The Sounds of Home

by Greenwood Muir, Diane

  "We aren't certain that's what it is," Polly said, wiping her hand on a dish towel.

  "Come on." Agnes nodded toward Jon. "He is. You should be, too."

  "Thank you for taking care of things around here while I was gone."

  "You didn't tell us. Is her ankle broken?"

  "No. Just a bad sprain."

  "Sometimes that's as bad as a break," Agnes said. "People tend to think that you can jump up and play again if it's only a sprain, but that ankle will need some tender loving care the next few days if she's going to heal up."

  "She won't go to school tomorrow, and if it's still swollen and she's uncomfortable, I'll keep her home on Wednesday." Polly took in a quick breath. "I don't work from home anymore. I've never done this before. Both of my girls will be home tomorrow. I need to talk to Jeff and let him know I won't be at Sycamore House."

  "Tuesdays are busy days for you there, aren't they?" Agnes asked. "I can take a day off from my regular routine. I'd be glad to spend it acting as nursemaid to your young ladies."

  "You shouldn't have to go up and down those steps all day," Polly said. "Let me think about this."

  "If you get Rebecca downstairs into the family room, that will make it easier. Poor Cat will probably sleep all day, anyway. Neither girl is rude or needy. I think I can handle them. Let me do this, Polly. It would mean the world to me to help you out."

  Agnes was as much a part of the family as anyone by now, so there wasn't a question of whether Cat and Rebecca would be comfortable having her care for them, but this was a big request. Polly and Henry had talked about what would happen if the boys or Cassidy were sick. If it was just one at a time, they could go to Sycamore House with Polly. The comfortable nook she'd set up for them was perfect for napping, playing games, and reading. They hadn't given much consideration to the older kids, thinking they could take care of themselves with most sicknesses. A lame Rebecca was a different story.

  "Polly?" Rebecca asked.

  She poked her head around the corner. "Yeah, honey, what do you need?"

  "Do we have ice packs in the freezer?"

  "You bet. I'll get one for you. Do you want to change your clothes?"

  ~~~

  When a girl who has hurt her ankle lives in a house with three strong men and a fourth is there for a visit, she won't have to do much walking. Noah and Elijah ran upstairs to take care of Rebecca's cats, while Jon and Henry carried her from the sofa in the kitchen to a seat in the dining room, back to the kitchen while the rest of the family cleaned up, and finally to the family room, where she settled with her phone in hand. She hadn't had any time to let her friends know what was going on and that she wouldn't be at school for at least a day. Caleb and JaRon promised to be her go-fers, but they'd soon tired of waiting for her to offer them tasks and went to the basement to play with their toys.

  Even though Hayden was on call to care for his wife, he and Heath promised Rebecca they'd get her upstairs to bed and back downstairs in the morning. She laughed at that, since both young men would be out of the house by the time she was ready to get out of bed.

  ~~~

  After dinner was cleaned up, Heath tossed the dishtowel he'd been using into the laundry basket in the mudroom and came back in. "I have homework. Thought I'd go over to Ella's. Would you like me to take you home, Agnes?"

  "You going to be out late?" Henry asked.

  Heath frowned. "I might. Why?"

  "Just some things I wanted to go over with you for work. It's no big deal. We can talk later. Keep an eye on your truck, though, okay?"

  Heath nodded. "I’m not in a hurry. Do you want to talk now?"

  "No." Henry smiled at him. "Do your thing. School work is important."

  "So is the pretty little girlfriend," Agnes said, hooking her arm into Heath's. "Boys this age are adorable, aren't they? All hormones and panic."

  "Panic?" Henry asked, laughing.

  "They worry over everything. Does she like me? Are we going too fast? Are we going too slow? Does her family like me? Does my family like her? Should I tell her I love her?" Agnes looked up at Heath. "Have you told her you love her?"

  "Uhhh, well."

  "That's a yes," Agnes said. "Look at that cute face. Are you a worry wart, Heath?"

  "If you're talking about those questions you asked, then yes," he said.

