Something That Makes Me Whole

I got home from work just in time for Amber getting home. Her skin was quite brown and it worried me that may be mom hadn't put enough sun cream on her. Even though I shouldn't because I knew she had more sense than to risk letting her granddaughter get sunburnt.

I sent her to go put on some shorts and a t-shirt whilst I rooted around for towels, since we were going to the beach with the guys to play baseball. Amber, despite being pissy with me because Orchid wasn't here, loved to play baseball especially with the guys.

When she was done she came down the stairs, one at a time, holding onto the banister before jumping the last step and handing me her black hooded zip up jacket. Quickly she pulled on some pink low top Chucks as I stared at the two sets of car keys on the cabinet in the hall. I grabbed up Orchids, then decided to let her know I was taking her car so whipped my phone from my pocket and sent her a message.

"Ready?" I then asked, my eyes meeting my daughter where she was sat on the bottom step, tapping the toes of her shoes together and looking at me. At that she climbed to her feet and opened the door, before grabbing up one of the towels and going to my car. "Not that one sweetie." I laughed.

"Orchid's?" She questioned as I locked the door and nodded in response.

I couldn't help but chuckle as she grinned and ran to the few feet to the Mercedes. I unlocked it and she began opening the door, quickly I reached out and held it for her before it could close on her. I chucked the stuff in my arms into the backseat and helped her with the seatbelt before closing the door (which just would not slam however hard I tried) and going round to climb into the drivers seat.

Again I got the smell of vanilla and coffee, and was forced into thinking how much I was missing her today. I put the key into the ignition and the engine came to life, so I put it in drive and pulled out onto the road. Instantly I saw Amber's hand reach out to the radio and press several buttons.

I kept glancing at her, worried of her breaking the car since it was expensive. "Are you allowed to do that madam?" I asked as she settled on a station and I heard Queen come through the speakers. My daughter must have the best music taste in the world for a four year old; I had taught her well if I may say so myself.

"Yes. Orchid said so when she used to look after me." Amber replied defiantly and I chuckled at her. She was already picking up traits that the model herself had, not that I was complaining really, and she wasn't even her biological mother. "Are you allowed to drive it?"

"Alright smart ass." I grinned as I spotted Zack's car pulling into a parking lot near the beach which I turned into myself.

When I climbed out - Amber having got out and run to the end of the car to the wall looking down on the beach before I'd even taken the keys out of the ignition - Sarah grinned at me. Obviously at the car, but I ignored it and pulled the stuff out the backseat.

I noticed Johnny and Jimmy with the supply of drinks in the boot of Jimmy's Mustang, saw Carla and Sarah lugging backpacks that I knew belonged to the guys and Zacky was lifting Amber onto his shoulders, before he took up his baseball bat from the hood of his car and we made our way down to the beach.

Once there were took the stuff from the bags and used them for the bases before deciding who was on what team. "I wanna be on uncle Zacky's team!" Amber yelled as he set on her down on the sand as she proceeded to pull off her shoes.

I took them from her and dumped them with my top and my own shoes. Well, everyone’s shoes and stuff. Then came the deciding of the teams. Zacky, Amber, me and Matt were on one team and the other was made up of Jimmy, Johnny, Sarah and Carla.

Our team won the toss and we decided to bat first. Amber insisted she went first out of the four of us and she grabbed up her own baseball bat before going up, dragging it in the sand behind her. "Now you be careful with that bat little lady." Matt said from where he was sitting on my far left next to Zack.

Amber turned and gave us a thumbs up which made us all laugh. I watched as Zack cupped his hands around his mouth. "First up to bat in this absolutely crucial match between," then he looked at me and Matt, "what's our team called?"

"The A Team." I grinned.

"Anyway, first up to bat in this absolutely crucial match between The A Team of Huntington Beach and The Girlie Team, also of Huntington Beach in which the championship winner will be decided, is Amber Haner, aka Baby Gates!" Zack resumed his commentary and I heard the others laughing. "This four year old-"

"I'm five soon!" Amber butted in and I laughed harder.

"The four year old who is going to be five seven days after her dad's twentieth birthday, first came onto the baseball scene just under three years ago, when she hit a ball straight into yours truly's bollocks which is very painful might I add. She is one to watch out for with a very mean swing and an exceptionally good run rate."

I laughed harder now as I remembered the first time she had played baseball, when she was two.

"I love how you're American, yet you say bollocks." Sarah mused, smiling broadly at him.

"Are you not English, my awesomely wonderful girlfriend?" He retorted, making me laugh harder.

