Apt. 8160, Evening, Alec and Ang
It had been a good practice, the team was looking the best it ever had, thanks in large part to young Devon. It was still early in the season, but Alec was certain the scouts would be out to see that boy. Perhaps even, if they were lucky, the Yankees.
Smirking happily, Alec dropped his gear in his office and headed into the kitchen to start something for dinner - he wasn't sure where Ang was, but no doubt she'd be about soon - making a mental note as he studied the contents of the freezer to check just who the Yankees would be sending out scouting this year. Ang had taken Gavin to the Riverwalk Park, with Faith, and they'd had a fine time of playing fetch and catch the doggie...well, Gavin had enjoyed that one, Faith had shown remarkable patience with him pulling on her fur and tail. Now though he was grizzly and tired, and hungry, because Ang had lost track of time with her mental planning and replanning. It was just going to be a nightmare, she knew it. But she'd also taken three more phone calls, and dealt with one very irate Social Worker who'd demanded to know who was in charge. Well, Ang had finished that phone call with a great deal of relief, but, the Social Worker was happier.
Closing the door behind her she removed his shoes before she let Gavin out of the stroller and then hung up their coats, left her own shoes next to his on the mat, and tidied everything away before heading for the kettle. Tea, and juice, and ah, "Hi Alec, you missed Gavin giving Faith a run for her money this afternoon, I think she prefers it if we go swimming. How was practice?"
"Hey, baby," Alec turned his head with a smile as she neared, leaning to give her a kiss before she could slip around him. "Really, really well. Devon pitched over 90 today - it's gonna be a good year, I can feel it."
"Stalker boy? He's doing really well then if he's pitching that fast at his age, is he accurate yet?" Gavin toddled in, leaning on Faith again, his chubby hands clamped in her coat. "Gavin, do let go of Faith, there's a darling, do you want juice? Mama'll give you some juice, here you go."
She handed him his leak-proof sipper cup and gently teased his fingers from Faith's long fur, "There we go, now, where was I, oh yes, tea." Ang grinned, very briefly, "I see you've started on dinner, what are we having? Do you need a hand, or shall I just focus on the tired tot and feed the dog?"
Alec laughed, "He's less of a stalker now that I've given him a real goal to obsess over. He's a senior this year, scouts will be out with real interest." He lifted his hands from pool of warm water he'd run into the sink, pulling a bag of semi-thawed chicken breasts from the depths. "Grilled chicken sound alright to you? Figured we could do it up with some of the mixed vegetables we've got in the cupboard."
"Sounds great, and I think there's still some salsa in the fridge if you want some of that?" Ang pulled the fridge open, pulling out the milk for her tea, "Yup, at the back in the green bowl, are you doing chicken and veg for Gavin too? We still have some cottage pie in here for him otherwise?"
The problems and worries of the day were still nagging at her, and cottage pie was comfort food, but Ang closed the fridge and went on with making her tea. When Gavin was asleep, then she and Alec could talk. He wasn't far off now, sitting on the floor under the table with his cup, little head nodding and she smiled, "Maybe I should just zap the cottage pie for him and get him down to bed, he's exhausted look."
Alec glanced over his shoulder and smiled. It was a testament to how tired the little man was when Faith clicked by on her way to water bowl and he let her go unmolested. "Chicken won't be ready for a while yet, so that'd probably be best."
In short order the cottage pie was in the microwave, and tea was brewing. Ang sorted out Gavin's chair, and settled the sleepy tot into it. He might not want to eat, but Ang was going to try, if not, well, he'd be hungry later was all. It wasn't that important, so long as he ate well and healthily.
