I Could Rest Beneath Your Smile

There was a knock on the door, and Tia slowly got up to answer it. Jocelyn walked in, giving her a small smile. “You wanna tell me what the other day was all about?” she asked her, referring to the fight between Tia and Brooklyn.

“I already apologized to Brooklyn,” Tia told her, shutting the door and walking over to the couch. “I told her I was completely out of line, and that I shouldn’t have said the things that I did. I really am sorry about saying those things to her. She told me she forgave me, but I’m sure she hasn’t yet. I said some pretty awful things to her,” Tia said, bringing her knees up to her chest.

Jocelyn nodded. “Brook told me that you went over and apologized to her. But, that wasn’t what I was asking about. I wanted to know what was going on with you. Why’d you say those things in the first place?” Jocelyn asked.

“It’s a personal issue,” Tia told her. “I personally don’t believe in divorce, and I don’t think she and Max should go that far. They should try to work things out, not only because they love each other, even if Brooklyn says she hates him right now, but for those kids, too,” Tia explained.

“I don’t disagree,” Jocelyn told her, and Tia quickly looked up, surprised by her statement. She had assumed that Jocelyn would automatically side with her sister. “Don’t look so surprised,” Jocelyn said with a small laugh when she saw Tia’s face. “Yes, Max made a terrible mistake. But, they can work things out. And, they need to for the kids. I mean, look at Elise. She just got out of the hospital. She needs both of her parents there at all times. The same goes for Noah. It wouldn’t be fair for the two of them to grow up without both of their parents there for them at all times.”

“Have you told Brooklyn this?” Tia asked.

Jocelyn slowly shook her head. “Tia, I have to side with Brooklyn. She’s my sister, and I have to support her no matter what, even if I don’t agree with what she’s saying. I’m going to try to convince her to try other things before going straight to a divorce. But, no matter what, she’s still my sister.”

“I just hope she realizes that divorce isn’t the best option. Especially when she’s this angry. I don’t want her to file for a divorce and then realize two months from now that her and Max really do belong together. They need to try to work things out.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jocelyn promised. “I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing. I mean, the last time I saw you, you had screamed at Brook, and she had kicked you out of the house. Sid told me that there was more to the story than I knew, but he wouldn’t go into details,” she said.

“Jocelyn, I’ll tell you someday. It’s just something personal,” she told her.

Jocelyn nodded her head. “I understand,” she said. She glanced at her watch, seeing what time it is. “And, I hate to come and run, but I have to get over to Brooklyn’s and pick up the kids so I can take them over to Sid’s so Max can pick them up for the weekend.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Tia questioned, and Jocelyn shook her head. “Brooklyn seriously won’t even let him come home to pick up the kids? That’s ridiculous!”

“I told her it was, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She just kept telling me that she didn’t want to see him, and that this was the best for both of them,” Jocelyn told her, walking to the door.

“And what about the kids?” Tia asked. “What’s best for them?”

“I’m working on Brooklyn. But, you have to know that she’s as stubborn as hell. She’s not going to budge for a while.”

Tia sighed. “I know. I just hope it’s not too late,” she told her.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Jocelyn said. “I’ll see you later,” she added, walking out the door.

***

Max ran to the door, quickly opening it and letting Sid in before he ran back to finish changing Noah. “How was last night?” Sid asked, glancing around the hotel suite that Max had been staying in since Brooklyn had kicked him out. Sid had offered to let Max stay at his place, especially since he had the kids for the weekend, but Max had refused, telling Sid that they would be just fine in the suite.

“I think they planned it all so that when one wasn’t crying the other one was,” Max muttered, putting pants back on Noah after changing his diaper. “Seriously, I think I got maybe two hours of sleep max last night.”

“They probably miss their mother,” Sid said without thinking. Max glared at him, and Sid repeated what he had just said in his head. “Max, I’m sorry,” he quickly apologized. “I didn’t even think about what I was saying.”

“It’s fine,” Max muttered.

“Have you tried talking to Brooklyn?” Sid asked cautiously, not wanting to upset Max any more.

“I’ve tried calling her a few times, but she won’t pick up. I’m pretty sure she’s screening my calls,” Max sighed, picking Elise up in his arms and making funny faces at her until she started giggling.

Sid smiled at the two of them. “Jocelyn’s been trying to talk to her, but she says that every time she mentions your name that Brook changes the subject.”

“Why am I so stupid?” Max asked. “If I wasn’t such an idiot, I wouldn’t be sitting her in damn hotel room, trying to take care of my two children with my wife, who hates me and won’t talk to me, nowhere near here. Why do I fuck up so badly?” Max questioned.

“Max, you’ve got to stop being so hard on yourself. Yes, you made a mistake, but you’ve learned from it, and you’re never going to make it again.”

“God knows I’ll never do that again,” Max mumbled.

“Just give Brooklyn some times. She’ll come to her senses,” Sid assured him just as there was a knock on the door. “Did you order room service or something?” Sid asked him, walking to the door to answer it since Max had Elise in his arms. Max shook his head, and Sid looked at him curiously before opening the door. “Tia, what are you doing here?” he asked, seeing her standing outside.

“Kris and I came to see the twins,” Tia replied as Kris came into view behind her. “And, we wanted to make sure that Max had everything under control,” she added as she walked further into the suite to see Max playing with both Elise and Noah. “It seems that you do,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, except for the fact that I barely slept at all,” Max told her.

“Max, I know I’ve asked you this a million times, but are you sure that living out of a suitcase in a hotel room is the best thing? And, especially when you have the kids?” Tia asked.

“Tia, in case you forgot, Brook kicked me out of the house,” Max reminded her.

“And, Sid offered you a place to stay,” Tia argued.

“I’m fine,” Max assured her. “Really. I’ve got my kids with me, and I’m happier than I have been in the past week.”

“I’m glad,” Tia said sincerely.

***

Max yawned, wishing that he could get Noah and Elise to sleep. He glanced at the clock to see that it was two in the morning. He sighed, realizing he was going to be terrible at practice the following morning. Jocelyn was supposed to come back and pick Noah and Elise up before he had to go to practice.

Now, he only wished that the twins would stop crying and just fall asleep. He had a child in each arm, bouncing them up and down gently, trying to rock them to sleep. But, nothing was helping as they continued crying. He was just waiting on one of his neighbors to get tired of hearing the twins and call down to the front desk, complaining of the noise.

Not knowing what else to do, he remembered something that his mother had always done when he and his brothers couldn’t go to sleep. He quickly began singing softly. “Dodo, l’enfant do. L’enfant dormira bien vite. Dodo, l’enfant do. L’enfant dormira bientôt.” The twins quieted down, and Max repeated the lyrics until they finally fell asleep. He kissed each of them on the forehead before placing them in the crib that sat in the corner of his bedroom. “Bonne nuit,” he whispered before crawling into bed himself and drifting off to sleep.