,” she said to clarify. “I am a bit older to be having children, especially twins, however, I’m healthy and I’ll be okay, we’ll be okay,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ll be on top of it all and monitor myself along the way,” she said as she looked around at her girls. “How do you all feel?” she asked them.

Samuel watched their children and he exhaled slowly as he rubbed his wife’s arm supportively. When Luca got up to leave Samuel watched the young boy, something was bothering his son and he’d have to figure that out a little later. As his daughters began to react to the news, much like he did really. All over the place and insultingly, he tucked his lips away for a moment before he said. “Your mother and I spoke on this ourselves. And with her doctor during our first appointment. Everyone is going to work extra hard to make sure everything is just fine with all three of them” he said touching his wife’s leg. “It was unexpected, but you mother and I are content” he said. “Everything will be fine.”

Luca moved to his bedroom and he closed the door and he climbed into his bed with a book to read. He had heard his mother call out for him, but he chose to ignore her. To ignore them as he moved back to what he enjoyed right now, books.

Siena looked to her mother and then to her father, she watched Blue and then she watched Phoenix. Unsure of what to say she sat there for a long moment, she didn’t know how to place her thoughts into actual words right now. She in her opinion was nervous about all of this, no matter what her parents had to say. “Nervous” she said to them both as she stuck her hand out as if that should be the obvious answer for everyone. “There is a lot of stuff happening out here in the world today, and medically they can’t stop it” she said seriously. “Women are like not having easy pregnancies and stuff” she told them “look at Beyonce!” she stressed “and she was like, younger than you are right now mom” she told her with wide eyes.

Blue looked to her father as he spoke up and she blinked slowly, still trying to digest it all. “Okay…” she said as her mind processed slowly. “Uh, what’s the plan?” she asked. “I mean… you know Ariel and I applied to Spelman and Howard,” she said. “That’s far away,” she said feeling like now she had to stay here. She was the oldest in the family. It was her responsibility to step up and do things when her parents couldn’t. She could still leave and let it all fall on Siena, but she wouldn’t. She loved her family too much to just leave them high and dry. Her parents were almost 50, they were going to need help. “W-what is going to happen?”

Looking between her parents, Phoenix nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. “But what if they turn out like Luca?” she asked softly, not wanting to be the one to bring up the elephant that just stomped out of the room but she had to. Statistically, the twins were at a higher risk to be born with some type of illness due to Ava’s age and weight, plus there’s already a family history of illness. “I mean… it’s a possibility,” she said before she went on, “and at your ages, it’s going to be harder to handle, especially with two,” she said thoughtfully.

Ava looked to her husband as he spoke and she nodded slowly. “Yes, we’ve got it all under control. Plus you forget, I’m a doctor,” she said chuckling. “I think I’ll be okay,” she said honestly. Turning to Siena, Ava said, “baby girl, I’ll be fine,” she said once more. “Beyonce had preeclampsia and something else going on with her,” she explained. “Yes, I am at risk for it, but I’ll be okay,” she told her sweetly. “Like I said, we’re going to monitor me very closely along the way and take it all step by step.” Next, she looked to Blue. “This isn’t going to hinder you from going away to school,” she said honestly. “Go,” she said sweetly. “Get that HBCU education and experience, I want you to,” she said lovingly before she looked at Phoenix with a sigh. “Honey, I have no control over whether or not these babies will have some type of illness or not, just like I had no control over Luca and his condition,” she said with a sigh. “I just have to take it all in spades and deal with it as it unfolds,” she said to everyone. “And just like with Luca, nothing will ever take away the love that I will have for these babies, just as nothing will ever take away my love for you girls.”

Samuel looked to them as they all spoke their minds and he nodded his head. He looked at their faces before he landed on Phoenix and he was reminded why he liked for her to keep her mouth closed. He said nothing to any of them however, he was little bothered by that comment as he looked to them still allowing his wife to go on with her statements.

Siena looked to Blue as she mentioned school and she took her all in, rubbing her hands against her nearly bald head she looked to her young sister shocked by her words actually. It came off a bit rude, and insensitive to their mother and brother not to mention Luca had feelings to. “He has feelings Phoenix, you speak on his as if he’s mentally retarded. The boy could be in college right now if he could sustain myself” she said as she shifted on the couch. “That babies won’t be mentally retarded I am sure and even if they are, we can’t just like not love them” she added. “However” she pointed out “I don’t intend on living without my fucking mother” she said outright.

Blue looked to Phoenix, her eyes going wide. “Hey,” she said quickly. “Phoenix, please think before you speak,” she said. “Yes, everyone knows Luca has a condition but he’s fine, he can still function and is a normal kid and has the possibility of growing out of it,” she said honestly. Everyone knew Luca was her favorite, so she felt some type of away about the comments.

Phoenix looked to her sisters. “I wasn’t saying it to be mean, I was just stating the facts,” she said honestly. “It’s a fact, the twins could also have something and being that mom and dad are older, it won’t be as easy to deal with, if they do, as it was with Luca, especially with their being two of them...,” she said looking around at everyone. Of the bunch, she was the analytical one, she thought things through and looked at things from every angle. It was just truly a possibility. “I’m just trying to understand…” she said.

Ava’s neck jerked back fiercely. “Siena!” she said raising her voice, which was rare. “I know you better go wash your mouth out with soap, using that type of language in my house,” she said shaking her head. “You know better,” she said. “Me being pregnant doesn’t mean you can speak any ol’ type of way,” she said sternly before she looked to Phoenix. She knew that the girl wasn’t trying to be rude or mean about her little brother, she knew that Phoenix loved her little brother. “Sweetheart, there’s always going to be a possibility of something. Like I said, it’s out of my hands and if it turns out, then’ll we’ll do whatever is needed but let’s not think about it right now,” she said. “As of right now, they’re both healthy, I am healthy, and we’ve got zero worries,” she said. “We just wanted to let you all know so that you can get used to the idea and be prepared for two more babies in the household. “It’ll be an adjustment and take some getting used to,” she said, “now, yes, your father and I are getting older and we could use the help but we’re not going to force anything into you all. We would appreciate it, but at the end of the day it’s not your responsibility,” she said. “You just need to be mindful that there will be babies in the house, so watch noise levels and keep hazardous things away from them, off of the floors, and if possible always wash your hands before handling them.”

Samuel watched as the girls brickered back and forth and he looked to his wife before Siena flew out the mouth with some choice words. Samuel titled his head at her and said “don’t ever let me hear you say that again Siena” he said without much conviction because honestly raising his voice or even getting angry wasn’t his thing. He was already quiet so him falling silent wasn’t a shocker, however him having to speak should, be at any point of time. “Your mother is fine, the babies are fine, we are fine” he told them all. “We don’t have to fight or argue over this” he said seriously “it is a choice of which your mother and I get to make only” he added. “If we felt that this wasn’t something we would want to pursue we would have done what two adults needed to do” he said. “Babies are nothing short of miracles” he told them “that’s what we thought of each of you, no exception to Luca…”

Siena looked to her baby sister and then to her mother as she hung her for the statement she made. “I’m sorry” she said covering her face a bit with the sleeve of her hoodie. “It won’t happen again” she said truthfully, she didn’t know what came over her either, she just had so much going on right now. So much hurt in different places, she couldn’t possibly afford to lose anything else she’d already lost herself. As her father spoke up as well, she dropped her hand leaning back against the couch and she folded her arms as she listened. “Sorry” she said apologizing for not only herself but her siblings “you are right we shouldn’t be fighting over something like this” she told them.

Blue looked over at Siena as she hid behind her jacket and she reached over, rubbing her sister’s back gently. Looking over to Phoenix she nodded slowly, understanding what she meant and where she was coming from after she explained herself. As their parents spoke, she let out a sigh. She needed to step up, “I can… I can take a year off before I go to college, to help out around the house,” she said quietly, looking down at the floor, her wavy hair covering her face.

Phoenix, looking at her sisters, then at her parents as they spoke and she shifted on the seat, shocked by Blue’s statement. She really always thought that Blue hated them all but maybe she was just putting on a show that entire time. Licking her lips, she looked to her parents as they spoke and she nodded more. So, she had nothing to worry about. Everything would be fine. “Okay…” she said, trying to wrap her head around it all. “I love you guys too,” she said looking to her parents, then to her sister.

Ava gazed at Samuel, then at their children and she was shocked by Blue. “We couldn’t ask you to do that Blue,” she said honestly. “You’ve been trying to get out of this house forever,” she said, “now you want to stay?” she asked shocked. “You and Ariel have a plan, stick with that,” she said before she looked to Siena and she sighed out, their baby girl was just going through so much. Turning her eyes to Phoenix, she said, “I love you too baby girl, all of you,” she said looking at her children before she looked up at the ceiling towards Luca’s room.

Samuel looked to their three children before he looked to his wife nodding his head at her words, before she looked to them again.

[sienaevans]

Family Talk

INVOLVED: Blue Evans, Siena Evans, Luca Evans, and Phoenix Evans  TIME FRAME: Tuesday, February 25th, 2020 LOCATION: Local Mall; Seattle, Washington SUMMARY: Blue took Siena, Phoenix, and Luca to the mall to hang and talk about the family home.

Blue sat around the food court of the mall with her siblings, eating her pizza slice hungrily. She had taken them out today because she wanted to talk to them. She was often very closed off and acted like she didn’t want to be bothered, but she truly did love her sisters and brother and she would do anything for them. She sat her pizza slice down and looked around the table slowly. “So… mom’s pregnant…” she began.

Siena sat among her siblings and she adjusted the strap to her overalls as she popped a chicken nugget into her mouth. She licked her ketchup stained fingertips and nodded her head “yeah” she said not knowing where her older sister was going with her statement.

Luca looked to Blue and he bit it slice of pizza hungrily, munching on it he licked his lips cleaning off the tomato sauce that sported it before he bit into the slice again.

Phoenix dug into her pasta, looking at Blue slowly as she licked her lips. She forked another noodle into her mouth before she said, “what about it?”

Blue wiped her mouth, looking between everyone as they looked at her. “... so that means we really have to step it up around the house,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve already decided that I am not going to go away for school,” she said to them. “I’m going to take a year off, then go to a community college here in Seattle so I’m close,” she admitted. “Booty you’re next in line, it’s up to us to pick up the slack for mom and dad, we’ve got cars,” she said thoughtfully. “So, we need to start picking up Phoenix and Luca for them, maybe going to the store and picking up groceries,” she said thinking it over. “Just… you know… doing what we can to help,” she said looking at Phoenix and Luca.

Siena looked to Blue as she spoke, explaining why she was bringing this up to them. She nodded her head slowly before she looked at Phoenix, she really meant the three of them. This she knew because Luca wasn’t capable of doing much of anything, their mother had babied him so until it was bound to stay a baby forever. Licking her lips, she looked back to her older sister and said “okay” to her “you’re right” the blonde admitted thoughtfully. “We do…”

Luca continued to eat his food; he didn’t have to reply because he knew factually that his sister wasn’t talking to him. Everyone did everything for him, why change that now?