  "Shall I add some more? Is she the girl I want to be with for the rest of my life? When I ask her to marry me will she say yes? How many kids does she want? Will I be able to afford to give her the life she deserves? What if she tries to change me? What if I get fat and ugly? Oh no, what if she gets fat and ugly?"

  Jon stood up from the stool where he sat. He walked past Heath and clapped him on the back. "You might want to get out of here before she has you staying at home with the children while your wife works ninety hours a week."

  "He's going to work for me," Henry said. "Polly will take care of their children."

  "Wait, what?" Polly asked. "How did I get involved in these plans?"

  Henry grinned and slipped his arm around her waist. "I didn't want you to feel left out."

  Polly's phone rang and she frowned when she looked at the number, then laughed and held her index finger up. "Yes, Rebecca?"

  "Can Andrew come over tonight? I have a bunch of homework that needs to be turned in tomorrow."

  "Why can't Cilla take it for you?"

  Rebecca went silent. "I guess she can. Okay, I'll call her."

  "Honey, it's eight-thirty. Andrew can come over tomorrow."

  "Yeah. That makes sense. I'll call Cilla."

  "Good idea." Polly put her phone back in her pocket. "Heath, you take Agnes before she gets you into any more trouble. Remember to let me know when you're home."

  "Have I ever forgotten?" he asked.

  She shook her head. "No, and I appreciate it." Polly gave Agnes a quick hug. "I'll pick you up in the morning."

  "Eight o'clock?" Agnes asked.

  "A little after. I'll send the kids to school and come get you. Thank you for everything tonight. You saved my bacon."

  Agnes patted Polly's bottom. "Your bacon does fine all on its own. You know I love this family. I'll do anything I can."

  Polly waited until Heath and Agnes were out the back door until she started laughing. "That woman kills me. She is so good with the children, but she's merciless when it comes to adults. Poor Heath."

  Jon dropped back onto the stool. "Her questions were terrifying. I worry about every single one of those things and I'm a lot older than Heath."

  "We all did," Henry said. "Have you set a date with Chloe?"

  Polly looked at her husband in shock. She'd done her best to avoid this question with Jon, figuring that he would tell her when he was ready.

  Jon shook his head. "We're still talking about whether or not we want to be married."

  "It's been months," Henry said. "Fix this."

  "But I don't want to rush her if she isn't ready."

  "Do the romantic thing and ask with a ring. Stop stalling. She's probably just as afraid of forcing you into something you aren't ready for. From everything Polly's told me, you have a reputation for avoiding long-term relationships. I'd lay odds that Chloe knows that about you and doesn't want you to feel trapped."

  Jon looked at Polly. "Do you think so?"

  She tipped her head at Henry. "He's pretty smart."

  "I guess so. He managed to snag you and after what you'd been through with Delancy, I wasn’t sure if you'd ever settle down."

  "I didn't plan to, that's for sure," Polly said. "I fought him at every turn, but he never quit on me. Don't quit on Chloe."

  He stood back up. "I should probably get going. I have to find someplace to stay tonight."

  "Why don't you stay in town? I'll call down to the hotel and get a room for you. What time is your first meeting?"

  "Not until ten. And it’s Tuesday morning. You know that means Ray will have me up bright and early to talk with international client
s. I would rather stay in town tonight and those rooms at your hotel are quiet and comfortable."

  "Do you have work to do or can you sit out on the porch with us?" Henry asked.

  "You don't have to get the kids ready for bed?"

  Polly grinned. "I'll go upstairs and get them started. You and Henry go ahead. Maybe I can talk Hayden into checking on the boys later."

  "Too bad that his wife is so sick."

  "She's pregnant, so she can't take any of the good drugs."

  "She's what?" Jon asked. "Mama doesn't know about this."

  "Whoops," Polly said, laughing out loud. "That's right. We aren't supposed to talk about it. The kids don't know anything yet, because they're all blabbermouths."

  "So are you," Henry said.

  "I have been so good. I haven't told anyone else," Polly said. "Those two need to stop giving me secrets to hold. It's not fair. Can you avoid telling your mother?"

  "Who's she going to tell?" Jon asked.

  Polly scoffed. "Oh, I don't know. You just told me that she's becoming friends with everyone I know in Bellingwood. Has she friended Cat or Hayden yet?"

