July 2003

TITLE: Nice to Be Home

AUTHOR: ChristyP

DISCLAIMER: Catherine Marshall's beautiful story of Christy
is owned by the Marshall-LeSourd Family, L.L.C. I am in no
way seeking profit or credit for her story. I am continuing
the story of Christy for my own amusement. Any additions in
story line and characters were invented by the author.


As Neil walked through the door of his cabin, he could tell
something was not right.  There were days worth of dishes
stacked in and around the wash basin.  There was a day or
two's worth of crumbs under Joey's high chair plus toys
scattered all over the place.  Christy usually kept their
cabin very tidy.  Almost to himself, he said, "What happened
here?  It looks like -"

Before he could finish, Christy came out of the kids'
bedroom, apparently having overheard him and said, "Don't
even say a word, Neil.  You don't know what the last few
days have been like."

He wanted to ask, but then he heard their three-year-old
daughter, Lizzie, calling, "Mommy!  Mommy!  I have to go
potty."

When Lizzie entered the room, she called, "Daddy!  Daddy,
you're home!"  She ran up to give her father a hug, but he
motioned her away.

"You'll have to wait until I clean up before I can pick you
up, Lizzie."

"Neil, can you watch Joey while we're gone?"

"I can't touch him until I change and clean up."

"Fine, then!"  Christy said in a very frustrated manner.
She picked up the 25 pound 14-month-old that was at her
feet.  She slung him on her hip, grabbed Lizzie's hand and
quickly headed out the door to the privy.

Neil stood in a daze for a moment.  "Me and my big mouth.
You'd think I would learn after almost five years of
marriage."  After gathering clean clothes, he went to bathe
in the river.  He always made it a habit to do that after
being in dirty cabins and treating contagious diseases.  He
didn't want to expose his family to diseases unnecessarily.

As Neil approached the cabin after his bath, he could hear
Christy saying, "Lizzie, don't touch anything.  I'll get you
cleaned up in a minute."  Then he heard, "Joey, no!  Momma
said no."  As Neil entered the cabin, he found Christy
putting Joey on the floor to play with his toys and then
went to stir a pot of stew.  Lizzie was a mess with dirt all
down the front of her dress and on her hands and legs.
Christy seemed very frazzled.  This was not like her.

Neil walked over to her and kissed her cheek.  She wasn't
very receptive.  She was probably still mad at him over his
earlier comment.  "Sorry I couldn't help with Joey.  I
needed to clean up before I did anything else."

Frustrated, Christy replied, "I know.  It's just hard to
help Lizzie potty when I have to lug Joey with us."

"I understand.  What can I help you do now?"

"Lizzie needs to get cleaned up.  We were trying to hurry to
the privy and she fell down and got all dirty.  Can you
watch Joey while I help her?  He is getting into everything!
I can't leave him for a second."  She walked toward Lizzie
and called over her shoulder, "Stir the stew, too, and don't
let the cornbread burn."

"All right, Joey.  Can you sit still a minute while I check
the food?"  Joey looked very innocent, so Neil stirred the
stew and saw that the cornbread wasn't quite ready.  When he
turned back to Joey, he found him on the third step of the
stairs.  He rushed over to him, picked him up and turned him
upside down.  Joey giggled.   Getting a whiff of his son's
bottom, Neil concluded, "Whew, you need a diaper change."

After a wrestling match, which Neil thought was almost won
by his son, Joey had a fresh diaper.  Neil took him back
into the main room and said, "Let's see if we can help Momma
by setting the table."

Neil realized they needed to clean the table first.  He set
Joey down to cruise around the table while he cleared it off
and wiped it up.  Before he could finish, he found Joey
about to touch the hot stove.  He quickly rescued him.  "You
are into everything, aren't you, Buddy?"

Christy returned with a clean Lizzie.   Neil said, "I see
what you mean about Joey getting into everything."

"He's wearing me out," Christy replied.

They heard Joey start fussing.  Then Lizzie said, "I'm
hungry."

Christy said, "Just a minute, Cutie.  Dinner is almost
ready.  Joey's hungry, too.  Maybe Daddy can get you a drink
while I finish dinner."

Christy watched the cornbread and set the table while Neil
got the kids washed up for dinner and poured drinks for
them.  After Christy sat down and Neil said grace, she
seemed almost too tired to eat.  She let out a big sigh and
put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples.

After raising her head again, she said, "Sorry dinner is so
late.  I just could not get anything done today."

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?  It looks like you've had a
difficult time while I was gone."

"Yes.  Joey got sick after you left on Monday.  I thought he
was just teething, but then Lizzie seemed to get the same
thing on Wednesday.  She wasn't as bad as Joey."

"What symptoms did they have?"

"They both had fevers that lasted a couple of days.  Joey's
been waking up in the middle of the night ever since you
left so I haven't had much sleep.  He was drooling all over
the place the first two days.  More than I had ever seen him
drool before.  That's why I just thought he was teething."

"Excessive drooling is also a sign of a sore throat in a
baby.  Did Lizzie have a sore throat?"