Phoenix ate more of her pasta and she nodded taking it all in. “I can start cleaning up more often,” she admitted. “On Monday’s I’ll clean the living room and the kitchen and on Friday’s I’ll vacuum the house, upstairs and downstairs,” she said thoughtfully. “And I’ll make it my job to clean the basement once a month, especially after we’ve been down there playing and stuff…”

Blue looked at Siena and nodded before she looked at Phoenix with a smile. “Thank you Nix,” she said before she looked at Luca, gently bumping her shoulder against his. “Luca you can start cleaning your own room and doing a better job and not leaving your toys all over the house. Also, you don’t have to wash anything but just rinse off your dishes and set them aside and one of us will place it in the dishwasher for you,” she said thoughtfully.

Siena looked to Phoenix as she explained what she was going to do to help out. She bit another chicken nugget before she looked at her younger brother, the real spoiled child. She shook her head at him amused as she finished the nugget.

Luca looked to his older sister and scrunched his brows “mom always cleans my room” he told her. He bit into his pizza again “I don’t like cleaning though” he told all three of them.

Phoenix looked at Blue as she now addressed their brother and she snorted. Luca didn’t do anything but mess up the house and watch everyone clean behind him. Eating more of her pasta she shook her head. It was going to be a nightmare trying to get Luca to simply pick up his own slack, let alone someone else's.

Blue shook her head at Luca. “You’ll be 12 this year,” she said to him. “Mom isn’t going to clean up behind you forever and once the twins come, I assure you she will stop,” she said knowingly. “Mom cleaned up after me all the time too then Siena came. Mom cleaned up after Siena then Phoenix came…” she trailed off. “You get what I’m saying. Plus, you want to be a little man right, little men clean up after themselves,” she said to him, rubbing his shoulder.  “You’re going to need to set a good example for the new babies. Plus...” she trailed off looking around the table at her sisters as she leaned in real close. “I heard that Sunshine likes boys who clean,” she said in a loud whisper.

Luca looked at Blue as he finished his pizza eating everything including his crust and he looked at his other siblings as they watched on. He licked his fingers slowly before he grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth and hands. At the mention of Sunshine liking clean boys he looked at Blue “really?” he asked before he looked at all of them.

Blue nodded her head. “Really,” she said looking around at Phoenix and Siena. “I heard it straight from her,” she said, lying to the boy. “Why do you think she hasn’t been around recently?” she asked him softly.

Phoenix nodded along to Blue, seeing how her brother perked up and she knew that she had to play along feeding into the lie.

Siena looked to Luca “no dirty boys” she chimed, she felt bad whenever they lied to him. But that was the only way to get Luca to actually fall for anything.

Luca looked to his sisters and he nodded his head pulling his lips into his mouth. “Okay” he said as he grabbed his cup taking a sip from it. “I will clean” he told her agreeingly as he moved to his next slice of pizza.

Blue smiled at her sisters as they co-signed her lie and she nodded her head, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Next time I have to car pull and pick her up, I’ll let it slip that you’re now a cleaning man, I’m sure she’ll be excited,” she said honestly.

Luca looked to his sister again and he nodded his head at her “okay” he said happily. “I want her excited” he told her as he bit down on the pepperoni pizza once more.

[sampevans]

Divorce?

INVOLVED: Ava Evans, Samuel Evans, Blue Evans, Luca Evans, Siena Evans, Phoenix Evans LOCATION: Evans Home; Seattle, Washington  TIME FRAME: Thursday, January 2, 2019  NOTES: 

Ava bit her lip gently as she made a plate of food for her husband, despite the fact that he wanted nothing to do with her. Even though her feelings were hurt she was still a wife, she couldn’t turn it off. Adding more rice and beans to his plate, she looked around the kitchen as their children made their plates as well and she shifted around Blue to add a chicken breast to Samuel’s plate, along with a dinner roll and some peas and carrots. Moving for the dining room, she sat the plate before her husband, avoiding looking at him as she did so. With that she turned on her heels, moving away as she announced to their children. “You all enjoy, I’m not really hungry. I’m going to go lay down,” she told them softly.

Samuel sat at the dinner table anticipating his dinner, as the kids fixed their own plates he looked to his wife. She sat the plate down without saying a word to him and he guessed it was because he had asked her not to. He also asked her not to look at him which he assumed she took literal since she did not. Licking his lips slowly as she announced that she wasn’t eating with them as a family because she wasn’t hungry, he sighed. He would never ever voluntarily cause his wife to cry or hurt her on purpose. He said those things but, in his mind, he was just asking for space. And though she did give it to him, having slept in the guest bedroom he didn’t like the lonely feeling that brought him. Picking up his fork, he began to eat quietly, little by little.

Blue looked at her mother curiously as she left them to eat alone and she arched an eyebrow. They always ate as a family, no matter what. Looking to her father, she arched another eyebrow at him. “Is mom okay?” she asked curiously before she sat at the table.

Ava moved up the steps and into the guest bedroom, closing the door behind her softly because she didn’t want their children to know that they were sleeping in different rooms. Laying down on the bed, she curled up on her side, her back facing the door as she stared at the wall with tears in her eyes. She absolutely hated that her husband was mad at her, of course he had the right to be, she had hit him. However, she had done all that she could to apologize and truly show that she was sorry. She didn’t know what else could be done. Never mind the fact that she in her own right had the right to be upset, he had been lying to her for weeks and she was flustered. Sighing out, she closed her eyes, blinking away fresh tears.

Samuel forked rice into his mouth slowly at his daughter’s question he ignored her at first. “Eat your food Blue” he said to her as he continued to eat his own. It was none of their children’s business what was going on right now, they never let them in on anything of this caliber before and he didn’t plan on doing so today.

Siena looked between Blue and her dad as she moved to sit down at the table with him. She looked at his demeanor, he wasn’t ‘happy’ he hadn’t been for weeks and she didn’t know why. And now her mother was walking around with a questionable disposition. What was going on?  

Luca swung his feet back and forth, as he stuffed food into his mouth. Luca hadn’t taken an actual pill in three consecutive days; he was off his rockers at this point. And luckily for him his parents were too busy consuming themselves with other things until he had no clue what he had done. Licking his lips, he jumped up and ran into the kitchen with his plate looking to Phoenix as he said, “can you put more food on my plate?”  

Phoenix waited until everyone was finished with their plates, simply because she didn’t feel like moving around all the bodies in the kitchen. So, once everyone was out of the way, she made her plate of food starting with the chicken. She was just about done making her plate when Luca came rushing towards her and she sat her plate on the counter quickly, so that she didn’t drop it as he bounced. “Slow down kid,” she said to him as she took the plate asking, “what more do you want?” she asked him, wondering if he was really going to eat it all.

Blue scrunched her nose up at her father and she ate her food, eyeing him still. “But you’re not going to go check on mom?” she asked him shocked. Usually her parents were annoyingly stuck at the hip when they were both in the house and now it seemed as if they wanted nothing to do with each other.

Luca nodded his head to his sister as he bounced on his tippy toes a bit, “chicken!” he said loudly to her even though she was very near. “More chicken I am hungry” he exclaimed.

Samuel continued to eat, and he finally looked up at Blue before he looked down. “Your mother doesn’t want to eat…” he told her “she isn’t dying Blue” he countered as he continued to eat. He dropped his gaze and ripped a piece of chicken on the bone popping it into his mouth.

Phoenix eyed Luca carefully. “Are you okay?” she asked him as he bounced, and she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Calm down,” she said to him quietly before she began to add more chicken onto his plate. “Here you go,” she said as she handed it back to him before she resumed her own plate, finishing it off.

Blue looked at her dad and tilted her head to the side as she eyed him. “Right…” she said before she looked down at her plate. Something was definitely going on.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Luca asked his older sister even as he zoomed around her grabbed a napkin and zoomed back towards her and his plate. “I am calm,” he said to her as he folded his arms over his chest and looked to her crazily. “Thanks” he said running back to the table clutching his plate and he climbed in his chair and began to eat again.

Samuel continued to eat his food silently to himself, ignoring his oldest daughters last statement. He didn’t know what his next plan of action was right now, but clearly if it were trickling down to their children, he needed to do something.

Phoenix watched Luca as he ran out of the kitchen and she shook her head. “How have mom and dad not done anything about him?” she muttered to herself as she made her way into the dining room, sitting down before she asked. “Where’s mom?”

Blue looked at Phoenix as she sat down. “Laying down apparently, she said that she wasn’t hungry,” she told Phoenix before she looked at Samuel pointedly.

Samuel watched Luca as he sat down and ate his food, something was off about the kid today, but he didn’t know what it was. He looked to Phoenix and then to Blue as she responded to the girl. Changing the subject, he asked “how was everybody’s day?”

Phoenix looked at Blue oddly before she looked at her father. “It was okay…” she said softly before she asked. “Is mom okay? She always eats with us,” she said thinking it over.

“I don’t know…” Blue said shrugging slightly. “Is she okay dad?” she asked looking at him even harder now.

“Yeah dad” Siena drugged out behind her sisters, “is she okay, is she sick maybe?” she said licking her lips.

Samuel eyes moved to Phoenix, moved to Blue, and then they moved to Sienna slowly. He just wanted to have dinner, but he guessed that would not be happening tonight, so instead he pushed his plate away. He sat back in the chair and looked to Luca before he said, “would you also like to know what’s wrong with your mother son?”

Luca looked to his sisters as he gnawed on his chicken bone, as his father spoke, he looked to him and he shook his head. “Isn’t it obvious that you two are not seeing eye to eye right now. It’s probably because father lost his job” the little boy said as he moved back to his chicken.

Phoenix looked between Samuel and Blue and she watched as Samuel pushed his plate away and she bit her lip, just wanting to know what was going on. At Luca’s response, Phoenix’s eyes grew wide and she said, “what?”

Blue continued to eat as she waited for their father to admit that something was indeed wrong with their mother.  When Luca finally spoke up, Blue began choking on a piece of chicken and she patted her chest, trying to help.

Siena looked between her father and siblings and when Luca spoke, she turned to his slowly. “We are broke?” she exclaimed as she whipped her head in her father’s direction. “Dad, how could you?” she asked.

Samuel squinted Luca, as his face grew red “who told you that? I didn’t lose my damn job I quit it” he told him. “And no, we aren’t broke. And no that has nothing to do with that woman upstairs as a matter of fact. Why don’t you all ask HER why she isn’t eating” he said angrily as he stood up from the table and walked off headed for his office.

Phoenix was taken back completely. When had their father lost his job? That meant all of the financial responsibility fell on their mother, who made decent money on her own, but it was really the combined income of both their parents that kept up the lifestyle. She was broken out of her train of thought when Samuel left the table angrily and she looked around at her siblings shocked.

