Brie’s phone rang, waking her from a light sleep. Thankfully, the ringer was on low so that didn’t wake the babies. “Hello?” she said softly, not checking the caller ID.
“Hey gorgeous”, her husband’s voice said.
“Why, hello there, sexy.”
“Did I wake you?”
“Yeah, but I need to wake up here soon anyway. I’ve got to go get the kids soon. How was your flight?”
“Boring as hell; lonely as hell… take your pick.”
She smiled. “It’s not that bad baby.”
“My ass it’s not. I hate flying without you and the kids.”
“Well, I was going to try to surprise you with this, but the kids have a five day weekend from school coming up because of parent- teacher conferences. After I meet with all their teachers, I’m planning on flying out with the kids for the weekend.”
“Really?” She could hear the joy in his voice. “I’ll talk to Danny and have Nikki pick you guys up at the airport.”
“No, don’t. I’m going to rent a SUV to carry all of us and check into the hotel you’re staying in. Speaking of, what hotel are you staying in?”
“Where else? The Hilton.”
“Please tell me you have a Penthouse.”
“No, but I can upgrade to one if you want the day you guys fly out.”
“We won’t be flying out until the afternoon, honey.”
“So you won’t get here until that evening?”
“Precisely.”
“What day do you have to meet with the kid’s teachers?”
“They’re out Thursday through Monday. I’ll be meeting with the twin’s teacher first thing in the morning. Then, I’ll meet with the quad’s teachers right after that. Then, I get to drive across town to meet with Maddie’s teachers and finally Jake and Jordan’s teachers at the High School.”
“On Thursday?”
“Yep. Then, I’ll come home and get the kids and we’ll meet you there. I’m thinking about kidnapping our grandchildren so that you can see them for a day or two.” She laughed softly.
“Nah, don’t do that. I can wait. So, what’s the news on our grandkids?”
“They’re starting to roll over onto their tummies. Isaiah has no trouble. Miranda has to rock a couple of times to get a little momentum to get onto her tummy, but she’s so damn cute when she does it. I took some video on my phone and I’ll send it to you. You’ll laugh.”
“I could use a laugh.”
“Hold on.” She put the phone on speaker and pulled up the video, then sent it to him via video message. He pulled it up and laughed out, startling Isaiah awake. “Now, look what you did, Grandpa. You woke up the baby boy.”
David stifled the laugh and spoke to his grandson over the phone. “Isaiah. Isaiah. It’s Grandpa. Calm down little buddy. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” The little boy calmed down instantly, but still searched for his grandfather’s voice.
Brie giggled. “Baby, he’s trying to find you. He hears you but he can’t find you.”
David laughed. “Ah, man, and I’m missing it. Malachai’s got to be bummed that he’s missing everything too.”
“I’m sure, but there will be plenty of firsts for these babies. First steps, first Hanukkah, first taste of Grandma’s cooking after they get teeth in, first day of school, first tooth… lots of firsts for these two precious children.”
“Speaking of Amanda and the babies, what are you going to do with them while you and the kids are up here?”
“I’m going to fly her and the babies out to wherever Malachai and the band is. I think they’ll be in the neighborhood so, they can fly out with us.”
“Well, won’t that be interesting. Having the entire Draiman family, plus two of course, under the roof of the same hotel and we’re NOT there to bury someone”, he laughed.
“Plus three, David. I’m bringing Dani out with us too.”
“Lovely.”
“What’s wrong with Dani?”
“Nothing. She’s perfectly fine. But, Logan seems to be stringing that poor girl along. I’m going to have to have a talk with John about his son so that John can have a talk with his son.”
“Actually David, my love, that won’t be necessary. From what Dani said, he’s going to propose the next time she sees him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Dani told me she’s pregnant, but you can’t tell John. Let Logan and Dani tell him themselves.”
“No problem”, he laughed.
--------------
After talking about the weekend and planning everything out, Brie and David said their goodbyes and she took her grandchildren down the stairs to their mother. “Here, Mandy, I’ve got to go get the kids here soon.”
“Why don’t the twins and I come with you?”
