Chapter Text
Eddie finally understood why people said hospitals were exhausting. Ever since he had been allowed visits it had been a revolving door of people coming and going at all times during the day.
Nights weren’t that restful either since the slightest noise, like the nurses’ walking down the hallway, kept waking him, despite their attempts to be silent. With the exhaustion of physical therapy on top of that, he was just not recovering as fast as he would like. He just wanted to get home and finally be able to hold his son and spend time with his wife. Shannon had visited, of course, but it hadn’t been as often as either of them would have liked given Chris’ schedule and the hospital’s visiting hours.
His parents had come a few times as well, but it seemed that whenever they did, they just wanted to talk about what a hero he was and what he should do with his life now that he had been medically discharged. Eddie couldn’t care less about that yet. He was still struggling with having failed to save all his teammates. Despite everything he was told, he still felt like he hadn’t done enough, and the what-ifs kept running through his mind.
The thought of having to deal with his parents just then was too much, so when he heard them talking to the nurse outside the room, he made a quick decision to pretend to be asleep. Before they came in, he turned his back to the door and the seats next to it and shut his eyes. With a bit of luck, they would get bored and leave, or he would just fall asleep for real.
Sadly, it appeared that his parents were prepared to stay. Eddie sighed internally as they failed to leave and his body stubbornly stayed awake. They had started to speak quietly, and Eddie tried to tune them out and sleep until Shannon’s name brought his attention back to the discussion behind him.
“You know we can’t trust her, Ramon!” Helena snapped. “She is too careless. Remember a few months ago? She let Christopher go into the children’s pool instead of the paddling pool. He could have been seriously hurt!”
Eddie frowned at that. Shannon had talked to him on the phone about taking Chris to the pool. But it was a supervised class with a swimming instructor and Shannon in the water with him, and he would have been wearing a rubber belt and floaties. He couldn’t see how that could have led to their son being hurt. Besides, getting him more comfortable in water could only be an advantage for the future.
“I know, Helena. But she is still his mother, and we can’t change that. Maybe now that Eddie is back, we can get him to talk to her and make her accept that she isn’t doing things properly.”
“Well, I certainly hope so. I’ve had it with that woman’s attitude,” Helena huffed. “I raised three kids. She should be happy that I care enough to help as much as I do, after how disrespectful of our family she has been.”
“She is very young and headstrong. I’m sure she will learn. I remember you butting heads with my mother a lot before it calmed down,” Ramon pacified.
“It has already been years, Ramon! And I may have ‘headbutted’ with your mother as you say, but I didn’t have a disabled child, and my own mother lived in the same town as us! So I was able to count on her to support and help me. Unfortunately, it isn’t like Shannon’s mother is someone who can be counted on, what with her living in another state and her usual flighty behavior.”
“On that we do agree. Janet has never been reliable. I understand that she has been battling cancer for a while, but even before that, she rarely came to see Shannon or Christopher.”
“Some people just don’t know what family is.” Helena shook her head. “Oh, and I can’t believe that woman’s latest stupidity of wanting to go to California with our boys. A drive like that would be a nightmare for Christopher, and Eddie needs time to heal and find a new job. She has to stop being so selfish.”
That woman?
Shannon was stupid and selfish for wanting to support her mother through cancer?
Eddie couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew things had been somewhat strained between Shannon and his parents, but he had thought it was just from stubborn personalities fighting to have the last word. God knows he and his dad had fought a lot themselves.
But for his mom to talk like this, it looked like he had missed things, important things. He thanked the heavens for his decision to fake being asleep. His parents would never have talked this freely otherwise, and he would have missed learning all this.
Thankfully, he would be discharged in less than a week, which meant that he would have the needed privacy to have an upfront discussion with Shannon.
Thinking back on their conversations, Eddie realized that she had tried to hint about things, but he had been so focused on being the provider of the family, as his own father had been, that he had completely overlooked it.
He regretted not listening to her in the past. All the arguments they had had when he came home on leave were replaying in his mind. Once again, he had not been able to do enough to help the people around him. But maybe, just maybe, he would be able to salvage the mess his family was revealing itself to be.
***
Eddie’s time in the hospital had finally come to an end. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to talk with Shannon yet, but he had been quietly observing how his parents behaved when she visited with Chris. And he didn’t like what he was seeing.
