*August 9th 2007*
*Jaden – 4 Amelia and Damien – 2*
It was a beautiful day out. Sighing, AJ sat back in his lawn chair, watching the kids play in the grass. They had a whole construction site of plastic work trucks spread out around them that they used to transport pinecones back and forth and to build piles of little twigs. It was a peaceful scene to watch.
Life was good. There was no other word for it. Things in their life were just good. For two years now he had lived with his family, watching his children grow. He had visited with friends, had family out for holidays, gone to visit family. They’d done two charity concerts in the past two years, which was enough to tame down the hunger to be on stage. But even that wasn’t as strong as he’d once thought it would be. How could he hunger for more when his whole life was here, in this house?
Mikayla still lived in the apartment over the garage. She was a constant in their day to day life, not just as AJ’s nurse but as their friend, their sister, and as Aunty Kay. To make AJ even happier, Mikayla had a man she was seeing now. A doctor she’d met at the clinic. Dr. Carl. He was a good man, a steady man, with a quick sense of humor and a wealth of patience. Both were needed to handle Mikayla. They’d been dating for about seven months now. Often AJ wondered if she was ready to move in with him or him with her. He chuckled to himself. They were quite a household to take on.
Dr. Carl was one of three doctors that they had working full time in the clinic now. Thanks to grants and fundraisers as well as a million other things that his head staff had looked up and researched and applied for, the clinic was self-sustaining now. They took on not only clients with no income, but clients with a mid-level income as well. Payments were done on a sliding scale, never more than a patient could afford. Those who had no income could get their treatment for free, as well as resources to assist in gaining medical insurance for those that could. They even accepted state Medicaid.
Though they didn’t have to if they didn’t want to, both Brian and AJ still kept their hands in when it came to the running of the clinic. All major decisions were fed through them. It wasn’t uncommon to find either man there at random times, manning the front desk or the phones, or assisting in the counseling area, or back sloughing through paperwork.
The thought of Brian had AJ smiling. His husband was upstairs at the moment in their music room, fine tuning the last song to go on his solo Christian album. AJ was so proud of him for doing it. Not only was it allowing Brian the joy of his music, but it was in a style that he was passionate about.
AJ had tinkered with the idea of a solo album, but he wasn’t sure if it was something that he wanted to pursue. As much as it may have surprised the people of the world, he was content to spend his days either at the center or with his family. What more could a person ask for?
There was the sound of a monumental crash followed by three different laughs echoing around his yard. The midday sun shone down on them, warming his skin, putting a little color into all their cheeks. It was the perfect day to be outside.
AJ couldn’t help but smile as he watched the kids play. Look at them he thought to himself. They’re so beautiful.
The twins had turned two in July. They had grown so much from the tiny little infants they’d brought home. Damien was bigger than Amelia, but only by an inch and a few pounds. He was a chubby cheeked, happy little toddler, always smiling at the world. He was the shyer of the two, more prone to watching than talking to everyone. He had the same blond curls that Brian did, which AJ absolutely loved, and his Papa’s bright blue eyes. It was a joke in their household that AJ and Brian had strong genes, because you couldn’t really tell that Mikayla had anything to do with the children.
If it wasn’t for sassy little Amelia, poor Damien would get walked all over by Jaden. That thought had AJ chuckling. His daughter, even at the age of two, took no crap from anyone. She was quick to jump in and defend Damien when Jaden tried to bully his younger siblings, as older brothers are prone to do.
With blond ringlets that hung below her shoulders and a pair of wide eyes as blue as the sky, Amelia looked sweet enough that people instantly fell in love with her. That sweetness hid quite a sassy inside as well as a temper. She was quick to anger, but also quick to let things go and move on. Such is the world of a toddler. But there was no denying that, whatever she felt, she was always passionate about it.
Now, Jaden looked more and more like AJ every day. Same coloring, same eyes, even the same hair color and build. But he was a lot like Brian in his personality. Everything was funny to him. Life never got him down for any period of time. Rarely was he mad. When he was, he was as bad as any four year old. But more often than not he was smiling or laughing at the world around him. He could charm almost anyone he met. He was also one of the biggest hams for being on stage or in front of a crowd. He’d definitely inherited his parents’ love for the limelight. They were not only their parents darlings, but loved by their Grandparents and Uncles and Aunts.
It was amazing to watch as his friends grew and changed just as much as the kids did. Howie and Tiffany had married and, though they had no children yet, AJ often wondered when the first one was going to come. Kevin and Kristen’s first child, a son named Jameson, had been born in February of 2006 and was now a year and a half old and Kevin had just announced that they were three months pregnant with their next child.
Sam and Nick had married. Eloped in Vegas, actually, much to everyone’s amusement. Jackie constantly told Nick she was still mad at him for that. There were no children for them yet but Sam was very vocal about the large family she wanted to have. Whenever she said that, Nick would simply get this dopey grin on his face.
Yes, things in their life were going well. For everyone. It had been almost a year since AJ had been to the hospital. Even then it had only been for a day visit where he’d gotten antibiotics for a cold and had been sent back home. He’d been sick, but it hadn’t been anything he hadn’t handled. His medication was changed once and his count was up and his viral load was down, which his doctor plainly told him was a blessing and a miracle. AJ never took that for granted. Yes life was good and it was a beautiful, peaceful day.
A corner of AJ’s mouth quirked when he saw Jaden steal a dump truck from his sister. Peaceful? Who was he kidding? Amelia promptly hit Jaden on his head and tried to take her truck back. He jerked it back, trying to keep hold of it. AJ was already moving up and out of his chair to run interference when Damien stepped up to help his twin. The force of the tugging sent the car flying right into Damien’s face.
