The McEllis Boys

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Three

Cavanaugh groaned, his head was pounding and his stomach was turning. He felt as if he was suffocating and reached his hand up only to realize there was a leg laying across his face. He shoved it down and heard Ian mutter, "Dammit."

"Daddy, my head hurts," Madeline's voice spoke up.

"Mine too," Ian mumbled.

Cavanaugh felt another body shift next to him and yet another one was laying across his legs. He moaned with pain as his head throbbed and then pulled himself out of the pile of bodies and stood up. He looked down at the bed he'd been laying in and saw all his brothers and the women still piled up.

"Apparently more than one hotel room would have just been too much for the woman to manage."

Cavanaugh turned quickly and saw Jamison standing beside the open door, leaning against the door jamb with a cigar hanging off his lip.

"How did you know we were here?" Cavanaugh asked, as everyone else in the bed began to moan, groan and slowly disentangle themselves. Cavanaugh found Nicole's hand among the pile and helped her to her feet before pressing her back into his chest and using his fingers to massage her temples. He knew her head was pounding by the look that had been on her face and he smiled when she groaned with pleasure and leaned into him.

"Glad to see you pulled your head out of your ass, Cav," Jamison said.

Nicole smiled brightly, "I missed you, Jamison! You scared the life out of me when you 'poofed' right in front of my eyes." Then Nicole looked down at herself and at the old fashioned wool skirt and cotton blouse she was wearing, "What happened to my clothes?"

"Looks like Mary changed all you women into something more time appropriate," Cavanaugh replied.

Nicole sighed, "Damn. I was really hoping to bring my yoga pants with me."

Cavanaugh chuckled and Jamison put out his cigar on the bottom of his boot, "Hallie is a seamstress. I'm sure she could make some for you. My wife likes to help people when she can."

Nicole let out a happy cry and then moved away from Cavanaugh and went to Jamison, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tight, "Thank God you listened to me!" Jamison chuckled and patted her on the back, fully aware of the hundred yard stare his brother was sending his way.

"Might want to let her go, Jamison," Ian said as he managed to get himself to his feet and helped Leslie to hers as well. "Cav gets a little crazy over that one." Jamison nodded as Nicole moved away from him and went back to Cavanaugh who was more than happy to wrap his arms around her once again.

"Daddy, it's the police officer cowboy!" Madeline exclaimed as she jumped from the bed and into Ian's arms.

Ian grunted as he fought to steady them and winced at the aching in his head, "Yes it is," he replied, forcing a smile through his pain.

"Daddy?" Jamison asked with a frown.

"I am her daddy," Ian shot back and Jamison's eyes widened with surprise as his womanizing, commitment-phobic brother propped the little girl on his hip and wrapped his free arm tight around her mother.

"Well I guess that means all of us are settled down," Jamison said as he turned his gaze to Andrew who was cuddling in the bed with the tall, slender girl that Jamison thought he remembered as being Silas's granddaughter.

"So how did you know we were in here? Did Mary tell you?" Cavanaugh asked.

Jamison shook his head, "Naw, I haven't seen her since she sent us to the future. It was widow Callahan that found you. She's visiting some family and was staying in this hotel room. She came back from her luncheon to find a big ol' group of people passed out on her bed. Caused quite a stir to tell you the truth."