  "Probably," he said with a grin. "But if she finds out that I knew and didn't tell her, I'm a dead man."

  Polly pointed down the hall. "Check on Rebecca when you walk past. Jon, you might ask her if she needs help going to the bathroom." She laughed again. "I'm a horrible mom."

  They all jumped at a knock at the back door. Then Cilla's voice called out. "Can I come in?"

  "Hi, Cilla," Polly said. "Come on in. Rebecca's in the family room."

  Cilla Waters came in and stopped when she hit the kitchen. "Whoa. You really are hot."

  Polly snorted with laughter. "You’ve met him before."

  "Yeah, but he was with a girl. And his brother was here, too. When you lone-wolf someone like this, their excellent attributes jump out at you. Mr. Renaldi, you have some excellent attributes."

  "Cilla Waters, your mother would kill you," Polly said.

  "Yeah, but she'd be thinking the same thing."

  Jon's face had turned beet red and he waved his hand in front of his face. "Is this what women have to put up with from men who are pigs?"

  "See, the difference, Mr. Renaldi, is that I'm just appreciating an excellent specimen. I have no desire to put my hands on you or force you to do something you don't want to do. It's like I'm appreciating a beautiful piece of artwork. Men who objectify women think with their, ummm ..."

  Henry stepped forward. "Stop. Just stop. This kind of behavior from a sixteen-year-old girl is inappropriate no matter what. Go spend time with your friend."

  This time it was Cilla who blushed. She shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I forget that not everyone I encounter is my age. I'm really sorry. Don't hate me." With a quick look at Polly, she ran out of the room and down the hall.

  "Ya killed that one, Henry," Polly said.

  "She was going down a path I didn't know how we'd recover from," he said. "Better to establish the boundary before she crossed it." He turned to Jon. "How you doing there?"

  "Do girls really talk like that now?"

  "It's so much worse than that," Polly said. "They are more adult than I ever was. Honestly, probably more than I am even now. Cilla is absolutely brilliant and fearless when it comes to meeting people. She says what's on her mind. The only person who can take her down a peg is her mother." Polly glanced at Henry. "And my husband. She'll tell Rebecca. They'll talk about it. She'll figure out what she did wrong and learn from it. Like I said. She's brilliant."

  "The worst thing is," Henry said, "she's right. But she's a little young to be speaking to adults like that."

  "And she needs to learn that in many different ways," Polly said. "Screwing up is sometimes the only way to learn. Now, I need to wrangle boys into bed. We're already late. Hopefully none of them stink too badly. We’re running out of time for showers."

  Polly watched Henry and Jon walk toward the office where they'd go outside to the porch. The dogs followed, excited to have another run at the back yard. She shook her head and went up the back steps. When she got to the main hallway, Elijah ran out of Caleb and JaRon's room. He caught sight of Polly and dashed to his own room, yelling all the way. "She's coming, she's coming!"

  Polly stopped in front of the room he'd erupted from and discovered a disastrous mess. Bedclothes were draped from one bed to the other, pillows were propped up as tent posts, little cars and trucks were lined up in a row on one bed, heading for the other bed. Caleb and JaRon were nowhere to be found.

  The next bedroom was Cassidy's and her door was closed. Polly opened it and found her youngest in a back corner beside the shelves Henry had built for her. She leaned against the footboard of her bed, holding four dolls all in various states of undress, tears flowing from her eyes.

  "What's wrong, sweetie?"

  Cassidy put her arms up and Polly leaned down to help her up. "They stole my babies."

  "Who stole your babies?"

  "Them." Cassidy's face screwed up in anger and she pointed out her door.

  "Did they take their clothes off?"

  Cassidy nodded, her lips stuck out in a pout. "Said they were going swimming, but none of my babies have swimming suits. Now they don't have any clothes."

  "Have you never taken the clothes off your babies?"

  "One at a time," Cassidy said as if Polly were the dumbest mom on earth. "What if I get the wrong clothes on the wrong baby?"

  "You know exactly which clothes to put on which baby."

  "What if I forgot?" The little lower lip started trembling.

