Chapter 31 Markus

“Okay Munchkin,” I start as we finish up eating. I get up and place Rose on the floor.

“I no munkin, I your and Mommy’s Rosebud,” Rose stated, interrupting and glaring up at me.

“Okay, Rosebud,” I say as I backtrack at her nickname. She nodded her head in approval. “We’re going to get you cleaned up and then Uncle James is going to take you to the hospital. He’ll stay with you until Calyx, and I are done.”

She nodded her head and took off back to her room.

“I would suggest that you go help her pick out an outfit unless you want to pick up all her clothes, again,” Uncle Mike teased.

“You cooked, you sure you don’t want assistance in cleaning up?” I asked as I watched down the hallway that Rose had disappeared down.

“Go chase down and wrangle your pup,” he laughed dismissively.

“I’m off,” Uncle Will shouted from the front door.

“Bye love!” Uncle Mike shouted back as he set the dishes in the lower sink. “Go, I got this.”

“Thanks Uncle Mike,” I stated before walking to Rose’s bedroom. When I got there, clothes had been dragged out already. I was too late.

“I wear this!” Rose stated happily as she pulled out a pink shirt and red shorts.

“Why don’t we find something that matches a little better?” I ask as I started to pick up the discarded clothes. I grabbed a pair of denim colored shorts that would look better than the red.

“But you like red,” she stated hesitantly.

“I love red,” I assured her. “But let’s pick out matching clothes so your mommy doesn’t yell at me.” He did not want Ama to give him an ear full for letting Rose out of the house being a fashion disaster. Not that I was great at fashion, but I knew some colors clashed.

“Red shirt?” Rose asked as she held up a different shirt than the pink one, she had picked out.

“Red with the blue shorts?” I ask her and show her the blue shorts I had grabbed from the floor.

Rose smiled and ran to me. She took her shorts and ran to the bathroom.

I sighed at the mess. Oh well, I’ll clean it up after I get Rose cleaned up for her day. “Okay bath time!” I exclaim happily as I enter the bathroom and turn on the tub. I fill it a few inches high. Rose gets undressed and I assist her into the bath. She is splashes around for a little while. She smiles and hums to herself again. I have noticed that when she is happy or content, she hums.

I then help Rose get clean. I wash her face and her body. I wash her hair with child shampoo and then rinse her off. That had been a learning experience. Who knew that there was special shampoo and body wash for children. Once she was rinsed off, Rose was assisted in drying off. She smiled happily as she put on her clothes for the day.

“Okay, go color at the table. I need to get ready,” I tell her.

Rose nods her head and runs out of the bathroom. I’m tempted to tell her not to run in the house. But when I was her age, Calyx and I were running everywhere. I go to her room and pick up the clothes from the floor.

Yep, I am definitely a dad. Aziz snickers at my revelation. I tell him to shut it before I make it to my room that I had been staying in. I pick out my clothes for the day. I pick out something a little more formal than shorts and an old shirt. Since I will be doing pack business, I should look a little more official and put together.

‘Hey man, you busy?’ I ask James over the mind link.

‘Not really. What’s up?’ James asks me.

‘Can you take Rose to the hospital for me? And then stay there to watch her and Ama for us? Cal and I need to get pack business done,’ I tell him.

‘Sure, I just woke up. Give me twenty minutes and I can take her over,’ James says and then cuts the link.

I then link Calyx, ‘James is bringing Rose to the hospital to it with her and Ama.’

‘Why?’ Calyx growled.

‘Don’t growl at me. You got to spend all night with Ama. And since when do I have to be the responsible twin? This is supposed to be your job,’ I tease.

‘Fine, but I want to see her before I leave for the pack house,’ Cal growled.

‘Quit hogging her. When we get done, I want time with her,’ I tell him, jealousy evident in my tone.

‘I’m not hogging her,’ he growled back. ‘I will take Rose to get ice cream this afternoon while you get Ama settled at Uncle Michael’s.’

‘Thanks Caly!’ I reply happily, using the nickname that he hates the most. I cut the mind link before he is able to growl a response at me.

Now I want the day’s work to be done so I can spend time with my mate. Uncle Mike and Will had said that the four of us could stay with them for as long as we needed. Calyx and I usually share a room, Rose had her own room, so this would leave the final guest room for Amalie. We had put her things in the room when we first started staying here. It would be nice for Ama to finally stay here with us.

I make my way to the dining room. Rose is sitting at the table with her coloring book. She is rambling as Uncle Mike finishes up with the dishes. Rose sees me and smiles. She climbs off the chair and runs to me.

“Made this for you!” Rose hands me a picture. It’s of a purple cat and and pink flowers. “You keep!”

“I will keep it forever,” I tell her. I can’t help but smile.

“Did you see my blue owl?” Uncle Mike asks as he points towards the fridge.

I look, and sure enough, it’s a blue owl flying under a green moon. “You did awesome Rosebud.”

“I best,” she states very proudly.

“You are,” Uncle Mike says with a smile as he wheels up to the table. “You pack up the pictures for your mom?”

“Yes!” Rose says as she shows off the yellow folder that is bulging.

“Okay Rosebud, Uncle James is on his way to pick you up and take you to see your mom. I have to go to the pack house and meet with Calyx,” I tell her as I place a kiss on her forehead.

“Bye daddy,” she says again and gives me a hug.