everyone out. Let's leave your sicko uncle in peace."
"He...he won't die, will he?" Jason asked, his chin trembling. Amanda looked worried, too.
Richard cursed under his breath. In his scheming to get to Callie's heart, he never once thought how the kids might react, let alone understandably overreact. He flung back the covers, saying, "I'm fine, Jason. It was just - "
"No." Callie put a hand to his chest and pushed him back in bed. To Jason she said, "Your uncle Richard is not going to die. I promise you. He just had too much airplane ride on too little sleep; Once he has a nap, he'll feel much better.'
"Callie..." Richard began.
She pushed the covers over him and shooed the kids out. "Don't worry about a thing, Richard, You just rest."
"Callie..."
She waved a hand and disappeared into the hall, closing the bedroom door behind her. He was alone.
"Dammit," he muttered, getting out of bed. He opened the door. His crew was about halfway down the steps. "Callie - "
"See Jason? He's perfectly fine, just tired. He only needs some rest." She looked up at Richard and added, "Relax. You sleep. I'll be here."
She started the kids down the stairs again. Mark held her hand and held the railing on his other side as he negotiated the steps one at a time.
"Callie."
"Go to bed, Richard." "Callie!"
She turned. "Richard, don't go all macho man on me and try to tough it out. You look like something the cat coughed up on the carpet. Jay's fine now. He knows you're just tired. Amanda's okay and Mark understands the need for naps better than anyone. Now get back in that bed and quit giving me a bunch of grief!"
Richard muttered a curse and followed her orders.
As he crawled back into bed, he wished he'd thought through his little plan. Little it was, because even a pea-brain could have seen what was coming. But no, not him. He should have thought of the kids, but no, his libido had been turned on full force.
He propped up pillows and laid back on them. Staring out the window at nothing, he thought for about five minutes.
"Callie!"
He called again, more loudly when he got no response, then heard feet pounding up the stairs. His door was flung open to reveal Jason.
"What's the matter?" the boy asked, looking untroubled.
Perfect, Richard thought, realizing he could make amends with his nephew. "Jay, I didn't mean to scare you earlier. I'm not sick at all."
"Oh, I know that now." Jason smiled happily. "Callie explained it to me some more. You're only feeling a little bad, like from a cold."
"I don't have a cold or anything wrong, Jay," Richard said firmly.
"Oh. That's real good." Jay came over and hugged him. "I gotta go. I'm playing Race the Waves. Callie brought it over and I wanna beat it before she takes it home with her."
Jason ran out, shutting the door after him.
Richard flopped back against the pillows, disgusted that he hadn't been able to make his nephew listen. "Callie. Please, will you come here!"
Eventually he heard footsteps again in the hallway. The bedroom door opened. Amanda peeked in. "Callie's busy, Uncle Richard, and she says you should be busy sleeping. You okay?"
"Perfectly. I'm not sick."
His niece frowned. "You look funny around the eyes. Callie's right. You need some sleep. Don't worry about us. We know you're not going to die. Even Jay knows it."
She left, shutting the door against his frustrations.
Richard reached behind him and threw a pillow across the room. It bounced quietly off the wall and onto the floor. He stared at it.
"Callie!"
It took nearly five minutes of calling, but his bedroom door finally opened a third time. The object of his demands stood on the threshold. "What is your problem?"
"I was afraid you'd send Mark this time," he complained.
"Is that all you called me here for?" She began to close the door. "I've got things to do and you need to rest."
"I'm not sick!"
"I know. It's only jet lag. You're worse than Mark."
"It isn't jet lag. I said I was sick to get attention.
"He...he won't die, will he?" Jason asked, his chin trembling. Amanda looked worried, too.
Richard cursed under his breath. In his scheming to get to Callie's heart, he never once thought how the kids might react, let alone understandably overreact. He flung back the covers, saying, "I'm fine, Jason. It was just - "
"No." Callie put a hand to his chest and pushed him back in bed. To Jason she said, "Your uncle Richard is not going to die. I promise you. He just had too much airplane ride on too little sleep; Once he has a nap, he'll feel much better.'
"Callie..." Richard began.
She pushed the covers over him and shooed the kids out. "Don't worry about a thing, Richard, You just rest."
"Callie..."
She waved a hand and disappeared into the hall, closing the bedroom door behind her. He was alone.
"Dammit," he muttered, getting out of bed. He opened the door. His crew was about halfway down the steps. "Callie - "
"See Jason? He's perfectly fine, just tired. He only needs some rest." She looked up at Richard and added, "Relax. You sleep. I'll be here."
She started the kids down the stairs again. Mark held her hand and held the railing on his other side as he negotiated the steps one at a time.
"Callie."
"Go to bed, Richard." "Callie!"
She turned. "Richard, don't go all macho man on me and try to tough it out. You look like something the cat coughed up on the carpet. Jay's fine now. He knows you're just tired. Amanda's okay and Mark understands the need for naps better than anyone. Now get back in that bed and quit giving me a bunch of grief!"
Richard muttered a curse and followed her orders.
As he crawled back into bed, he wished he'd thought through his little plan. Little it was, because even a pea-brain could have seen what was coming. But no, not him. He should have thought of the kids, but no, his libido had been turned on full force.
He propped up pillows and laid back on them. Staring out the window at nothing, he thought for about five minutes.
"Callie!"
He called again, more loudly when he got no response, then heard feet pounding up the stairs. His door was flung open to reveal Jason.
"What's the matter?" the boy asked, looking untroubled.
Perfect, Richard thought, realizing he could make amends with his nephew. "Jay, I didn't mean to scare you earlier. I'm not sick at all."
"Oh, I know that now." Jason smiled happily. "Callie explained it to me some more. You're only feeling a little bad, like from a cold."
"I don't have a cold or anything wrong, Jay," Richard said firmly.
"Oh. That's real good." Jay came over and hugged him. "I gotta go. I'm playing Race the Waves. Callie brought it over and I wanna beat it before she takes it home with her."
Jason ran out, shutting the door after him.
Richard flopped back against the pillows, disgusted that he hadn't been able to make his nephew listen. "Callie. Please, will you come here!"
Eventually he heard footsteps again in the hallway. The bedroom door opened. Amanda peeked in. "Callie's busy, Uncle Richard, and she says you should be busy sleeping. You okay?"
"Perfectly. I'm not sick."
His niece frowned. "You look funny around the eyes. Callie's right. You need some sleep. Don't worry about us. We know you're not going to die. Even Jay knows it."
She left, shutting the door against his frustrations.
Richard reached behind him and threw a pillow across the room. It bounced quietly off the wall and onto the floor. He stared at it.
"Callie!"
It took nearly five minutes of calling, but his bedroom door finally opened a third time. The object of his demands stood on the threshold. "What is your problem?"
"I was afraid you'd send Mark this time," he complained.
"Is that all you called me here for?" She began to close the door. "I've got things to do and you need to rest."
"I'm not sick!"
"I know. It's only jet lag. You're worse than Mark."
"It isn't jet lag. I said I was sick to get attention.
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