It’s All Relative 30
Author: hawkbehere (hawkbehere2@yahoo.com)
Rated: G, dammit! Oh look. Now it’s PG. No seriously? PG.
Disclaimer: The really super-attractive, interesting characters in this story? They’re not mine. No copyright infringement intended.
A/N: Again with a micro-micro-burst. A bit kid-oriented and domestic. Sorry.
All mistakes are mine. Love and thanks to the inimitable Rosemary for reading first. Much love to bouncing London Anne, Jessie, law_nerd, xenavirgin and Martha.
***
“There! You are perfect!”
Miranda looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She had to admit that she did look far better after Wanda’s loving assistance, but “Perfect?”
Wanda frowned, “What else? I can’t do anything about the way they have with this arm but I thought this was…maybe…a good thing? Yes?”
Wanda had asked her cousin who owned a hair salon to give her a stylist’s smock to put around the woman’s hospital gown. And she’d brought a pair of Miranda’s sweatpants from her home.
“This is the best for now, I think. It covers your gown for the children and you are warm with the sweatpants but I know that Nigel will make something for you that is so much prettier and-“
“You know that?”
“Oh si. He called me last night. He keeps me, how do you say it? In the loop.”
“Last night? I’m not in the loop but you are?”
“Why not? I’m important, no?”
With those words, and the sound of that voice, Miranda relented. “Of course you are. And the smock is nice with my eyes, isn’t it?”
Wanda smiled, “Oh yes, jefa, so blue and blue.”
“Thank you. But I’m not your boss.”
“No. I think so. I think you are everyone’s boss.”
“Yes.” Miranda sighed again, “I guess I am. My God. Poor Andrea.”
Wanda was a bit thrown by this, having chalked up Miranda’s somber mood to the shooting and the injury-certainly nothing about her friends’ relationship. She took a calming breath, then replied “No. Lucky Andy, I say.”
Miranda looked into the other woman’s eyes with true interest or maybe hope, neither of which Wanda missed. “You think so? You think she’s lucky?”
Wanda patted Miranda’s arm gently, “She marries the person she loves? What is not lucky?”
“That it’s me, Wanda. Isn’t that obvious? It’s me.”
Ah. Si. There it was. What to say?
Miranda’s eyes really were stunningly blue, Wanda thought, even more when so sad and oddly anxious. She took a deep breath and the corners of her mouth lifted into almost a smile as she made light, rearranging touches to the smock, “Yes. It is you. And you will not change, Miranda. Never think so. But you don’t have to. Andy has made her choice.”
“I know.” Miranda sighed yet again and then struggled with something she clearly couldn’t say because she hesitated two, then three times before settling for a softly whispered, “I suck.”
Wanda made a calculated choice to take all the heat off the moment by cackling before replying, “Ah? You suck and you see it? Yes! You do! I will tell Andy and the children you know it!”
Miranda, hearing this for what it was, gratefully played along, “Are you sure you’re not Martha?”
“No no. That Martha? She scares me.”
“Me too.”
“You suck and you are scared! This is a day I will remember!”
“Wanda? You repeat any of this and Carlo will be a widower, which would be terribly unfortunate, given the fact I’m so fond of him. And poor Juan Carlo with no mami.”
“See! There you are! Put on more mascara, jefa. It will make you feel better. Even better than threats.”
“I doubt that.”
“Mascara, Miranda.”
“You know what? That word sounds sexy with your accent. Say it again?”
“What? No!” Wanda gaped at Miranda and crossed herself. “Don’t say that word to me! Go away!”
“Clarify please. Mascara or sexy or vamoose?”
“Vamoose is bastard Spanish.”
“You said bastard. Don’t think I won’t tell.”
Wanda spluttered a second before saying with a definitive jerk of her chin, “You are a child and you suck.”
“Exactly. Just so we’re clear.” Miranda turned toward the mirror again and reapplied her mascara. With a glimpse, Wanda noted those arresting blue eyes were now reasonably untroubled.
