Litttle Miss Parker

RING RING RING !!!

I'd just fallen into a lightly troubled sleep when that annoying ringing reaches my ears. Jarod. What other lab rat would call this late? I look to my clock. At…2:34 in the morning. I sigh. I grudgingly pick up the phone.

"Hello, Jarod," I sigh miserably

" JAROD!? Miss Parker, now what would Jarod be doing calling you at this time of night?"

'Lyle'. I guess he could be considered a lab rat too. Don't want him to feel neglected. Figures.

"Lyle! Why the hell are you calling me at this time of night ?"

"Oh, dear sister, you sound unhappy of my calling you."

"Don't patronize me Lyle. Of course, I'm unhappy that you're calling me, because that means you're still living, unfortunately for the rest of the world."

"Oh, sis, you're just cranky. Must be that time of the month." That lab rat bastard.

"Go to hell, Lyle."

"Okay, sis. I'll just use your reservations. Hope you don't mind."

"Don't worry. I don't. I've changed destinations. I have a one-way ticket to Heaven. Too bad you can't go. I hear it's paradise this time of year." Lyle is silent for a split second, looking for the perfect biting comeback.

" Too bad you'll only have a view of it from Judas's bed. Guess you won't be getting that tan you need so badly, will you, sis?" The bastard. I won't stoop to his to his level of complete inhumanity.

"Lyle, either tell me why you called or get the hell off of my line!" Calm down, Parker. Don't let that waste of flesh, blood, and entrails get you down.

"I just called to say congrats on the rugrats. And, I'm sorry for your loss. I'll send flowers." Is it a crime to murder your twin on the grounds that they'd kill you first if given the opportunity? Or just because you hate them, they know it, and still won't go away?

" Lyle, what's going on in that demented mind of yours? Have you seen me waddling around in a maternity dress or trying to feed any screaming babies, because if you have I know you've hit rock-bottom as far as psychos go, anyway. There are no kids here." He's been watching me. God, what does he know? Does he know who made Dora, as I've come to call her, kill herself?

"Oh, don't be modest baby sister. I've known from the moment I met you that you'd make a good baby-maker, someday. I just didn't think it'd be quite so soon. Two daughters, Parker. That'd make mom proud. They're beautiful. I saw them at the park just today. They love when I buy them ice cream. We had a ball together, Parker. You should've seen them in their little bathing suits. Perfect faces and skin soft to the touch." Lyle, Lyle, Lyle, You sad little nine-fingered troll. You should really beware you sources. One, my daughter only goes to the park with her brother and Jarod; two, her sister is dead; and three, she knows the Centre's people on sight and knows not let any of them give her anything. Oh, and last, but not least, I'll kick your ass if you ever touch my babies or Jarod. I swear to you on every picture on my nightstand. That's what I'm dying to say, but that would confirm that I know I have children and that would put the little one's in danger. Nope, we can't do that. And he's doesn't know about Christopher, so he's safe. They won't be looking for a baby, much less a baby boy.

"Lyle, I have real work to do in…" I look to my crystal clock concealed by all of the picture frames. How the hell did I spend an hour talking to Lyle? Talk about your wastes of time and energy. " In not quit three hours. You wanna talk to me, talk to me there or better yet don't talk to me anywhere. Forget I exist. Take my word for it, I won't feel rained on. It'd be a great compliment to me." He's not amused. Well, neither am I. I have two children who've I've yet to formally meet and one who I'm not sure I've met or not. And truthfully the math doesn't add up and is giving my ulcer a run for it's money. I decide to say, "Screw it." and I hang up the phone. I haven't got time for this.

I lay there for a moment, not really trying to sleep, but not working to stay awake either. In my mind more questions spiral from this call. Two in particular: Does Lyle know? And if so, what does he know?
Jarod's Blue Cove Home
Midnight

Jarod's POV

I scoot back on my bed carefully, my son nestled tightly in the crook of my arms. I lean back against the pillows against headboard.

I hope Parker got the message. And the gifts I've left her.

I look down at my groggy, but awake son.

