Tell Me It's Not Too Late

"Hails, baby, baths are fun!" Zach tried to explain to the little girl, her blonde hair with light streaks of brown, falling down around her face. Her usually adorable featured held a nasty scowl for a two year old, directed at her father who sighed from his crouch in front of her.

"Dad, I hate da baths." She snapped at him, causing me to duck behind the door frame and let out a silent chuckle. Hailed had such an attitude, and although I was her mother, there were some times that I couldn't help but laugh. When I tilted my head back in the bathroom, Hailey was still glaring at her dad with those stunning blue eyes. "No dad. No bath." She demanded to her father's pleas once again. Zach sighed defeatedly, glancing over his shoulder at me.

"Mama, feel free to help anytime now." He insisted.

"Oh no. You insisted this was easy stuff. Show me up, big guy." I winked, a smirk twisting my lips Zach let out a huff, brown eyes pleading me to drop this little game.

"Papa, hurry up. I wanna play with you." My five year old muttered, giving his sister a slight glare.

"Tanner, why don't we go play while daddy gets Hails squeaky clean?"

"Yous gonna be playing for awhile mommy." Hailey informed me, crossing her arms tighter over her chest while throwing me an unamused look.

"Oh Hailey; start being nice to your daddy. He's leaving tomorrow for a few weeks." I reminded her, watching her whole body melt as she flung herself into Zach's open arms. If there was one thing Hailey hated more than baths, it was Zach leaving her.

"You said you weren't leaving for awhile!" She screamed into his shoulder, eyes crying fat tears.

"Baby girl, that was a week and a half ago. I wasn't leaving for awhile, but now I am." He murmured quietly, kissing her temple as she sobbed into his body. I motioned to Tanner, taking his hand and heading downstairs after giving Zach a good luck look. I didn't want to make Hailey upset, but it would make her much more manageable for Zach at this point.

"What do you want to do bud?" I asked Tanner once we made it down the stairs and into the living room.

"I wanna watch a movie." He mumbled, eyes droopy as he looked up at me.

"You were going to watch a movie with dad?" I asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"No, but I want to snuggle, mom." H stated, brown eyes soft and full of love. I smiled at my patient little boy. These past two years hadn't been easy for him. Hailey needed so much attention which meant Zach and I had to push Tanner to the side at times. I wish I knew how to make it up to him. But Tanner always said he didn't mind.

"Pick a movie then." I gestured to the large movie case.

A hour and a half into The Lion King, Zach came down the stairs with a sleepy two year old who probably demanded to "play" with daddy too. I smiled at the other two loves in my life, making room for them b moving Tanner into my lap. I frowned at his weight, wishing he wasn't too big for me to lift and carry.

"How did it go?" I wondered, looking at my husband who looked worn out from Hailey; she had a tendency to do that to others.

"Alright. I just asked her to do me a favor before I left. I gave her a couple toys which kept her busy enough. But she sure knows how to make me feel guilty." Zach sighed, looking over at Tanner. "I'm sorry we couldn't play on the x-box, bud. When I get home, I promise." Tanner nodded without emotion, probably sick of the promises and disappointment. I looked over at Zach who didn't miss Tanner's void of emotion reaction. I looped my arms around Zach's neck, kissing his cheek. He tried to smile, but it failed to even tilt his mouth.

This was usually what nights were like before Zach left. I just hoped tomorrow wasn't one of those same type of mornings. But something told me I wasn't going to get that lucky.
***

"I'll be home soon, honey. You don't need to cry." Zach tried to tell Hailey as Tanner waited calmly and patiently for his turn to say goodbye.

"No! You're going to be gone forever." She wailed, sobbing almost uncontrollably. Zach bit his lip, eyes wide as he glanced at the clock.

"Tanner, come here." Zach insisted, wrapping him up with his sister. "Just like always, you're the man of the house. Help mom take care of Hailey. Can you do that for me?" Zach asked. Tanner smiled at him as he stood up, ready to hand a still sobbing little girl to me.

"I love you, Hails. Be good for mom."

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed, flailing around, twisting to try and make Zach hang on to her.

"Hailey." Zach stated sternly, holding her close until she stopped squirming. "You need to calm down."

"Daddy, don't leave! I'll be good! I promise if you stay, I'll be good." She finished, her voice falling from a loud ring to a low whimper. I watched Zach's heart break as he pulled her away to look into her blue eyes, swimming with large tears.

"Hails, it's not about how good you are. Dad has to go play hockey. Mommy will still be here." As he was explaining to her, he set her tiny body into my arms. He kissed us both on the cheek and then threw Tanner into his arms before giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, all three of you." He murmured, picking up his bag and turning towards the door.