"Yeah but still..." She trailed off.

I stopped laughing and watched now, to see Amber stood with a hand on her hip glaring at me. I could tell I was distracting her so I mouthed 'sorry' at her and she smiled. I gave Jimmy a warning look where he was stood with the ball so he moved a little closer and crouched down.

Just as she hit the ball somewhere towards Johnny's knee I felt my hat leave my head and some arms wrap around my shoulders from my right. "I always thought your hat would look better on me." Orchid said as she sank down onto the rock right next to me, her arms still around me.

Then she pulled my sunglasses from my eyes and put them over her own. "What do you think?" She grinned.

"Gorgeous as ever." I smiled, giving her a kiss before she returned my sunglasses.

"Anyway, are you here because you knew I was at this bit of beach, or are you here just because?" She asked as I wrapped my arm around her waist, noticing Carla and Sarah both making gestures at Zack and Matt as if to tell them to move and give us some privacy.

"Actually, it was Jimmy who decided we were gonna come down and play baseball." I replied, rubbing a thumb over her skin on her waist. "I had nothing to do with it other than to drive me and Amber here."

"Aww and for a minute here I was thinking you'd come to see me." She fake pouted which made me chuckle.

"So, what've you been up to?" I asked, pressing my lips to her forehead as she watched the game from under the tip of my cap.

"Modelling swim wear." She answered, looking at me. Then she stood up and pulled off her pants to reveal the bottom half of a black bikini with turquoise stars on it. The she quickly pulled off her top to show the top half; I glanced up and down at her body and I smiled approvingly. She just chuckled as she sat down and hit my arm, then she showed me a nasty looking red mark on her left leg. "Look at that fucker!" She said, pointing at it.

I laughed at her choice of words and she hit my arm again. "It's not funny, it fucking hurt!"

"How did you do it?" I said, gently tracing my fingers over it. She didn't wince like I thought she would so it was obviously a case of it looking worse than it actually was.

"I slipped on some rocks." She mumbled, lacing her fingers through mine and resting her head on my shoulder. "I did that this morning though, like an hour into the shoot, so it's better now, but the guy was all 'yeah your leg's bleeding a bit but we can air brush it out later' I swear Felix's head exploded. He lost his fucking top at the guy."

"So would I if I was there." I replied as Amber ran over and launched herself at Orchid, almost forcing her back into the rocks behind us.

"Yay! You're here!" She giggled.

"Oi, Amber, be careful okay!" I frowned and she let go looking apologetic, mumbling a 'sorry'.

"Hey, it's okay sweetie." Orchid replied pulling her in for another hug.

"You look really pretty today, now you don't have that tube up your nose." Amber commented and I snorted a laugh as Orchid's features lit up.

"You look really pretty yourself." She replied. At that Amber ran off again, leaving us, and jumped on Zacky's back, forcing him to fall forward into the sand almost since he was sitting, which made Jimmy laugh and spill his beer as he picked it up to take a quick swig.

I chuckled and looked back to my right at Orchid who was smiling, showing off her bright white teeth. Her eyes switched to meet mine and I leaned in to give her a kiss. I heard wolf whistles from the guys and Orchid broke away before flipping them off and returning her lips to mine.

"I've missed you today." I mumbled.

She laughed lightly. "I haven't even been gone a whole day."

"I spent practically everyday since you were taken to hospital in LA with you and today's the first time we've spent more than an hour apart." I explained and she tilted her head, smiling softly and her brown hair falling into her beautiful icy-blue eyes. "I've missed you."

"You have me for an hour."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close until I was told it was my turn to bat. Which was about five seconds later. We spent the hour playing baseball, Orchid having joined in with the game too. I noticed how Sarah was letting Zack drink, though he only had a few beers.

But the most noticeable difference was Matt and Carla. I relayed my findings to Orchid who 'mhmmed' and 'ahhed' at it before looking at me and telling they were most likely seeing each other. Again. Then she went over to Sarah, the pair of them dragging Carla away down to the shoreline where the waves crashed about and after a little while I saw both Sarah and Orchid clambering over poor Carla excitedly.

As they walked back Orchid gave me the thumbs up as if to confirm it so I went up to Matt and hit him on the arm. "That's for not telling me about you and Carla."

"Yeah!" The other three said, coming over and hitting him also.

"How-"

We pointed to the girls and I noticed Orchid pulling her clothes back on. Dammit, an hour had passed already. She wandered over and said goodbye to everyone then before I kissed her once more and let her go.

So we went back to our baseball.