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| Fight Fire With Fire; James/OFC, Het, 1999 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: February 17, 2013, 12:58 pm (18,419 Views) | |
| ZombieCake | August 12, 2013, 9:29 pm Post #256 |
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Blackened
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*Taking another baseball bat* What happened here?!? Oh Jamie... This moment had to be perfect and happy... What have you done? I cant believe this is happening. But hope he come back soon and be with the twins and Ruth asap. Definetly, this family has bad luck when a baby comes. |
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| -DJ- | August 19, 2013, 4:20 pm Post #257 |
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Blackened
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Are those baseballs bats for me or James? I opened all the windows in the house to let some air in and did some laundry to freshen up the place before Ollie and my mom came home. While I was trying to make the place look presentable, I found an empty whiskey bottle by the bed in Ollie's room. When I found that, I guessed he was sitting in his son’s room questioning his abilities as a father which was something he shouldn’t have been doing; I don’t think Ollie could have ask for a better dad. It wasn't long after that there was a knock on the door around three in the afternoon. "Hi, buddy" I leaned down and hugged Ollie when I opened the door. It felt so good to get a hug from someone. My mom stood over me holding a small suitcase and a look of sorrow in her face. "I missed you, mom" my son told me. "I missed you too" "Can I see the babies?" "They're not here yet. They're still in the hospital because they're small" "Oh. Is daddy here?" "Um...your dad had to go to work for a few days but he'll be back soon" I hoped. Ollie let go of me and went and slumped in front of the tv on the couch. One thing I always hated was that I had to explain that dad was working even though this time he was about two miles down the road. "I'll make us tea" my mom said and headed to the kitchen. I leaned against the threshold of the living room watching Ollie while my mom moved around the kitchen. He wasn’t even watching the screen; he just sat with his knees pulled to his chest looking ahead of him and it broke my heart. Right now was supposed to be a happy time but it felt like my family was falling away from me. "So, I'm guessing James isn't working?" "No..." my mom put a mug of tea in front of me at the table. She was never one to beat around the bush. "Gonna tell me what happened?" "It was stupid, really. He came to see me in the hospital like two days ago and started stressing out and shouting so I told him to leave. He didn't come see me after that and dad had to pick me up today. Then when I got home today...I found James on the couch surround by empty beer bottles. So he's at his sponsor's house now" "Wow" she looked shocked. "That just seems so out of character for him these days" "What was he like when he dropped Ollie off with you?" "He didn't say much to be honest. He just said goodbye to Ollie and that he was going to see you" "I just can't get my head around why now? Why jeopardise what he always wanted because he was a little stressed? I get that he was worried about the twins but they're fine; they just have to stay in the hospital for a while longer. We've gone through worse things than this" "I don't know, honey. Have you told your father?" "No but he knew something was up. James didn't want me to tell you guys about this but I had to" "I know he's done wrong but at least he's trying to fix it" "I guess. But he also said if I didn't come home and find him, he wasn't going to tell me. He could have carried on like that behind my back..." "I really doubt he would have. He's a man at the end of the day and yes they can be a little dumb but I think he knows what he could lose" "Sometimes I think he lives in this dream world where everything is perfect; y'know where there's love and everything goes smoothly and according to plan but as soon as something goes wrong, he's snapped back to reality and goes from one extreme to another" My mom and I spoke for another hour or so. I mainly kept asking ‘why?’ Why did all this stuff have to happen to us? Why did it all have to happen at once? Why did it have to happen at all? I realized I was starting to sound like James by wanting everything to go smoothly and according to plan. Ollie was also down in the dumps for the rest of day. Usually he was oozing energy out of every pore; running around the back garden or jumping on the trampoline but today he just lazed in front of the tv which was totally out of character. My mom cooked when dinner time rolled around but he hardly touched his food and it wasn’t because he didn’t like his grandma’s cooking. “Can I take a bath and go to bed, mommy?” he asked staring at his plate. “It’s not night time yet, honey” “I’m tired” he moaned. “Okay. Go get your pajamas and I’ll follow you upstairs” As I was running the bath my phone kept ringing. I checked the caller ID and it was Lars. I had a pretty good idea he couldn’t get through to James so he was ringing my phone. I put my phone on silent because I wasn’t in the mood of explaining why James wasn’t answering. “Why are you so tired, bud?” “I don’t know” he shrugged as I rinsed his hair. “Do you feel sick?” “No” he yawned. “I just want to sleep” “Alright let’s get you out” I lifted him out and dried Ollie off and he changed into Toy Story pajamas. As he pulled his top over his head I noticed some red marks on his chest. “Do you want me to read you a story?” he shook his head and climbed into bed. I stayed in the room with him until he fell asleep but it took longer than usual; he kept tossing and turning and scratching his chest. When he finally fell asleep I had a funny feeling I knew what Lars was calling about. I went downstairs and called him back. “Hello?” he answered. I could hear some stress in his voice and a kid crying in the background. “Hey. Are your kids okay?” “No! They are covered in chicken pox right now. I was calling you to tell you to keep an eye on Ollie” “It’s a bit late. He’s already started to come down with it. He’s scratching and really tired” “Yeah well just make sure you get the lotion on him as soon as possible…and tell Hetfield to answer his damn phone in future!” he shouted then hung up. After I finished talking to Lars I sent James a text telling him to call me as soon as possible. Then I called my dad to see if he had chicken pox before. Luckily enough he had so I could leave Ollie over there in case I was able to bring the twins home in the next few days. I was no medical expert but chicken pox couldn’t be good near two new born babies. I finally got to bed and was completely exhausted; mentally and physically. I already had two babies still in hospital but in the space of a few hours I had also gotten a three year old with chicken pox and a husband back in AA who never called me back. Things had to get better soon...they just had to. |
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| ZombieCake | August 19, 2013, 6:34 pm Post #258 |
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Blackened
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As soon as James would look at me deep in my eyes I wont be mad with him... So the baseball bats are for you!!! Hahaha. Poor ollie... Hope that he get better soon Funny lars, but he called too late. Hahaha.James have to come back soon. His family needs him. |
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| HellHathNoFury | August 19, 2013, 7:16 pm Post #259 |
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Poor Twisted Me
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They are for you AND James. Haha. They'd better be ok or I'm not putting it away! Poor Ollie
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| Metal_Psyche | August 20, 2013, 11:39 am Post #260 |
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Blackened
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Becca, don't make me join these girls and get my own bat out (for you). Sort this mess out!! I miss the love Glad Ruth has her parents around her and that she told her mum about James. It's better it's all out in the open I think. More please! |
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| -DJ- | August 23, 2013, 6:45 pm Post #261 |
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Blackened
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I believe this is the first time I've ever been threatened with bats during the writing of this Anyways, back to the fic...I tried my best to get a good night’s sleep but my mind was on overdrive thinking about all the stuff I had to do during the day ahead. I did manage to fall asleep at some stage but I was woken up by Ollie coming into my room crying at 5.30am. “Come here, honey” I told him. “My back…” he cried and climbed onto the bed. I turned on the bedside lamp and lifted his shirt to take a look. There were patches of redness on his stomach and the top of his back. I felt his forehead and he was boiling up. “Oh you’re not well at all are you?” “I want daddy” he rubbed his eyes. “I know but he’s not here right now. He’ll be back soon” “Can we call him?” “No. He’s really far away today” “Can I stay here?” “Sure. Try not to scratch, okay?” I spent most of the morning on the phone, trying to get hold of James and failing then organizing for Ollie to go and stay in my dad’s. After giving up on the hope of James