It wasn’t obvious if you weren’t looking for it, but they kept putting Shannon down and going back over her decisions about Christopher.
He had also noticed a discrepancy between how Shannon was with their son when she was alone and when his parents were present. Chris was allowed a lot more autonomy when his grandparents weren’t around.
It had been a baffling realization for Eddie. During their childhood, his mother had always insisted that he and his sisters do as much on their own as possible. He couldn’t help but wonder about this change of behavior, and he didn’t like what his mind was coming up with.
But before he could talk with Shannon, he would have to suffer through the welcome home party that had been planned against his will. The only thing he wanted was to finally be able to rest properly, but he guessed that this was another example of his headstrong parents deciding they knew better than everyone else.
He knew they were happy that he was home and wouldn’t be deployed again. But that barbeque could have waited until he wasn’t so exhausted and he was a bit more used to civilian life.
They were proud of his service, and even more that he had gotten a medal for it, but they were clearly expecting him to just fit back in his old life. Something that Eddie had realized during his stay at the hospital sadly wasn’t possible.
Even without the new perspective he had of his parents’ behavior, he wouldn’t have been able to just slide back into his old shoes. He had been on the front for four years. Why couldn’t they realize that such an experience was profoundly changing?
Discovering that he had missed so much about what was going on with his family made him wonder what the future held for them.
When Shannon had mentioned going to California, he hadn’t been in favor of it initially.
Firstly he still needed a lot of rehab, and the VA was insisting that he see a therapist about what happened on his last mission. Secondly, he had already missed so much of Christopher’s life that he wasn’t a fan of him leaving with his mother just as Eddie was finally home.
Plus, it couldn’t be good to tear him away from his family and routine, and his son would always be his number one priority.
Sadly Chris’ home environment didn’t seem as good as he had thought. A child should never grow up surrounded by dishonesty, such as what his parents showed.
Shannon clearly hadn’t had the support net Eddie had expected she would have access to.
Which explained why she had been showing so much stress and why she had been so insistent about California. Being near her mother would relieve her of some of her worries and put distance between her and his mom’s overbearing ways.
But, even without considering everything else, he wasn’t sold on the idea of going to California. They would need their car once there, so flying was out. The simple thought of driving to LA made him feel even more exhausted though.
During his childhood, they would drive to his abuela’s house for holidays, and, in his memories, those trips had never been peaceful. It made him dread the idea of 800 miles with a 4 year old.
Even so, he had been thinking about it, and nothing was forcing them to do the whole distance nonstop. Maybe they could take their time and take a couple days for it once they figured out what to do with their obligations in Texas.
Eddie hoped that mentioning this would show Shannon that he was open to compromise and was willing for things to change.
Until recently he had always shut down the idea as soon as possible, and he knew it mustn’t have helped with their communication issues. Hopefully, she would be willing to wait before going. At least until things could be organized with the VA.
For now, he was just glad to be home and would try to enjoy catching up with his family, no matter how exhausting the day sounded.
***
“Eddie, where are you planning to hang your medal? I think it would look great in the hallway next to the living room. What do you think, Helena?”
“I don’t know. It would depend on the kind of boxes they get,” Helena answered absently. “Eddie, be careful. This is much too big, Christopher could choke.”
Eddie had been right. The party had started getting on his nerves even before they had eaten.
Why did his dad have to bring up that stupid medal again? Who cared about it? It wouldn’t bring his teammate back, and Eddie still didn’t feel like he really deserved it.
His mom’s condescending attitude hadn’t helped either. It had made him understand Shannon’s urgency about leaving much better though. If he already felt like he needed a break from his parents after just three months in the hospital and not even a day at home, he couldn’t imagine how she felt after having to put up with them for so long.
He had noticed something interesting though. While Abuela had been trying to mitigate things, Pepa had seemed irritated by his mom’s behavior. Having an ally in the family, even one who lived in another state, could only be helpful whatever their final decision about California was.
Thankfully, everyone had now gone home, and as Abuela and Pepa were staying at his parents’, they were finally alone. Chris had been winding down for the last hour, so they should be able to get him to bed and asleep soon.
For the moment, Eddie was enjoying cuddling with his son while he played with the new toy Abuela had brought him. They hadn’t yet tidied up everything, but Shannon had looked almost as exhausted as him, so Eddie had suggested that what was left could wait until the morning. Shannon had been hesitant at first, but Eddie’s proposition of keeping Chris company while she went to get a shower and relax a bit had won her over.
