Sitting on the other end of the sofa, Margaret grabbed the remote and went for the recorded soap operas that she staved off from watching for Cherish's sake, "Boys! The show is about to begin!" She called out to them.
Cherish gave a weak fist pump, "Woo!" She exclaimed lackluster in succession.
Testing the bottle on the back of his hand, Simon saw his little girl’s delight as he hoisted her higher along his chest. She ate happily and cuddled into his embrace while he took a seat on the sofa beside Cherish and his son. He groaned out as the opening credits and theme song to a sappy, melodramatic soap opera started. He remembered when he was young, his mother would do nothing for most of the day once 11 A.M. rolled around and watched the ridiculous stories. That only meant he didn’t get any cartoons for a solid block or she’d put him down for a nap. For that, Simon still harbored ill feelings towards any show that remotely resembled them, but it also gave him leverage to use against his mother once he was old enough to know what guilt was. It may have become a light-hearted joke with her, but he still hated the show.
Cherish watched Simon and his father stare at the screen alike to being tortured. She laughed a bit as she shook her head, bumped Jr. and took another bite of food. She didn't know when or how she fell asleep, but the next thing she knew she lifted her head and the show was over. Jr. was still where she left him, but Margaret and Simon Sr. were gone. Her plate of half-eaten food was put away and the light from Simon's office was on. She sighed out a pained moan while cracking her neck. Jr. reacted to her movements and proceeded to suckle against her breast. Cherish pushed herself to sit up, "S-Simon?" She asked in a hoarse tone.
Sitting in his office, he was preparing for his conference call the next morning. He made sure he had everything he needed so he could roll out of bed, look half decent from the waist up, and do his job. It took him a moment to realize that his name was called before he stood and exited. Turning off the light, he approached Cherish with a smile, “Look who’s up. You passed out and have been out for about two hours.” He whispered in return.
Cherish blinked at Simon as he finally came into view. She rubbed along her face before she pried Jr.'s lips from her breast and handed him to Simon, "I guess I did." She replied groggily.
Simon treaded for the stairs. With a pause he looked back at her, “Let’s go to bed. Jasmine is already in her crib.” He said patting softly against Jr.’s back.
Standing, she situated herself and paced after him. Going up the steps, she followed him into the bedroom and made her way towards the crib where Jasmine rested. Smiling to herself, Cherish yawned and ran a hand against her head, "Goodnight my angel." She whispered.
Simon was more than certain that because the kids were so precious and well behaved today, they would be living nightmares the next day. He could feel it. Looking over his shoulder, he shut the door and locked Cherish and the kids in for the night. In a sense, this felt normal and comfortable to them now and neither wanted to bring up the idea of splitting rooms.
Pulling away and making room for Simon, she backed into the bathroom, "I need to set an alarm and call work later tonight. Do you mind?" She asked.
He laid down in bed before he looked at the bathroom door and released a breath. She really was going to ignore her own needs and go back into work. Not on his watch. Simon pulled off his glasses and rubbed both hands on his face, “Yeah sure.” He said stretching out.
After a nice, hot shower, Cherish emerged from the bathroom and climbed on the bed. She sighed out and pressed her hands against the soft, feathered pillow with a groan, "Goodnight, Simon. See you tomorrow." She whispered.
He took the book of the week from the nightstand and glanced down at her, “Goodnight, Cherish. See you in the morning.” He replied.
Rolling over, she shut her eyes, and within moments, a light snore emitted from her side of the bed. Through the night Cherish didn’t wake up once. Not for a feeding or the bathroom. As morning came around, she blinked open her eyes and saw the sun-drenched wall across from her. Her eyebrows tucked on a confused manner as she stretched. She released a satisfied groan and relaxed against the mattress. Shutting her eyes, a sudden jolt struck her. Sitting up, she realized the room was empty. The babies weren't in their crib and Simon wasn't around. She threw a glance to the clock and inhaled a deep breath.
10 A.M.
Cherish clenched her jaw and tossed the blankets off her body. She crossed the bedroom, crossed the hall, and bounded down the steps, "Simon? Simon!" She called out rounding into the living room with a pause.
He stepped out of the kitchen with Jasmine’s bottle while Jr. fussed and squirmed on the floor, “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked. He knew she was likely worked up over her shift, but kept calm and acted normal. Because…he turned off her alarm, so she would finally take a day off, “I was about to feed the kids.” He implied.
Seeing everything was just as she remembered a month ago, before working, Cherish sighed and placed one hand on her hip with the