Bueno, she thought, smiling genuinely as she left the bathroom to gather her supplies.
***
As Andy and Carlo walked the children up to Miranda’s room, it faintly nauseated Andy to know this, like the tabloid press, was now old news for them. Oh well. She smiled as she knocked on the door, “This is it folks-the grand reveal…”
She opened it and was gratified to see a wildly visually improved Miranda sitting in the recline-a-bit with a grinning Martha beside her.
She hastened to say, “Okay guys-easy. Really easy with the hugs. Left side bad. Right side good.”
Cassidy hugged Miranda lightly around her neck, then snuggled into that neck, whispering, “I love you so much, Mommy. I was so scared for you.”
Miranda patted her with her one good arm, “I love you too, angel. And no need to be scared. You and your sister know I’m much worse than any bad guy. Ask Emily.”
Cassidy giggled agreement before Caroline said, “Yeah, yeah. Don’t hog her, Cass.”
Cassidy kissed her mother’s cheek before pulling away and shoulder-bumping Caroline, “I’m first-born, baby-girl. I get dibs.”
“Again with the yeah, yeah. Whatevs,” Caroline said as she took her sister’s place next to her mother.
She didn’t hug her. She put one hand on her mother’s left cheek and stared into her eyes. “I love you, Mom. Are you really okay?”
Andy flinched at the tone. It wasn’t cold but it wasn’t particularly warm either. Miranda accepted this without blinking and her tone matched her daughter’s. “I love you, too. And I really am.”
Caroline nodded. “I’m glad.”
“I am as well.”
That was enough, evidently, for Juan Carlo to feel it was his turn, “Oh Ms. Miranda. Madre di Dios!” He immediately began to sob and, without any semblance of embarrassment shoved Caroline out of the way and very, very carefully placed himself in the older woman’s lap. “What would we do, Ms. Miranda? What would we do without you?”
He sobbed hot tears into her neck as she wrapped her one good arm around him and whispered quiet reassuring words to him. That was enough to make everyone in the room get a little weepy, which was, for two of them, too much because they’d firmly decided not to cry.
The two in question stood side by side. Caroline rolled her eyes and whispered very quietly, “What a fucking girl.” Not so quietly that Andy couldn’t hear it and nonchalantly punch the girl not so lightly in the shoulder.
Caroline glared at Andy, who leaned down and whispered into Caroline’s ear, “Language Caroline and don’t make me hurt you.”
She whispered back, “Child abuse already? And you’re not even step-mommy dearest yet.”
Andy wrapped an arm around Caroline’s neck and smiled sweetly at Miranda, leaning down so that she could whisper viciously into the girl’s ear. “Operative word? Yet. I will so wire-hanger you, doll-face.”
Caroline gave her mother and Juan Carlo a saccharine-soft smile as she hissed into Andy’s ear. “Bullshit. You love me.”
“Language Caroline. And I do love you. With. All. Of. My. Heart. Deal, shitbird.” With that, she kissed Caroline’s cheek soundly.
Hearing that? Feeling that kiss? Made Caroline seethe. She wanted to shriek “LANGUAGE, ANDY!” She clenched her fists, wanting to destroy Andy for doing that. She assumed without seeing that the young woman was probably giving her one of those know-it-all smirks she sometimes wore that always felt like a punch in the face.
And if she turned and saw that stupid face? Caroline didn’t even know if she’d have the strength not to punch Andy right the fuck back. She swallowed hard and looked up into those big brown eyes and saw…
Nothing. Andy looked at her for one second before turning her attention to Miranda, exactly as if nothing had happened. Nothing was happening.
Caroline exhaled sharply. Andy wasn’t going to make anything happen.
Which was exactly what Caroline wanted. She wanted nothing to happen and nobody to look at her when she talked to her mom and nobody to watch her feelings with her mom because really? How lame would that be?
Andy wasn’t going to rat her out. Rat. She grinned and took what she knew was Andy’s rat-savaged hand. Andy squeezed it briefly but didn’t look at her. Perfect.