answering his phone, I called his sponsor, Mark, and told him to meet me at the hospital at 2pm. Although I was extremely pissed at him over what he did during the past few days, I wasn’t about to stop him seeing his kids. I looked in the mirror before I left to bring Ollie to his grandpa’s and I looked exhausted. I couldn’t remember the last time I woke up feeling rested and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be anytime soon. After dropping a moody and drowsy Ollie off, I headed to the hospital to meet James. James was waiting on a bench outside the entrance to the hospital. He stared out in front of him at the traffic. He was so caught up in watching the cars pass by that he didn't notice me approach him. "Hey. How'd you get here?" "Oh uh, Mark dropped me off" "'k. Should we go in then?" He shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and followed me into the elevator to the third floor. A nurse recognised me and brought us into a room because the doctor wanted to talk to us. The same doctor that had looked after me came to see us in the room. James had hardly said two words to me since I had met him. “Mr. Hetfield, nice to see you around again. Busy?” the chirpy English doctor said. “Yeah…” James answered him coldly. “So how are you two?” “Coping” I stated. “Right well, I have some good news; you can take the twins home tomorrow” “Tomorrow?” “Yes. They’re doing very well by themselves now. They’ve got a fine set of lungs on them too” the doctor chuckled to himself. “Well that’s all from me but if you have any questions don’t hesitate to call us. You can go and see them now. Take care” Another nurse brought us down to see the twins in the same place they were last time. They weren’t in incubators anymore but in a normal crib laying side by side wrapped up in a blankets. Both of them were awake and seemed to be more alert. “Would you like to feed them?” the nurse looked at us both and smiled. “Sure” She put Grace in my arms and gave Aaron to James then gave us a small bottle of formula each. Once she saw we were comfortable, she left us alone. I wanted to talk to James but I also wanted to enjoy this moment. This was the first time things had been peaceful in about a week. I looked down at my daughter and smiled as I tried to wrap my head around dresses and princesses. She had huge deep blue eyes and dark hair. Her tiny fingers grabbed at my hand as I held the bottle. I was so caught up with looking at Grace that I hadn’t noticed James had put his son back down in the crib until I put her on my shoulder to burp her. “What’s wrong? Do you wanna swap? Wanna take her and I’ll take him?” “No…” he mumbled focusing on the floor. “What’s up then?” “I dunno…I’m just not in the right frame of mind to be doing this right now” “There’s only a little bit left in the bottle; can you finish feeding him? He needs to eat” he shook his head. “If you hold him and spend a little time with him you’ll feel better” Aaron whimpered from the crib. “Go on” I smiled and tried to encourage him as best I could in a situation like this. He took a deep breath and picked Aaron up again. He sucked on the bottle like it was the last thing he’d ever eat. “Whoa. Slow down, little dude” James told him. It was only a few minutes before the bottle was completely empty. He seemed to be a little more comfortable with his son as his big hand gently rubbed Aaron’s small back to get his wind up. We let the babies drift back to sleep in our arms before we left the hospital to pick them up tomorrow for good. Before we left I picked up something for Ollie in the hospital pharmacy so it’d save me driving to the drug store. James had stayed silent since we’d left the babies. “Do you want to come and see Ollie with me? He’s been asking for you” I asked as we reached my car. “I don’t know…I’m meant to go back to Mark’s to—“ “To what? To talk? Don’t you think it’s me you should be talking to?” I sighed realizing I sounded a little aggressive. “Look, I know what you did was wrong or whatever but you made a mistake and being away is hardly going to help us to get better; it’d just be avoiding the situation. And as messed up as things are right now, I want you around…we can go see Ollie, tell my mom to she can go home, maybe talk a little then get a good night’s sleep before the twins come home tomorrow and—“ “Alright” he shrugged and got into the passenger seat of the car. The short drive to my dad’s was silent. James either fidgeted with his hands or looked out the window. “Ready?” I inquired as we parked in front of my dad’s house. “Oh and you’ve had chicken pox before right?” He nodded slowly and got out of the car. I told him to stay on the porch of my dad’s until I called him so we could surprise Ollie. “Hey, bud. How are you feeling? I got something to help you” I kneeled in front