Chapter Eighteen. By late Sunday afternoon, Lex was chafing at the enforced rest

By late Sunday afternoon, Lex was chafing at the enforced rest. The lunchtime visit with Ronnie and Nora had been fun, but after they left, she had been relegated back to her bedroom. Even with the girls doing their best to keep her occupied, she was ready to escape. As her “company” for the time being, Melanie was stretched out across the bed, coloring. The room was quiet, which gave Lex time to think about the previous day's events.

The visit to Rodney's office had frightened Lex, but she was too stubborn to admit it to anyone, including Amanda. Rodney had taken several x-rays, and wanted to send her for an MRI, which she adamantly refused. He told her that from her symptoms, he believed she suffered from a herniated disc in her back. Rodney recommended a week of complete bed rest, and without bothering to get Lex's approval, made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion, and the dreaded MRI.

When Rodney explained that, in some cases, only surgery could repair the damage, Lex had felt like fleeing the office. The only thing that kept her in place was the terrified look on Amanda's face, and the knowledge that she was the only one who could take that look away. Then and there, Lex pledged to do whatever it took to appease her wife.

But now, with the bedroom walls already closing in on her, Lex had second thoughts. She didn't know if she could handle an entire week this way.

“Momma, ” Melanie tapped Lex on the leg, “what color should I do the horse? ” She held up her coloring book. “I was thinking brown, but it kinda looks like Thunder, and he's black. But black isn't a pretty color. Maybe red? Or I could do different colors, like Mommy's horse. But that's not as pretty as purple.” When Lex didn't answer, Melanie grabbed the hem of Lex's tee shirt and tugged on it. “Momma? Why are your eyes closed? Is your head hurting again? ”

Lex took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “A little. Would you mind going downstairs and getting me something to drink, please? I'm sure that would help.”

“Sure! ” Melanie gave Lex a kiss on the cheek before she hopped off the bed and raced from the room.

A few minutes later, Amanda arrived with a glass of milk and a small plate of cookies. She placed the items on the nightstand and carefully eased herself next to Lex. “Hi, honey. Mel told me you had a headache.” She caressed Lex's cheek. “You look a little worn out.”

“It's the pain meds, I think. And I don't know how I'm going to survive an entire week in this room. If I have to lie down the entire time, you may have to have me committed.”

Amanda's eyes grew serious and she cupped Lex's chin with one hand. “I know this is hard for you, and I really appreciate that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get better. I know how I'd feel in your position, so, why don't we compromise? How about stretching out on the sofa downstairs during the day, and only being up here at night? Would that help? ”

Lex leaned forward and kissed her. “Will you be keeping me company? ”

“Keep kissing me like that and you can bet on it.” Amanda grinned as her lips were covered again, this time for a much longer period.

An embarrassed cough sounded from across the room. Hubert stood in the doorway, his face and ears red. “Uh, sorry to disturb you.” He and Ramona had accepted Amanda's offer to stay, at least until Lex met with the specialist. They both enjoyed being a part of the large family, and were thrilled to help out. “Martha sent me up to see if Lex wanted anything, but I can see she already has it.” His eyes grew big. “I mean, I saw the milk and cookies. Um, I think I'll go back downstairs now. Talk to you later, sis.”

Both women laughed as Hubert scurried away. Lex put her arms around Amanda. “He was right, you know.”

“Oh? ”

“You're all I'll ever need.” Lex pulled her close and kissed Amanda again.

#

Late Monday morning, Lex was propped up on the couch, television remote in one hand and her head tipped back, dozing. The pain pills Rodney had prescribed tended to knock her out, which was as much for Amanda's benefit as Lex's.

At the other end of the sofa, Amanda sat with her laptop, typing away at her blog. She stopped when she heard a car come up the graveled driveway. “Damn.” She put her laptop on the coffee table and hurried to the front door before the visitor woke up Lex.

