Chapter 65: Chapter 65

"Mommy!" I hear yelling as well as loud running footsteps. Kara, Kyle and Willow come running into the kitchen. "Can you finish the story?"

"Not yet, we gotta wait for daddy and Milly." I dry my hands and lean down to pick up Willow. "Where's Landon?" I ask to go into the living room. I sigh when I see him sitting in front of the TV playing video games. Just like he's been doing with every minute of free time he gets.

"Come on, go outside and run around, get dirty." I put Willow down next to Landon.

"But this level is really hard and I can't-" I cut him off by turning off the TV and giving him a no arguing look. "Fine, I'll go outside."

"Be a good brother and take your sister to the swing set." I say handing him Willow.

"Really? It's bad enough I can't finish my game." I put my hands on my hips. "You know what? I have a sudden urge to push my little sister on the swing." He says picking up Willow and walking to the front door.

"Smart." I call out with a chuckle.

Kyle and Kara follow them out and go to the play structure. I go back into the kitchen to finish the dishes. The doors open so I can hear them and I pause every other dish to look out the window. Yes I'm a paranoid mother.

Once I finish the dishes I set the timer on my phone and put the hot dish in the oven before going outside to sit on the porch and watch my kids play. Landon brings Willow over to me before going back to play tag with Kyle and Kara. Willow makes herself comfortable on my lap and almost falls asleep.

A few minutes later I see Milly run in and tag Kyle. Mark walks over to me and kisses Willow's head then me. "How was work?" I ask.

"Really good. I'll let Milly tell you about it. She was really happy on the way home." Mark sits next to me and puts his arm around me.

"Good." I smile leaning into it.

"Daddy." Willow says sitting up and reaching for Mark. I chuckle and hand her to him.

The timer goes off my phone and I get up to take the hot dish out of the oven. "Land." I yell out the door, "Come set the table please." I say walking back into the house to put Milly's birthday cake in the oven. I set another timer and still no Landon. "Landon Michael Hernandez got in this house and set the table!"

"Yes ma'am." He says dropping the ball and coming into the house.

"Smart." Mark says to him as he passes.

As Landon avoids eye contact while setting the table, I finish the salad and put the hot dish on the table. I grab the knife and go to the table to cut it into pieces. "Can you tell them supper is ready?" I ask. He nods and goes to the door to yell out. Everyone comes running in and takes their seat. I bring the salad and put it on the table as I sit down. "Should we sing happy birthday?" I smile looking over to Milly.

"Mom, please." She begs.

"Of course." I say comforting. "Happy birthday to you." Everyone joins in. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Milly. Happy birthday to you."

"And many more!" The twins chorus.

"Thanks." She says through a firm smile. "Now can we eat and get the attention off of me."

"Dig in everyone." Mark chuckles, giving Milly a half hug.

I put a small piece on Willows plate then the twins and myself. Mark gets Landon, Milly and himself while I give them salad. "Can you pass the garlic bread mom?" Kyle asks. I hand it to him and turn my glance over to Milly.

"What?" She asks, freezing as her pizza hot dish falls off her fork and back onto her plate.

"I know I said I wouldn't put all the attention on you but I have to know." I plead.

"Know what?" She asks with a worried face.

"How was today?" I blurt out.

Her eyes widen as everyone looks at her. She takes a breath. "Well, dad uh... we uh..."

"Come on Mil, you were so happy earlier in the car." Mark butts in.

"I know I just can't think right now." She shrugs.

"It's ok. You can tell me later." I say putting my hand on her shoulder.

Kara and Kyle take turns telling a story they made up in the tree house today. Landon asks about going to John's house. Willows singing the song she learned yesterday at preschool.

The timer goes off about twenty minutes later and I go take the cake out and put it in the freezer. "Everyone please help clear the table." I say walking back to the dining room and grabbing the hot dish. I put the leftovers in a container while Mark and Landon do the dishes. The twins bring the dishes and Milly cleans up Willow.

After everything is done everyone else goes into the living room to watch a movie while I finish off the cake. I join them in the living room then Mark and I go into the kitchen to set up the cake and grab ice cream for everyone.

"Happy Birthday to you." I start while Mark turns off the lights. I put the cake down on the coffee table in front of where Milly is sitting with Willow on her lap. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Milly again. Happy birthday to you again." We all finish and look at the twins.

"And many more, again." They chorus just like during dinner.

"Make a wish." Landon smiles at his sister.

She blows out the candles and everyone claps including Willow with her curly hair bouncing up and down. Mark and I dish up the kids cake and ice cream before we finish the movie.

