memories, psych [ 1 ]

005. spellmaster's grocery list

"Come on, babies. The bus is almost here." Vanessa tells her 5 year old twins.

"Mommy, can you ties my shoes?" Cassandra asks.

"Come here." Vanessa lifts her daughter onto the counter and gets to work on the laces. "Two bunny ears, one goes under the other, and bam!" Vanessa smiles.

"Thank you." Cassandra smiles and Vanessa kisses her on the cheek.

"Zach! Come on, buddy!" She calls and the boy runs out of his room.

"I can't find my left shoe." Zachary tells her making his mom sigh.

"Okay, both of you, here are your lunches, and your bags. I will find your shoe. Entertain Maddie if she starts crying." She says, motioning to the toddler in the high chair.

Vanessa goes into her twins' room and begins looking for the other shoe. After about a 5 minute search, she finally finds it.

"I know he's 5, but the kid would lose his head if it wasn't attached." She mumbles to herself, walking back into the kitchen. "I found it, sweetie."

Vanessa hands him the shoes and he quickly puts it on and dies it.

"How come he can tie a shoe and I can't?" Cassandra pouts.

"Because all children develop and learn things at different speeds. Even twins." Vanessa explains, helping Zachary put his bag on. She goes to Cassandra and does the same. "Nothing is wrong with you not knowing, okay?"

Cassandra nods and Vanessa smiles at her, kissing her forehead.

They hear a horn and know the bus is here.

"Okay, let's move, move, move." Vanessa says. She opens the door for her children and says bye to them, making sure they have anything, and kissing their cheeks, them kissing her cheeks in return before rushing off to the bus.

"Have a good day!" She calls out.

"Okay!" They yell back, getting on the bus.

As the vehicle drives off, Vanessa's cell phone rings and she shuts the door, going to answer it.

"Hello?" She greets. "Shawn? Wait, wait, you're in the hospital? What did you do now?

+++

"Did you call your dad?" Gus asks Shawn as the two of them and Vanessa walk through the hospital, Vanessa holding Madison. As they pass rooms, Shawn looks through the windows on the doors.

"I'm fine. They're releasing me." Shawn says.

"Did you call him?" Gus asks.

"Gus, I'm not going to talk to my dad." Shawn says.

"He'd want to know you're okay." Gus says.

"All he cares about are results, just like those possessed spelling bee parents. You know what's wrong with this? All of this."

"Shawn, you're delirious. You're upset. You lost control of your bike last night." Gus says and Shawn stops, making the other two stop.

"Gus, I didn't lose control of anything. Someone tried to kill me or send a very serious message." Shawn says.

"Why would somebody try to kill you?" Vanessa asks.

"Why would I know?" Shawn angrily asks before walking off. His tone makes Madison lean into her mom more, tucking her head into the crook of her neck.

~ ~ ~

"Brendan appreciates you checking on him." Brendan's mom says.

"Well, we were in the neighborhood, and, uh, Gus here is a huge fan." Shawn says. "He almost won the spelling bee himself."