She opened the front door and was almost hit by her sister, who had been prepared to knock. “Jeannie! What are you doing here? ”

“Nice to see you too, Mandy. I was hoping to help keep Slim company. How's she feeling? ”

Amanda held the door open and gestured for Jeannie to come inside. “Her back and right leg are really bothering her, and she hates taking the pain medication. So she's either grumpy or sleepy.”

“And that's new? ” Jeannie teased. She glanced into the living room and could see Lex's head. “Let me guess. Right now, she's sleepy.”

“I'm afraid so. She put off taking the meds until after Hubert and Ramona left for the day.” Amanda's eyes softened as she looked at her wife. “I hate seeing her like this.”

Jeannie rubbed her arm. “She's going to be okay. How are you doing? I can't even imagine taking care of two active girls, an infant, and a recuperating wife. You've got my utmost respect, little sister.”

“Thanks. But I've got a lot of help. Martha and Charlie usually kidnap Eddie, and I don't get to see him until lunch. Then we have lunch together, and they usually stay and visit.” Amanda tugged Jeannie's arm. “Come on. Lex will be out for a while. Let's get some coffee in the kitchen.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Jeannie watched as Amanda efficiently got two mugs of coffee ready and set one in front of her at the table. “This may sound crazy, but you really seem comfortable here.”

“Don't you think I should? I've lived here for over twelve years.” Amanda sat across from Jeannie. “What makes you think I wouldn't? ”

“No, no. I didn't say that right. What I meant was, I've always seen you as someone in an office, and enjoying it. But now, you seem perfectly content to stay at home, raise your kids, and live your life.”

Amanda nodded. “Yeah, it's been a bit of an adjustment for me, that's for sure. At first, I felt almost cheated, because we closed the office. But it didn't take me long to realize that I really wanted to spend my time with my family. The girls are growing so fast, and I don't want to miss a moment of it. And now, with Eddie, I can actually be a stay-at-home mom full-time. Even with Mel, I worked half-days once she was six months old. And as she got older, I worked even more. And when I got home, I was so busy being some kind of super mom, I had a tendency to neglect the most important person in my life.”

“I can't imagine Lex giving you a hard time about working, though, ” Jeannie mused. “She's got such a strong work ethic.”

“No, she didn't.” Amanda smiled fondly. “She wouldn't. But it got to the point that the only time we'd see each other was at the dinner table, with the kids. Then, once we'd get the girls to bed, we'd both collapse and fall right to sleep. Even though I was lying right beside her, I missed her.”

Jeannie wiped away a tear. “You two should be considered illegal. I've never seen two people so much in love.”

“We are. It seems like every day, I fall even deeper in love with her.”

A shuffling at the door caused Amanda to look up. “Lex, what are you doing? ”

Lex stood in the doorway, propped on crutches. “Hey, Jeannie. How are you doing? ”

“I'm fine, Slim. The baby's growing, I'm eating, and poor Rodney has to run out in the middle of the night to fetch my latest craving.” Jeannie pushed a chair away from the table. “Why don't you come join us? ”

“Are you sure I'm not interrupting anything? ”

Jeannie patted the chair. “Not in the least. As a matter of fact, I came to visit you. Come sit by me, cutie.”

Lex blushed, but worked her way into the kitchen. She lowered slowly into the chair and put the crutches on the floor beside her. “One of these days Amanda's going to think something's going on between us, if you keep that up.”

“So? ”

Amanda took one look at Lex before she stood and picked up a coffee cake off the counter. She gathered plates and forks, and brought everything over to the table. In no time at all, she had served all of them a decent-sized piece. She poured Lex a glass of milk and returned to her chair. “You need to get something into your stomach, honey.”

“Yeah, I know. Those damned pills always make me wake up nauseous.” Lex picked at the coffee cake, before finally taking a small bite.

Jeannie scooted closer and rubbed Lex's shoulder. “Maybe you stole my morning sickness. I had it for about a week, and then it disappeared.”

“God, I hope not.” Lex gave her a crooked grin. “I lucked out when Amanda was pregnant. Didn't get sick, or the weird cravings. But I did buy a lot of strange things when I was in town, just on the off chance she'd want them later.”