Even though Eddie was always happy to spend time with his son since he had missed so much and Shannon did deserve time for herself, he had had something in mind with this. The discussion he wanted to have with her was going to be emotional and hard enough, and he wanted to stack the odds in his favor. If Shannon had had a chance to relax a bit before, it could only help.
A few minutes later, Chris started to yawn more and more. It seemed like he was finally ready to sleep.
“Chris, I think it’s time to go to bed.”
“But I don’t want to, Daddy! I want to play more!”
“You can do that tomorrow, mijo. Now, it’s time to brush your teeth and go to sleep.” Eddie could see that Chris wasn’t in a compliant mood as he ignored him and continued playing.
“Chris, it wasn’t a suggestion,” Eddie said with a firm tone. “Plus, don’t you want to be rested when Bisabuela comes over tomorrow? It would be a shame if you had to take a nap while she was here to see you.”
Eddie didn’t like using “threats” like that, but he wanted to get Chris to bed as easily as possible today. Besides, it seemed to have worked since, while his son was grumbling a bit, he had gotten up and put his toy away. A pouty Chris returned to his dad and lifted his arms, silently asking to be carried.
“You did have a big day, didn’t you, mijo?” Eddie sighed before picking him up to go to the bathroom. He supervised Chris brushing his teeth before helping him into his pajamas. A quick bedtime story and some cuddles later, the boy was fast asleep as it had been a tiring day for him as well.
As Eddie left Chris’ bedroom and carefully closed the door, he saw Shannon leaving their room. The shower and alone time seemed to have been helpful as she looked less stressed.
“He’s asleep. Do you want to kiss him goodnight?” Eddie whispered, his hand still on the handle, waiting for her answer before closing the door properly.
“No, I don’t want to risk waking him if he is already asleep,” Shannon answered just as quietly.
“Do you want to go sit outside for a while? Night hasn’t quite fallen yet, but it’s quiet and still warm enough to be enjoyable.”
“It sounds nice after the hassle of today,” Shannon sighed, worn out. “Let’s do that.”
They went to the patio and sat next to each other on the bench, silently watching the sunset. After a while, Eddie broke the silence.
“I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done and everything you’re currently doing for our family. I know we haven’t been able to talk and that I haven’t always been listening to you, but I realize how stressful things have been.”
Shannon didn’t answer immediately, obviously considering his words. “That’s just it, Eddie. Is it really our family? Sometimes it feels more like your parents’ family, and I admit that I’m tired of it.”
“I know, Shannon. And I know that I didn’t help either. You tried to tell me how they were, and I brushed it aside. But things are gonna change, I promise you. Our family is my priority.”
“I don’t know that I believe you. Why did you suddenly change your mind? You have always been on your parents’ side before.” Shannon got up to pace in front of the bench. “Remember how many times you told me I should be grateful that they were here to help? Well, guess what? I wasn’t, and I never will be! I needed my husband! I needed Christopher’s father! What I didn’t need was to be infantilized and thought unable to take care of my child!”
“I’m sorry, Shan. I really am. I know that it won’t change the past, but I was so stuck in providing for our family the way my dad showed me as a child that I completely dropped the ball on the other aspects.”
“That’s what happens when you decide that you need to make all the decisions on your own, Eddie. Ever since I got pregnant, you haven’t really considered what I want to do and how I would like things to work. I don’t care if that’s how you grew up. We used to be able to communicate; why did you need to get shot and discharged for it to be possible again?” Shannon sat down heavily and put her face in her hands. “I can’t do this anymore, Eddie. I can’t.”
Eddie put his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. “You won’t have to. I can’t change the past, and I’m sorry that it took me so long, but I will listen to you from now on. If you agree with me doing it, I’ll also talk to my parents about their attitude. ‘Cause they can’t continue to put you down like this.”
“You know that’s not gonna fly with them, right?” Shannon said in a dubious tone, pulling away to look straight at Eddie. “Your sisters have tried every time they visit. Nothing has made them change. On the contrary, they seem to have gotten worse each time. Like ‘How dare I impugn their behavior when I wouldn’t be able to deal without their help’. I’m done with them. Done. And nothing you could say would make me change my mind or believe they can change.” Shannon’s tone was firm and final.