of him and showed him the bottle of lotion as he slumped on the couch. “And I got someone who wants to see you” he still looked sad and sore as I tried to cheer him up. I waved at James to come in. “Look who’s here” James leaned down to hug Ollie but he moaned and squirmed out of his dad’s arms. “Did I hurt you?” “No…are you staying home now, daddy?” “Yeah. Let’s go upstairs and we’ll put this cream on you okay?” James took Ollie upstairs. I think bringing him to see his son was the right route to take; he could never manage to stay mad or quiet for too long around Ollie. “How are the twins?” my dad asked. “Good. They’re coming home tomorrow” “And James?” he raised an eyebrow. “He’s okay. We’re going to go home and sort things out” “…good” he said unconvinced. James carried Ollie downstairs and put him back on the couch. “Do I have to stay here, mom? I want to see the babies” “You have to stay here to get better, sweetie. The babies will be there when you come home okay? We’ll come see you tomorrow” I kissed his head and James hugged him, more gently this time, and we left. When we got home I told my mom she could go. I could tell she wasn’t too pleased with my decision to bring James back home and let her leave by the way she looked at me but I was confident this was for the best. “Do you want something to eat?” I asked once we were alone. “I can make—“ “No. I’m good. I’m going to take a shower. Then I’ll be upstairs” While James took his shower I went into the twins’ room to bring down the car seats and left them beside the door to leave tomorrow. I sorted through their onesies and tidied up the nursery in general. After that I waited restlessly in our room for James to come out. I wasn’t really sure how to approach the situation. I didn’t want to start yelling “you need to sort you’re shit out because you have a family” but I didn’t exactly want to tip-toe around the subject either. He came out from the bathroom around ten minutes later in fresh shorts with his hair still wet. He pulled on a tank top from the closet then sat on the other side of the bed expecting me to ask a question. “Do you feel any better?” I asked, not knowing what else to say. “What do you mean by that? Do you mean do I want to drink again?” “No. I mean do you feel better after talking to Mark or seeing Ollie or feeding Aaron?” “Yeah. I guess…and you deserve an apology too. I mean, I shouldn’t have acted like that…I should have been there” he confessed. “At least you realize you can’t go from one extreme to another. But you left a whiskey bottle in Ollie’s room. What was that about?” “I was just in there feeling sorry for myself…thinking about how all this shit happens to me but then later on I realized how lucky I actually am. Y’know, I’ve got three healthy, well two healthy kids with one covered in chicken pox and a wife who’s loyal but slightly insane” “I’m insane?” “Yeah…you’re still around after all the shit I put you through aren’t you?” “I’m not insane…yet. But a little bump in the road like this isn’t about to throw our marriage off course” “I’ll make all this up to you, I promise” “Make it up to me by promising you won’t do this again and also by letting me sleep in tomorrow” I yawned and got under the covers in bed. “I promise…you’re going to bed now? It’s not even six o’clock” “I. Am. Exhausted. Ollie had me up at like, 5am and I barely slept before that. I suggest you do the same, the twins are coming home tomorrow; god knows when we’ll get to sleep again” “I’m going to call Lars then I’ll be back” he kissed my forehead and left the room. “Love you” |
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| HellHathNoFury | August 23, 2013, 7:20 pm Post #262 |
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Poor Twisted Me
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I am glad he is home but he is still really frustrating me. I'll put away the baseball bat... for now. |
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| ZombieCake | August 23, 2013, 11:35 pm Post #263 |
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Blackened
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Yeah, baseball bat is down now but still beside me... James came back home, but there's still something wrong.with him, something that he dont wanna tell and he is hiding. At least he is at home now, hope that he find soon that he is a good dad and nothing is wrong. His family needs him, more than ever. Time to be strong Jamie. |
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| Metal_Psyche | August 25, 2013, 11:01 pm Post #264 |
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Blackened
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James you have A LOT of making up to do... Ruth has got to be one of the most patient and understanding women going! More please!