NEXT CHAPTER
Rated: G, dammit! Oh look. Now it’s PG. No seriously? PG.
Disclaimer: The really super-attractive, interesting characters in this story? They’re not mine. No copyright infringement intended.
A/N: Again with a micro-micro-burst. A bit kid-oriented and domestic. Sorry.
All mistakes are mine. Love and thanks to the inimitable Rosemary for reading first. Much love to bouncing London Anne, Jessie, law_nerd, xenavirgin and Martha.
***
“There! You are perfect!”
Miranda looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She had to admit that she did look far better after Wanda’s loving assistance, but “Perfect?”
Wanda frowned, “What else? I can’t do anything about the way they have with this arm but I thought this was…maybe…a good thing? Yes?”
Wanda had asked her cousin who owned a hair salon to give her a stylist’s smock to put around the woman’s hospital gown. And she’d brought a pair of Miranda’s sweatpants from her home.
“This is the best for now, I think. It covers your gown for the children and you are warm with the sweatpants but I know that Nigel will make something for you that is so much prettier and-“
“You know that?”
“Oh si. He called me last night. He keeps me, how do you say it? In the loop.”
“Last night? I’m not in the loop but you are?”
“Why not? I’m important, no?”
With those words, and the sound of that voice, Miranda relented. “Of course you are. And the smock is nice with my eyes, isn’t it?”
Wanda smiled, “Oh yes, jefa, so blue and blue.”
“Thank you. But I’m not your boss.”
“No. I think so. I think you are everyone’s boss.”
“Yes.” Miranda sighed again, “I guess I am. My God. Poor Andrea.”
Wanda was a bit thrown by this, having chalked up Miranda’s somber mood to the shooting and the injury-certainly nothing about her friends’ relationship. She took a calming breath, then replied “No. Lucky Andy, I say.”
Miranda looked into the other woman’s eyes with true interest or maybe hope, neither of which Wanda missed. “You think so? You think she’s lucky?”
Wanda patted Miranda’s arm gently, “She marries the person she loves? What is not lucky?”
“That it’s me, Wanda. Isn’t that obvious? It’s me.”
Ah. Si. There it was. What to say?
Miranda’s eyes really were stunningly blue, Wanda thought, even more when so sad and oddly anxious. She took a deep breath and the corners of her mouth lifted into almost a smile as she made light, rearranging touches to the smock, “Yes. It is you. And you will not change, Miranda. Never think so. But you don’t have to. Andy has made her choice.”
“I know.” Miranda sighed yet again and then struggled with something she clearly couldn’t say because she hesitated two, then three times before settling for a softly whispered, “I suck.”
Wanda made a calculated choice to take all the heat off the moment by cackling before replying, “Ah? You suck and you see it? Yes! You do! I will tell Andy and the children you know it!”
Miranda, hearing this for what it was, gratefully played along, “Are you sure you’re not Martha?”
“No no. That Martha? She scares me.”
“Me too.”
“You suck and you are scared! This is a day I will remember!”
“Wanda? You repeat any of this and Carlo will be a widower, which would be terribly unfortunate, given the fact I’m so fond of him. And poor Juan Carlo with no mami.”
“See! There you are! Put on more mascara, jefa. It will make you feel better. Even better than threats.”
“I doubt that.”
“Mascara, Miranda.”
“You know what? That word sounds sexy with your accent. Say it again?”
“What? No!” Wanda gaped at Miranda and crossed herself. “Don’t say that word to me! Go away!”
“Clarify please. Mascara or sexy or vamoose?”
“Vamoose is bastard Spanish.”
“You said bastard. Don’t think I won’t tell.”
Wanda spluttered a second before saying with a definitive jerk of her chin, “You are a child and you suck.”
“Exactly. Just so we’re clear.” Miranda turned toward the mirror again and reapplied her mascara. With a glimpse, Wanda noted those arresting blue eyes were now reasonably untroubled.
Bueno, she thought, smiling genuinely as she left the bathroom to gather her supplies.