Eddie realized at that moment that he may have been luckier than he thought when he overheard his parents. Shannon never joked around when she was like this, and who knows what decisions she would have taken if he hadn’t decided to clear the air tonight.
“Even if I understand why you don’t believe it, I would like to think they will be willing to change rather than lose all of us. As much as I don’t like their behavior, they’re still my parents, and I’m not ready to throw in the towel on them yet. Everything has changed so fast and so much that I need that little bit of normality, Shan.” Eddie pleaded, imploring her to understand with his eyes.
“What normality? You haven’t been home long enough to have developed any kind of normality!” Shannon huffed in exasperation, crossing her arms in front of her.
“I was at war only a few months ago, Shannon! I almost died! My whole team almost died! In fact, one of my teammates did die! Someone who fought for years with me! Someone who saved my life, and I couldn’t even save him!” Eddie yelled, eyes getting wet.
An uncomfortable silence settled for a few minutes as Eddie turned to the side, trying to regain his composure while Shannon avoided looking at him, arms still crossed.
“I hear what you’re saying, Shannon. I really do. But you need to understand that I’m not okay. Just because I’m not going back doesn’t mean that a part of me isn’t still there. I have started talking to someone at the VA while I was recovering, and they think I may have PTSD.” Eddie’s voice was subdued, even as he turned back to look at her intently. “I want to be the husband you deserve. Even more than that, I want to be the father Chris deserves, and I’m willing to put the work needed into it. But it’s gonna take me time and help. Pretending otherwise would be a lie.”
“You’re seeing a therapist? I thought you believed doing so was stupid and that it was just airing dirty laundry in public?” Shannon asked, startled.
“I know what I was saying before. Believe me, I do. But I was forced to participate in a few group meetings at the VA, and I saw how much talking to therapists helped other vets. I’ve had so much trouble adjusting and sleeping that I thought it couldn’t hurt to try.”
“I’m sorry you’re having such a difficult time, Eds,” Shannon said softly, pausing deep in thought before continuing. “I think part of me just saw what I wanted to see. I know you were in pain and having some trouble sleeping, but I thought it was because your shoulder still ached, and the noise in the hospital kept you up.”
“Shan, you do realize that I’m still far from completely healed, right? I know we haven’t really been able to talk about it yet, but I have multiple appointments scheduled at the VA for rehab for at least the next two months.” Eddie looked at Shannon, eyebrows raised in surprise. He thought she had been told about his injuries. Those were not the kind that you recovered from in only a couple months.
“But I thought they had cut back the painkillers? You didn’t seem to have any trouble today, and you don’t even wear a sling anymore!”
“They took me off the morphine, but I still take painkillers several times a day. As for the sling, even though my stupid ego made me chose not to wear it today, I’m definitely going to pay for that tomorrow.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Shannon frowned in confusion.
“I think part of it was that I wanted to prove to myself and our family that I was strong enough to be your husband and Chris’ father even if I failed before.” Eddie stopped Shannon before she could interrupt him. “I know, Shan. It was stupid. But I can’t just change how I’ve thought all my life in just a few weeks. You know how important it was to me to be able to provide for our family.”
“Eds, this needs to stop.” Shannon shook her head. “If you really mean for us to do better, you can’t hide shit like that from me.”
“I didn’t hide it from you!” Eddie snapped. “I know they told you about my injuries and how bad it was. It’s not my fault you thought I could already be magically healed.”
“Okay, you’re right. I should have realized it couldn’t be this easy. I guess I wanted things to be back to normal as well. Is this why you have been shutting me down every time I talked about going to California?”
“Part of it,” Eddie admitted. “Like I said, I need some normality right now. And as little effective time I spent in this house, I still thought of it as home, the home where my wife and child lived. But even without that, I can’t just up and leave for another state with all the appointments I’m going to have.”
“I didn’t think of that. I guess it wasn’t just you being a stubborn asshole then.” Shannon sighed, half smiling to make him understand that she wasn’t really mad anymore.
“I’ve been one often enough that I don’t judge you for thinking that. I’m sure I will still be one at times,” Eddie chuckled.
“I don’t have a doubt about it either. I understand your position better now, but I’m not sure how long I can put off going to California. Things aren’t looking good for Mom, and I want to help her have as many chances as possible.”
“Is her treatment not working?”
