He Shoots, She Scores

“Nate, don’t argue with me on this! Lacey and I have been planning this trip for 2 months I am 6 months pregnant and will get my way”
“You can’t leave me alone with them”
“They are your children, and all 3 of them have names they are not robots you can handle it for 2 days Nate please!”
“What if something breaks?”
“Then we replace it”
“What if I break one of the kids?”
Carrie rolled her eyes running a hand through her hair “What the hell are you going to do when I’m gone? Host the hunger games in the living room? Abby is 13 now, Maddie turns 10later this fall they are self sufficient the most you have to do is feed them and make Emerson take a nap she’s 3 it’s really not that difficult”
“Not for the parent Emerson likes!”
“She does not hate you”
“She screams when I go within 3 feet of her she hates me”
“She’s just not used to this Nate you aren’t here all the time she’s 3 she doesn’t remember summer from last year, you are foreign”
Nate let out a frustrated sigh “I know, that’s the problem, I’m foreign mostly to Emmy but to all 3 girls and you’re just going to leave for the weekend. Carrie I don’t know what my daughters like and dislike I don’t know what time they go to bed I don’t know what they watch on tv. I don’t know what they are allergic to”
“Nate it’s almost the last week of summer vacation, Abby and Maddie go to bed at 9 to get used to it for school. Emmy will pass out at 8 or 8:30 at the latest on her own, they aren’t allergic to anything, they will tell you what they do and don’t like. They are not complex creatures they are your daughters and I am leaving you alone for the weekend with them”
“And what happens when Emerson cries for mommy? What do I do, that’s going to break my heart”
“Handsome this will be the worst part of your weekend, but we are on child 3 with number 4 on the way and I can say with all the confidence I wouldn’t have been able to with Abby, you let her cry”
“Oh boy” Nate says and turns for the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. He couldn’t just let her cry, he was her dad and as her dad he was supposed to make everything ok which did not include letting her cry, tears from his girls, any of them including Carrie would get them the world on silver platter to stop their tears, let her cry was not going to be easy and he knew it he took a deep breath looking out the back window to the swing set where the 3 girls were now playing “Let her cry” he mumbled to his coffee
“Ok, I’m all set, I will be home Sunday by dinner ok? I love you” Carrie says kissing Nate quickly
“Let her cry” he says looking at his wife with worried eyes
“She will be fine let her cry. Now use yours words I’m leaving”
“Right, I love you baby, have fun” he kissed her again “You’re sure about this?”
“As sure as I am that I’m pregnant and uncomfortable”
“Ok, then”
Carrie gave him a weak smile then turned to leave the kitchen and the house. Nate quickly made some lunch for the girls before opening the back door and yelling into the yard
“Come on girls, I made lunch” All 3 bounded through the door and to the table “You all look gross, hands and faces washed please” they all got up slowly and made their way to the sink cleaning the dirt off of themselves before sitting back at the table “Ok that’s better, I have daughters again not mud monsters” Nate says with a laugh giving them each a plate with grilled cheese and fruit on it
“Mommy?” Emerson asks looking around the room noticing for the first time Carrie was nowhere to be found “M-mo-mommy?” she asks again panic in her eyes and tears in her voice
“She’ll be back soon sweetie, eat your lunch” Nate prods
“MOMMY!” Emerson screams and then begins sobbing, Nate looks at his other 2 daughters and then back to Emerson
“Now what daddy?” Maddie asks with a sigh of defeat Nate looks at his 2 older girls watching their sisters face turn the color of a tomato
“Let her cry” he says quietly putting his head in his hands
With Carrie
“Let’s go Lacey, before Emmy realizes I’m… did you hear a scream”
“Yes I did, do you want to go check on her?”
