Things back to normal?

[Deleted]

i'd say show me but that
would come out all kinds of wrong.
i have to say they didn't exactly partner me with a male too hard on the eyes

Michael had been out on medical leave from work and was always coming and going to appointments and he had seen very little of his daughter lately. There were no excuses. Sighing he dropped his keys into the container by the door. His pay as a paramedic was a lot higher than his pay as a patrol officer had been, so there had been the whole moving bit. It gave Alexis more room to have animals and the garden she wanted so badly. Better certification, training, and medical leave he was losing track of the things that really mattered.

Boxes still sat in the corner. Oh yes, more unpacking to do. This was the bane of his existence lately. "Alexis!" he called as he set dinner down on the counter. Usually, one of them cooked tonight, but if she was anywhere as near exhausted as him... He started looking through the house. He knew things had been rough on her as well. He'd been trying to take care of her in one aspect and then it felt like another always fell. If anyone ever told him being a single parent was easy, he would have a mouthful for them. Michael sighed before making his way into the kitchen. He was back to full physical health but he hadn't been able to pass the PT test required to stay in the PD due to being out of work for so long. So he'd opted for paramedic certification. He owed his sister money but that wasn't anything he'd tell Alexis. He'd hated to ask for financial help, but it wasn't like he had been in any position otherwise.

✄ Alexis Wheeler

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Alexis Wheeler]

It had been pretty rough lately, with her dad being injured, then changing jobs, and the new house, and Alexis had been trying her best to behave and be helpful to her dad, or at very least not cause any trouble. It was hard sometimes, she wanted him to be happy and for everything to be 'normal' again...as if 'normal' was something they had ever had!

Still, she knew he was trying hard to make a good life for her, and she was actually happy that they had a house of their own now, it made the seem more like a family somehow, and although she had had to switch the vet clinic she volunteered at, she was still able to stay in her high school, and that helped a lot.

Her intentions for the day had been good, she had planned to alternate work between unpacking a and arranging her room, and working on the kitchen. But she'd gotten 'into the zone' in her room, and not only had she neglected the kitchen, she'd forgotten about dinner.

"Alexis!"

"Oh, my gosh!" Was it really that late already? Dashing out of her room, leaving behind piles of books, pictures, figurines, clothes and other 'junk' scattered around, Alexis bolted for the kitchen.

"Dad! You're home!" She gave him a quick hug, then apologized, "I'm sorry, I forgot all about dinner, but I can get it going now, give me twenty minutes."

@meriton,

[Deleted]

i'd say show me but that
would come out all kinds of wrong.
i have to say they didn't exactly partner me with a male too hard on the eyes

Michael could tell that Alexis got hardly anything done, but then again she’d been doing a lot around the house lately. He wasn’t about to get onto her because she decided to slack for one day. Everyone had their days and it would just be petty of him to point out the crazy she’d left things in. He was just starting to pick up the kitchen when she came running in from the bedroom.

“Where’s Casper?” He teased making reference to the ghost from the television show. She certainly had bolted fast enough. He felt arms wrap around him quickly and then her apologies. He returned the embrace but let her go when she tugged back. Though if it were up to him he'd hold her and never let go. His daughter had simply grown up too fast.

Michael put out his arm to block her entrance into the kitchen. “Dinner’s on the counter.” He gave her a smirk as he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the other direction picking her up some in the process. Once he set her back down on the ground he moved back into the kitchen to go searching for some plates.

The kitten she’d rescued and convinced him to keep came rubbing against his leg. Why were cats attracted to him? He would never understand. Michael wasn’t as much of an animal person as Alexis, but he didn’t turn them away. Though now he wasn’t even sure how many animals they had any more. So many came and went before more would come in. “You’re hungry too?” He shook his head and then went digging for cat food. Once he finished feeding the cat he washed his hands. He’d only had to work a partial shift today, or else he would have still been at work but the nice thing about the fire station was the two days off following one day of work. “Long day?” He quiered as he turned around bringing the plates to the table.

