One String Attached

100.

.James.

It had been a week and I had just picked Asher up from school.
Aaliyah hadn't gone in because she wasn't feeling great but I'm almost positive she must have got a bug from Riley since she hadn't been feeling the best either these past couple days.

She looked after both of our daughters for the day while I went to Nathan to seek advice from him regarding the phone call I had received last week.

I was yet to inform Riley about the results purely because we hadn't spoken much at all.
I hadn't found the chance to talk to her about something as significant as this.

I knew I desperately had to and it was on the top of my list of things to say to her when we eventually do start talking again but for now, it had to wait. At least until I could find the right words to phrase it.
She'd most likely get mad at me for keeping the information to myself for so long but I'd rather that than tell her now and have things go downhill.

She was still aggravated about all that I had done.
It felt as if she was never going to budge and my patience was beginning to run thin the longer I waited for her to open up and let me back in.

There were moments where her facade dropped slightly but it never lasted more than five minutes before she closed herself up again.

"It's snowing!" Asher giggles as I had him positioned above my shoulders while we walked home.
It was the start of December and it was nice to see some snow falling down. It usually didn't start pouring with snow until at least January but I suppose this year is different.

"Yeah, little man. It is, isn't it?" I chuckle before lifting him off my head and onto my side when we approach the front door.
He smiles and rests his head on my shoulder when we step into the house.

Sauble makes his way over at the sound of the door opening and closing and Asher reaches his arms out, causing me to set him down on the floor for him to go and play with the cat for a bit.

"Can I go outside, Daddy?" he asks after he had picked Sauble up to hold on his chest.

I look down at him and ruffle his hair. "Sure thing, bud. Just go and put a hat on, okay?"
He nods after giving me a small hug and I chuckle as I watch him quickly run upstairs to grab his winter attire, Sauble following along behind him.

There's a sudden noise from upstairs and at first, I had thought it was Asher tripping on the staircase, but then I hear Riley's voice swearing just about loud enough for me to hear through the thin walls and then Aaliyah sprints down the stairs.
"Dad! Mummy hurt herself!" she calls out.

I look up at her and then follow her up the staircase before entering our bedroom without knocking, Aaliyah staying out by my side.

I look around and find Riley holding her hip firmly while she stood by the bed where a suitcase had been laid out in front of her and her laptop was opened.
Her face was filled with agony but I wasn't too sure what had happened for her to hurt herself.
All I know is that she must have lifted something she wasn't supposed to and she had pulled a muscle from it.

"What happened?" I mumble, glancing around.

She keeps her eyes shut as she rubs her hip before eventually dropping her arm and sitting down on the foot of the bed. "Nothing," she tells me.

Lies.

"Riley, I'm not playing. What happened? And what's going on? Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." Her strict tone of voice puts a strain on her side again and she winces in pain.