I always find you

Chapter 11

The days passed and Carlos soon remembered what family life was like. The children were doing everything they could to help him; no one had hidden — because it was not possible — that their father needed a lot of help. His fingers were still broken, his ribs still hurt, and he still had a small panic attack from time to time.

The children were old enough to more or less understand what was going on without freaking out and were willing to do everything in their power to help him.

At almost eleven years old, because his birthday was coming up, although the boy was very clear that there were other things going on around him for his parents, grandparents and the rest of his family to worry about his birthday, Tomi had learned to cook with "the best chef" as the little boy always said after having watched all editions of Masterchef in English and Spanish.

Carlos had taught him since he was only three years old to cut, cook, bake, make sweet and savory dishes, and had helped him to invent his own dishes, which despite the first mistakes, had become the family's favorites.

So now, when Grandma Andrea couldn't come home to prepare something for Carlos to eat, Tomi the mini chef was ready to do it and take care of his father. He knew his favorite dishes and, seeing that he was very good at cooking, little by little Andrea let her grandson cook something for his father every day.

The twins also contributed. Gwyn showed her father as much as she could the new exercises she was learning at the gym, and she was learning with him the new kata she was preparing with the nunchakus, excited because soon she would be allowed to start working with the bo which was her favorite weapon, which until now, she had been too small to use.

Gabriella on the other hand was the one who seemed to be coping the worst. She was always worried about him, attentive to his hands and would not let him do anything that might strain him. When Carlos wanted to get up, quick as a lizard, she appeared ready to do whatever he needed, even if he had to leave the game she was playing or the movie she was watching on TV.

Carlos felt guilty for having his children looking after him and not enjoying their vacation days.

"We are a family," Tomi said with that tone and that look of a teenager locked in the body of a child who had not yet turned eleven. "We take care of each other. That's what you guys always say."

As sad as his situation of living between the couch and the bed and always having someone around to do something for him made him, Carlos was tremendously proud of his family and the children he and TK had raised.

After the week of vacation, it was time for the kids to go back to school. TK had to return to the firehouse after the days off he had asked for so he could be with Carlos and only his mother was home with him for as long as possible.

"You look too serious," she said the first day they were finally alone. "Do you already miss all the hustle and bustle these days?"

"Yes, the silence overwhelms me."

Andrea sat down next to Carlos on the couch and began to do the massage he had been told would help the bones in his hand return to normal.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I didn't want to do it in front of the kids, I knew it would drag me down...I feel the panic tak...taking over m...me...when..."

"Shhh. It's okay, honey. You're home, you're safe. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Carlos took a deep breath as he had been taught to do in the hospital before being discharged and put his injured hand over his mother's to find the strength to keep talking.