✄ Alexis Wheeler

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Alexis Wheeler]

"Dinner?" Now she smelled it, the light aroma of tomato sauce with a hint of garlic. "Oh, Bella Italia!" Her favorite Italian restaurant! Must be some kind of special occasion, and she hadn't even done what she'd wanted to today so that the kitchen was all assembled and free of boxes. Well, there was always tomorrow!

"Thanks, Dad...you did get tiramisu for dessert, right?" That was her absolute favorite, especially now that she could drink coffee with it to even out the sweetness. Well, she'd forgive him if he didn't get it, since the lasagne was a really good choice, too!

"This was a great idea, and I promise I won't forget tomorrow," she told him as she settled into a chair, glad that they really hadn't accumulated a ton of stuff so that there wasn't a lot to unpack.

"So, how was work today?" It was still a little odd to think of him as a paramedic and not a cop, but at least it was a lot safer, if you didn't count all the diseases he might be exposed to! "Did you save anyone?"

@meriton,

[Deleted]

i'd say show me but that
would come out all kinds of wrong.
i have to say they didn't exactly partner me with a male too hard on the eyes

Michael chuckled when the realization clicked that he’d brought dinner home with him. “Would I dare bring home any other Italian place?” He wasn’t exactly the biggest Italian food fan but he knew that it was his daughter’s favorite. They both liked Bella and it has been on the way home. One of those things he wasn’t going to resist.

Michael smiled at his daughter’s excitement. He always loved how the small things made a different. “Of course.” It could be said that Michael spoiled Alexis to an extent. Then again, Alexis was the only one he’d had to take care over the years.

Michael set the take home on the table. “Slow day,” To Michael that meant it was a good day because people weren’t out doing stupid things. He’d rather be slow than busy and stretched thin.

✄ Alexis Wheeler

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Alexis Wheeler]

"If you're bored that means everyone is healthy, right?" Alex grinned as she dished up some of the pasta then offered the container to her dad. Even though she knew he didn't tell her about the bad things -- those, she read about on-line -- she knew it wasn't like the shows, where every second was life and death.

Even when he'd been working for the police department, she knew that a majority of what he did was holding peoples' hands and placating trivial spats, and that was fine with here. She worried enough as it was, but if she thought that he did all the things they showed on TV, she'd be sick.

Of course, TV was entertainment, and picking up someone with chronic headaches or back pain just wasn't entertaining.

"Looks good!" She breathed in a deep whiff of garlic and basil, then grinned as she took a bite. "Oh, man, Dad, you're the greatest cook!"

A little, begging, 'Mew!' from beneath his chair indicated that the kitten agreed, but it knew enough not to get in the way.

"Well, looks like Skitter wants to share!"

@meriton

[Deleted]

i'd say show me but that
would come out all kinds of wrong.
i have to say they didn't exactly partner me with a male too hard on the eyes

Michael shook his head. “There were just a few calls but nothing really to write home about.” He pointed out taking the container from Alex and just shaking his head. Michael missed the police department but sometimes things needed to be adjusted in order to make things right for everything else.

Michael could cook but his Italian wasn’t as near as good as the Italian place. "And that” he pointed out between bites. “Is what they call buttering up.” Michael gave his daughter a cheeky grin complete with the white teeth and a head shake.

“Skitter got an entire can of Tuna this morning.” Michael sometimes spoiled the cat, and now it seemed to want the attention of food when he was around.

✄ Alexis Wheeler

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Alexis Wheeler]

"Oh, really?" Grinning, Alex raised an eyebrow. "Are you getting soft?"

Of course, she knew her Dad was a push-over and a softie at heart, and she did her best not to take advantage of that, realizing that she shouldn't use up her favors too hastily. And it was a two-way street...she did her best to make life as easy as she could for him and to stay out of trouble...they were a team, and she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

But she [i[was[/i] a kid, after all, and sometimes slipped up.

Munching on her lasagne, she slipped a bit of the beef to Skitter, then declared, "I want to be a veterinarian." It had been a given that she'd at least be a Vet Tech, but she wanted to do more. "I know it takes a long time, and it's expensive, but my councilor said my grades are good enough for a scholarship, and I can work part time to help pay for school."

@meriton