Blue’s neck jerked back at Samuel’s words and as he stormed off, she looked to Sienna muttering to her, “that woman?” Clearly their parents were upset with each other or something, rather it had something to do with their fathering being jobless or not, but for their father to not even refer to their mother by her name, shook Blue to her core and she said, “... they’re going to get divorced…”

Siena looked to her father as he snapped on them all, looking to him as he continued to speak on her mother making statements that shocked her. She looked to Blue and frowned as she repeated her father’s words and at her last statement, she said “they wouldn’t do that to us would they?” shocked as she looked to her confused. “What will we do if they do?”

Luca looked to his angry dad and he placed his chicken on his plate, as the man stormed off and Blue told them they were getting a divorce his eyes grew the size of his face. “What?” he said to him as he instantly began to cry out in frustration and anger. He loved his parents and he loved them together. Luca screamed loudly before he stormed off for his bedroom slamming his door behind himself.

Phoenix frowned up her face at Blue’s words and she shook her head. “Don’t say that Blue,” she said as the thought truly occurred to her. “We’d all have to either split up or split our time between them…” she said before she watched Luca, flinching as he screamed before storming off.

“I mean have you ever seen them like this before. I know I haven’t,” Blue said looking to Sienna, then to Phoenix nodding slowly. When Luca began screaming, Blue’s face scrunched up. “Luca, shh, no it’s okay,” she said as she stood up quickly, moving for him but as he stormed off, she stopped in her tracks, looking at her two younger sisters sadly, actually showing emotion for a change.

Ava had cried herself to sleep, but it wasn’t restful as she tossed and turned in the bed. When Luca began screaming, she sat up in the bed quickly before she heard the door slam. She jumped out of the bed quickly, wiping her eyes as she did and she rushed out of the room, looking for her son. “Luca?!” she said slightly frantic as she opened his door quickly. “What’s wrong?” she asked looking at him in shock to see his tears. “Oh sweetheart,” she said as she walked over, scooping him up into her arms and holding him close as she sat on the bed. “What happened baby, why are you so upset?” she asked him.

Luca stormed over to his bed and he let out another angry scream as his mother walked into his room, he gazed at her with bright red eyes, a flood of tears having soaked his face by now. He couldn’t place his emotions without his medicine all he did was raged. As she moved to pick him up and take him into her arms as he sat on his bed, he screamed again behind closed lips he was so mad at her. “H-how could you” he stammered barely capable of getting words out sitting against her with his fist balled. “You are going to divorce daddy!” he screamed as he banged his fist against his head. “I won’t see my sisters” he cried out, “I won’t see my daddy” he said cried loudly.

Ava gazed at her son, shocked beyond belief as he screamed once more and she looked him over in her arms, trying to figure out what had gotten into him. “How could I what baby?” she asked him, trying to understand. “What?!” Ava said shocked, looking at Luca with wide eyes. “Sweetheart, what are you talking about?” she asked as she rubbed his back soothingly. “Your father and I are not getting a divorce,” she said him softly, trying to calm him down. “Why would you ever think that?” she asked, wondering if it was that obvious that she and Samuel we’re at odds right now.

“Blue said it” Luca replied back to her brokenly, even though she said they weren’t he knew his parents weren’t themselves. “Then why didn’t you eat dinner!” he yelled at her “why didn’t daddy check on you like Blue asked him to!”

Ava stared at Luca as he rambled off various things and she nodded slowly, gently stroking his cheeks before she took his face into her hands and forced him to look into her eyes. “Luca, honey, take a deep breath with me okay,” she said as she inhaled deeply, holding it for three seconds before she released. “Again,” she told him as she did so once more. “Now, calm yourself,” she told him as she released his face and continued to rub his back. “Blue doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” she said finally responding to what information he had given her. “Baby, I just wanted to lay down,” she informed him. “Mommy was tired,” she said gently, still rubbing his back in soothing circles. “Daddy just wanted to let me rest,” she told him trying to get him to calm his nerves. It was clear to her that he hadn’t taken his medicine again today.

Luca looked to his mother only because of the mere fact that she had made him, he looked in her eyes as did as instruct. Breathing in and out in time with her before he nodded his head at the older woman. Resting against her plush body tiredly, he held her to himself as she spoke to explain that his sister was educated, or at least that’s what he determined. “Okay” he said to her quietly, it was simple as that he was calm though he still shed some tears he was calmer with his mother’s touch and tricks.

Ava nodded slowly and began to rock from left to right with Luca, holding him close as he laid against here. Rubbing his back, she let out a small sigh of relief as he began to calm himself down. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and continued to rock him, rubbing his back for a while longer. Finally, after about 5 minutes she asked, “are you okay?”

Luca hugged his mother, arms wrapping around her waist as she rocked him soothingly. He closed his eyes as she kissed his forehead and when she spoke again, he nodded his head at her. Though he were sad, he would be okay, and he knew that.

Ava continued to hold Luca close even as he nodded his head and she nodded along with him, brushing her fingers over his hair lovingly. “I love you baby,” she said to him sweetly.

“I love you too mommy,” Luca sniffled as he looked to her with big brown dough eyes.

Samuel moved up the stairs slowly, he knew that it had to been Luca screaming at the top of his lungs acting like some wild animal that was not actually birthed from his wife’s womb. He turned the corner as he moved towards the boy’s bedroom when he reached the landing he peered in “have you lost your mind boy? What is wrong with you?” he asked never mind his wife who was sitting on the bed holding him as if he were an infant.

Ava looked up at Samuel as he came into the room and she tucked her lips inward as she stood from the bed, adjusting Luca in her arms, her hands now under his bum as he walked past Samuel, mumbling. “It’s okay, he’s fine.” Walking to the guest bedroom once more, she entered it, closing the door with her foot before she laid Luca on the bed. “It’s okay sweetheart,” she said before she told him. “I’ll be right back.” Walking back out, she looked to Samuel with wide eyes. “You told Blue we were getting divorced?” She asked him in a hushed tone, the hurt on her face apparent.

As his wife walked past him, he eyes her before he looked away moving to turn on his heels. Of course, it was her m.o. to baby him and not discipline him as she should. Samuel left his hands in his pockets as his wife left and returned, he looked back at her. “What?” he asked her confused. “No, I didn’t. So, I hope she didn’t lie and tell you that” he said angrily.

Ava dropped her eyes, still not really looking at him. “No, she told Luca that hence his screaming and crying,” she informed her husband. “He hasn’t been taking his medication, so his emotions are all over the place,” she told her husband, already knowing what was wrong with their son. Looking at the carpet, covering the space of hardwood they were standing on, Ava shifted her weight slightly, gently crossing her arms over her body, her hands holding her elbows. “Why would she think that?” she asked her husband, still looking down.

At her words Samuel furrowed his brows, why did his family hate him so? Why didn’t they ever let him have a break? Licking his lips, he shook his head “because you didn’t eat dinner” he informed his wife as he grabbed her by her elbow and pulled her close to him. “Which isn’t your fault” he told her “it was because of me and the hurtful things I said to you,” he told her resting his chin on her head. “When the kids asked me to check on you, I should have” he said as well. “I’m sorry, you have to know that I didn't mean those things. And that I love you very much. And that I would never ever divorce you, unless it is you that would want to get rid of me” he told her as he ran his hand up and down her back lovingly.

Ava bit her lip gently, nodding along. Of course, her not eating with the family is what did it. They always ate as a family, or at least sat as a family, even if she wasn’t hungry. As Samuel gently touched her, she looked at him through her eyelashes, her head still hanging slightly. Leaning against him gently, Ava closed her eyes as he spoke, and she sighed out. “I love you too,” she whispered sadly, “and I accept your apology,” she said gently. “I’m sorry too baby…”

Samuel leaned up and he leaned his wife’s head up by her chin kissing her lips gently. “I know you didn’t mean to do it, I guess I just felt so… you made me feel like a weak little bitch” he finally told her. “I guess that’s why I was so upset…” he sighed. “But I should have never treated you that way and no matter how many lies I told in that instance. You don’t know how much I just want to run off and vacay with you baby…” he smirked.

As Samuel leaned her head up, Ava kissed his lips back tenderly. At his words, she bit her lip, nodding slowly. “I still shouldn’t have hit you regardless, I was just so…” she trailed off. “I wasn’t thinking clearly,” she admitted. “We can still go,” she said thoughtfully. “I’m still off until she 15th.”

Samuel nodded his head, “I have to be truthful with you, I should have been truthful with you about that. I am about anything else” he said. “I guess I would not have ever thought you’d find me a man to ever mess around Ava. I love with all my heart; do you know that?” he asked her.

Ava bit her lip gently, looking up at her husband. “I know you would never cheat on me,” she said, shaking her head. “I just… I got jealous and then to find out that you’d been lying…” she looked down ashamed of herself. “I have to be more rational,” she said knowingly. “I do, I do know that,” she said gently. “And I love you with all my heart too,” she whispered.

“Good, because I would never ever do that” Samuel stressed to his wife seriously “never ever” he added. “And I do think we should really take that trip” he repeated as he kissed her lips again.

[theavaevans]

Meetings

INVOLVED: Samuel Evans, Ava M. Evans, Blue Evans, Siena Evans, Phoenix Evans, Luca Evans TIME FRAME: Tuesday, December 17, 2019 LOCATION: Evans Family Home; Seattle, Washington SUMMARY: Samuel calls a family meeting, which goes wrong as per usual.

Samuel sat on the couch among everyone as he looked at his watch as they all waited for Blue to join them downstairs. The girl only truly had one more second to surface, respectfully he asked for a moment of their time. The thought of her moving when she got ready was pissing him off greatly and he was trying to mask it behind the rubbing of his lips and the sideways glances he gave his wife who sat comfortably next to his broad body. He couldn’t be upset he knew that; he couldn’t get upset, that he knew even more. His anger had gotten the best of him with his wife months back and he vowed that that would never happen again with anyone. But right now? He was reaching his peak.

Ava sat on the couch beside her husband, humming softly to herself as she scrolled Facebook on her phone, reading various stories and watching many videos as they waited for their eldest child to join the family meeting. In all honesty, Ava was curious to figure out what was going on herself, however she wasn’t going to question it. Her husband was just up to something and like their children, she was going to have to wait to see what it was.

With a huff of annoyance, Blue finally came trotting down the stairs to join the family. Beats over her ears and music blasting through them as she text Ariel, already thinking whatever was going on with the family was stupid. It had to be if her father was calling an unscheduled meeting. At the thought she rolled her eyes as she moved into the living room, socks sliding across the hardwood as she plopped down on the couch beside Siena, turning the music down in her headphones but not taking them off.

Siena looked to Blue as she finally joined them, glad that she did. She was actually anxious to hear what her father wanted to talk to everyone about and by the looks of things her mother had no clue either. But she did know her father wasn’t as vocal as her mother, he stayed quiet and she always wondered why that was, however he was getting ready to speak before them now, so she assumed she’d better listen. “What is this all about dad?” she asked quietly.

Luca looked to his parents fidgeting slightly, his parents had made the mistake of not giving him his medicine that morning and no one caught on. He was on edge, a hyper ball of energy that was bursting at the seams. He bounced from one seat to the next before he ended up on the couch with his mother and father. Luca laid his head on his mother’s lap, feet curled up as he toyed with the hem of her dress humming to himself playfully. His head popped up when Blue surfaced and he slid across his mother’s lap, as a baby would to its mother as he looked to his father expectantly. “Father has a secret to tell” he babbled as he tugged at his mother’s dress.