Of course, Gavin perked up a bit with food in the vicinity, grabbing for the spoon and banging it on the tray table. Ang checked the pie, and put it back in for another minute, finishing her tea, and buttering a slice of bread for Gavin to have as well. Then she settled down with a spoon of her own to feeding him, something he was trying to learn to do for himself, but which usually resulted in food everywhere! However, tonight Ang was more interested in speed than fun, so she kept the bowl just out of his reach, and let him bang the spoon on the table instead. It didn't take long, although concentrating on Gavin was essential, he wriggled and moved so much that if you blinked you could get food in his ear rather than his mouth, but once he'd obviously had enough, well, Ang put the bowl on the side and gave him back his juice.
"Well he did well, ate most of it and isn't wearing hardly any at all." She smiled at Alec, "Have I got time to get him bathed and into bed before dinner? If so, I'll sort a bottle out for him to have with a story?" She set the mostly empty bowl in the sink, and wiped Gavin's face and then her hands with a damp cloth.
After battering the chicken in a quick marinade, Alec was just adding oil to the warming frying pan and nodded. "I think so." He looked over his shoulder with a smile. "Just make it a short story."
Ang had a couple of ready made bottles in the fridge, and pulled one out to microwave it. She left it in the microwave, knowing it wouldn't take but 30 seconds when she had Gavin all ready for bed, and then she lifted the tired boy from the chair and carried him off to the bathroom.
It was a quick bath, since he was so tired, and within ten minutes Ang had him cleaned and dried and dressed ready for bed in a footed sleep-suit covered in little Yankees Logos. Leaving him in the cot she went back to the kitchen for the bottle, and to drink some of her tea while it heated, then headed back to Gavin for his story. She did indeed keep it short, telling him the story of their walk today, and reminding him of the things he'd seen and done, and how much fun they'd had. Then, once he'd finished the bottle, she settled him down, before she'd even left the room he was asleep.
Back in the kitchen she rinsed out the bottle and put it in the dishwasher, then sat down with her tea, "He's asleep already, walking in the park really tires him out, it's almost as good as taking him swimming." She grinned, "So, now it's just you and me, and here you are cooking me dinner, what did I do to deserve you?"
If it weren't for the fact his hands were covered in marinade and oil he'd have wrapped an arm around her, but, to save her dress, he refrained and merely grinned at her instead. "Oh, I don't know - maybe it has something to do with how wonderful and beautiful and amazing you are."
"You say that now," Ang smiled, knowing that might change, "but wait until I'm old and grey huh? Although the grey is starting now!"
She laid the table for their dinner, fetching out plates and cutlery, and finishing her tea. "I had a phone call earlier today, after the horrid one at four am, it's not good news."
He looked up immediately, spatula holding hand poised above the pan. Possibilities, each worse than the one before, swept through his mind in a rush. "What's wrong?" He performed a quick mental check-list: it couldn't be Ang herself, she was right in front of him, or Gavin.... "Is Emma alright?"
Ang looked up, surprised, "And why would anyone call me at four am about Emma when she's just downstairs? No, it's worse than that, you remember Julie? My friend back in the UK who manages the homes for me? She came to the wedding with her husband and their four children?"
He started to shrug and to explain that Emma was just one of the one's at the top of his internal check-list of people he cared most about, but stopped. "What happened?"
"She wasn't well a while back, and when she seemed to get better, the doctors thought it was all right, but it seems she has cancer, and it's probably inoperable." Ang looked down, now was not the time for tears, she knew that, now was the time to be strong, and get things dealt with, plenty of time to cry later when it was all sorted out. "She's had to give up working, on so much chemo and radiotherapy, they're doing all they can, but, someone needs to manage the homes, and there is no-one else, well, no-one right now that I would trust."
She looked up again, "I have to go, but, you and Gavin could come with me? You'd get to see where I grew up, all those things I used to do, and places I used to visit? Or, I know the baseball is important to you, and with stalker boy and the scouts? Well, you'd probably rather be here? I could still take Gavin, one less thing for you to worry about?"
Alec just stared at her. For several long moment unable to say anything as his mind raced. Now...this had to happen now? Practice's just started, the season's just around the corner. And what about Emma? And Faith...the apartment?