"Hailey, let's go make cookies! Doesn't that sound fun!?" I asked, looking to Tanner who caught on. He began to cheer, looking up at Hailey with a bright smile while Zach slipped through the front door.

"Can I put sprinkles on?" She wondered. "I'm only gonna help if I can put on pink sprinkles." I smiled, hearing the car spark up outside and tickling her pot belly stomach to make her squeal loudly.

"Of course."
***

The next two days were busy as I tried to keep both Tanner and Hailey occupied as well as I could. Hailey still had her dramatic moments, once at the zoo and the other at the mall. Her tempertantrums caused us to leave early which then upset Tanner/ There was no way for me to win, no matter what, one of my kids was always unhappy. Tonight was Zach's first game on his road trip to Caroling to play the Hurricanes. The kids were so excited to watch dad play that they barely ate any of their dinner, spaghettios and hot dogs. We all sat cozily in our living room, the fireplace heating the room. Our bodies were draped in our Parise jerseys, all set for the puck to drop.

"Dad! Mom, look! It's daddy!" Hailey exclaimed, pointing and patting my arm.

"I see, baby girl."

"He misses me. He said it today." She murmured, smiling when she thought about her phone call to Zach. He had been surprised to hear her voice from the phone, about as surprised as I was to see her talking on my cell phone.

"He misses all of us." I smiled at Tanner who grinned at me, already used to Hailey's selfish attitude.

The puck dropped in Raleigh, the conversation dying as we all focused on the black rubber disk bouncing around on the ice. The Devils came out ready to play while the Hurricanes started out lazy. The game quickly became boring, the Devils banging home three goals in the first period. Zach scored the second goal, causing both my babies to squeal with excitement. I joined in, watching as Zach pumped fists with his line of teammates. The second period, the score remained the same, but the Hurricanes began to get cheap, hitting the Devils into the boards a little too roughly for my liking.

By the time the third period rolled around, I was nervous wreck sitting on the couch, both of my children clutched tightly to my chest. I saw what was going to happen even before it did. Zach was hustling into the corner, so was the Hurricane defensemen, but Zach was in front. The D hit Zach from behind and into the boards, sending my husband rocking forward into the boards before he hit the ice. I felt disgust sliding down my body as I watched the guy try to defend his actions, my blood boiling beneath my skin.

I looked down at my kids, noticing how Tanner looked curious while Hailey was too tired to know who was laying on the ice. I quickly muted the TV so they wouldn't say his name, watching the replay even though I didn't want to. I read the subtitles, seeing the trainer come onto the ice and tend to Zach. The station went to a commercial break and I cursed lightly under my breath. The phone rang on the table next to the couch and I grabbed it, picking it up to hear Lily's voice.

"Did you see that bullshit!? And that guy is actually trying to act innocent!" She snapped, her anger making me chuckle slightly.

"What a pig." I muttered, rolling my eyes as I watched Zach being lifted to his feet by Travis and the trainer.

"He's okay, I'm sure." Lily told me.

"I'm not too worried about him." I told Lily, watching as the camera zoomed into Zach on the bench. He was breathing quite heavily and he kept closing his eyes. I bit my lip slightly.

"He looks kind of.. queasy." Lily pointed out just as Zach bent over, throwing up all over the bench. The camera quickly zoomed off of him and back to the game, but not before all the viewers got that great shot of him puking.

Lily stayed on the phone with me for the rest of the game, talking about the babies, the game, and how Zach was doing. We got updates through out the game from the TV announcers, but I expected a call from Zach fairly soon. The call came at close to 12 AM, more so on the 11PM side, but late enough that I was starting to worry. The game had ended two and a half hours previous, and Zach had been out of the game for more than that. When I picked up, I was half asleep with the babies tucked away in their beds.

"Baby?" I called to him, seeing his name on the caller ID.

"Hi hun." He murmured softly, his voice in a whisper.

"What's wrong with you? You didn't go back to the game." I pointed out, yawning as I sat up, turning the light on.

"I went to the hospital to get checked out for precautionary reasons. I've got a concussion and I'll be out for the rest of the road trip. They are sending me back to New Jersey tomorrow morning, so I'll need you to pick me up."

"Oh god, Hailey is going to go nuts." I chuckled quietly, hoping to add some light into Zach's down turned voice. I got a soft laugh out of him before he yawned loudly.

"Yes she will. Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long to call. Apparently you can't talk on the phone when you're going through and MRI machine." I laughed loudly, shaking my head at his joke. "I love you, baby. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you too, Zach. Have a safe trip home."
***

Zach and I pulled up to our house where Lily was currently, watching Tanner and Hailey so that I could have Zach to myself for a little bit. I wanted to know more about his injury, how long he would take to recover, when he could practice again, and all the things he wasn't allowed to do. He told me about his symptoms, how the puking had stopped after the game, but the head ache and the dizziness were still prominent. I grabbed Zach's suitcase, even though he tried to grab it from me. I swatted at his hand, ushering for him to get in the house.

