𝐃𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐈𝐀 - TMR, Gally ² / ³

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

The house is done.

In fact, it was done ten years ago.

It took two years to get everything done and running, then the next ten years passed in a blur.

Though still, they kept waking up to cries and screams.

Not Joan's. But Felicia's. And then Auden's, and currently still Mae's.

Yup. He convinced her, then had a stage where he regretted it because people were pulling his hair, vomiting on him, crying at him, and a lot more. But then it was alright.

"I want pink," the oldest girl says.

Gally takes a pink crayon before moving his daughter against the wall, noting her height. "You've grown at least two centimeters, little one. Austen, what color do you want?"

"Green," the boy says.

Felicia steps away so her brother can reach the wall. As she does so, the long, brown, wavy hair flows after her. Half of it is tied up with a (handmade by Joan, obviously) white bow.

She turned seven a while ago. Austen's four, and Mae almost one.

Once Austen's done, Joan walks over to the wall with a sleepy Mae in her arms. "Guess we'll get her height tomorrow."

"Sure. You keep them busy as I cook?"

Back when they were younger, she'd admitted he can't cook at all. It was one of the first days in their house. He made a meal and all, but it tasted like shit. He heavily agreed, and from that moment, started spending more time with his good old friend Frypan.

"Alright. What do you kids want to do?" She puts Mae down in her cot before sitting down on the couch, the other two kids beside her.

"Play doctor!" Felicia offers. She looks at her brother for agreement.

Yeah, everyone is convinced the kind gene could only be coming from Joan's mother, Mary.

He agrees by taking the little med-kit Jeff gifted them. Most things, except for the bandages, are fake, so there's no danger in playing with them.

"Okay." Felicia puts the fake glasses on. "Ma'am, you called us for an appointment. What exactly are your complaints?"

"Hmm. My nose keeps running, my chest is heavy, and I'm hot and cold at the same time, doctor," Joan replies.

"Our patient got the flu," Auden decides. "Felicia, flu shot and bandage, please."

The girl hands him the fake syringe. It's so thick and fake that Joan is okay with them using it on her.

Once, she has accepted an injection. It was highly necessary when the flu really did break out and Auden, who was still unborn back then, could be in danger. It took a lot of reassuring and a lot of trusting the nurse, but she did it, and didn't like it at all.

I'll never get over some things, she had thought.

"There you go." A bandage gets wrapped around her wrist as if that's gonna help with her 'flu'. "That will be a thousand dollars, ma'am."

Sighing, she hands Felicia the invisible money. "Thank you, Doctor. I already feel so much better."

"Good."

Austen pouts. "That was short."

"Well, then go check up on your father and see if he's not letting anything get blown up. Perhaps help him."

"If anyone will blow anything up, it's you," Felicia replies, grinning. "Remember when—"

"Shh." Joan presses a hand on her daughter's mouth. "Moving on, what do you want to do?"