Sitting on the couch, Phoenix curled up in the corner with a blanket and her phone as she scrolled Instagram, smirking and giggling to herself at certain posts. When Blue finally arrived, she sat her phone off to the side and snuggled up under her blanket even more as she looked to her father expectantly.

As Blue surfaced, Samuel gazed at her long and hard. He would have sneered if he was sure his wife nor his other children would have heard him do so. Pulling his eyes away from the girl he said “we all know the rules here. No electronics” he said in a gruff voice “headphones included” he added looking back to Blue. “Great that you asked Siena. I called this meeting to talk about Christmas this year. It’s vastly approaching, and I need you all to know that, it won’t be spent here” he told them.

Looking down at Luca, Ava gently stroked his hair with her freehand as he shifted and fidgeted and wiggled while he played with her dress. She eyed him carefully, wondering why he simply couldn’t be still. Especially when he climbed over her lap. “Luca, what are you doing?” she asked him softly, sitting her phone down as she cradled the 11-year old in her arms.

Blue rolled her eyes as she pulled the headphones around her neck. “I can hear you,” she said with a huff as she folded her arms over her chest and at the announcement, Blue moved to stand up. “Whoopity doo,” looking between her parents. “I don’t care where we spend it, can I go now?”

Siena looked to her brother oddly, what was up with him she didn’t know it was like he had reverted back to an infant like state of mind. As her father spoke her eyes grew “yes, where are we going dad?” she asked him happily. As she looked to her sister, she sighed heavily. Blue always had to put a damper on a family moment.

Luca licked his dry lips and he looked to his mother letting her dress go, “nothing” he said to her with a smirk. As he shifted, despite his long limbs he rested in her arms gently cuddling up to her bosom as his dad spoke. He wasn’t interested in grown folks talk; he was just here because he had to be. He didn’t care where Christmas was spent as long as he got gifts.

Phoenix looked at her father as he began to explain what was happening. “We’re going on a Christmas trip?” she asked curiously. “Jazlyn and I were going to go see the light show this year, her dad agreed to take us.”

Samuel allowed everyone to speak and he looked to Blue “please sit down, I don’t have it in me to deal with you irrational and misplaced attitude” he said in a deep voice. “No” he replied to his daughters easily. “You all are going to your grandparents’ home this Christmas and your mother and I will be going on vacation. That is part of her gift from me. We are going to the Bahamas for two weeks” he said “I, sadly enough, do not care about any plans. Sorry Phoenix. You aren’t vacationing anywhere, you guys can’t even comprehend the need for a vacation, sorry Siena” he said exhaustedly. “I just wanted to make you all aware, of what’s happening” he told them.

Stroking Luca’s cheek, Ava watched him carefully before she slowly shook her head at the rest of their children. Blue’s attitude was out of control and they really needed to do something about it. At Samuel’s announcement that he was taking her to the Bahamas, she looked at him shocked. “Baby, I have to work… you know the holidays are the busiest time of the year.”

Blue let out an exasperated sigh as she plopped back down. “GRANDPARENTS?! Nah, I’m good. I am old enough to stay here by myself,” she voiced out-right. “Send them,” she said fanning to her brother and sisters, “not me.”

Siena looked to her dad and then to her mom “what?” she said disappointedly as she sat back pouting. He owed them all a trip he’d promised it a while back and fell through. Looking at her siblings, she sighed and quietly watched on.

Luca looked back to his dad, his head tilted upwards, he held his mother’s plush body and looked to the rest of the crew. “I love grandma and grandpa’s though” he said quietly.  

Phoenix pouted, poking her lip out. “That’s not fair,” she mumbled dejectedly as she pulled her blanket even tighter around her, now sad that she wasn’t able to see the light show with her friend.

Samuel looked to his wife, he expected her to be excited for this trip. It would be two weeks without any kids to worry about and it was a vacation for work after all. Something they both needed considering how much they worked. Looking to Blue, who he’d never get any respect from. Then looking to Siena who clearly hated the idea of not being able to go on a family vacation. Then there was Phoenix who was upset that she couldn’t be with her friend this Christmas. Looking to their son, he silently got up from the couch and walked off from the group. That was the tip, the very peak, and the crack in the dam that he did not want them to see as he removed himself from the meeting he actually called for.

Ava frowned softly at their children and their responses. Of course, they had holiday plans of some sort, they were teenagers. What was Samuel thinking? As her husband got up, she looked at him, shocked. “Baby,” she said gently as she stood up, Luca on her hip now and she let out a grunt at that. He sure was getting heavy. Never mind the fact that he was 11 and far too old to still be riding on her hip. She sat him on the couch before she said to the children. “Meeting over, you’re all dismissed.” With that, she went after her husband. “Sam…” she said as she moved in the same direction he had.

“Yes?” Samuel said simply to his wife as he moved to find his briefcase, there housed all the information for the vacation he booked. It wasn’t too late for him to cancel the plans and at least get a portion of the money he’d spent back. Once he located his briefcase, he moved towards his in-home office.

Ava sighed softly at her husband’s curt response. “Baby, I’m sorry,” she said honestly. “I had no idea you were planning this,” she said as she moved behind him swiftly, placing a hand on his back. “If I had known, I could have made arrangements,” she breathed out gently. “I can still try if you really wanna go,” she said already thinking about who she could call to cover her.

“Nope, it’s fine” Samuel replied easily as he searched for his cellular phone on his desk. “It was my mistake for trying to surprise you, my mistake for not putting all of my kids wishes and desires before my own” he said agitatedly. “I’ll cancel the plans, maybe I’ll get some money back from it. I’ll call my mother-in-law and tell her we aren’t going, and that will be that” he said never looking to her as he opened his briefcase and pulled out the itinerary information along with the resort, he booked information.

Ava sighed out listening to her husband and she was slightly taken back by his tone. Did he honestly have an attitude with her? Watching him as he moved around the room, looking for something, she nodded slowly. She wasn’t about to do this with him. “Okay honey…” she said as she turned to walk out of the room.

“Ava!” Samuel said with authority laced in every syllable, he shifted in his seat. Leaning up her told her “we can talk about this, I’ll calm down, and you don’t need to walk away from me” he voiced.

Turning on her heels slowly, Ava looked at her husband, one eyebrow raised as she stepped back into the room and closed the door behind her. “Okay,” she said softly as she moved to perch herself on the side of the desk.

“I’m angry because I wanted to surprise you with a trip, just you and I. No kids, no responsibilities, no problems” he said. “Why did you automatically dismiss it? Do you not want to go?” he asked her. “You don’t think we need a break?” Samuel asked her.

Ava leaned on the desk slightly, looking at her husband as he spoke, and she sighed. “Of course, I want to go,” she said thoughtfully, “and I didn’t mean to just dismiss it but…” she sighed once more. “I do have things to think about when I get surprises like this,” she said softly. “I’m already set to scrub in on surgeries and the holidays are the worst when it comes to emergencies and walk-ins…” she explained. “I need to make provisions... “

“I’ll just change the date” Samuel said defeatedly, when did their jobs control their every move to the point where they couldn’t even make the executive decision to live there on lives he didn’t know. But the thought annoyed him greatly.

At his solution, Ava shook her head and stood up, walking over to him. She placed a gentle hand on his chest. “No, don’t, I’ll figure it out,” she said gently. “I can get someone to fill in for me,” she told him gently.

“It’s not going to work; they always call upon you for everything at that hospital” Samuel said sadly. He just wanted a little peace, he needed it right now. Especially considering he made a very irrational decision lately and he knew his wife would kill him for it when she found out. “I quit…” he told her “last Friday” he breathed “and I just wanted to get away.”

“They can live without me for a week or two,” Ava said thoughtfully. She did need a vacation. They had both been working like crazy in the last few months and she was tired. Rubbing her husbands’ chest softly, she gazed up at him, her face changing from one of admiration to one of shock and confusion as her fist balled up his shirt. “What?” she asked shocked.

Samuel sighed heavily, “I couldn’t do it anymore Ava” he breathed out to her. “They didn’t appreciate me there anyway….”

Gazing up at him, Ava was blown again. She couldn’t believe it. Her hand tightened around his shirt and she pulled him down to her slightly. “Where in the hell have you been getting up and going every morning?!” she asked him as she released his shirt and pushed him away slightly. “Every damn morning!” she asked as she turned her back to him shaking her head.

As she tugged at him, he stumbled and he looked to her, his fidgeted with his hands much like a child when they were being chastised by a parent. Samuel looked to her before he dropped his head and he shrugged lightly “to uh… Maya’s house to clear my head and think…” he said.

Turning slowly, Ava looked at her husband, her eyes wide and her nostrils flaring slightly. “MAYA!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “YOU’VE BEEN GOING TO THAT WOMAN’S HOUSE EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR A WEEK AND A HALF FOR NINE HOURS A DAY?!” She was livid. One because her husband had clearly been lying to her and two because he was spending his days with another woman. She could actually kill him right now. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO OVER THERE SAM?! COMING HOME ALL TIRED AND WORN OUT?!” She questioned him. “I OUGHTA…” she trailed off shaking her head as she took a deep breath through her nose trying to calm down.

Samuel kept his head low, as she raised her voice at him because he deserved it. It sounded crazy leaving his lips though he hadn’t in his mind before. “Yes” he confessed to her softly, “I was just clearing my mind getting clarity from her. You know she’s a very insightful woman. Wise beyond her measure she was trying to help me figure out a way to tell you. Because I know for sure you would have been upset” he said. “I wasn’t really worn out” he said quietly under his breath. Though that is the lie he told her more than once.

A headache was forming in Ava’s temples because she was that upset. How could he be this idiotic? “A very insightful woman?!” Ava questioned him as she rubbed her head slightly. “Have you lost your mind?” she asked him harshly as she now began to pace the floor. “I’m not even upset that you quit, I’m upset that you lied, then continued to lie!” she yelled. “And on top of that with Maya?!” She fussed. “You know I don’t like that woman!” she huffed as she turned to look at him once more, it taking everything out of her not to slap him for simply being stupid. “I can’t even stand to look at you right now!” she said with a roll of her eyes. “So, what great plan did you think up with Maya?” she asked curiously. “The woman that you apparently don’t share a bed with, clearly don’t have kids with, haven’t made a whole life with, what plans did you create with her?”

“No, I haven’t” Samuel said confused “you know Maya is my best friend Ava” he reasoned. “You don’t like her?” he asked taken back. “Well, we uh. Went fishing a lot, played a lot of drinking games, worked out at the gym….” he breathed. “We didn’t come up with much… outside of the vacation…” he told her stupidly.