We were greeted in the doorway by Mikko, the fluffy dog yelping and barking at the sight of Zach. He petted the puppy before moving to the stairs, helping me carry the luggage up. We walked into our bedroom, still undetected by our children who were coloring in their playroom with Lily.

"Why don't you stay up here for a little bit and rest?" I suggested, seeing the tole the short flight had taken on him. His eyes were drooping and his body seemed to barely be on key with his brain.

"Good idea." He sighed, walking to the bed and collapsing onto it, spread completely across the large mattress. I smiled, walking to him and placing a kiss on the back of his head, his face pressed into his pillow. "Night." He mumbled through the white fabric, making me chuckle.

"Night, honey." I shook my head as I walked from the room, heading down to relieve Lily from her job babysitting my children. Brett and Tanner played with Tanner's cars on the floor, Lily holding her other son, four month old Seth.

"Mom." Hailey greeted from her spot playing with her dolls, a few feet away from the boys. She was putting a new dress on her favorite doll before brushing her hair.

"Hi baby girl." I smiled to her, scooping her into my arms and letting her lean against me as she continued to play with her doll.

"How is he?" Lily asked, adjusting Seth as he started to whine to be bounced.

"He's alright. Tired, kind of loopy, doesn't really know how to hold a conversation at the moment. He's sleeping." I shrugged.

"Do you want me to come back after Seth's appointment to help with things?" She wondered, standing when she glanced at her watch to see the time.

"No, I'll be alright. Thank you so much for watching them. I just didn't want them screaming and when I picked him up." I smiled as she shook her head knowingly. "Hailey wasn't too much trouble?" I asked, lowering my voice as I followed Lily to her car, holding Brett's hand. I buckled him in while Lily strapped Seth in.

"She was fine." Lily insisted, "barely mentioned Zach at all. She must not know he's there otherwise she would be up in that bed with him."

"No, I decided not to tell them because I want Zach to just relax before the babies know he's home."

"Good idea. I gotta get going. But let's hang out soon. Minus babies and hubbies." She chuckled as she got into the driver's seat, waving goodbye. I gave her a wave of my own before heading back into the house, ready to keep the kids occupied until Zach was ready to face them.
***

"Hailey, please eat your veggies, baby." I pleaded with her, watching as she rolled her eyes at me, picking up a piece of corn and frowning at the yellow food.

"This is gwoss." She puffed out, her mouth turning down even more.

"It is not. It's good for you and I bet if you tried it, you would be surprised that you like it." I told her, picking up a kernel of corn and popping it into my mouth to humor her. She heaved a sigh and plopped it into her mouth, chewing slowly before sticking her tongue out, dropping the now mashed food onto her plate.

"EW!!" She exclaimed, reaching for her sippy cup filled with milk.

"Hailey Marie, if you don't eat that corn, you will not get a cookie for dessert." I threatened, pointing my fork at her, watching as she wrinkled her nose but scooped up a few more kernels.

"It's gwoss, mom. I knews it." She huffed at me, sticking the eating utensil full of corn into her mouth.

"If it was really that terrible, you wouldn't be able to swallow it, Tanner wouldn't eat it, and mommy wouldn't feed it to you. You hate every other vegetable, you're going to like this one." I told her, my patience running thin as she continued to complain to herself.

She had been like this all afternoon. Nothing was to her standards and I was getting sick of her attitude. She was like Krissy when she didn't get her way in college, Zach when he didn't get sex, and Tanner when he couldn't watch the end of a hockey game. But she was worse than all of them put together. Part of me wondered if she enjoyed getting under my skin, or if there was an underlying problem that was making her upset. I had a feeling that she might be getting sick and that did not bold well for Zach or I. She was crabby as all hell, and would complain until her symptoms went away.

Hailey was quiet for the rest of dinner, scooping her vegetables into her mouth and chewing them slowly, glancing at me occasionally. She tried to get away with slipping a few of bites of corn to Mikko, but I caught her each time, quickly telling her she was down to half a cookie. Dinner was over fairly quickly and the kids were given their cookies. I gave Hailey a whole cookie before telling her and Tanner to follow me upstairs. The kids still had no idea Zach was home and they bounced up the stairs behind me, thinking we were going to go watch a movie on the TV in mom and dad's room.

I peaked my head in the doorway, seeing Zach still asleep on the bed. I smiled and opened the door a little wider, but stopping my children from entering.