Amanda came close to spitting her coffee across the table. “Martha was afraid you were craving those things. I think it freaked her out a little to think of you setting foot in a grocery store without being threatened first.”

“She even tried to take my temperature, the first time I came home with several grocery bags, ” Lex added, much to Jeannie's amusement.

“Well, Slim, you have to admit, you've always acted like you were allergic to any kind of shopping.”

Lex shrugged. “I tried to be prepared.”

“Want to come home with me? Rodney's been good, but I think I'd like to be spoiled.”

Amanda started to choke on her coffee cake. When she was finally able to take a breath, she glared at her sister. “You've been spoiled your entire life, Jeanne Louise. So don't try and tell us any different.”

Jeannie stuck her tongue out at Amanda. “Turd.”

“Spoiled brat, ” Amanda retorted.

“Ladies, please, ” Lex sighed. “Let's not resort to name calling.”

Both sisters started laughing. Their favorite pastime was teasing each other.

Jeannie flicked a piece of pecan from her cake at Lex. “Who are you calling a lady? ”

Lex flinched as the nut bounced off her cheek. “Not you, obviously.” But she couldn't help but smile at their silliness. “You'd better not make a mess in here. Amanda's worse than Martha when it comes to the kitchen.”

“Really? ” Jeannie looked at her sister. “My sister? The girl who used to get hives at the thought of cleaning? ”

Amanda dropped her fork onto the plate. “I was ten, for god's sake. What ten-year-old likes to clean? ”

“Pfft.” Jeannie waved her hand in a dismissive motion.

“I swear, sometimes I wish I had been an only child, ” Amanda grumbled.

“Yeah, right. Then whose bed would you have invaded every time you thought you saw the boogeyman? Hmm? ” Jeannie turned to Lex. “Does she still stick her cold feet on your legs in the middle of the night? ”

Lex nodded. “All the damned time.” Another piece of cake bounced off her shirt. “Hey.”

Amanda pointed her fork at Lex. “My cold feet will find somewhere else to sleep, if you're not careful, ” she threatened.

“Oh yeah? ”

“Yeah.” Amanda appeared quite pleased with herself, until a rather large piece of cake hit her forehead. “Lexington, ” she growled.

Ten minutes later, Martha came into the kitchen, where she saw three laughing women and chunks of coffee cake all over the kitchen. “What on earth has been going on around here? ”

The room turned silent, as all three pointed to each other, laying the blame. They looked at the peeved glare on Martha's face, then at each other, and proceeded to laugh even harder.

#

“Uncle Hubert, how come you don't live here no more? ” Melanie asked. It was Tuesday evening and they were gathered around the kitchen table, with several games stacked to one side. Hubert and Ramona were with the girls, while Amanda had taken Lex upstairs to bed.

Hubert looked at Ramona. “Uh, well, I had some business in Oklahoma, and when I met Ramona, I decided to make it my home.”

“But you lived here for a long time, too, right? ” Melanie persisted.

“That's right. Why? ”

Melanie got off her chair and proceeded to crawl into Hubert's lap. “I think you're nice. Were you sad when you moved away from home? ”

“Uh—”

“I don't want to ever live away from home. I love Momma, Mommy and Lorrie. And Eddie.”

Lorrie opened a game box and set out the pieces. “When you grow up and get married, you'll have to live somewhere else. That's what grownups do. Right, Uncle Hubert? ”

“Usually, yes.” Hubert smiled at Ramona when Melanie snuggled closer and put her arms around his neck.

“But Momma said that this is the only house she's ever lived in. Did you live here, too? ” Lorrie asked.

Hubert nodded. “When I was younger, yes I did. But after I graduated from high school, I went away for college, and then moved into my own place.”

“Aunt Ramona, do you live with your family? ” Melanie asked.

“We're in the same city as my father, but I live with your Uncle Hubert.” Ramona helped Lorrie set up the Sorry! game. She accepted the green game piece and placed it on the board. “Thank you.”