So many questions, so many obstacles. But it wasn't Ang's fault...and even as he struggled to figure out how they could possibly pull it off he recognized that not once had even considered staying behind and letting her go alone.
"Alec? Dinner?" Ang thought it might be best not to push anything, so just left it at that... but dear lord, she couldn't read the expression on his face, and that was a first.
He took a deep breath then quietly asked, "When do we need to leave?"
"I have to go as soon as I can, but, did we get Gavin a passport? He can't travel without one." Ang hadn't dared to look, but she couldn't remember, which was a dreadful admission to start with.
For one second she'd thought he might, but no, he wouldn't stop her going, she knew that, after all Julie was her best friend, not just her business partner, and to let her go through this alone, well, that was unthinkable. For this Ang would have argued with Alec, would have outright defied him and gone regardless. Although that notion had the terrifying finality of not coming back about it, and she really didn't want to go there. "I know it's a pain Alec, you don't have to, I can do this alone, but, I'm not sure how long I'll need to be there for, or what the outcome will be, and, I'm not sure I could miss you and Gavin for that long?"
He looked at her sadly. That she'd expect him to stay at home without his wife and son, knowing she was somewhere far away and alone and hurting. "We, Ang. What do we need to do, when do you want us to leave?"
"Oh Alec," she couldn't help the sudden rush of tears, it was all just so much so suddenly and without him she would have been lost. "I don't know, and I can't, I just can't lose her, not like this, not without me there and, oh I don't know, why did it have to be Julie?"
It wasn't even the cancer, not so much, but still that most dreadful fear of being alone, completely alone, that somehow pervaded all her life, even with Alec, because even he at some times seemed so distant and disconnected. All the same, the tears had started, and she couldn't stop them, the pain, fear and grief released in a flood because she'd pent them up so long already.
The pan was moved in an instant and greasy or not he moved to take her in his arms. There was nothing he could say to make it better, no words could ease the pain of losing a loved one. But he could be there, hold her, be strong for her when she didn't think she could be. He tucked her in against his chest, and pressed his cheek to her temple.
It wasn't even a conscious thing, but the refuge of his arms called and she fell apart within them. Crying her heart out until there were no more tears, until she was a hiccuping tear-stained mess. Well, at least in her own eyes. It wasn't until she became aware of how wet the shirt was she was leaning on that she realised, and lifted her head, "Oh Alec, I'm sorry, I just, it's such a shock. Oh but dinner, I haven't burned it have I by distracting you?"
"Oh, Ang, how many times have I told you?" he looked down at her, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly as he lifted his hands to brush the tear stains from her cheeks with his thumbs. "It's just a shirt. It'll wash. And it's just food. We can get more."
Her head hurt, but then crying did that, and yet, still, somehow she came up with a small and watery smile, "I know, but you made the effort to cook, the least I could do was not distract you from it." She sighed, a soft and somewhat sad little sound, "I just, there are some things in life we're just never ready to live with, or deal with, or even begin to cope with." She leaned back in, seeking warmth and comfort.
"I can't even let her see this, she needs me strong, and positive, because whatever the quacks have said there is always hope right?"
"She needs you, and you'll be there for her. And, if you need me, I'll be there for you," he promised.
"I know you have a passport, but for the life of me I'm too scared to look and see that we didn't get Gavin one. How long would that take, if we didn't already?" It was a relief to know that she wasn't on her own, and a bigger one to realise that she was really going back to the UK with Alec, she'd wanted to show him her idea of home, but, it was hard to come up with holiday plans that involved the UK and sunshine, Ang knew the weather in the UK all too well.
"Shouldn't take too long if he hasn't," Alec assured. "He's young, we still know where all his paperwork is." He smiled a little. "Won't take us long to round up it up and fill out the necessary forms."
"True, and if I went and looked I could just stop worrying and get on with it. In fact, why don't I go do that now and you can um, rescue dinner?" Ang tried to smile again, a better effort if still somewhat wobbly. "If it needs rescuing that is."