"No, but she said her mouth hurt under her tongue."

"How high were their fevers?  Did you check them with the
thermometer I left for you?"

"Yes, Joey's got as high as 102 degrees, but mostly stayed
around 100.    Lizzie's fever let up last night.  She was
only about 100 the whole time."

"Why didn't you send for me if they were sick?"

"Like I said, I thought Joey was just teething, then he
seemed to get better when Lizzie got sick.  She didn't seem
to feel bad like Joey did, but she needed extra attention.
Joey was a handful.  I couldn't have left to send someone
for you anyway.  He was very cranky.  Now that he is feeling
better he is into everything.  I haven't been able to get
anything done.  That's why this place is such a mess.  By
the time I took care of these two and the animals and did
the other necessary things like making sure we had food to
eat and Joey had clean diapers, I didn't have time for
anything else.  All we had for dinner last night was
scrambled eggs.  It was the quickest thing I could make.  I
didn't even have time to make biscuits.  Dishes and sweeping
took low priority.  Most things I had to do with Joey on my
hip because he wouldn't let me put him down."

Christy noticed Joey throwing the food off his high chair
tray.  "No, Joey!  You don't throw your food on the floor."
Turning to Neil she said, "And now you see why the floor is
such a mess.  After I finished feeding these two, I never
got a chance to clean up the floor.  He thinks his milk goes
on the floor after he's finished with it, too."

Reaching out to touch Christy's hand, Neil said, "I'm sorry
I wasn't here to help you, Christy.  You look exhausted.
Why don't you rest after dinner and I'll take care of the
children.  I'll check them over for any lingering effects of
their illness."

"You are tired, too, Neil.  You probably haven't had much
sleep since you left on Monday."

He smiled.  "I'm used to it.  It was different than what
you've been doing.  I've missed the kids.  I don't mind
playing with them a while.  You go rest."

"No, I need to get the dishes done or we won't have anything
clean for breakfast tomorrow morning."

After helping Christy clean up the table after dinner, Neil
checked the children's health and then took them outside to
play for a while.  He figured that Christy could at least
have some peace and quiet while she did the dishes.

Christy had just dried the last plate when Lizzie came
running in saying, "Joey went swimming."

"What?!"

Neil walked in right behind Lizzie.  He was carrying Joey by
the back of his overalls "flying" him through the air.
"Look what I found in the river?"  Joey was giggling.

"In the river?"  Christy asked angrily.  "Neil!"

"Calm down.  He wasn't quite in the river, but he was
crawling toward it very rapidly.  He just got to the edge.
He wasn't hurt.  I was watching him the whole time.  He did
get a little wet when I let him splash, but I'll clean him
up."

Christy calmed down when she found out her son was not hurt.

"Christy, why don't you go sit down and relax a little.
I'll get Lizzie and Joey ready for bed."

Neil guided Christy to the chair.  She didn't take much
convincing.  She was exhausted.

The children said good night to their mother.  As Neil bent
over to grab Joey by the back of his overalls to "fly" him
through the air, Lizzie climbed on her daddy's back for a
"Daddy Wild Horse Ride."  Both kids were excited to spend
time with their father since they had not seen him in a few
days.  As Neil and the children were leaving the room to get
ready for bed, Christy heard Lizzie ask, "Daddy, will you
tell us the story about the beautiful princess who married
the country doctor?"

After tucking the children in bed, Neil found Christy asleep
in the rocking chair.  He picked up some of the toys strewn
across the room before waking Christy and helping her to
their bedroom.

As they were both getting ready for bed, Neil said, "I'm
sorry I started the evening off on the wrong foot with my
comment.  Forgive me?"

"Yes, of course.  I'm sorry, too.  I was already tired and
frustrated.  I didn't need you to point out to me how much
had been neglected this week.  I was feeling bad enough as
it was."

"I wasn't trying to make you feel bad.  I didn't even see
you when I said that.  I was just glad to be home.  I didn't
care how much of a mess there was.  What bothered me was the
mess you were in."

"I'm sorry, I must have looked a fright and I acted
horribly."

"No, that's not what I mean.  I didn't like seeing you so
tired and frustrated.  I felt like I had neglected my duties
as your husband to be gone so many days and let you get like
that.  I felt awful that you had to endure such a week and I
wasn't here to help you."

"Thank you for your help tonight, Neil.  I really
appreciated it.  I was about at my limit."

"I know you were.  I'll help you tomorrow, too, if I don't
get called away."

They both crawled into bed.  Neil continued, "Christy, I
didn't get to finish my sentence when I walked in the door.
What I was going to say was that the cabin looked like my
bachelor days.  You take such good care of our home that it
hadn't been in such a mess since before we were married.  I
appreciate all that you do to make this place a home - not
just keeping it clean and tidy, but all the love you give to
all of us, too. Thank you."

With misunderstandings all forgiven, Christy laid her head
on her husband's shoulder.  "I'm glad you're home."

Neil kissed his wife's hair and held her close.  "It's nice
to be home."

The End