A little after dessert Mark put Willow to bed. By the time the movies are over everyone including Mark and I are yawning. "Mommy?" Kara asks through a yawn.

"Yes?" I answer.

"Can you finish the story now?" I groan slightly at her timing.

"I promise we'll finish it tomorrow after you all get home from school." I say getting up and pulling Kyle to me where he basically falls asleep.

"But you said tonight." She whines. "And we don't have school tomorrow."

"You decided you wanted to watch a movie." I completely ignore the no school thing because I don't want to face the fact of my lack of an internal calendar. "It's too late now, you wouldn't make it very long. Then your dad and I would have to carry you up to your rooms and that wouldn't be fun for us." I explained. "So get up and get to bed because the faster you get to sleep, the sooner you can wake up and we can finish the story." I smile at her holding my hand out to her.

She takes it and I pull her into me next to her brother. "Deal." She sighs into me as I walk with them like that until the stairs.

Mark said goodnight to Landon and Milly already so he follows me into the twins room where we tuck one of them in and switch. We go to the bedroom door and say goodnight before shutting the door.

"I might be asleep by the time you get to bed so goodnight here." Mark says hugging me then kissing me.

"Goodnight." I smile into the kiss before Mark goes to our room and I make my way to Landon's. "Hey bud." I whisper going into his room.

"Hey mom." He says sitting up. I walk further and sit on his bed. "Sorry for the way I acted today." He says shrinking back.

"It's ok Land. I was just overwhelmed with a few things today." I smile, smoothing out his hair.

"I love you." He says through a yawn while laying back down.

"Love you too." I smile, kissing his temple before getting up and closing the door behind me. I walk into Milly's room.

"I thought you'd be coming by!" She says still with her lamp on and sitting up with a book.

"I'm your mother and it's your birthday." I reason in a duh tone.

"Besides I always say goodnight when I can." I move to her bed and sit at the end of it.

"You want to hear about today don't you?" She asks, chuckling.

"Yes, very much so please." I smile big, crossing my legs.

She chuckles and copies my posture. "When we left we went to the diner we always go to and he had a coffee cake and balloons for me there like the Gilmore Girls episode. After we shared it we went to the hospital not too far from there and brought our instruments up to the patient lounge. Dad took requests and I sang and everyone joined in. Then I got to do my solo song!" She pauses.

"Did you play your ukulele?" I ask.

She nods. "I did the intro and then started to sing. When I got to the second verse dad came in on his guitar and harmonized with me. The parents and older patients were so moved some cried. The kids couldn't stop smiling. I even got a standing ovation." She beams.

"Really?" I ask. She bites her lip and somehow her smile gets bigger. "I'm so proud of you, and you should be too."

"I am. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm excited to go to school Monday and audition for the talent show." She yawns and blinks slowly.

I smile at her and get up. "So overall you had fun." I smile at her , kissing her head.

"I'm not done yet." She says grabbing my arm as I try to go towards the door.

"You're tired. You need sleep." I stay standing.

"Just let me finish, I'm almost done." She begs.

I sigh and sit back down. "Ok."

"So when I finished the song I let some of the kids my age hold my ukulele and taught them a few cords. They complimented me and I got a little uncomfortable so I went to the bathroom and left my uku with dad." She yawns again.

"Wrap it up honey, you're stalling now." I say rubbing the back of my neck and yawning myself now.

"Fine." She smiles. "So I ran into this nurse and she asked if I was lost. I told her no but she walked back with me to dad. She looked at dad like she knew him. She asked me if I was his daughter and when dad turned around he smiled and gave the nurse a hug." I cut her off before she can continue.

"Again wrap it up soon." I yawn again. "You're like me over explaining every single detail."

"Stop interrupting and this'll go faster." She gives me a look. I put my hands up in defense.

"So apparently she was dad's nurse when he was in a coma 13 years ago." She says smiling. "She said you really helped her."

"Really?" I asked, confused. "She was the one who helped me."

"Well I wasn't there because I wasn't born yet but she told me and very convincingly if I may add that you helped her." She smiles.

"Ok, is your story done now?" I ask with a sigh.

"Yes." She smirks. I roll my eyes and get up. I kiss her on the head and go towards the door. "Mom." She calls out. I stop and look at her. "I love you."

"I love you too honey." I smile and open the door. "Happy birthday." I say before closing the door and going to bed.

I walk in and Mark's reading in bed. "Hey." He smiles. I don't respond and just go into the closet to grab pajamas then go to the bathroom to wash my tired face. "I get nothing?" He asks when I come back.