“Not as much as the doctors would like it to. They are actually talking about getting even more aggressive with it, and she already sounded so frail that I’m afraid she won’t be able to make it on her own.” Shannon shrunk in on herself, biting her lip and looking to the side, showing Eddie just how alone she felt.
Eddie drew her into a hug. “We won’t let it come to that. She won’t have to fight alone, I promise you.”
Shannon started to sob, finally letting go of all the stress she had been keeping inside. Eddie held her even tighter, letting her release all the pent up emotions she had repressed this whole time while trying to reassure her that things would be okay.
Her outburst was perfectly understandable given everything she had had to deal with.
She had been caring for Chris on her own, which already wasn’t the easiest task, while enduring his parents’ bullshit for years. Then she had learned about her mom’s diagnosis and him being shot down in a matter of days.
Things had been crazy for a while, and nobody could be expected to keep a strong front for so long without becoming overwhelmed at some point. Eddie only regretted that it had taken him so long to show her the support she should always have had.
They stayed in the same position for a while until Shannon settled down a bit and stopped crying, trying to wipe her tears with the back of her hands. “Let me just get you a tissue,” Eddie said, letting go of her to go inside.
When he came back outside, Shannon was composed again. Her eyes were red, and it was obvious she had been crying, but she seemed to be on an even keel again. He gave her the tissue and sat back down.
“Thanks, Eds,” she said, averting her eyes, “I don’t know why I just melted down like that.”
“Hey, you’ve had to be strong for so long that I’m not surprised you did. I’m just glad you felt safe enough to do it with me, to be honest,” Eddie reassured her before poking her shoulder lightly. “And remember, we did say for better or for worse.”
“We did say it,” Shannon chuckled.
“Do you feel up to brainstorming plans for California, or would you rather go to bed and talk about it tomorrow?”
“As much as our bed is calling me, I think it would be better if we talked it out now,” Shannon said after considering it for an instant. “To be honest, part of me is struggling to believe this is really happening. I thought I would have to do something drastic to make you understand things couldn’t continue the way they were.”
“I’m sorry I let it go to that point. Let’s do our best to work as a team from now on?” Eddie said, holding his hand ready for a fist bump.
“Let’s do that.” Shannon lightly tapped her fist against his. “Though I don’t know how we can make California work if you have so many obligations here.”
“I may have a solution, but I think the first thing we need to do is to list everything we have to take into consideration. We already talked about my appointments, but I was wondering about Chris. I know he still has a few weeks of school until summer break, but what about medically-wise? Does he have anything planned? I can’t remember you telling me about anything, but I easily could have forgotten.”
“He has his regular physical therapy, but nothing else for the moment. His doctors want to let him grow up more before talking about the next stage.”
“It does make things easier,” Eddie said, his voice trailing off as he started to think about the possibilities. “How hard do you think it would be to find him a physical therapist in LA?”
“I don’t know. Not that hard I expect since Mom’s medical team should be able to give me a few names at least. But Eddie, I don’t know if I would be capable of handling Chris’ and Mom’s care. At least not right when I got there. Getting in touch with Mom’s doctors and finding what would be the most helpful for her will take most of my time. Mom is gonna be too exhausted to help, and I don’t want to just leave Christopher more or less alone with a stranger. He deserves better than that.”
“Right. That’s absolutely fair. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Eddie stood up to pace back and forth while Shannon stayed seated, frowning as she got lost in thoughts, and silence reigned for a few minutes as both pondered the possibilities.
“What if you went alone now and I joined you with Chris in a few weeks when his break starts? It would be less disrupting for his routine and would let you have the time to get your bearings with your mom.” Eddie stopped and turned toward Shannon.
“But what about your own appointments?”
“LA has a VA center. I will have to check, but with some luck and an explanation of why we need to temporarily leave Texas, I should be able to transfer some of my appointments.”
“If that’s possible, it would be a great solution. I would be really relieved to be with Mom so soon, and it would give me enough time to properly organize things for Christopher’s care before you arrived. Plus, it would give you more quality time with our son for a while since you will technically be a single dad.” Shannon finished with a smile.
“You are enjoying turning the tables on me, aren’t you?” Eddie asked, smiling back.
“Of course, I am! You know me! But I will be expecting daily calls from you and Chris. Even if Mom needs me, you’re my family.”
“Don’t worry, I will make sure to keep you up to date with what’s happening at home.”