“If I do that then my entire speech to Nate is null and void, as much as I don’t want my 3 year old balling her eyes out right now she has to realize I’m not always going to be home and Nate is her dad and he’s going to do everything to keep her safe too. I have to let her cry”
“Nerves of steel, I’d be in the house in a second. Good news is my littler ones are a sleep if they cry when they realize I’m gone I won’t be here to hear that”
“Well before my nerves of steel are a molten pile of hugging my toddler and canceling this lets go”
They got into the car and drove towards their spa weekend
With Nate
20 minutes, 20 minutes of sobbing before Emmy cried herself to sleep. 20 minutes of looking between his 3 daughters wondering what on earth he did right with the first 2 that went wrong with Emerson. After she fell asleep Nate carried her up the stairs to her bed and tucked her in with her favorite stuffed animal
“She’s ridiculous” Abby says as Nate comes down the stairs a total of 30 minutes with his children already had him exhausted, he still had the whole weekend to go
“She’s 3 Abigale”
“But Dad she’s acting like Mom left for like ever”
“Yeah well you cried a lot too at that age”
“There’s no way I was that annoying”
Nate almost opened his mouth to retort something back but realized what he was about to do he was going to argue with a child, not today, he kept his mouth shut at least on that subject
“What do you girls want for dinner?”
“Can we have pizza?” Maddie asks
“No we cannot have pizza, I’m going to make dinner, don’t make those faces I can cook”
“How about a picnic?” Abby says
“I like the sound of that, why don’t you two go next door and ask Mr. Ennis if him and the boys would like to join us for dinner, it’s nice out you guys can go swimming”
The two nodded and bounded out the door. After dinner with little incident with Emerson Nate was alone with the girls again.
“Alright girls lets go in the house and start getting ready for bed” Abby and Maddie nodded and Nate reached for the half asleep Emerson sitting at the table it was 8:15pm Carrie was right she was very much on a schedule, as soon as he picked her up she let out a wail and began sobbing again
“I definitely was not that annoying”
“Abigale Elizabeth, enough!” Nate snapped and Abby’s eyes got huge “No, no, no, don’t you start too, no more crying. Can we all just go to bed and start over in the morning” They all shuffled their way up the stairs and Abby got Emmy ready for bed and the 3 year old was asleep in moments
“Night dad”
“Abby honey, I’m sorry I snapped at you it’s not your fault”
“It’s ok dad, she was getting on everyone’s nerves”
“Abby” Nate warned
“Good night daddy, I love you”
“I love you too princess good night” Nate stopped by Maddie’s room saying good night to her and was in his own room and changed for bed by 9:30 when the phone rang, Carrie on the other end
“So” she said
“20 minutes of sobbing before she fell asleep, then Enzo and his crew of kids came over for dinner and she was fine until I tried to pick her up then she was sobbing again”
“Tomorrow will be better”
“And if it isn’t?”
“It will be”
“I am so tired”
“I can tell, go to sleep Nate I will see you Sunday, love you”
“Love you too”
The next day was better, if better meant his 3 year old standing in the front hallway face plastered to the glass with tears streaming down her face for 4 hours better. She took her nap by the front door, she ate all her meals at the front door and when bed time rolled around she fell asleep by the front door. As Nate carried her up the stairs sound asleep he sighed. After the other 2 went to bed Nate was sitting on the couch
“Let her cry, she says it will be better tomorrow she says” he mumbled running his hand through his hair in frustration “We are about to have 4 children, and I can’t handle the 3”
With Carrie
“Are you ready yet Lacey? I’m sure the boys are ready for us to be home”
“Just about, I talked to Tyler last night he said the twins will not go down for a nap so they are cranky the whole rest of the day”
“Nate told me Emerson is still crying, that was this morning”
Lacey looked at her friend sympathetically and finished packing her things back into her bag. It wasn’t long before they were out the door of the hotel and on their way back home.
The ride home was regularly 3 hours, but with the construction traffic they got stuck in multiple times the drive took them over 5. Pulling into Lacey’s driveway it was almost 10pm
“Looks like Nate is up still” Carrie says nodding to the glow of the TV through the front window
“Looks like my welcome committee will see me in the morning” Lacey says eyeing the dark front of her house
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Night Lacey”
“Night Carrie, I’m glad we had this weekend it was nice”
Carrie nodded and grabbed her bag before walking across the small patch of yard from Lacey’s driveway to hers. She made it to the door and stuck her key in turning the lock and walking in
“Nate?” Carrie says quietly when he doesn’t answer she walks towards the living room “Nate, are you awak” she cut her sentence off as she turned into the living room.