Ava licked her lips slowly and cocked her head to the side. “Best friend? She’s your co-worker, damn near your assistant,” she clarified for him as she sat down in a chair because she must sit for this. You went fishing… played games… got drunk… and went to the gym…” she said as she rested with her body against the arm rest, her hand holding her face up. “And the best you could muster up was a vacation, to cover up the lies you’d been telling?” she questioned him as she stood and nodded slowly. “You make me sick,” Ava said as she walked right over to him and slapped him across the face. “Do you hear me?! Make me so damn sick!” she fussed angrily. “I am your wife!” she said holding up her hand to show him the ring. “You come to me! Not some young, stupid ass whore that clearly wants you in her bed!” she screamed.

“We haven’t worked in close proximity in over a year Ava” Samuel corrected her. “Maya had other ideas that I should have taken more seriously but I did not and yes the vacation was a mirage and maybe even a delicate way to smooth it over and tell you at the same time,” he told her. “Huh?” he said, confused by her words. How was that so, he was a good husband he hardly did wrong but every now and again he makes a minor mistake. As she slapped him, his expression changed and he looked down at the floor, she’d never hit him before, and he didn’t know how to take the aggressive way she’d done so. It was hurtful, did he deserve it? “What?” he said at her lasting statement as he looked up at her “Maya is a lesbian, Ava” he said.

“A lesbian?” Ava responded out of shock, her neck jerking back a little. “Really?” she asked him, softening a little, feeling extremely bad for hitting him. “She’s always lingering around and remember that one party we had, she couldn’t keep her eyes off you, I was watching her!” she said trying to make sense of it all.

Samuel looked to his wife “she’s only dated women as long as I’ve known her. She’s the manliest woman I know” he said his eyes to the floor. “I am sure that wasn’t the case…”

Ava sat back down confused now. “If she wasn’t looking at you, then…” she trailed off as it hit her. “She was looking at me, I was on your arm the whole evening…” she said thinking it over. “Wow…”

Samuel furrowed his brows “huh?” he said to his wife, he didn’t know if that was true. Maya was his friend she wouldn’t secretly lust after her this whole time right before his eyes.

Ava began to laugh softly because all of this was just so ridiculous. Shaking her head, she moved to stand up, walking over to his husband she looked up at him with soft eyes. “This whole thing is stupid,” she said speaking of their argument. “I’m so sorry for hitting you baby,” she said honestly. “I just… I was so frustrated…” she admitted as she gently reached up and caressed his cheek.

As she laughed, he stood there, Samuel didn’t find the humor in any of it but often he didn’t. At her comment he stood there silently, she said she was sorry but that didn’t make him feel less like a little bitch.

Gazing up at her husband, Ava leaned up on her toes, kissing his cheek gently. “Baby, I’m so sorry,” she breathed once more, honestly feeling bad about hitting him. “Did you give Luca his medicine this morning?” she asked him, that still on her mind.

“I took it out for him yes” Samuel said ignoring her second apology as he stood there.

“Hmm,” Ava said softly, “I don’t think he took it,” she said gently. “He’s bouncing off the walls,” she told her husband as she stroked his beard lovingly.

“Okay” Samuel said back to her “it’s too late for him to take it now…”

“Well yeah…” Ava said knowingly with a sigh as she continued to stroke her husband’s beard. “Just gotta make sure he takes it tomorrow.”

“Will do” Samuel breathed to her as he pulled her hands away from his beard, moving to retreat from the office all together.

As Samuel pulled away from her, Ava frowned. “Sam…” she sighed out gently as she followed behind him. “Baby, I’m sorry,” she pleaded.

“I know, I know” Samuel said in response to her, he got it she was sorry. “Doesn’t make me feel any better though” he told “I’ve never put my hands on you,” he said.

Frowning, Ava looked down as the floor. “I know,” she whispered. She was honestly ashamed of herself. She let jealousy and a little bit of upset pull her out of her character. “I can’t apologize enough,” she said knowingly. “I don’t know what came over me…”

“I think I am just going to go to sleep now, if it’s okay with you?” Samuel said to his wife.

Ava’s frown deepened even more but she nodded slowly. “Of course, baby…” she said in the tiniest voice ever. “I’ll be up in a bit,” she whispered even softer.

[theavaevans]

Three Hearts

INVOLVED: Blue Evans, Samuel Evans, Ava Evans, Siena Evans, Phoenix Evans, and Luca Evans TIME FRAME: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 LOCATION: Evans’ Residence; Seattle Grace Hospital; Seattle, Washington SUMMARY: Samuel goes to Blue to talk about her decision to take a year off from school to help out around the house with the new babies. That conversation turns into a big blow out between the two and Ava in the middle of it all, has a heart attack, scaring everyone half-to-death. 

Blue sat in her room, Beats over her ears as she laid, lounged across the bed, head bobbing to the music as she hummed along, tapping away against the keys of her MacBook as she chatted via Skype with her friends in a group chat that had her belly aching from laughter. She hadn’t been in school since everything went down with Siena and Jessie and her parents pulled them out. Basically, she had already graduated. They had mailed her a bunch of course work and soon as she turned it in, they sent her a diploma. So, she was missing all of the jokes and the laughs with her friends, but thankfully they filled her in every single day about the events of the day. It kind of sucked that she wasn’t going to walk in her graduation, but she understood, and she accepted it.

Samuel moved down the hallway and he knocked on the door waiting for Blue to answer his knock as he waited there. He had been meaning to talk to the girl about her decision for a while now and he hadn’t gotten around to it. But considering he was working from home today, he decided to make time for something else that was important in his life.

Blue typed away, cackling out to herself, rolling into her side a bit as she howled out with laugher, tears of mirth springing to her eyes. She was so amused at the story her friends were telling her. “Oh fuck,” she chuckled softly, wiping under her eye a bit before she heard a knock at her door and she pulled her headphones down around her neck as she slid off the bed and walked over to it. She hit the latch and unlocked it before she pulled it open, staring up at her father.

As the door opened Samuel looked back down at Blue, arms folded over his chest and he licked his lips. “We need to talk,” he told her softly. Cutting straight to the chase he was not one for sugarcoating or kindness when it came to these types of things, he said how he felt and what he felt right-out.

Blue blinked slowly. “Okay…” she said as she stared at him. “About?” she questioned still standing in the doorway, not letting the man into her room. She glanced back at her laptop, hearing all of the messages come through from the headphones around her neck. Smirking softly, she looked back at her father, shifting on her feet as she looked back up into his blueish-gray eyes expectantly.

Samuel looked at Blue as she questioned him and he tilted his head at her. “Are you going to let me in?” he said in a voice that really didn’t imply it being a question more-so a statement and if she answered incorrectly it would be her ass.

Blue tilted her head at her father before she sighed and stepped back, letting her father into the room. She walked over to her bed and quickly typed out, “P.I.R. BRB,” before she closed the screen and she looked at him. “What would you like to discuss?” she asked him formally as she crossed her ankle over her knee.

Samuel looked at his daughter as she moved which was good on her part because he would have moved her otherwise. He watched her move towards her laptop, and he looked around her room idly before he said, “we need to talk about the school you plan on attending,” he said playing stupid with her. “Fall is going to approach before you know it,” he told her, licking his lips as he folded his arms over his chest again.

Blue looked up at him and said, “oh, that’s all?” questioning him a bit. “I’m not going,” she said easily. “I’m taking a gap year,” she said staring up at him.

Samuel looked at her as she replied, and he nodded his head, “and what makes you think you have that option?” he asked her back curiously. “We’ve saved up you and your siblings' entire lives to ensure you went off to school and received an education much like the both of us,” he told her. “Why do you need to sit out a year Blue?” he questioned.

“Because it’s my decision,” Blue said back to him matter-of-factly before she tilted her head a bit. “And I will… next fall,” she told him easily, resting back on her hands before she answered him. “Because you need help…”

“What makes you think your mother and I need you to come in and save the day baby?” Samuel asked her, confused. “Do you think we are incompetent we raised you,” he pointed. “Which I happen to think we did a damn good job at,” he stressed. “There’s a few things going on right now, I get that. I know you care though you try so hard to hide it, but baby girl, your life does not stop or be put on hold because of me, your mom, or your siblings,” he told her seriously. “As long as there is a roof over all of our heads, we are good,” he said, gesturing to their home. “I have you all covered Blue; you need to prepare for college you are going,” he said again.

Blue looked at her father and she said, “I already declined my admission…” with a hum. It was too late even if she wanted to turn back. “...and it’s not about saving the day, it’s about support,” she told him as she got up and moved to close her door. “Rather you want to admit it or not, you and mom are getting older and mom’s not carrying one baby, she’s carrying two. That’s double the load…” she said knowingly. “It’s not going to be as easy as it was. With Luca I was old enough to help out, even with Phoenix I lent a hand,” she said. “I’m staying… now I can enroll in a community college or something and take online classes for your piece of mind, but I’m staying right here...”

“My age doesn’t have shit to do with shit and neither does your mother’s,” Samuel snapped. “Must you always be disobedient, must you always be a hard ass, fight me on everything I fucking say…” he told her. “You are only disagreeing because you have to at every turn do the opposite of what I ask or completely disregard my fucking commands,” he said. Samuel didn’t curse at his children, he really tried not to curse at all but Blue knew every button to push.

Blue’s neck jerked a bit at her father’s outburst, and she nodded slowly before she opened her bedroom door back up and gestured for him to go, not saying another word. She didn’t understand how she was literally sacrificing to help her family and still got treated like she wasn’t worth shit. “I will call the school in the morning and see if I can retract my statement…” was all that she said. “You can exit my room now…”

Samuel watched her as she moved to open her door to dismiss him from the room and that only angered him further and he balled his fist. “Don’t tell me where to go Blue, you are really about to piss me off,” he yelled at her. “Smart fucking mouth, you got. I am so tired of that shit,” he said forcefully, slamming his hand against the door so hard it cracked and created a hole behind the door.

“I didn’t even do anything!” Blue screamed back at him, now throwing her hands into the air. “I never do anything! You just fucking hate me for no reason!” she said with tears filling her eyes now. “You don’t treat anyone else like the way you treat me!” she said at the top of her lungs. “I don’t know what I ever did to you but I’m sorry!” she said before she let out a sob from the back of her throat, her hand clamping down around her mouth.

Ava, who had been taking a nap in the bedroom, sat up quickly when she heard Samuel yelling. She rubbed her eyes a bit, looking around the room confused before she heard Blue’s voice and she realized what might be happening. “Oh lord,” she said softly to herself as she slid from the bed, stuffing her feet into her house shoes before she was moving out the room and into the hallway. She rushed to Blue’s room where she could hear the two of them and she shooed everyone else away, “uh, uh, go to your rooms, mind your business,” she said ushering them away as she approached. She stood there in the hallway, just outside of Blue’s open door. “What is going on?!” she asked them both shocked, looking between the two as she rubbed her growing belly.

“Bullshit,” Samuel countered to his child. “Well, if you act like my fucking child and not like my fucking equal, I wouldn’t want to smack the fuck out of you every day of my got damn life!” Samuel snapped back. When his wife surfaced, he looked at her and he straightened his posture backing out of Blue’s face and he looked at his wife. “Nothing,” he said to his wife, “she’s taking her ass off to school, she won’t be staying here for a year,” he told her as he moved to walk over her threshold.