"Alright you two. There is someone in there that you both have missed a lot, but we have to be very careful and quiet. He has an ouchie, and we can't jump on him because he will start to feel sick. Do you understand?" I asked them, looking at Hailey because she may agree now, but when she saw Zach, she might not follow through. I wasn't worried about Tanner, he was older and understood more than Hails could at the moment. My children nodded their agreement and I scooped Hailey up at the last second, cradling her to me as I pushed the door all the way open. Hailey gasped loudly, blue eyes shining, mouth opening and a loud shriek came from her mouth.

"Hailey, remember what we talked about."

"I know mom, but I wants to hug him!" She exclaimed in a loud whisper, as if she actually had a whisper. "Can I?"

"Of course, just be gentle." I told her, crawling on the bed and carefully setting her next to Zach. She snuggled up to his side immediately, wrapping her small arms around Zach as much as she could, pressing her face into his chest.

"Daddy, wakes up." She murmured quietly into his ear, nuzzling her nose against him. Zach startled a big, jerking his head away from her voice, probably giving himself quiet a dizzy spell. He groaned slightly and rolled towards Hailey, propping himself onto his side and looking down at her angelic face.

"Hi baby." Zach smiled down at her, his lips puckering for a kiss from his favorite little girl. "I missed you."

"Oh daddy, I missed you too." She told him, kissing him with a loud smack and then letting a wild grin touch her face. Tanner climbed next to his sister and I laid down on my side of the bed, turning the TV to a different channel to get a more kid appropriate show on. I settled on a re-run of AFV and then turned to my family, watching as they all exchanged tight hugs and several kisses. Zach looked over at me, past Hailey who was eating her cookie slowly.

"How's my main girl?" He asked me, eyes holding slightly more of a sparkle than earlier. His hours long nap must have helped him in that sense.

"I thought I was your main girl?" Hailey asked, lips pursed slightly in annoyance.

"You are, but you wouldn't be here if I wasn't head over heels in love with your momma." He reminded her, kissing the end of her delicate nose.

"So momma is your main girl?" She sighed softly, almost like she didn't want to believe it.

"Yes, baby girl. But you know what? I love you just as much as I love Tanner and your mom." He told her, pulling her in tight before crooking a finger at me. "I love you. Thank you for these wonderful babies." He mumbled against my lips, pressing three amazing, lingering kisses to my lips. I smiled lightly against his lips as he pulled my bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling on it through his smile. I pulled away, kissing both of his dimples lightly.

We laid in bed for the next hour and a half, letting both of our children fall asleep, one on each of our chests, the blankets pulled up to keep them warm and snug. Zach and I talked quietly, he tried to follow the conversation the best he could, but his eyes were beginning to drift closed again. But there was something he needed to know, something I found out while he was gone, but hadn't had time to deal with or tell him about yet.

"Zach?" I called to him, gently patting his shoulder.

"Hm?" He asked, eyes popping back open like he was awake the whole time. I set Tanner in between us, pulling Hailey off of him too and putting her in my spot so I could lay on his chest for a minute.

"I have something to tell you." I whispered against his lip, my eyes looking into his brown ones. "We might have to get a bigger house, unless Hailey or Tanner want to share a room."

"Baby, I'm not following.." Zach murmured, face crumpling up with confusion.

"We only have a three bedroom house including ours, and pretty soon we will have three children. Now, I don't know about Tanner, but I know princess Hailey needs her own room." Zach's eyes lit up, his mouth dropped open and he let out a loud chuckle, causing Hailey to stir slightly. I put my hand over his mouth smiling down at him and waiting for Hailey's breathing to even out again. "Three babies. God help me."

"I'll help you." Zach murmured against my lips. "You went to the doctor?"

"Yeah, 9 weeks today." I bit my lip softly, thinking of another Parise child growing within my tummy.

"This makes me very happy." Zach told me, his hands running over my back as we kissed, celebrating the conception of our next child. "Is this our last?" He wondered, looking up at me curiously.

"I don't know.." I mumbled honestly. "Let's see how I feel after this one." I told him, laying my head against his shoulder and yawning quietly. "But right now, you just need to focus on getting better. There is plenty of time to think about our future baby or babies. I just need you to be healthy again."

"I know." He sighed, kissing the top of my head as Hailey turned into his side, causing both of us to laugh. "I wouldn't mine another cute thing like her." He mumbled, running one of his hands over her hair.

"Me either." I murmured.

Because as much as Hailey was a pain in the butt; I would be lying if she wasn't the light of my days when Zach was gone. But I wouldn't mind another boy like Tanner. I smiled softly as I snuggled into Zach a little tighter, ignoring the part of me that told me to get off of him so he could sleep better. I couldn't because right now, I just needed to feel him next to me, loving me like he will for the rest of our lives.