By the time AJ reached them, his oldest son was standing with surprise and anger on his face, his daughter was already starting to cry and his youngest son was lying on the ground with his hands on his face, sobbing his little heart out. In quick order, AJ had Damien up and in his arms, checking to make sure there was no damage to his face. No marks, no scratches, just dirt from the truck on his forehead. Thank God.
Amelia latched on to AJ’s leg, wrapping her arms around it and crying quietly, her face buried in the material. But Jaden recognized the look on his Daddy’s face and he knew he was in trouble. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down as he scuffed the ground with his toe.
After taking a breath for calm, AJ swayed a little to try and soothe Damien--as best he could with Amelia on his leg--and looked over to Jaden with a stern expression. “Jaden Hunter Littrell you march your bottom straight into that house. I want you to go find your Papa in the music room and you’re to tell him exactly what you’re in trouble for. Am I clear on this?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Then go. I need to clean up your brother.”
He watched Jaden streak off toward the house, still managing to drag his feet a little even as he hurried to do as his Daddy said. AJ shook his head once before turning his attention back to his other children. “Amelia Jane, calm down.” He said, stroking a hand over her hair. “Your brother’s fine. Let’s get you into the house and we’ll get everyone cleaned up.”
Amelia clung to his pants the whole way inside, making walking interesting. But by the time they got there, both the children had stopped crying. AJ set Damien on the counter, then stooped and swept up Amelia, setting her beside her brother. The two insisted on doing everything together. Everything. He’d set them right next to the sink, so he didn’t have to leave to grab a washcloth and wet it. As he wiped Damien’s face off, washing away all traces of dirt and tears, he slanted a look at his daughter. “Jaden shouldn’t have stolen the truck from you, Amelia Jane, but I don’t ever want to see you hit your brother again. No hitting, little girl.”
“Jaden truck!” Amelia said with a pout.
Smothering a smile, AJ nodded seriously. “Yes, Jaden took the truck. But that is not a reason to hit, young lady. We don’t hit in this house, you hear me?”
The dramatic sigh she gave almost had AJ laughing. He barely managed to hold it in. “Fine.” She told him. It was one of her newest words and one of her favorites when she was frustrated. She’d picked up the word and attitude with it when she’d heard her Aunty Kay say it to AJ once. That had been all it took.
“Don’t you just love that word?”
Brian’s voice echoed through the kitchen, bringing three heads toward him. He was walking in, holding Jaden’s hand, a soft smile on his face. In contrast, Jaden was looking down at his feet and shuffling instead of walking.
“Papa, Papa!” Amelia cried out, arms extended. “Papa, Jaden truck!”
Laughter was in Brian’s eyes as he stepped up and took Amelia in his arms, sweeping her off the counter for a loud, smacking kiss. “I heard, you little tattletale.” He teased as he set her down. For a moment his face was stern as he tugged Jaden forward and cleared his throat. “Do you have something to say to your sister, Jaden?”
Scuffing his shoe on the floor, Jaden looked at her and mumbled “Sorry I took your truck, Mia.”
True to form, Amelia threw her arms around him in a huge hug. “Love Jaden!” she told him cheerfully.
As those two embraced, Brian moved up to slide an arm around AJ’s waist, stepping in for a quick kiss. Then he turned toward Damien. The little boy looked solemnly at Brian and brought a hand to his forehead. “Hurt.”
“You’ve got a hurt?” Brian asked him. “Oh, let me see, Damie.”
Brian bent his head and inspected Damien’s forehead before kissing it. “Better?” he asked. Damien’s smile was answer enough. Scooping him up, Brian set him down. Jaden stepped forward without being told and hugged his brother. “Sorry, Damie.”
“Now, why don’t you three go back outside and play nicely with your trucks before its snack time, ok?”
Jaden took his siblings hands and led them out to the backyard, the three of them already chattering at one another as they went. With a smile, AJ and Brian followed them out. Brian snagged the other lawn chair, moving it over beside AJ’s so that they sat together, watching their kids play.
Absently AJ scratched at his chest. Maybe he needed to change his body wash. He thought it might be irritating his skin. All around his chest and back, almost like a band was wrapped around him, he was itchy and achy. He kept meaning to talk to Mikayla about it, but so far he hadn’t. There was always something else he could be doing with his time.
Apparently Brian had been noticing it lately. He was watching AJ, looking hard enough and long enough that AJ felt it and flicked his gaze over. “What?” he asked self-consciously.
“You still itching, husband?”
Shrugging, AJ looked back out at the kids. “Just a bit. Not real bad.” He tried to tone it down, not wanting Brian to worry about it. Things had been so good for two years now that they both admitted they had a tendency to either ignore things or to worry too much. One extreme or the other.
The conversation probably would have continued but Amelia came walking over to them. She didn’t say anything; just climbed into the lawn chair with AJ and curled against his side. He automatically adjusted his arm to allow her space to huddle in. “Well hey there, Miss Mia.” He teased, kissing the top of her head. She turned her face against him, hiding at his chest.
He and Brian exchanged a look as AJ automatically brought his hand up, feeling at her forehead. Hm. Little bit warm. “You ok, duchess?” he asked her, using his special nickname for her. She shook her head against him. Then, in a soft little voice, she said “Tummy hurts. Eyes hurt.”
AJ shifted the two of them, swinging his legs over the side of the chair. He pushed up right as he swung her to his hip, balancing her perfectly. “Why don’t I take this one on in, get her temp and such, while you get the boys in for snack?”
“Sounds good.” Brian agreed. He rose too, brushing his hand over Amelia’s hair before kissing her forehead. Then he turned to their sons and called “Boys! Time to put those away. It’s snack time.”
They each went their separate ways, both wondering the same thing.