Together Again

Since she was usually up earlier than her twin, Magick was already dressed and brushing her hair when she heard retching through the wall. Knowing that their mama hadn’t been feeling good the night before—and having been told that their daddy was a heavy sleeper—she decided to go check on him. She hated seeing their mama feel bad, and she knew that being sick enough to throw up was no fun.

The sight that met her eyes when she entered the primary master suite was heart breaking, to say the least. Ash was leaning over the edge of his bed with a trash can gripped tightly in his right hand, heaving so hard he kept pulling his hair out of her daddy’s fist. The younger man was sitting up behind him, gently rubbing his back and making a futile effort at keeping his hair pulled back. She definitely stood by her opinion of not liking seeing their mama feeling so miserable.

Magick knelt down in the floor by his bed, ignoring the acidic scent coming from the trash can as she cupped his temples. It was the easiest way to hold the hair back that Andy couldn’t, as well as caress his cheeks in a soothing manner. Additionally, it brought her close enough for him to hear her as she murmured comforting words to him.

“There, there, Mama,” she murmured, gently kissing his forehead as he panted moments later. “It’ll be all right.”

Ash merely groaned miserably, his right hand now tucked under his torso as he held his ribs.

“Can you go grab another bottle of ginger ale, angel?” the younger man asked, yawning afterward. “We haven’t had much sleep, and it’s not safe for me to move around much.”

Since she hadn’t known her daddy long, she didn’t know him—or his physiology—as well as she did her mama.

“When I don’t get enough sleep, it makes my blood pressure drop,” he chuckled. “I’m at a higher risk of passing out when that happens, and I don’t wanna be walking up or down the stairs if that happens.”

“Yeah, I’ll go grab him a few bottles,” she answered, nodding. “I don’t like seeing Mama feeling so bad, and I can’t have Daddy passing out and falling down the stairs.”

“Thank you, angel,” he said, leaning over enough to kiss her forehead when she leaned closer to him. “We both appreciate it.”

Nodding, Magick quickly headed downstairs to grab several bottles and a twelve-pack of canned ginger ale. Her daddy probably didn’t know it, but her mama kept a mini fridge hidden in his room, as well as a small microwave, from when they were babies. He’d told her when they were old enough to understand that it made pumping his breast milk and feeding them easier. If he didn’t have a big enough supply built up, or his nipples hurt too badly, it was quicker and easier to have the bottles already stored in his room than to have to go downstairs and heat them, then bring them back upstairs.

When she got back to his room, she poured one of the bottles into a glass of ice, then gently pressed it into his hand. Ash hummed his thanks as he grappled at it, ultimately having to get help from his lover since he was so weak and tired. She chuckled softly at the endearing sight as she moved on about the rest of her task.

She felt eyes on her as she worked and knew her daddy was watching her, wondering what she was doing. Once she had all the unopened bottles and cans in the mini fridge and the cardboard box broken down, she turned back to the bed to see eyes as blue as hers filled with curiosity. Magick chuckled once again as she smiled, quickly explaining about the hidden mini fridge and microwave.

Andy’s eyes widened and he quickly nodded his understanding, knowing it was a smart idea since she’d known about their existence and she hadn’t. Both of them knew it would be safer—and more beneficial to the older man—till they could get enough sleep to go downstairs, or the girls got back from school, whichever came first. Magick asked if there was anything else she could do before dragging Legacy out of bed, and they both requested a small snack before they even attempted going down to the kitchen.

“Mama already knows when school lets out, but just so you know, Daddy, we won’t be back till about two-thirty,” she told him.

“All right. I think the two of us can manage till then,” the younger man answered with a sleepy smile. “Go get your sister up before the two of you are late.”

“See ya this afternoon,” Magick said. “I hope you feel better soon, Mama.”

“I hope I do, too, angel,” Ash groaned, now on his back with one hand splayed over his belly.

Magick quietly left the room and headed back to the secondary master suite she shared with her twin. Thankfully, said twin had paid attention to the alarm when it went off, so although she was sluggish, she was up and getting ready. While she finished her makeup, she stepped behind her and ran a brush through her hair.

Being a lot like their mama than she’d ever admit, Legacy liked styling her own hair and let no one but Ash do it if she couldn’t. She wouldn’t even let her sister, who was but minutes younger, style her hair; she’d only let her brush it out. Once the ass-length espresso tresses were brushed out so they were straight and smooth, the younger twin stepped back so she could start gathering their things and putting them in their bags. By the time she was done with that, her sister was finally ready to grab a small breakfast and leave.

While they made their way downstairs, Legacy asked if she’d seen their parents this morning. She was a stoic young lady, and therefore didn’t always show her emotions or concern, but when it came to the older man…well, she couldn’t hide anything. Magick sighed softly as she reported what she’d seen and heard shortly after waking up, which made her twin grimace in sympathy.

“I hope he feels better soon,” she said, wincing slightly. “I know he hates being sick, and I hate seeing him when he feels bad.”

“So do I,” the younger twin agreed. “At least he’ll have Daddy here to help him out.”

“Daddy better take good care of him,” Legacy growled. She’d always been protective of their mama, almost as much as the older man was of them.

“Well, Daddy’s gotta take care of himself, too,” she reminded her.

The older twin cocked a brow at her curiously.

“You remember how we get dizzy from low blood pressure when we don’t get enough sleep?” Magick asked.

“Yeah, I remember. It fucking sucks,” she answered.

“Well, Daddy’s the one we got it from,” her twin told her. “And before you ask, he told me himself; that’s how I know.”

“Really? Well, there’s a lot of things that are hereditary, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“He asked me to come get Mama some more ginger ale, saying that it wasn’t safe for him to do so himself.” She quickly locked the front door behind them. “When I gave him a questioning look, he explained it to me. Now I understand why we’re like that since we both know Mama’s not.”

“It definitely makes sense now,” Legacy agreed.

“I just hope that Mama’s illness, as sudden as it is, does soon, too.”

Both twins looked at each other before looking up at Ash’s bedroom window, then sighed as they climbed in their car. Since she was always more alert in the mornings, Magick climbed in the driver’s seat of their shared ’79 Camero while Legacy climbed into the passenger’s side with their bags. After cranking it up, hoping it didn’t startle their mama and cause him to get sick again from being startled, they headed off to Carter High School for what they considered another day at Hell.

Notes