bChapter /bb31 /bMarkus

“Okay Munchkin,” I start as we finish up eating. I get up and ce Rose on the floor.

“I no munkin, I your and Mommy’s Rosebud,” Rose stated, interrupting and ring up at me.

b“/bOkay, Rosebud,” I say as I backtrack at her nickname. She nodded her head in approval. “We’re going to bget /byou then Uncle James is going to take you to the hospital. He’ll stay with you until Calyx, and I are done.”

cleaned up

band /b

She nodded her head and took off back to her room.

“I would suggest that you go help her pick out an outfit unless you want to pick up all her clothes, again,” Uncle Mike teased.

“You cooked, you sure you don’t want assistance in cleaning up?” I asked as I watched down the hallway that Rose had bdisappeared /bdown.

“Go chase down and wrangle your pup,” heughed dismissively.

“I’m off,” Uncle Will shouted from the front door.

“Bye love!” Uncle Mike shouted back as he set the dishes in the lower sink. “Go, I got this.”

“Thanks Uncle Mike,” bI /bstated before walking to Rose’s bedroom. When I got there, clothes had been dragged out already. bI /bbwas /btoo

“I wear this!” Rose stated happily bas /bshe pulled out a pink shirt and red shorts.

“Why don’t we find something that matches a little betterb?/bb” /bbI /bask bas /bbI /bstarted to pick up the discarded clothesb. /bbI /bgrabbed a pair of denim colored shorts that would look better than the red.

“But you like red,” she stated hesitantly.

“I love red,” bI /bassured her. “But let’s pick out matching clothes bso /byour mommy doesn’t yell at meb./bb” /bHe did not want Ama to give him an ear full for letting Rose out of the house being a fashion disaster. Not that I was great at fashion, but I knew some colors shed.

“Red shirt?” Rose asked as she held up a different shirt than the pink one, she had picked out.

“Red with the blue shortsb?/b” I ask her and show her the blue shorts I had grabbed from the floor.

Rose smiled and ran to me. She took her shorts and ran to the bathroom.

I sighed at the mess. Oh well, I’ll clean it up after I get Rose cleaned up for her day. “Okay bath time!” bI /bexim happily bas /bbI /benter the bathroom and turn on the tub. I fill it a few inches high. Rose gets undressed and I assist her into the bath. She biis /i/bsshes around for a little while. She smiles and hums to herself again. I have noticed that when she is happy or contentb, /bshe hums.

I then help Rose bget /bclean. I wash her face and her body. I wash her hair with child shampoo and then rinse her off. That had bbeen /bba /blearning experience. Who knew that there bwas /bspecial shampoo and body wash for children. Once she was rinsed boff/bb, /bbRose /bbwas /bassisted in drying off. She smiled happily bas /bshe put on her clothes for the day.

“Okay, bgo /bcolor at the btable/b. I need to bget /bready,” I tell her.

Rose nods her head and runs out of the bathroom. I’m tempted to tell her not to run in bthe /bhouseb. /bbBut /bbwhen /bbI /bbwas /bbher /bbage/bb, /bbCalyx /band bI /bwere running everywhere. I go to her room and pick up the clothes from the floorb. /b

bChapter /bb31 /bbMarkus /b

bYep/bb, /bbI /bam bdefinitely /bba /bdad. Aziz snickers at my revtion, I tell him to shut it before bI /bmake it bto /bmy room bthat /bbI /bhad bbeen /bbsaying /bbin/b. 1 pick out my clothes for the day. I pick out something a little more formal than shorts and an old shirt. Since I bwill /bbe doing pack business, I should look a little more official and put together.

Hey man, you busy?‘ I ask James over the mind link.

b‘/bNot really. What’s up?’ James asks me,

‘Can you take Rose to the hospital for me? And then stay there to watch her and Ama for us? Cal and I need to get pack business done, bI /btell him.

‘Sure, I just woke up. Give me twenty minutes and I can take her over,‘ James says and then cuts the link.

I then link Calyx, ‘James is bringing Rose to the hospital to it with her and Ama

b‘/bWhy?‘ Calyx growled.

‘Don’t growl at me. You got to spend all night with bAma/b. And since when do I have to be the responsible twin? This is supposed bto /bbe your job,‘ I tease.

‘Fine, but I want to see her before bI /bbleave /bfor the pack houseb,/bb‘ /bbCal /bgrowled.

‘Quit hogging her. When we get done, I want time with herb,/b‘ bI /btell him, jealousy evident in my tone.

‘I’m not hogging her,‘ he growled back. ‘I will take Rose to get ice cream this afternoon while byou /bget Ama settled at Uncle

Michael’sb./bb‘ /b

‘Thanks Caly!‘ I reply happily, using the nickname that he hates the most. bI /bcut the mind link before he is able to growl a response

at me.

Now I want the day’s work to be done so I can spend time with my mateb. /bUncle Mike and Will had said that the four of bus /bcould stay with them for as long as we needed. Calyx and I usually share a room, Rose had her own room, so this would leave the final guest room for Amalie. We had put her things in the room when we first started staying here. It would be nice for Ama to finally stay here

with us.

I make my way to the dining room. Rose bis /bsitting at the table with her coloring book. She is rambling bas /bUncle Mike finishes bup /bwith the dishes. Rose sees me and smiles. She climbs off the chair and runs to me.

“Made this for youb!/b” Rose hands me a picture. It’s of a purple cat and and pink flowersb. /b“You bkeep/b!”

“I will keep it forever,” I tell her. bI /bcan’t help but smile.

“Did you see my blue bowl/bb?/bb“/b, Uncle Mike asks as he points towards the fridge.

I look, and bsure /benough, it’s a blue owl flying under a green moon. “You did awesome Rosebud.”

“I best,” she states very proudly.

“You are,b” /bUncle Mike says with a bsmile /bbas /bhe wheels up to the table. “You bpack /bup the pictures for your momb?/bb” /b

b“/bbYes/b!b” /bRose bsays /bas she shows off the yellow folder that is bulging.

“Okay Rosebud, Uncle James is on his way to pick you up and take you to bsee /byour mom. I have bto /bbgo /bbto /bbthe /bbpack /bbhouse /bband /bbmeet /bwith Calyx,” I tell her bas /bbI /bbce /bba /bbkiss /bon her forehead.

b“/bbBye /bdaddy,b” /bbshe /bbsays /bagain and gives me a hug.