Brie smiled. “Feeling like you need to get out of the house for a minute?”
“Yeah.”
“Go get their car seats and let’s get them loaded up, then. I’m on a bit of a time crunch.”
Mandy laid the babies in their bassinets and ran out to her little house out back to grab the car seats and ran back in. Once she was back in, her mother in law helped her put the squirming four month olds in their car seats and they carried the children out of the SUV that she and Brie would pick up the children, and left. As they drove, Brie updated her on her family plans. “Thursday evening the kids and I are flying out to Chicago to visit David.”
“What are the twins and I going to do?”
“You’re coming with us. One, David wants to see his grandbabies. Two, Malachai and Jordan are going to be out there to shoot their video. Jordan’s insisting that they shoot the video for ‘Unholy’ at Loyola Medical Center.”
“That’s the one about cancer, isn’t it?”
“Yep. They want to do it in the Oncology ward.”
“Sweet. I think Uncle Matt would be proud, but how do you know they’re going to be in Chicago this weekend?”
“Lauren and I have an agreement that she keeps me updated on where she takes my 14 year old daughter and I don’t plant my well pedicured in her ass.”
“But she’s so much taller than you. She’s got the height on you that David and Malachai have on you and I.”
“Will the hospital allow them to shoot there?”
“I’m sure they’re going through all the proper channels. Remember who my children’s father is. The people at Loyola wouldn’t want to piss off David, believe me.”
“But, if they won’t allow it?”
“I’m sure that they have a backup plan. Like, set up a warehouse to look like a hospital Oncology ward and hire actors. Jordan would have gone for that if it weren’t one of Matt’s songs.”
“Then why not shoot it at Parris Island or Camp Pendleton?”
“Because this is Jordan we’re talking about. She wants to do something that hasn’t been done before.”
“Maybe you should suggest that to her.”
“How about YOU do that seeing as it’s YOUR idea. But, instead of suggesting Boot Camps, Military hospitals.”
“Like Bethesda?”
“Yeah.”
---------------
After picking the kids up and making dinner for everyone, Brie collapsed in her bed. She’d cleaned the house, cooked, helped with homework, and taken care of her grandchildren while her daughter in law took a little time for herself so that she could get better after her struggle with Post Partum Depression. Now that Mandy was medicated, she was doing better. She’d taken more of an interest in her new children who weren’t so new anymore. Brie was glad to see it.
She turned on the TV in the bedroom she shared with her now absent husband and flipped through the channels on the satellite to find something that was half assed interesting. When she finally settled on a show on the history channel, she settled into the bed and wished that her husband were there to hold her and listen to her talk about her day. She already missed his warm body laying next to hers, the strength of his arms around her, the firmness of his chest as she rested her head against it. She became lost in her thought and was startled out of them by the sound of her phone blowing up to the musical styling of her husband’s band. The song that played was one that he’d written for her after the War had ended and he and his brothers were able to get back into the studio. She smiled to herself and grabbed her phone off of the bedside table. “Well, hey there”, she said.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Did you get bored, baby?”
“Maybe.”
“Lonely?”
“Definitely.”
“You’ve only got to wait until this weekend and you won’t be so lonely.”
“But that’s only going to last for three days.”
She laughed. “You know what I’ve been thinking, baby?”
“What’s that, love?”
“I’ve been thinking about pulling the kids from school and having them homeschooled.”
“For how long?”
“Well, we could try it for a year. If it works out, it will be indefinite.”
“What about the activities the kids are in?”
She cursed under her breath. “You’re right. I forgot about all that. Thought to hear Maddie tell it, Advanced choir isn’t what she thought it would be though she likes eighth grade, she’s still not feeling challenged.”
“I know we wanted to give them a normal childhood, but maybe we should have thought a little more thoroughly about that”, he said with a laugh.
“No kidding. But, in our defense, Malachai and Jordan wouldn’t be rock stars in training if we’d homeschooled them.”
“True. Now, let’s change the subject. I didn’t call to talk about the kids. I called to talk to you.”
She smiled and settled more comfortably into the half empty bed. “Well, then talk.”
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