Ten
Texas
It was the next day in the morning. Denise thought it was very important for the family to sit down and enjoy some quality family time, so she gathered everyone for brunch on the patio. The sun was shining bright. The sky was a baby blue color. The birds were chirping; some played in the bird bath while others flew from tree to tree.
The adults were around the table were eating and having side conversations. The children were a few meters away playing in the backyard. The babies were down for their naps. Selena on the other hand was sitting still, looking at her glass of lemonade. The voices of her family members were muffled as if it were background music. She watched as the ice cubes floated and dissolved into the yellow liquid.
"Selena." Called Denise. That startled her, causing her body to jerk. It was now silent. Everyone gave her a look of concern. She slowly turned her head in the direction from which she heard her name being called. "Honey maybe you should lay down.." Denise suggested. But Selena shook her head in disagreement. "I'm fine." She said with a slight smile. She picked up her glass and took a sip. "You sure? You haven't eaten and you-" "I'm fine mom, see I'm eating." She replied while stabbing a piece of egg with the metal fork then shoving in her mouth.
Denise formed a fake grin on her face and nodded at her. She knew she was in denial about the whole Nick situation and also the broken engagement. She'd only hope that Selena would tell her the truth and admit how she was feeling. She wanted to take her in her arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright.
"Where is everyone?!" A voice yelled from afar. Everyone turned their heads towards the kitchen door as they saw a man walk through it. "Uncle Nick!" yelled Payton. She ran towards him followed by the other children. They bombarded him with hugs and questions. "Alright, thats enough kids, I'm sure Uncle Nick will play with you later." Said Demi as she walked over to them. "Awe!" They said in unison. "Race you to the slide!" Payton said to the younger girls, then she took off. The little ones giggled as they ran after her.
Nick smiled as he watched them play. He couldn't wait to see his kids grow up to join the fun. He turned his attention back to the adults who were awkwardly eating and glancing at him. He and Demi walked over to the table. Demi took her seat next her husband; they exchanged looks. "Hey everyone.." He said with a soft voice. "Hey," almost everyone said. He nodded and looked over at Selena but she was looking down at her food.
Denise looked at Selena and then back at Nick. "Umm, why don't you take a seat right here," she said while motioning to the empty chair next to Selena. He nodded and slowly walked over to sit next to his beloved.
The room was so silent that the sound of the forks and knives hitting the plates was only sound that was heard. Not even a simple drop of a pin could escape the ears of those sitting around the table.
Denise got up and walked into the kitchen to fix his son a plate. She let out a heavy sigh as she placed the bacon on the plate. She knew that this would be awkward yet heart-wrecking in the event of her son returning home. She placed two flaps of blueberry pancakes to one side of the plate. She knew that out of everyone, it would be the most distressing to Selena, 'for out of everyone she loved him the most. Denise poured syrup on the top of the stack and watched as the sweet, thickly, syrup dripped slowly to the bottom.
She sighed once again and returned to the table. She then placed the plate in front of Nick and returned to her seat. "Thanks mom," Nick said with a smile. She smiled and nodded.
In that instance, a loud cry came from the baby monitor. Selena jolted up and grabbed it. "Excuse me, duty calls." She said then began walking away. "I'll help." He said. But in that moment Selena brushed passed him without uttering a word. Nick sighed and stood there dumbfounded. It was in that moment he remembered Selena saying that it was also his duty to care for the twins. He then followed her to the nursery and watched her as she nursed her son.
~
The family silently tried to finish their brunch after the awkward encounter that just occurred. "I think we should call an intervention" Paul suggested, breaking the silence. "I agree, we should sit down Nick and Selena." Denise said while she rubbed her husband's shoulder. But Joe disagreed with this suggestion. He felt like they needed to work things without the family forcing them to work things out. Joe cleared his throat and said, "I don't think this a situation we should intervene."
Denise turned her head and looked at him confusion. "And why do you say that?" She asked him. "Well.." He said with a sigh. "I think they should work things out on their own or at least go to therapy if they really want to make this work. I just don't think it's our place to force them to sit down and talk about their feelings or what is currently going on." He said. "I agree." Demi said, agreeing with her husband. "Same." Kevin said as he nodded.
As everyone argued whether to intervene or not Sam felt a weird feeling in her stomach. It was an odd feeling. It felt somewhat like a volcano that was about to erupt. "Excuse me." She said and got up. She walked quickly inside the house and hurried into the bathroom. She leaned against the door breathing hard. She then held her stomach and ran over to the toilet. Holding up the seat, she hovered over it to throw up. Chunks of partially digested eggs spewed out of her mouth as she coughed to maintain her breathing. She hacked up what was the last of her brunch and flushed the toilet. A thought of realization took over her brain. "Shit." She said with widened eyes.