"I'm tired after listening to our daughter's story about her day on top of Landon being a little annoying the whole day, the twins bugging me about finishing the story and... well we both know Willow was an angel." I shrug flopping onto the bed face first.

Mark reaches over and rubs my back. "Goodnight."

"I love you." I sigh looking over to him still lying on my stomach.

"Love you too." He smiles, removing his hand and I'm guessing going back to his book. I don't know because I fell asleep.

I wake up early and I hear Willow drumming on her headboard. I chuckle and walk over to her room. "Honey, you know you can come out right?" I asked, walking over.

"It's more fun if you come get me though." She smiles while stretching.

I chuckle again and we finish our morning routine off with a kiss on each cheek from her and one on the head from me. We go out to the kitchen and she sits on one of the bar stools while I make pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

"I smell bacon!" Milly says running down the stairs and stealing a piece.

"Hey, save it for breakfast." I say slapping her hand away. I'm having a flashback.

"Are you gonna finish the story today?" She asks sitting next to Willow, giving her a small piece of the bacon she stole.

"Morning." Kara walks in and Milly hands her a piece too.

"I've said and realized this before but the women in this house are always the first ones up." Milly says smiling, finishing up her bacon.

"If you're so awake, come help me with the pancakes." I say nodding over to the griddle. She chuckles and comes to help.

When everything's ready and Kara has set the table, she and Milly take Willow up stairs to wake up Mark while I gently wake up Landon and Kyle. They both wake up grouchy but as soon as I mention bacon and chocolate chip pancakes they perk up and bolt down to the kitchen. When I walk out I see Mark rubbing his eyes while he's walking down the stairs. He's the one who perks up not at the mention but after the fact he has his coffee. I kiss his cheek and chuckle at the sight of him before going to sit at the table.

"Mom." Kara drags out. I know what's coming. I sigh and look over to her. "Can you finish the story?" She says through a smile.

I chuckle. "Where were we?" I ask.

"You know exactly where we were mom, you're the one with the photographic memory." I roll my eyes at my smart mouth of a daughter. "So after I told him I was pregnant we went with Abby and Charlie to dinner with Abby's parents as a buffer for them." I say take a drink of my juice.

"Why did they need a buffer?" Landon asks with a mouth full of pancake.

"Well, Abby's parents weren't too keen with the idea of her having a baby when she wasn't married." Mark explains for me.

"So what happened?" Kyle asks.

"Well it was a couple months down the road from when I told him. Almost everyone important to me knew about it. I was showing and not really liking it but there was no way of hiding it. So we were walking into the restaurant and we saw them and walked over. Abby smiled over to us and stood up to introduce us. 'Mom, dad these are our friends, Alyanna and Mark.! She smiled.

"Oh nice to meet you.' She smiled and I realized that that's where Abby gets her smile. I held out my hand and she took it. I did the same with Abby's dad and we sat down to eat. 'So Alyanna, how long have you and Mark been together?' She asks.

"We've been together for four years but married for a little over a year." I smile at her not eating the slimy mess in front of me. Mark was smart and got a fancy looking burger. He was nice enough to trade with me."

"Mom, less details." Milly says take more bacon.

"Well I'm not exactly sure what to have in the story." I shrug. "We've been through the true story of our engagement, our wedding, the birth of Lexi, my cancer, my cancer treatment, my cancer ending, our first 'I love you', we've been through almost everything." I shrug.

"No you haven't." Milly scolds. "What about the journey of your pregnancy?"

"That's a different story." I say with a sigh.

"Then tell a different story!" She begs.

"That's for another time." I say getting up and putting my plate in the sink.

Milly follows me. "Please mom." She begs even further.

"Milly. No! This story has been going on ever since you asked for it last year for your birthday." I begin to aggressively wash the dishes.

"Then this year I want that story." She says try one last time.

I let out an exaggerated groan/sigh and rub my face before turning to the audience I call my family. "Next weekend, after your dad and I get back from the annoying boring meeting we're required to go to, I am going to relax with Abby and Maya at the spa. After that I am coming home and sleeping for as long as I can and not making breakfast, lunch, or dinner the whole day. Then the whole next day I will tell the story of my experience during all of my pregnancies."

Everyone's still for a few moments before Milly practically jumps into my arms and screams a million thank yous into my ear. "Yay!" She smiles, catching her breath.

"Until then. I don't want to hear anything about stories." I say with a straight face.

Landon suddenly smirks. "Yes ma'am." I burst out laughing and soon we all are except

Willow who is very confused.

"Did I miss something?" Will asks in her little four year old voice.

"I'll catch you up next time." I smile, giving her a kiss on the head.