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| -DJ- | August 26, 2013, 5:19 pm Post #265 |
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Blackened
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I woke up the next morning without James beside me. I slept the whole night through so I wasn't sure if he came to bed at all. Despite the lack of James, I felt rested. When I looked at the alarm clock it was already 10.30am. I got up and grabbed some clothes and head to bathroom to take a shower. The warm water wad refreshing and soothing but I couldn't help thinking James and I hadn't talked properly last night. There were still some things I wanted to clarify. I dressed in a grey t-shirt and jeans that were beginning to fit me again. I quickly dried my hair with a towel then let my hair fall down my back and dry naturally. I found James flicking through an old car magazine at the kitchen table. He looked slightly more rested and less reserved than yesterday. "Morning" "Hey" "Did you come to bed last night?" I asked. "I did about 20 minutes after I told you I would. Why?" "Just...you weren't there when I woke up" "I couldn't go back asleep with you snoring" "Huh" I poured a glass of orange juice and sat opposite him at the table. "So, are you happy we talked last night?" "Yeah. Are you not?" his eyes flickered up from the magazine to meet my gaze. "Well...obviously it's good that we're communicating but if I'm honest, I'm still a little mad at you. I don't want to be but I can't help it" He sighed and closed over the magazine. "Okay. So tell why you're mad" "When I came home from the hospital you said if I didn't find you like that, you wouldn't have told me you drank. Did you really mean that?" "I wouldn't have told you because I'm ashamed I did it. I'm meant to be the man of the house; the person who takes charge of things but I let you, our kids and your parents down and I feel like shit because of it. I can't explain to you why I did it other than it was a moment of insanity. I don't expect you to understand because you're a stronger and more rational person than I am" "I really don't understand because throughout my pregnancy you were the calm one, you were the one that didn't freak out when we found out were having twins so I don't get why them being born a little early made you do this" “Ruth, I really don’t know. I’m begging you to just put this behind us. Please?” “And I want to put this behind us but…” “You think I’m going to drink again” he said quietly. “I don’t want to think it…but after rehab and that whole period we went through, I genuinely thought you’d never drink again no matter how bad the situation got. You know you can talk to me about anything so why didn’t you come and speak to me in the hospital and tell you me you felt like drinking? I could have helped” “Coulda, woulda, shoulda…” I rolled my eyes and got up from the table. I actually thought we were getting somewhere with this conversation. “Ruth, wait” he grabbed my hand as I passed and dragged me towards him. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve broken your trust and I’ll do my best to repair that” he sounded genuine and there was sincerity in his tired eyes. “I don’t want to feel like my family is falling apart anymore” I told him honestly. “And I don’t want you to self-destruct” “I don’t want you to feel like that either” he pulled me onto his lap. “I’m going to put this right. I swear” his hand that was stroking the bottom of my back was having a strange calming effect. I wanted to be mad but he wasn’t letting me. “You better because it’s felt like my brain was going to explode during this past week. I’m not going to be able to handle any more emotional stress” “You have my word. So, wanna go see Ollie then pick up the babies?” he suggested. Ollie was the same as he was yesterday when we went to visit; moody and itchy. Thankfully he hadn't gotten anymore spots overnight and he and James played with toy cars for a little while before he got too tired and needed a nap. My dad was like a saint the way he was looking after Ollie for us. From my dad’s we went to pick up the twins. The nurse gave us some tips for twins like how keeping them on a schedule was really important and that the beginning would be hard but it would get easier. After an fifteen minutes in the hospital car park arguing with two car seats we set off home from the hospital, hopefully for the last time. James smiled as he carried Grace into the house in the car seat for the first time and I followed him carrying Aaron. "I love that feeling" he said as if we’d done it ten times before. "What feeling?" "Bringing a baby home, well, two of them this time and knowing that they’re healthy" "Let's see if you're still smiling tomorrow morning" We transferred the babies from the car seats to two seats on the floor that they were strapped into that James rocked with his foot as he watched ESPN. I made a list of times for them to be fed, times when they slept, bathed and got changed. I made two bottles so both babies could be fed at the same time. I wondered how much more difficult this would get when James would be away for the summer. I knew that I’d have my parents but I hated calling on them, there was always an element of guilt when I needed anything. Both of them were retired now and meant to be enjoying it but instead they seemed to be coming to our rescue a lot. I liked the idea of being a strong, independent mom who was able