Lorrie grinned at her. “You said you liked the green one, right? ”

“I did.”

“Cool.” Lorrie passed out colored game-pieces to everyone. “Uncle Hubert, how come Momma never told us about you? We didn't even know she had a brother, until Eddie came to live with us.”

Hubert's smile faded, as he remembered past events. “I wasn't a very nice person, Lorrie. I'm sure your moms didn't talk about me because they're too nice to say bad things about people.”

Ramona put her hand on his shoulder for support. “The important thing is that now we're all together, and happy. Right? ”

“Yeah, ” Hubert agreed, his voice gruff with emotion.

Lorrie still had questions. “Do you like kids, Uncle Hubert? ”

“Sure.”

“Then how come you didn't want Eddie? Was he bad? ”

Hubert scooted away from the table and held out his free arm to Lorrie. “Come here, sweetheart. Let's talk about this.”

Lorrie quickly moved from her chair to his lap. “Okay.”

“Remember when I told you I wasn't a very nice guy? Well, I'll always worry that I'll be that guy again. And I loved Eddie so much that I wanted him to have the best home he could. I knew that your parents would raise him right, giving him all the love in the world.” He kissed each girl on the forehead. “Besides, he needed big sisters to take care of him. Who's better than you two? ”

Lorrie turned to Ramona. “Didn't you want babies? ”

“Oh, sweetie. I love children, especially the ones living in this house, ” Ramona said, a little sad. “But your Uncle Hubert and I are too old. It wouldn't be fair to the child to have parents who couldn't do everything with them. Don't you agree? ”

“I guess. But you'll come and visit us and Eddie a lot, won't you? ”

Ramona looked at Hubert, whose eyes glistened with lost chances. “You'll get tired of seeing us, we'll be here so often, ” she promised.

#

Ellie yawned as she walked down the quiet hallway. She had agreed to work late this Thursday morning to help out a coworker, but the slow-moving clock made her regret her kindness. She saw a solitary figure in the waiting room and thought her tired eyes were deceiving her. “Amanda? ”

The woman's head lifted, and a wan smile came across Amanda's face. “Ellie? What are you doing here this time of morning? ”

“Splitting a shift with a coworker. Why are you here? Is it Lex? ”

“We got a call last night from the orthopedic surgeon. He wanted Lex to get the MRI done before coming into his office on Monday. So, here we are.” Amanda lowered her head and brushed her fingers through her hair. “I managed to get Hubert and Ramona to stay home and help Martha get the girls off to school. But I'm really glad to see a friendly face.”

Ellie sat next to Amanda and put her arm around her in a comforting gesture. “I'm glad I came this way for my break. How long has Lex been in there? ”

“Seems like hours.” Amanda checked her watch. “About forty-five minutes, though. I just hope she's not going crazy in there.”

“She should be okay. This hospital has an open-bore MRI, so it's not as claustrophobic. I've talked to patients who said it's not bad at all.”

Amanda sighed. “I hope so. She's really not taking this whole thing very well.”

“What do you mean? ”

“Have you ever known Lex to sit still for very long? She's been, as she put it, ‘under house arrest', since she returned from Oklahoma. As much as she loves the kids, even they are starting to get on her nerves.”

Ellie gave her a one-armed hug. “Hang in there it's going to get better. Has she made any progress at all? ”

“Not much. Her leg and back are still causing her a lot of pain, even with lying around all the time. What if they end up having to do surgery? It scares me to death to think about that.”

“Let me talk to some of the surgeons around here, and see what's involved, if it comes to that, okay? Don't start worrying about it until you have to. I know that's easier said than done, but you'll be better off.” Ellie checked her watch. “I'm going to call the charge nurse and see if I can wait here with you. Be right back.”

Amanda caught Ellie's arm. “You don't have to. I don't want you to get into any trouble.”

“It's no trouble. Besides, I don't really care for the attitudes in this place. I plan on job hunting again as soon as I can.” Ellie hurried down the hall to the nearest phone.

