Lee awoke Monday morning, resolved to the fact that he was stuck in this world for the time being. Wanting to make the best of it, and tired of fighting the inevitable, he rolled over to speak to Amanda, but found the bed empty.
He lay there thinking about the time they had spent over the weekend, together as a family. They had enjoyed a leisurely Sunday at the park with the kids. He always knew Amanda was a good mother with Phillip and Jamie, but to see her in action with Jenny and Matthew was eye opening. She was so patient with them and so willing to show her love.
He had tried to distance himself from them, not wanting the kids or Amanda to realize he was different from the Lee they knew. While Amanda and the kids were playing on the swings, he had gone off on his own for a walk. He needed time to think. What if he never got his life back? What if he was stuck in this world forever?
He tried covering for his apparent memory lapses, not remembering their favorite thing to do at the park, or even how to get to the park, but the odd looks that they gave spoke volumes. This was so hard. If he told Amanda what was really going on, she’d think he was going crazy. Hell, he thought he was going crazy.
Matthew’s crying pulled him from his thoughts and dragged him out of bed. How was he going to get him to stop? What did he know about kids? He’d never been around them before. Amanda would know what to do. He walked over to their bathroom door and knocked. Hearing music, he knocked louder. Still no response, so he cracked open the door and called for her. What was that sound she was making? Was she actually singing? He had to laugh. Never picturing Amanda as a singer . . . “Oh my God!” He stood ramrod straight in utter disbelief. There was Amanda in all her glory, very wet and very beautiful. She was gyrating to the music behind the glass shower door.
Upon seeing him enter the room, she poked her head out of the shower. “Morning, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
“Um . . .”
She looked at him expectantly. His gaze darted anywhere but in the direction of the shower, and he said the only thing that he could think of. “That baby’s crying.”
“By baby, do you mean your son?” She laughed.
“Yeah, Matthew. Are you going to get him?” He made the mistake of looking up and made eye contact with his very naked wife. He had always known Amanda was a trim and fit woman, but to see the actual curves and her satin-like skin was nearly his undoing.
“Don’t even think about it, Stetson!” Her head popped back behind the shower door.
“Think about what?” Could she read his mind?
“It’s Monday! It’s your day to get Matt ready for daycare and take Jenny to school. And you know it! Don’t even think of pawning it off on me. Besides, I have an early meeting with Billy today on the Whitfield case.”
The steam enveloped him as he stood in the doorway and watched her shower, until he realized he had to leave--before he required a cold one himself. Grabbing his bathrobe from behind the door, he headed to the toddler’s room.
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On his way to Matthew’s room, Lee found Jenny standing in the hall, rubbing her eyes. “Good morning, Jenny.”
“Morning, Daddy! Did you know Matt’s crying?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks.” He rubbed his face before opening the door, and finding the small boy standing against the rail of his bed, crying. “What do you think is wrong with him?” he asked the little girl, hoping she’d have some insight. An army of KGB would be more welcome than this situation. Why did it have to be his morning?
“Probably a wet diaper.” He watched as she padded over to the changing table and she pointed to the diapers knowingly.
Lee looked down at the small child, grasped him under his arms, and picked him up, holding him at arm’s length. He laid him on the table and stared at the soggy diaper, wondering what mayhem he would encounter once he pulled back the tabs.
“UGH! How can such a little boy make such a mess?” ‘I’m going to kill that guy when I see him! I’ll give him a glimpse!’ He pulled off the diaper, trying to keep from gagging, and looked around the room for a place to put it. Jenny tugged on his robe and pointed to a tube with a lid. Apparently that’s where the biohazard went.
After disposing of the offending item, he looked to the little girl for his next step. She didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t the first time he’d noticed how bright she was. When he went for the wipes, he was aghast at the fountain of pee that greeted him upon his return. Matthew just laughed as the golden shower tinkled all over him and Lee. “Oh crap! Come on kid, give me a break, will ya?”
“You’re not really my daddy, are you?” The small voice piped up from beside him. It was almost more of a statement than a question.
Lee faced the little girl, planning to feed her some line about his strange behavior, but when he caught the sadness in her eyes, he just couldn’t lie. “No, I’m not.” He smiled weakly, trying to reassure her. “I live alone in the city, in a very tall building with a doorman. This isn’t my life. It’s just a glimpse.” Strangely enough, having someone to confide in made him feel a little better, even if it was a five-year-old girl.
“Where’s my real daddy?” Her voice was shaky.
“I don’t know, but don’t worry. Wherever he is, he loves you, and I’m sure he’ll be back very soon.” He tried to comfort her with his words.
Jenny marched over to the small chair in the corner of the room and picked it up. She carried it over and set it down in front of him. She climbed up on it, and touched his face with her hands, as if looking for something. “They did a good job.”
“Who?”
“The aliens. You look just like him.”
“Thanks.” He closed his eyes to hold back a laugh. How could it be possible that he was part of this wonderful, smart, beautiful little girl’s life? When he opened them, he saw she was crying. “Oh, please, don’t cry. I don’t think I could deal with that now.” Should he have kept this to himself? Did he damage her for life? ‘Ah, hell!’
She swallowed hard, trying bravely to hold back the tears. “Do you like kids?”
“On a case by case basis.”
“Do you know how to make chocolate milk?”
He thought about it for a moment. Granted, he’d never made chocolate milk before, but if he could make a bomb out of clay and a few wires . . .“I think I could figure it out.”
“Promise you won’t eat my little brother or put stuff in our brains?”
“Sure.” He smiled at the little girl’s sincerity.
She smiled up at him and he felt as if she could see his soul. “Welcome to our family.”
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“Okay, this is daycare.” Jenny waved her hands around for emphasis. She seemed quite content in being the teacher rather than the student. “Grown-ups take their kids here while they work.” She continued to advise him as they pulled up to the small brick building. The toys littering the front lawn were telltale signs of its trade.
“Check.” Lee parked the truck and unbuckled himself before getting out and reaching into the backseat for Matthew. He fumbled with the car seat, looking for a release, but found none. ‘Come on!’
“You hafta push the red button.”
“Huh?” She pointed to the bottom of the seat. “Oh. Thanks.” She was turning out to be quite the little helper today. Lee snapped the button, releasing the toddler, and then grasped him under his arms, and scooped him up. He carried the boy to the teacher stationed outside the building and, handed him off. “Do I get a receipt?”
The woman shook her head and smiled nervously. Lee slid back in the truck and headed for Jenny’s elementary school. ‘One down and one to go. This wasn’t so bad.’
“Okay, I have ballet at two-thirty and violin at four o’clock. Don’t forget.”
“Ballet and violin. Got it.”
She climbed out of the Explorer and skipped toward the front entrance. He rolled down his window and called out to her. “Jenny?”
She turned expectantly and ran up to the passenger side. “Yeah?”
“Have a good day. And . . . thanks!” He flashed her a broad smile.
“No problem. But remember our deal! No messing with our brains!”
“Scout’s honor!” He gave her a mock salute and a quick wink before she turned on her heel and ran into the building.
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