Blue’s face turned red and she huffed and puffed softly as she cried, fresh hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Dropping her hand from her mouth, she was prepared to snapback at him before she whipped her head over to her mother. At her father’s words, she looked back at him and sneered, “don’t worry, I’ll be out before nightfall.” She turned immediately to her closet and snatched her duffle bag out before she began to stuff things into it.

Staring wide-eyed with shock from Samuel’s harsh words to Blue, Ava looked at him as he spoke, moving past her before she looked at Blue at her words, watching as the girl began to pack her things. She could feel the headache throbbing in her temples already and she asked again, reaching out to grab Samuel’s arm, not letting him get very far, “what is going on?!” She was so confused as to what could have possibly transpired. “What is happening right now?” she questioned before she looked at Blue. “Stop packing your things and tell me what the hell just happened…”

“Let me go Ava!” Samuel said, snatching her hand off of him as he rolled his shoulders moving to walk away from them both. Samuel jogged down the steps in hot pursuit of the girl’s keys, if she left, she wasn’t leaving with the car his money helped purchase. Nor was he going to stop her from doing so.

Blue whipped her head over to her mother as she continued to shove things into the bag before she moved over to her dresser grabbing things from there as well. “No,” she said to her mother, barely able to see through her tears as she grabbed essentials. Moving back to her closet, she shook her head as she pulled on a jacket and zipped it up. She pulled the hood over her head before she slid her feet into a pair of Nike’s. “I’m not going to continue to do this,” she said, crying still. “He wants me gone. Then I’m gone,” she said as she zipped up the duffle. She reached up into her shelf in her closet and grabbed down a shoe box full of money she had saved up and she grabbed the two wads of cash, shoving them both into the side of her duffle before she picked up her laptop, the charger for it, her phone, and it’s charger as well. She shoved them all into a backpack, zipping it up and slinging it onto her back before she pulled the strap to the duffle over her shoulder. She walked over to Ava and pressed a kiss to the woman’s cheek. “I love you mom,” she said before she walked off, moving down the steps quickly. She moved past Samuel, walking out the front door and she left her house keys right there on the hook as she slammed the front door behind her.

Ava looked at her husband as he yanked away from her before she looked back at Blue, watching as the girl continued to pack her things. “Blue you can’t just leave, what happened?!” she asked once more, almost begging now as the girl moved about. When Blue kissed her cheek and moved to leave, Ava stood there shell shocked. What was going on?! She couldn’t believe this. Her head was literally throbbing and she pressed her hand into the doorframe to keep herself up as she began to feel lightheaded, her blood pressure through the roof. Huffing softly, she leaned her body against the wall a bit as she shook her head angrily as she heard the front door slam. “Sam!” she barked at the top of her lungs.

Samuel watched Blue leave, slamming the front door and he locked it behind her, tossing her keys halfway across the room angrily. He thought he had a handle on things but no, stuff was still falling to damn shit around him. He blinked hard huffing to himself, he didn’t want her to leave, hell he didn’t even mean to curse her out or say what he said. But that was the thing about words, some you couldn’t take back. Hearing Ava his head snapped upward, “shit,” he said to himself. Now, he had his other children and wife to deal with in the wake of the aftermath. He licked his lips, jaw rolling, and he moved for the steps taking his time as he did, trying to find an excuse to how things panned out as he did.

Ava panted softly, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she pushed off the wall and marched over to the steps, hands on her hips. She was so dizzy. Her head was spinning and she truthfully needed to sit down. Staring down at him as he rose up the steps, she squinted a bit out of anger and also because her vision was a bit blurred. “What in the fuck was that?!” she barked out at him.

Samuel looked up at Ava, tilting his head a bit as he took her in. “You okay?” he asked her deflecting from the question she just asked as he reached the second to last step. He stood before her looking down as he rested one of his hands on the railing.

Blinking slowly, Ava looked at Samuel and she nodded. “I’m fine,” she fussed at him. She was not fine. She was absolutely the furthest from being fine. As her chest tightened a bit and she began to sweat some. “You kicked her out?!” she asked him frustrated, throwing her hands into the air and losing her balance a bit, she stumbled into him.

Samuel watched Ava, he studied her face and her mannerism ignoring the words that were leaving her mouth. His eyes raced up to her eyes as she asked yet another question and he caught her as he stumbled into him, luckily, he was holding the rail. “You need to sit down,” he told her seriously. “Do you need some water?” he asked her as she moved them away from the steps, he ushered her to their bedroom in a flash moving to lower her to the bed. “Calm down,” he said, bending over to stare her into her eyes, reading her, studying her. Shit.

Ava fell into Samuel’s chest, her eyes fluttering as her weight went dead against him.

Phoenix, who had been standing there with her head poked out the door screamed out, “mom!” as the woman fell into Samuel. She watched as her father pulled her into the bedroom and she rushed behind there, standing in the doorway with a book in her hand as tears began to fill her eyes.

Siena stood behind her door terrified, it was like her entire house was at a constant war now and she didn’t understand why. Hearing her younger sister, she opened her door and looked out. “What is going on?” she asked her heart racing from the fear she felt. She rushed towards where her sister was standing in her parents doorway seeing their mother and father. “W-what’s going on Dad?” she said forcefully.

Samuel watched Ava as she fell into him and he caught her before her body could hit the ground. He lowered himself to his knees and he said in a soft voice. “Baby?” there was no way she was doing this right now. “Baby,” he said as he shook her as little and he shot his head up turning around he said, “call 911,” to his second oldest child as he clutched onto Ava’s plush body. “Now! Right now!” he commanded.

Siena looked at her father as his body slid to the ground, her mother’s as if in slow motion, moved with his lifelessly. With tear filled eyes she nodded her head rapidly as she took off down the hallway towards her room where her phone was and she hurriedly called 911 explaining to them the situation as she rushed out the room back down the hall, bumping into Phoenix accidentally as she rushed next to her dad falling to her knees, tears actually rolling now. Her biggest fear in the world was coming to life and she was trying very hard to effectively assist her father.

Phoenix stood there, tears rolling down her face as she watched Ava lay there lifelessly in Samuel’s arms. Looking at Siena, she clutched her sister’s arm tightly before Siena rushed off and she continued to stand there shocked. “Do something!” she said to Samuel now as she dropped the book when Siena knocked into her.

Samuel moved to lie Ava down against the ground, his mind was so cloudy he didn’t know what to think right now. Once he laid her on her back, he tilted her head back, chin up, and he leaned in to hear if she was breathing and he groaned as he began to cry. “No, no,” he said to his wife. “Come on Ava,” he said to her seriously as he placed both of his hands, one on top of the other, and centered them on her chest he pushed up and down on her chest forcefully and as quickly as he could. Hearing Siena on the phone with 911 he leaned down, pinched Ava’s nose and covered her mouth with his as he blew into her hard, twice. He pulled away and began the compressions once more. “Come on baby, come on baby,” he said as he pumped. “Don’t do this please,” he sniffled, snot running from his nose.

Luca moved down the hall from having been outside in the backyard for the past hour though he knew he wasn’t supposed to be. He saw his sister in the doorway of his parents room, he heard crying, begging, and his sister frantically talking about something. He continued to walk down the hallway fingers tracing the wall before he reached the door. He watched Samuel, his mother laid out on the ground and his eyes grew widely. “Phoenix,” he stammered.

At the sound of Luca’s voice, Phoenix dropped her eyes to him quickly. “Luca!” she said loudly before she grabbed him and pulled him to her chest, covering his eyes with her hand. She looked at her sister, mother, and father once more before she began leading Luca away. He didn’t need to see this.

Siena continued to talk to the woman on the phone as she explained to her that fire rescue was but moments away from them now that her father should continue CPR if he could. She sniffled as she watched Samuel, she didn’t know if she’d ever seen her father cry a day in her life. She was shaking from that, from the sight of her mother, and because their big sister wasn’t there to lie and tell them that everything was okay.

Luca clutched onto Phoenix as he burst into tears, much like an infant he cried out for his mother even as his sister carried him off from what he had just seen.  

Phoenix gripped into Luca tightly, dragging the boy away as he cried and she cried to as she said, “c’mon we have to make room and be out of the way when the medics arrive.” She practically picked the boy up and carried him down the steps to get the door open and ready.

Blue moved down the street quickly, hands in her pockets and her head down as she cried, walking to the nearest gas station so that she could stop and call Ariel to get her. However, as a slew of ambulances breezed past her, she looked back at them. She watched as they stopped in front of the house she just proclaimed to leave and her eyes went wide as she turned and took off running back towards the house, the bags bouncing and weighing her down as she did.

Samuel continued to try and breathe life into Ava and pressed down onto her chest as hard and fast as he could. He continued to cry as he did so, everything around him was kind of washed out now as he focused on her and the babies solely. When he heard the rushing of feet in the distance and male voices booming he continued his work on her chest.

Luca clutched onto his sister tightly as she hoisted him up and he continued to cry into her neck as strange people bombarded their way into his home.

Siena looked up as she heard commotion downstairs and she clutched her phone looking down at her mother. She wasn’t waking up, what did that mean? Was she dead?

Blue rushed as quickly as she could back into the house and she clambered through the door looking at Phoenix and Blue. They were okay, good. She rushed up the steps behind the medics and even shoved one out of the way as she entered the bedroom to see Ava laid out on the floor and she gasped out. “Mom…” she croaked.

Ava laid in the hospital bed hooked up to a million monitors and devices. Looking around the room slowly, she shifted a bit, feeling the oxygen tube in her nose. She blinked hard as she realized that she was in the hospital and she looked over at all the monitors eyeing them before she groaned softly, her eyes closing once more.

Samuel stood in a corner with his arms folded over his chest, he wiped his nose with the inside of his shirt. He gazed at her with bloodshot red eyes as she shifted and opened her eyes against the bed, he didn’t move however. She was hooked up to so much stuff he didn’t know if he could touch her. As she closed her eyes again, he pressed his back into the wall further, his fingers were still trembling from all the compressions he’d given her and from the fear that had found residence in his heart. This was all his fault as usual, he was the bad guy, he knew that.

Groaning softly, Ava coughed a bit before she shifted in the bed once more. She could feel her husband in the room and with her eyes still closed she asked him, “what happened?” her voice a little hoarse.

Samuel watched her as she coughed and when she asked him what happened, at first, he said nothing to her at all. He swallowed hard, he didn’t really have a voice to speak in and he tried to clear it a bit. “Uh,” he said to her as a tear fell and he wiped it quickly. “You, uh, had a heart attack,” he said, his voice faltering as he tried to get the words out and other tears falling, he sniffled a little trying to do without her hearing him.

Laying there, Ava waited for Samuel to tell her why she was in the hospital and at his faltering response, she nodded slightly. That’s why her chest was hurting. “A heart attack,” she repeated, slowly moving a hand to her little belly. She could faintly hear the fetal heart monitors in the room and she knew that they were, at the least from what she could currently tell, okay. She knew the man was crying, she could hear it in his voice, but she didn’t make mention of it as she groaned once more. “I’m okay…” she said softly, letting her eyes flutter open once more to stare at the ceiling.