The TV had the home screen for “Monster’s Inc.” watching her children and husband sleep. On the couch in the middle sat Nate, on one side was Maddie curled up under Nate’s arm fast asleep, on the other side with her head on his shoulder asleep was Abby, and curled up on Nate’s lap with his arm draped over her tiny torso was Emmy, with a smile Carrie dug her phone out taking a picture and sending it to Lacey getting almost an immediate reply. She then slid her phone back into her pocket and smiled walking over to the 4 of them
“Abby honey” Carrie says shaking her lightly “Wake up”
“Mom?” she says opening her eyes slightly with a yawn
“Yeah honey, come on go upstairs and go to bed” Abby nodded and got up off the couch
“Night mommy, love you”
“Goodnight honey, I love you too” Abby made her way up the stairs and Carrie made her way around the couch avoiding Nate’s legs crossed onto the coffee table
“Maddie sweet heat wake up” Carrie says with a light shake to her middle daughter
“What’s wrong mommy?”
“Nothing sweet heart, why don’t you go up to bed?”
“Ok” she says shaking herself loose of her dads arm “Goodnight”
“Goodnight” As Maddie clambered up the stairs Carrie reached for Emerson curled up in Nate’s lap retrieving the 3 year old she made her way up the stairs and tucked her into bed before walking back down the stairs and taking the spot that once belonged to Madison
She kissed Nate’s cheek and he jumped awake “Hey there handsome”
“Mmm welcome home” He says sleep still laced in his voice “How was your trip?”
“Long but nice. When did this happen?” She says and Nate smiles
“Well when I decided to really ignore Emmy’s crying, I just came in here told Maddie and Abby to pick a movie and of course they picked “Monster’s Inc.” I don’t know how they can’t quote it they love that movie, and before I knew it Emmy came walking in and looked where Abby was sitting, looked where Maddie was sitting crawls up in my lap and then like she didn’t just make my day goes “hi daddy” and turns to watch the movie”
“Well I have to say, all of you sleep like rocks, I took a picture before I woke up Abby and Maddie and carried Emmy up none of you even flinched, it’s now my favorite picture” Nate yawned before smiling at and kissing his wife “Let’s go to bed I’m exhausted”
“Sounds good to me”
Carrie shuts off the TV and they make their way up the stairs quietly, they no more than reach the top when Emerson lets out a wail
“Duty calls” Carrie says and Nate nods, Carrie reaches for the door knob and almost opens the door before she hears Emmy’s voice through the sobs
“DADDY!!”
“I believe it’s for you” Carrie says taking her hand off the door and smiling at Nate “Don’t go in there with that goofy smile” she says with a laugh hitting him playfully “I told you she didn’t hate you. I’ll see you in a minute”
Carrie heads to their room to change into her pajamas as Nate opens Emmy’s door
“What’s the matter baby?”
“You lost me” Emmy says with watery eyes
“No baby, daddy put you to bed I didn’t lose you”
“Promise?”
“Pinky promise” Nate says and Emmy crawls out from under her covers and into Nate’s lap
“Daddy”
“Yes Emmy”
“I love you” she says kissing Nate on the cheek
“I love you too sweet pea, now come on go to sleep daddy will tuck you in” Nate picks her up laying her back in her bed and tucking her in “Goodnight Emmy”
“Night daddy”
Nate got up and walked out of her room to see Carrie standing by the door with a smile. He grabbed her by the waist pulling her close and kissing her
“What did I do right to get a kiss like that” She says smiling at him
“Everything, you have done everything right since the day I met you. Thank you baby for 3, well 4 perfect children. I love you”
“Well I love you too, but I am not perfect and neither are our children”
“You’re all close enough for me”
“14 years later and you are still my favorite sap”