"What do you think about our situation, li'l guy? What a mess I've made of our lives. I'm sorry about all that, but let me say this, I will make sure you get all the love and affection you and your sister need. I won't let what happened to Dora happen to you and Ella. the Centre will not get their disgusting hands on you." His tiny hands reach out in his sleep and I instinctively know who they're reaching for. Parker. "She's reaching back for you too, Chris."
Blue Cove
Miss Parker's Residence
The Same Time

Parker's POV

I'm asleep, I think. I need to be somewhere important.

I'm walking through a house, Jarod's house I know instinctively. I'm at the doorway to his bedroom. Jarod' s leaning against his headboard, Christopher Thomas nestled safely in his arms. Christopher sees me and reaches out for me. He sees me, really. Jarod looks up and senses me, but he doesn't see me. He doesn't have to.

"She's reaching back for you too, Chris." Chris, as Jarod has dubbed him, gurgles gently, still reaching for me.

"Mmmaaa…mmmaa." He said, "Mama," to me. I reach out a hand to touch his carefully. His dark eyes lock with mine and I feel peace encompass me. His eyes are so quiet and non-judgmental. I could stare into them forever.

Jarod leans Chris over a little, as if handing him to me and I realize that's exactly what he's doing. Suddenly, I'm not quite dreaming anymore. I'm here in the flesh, with little Chris in my arms.

There's a disturbance on the bed. It's Ella. She's watching me inquisitively from her daddy's lap.

"Are you my mama?" I nod silently. She smiles. "Good. I like you." Oh, she's got fire and sass.

"Well, I like you, too, honey. I like you a lot." She seems deep in thought for a moment before asking an interesting question of me.

"Do you think you could love us?" Do I think so? I know so.

" Yeah, honey. I think I could."

"Are you gonna be our mama forever and ever?" Oh, yeah, I love this one.

"I plan to be."

"Were you Sassy's mama, too?" Who's Sassy? I look to Jarod for an answer. He mouths, 'Dorothy Sasha.' I nod in comprehension.

"Yeah, I was her mama, too." I wish I'd known her better. "You know, honey, you're gonna have to tell me about Sassy since I didn’t get to know her for as long as you did." She nods.

"Okey-dokey." Deep in thought again. "Are you gonna stay and sleep with us, 'cuz it's too late for you to go home. It's really dangerous." I look again to Jarod. It's funny how I find myself looking to him more often theses days.

"If you'd like to that's fine with me."

"Please mama, stay." She already has my vote. Man, she should go into politics.

"All right, you've convinced me. I don't know how I'd get home anyway. Where am I gonna sleep?"

"We could sleep in daddy's big bed." Isn't she helpful. (statement of sarcasm, not question.) Again, it's up to Jarod. Boy, he's got lots of control these days.

"Okay."

"Okay," I shrug. We shift around and now we're all cuddled unnecessarily on this huge bed with Chris already asleep in my arms and Jarod and I on either side of Ella.

I've imagined a lot of ways to get in bed with Jarod over the years, however this particular scenario has never arisen in my mind. Jarod, me, three minus one kids, and a king-sized bed.

I haven't the slightest idea what to tell Daddy, except to say," I'm sorry Daddy, but it appears that I've found myself in 'a family way'. What ever shall I do? Get assassinated probably. That's not a good way to go about announcing daddy's entrance into 'Grandpa land'. I personally hope he loses his ticket and get banned from the place when he won't even go into 'Daddy land,' like he should.

I feel Jarod gather us all in his far-reaching embrace and pull us closer to him.

"Good night, Parker." Do I have a first name anymore?

"Good night, Jarod." Does he even have a last name?

"Night, mommy and daddy."

"Night, honey/ Sweet dreams, Pumpkin." We say at the same time. What a sweetie.

"Sweet dreams, baby Chris."

"Sweet dreams, little guy." Poor guy's gonna get a complex from all these 'littles' we keep throwing around him. but, for now, he's none the wiser and simply, but unsuccessfully tries to roll in my arms.

We all snuggle down into the covers and give a collective *yawn*, even baby Chris joins in.

Though not the best way to state my current situation, there's really no other way to describe it than I'm in a family way in a pretty big way. Three minus one kids is pretty big to me. May not mean much to my daddy, but it's really big to me.

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