Samuel used his shirt to dry his eyes again as he watched her, he swallowed again. Dropping his shaky hands to his sides as he stood there in the corner still, since she’d been in the room and he was brought to her he had been standing in one spot. He couldn’t touch her, he didn’t want to, he was still scared. So, he said nothing when she told him she was fine. He didn’t even know that to be true, it could all be a lie or something else could happen. He didn’t know, his mind was racing and he exhaled slowly. There had never been something like this to happen to either one of them, the thought of his wife dying had now crippled him for life after this near-death experience.

Ava blinked slowly, coughing once more before she let her eyes travel over to her husband in the corner. She gazed at him as best she could from her positioning and she said, “c’mere…” gently, her hand lifting slowly to reach out for him.

Dr. Bennett knocked on the door gently as she read over the results of the various tests and things that they had put Ava through while she rested. The woman had caused everyone in the hospital a big scare and she was still a bit shaken up herself, however, she tried to keep her composure.

Samuel looked at her debating if he was actually going to go to her before he heard the door. Samuel didn’t say anything instead he moved to open the door to let whoever it was in. He looked to the woman in the lab coat before he walked off slowly moving closer to Ava but he still kept his distance leaning against the window as he waited to hear what was to be said.

Ava held her hand out until she heard the knock at the door. She watched her husband walk over and open it and she looked at Bernice Bennett with a small sigh. She let her eyes follow Samuel once more as he rested closer to her now, but not where she wanted him to be, which was right by her side. Looking back over to Bernice, she said, “just tell me…” softly before she coughed again.

Dr. Bennett looked up at the tall man that she knew to be Ava’s husband as he opened the door and she smiled softly at him as she entered the room and closed the door back behind her. She gazed at Ava in the bed and she sighed as well. Standing at the end of the bed, she looked at the chart before she looked at Ava once more. “Well, Ava, you had a mild heart attack,” she said out right, “which was caused by stress and high blood pressure,” she explained. “I’ve spoken with Dr. Rand,” she said knowing that Dorothy was Ava’s OB, “and we went over your blood samples and results. It looks like you also have an early case of preeclampsia,” she said softly before she lowered the chart and said, “we’ve managed your heart attack, but we would like to place a stent,” she told the woman. “With the existing condition of preeclampsia and the other various factors of your age and carrying multiples, we believe it to be the best treatment for the time being since we cannot place you on blood thinners.”

Samuel watched the woman and Ava; the medical professional took her time to explain to Ava all that was going on upon Ava’s immediate request for her to do so. He listened taking it all in from her and when she there to was a complication dealing with their children, he sighed heavily to himself, fuck. Their children were right, they were too old for this shit and now they were suffering the consequences of that. Her nearly dying and their children, everything their kids feared was coming to life. He asked, “what does preeclampsia mean for Ava and the babies?” defeatedly. “And how is the stent done?” Samuel asked hoping it didn’t mean major surgery.

Looking to Samuel, Dr. Bennett began to explain, “preeclampsia is a condition during pregnancy where there is a sudden rise in blood pressure and swelling, mostly in the face, hands, and feet. We to this day don’t know exactly what causes preeclampsia but we’ve learned that it’s much more common for women who are overweight, carry multiplies, have high blood pressure, deal with a lot of stress, and are over the age of forty,” she listed off with a small grimace because Ava was all of those things. “For Ava it means that if she hasn’t already she might develop a headache, shortness of breath, rapid weight gain caused by water retention, vomiting, blurred vision…” she listed off. “For the babies the main concern is them not getting enough blood pumped to them causing fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and placental abruption,” she explained in depth. “However, it looks like we’ve caught this early and that means we can treat and manage it. Right now, Dr. Rand and I believe that the best course of treatment would be a medication to help lower Ava’s blood pressure which seems to be the root of all of the issues at hand today.” Taking a breath, she moved on to the stent. “For Ava’s heart I am suggesting a coronary angioplasty and a stent, it’s a mildly invasive procedure where I would numb the area make a small incision and use a guidewire to get into the blood vessel, I would then insert a catheter tube in through the artery and use a dye to see inside the blood vessels. Then I would insert this small balloon and inflate it, to widen the artery and place the stent. Once it’s in, I’ll remove the catheter and stitch Ava up, once were sure the blood is flowing properly. We’ll just need to keep Ava overnight to make sure there are no complications before sending her home.”

Ava laid there, listening to Dr. Bennett as she explained it all in depth and she nodded slowly, taking it all in. An angioplasty wasn’t so bad. It wasn't cutting her open. Looking from Dr. Bennett to her husband, she let out a deep sigh, coughing a bit more before she looked back to her colleague and asked, “when can we do it?”

Samuel looked at the woman as she explained everything in full to him, she broke down the illnesses and the ways they were going to work to fix the issues of the illnesses. He licked his lips and he and he folded his arms partially as his hand rested against his mouth. It sounded all simple and like it was a sure-fire plan and that everything would be alright but for a man who not long ago was giving his wife mouth to mouth, he was shaking. “When can we do it?” He repeated through his fingers as he sniffled, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks. She wasn’t even giving him time to wrap his brain around all of this shit. He needed to trust the people whose hands she was placed in, but he didn’t, and again he was just scared to death. She sniffled running his hand down his face roughly to dry it.

Ava looked at her husband and she let out a small sigh before she said, “it’s what we need to do to assure that I continue to be fine and as healthy as possible,” she said to him before she moved her eyes to Bernice once more.

Looking between the two, Dr. Bennett stayed quiet until Ava looked at her once more. She glanced at Samuel before she looked at her colleague again, saying, “we can do it today, however, I believe Dr. Rand wants to monitor you and make sure you rest and that you babies are indeed okay so we should probably wait until tomorrow,” she said before there was another knock on the door and Dr. Bennett moved over to it, opening it up for Dr. Rand knowingly.

Dr. Rand stepped into the room as Dr. Bennett opened the door and she entered slowly, looking at Ava over on the bed, her eyes a bit bloodshot because she had been crying. She was completely shell shocked when someone told her that Ava was on the way in. However, she had managed to pull herself semi-together. “Well... Ava you sure did give us a big ol’ scare,” she said, trying to enter with a light mood.

Samuel looked at Ava and he pulled his eyes away from her, how could she be so damn calm? He swallowed down his emotions and his feelings and he looked at the woman as she stated when they went ahead with everything. When their OB walked in, he looked at the woman and rested against the window now as he waited to hear what she clearly had to say now behind the other doctor.

Dr. Bennett stepped aside and let Dr. Rand into the room before she closed the door back behind her. Moving back over to Ava she stood beside Dr. Rand with her hands crossed in front of her.

“You were very lucky Ava,” Dr. Rand began now. “The lack of oxygen, from what we can currently tell, did not harm your twins,” she said to them. “We’ll definitely monitor more closely from now,” she told the couple, “but from what we know right now, they’re doing very well, strong heartbeats, there’s no abnormalities in your amniotic fluids, they’re fine.” She took a breath, “now for you Ava, I told you about your blood pressure,” she said easily, “but now this is a must, you’re going to have to seriously cut back on the stress, no strenuous activities. You need to consume more fruits and vegetables and your healthy fats,” she explained. “More whole grains and nut proteins,” she told the woman. “I would actually like for you to try to walk for at the least thirty minutes to an hour a day to get the blood flowing and to keep you active without much strain,” she said. “We have got to do everything in our power to keep your blood pressure down and your stress levels low,” she sighed out. “I don’t want to have to place you on bedrest, but I will if I need to,” she said, “right now I need you to cut back to one day a week at work,” she said to the woman. “However, if you begin to experience any swelling or heavy water retention, I’m absolutely going to have to enforce bedrest with light walking here and there,” she said.

Samuel listened to the doctor as she explained that their children were fine, everything had checked out for them and she didn’t see their being any complications. She went on to tell the woman what she expected for her to do while all of this was going on, it was hard to change things around for Ava if that is what was needed. As long as everything progressed positively and not negatively. He blinked hard as he folded his arms tightly against his chest, they needed to get her together because this could never happen again. She was 43 years old and had had a heart attack. It was senseless.

Ava looked up at Dorothy as she began to speak to her and she nodded with a small sigh before she coughed a bit more. She rubbed her chest gently as she continued to listen and she said, “I understand,” she looked back to her husband, reaching her hand out to him once more. “I’ll do whatever I need to do,” she said to the woman, her friend. “I will just go on bedrest with light exercise,” she said, “it’s the best option and assures the greatest outcome,” she said gently. “I’ll get it together,” she said as she shifted in the bed a bit.

Nodding at her friend, Dr. Rand said, “now I’m sure Dr. Bennett has already told you this, but we’d like to keep you overnight to monitor you and the babies,” she said. “If you decide to get the stent, I will be there with Dr. Bennett to monitor the babies throughout the procedure,” she said easily.

Samuel looked at the two women as they spoke and he saw her hand, trying to ignore it but he knew he couldn’t. However, he moved over towards her and he gave her his trembling hand even though he really, really, really didn’t want to or be this close to her. His other arm was wrapped around his chest as he blinked slowly.

Ava took her husband's trembling hand into her own and she gave it a soft squeeze before she said, “I would like to get done tomorrow,” easily. “As soon you two feel it’s the best time to do so,” she said. “I’m on board,” she said squeezing her husband's hand once more.

Dr. Bennett nodded at Ava’s words and she said, “I’ll get you scheduled up for 8am,” she said easily, jotting a note down on the chart. “We’ll take care of you Ava,” she said, reaching out now to place her hand on Ava’s leg over the blanket.

Dr. Rand nodded herself. “8am is perfect,” she said looking down at her own clipboard, flipping back to her schedule. “I don’t have an appointment until 12:30 and Ava by then your procedure would have been long over, and you should be resting,” she said thoughtfully before asking the couple. “Do either of you have any questions or concerns that we need to address?”

Samuel looked down at the ground as the women made their preparations in front of them. He nodded his head understanding his wife needed this and that everything would be fine afterwards. He drifted off into his own head for a moment before they asked them a question and he said nothing, he didn’t have a question to ask.

Ava looked at her husband for a moment before she looked at her two colleagues. “No, no questions or concerns,” she said gently.

Both Dr. Bennett and Dr. Rand nodded and took that as their opportunity to give the couple some time also. As they exited, Dr. Rand closed the door behind them.

As her friends exited, Ava gently tugged Samuel’s hand. “C’mere,” she said gently. She pulled him down to her a bit and she lifted her head slightly, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’m okay,” she told him once more. “I’m going to be okay,” she reiterated, reaching her other hand up carefully, mindful of her IV’s and monitors, to stroke his beard.

Samuel looked at his wife as the women left and he moved closer to her as she kissed him and stated she was okay. “You aren’t,” he said brokenly even as she stroked his beard. “This is all my fault Ava I am so sorry,” he told her as he closed his eyes more tears pouring from him. He had probably never cried so hard and for this long his entire life. “I’ve ruined everything like I always do,” he told her as he opened his eyes with a shake of his head. “This is all my fault,” he whispered to himself again.