"Sure," he nodded, leaning forward to kiss her forehead before pulling back. "I can do that. It'll be ready when you get back."
Ang was not entirely confident as she headed down the hall, but they had a box-file for such things, and all their important documents were kept in that, within a fire proof box. It wasn't the most portable of solutions, but it did mean that everything was in one place. Insurance details, copies of drivers licences etc, Passports, three of, and medical papers... With a much better smile Ang returned to the kitchen, having put everything back in the box. It would not do for her to take the passports out now and lose one of them. "We're ok, we got him a passport, I can't remember why, but we did, and oh am I glad about that now. All we'd need to do now is get tickets and arrange for Faith to be looked after and the apartment. Oh, and you'd need to get cover at the school?"
"Yes," Alec nodded. The pan was back over the heat, oil sizzling again as he prodded at the chicken, turning it carefully with a pair of tongs. "They won't like the short notice, but they'll live. Hopefully the boys will understand."
"If they don't, the adults around them will, if they're told, I guess that depends on what the school tell them, but, I doubt if I can get flights now before mid-week, I have to arrange hotels and car hire and everything else as well, and although the internet is good, we might have to do some shopping for clothes too. I know how you hate the cold, and this time of year England is also wet." Ang blinked, "Plus we'll need a new suitcase for Gavin. He needs far more stuff than I can just stuff into one of ours. Unless I borrow one of Emma's, I could do that."
"I'll tell them," Alec replied. "They deserve that much. Especially Devon."
Feeling better without it all bottled up inside, Ang stood up, "Will the scouts not come out if you're not there? I didn't think they'd be that mean. Is there anything I can do to help with dinner? I feel awful, but maybe doing something will help with that?"
"No, they'll still come. I'm sure it'd just be more of a comfort if the coach that's been working with him for the past two years was there rather than someone who's never worked with him before," Alec explained, picking up a knife to cut into the chicken with, checking to see if they were cooked all the way through.
Ang twiddled with her cup, then stood up to make more tea, and generally dither about. "I'm sorry, will you tell him I hope he does really well regardless?"
She leaned on the counter not far from him and wondered if he'd smack her hand if she tried to pinch some of the food, for some reason she hadn't felt like lunch, or dinner a while back, but now she was ravenous. "Um, that's not going to be long is it? Want me to put a pie in the oven for after? I could so devour an apple pie right now, you might not get a look in. With ice cream and hot custard... oh that would be divine."
"God, woman, have you ever known me to say no to pie?" He shot her an amused look. "I swear the weight I've put on is only because of your pie. And how weak I am to it's charms." And the chicken was done. He put the knife aside and nodded toward the pair of stacked plates nearby. "Grab a plate, chicken comin' in."
"Oooh, lots for me, I don't know about my pie, but your fried chicken is to die for." Ang grinned, "What else we having with it? Other than mayo, cos that's a dead cert."
"You are so weird," he laughed. "Mayo, what next?" He shook his head. "Grab yourself some veggies. In the little pot, there." He gestured with his tongs. "Consider yourself lucky. There's even peas in there." He shuddered for effect.
"Oh you are a darling, any potatoes? Pasta? I am so hungry, I can't believe it." Ang grabbed a plate, and a serving spoon, and dished herself up some veggies, "Oh, and I'd best get that pie in the oven too."
Setting the plate down next to Alec she opened the freezer and pulled out a pie dish with an apple pie in it. The oven was turned on to warm, and she unwrapped the pie while it started, it wouldn't matter going in cold, it was still going to take a little while to heat the pie, and why waste the energy of the oven heating up when it could be heating the pie too? Once that was in though she turned back to her plate, picking at the vegetables with her fingers even before sitting down.
Alec looked over his shoulder as he spooned up his own plate, watching his wife with gentle, thoughtful eyes. A busy, rough time was ahead of them, but so long as they were together - had each other - they'd see it through. He was sure of it.