  "Do you think the babies will be mad if they have the wrong clothes on?" Polly asked. It was so obvious to her which clothes went on which doll, all different shapes and sizes, but that wasn't the issue.

  "Yes," Cassidy said firmly. "So will I."

  "Let's get you up onto your bed with the dolls." Polly helped Cassidy up and handed her each doll and the pile of clothing. "Now, put each doll in front of you like this." She helped her set the dolls out. "Which doll gets this blouse?"

  Cassidy took it from Polly and put it beside the correct doll.

  "Good. Now, you sort out the clothes. I'm going to have a little talk with the boys. When I come back, I'll help you dress your dolls. Okay?"

  "They should be in trouble."

  Polly wasn't engaging in that conversation with her daughter, so she closed the door and strode down to Elijah and Noah's room. When she opened the doors, the boys weren’t in there either. She took a deep breath. "I want four boys standing in front of my bedroom door by the time I count down from five. Five. Four. Three." She looked, waiting for someone to pop out of anywhere. "Two." There were still no boys in the hallway. "Here's the deal. There are four of you and I can find four bathrooms. The first person here gets the bathroom between the library and the living room. The last one gets your bathroom. I'm almost to the last number. If none of you show up, I'm willing to take away your play time tomorrow night and you can spend it weeding around the bushes in the front yard. Who's willing to take the chance that I won't? My last number was two. Now, it's ..."

  "We're here!" All four boys burst out of Rebecca's room, which caused Polly to set her jaw.

  "What were you doing in there?" she asked. "You all know better."

  "But now we don't have to weed the bushes, right?" Elijah asked.

  "You got me there," she said. "But you just pushed a button you shouldn't have pushed. You tormented Cassidy, you forced me to count to find you, your rooms are destroyed, and you went into Rebecca's room. What do you think should be your punishment?"

  "Bathrooms is enough, isn't it?" JaRon asked.

  "Tell me, JaRon, was any of this your idea?"

  He looked at her, shock written across his face.

  "That's what I thought. But you didn't stop your brothers from doing this. You thought it was a great idea, didn't you?"

  He shrugged.

  "I'm very disappointed in each
of you. Whoever had the idea to make such a mess of things tonight and whoever followed along. It doesn't matter who it was. It only matters that you did it. Rebecca’s ankle is hurt, Cat is sick, and we have a guest. Rather than being responsible young men who thought of someone other than themselves, you've made it more difficult for me to get back to my friend. Now I have to spend time up here with you discussing punishments and helping you clean your rooms."

  "We don't have to have punishments," Elijah said. "That would save you some time."

  She scowled at him. "Is that really the tack you want to take with me right now?"

  "No," his older brother said, clamping a hand on Elijah's shoulder. "We're sorry, Polly."

  "This is going to be a long week for all of you," she said. "Since Cat is sick, you're going to come straight home from school every night. You're going to do the laundry and you're going to clean your rooms until they shine. You will clean the basement room and you will clean every bathroom in this house except mine and Cat's. You will all be responsible for helping me get dinner on the table every night. In the morning, I will not hear a single complaint from anyone about getting up and ready for school. Have I made myself clear?"

  "Yes, ma'am," the boys said. Every one of them hung their head.

  "Each of you go to your rooms and put your pajamas on. Clear your beds so you can sleep. We'll clean it up tomorrow after school. Tomorrow morning at breakfast, I will expect you to apologize to your sister for what you did to her dolls. And if Rebecca tells me that anything is missing or messed up in her room, you will be apologizing to her. Got it?" As they each nodded, she said, "Go to your rooms. I'll be in soon."

  They escaped and Polly went back to Cassidy's room. When she opened the little girl's door, she smiled. Cassidy had fallen asleep with her play clothes still on, the dolls in a row beside her. She'd sorted the doll clothes to a degree, but hadn't re-dressed any of them. Polly gathered up the dolls and the clothes, set them on the dresser, then shifted Cassidy so she was under a blanket. They'd deal with her clothes tomorrow morning. It wasn't worth waking her up now. Polly took the dolls and clothes out of the room, turned off the light and shut the door. At least one was down for the night.