“Shh,” Ava said softly, carefully pulling him in for another kiss. “Shh,” she breathed softly. “I. Am. Okay,” she repeated once more for him. “I had a scare, but I am fine now, baby,” she said tenderly. She stroked his beard more, gently caressing his cheeks. “Shh,” she said, “don’t blame yourself,” she said softly before she turned her head for a moment to cough. “It’s all going to be okay,” she whispered. “Pull up a chair baby,” she said softly now, pointing to one.

Samuel looked at her and told him to be quiet, kissing him again. She stressed once more that she was okay and he didn’t say anything in response as he wiped his face with his shirt. Who else was there to blame in all of this beside himself. She told him to pull up a chair and he moved one up as she asked, sitting beside her with his hands in his lap. He swallowed hard and said, “I need to check on the kids,” his eyes focused elsewhere, “I need to check on Blue, Siena, Phoenix, and Luca… I have to check on the kids,” he breathed to himself.

Ava watched as her husband silently brought a chair over and sat down and she held her hand out for him once more, until he mentioned the kids. “Where are they?” she asked. “Blue is with them?” she questioned, remembering Blue leave before she passed out.

Samuel looked over to her slowly and he nodded his head at her. “Yes,” he said quietly. “Waiting room,” Samuel said back to her quietly, his hands in his lap still.

Ava gazed at him and she reached up, adjusting her oxygen tube a bit. “Can you get them and bring them in?” she asked him softly.

At her question Samuel nodded his head and he got up, doing as he was told. He looked at her before he moved to walk out the room she was assigned to. He closed the door and moved down the hall sticking his hands in his pockets. He made the route to the waiting room where all 4 of his children were and he moved into the room seeing them. Samuel quickly moved towards them and he sighed softly, his long arms collecting them and hugging them tightly to his chest.

Siena sat next to her siblings, her knees were to her chest in the chair and her oversized hoodie covered them, hood on her head. She rested her head against her knees; she felt terrible and she didn’t know why. Maybe if she just went along with the Jessie case her parents wouldn’t be so on edge and everything wouldn’t keep blowing up around them. As the door opened, she looked and embraced her father as he pulled them all in close, closing her sad red eyes.

Luca laid against the seats in the hospital room, his arms in his shirt as he sat there, unable to comprehend what was going on in his life, he felt like he was in someone else’s body. His mind wouldn’t stop running though, he didn’t know what it was saying and he hadn’t spoken a word after his calling Phoenix’s name at home. As he noticed his father through the large windows, he stuck his hands back through his shirt and he hugged the man tightly as his father hugged them.

Phoenix sat in her seat, rocking back and forth slowly as she tried to wrap her mind around seeing her mother laying on the floor lifeless. Of course, the thought of her parents possibly dying at some point in her life occurred to her, but it wasn’t supposed to happen right now. She was so distraught that she had no idea what to do or how to feel. As Samuel entered the room, she stood up quickly, burying her face in his chest as he opened his arms to them.

Blue sat there going over it, again and again in her head. Her mother was fine, she was up and talking to her, trying to ask her what happened and get her to stay. She wasn’t out of the house for five minutes before the ambulance was rushing past her. Seeing that medic team rush to her house made her heart drop to her feet. She had never moved so fast in her life. Seeing her mother laying on the floor like that broke her more than the words her father had spoken to her. As the man entered the room, she lifted her head, gazing at him before she stood up and moved into his arms willingly. At his point the argument was so stupid. The only thing that mattered was the health and safety of her mother and siblings.

Samuel held onto them tightly as he pecked their foreheads slowly one at a time. “She’s fine,” he said finally as he pulled them away looking down at them all. “The babies are fine too,” he said softly to him. “Everyone is fine,” he told them. “Mom wants to see you all,” he said, telling them further why he was there. “Before I take you guys to her, I just want you guys to know that I am really sorry you had to see that, I can’t imagine what you guys were thinking and feeling. No kid should have to see that,” he breathed as a tear rolled down his cheek, he sniffled. “But she’s fine,” he repeated to them.

Phoenix held onto her father, sisters, and brother tightly letting out a deep sob of relief from the back of her throat as Samuel told them that their mother was indeed okay, along with the twins. She was so relieved that her legs felt like jello as she stood there. She almost didn’t even hear her father’s words, she had so many emotions flowing through her but she managed to swallow hard and nod her head. “Just as long as mom is okay…” she said with a sniffle, her voice cracking a bit.

Blue clutched onto her family members for dear life, hugging them all tightly. She knew it was partially her fault. Maybe if she had of actually stayed and tried to speak to her mother, she would have been okay. If she had of been there, maybe she could have done something. Sniffling hard, Blue nodded at her father's words and she pulled away from him slowly, wiping under her eyes a bit before she looked down at Luca. She hoisted the boy up into her arms, hugging him tightly, her hand brushing over his hair. “C’mon, let’s go see her,” she said to her siblings, avoiding eye contact with her father as she nodded towards the direction, looking at Siena and Phoenix.

Siena nodded her head at her father’s words so grateful to hear that her mother was okay as well as her twin siblings. She exhaled a breath she didn’t even know she was holding that entire time. She held onto her father a little tighter now as she watched him cry. He’d been crying the entire time obviously; she’d seen him try to revive her mother and the whole time he was begging her to breathe he’d lost it somewhat and she didn’t know the man had that much emotion inside of him. She looked at Blue as she finally released Sam, her eye twitching a bit. “Yeah,” she breathed at her.

Luca hugged his father and he pulled away from him, looking up into his blue eyes as he cried. He would’ve wiped his tears but Blue hoisted him up before he could. He held onto his sister and looked at her, putting his head down on her shoulder sadly.

Samuel watched as the children pulled away from him and he wiped his face gently with his shirt again. He watched Blue and he nodded his head, “yeah,” he said, as he wiped his hands down his mouth. “Come on,” he said, ushering Phoenix and Siena by their shoulders, moving out of the waiting room doors, he moved towards the direction they needed to go in. They moved through another set of double doors turning the corner and moving towards the room Ava was in, he opened the door and let them all walk in before him into the room.

Blue moved down the hallway swiftly, letting Samuel guide the way a bit as she held Luca close, rubbing his back as he rested his head on her shoulder. She knew they were all taking it hard but Luca was different from the rest of them. The way he processed things was different and she felt like he out of all of them would need the most coddling and love and care throughout this situation. He was very smart and he understood many things but he was also very sensitive. Sighing out, she moved into the room as Samuel opened the door and she gazed at her mother lying awake in the bed. She bit her lip hard, biting back a sob.

Phoenix nodded at Blue moving with the rest of her family as she made her way towards the room. She sniffled hard, wiping her eyes a bit as they moved to enter. She dropped her eyes immediately, the sight of her mother in the bed laid up like that was a bit too much. She looked back towards her slowly, biting her lip hard as she stood near the door unsure of what to do.

Luca held onto Blue, his head still resting against his sisters shoulder gently as they moved into their mother’s room. He didn’t say anything, instead he pushed against Blue and let himself down. He walked up to the foot of her bed and he stared at her, they all didn’t have to embrace her but that wasn’t going to stop him from doing it. She was alive and honestly, that was so important. He moved in a flash to her side and he clutched onto her for dear life, holding onto her as he buried his chest into her chest and cried quietly. He didn’t know he’d ever see her again but she was okay and she was alive.

Siena walked into the room, standing there at the door with her sister and she looked at her gently before she moved away from the door. She licked her lips as she watched her brother and she looked at Blue and then her father. She smiled a bit, she was okay. Really okay. He hadn’t lied to them and she moved over to her, watching as Luca cried into her chest and she stood there beside him, her hand caressing his back gently.

Samuel watched the kids walk into the room. He closed the door behind them, releasing a soft breath. He licked his lips and he pushed Phoenix with him, holding her hand tightly, lacing their fingers. He pulled her with him gently. “She won’t break baby,” he told her quietly. “You can hug her, touch her,” he said, though he was terrified as hell to touch her just moments ago. Samuel looked to Blue, she hated him, he got it, but it wasn’t about them. So, he grabbed her hand too and moved her closer to Ava’s bed.

Ava opened her eyes slowly as her family entered the room and she smiled softly at them, letting them know she was okay before Luca was at her side pressed against her. She placed a gentle hand on his back, holding him there as he cried before she looked at Siena. She moved to place her hand over the girl’s on Luca’s back, giving it a squeeze before her eyes moved to her husband, Blue, and Phoenix. She gazed at Blue, very relieved to see that the girl was actually there. Piggybacking off of her husband’s words she said, “I am okay,” gently. “Come,” she reached out her other hand to Blue and Phoenix, gazing at the two of them.

Phoenix stood there gnawing her lip as she blinked hard, endless tears rolling down her cheeks. As Samuel grabbed her hand and pulled her close, she leaned into his chest, letting out a small cry as she nodded her head. Their mother was okay. She was okay. She. Was. Okay. As Samuel moved them closer, she looked at her mother, her eyes red as she slowly released Samuel and moved to Ava’s other side, taking her hand.

Blue placed her hand over her mouth as she watched Luca and Siena stand there with their mother. She should have been there. She shouldn’t have left the house. She was just angry. As Samuel grabbed her and pulled her to him, she reluctantly buried her face into his shoulder, crying hard, her shoulders shaking. As Phoenix stepped away, she wrapped her arms around her dad tight, hugging him as she broke down.

Ava looked at Phoenix as the girl walked over and she squeezed her hand lovingly before she looked at Blue once more. “Mama is fine,” she said to them all. “I had a scare, but I am fine. I will manage and we’re going to be okay,” she said softly, looking at Luca, Siena, and Phoenix before she looked at Blue as she hugged her father and cried. “Blue…” she said softly. “This is not your fault,” she told the girl before she looked at Siena. “This is not anyone’s fault,” she said, her eyes traveling to her husband. “It’s no one’s fault,” she repeated once more, “and I am going to recover and things will be okay,” she told them all lovingly before she pressed a kiss to Luca’s forehead, then leaned up a bit to press one to Siena’s and Phoenix’s.

Samuel looked down at Blue and she wrapped her up in his large arms, pecking her forehead gently. “She’s right,” he added to his wife’s words in a whisper. “It’s not your fault,” he told her quietly. Samuel looked back at his wife, it wasn’t any of their fault, but it was his. He patted Blue’s back gently before he moved her closer towards Ava, he sat down on the edge of her bed, his arms still around Blue. He rubbed her arm gently as he caressed Luca lovingly.

Siena smiled as at her mother’s words and she nodded her head as she looked back at her sister and father. She looked back down and she rested against the bed gently resting her head on her mother’s shoulder as she rested beside her.

Luca sniffled hard as he held onto Ava, feeling her gentle hand on his back and he blocked out everything that everyone was saying. Luca kept his face buried in his mother’s chest and he wiped his eyes gently with his hand, closing his eyes.