The Nearness of You

Chapter 21

Livy was at the end of her rope. She had lived her life the past week waiting for the other shoe to drop. Declan had had to go out of town on business once again, and she had been left on her own with the children. It had been fine the first few days, but then Gabriel had gotten into a fight at school, Ilsa had started cussing, which Maria thought was hilarious, and Maria had taken to chewing her food and then spitting it out on her plate.

The only saving grace had been that she had decided to quit her job early, and since they already knew about the kids it seemed there was no reason not to use that as the reason why she was quitting. The real reason was that she had been too nervous to return, she was worried about running into Velma, and she was also worried about Nelson and Hadley cornering her as well. She still attended classes, she was too close to the end of the semester not to, but she always made sure she was in a crowd as she moved across campus.

Declan had called the night before and said that there was an important party that he needed her to attend with him and he would fill her in when he returned home, and that was why she was in the condition she was in now.

Livy thought they had been doing so well that day, Gabriel had had a good day at school, Ilsa hadn't said a single cuss word, and she had been so pleased that Maria had eaten all of her dinner she had let her have a second helping of dessert. However, now Livy was wearing that dessert and trying not to throw up her own dinner.

She had managed, with the help of Raoul, to get all of the kids tucked into bed. Then she had rushed around like a mad woman as she got ready for her evening out with Declan. She had chosen a lovely wool dress that was off the shoulder. It was a striking red color, well it had been, until Maria had wandered into her room, with Isla close behind, saying her tummy hurt. Livy had pulled her close and checked her temperature which seemed fine, but then she had erupted like a volcano. Bright blue projectile vomit went everywhere, all over her clothes and shoes, and Livy was doing her best not to vomit herself.

She couldn't hug Maria, who looked stunned, and Ilsa had started screaming every cuss word she knew as he hopped from foot to foot, but Livy couldn't do a single thing as she fought back the nausea. Then Maria started howling because she thought Livy was mad at her and this brought Gabriel who, like Livy, felt the need to vomit at the sight and smell of vomit, but whereas Livy had been successful in holding it back, Gabriel had not been.

And this was exactly how Declan had found them when he finally returned home.

He took in the scene, looking stunned, his eyes swiveling to Livy, but when he saw her green color he reached for the trashcan and got it under her just in time, and he held her hair back as he told Ilsa, in a very firm and oh so Declan tone, that if he ever heard her cuss again she would be sorry.

"Is Aunt Livy mad at me?" Maria wailed.

"No sweetie. She just can't handle vomit, much like your brother there." Gabriel stood in the doorway looking a little green. "Gabriel, take your sisters back to their room and have them clean their faces, change their nightgowns, and brush their teeth, then you do the same. It looks like poor Aunt Livy took the worst of it."

At the reminder Livy threw up once more and he patiently waited for her to finish.

"Welcome home dear," she said sarcastically once she caught her breath, but she jumped up and ran into the bathroom as she smelled the sour stench of her and kids vomit once more.

Gabriel did as he was asked and took the girls out of the room.

Livy kicked off her shoes, peeled off her stockings, then stripped out of her dress before turning on the shower getting the water as hot as she could make it. She had finally stopped gagging when she heard a knock at the door.