to cope on her own. I put two bottles on the coffee table and got two bibs from the babies’ bag. “Okay so do you want to feed her or him?” “Grace. I haven’t fed her yet” I took her out of her seat and put her in James’ arms. He took the bottle from the table and he attempted to feed her but she fussed in his arms. “Just cradle her for a little while and she’ll settle” I told him as I picked up a more than alert Aaron. And she did. A few minutes later she was grabbing his fingers as she sucked on the bottle like she did with me yesterday. Meanwhile I was caught up with imagining what kind of punk haircut Aaron would have. “Does it feel different having a daughter?” I asked him. “Kind of. I feel like I need to protect her more” “From boys?” “From everything. But I’m looking forward to it…mainly because you’ll have to deal with girly things like fairy tales and stuff” he laughed. “If I have my way, she’ll be a total tomboy” “Not if I have anything to do with it. You’re gonna be a princess aren’t you?” he spoke lovingly to his daughter. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. James amazingly volunteered to change the first diaper when the time came. We went upstairs around 8pm and put the twins down to sleep keeping to the schedule I made earlier. It wouldn’t be an easy night by any means but while James watched tv in our room I tried to get some sleep. “Jesus, that’s loud!” James woke me about half an hour after I fell asleep after getting a fright from the loudness of the cries coming from the baby monitor. “Want me to go?” I asked. “No. I got it” he said and walked to the twins’ room. Twenty minutes later James still wasn’t back so I followed him to the room. I saw him standing at the diaper changing table. “Who was it?” “Aaron” he answered me quietly with a shaky breath. “Want help?” I noticed he was struggling to close the buttons on Aaron’s pajamas. As I stepped closer to him I saw his hands were shaking. He knew I noticed when his eyes met mine. “It’s okay, let me finish it” I waited until Aaron went back to sleep to go and tend to James. I didn’t think one drinking binge after years could have this effect. I guess it was a shock to his system. Our system. When I went back to the bedroom he was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. “It’ll go away” I promised him as I took his hand and sat beside him. “What have I done…” |
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| HellHathNoFury | August 26, 2013, 9:54 pm Post #266 |
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Poor Twisted Me
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Poor Jamie I still get the feeling he isn't telling her something though.
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| ZombieCake | August 26, 2013, 10:34 pm Post #267 |
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Blackened
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James was so cute with all his help. And Ruth undestood and forgave James....And thr babies are so cuteee <3 But poor James at the end
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| Metal_Psyche | August 27, 2013, 7:25 am Post #268 |
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Blackened
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Things are getting better but I still feel unsteady about James now considering how quick and easy he snapped. They definitely need to get back to communicating fully again. Goes without saying that I want more right?
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| denisant89 | August 27, 2013, 12:04 pm Post #269 |
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Frantic
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I hope he overcomes this.
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| -DJ- | September 1, 2013, 6:45 pm Post #270 |
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Blackened
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The rest of that night was pretty difficult for both of us. Between getting up and tending to the twins every hour or so, I also tried to get James to talk to me and tried to figure out why his hands were shaking and why it was only starting to happen now. The only vague explanation he gave me was that that was one of the consequences of abusing your liver so much in two days. Between being tired mentally and emotionally, talking wasn’t really on the cards. Rather than being angry with him, I felt sorry for him. During the two weeks that followed he was almost reluctant to pick up a baby or hold a bottle unless I was around. It was pretty much the exact opposite of how he was when Ollie was born; instead of being actively involved, he stood on the sidelines and watched me do a lot of the stuff even though he desperately wanted to help. But as the days passed, things got better. He kept in contact with his sponsor over the phone most nights. I felt like the James I had married was coming back around…just a little bit more slowly than I would have liked. The time finally came for Ollie to come home from my dad’s and I agreed to pick him up. I couldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t a little bit nervous leaving James on his own with the twins even though it was only for an hour but I trusted him. “So you’ll be alright on your own?” I grabbed my car keys from the coffee table. “Yeah, I got it” he said confidently as he held Aaron. “Do you have the thing for your dad?” “It’s in the car. I won’t