“I’m counting on you. And if things get difficult with your parents or anything else, don’t feel like you have to deal with it on your own. I know how you can get.”
“I’ll try. But don’t forget that this will be a learning curve for both of us, and that you can reach out as well if you need it. I think we have the start of a plan though.”
“I agree that it should work. Thank you for understanding, Eds,” Shannon said, kissing softly before hugging him.
***
The following day, Eddie was woken up by Chris getting into bed with him. “Daddy?”
“Yes, mijo, what do you want?” Eddie asked as he turned on his side to look at his son.
“I can’t find Mommy and I’m hungry.”
“Have you checked the kitchen?”
Chris nodded with a smile. “Mm hm. She isn’t there.”
“I guess I better get up and help you look then,” Eddie said, leaving a kiss on his forehead before moving back to the other side to get off the bed.
He walked around the bed and held his arms out to his son, wanting to enjoy the lazy atmosphere of the morning and cuddle with him while they looked for Shannon. Chris seemed to be in the same mood as he immediately clambered into his arms, smiling from ear to ear and resting his head against his shoulder.
Eddie winced as he straightened up. Even though he had been careful to turn so that Chris’ weight would be mostly on his good side, he was going to regret carrying him later. He was definitely not healed enough for this yet, but Chris’ sigh of joy had made it impossible for him to regret the strain.
He headed for the kitchen first. Even if Chris had looked there earlier, Shannon might have gone back to it since it was breakfast time.
It seemed like it wasn’t the case when they got to the room, but there was proof of her passage as the dishes from the day before had been put away.
Just as he was about to go outside to see if she was maybe tidying things on the patio, she came in, holding a bag from their favorite bakery.
“Mommy!”
“Hey, Chris! Hey, Eds! What are you both doing up? I thought you would sleep longer?” Shannon said as she walked in and put the bag on the counter before turning towards them.
“This young man was hungry for breakfast, and he needed his dad’s help to look for you and make him some food,” Eddie answered, ruffling Chris’ hair. “We will just have to take a nap in the afternoon to make up for the lack of sleep-in.”
“I may just join you. If we set up the air mattress in the garden, we could even nap outside in the shade.”
“I like that idea. What about you, Chris? What do you think of taking a nap with Mommy and Daddy outside this afternoon?”
Chris seemed to think about it before mumbling in Eddie’s ear, “Can I take my plushie even if it’s outside?”
“We will have to ask Mommy,” Eddie mock-whispered before both he and Chris looked at Shannon with earnest eyes and asked, “Can we have plushies, Mommy?”
Shannon laughed, “How could I resist such faces? Of course, you can have your plushie, Chris. I’m not sure Daddy has any of his own though.”
“He can have one of mine!” Chris offered like the sweet boy he was.
“Oh, thank you, mijo!” Eddie blew a strawberry on Christopher’s cheek before setting him down on a chair. “What goodies did you bring back, Shan?”
“It’s your first breakfast in Texas without restrictions. What do you think I got?” she asked, eyebrows raised.
“Kolaches?” Eddie’s immediate reaction was to try to grab the bag to take one.
Shannon was ready for it though. She held it out of his reach and made a no-no motion with her finger. “Uh-uh, that’s not how it works, Eds. Chris, can you explain to Daddy what you need to do before eating?”
Eddie turned to the boy, his hands on his hips. Chris smiled at him, his eyes sparkling with laughter. “You need to wash your hands, silly Daddy!”
“Of course. How could I forget to wash my hands?” Eddie threw his hands in the air and went to fix his mistake.
“Chris, you need to wash your hands as well,” he heard Shannon say behind him before they joined him at the double sink. She put down a step stool, and Chris climbed on it and waited patiently for his father to be done with the faucet.
A few minutes later, the three of them were seated on the patio, enjoying their breakfast. Eddie and Shannon knew that they needed to talk about the plans for California, as even if they had the bare bones of it, they needed to iron the details out.
An important step would be to tell Chris about it, and Eddie only hoped that he wouldn’t be upset about his mother leaving him for a few weeks.
***
Eddie carefully brushed a curl out of Chris’ face and watched his son sleeping in the late afternoon light. He and Shannon had woken up a while ago but had decided not to move since Chris was still napping. The boy had fallen asleep very quickly as he had still been tired from the party and the short night that had followed.