Before Ellie could respond, the double doors at the end of the hall swung open and Lex came out on her crutches. Amanda jumped up and met her halfway. “How did it go? ”

“Okay. Can we get out of here? ” Lex leaned heavily on the crutches, a defeated look on her face.

“Sure, love. Let me run tell Ellie.”

Lex perked up a little. “Ellie was here? ”

“Yes. She saw me waiting, and was going to sit with me until you got here.” Amanda noticed movement down the hall. “Here she comes.”

Ellie joined them, carrying a denim jacket. “Hey, cuz. I thought you'd be in there longer.” She patted Lex gently on the shoulder. “You guys up for breakfast? I got cut loose early.”

“Sounds good to me. Amanda? What about you? ” Lex asked, suddenly much more animated.

“Sure.” Amanda picked up their coats from a waiting room chair and followed them down the hall.

Once they were outside, Ellie pointed to a far-away parking lot. “I'm over there, so I guess I'll meet you someplace. Any ideas? ”

Amanda tugged on the arm of Ellie's jacket. “How about you get in and ride with us? We can take you over to your car, and discuss breakfast options on the way.”

“Might as well do as she says, El. I know from experience how pointless it is to try and argue with my better half, ” Lex teased.

“All right. I didn't feel like a hike in this cold wind, anyway.” Ellie flipped the collar up on her denim jacket and shivered.

Amanda stuck her tongue out at Lex, but led the way to where she had parked her Expedition. “Is there someplace nearby to eat? Or should we just head back to Somerville? ”

Ellie quickly climbed in the back and closed her door. “Honestly, I haven't bothered looking around here for anything. I usually just go to work and back. Drop me off at my car, and I'll meet you at the diner in Somerville.”

Once Lex was settled, Amanda started the vehicle. “Sounds like a plan.” She followed Ellie's directions, and they were soon parked beside the silver Corolla. “Don't you have a warmer coat? ”

“I've never needed one, since I'm rarely outside. I've got a blanket I keep in the car to cover my legs, so I don't freeze before the heater kicks on. I'll be fine.” Ellie got out of the SUV. “See you in a few.” She closed the door and unlocked her car, waving once she was inside.

Lex looked at Amanda. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking? ”

“Definitely. At least we know what to get little miss stubborn for Christmas.” Amanda waited until Ellie drove away, then followed her. “Not like that's a surprise.”

“What do you mean? ”

Amanda laughed. “Stubborn runs in the family.” She kept her eyes on Ellie's car and was surprised by the small pinch on the leg she received. “Hey.”

“Runs in the family, huh? ” Lex asked. She tapped her chin, as if in deep thought. “You know, I do believe you're right. And it started about twelve years ago.”

Without taking her eyes off the road, Amanda delivered a perfect slap to Lex's arm. “Smartass.”

#

The booth seat was lumpy, the coffee like mud, and her breakfast plate was chipped. Lex ignored the pain she was in and enjoyed the old diner, as well as the two women with her. She looked closely at Ellie. “Hey, El? ”

Ellie looked up from her own breakfast. “Yeah? ”

“Did you do something different with your hair? ” Lex squinted. “A haircut, or something? ”

“Um.” Ellie looked embarrassed. “Yeah. I got it cut and a little color added to it yesterday. Does it look okay? ”

Lex nodded. “Looks great. Doesn't it, Amanda? ”

Amanda stifled a laugh. “Sure does. Is there any reason you got your hair done, Ellie? ”

“No! I mean, not really. I just felt like a change.” Ellie wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I need to run to the restroom. Be right back.” She slid out of the booth and left in a hurry.

“What's up with her? ” Lex asked her wife.

Amanda took a sip of her coffee. “Has she talked to you about her new neighbors? ”

“Only the day you two came back from finding the place. Is there something else? ”

“One of the roommates is a woman. They met last week when Ellie went over for the house inspection.” Amanda put her hand on Lex's. “I think Ellie likes her, but I don't want you to tease her about it, okay? I think I did that enough when I found out.”