be long” I kissed his cheek and then left for my dad’s. When I arrived at my dad’s Ollie opened the door for me and immediately jumped into my arms. “Hey, you! Are you all better now?” I asked him and he nodded enthusiastically back to me grinning. Thankfully all his spots had gone and he was full of energy again. “Tell your grandpa I’m here then get your bag so we can go” I put him down and he ran upstairs. My dad came downstairs about a minute later. “Hey, honey. How are things at home?” “They’re okay. We have a routine going so it’s not that bad” “And James? I know he hasn’t been himself lately” my dad fixed his moustache as he approached the subject with caution. “He’s good, we’re working on things. We got you this” I handed him an envelope. It was a coupon for a place that cleans and polishes guns or something. “Just a thank you because you’ve been so good to us” “You didn’t have to. We had fun didn’t we, pal?” he spoke to Ollie who was coming down the stairs. “Yeah. Grandpa’s going to get me a dog!” “Well, we’ll see about that. Come by at the weekend and see the babies” I hugged my dad, said goodbye and got Ollie into the car. “Are you excited to see your brother and sister?” I spoke to him as we drove. “Yeah…and daddy” After a car journey where most of the conversation was about transformers, dinosaurs and cartoons we finally arrived home. Ollie ran straight to find his dad and he stopped when he reached the couch in the living room. I went over to both of them and James was feeding Grace. Aaron was already in a post-feeding slumber in his seat on the floor. I don’t think Ollie really knew how to react to his new brother and sister; his expression was unsure at most. I picked him up and sat him beside James on the couch. “Do you want to help me?” James asked him. Ollie slowly moved closer to him. “Hold the bottle, bud” he took the bottle and looked at his sister. “Will she get bigger?” “Of course she will but not for a little while” “Grandpa said he’s getting us a dog” he told James excitedly. “Did he…” “Yeah. It’s gonna be a really big one” “Is that a good idea? A really big dog around two babies?” “Well, we can get a baby dog so it’ll be small too” James just laughed off his explanation while he burped Grace. One thing that fascinated me about Ollie was his ability to have an answer for everything. “What else did you do at grandpa’s?” “He taught me how to count to ten thousand and he showed me how to play poker. I won two dollars” “He showed you how to gamble?” I asked thinking he was safe in my dad’s. The only reason I didn’t send him to my mom’s was because I was afraid he’d come home and like Elvis. “What does gambling mean?” he inquired innocently. “So will you show me how to play when the babies are sleeping?” James smirked over at his gambling son. “Sure” The rest of the day was pretty hectic; when Ollie was hungry, the twins needed their diapers changed, when the twins slept, Ollie wanted to go swimming in the pool. It seemed someone needed to be fed or needed to bathe or just wanted some attention every time I turned my head. Sticking to a rigid routine might turn out to be a little harder than first expected. Around 9pm everything settled down after our first day as a proper, five person family. I took the opportunity to shower then lie on our bed next to James waiting for the baby monitor to sound. “Kirk called while you were out earlier” he told me. “Oh? What did he say?” “He wants me to go to HQ tomorrow to drop off demos and riff tapes for the new album and discuss tour dates with them” “That makes sense since you’re writing the new album. You should take Ollie; he loves going to work with you” “Well I wasn’t going to go actually” he muttered staring at the ceiling. “Why not?” “I’m just not really in the mood to be around them right now” Right after he said that I had déjà vu. I was thrown back to four years ago when I had to get him to go back to the band and I hadn’t got the time or energy to do that all over again. I honestly thought he’d be itching to escape the madness of the house for a few hours. “Look, if you don’t do this one thing, you won’t go back at all. It’ll only be for a few hours then you come home to us. You don’t have to tell them that you drank, I won’t tell them either” “And what if they ask why I haven’t been in contact with them?” “Then you tell them that you were looking after your wife and kids because you just got two new babies. They can’t say anything to you about that” “But that’s the thing; I haven’t been doing that, have I?” he sighed. “You were fine on your own today, James. You’re doing your best and that’s good enough for me. I don’t want to force you into doing anything you don’t want to, but I honestly think it’s for the best that you get back to work too” “I’ll see what I feel like doing in the morning” “Just think how fun not changing diapers will be, no one will be puking or drooling on you, you won’t have to feed anyone…except Ollie if you bring him but he’ll just get moody and let you know that he’s hungry anyways…” “And Lars will be there and—“ “Yes, Lars will be there and he’ll play drums and you’ll play guitar and everyone will be happy. Sound good?” Usually it was James talking me into doing something I didn’t want to do but this needed to happen. “Okay fine. I’ll go” he said defeated. “One day you’ll thank me” I smiled. |
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Funny lars, but he called too late. Hahaha.

8:41 PM Jul 10