***
As Andy and Carlo walked the children up to Miranda’s room, it faintly nauseated Andy to know this, like the tabloid press, was now old news for them. Oh well. She smiled as she knocked on the door, “This is it folks-the grand reveal…”
She opened it and was gratified to see a wildly visually improved Miranda sitting in the recline-a-bit with a grinning Martha beside her.
She hastened to say, “Okay guys-easy. Really easy with the hugs. Left side bad. Right side good.”
Cassidy hugged Miranda lightly around her neck, then snuggled into that neck, whispering, “I love you so much, Mommy. I was so scared for you.”
Miranda patted her with her one good arm, “I love you too, angel. And no need to be scared. You and your sister know I’m much worse than any bad guy. Ask Emily.”
Cassidy giggled agreement before Caroline said, “Yeah, yeah. Don’t hog her, Cass.”
Cassidy kissed her mother’s cheek before pulling away and shoulder-bumping Caroline, “I’m first-born, baby-girl. I get dibs.”
“Again with the yeah, yeah. Whatevs,” Caroline said as she took her sister’s place next to her mother.
She didn’t hug her. She put one hand on her mother’s left cheek and stared into her eyes. “I love you, Mom. Are you really okay?”
Andy flinched at the tone. It wasn’t cold but it wasn’t particularly warm either. Miranda accepted this without blinking and her tone matched her daughter’s. “I love you, too. And I really am.”
Caroline nodded. “I’m glad.”
“I am as well.”
That was enough, evidently, for Juan Carlo to feel it was his turn, “Oh Ms. Miranda. Madre di Dios!” He immediately began to sob and, without any semblance of embarrassment shoved Caroline out of the way and very, very carefully placed himself in the older woman’s lap. “What would we do, Ms. Miranda? What would we do without you?”
He sobbed hot tears into her neck as she wrapped her one good arm around him and whispered quiet reassuring words to him. That was enough to make everyone in the room get a little weepy, which was, for two of them, too much because they’d firmly decided not to cry.
The two in question stood side by side. Caroline rolled her eyes and whispered very quietly, “What a fucking girl.” Not so quietly that Andy couldn’t hear it and nonchalantly punch the girl not so lightly in the shoulder.
Caroline glared at Andy, who leaned down and whispered into Caroline’s ear, “Language Caroline and don’t make me hurt you.”
She whispered back, “Child abuse already? And you’re not even step-mommy dearest yet.”
Andy wrapped an arm around Caroline’s neck and smiled sweetly at Miranda, leaning down so that she could whisper viciously into the girl’s ear. “Operative word? Yet. I will so wire-hanger you, doll-face.”
Caroline gave her mother and Juan Carlo a saccharine-soft smile as she hissed into Andy’s ear. “Bullshit. You love me.”
“Language Caroline. And I do love you. With. All. Of. My. Heart. Deal, shitbird.” With that, she kissed Caroline’s cheek soundly.
Hearing that? Feeling that kiss? Made Caroline seethe. She wanted to shriek “LANGUAGE, ANDY!” She clenched her fists, wanting to destroy Andy for doing that. She assumed without seeing that the young woman was probably giving her one of those know-it-all smirks she sometimes wore that always felt like a punch in the face.
And if she turned and saw that stupid face? Caroline didn’t even know if she’d have the strength not to punch Andy right the fuck back. She swallowed hard and looked up into those big brown eyes and saw…
Nothing. Andy looked at her for one second before turning her attention to Miranda, exactly as if nothing had happened. Nothing was happening.
Caroline exhaled sharply. Andy wasn’t going to make anything happen.
Which was exactly what Caroline wanted. She wanted nothing to happen and nobody to look at her when she talked to her mom and nobody to watch her feelings with her mom because really? How lame would that be?
Andy wasn’t going to rat her out. Rat. She grinned and took what she knew was Andy’s rat-savaged hand. Andy squeezed it briefly but didn’t look at her. Perfect.
NEXT CHAPTER