Lex's lower lip stuck out. “You're no fun.”

“Promise to behave? ”

“Only for a little while. Then, all promises are off.” Lex watched as Ellie came from the restroom. “This isn't going to be easy.”

Amanda patted her thigh. “Shh.”

Ellie sat and gave her cousin a funny look. “What? ”

“What, what? ” Lex answered.

“You look like you're up to something, ” Ellie accused.

Lex shook her head. “Nope.”

Ellie turned to Amanda, who had trouble looking her in the eye. “You didn't.”

“What? ”

“You told her.”

Amanda tried her best to look innocent. “Told who, what? ”

“Her. About Kyle.”

Lex looked from Amanda to Ellie. “Kyle? Who's he? ”

Ellie sighed. “It's okay. Kyle's the woman who lives next door. I met her last week.”

“Oh.” Lex shrugged. “Is she cute? ”

“No, I mean, yes, I, uh.” Ellie bit her lip. “She's different, but in a good kind of way.” Her face turned pink. “She's really nice.”

“Ah. I see.” Lex speared a piece of sausage and popped it into her mouth. “What does she do? ”

Ellie began to fiddle with her coffee, swirling a spoon around the half-empty mug. “She's a mechanic, who also likes to restore old cars in her spare time. She doesn't like to go out to bars, and she said her roommates are always teasing her about that.”

“Sounds okay to me.” Lex put her fork down. “How old is she? ”

Ellie stared at her own plate. “I'm not sure, but I think she's in her early thirties. She doesn't seem that old.”

Although tempted to tease Ellie, Lex decided to play it safe. “Sounds like a good thing, having a mechanic that lives next door. Especially with that old car you drive.”

Relieved that the conversation was heading toward a different topic, Ellie nodded. “My car's fine. It's just temperamental, that's all.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Lex waved to the waitress, Francine, for coffee refills.

Francine immediately arrived with a full pot of coffee. “Hey, ladies. How's the kids? ” she asked, as she refilled everyone's cups.

“They're doing great, ” Amanda answered. “Growing too fast, though.”

“Ain't that always the way, ” Francine agreed. “Y'all take care, you hear? ”

Lex nodded. “Thanks, Francine. You too.” Once the waitress was out of range, she turned to Ellie. “Now, what were you saying? ”

“I was going to ask if you two would mind coming over to the old house, and see if there's any furniture that you want. Otherwise, I thought I'd see if Jeannie and Rodney wanted it.”

Amanda stirred sweetener and creamer into her coffee. “You don't want it? ”

“Just a few things, actually. My bedroom furniture, the kitchen table, and maybe one of the sofas. I want to get a few new things, too.” Ellie looked at Lex. “Is that okay? ”

“You're asking me? Ellie, it's your house, and your stuff. Of course it's okay.”

Ellie rubbed one of her eyes and took a cleansing breath. “I thought you might want some of our grandfather's furniture.”

“Ellie, ” Lex reached across the table and covered her cousin's hand with hers, “you gave me probably the greatest thing in the world, when you passed along that quilt. Besides, if Jeannie and Rodney have the furniture, it's still in the family, right? ”

“Right.” Ellie squeezed Lex's hand. “Whatever they don't want, let's donate. Are you okay with that? ”

“Yep.” Lex winked. “Now, tell us more about this Kyle person. I want to know if I need to go have a talk with her.”

Ellie's eyes widened. “You wouldn't dare.”

“It'll be good practice, for when our girls get older. Gotta see what her intentions toward you are, right? ”

“B, bu, but, Lex, you—”

Lex laughed. “No more secrets from me, right? ”

Ellie growled and threw a piece of toast at Lex, who caught it and took a bite.

“Thanks. I was still hungry.”

Amanda shook her head and covered her face, as the two women laughed loud enough to draw attention to their booth. “I can't take you two anywhere.”

“Sure you can, ” Lex helpfully answered. “As long as you don't mind having a little fun, right, El? ”

“Right.” Ellie wiped her mouth and put her napkin on her plate.