Which was good since, once he was asleep, nothing could wake him up. As such, they had been able to use the time to iron out their plans.
The next day was a Monday, and Chris would be going to school. As they wanted to talk to him before that, they couldn’t have let things linger much longer. Some decisions would need to wait until Eddie had talked to people at the VA, but they had settled on a timeline that should work.
After they had come to an agreement, they had been able to just enjoy the weather and the cuddle time with their son. Now both of them were mostly waiting for Chris to wake up as they had decided to talk to him after he had his afternoon snack.
While Eddie didn’t plan to be silent, Shannon was gonna take the lead as she was the one better able to read him and decipher his reactions at the moment. Eddie wished he knew their son as well as she did. Nevertheless, it was a consequence of his time overseas that he had to accept.
Hopefully, the next few months would allow him to change that as he would be responsible for Chris on his own and would spend a lot of time with him.
A half-hour later Chris finally woke up, and after a bit of cuddle time, Shannon went with him into the house while Eddie put the air mattress and the plushies away.
Once he was done, he joined them in the kitchen, arriving just as Christopher began his snack and Shannon sat down next to him. He exchanged a look with her and went to get them both a coffee before joining them at the table.
“Chris, sweetie, you remember that Granny hasn’t been feeling well lately?” Shannon asked cautiously. Christopher nodded in silence as he was busy eating his snack. “She needs a lot of help, and she doesn’t have anybody near her who can help.”
Chris frowned. “Why is she alone? She doesn’t have friends?”
“She does have friends, but it’s not the same as family. They have very busy lives and their own families to take care of. So since I don’t have siblings like your dad, we are Granny’s only family and the only ones who can help.”
“Oh. That’s sad,” Chris answered with a small voice, “I like having Granny and Tia Adi and Tia Sophia and Tio Max and my cousins and Grandma and Grandpa.”
“I’m happy that you have them too, buddy. Family is important.” Shannon lightly touched Christopher’s arm with her hand to ensure she had his attention. “Since Granny doesn’t have any other children, I want to help her like your dad’s family helps us. How do you feel about me going to see her for a while?”
Chris took a swallow of his drink before tilting his head and asking, “Can I go with you?”
“Not straight away,” Shannon said with a sad smile. “I will be very, very busy with Granny, so you will be better at home. Plus, school isn’t over yet! Wouldn’t you miss going and seeing your friends?”
“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “I like school and my friends. But I like you better, Mommy.”
“I love you too, peanut. But Granny really needs me.”
“Do I have to stay with Grandma and Grandpa then?” Chris seemed subdued at this idea.
“Since Daddy is here, you will be staying with him.”
“Really?” Chris lifted his head suddenly. “I won’t stay with Grandma and Grandpa? And Dad isn’t going away?” he asked hopefully.
“No, mijo,” Eddie spoke up, “I’m home for good now, so there’s no reason for you to stay with them when I’ll be here.” He exchanged a glance with Shannon. They would have to figure out why Chris didn’t want to go to his grandparents’. Eddie had thought that Chris didn’t mind spending time at their house when Shannon was busy, but clearly that wasn’t the case.
“Yeah! Thank you!” Chris waved his arms in the air in happiness.
“So you don’t mind if I go see Granny?” Shannon asked with a fond and relieved smile.
“No, you should go, Mommy. I don’t want Granny to be sad.”
“That’s so sweet of you, Chris. Thank you for being such a thoughtful boy!” Shannon said as she opened her arms to catch Christopher, who had left his seat to climb on her lap to hug her. “I will make sure to call you every day to hear about what you and your daddy got up to and to say goodnight,” she added while kissing his hair before exchanging a relieved glance with Eddie. They were so lucky to have such an understanding and sweet boy.
“You’re gonna be gone long?” Chris said against her chest after a moment.
“I don’t know yet, sweetie. It will depend on Granny. But you know what? When school ends, you and Daddy will come and see me if I’m not back yet.”
Christopher lifted his head to look at Eddie, eyes shining with delight. “Really, Daddy? We’re gonna go to Granny’s?”
“We won’t be going for a while, but as soon as you’re done with school and I’ve dealt with a few things, we will. I promise,” Eddie agreed, a smile dominating his face. “In the meantime, should we finish having our evening snack? You and Mommy can start explaining to me how everything works once we’re done.”