Emily was practically bouncing as she packed up the last of her things. "I can't believe I finally get to go home. I missed my bed. I missed my bathroom. I even missed the broken kitchen faucet."
I stood near the corner, speaking quietly with the doctor while the kids busied themselves trying to zip up Emily's overstuffed duffel.
"She'll need to rest for now," the doctor said. "If there's any sign of discomfort, you need to come back so we can make sure everything's fine."
My face must've tightened, because he added gently, "No cause for alarm. Just in case."
My shoulders eased just a little.
"Checkups are every Friday," he went on. "I'll write a list of medicine to purchase, and here are a few reminders. No overexerting. And most importantly—" he raised his voice just enough for Emily to hear, "—no drinking."
Emily gave an exaggerated blink, like she hadn't heard a thing. I wasn't letting her off that easy.
"This is serious, Emily. You need to take care of your body."
"Sure, Mom," she said dramatically, rolling her eyes.
"Sure, Mom," Zeal repeated in the exact same tone. He held up a hand and Emily gave him a high five.
"That's my boy!" She winked at him.
I gave them both a flat warning look and turned back to the doctor. "Sorry about that. Is there anything else I should know?"
He chuckled. "That's all for now. Pick up the medicine and you're good to go."
"Thank you, Doctor."
He turned to Emily on his way out. "Hope we never see you again."
"I hope so too," she said with a grin. "Thanks for everything doc."
Just as we zipped up the last bag, Will appeared at the door. "I hope I'm not late." He said brightly, bringing more excitement into the room.
"Uncle Will!" the twins shouted, running to hug his legs.
"You're right on time," I said, smiling.
"Took you long enough, jackass," Emily muttered as she leaned into the hug.
"Language, Emily," I scolded, already rubbing my temple.
Will laughed. "Yeah, she's definitely back."
"Jackass! Jackass!" the twins sang as they skipped around the room.
I shot Emily a glare. She mouthed "Sorry" but didn't look sorry at all.
We gathered everything, collected the medicine, and by the time we piled into the car, there was finally a collective breath of relief. Emily sat up front with Will. I took the back with the twins, who were already arguing about which flavor of juice they'd get when we got home.
Emily rolled the window down, letting the breeze rush in. She stuck her head out and closed her eyes. "It's so good to breathe outside air again. I thought I wasn't gonna get a chance to anymore."
"You're going nowhere," I said gently.
"I'm going nowhere." Emily smiled and looked away, trying to hide the tears that were now pooling in her eyes.
Turning to Will through the rearview mirror, I asked, "You gonna be there tomorrow?"
Will hesitated a little, then said, "I'll... be busy."
Emily gasped, snapping her head so quickly I thought she broke it. "Busy? On a Saturday? Don't tell me—" She narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously. "You finally have a girlfriend, don't you?"
Will said nothing.
"Oh my god, you do." Emily turned fully toward him. "Shut up! You do!"
I grinned, unable to hide my excitement. "That's good news, Will!"
"It's just a date," he muttered. "Nothing serious."
"Oh, it's serious all right," Emily said. "I thought you were planning on going celibate for the rest of your life."
Will rolled his eyes and shook his head. "This girl," he muttered under his breath.
"Mommy, what's celibate?" Zeal asked suddenly.
My whole face froze.
Emily turned away quickly, pretending she hadn't heard. Will coughed into his hand, clearly trying not to laugh.
"Mommy," Zeal whined. "What's celibate?"
I closed my eyes. "It means happy. A happy person."
"Oh," Zeal said. "I want to be celibate."
"Me too!" Zia echoed.
I sank further into my seat. Why do you two have to be so smart?
By the time we pulled into the driveway, the twins had forgotten all about vocabulary and were racing to see who could get inside first. Emily lingered by the door, looking around the house with shiny eyes.
"It feels so good to be back here," she said softly.
Will and I both echoed, "It feels good to have you back."
"It does, doesn't it?" Emily said with a smirk.
"Don't push it."
"Aunty Emily, come see my new dolls!" Zia called.
Emily rushed after her, barefoot and excited like one of the kids. While Will and I made our way to the kitchen, laughter trailing behind us.
"Finally, things are back to normal," I said, tying on an apron.
Will joined me at the counter and started washing some vegetables. "Finally." He smiled.
Tying my hair up, I wiggled my brows at him. "So… this date of yours?"
"Ugh, don't start sounding like Emily."
I grinned. "I'm just curious. It's been a while since you looked this giddy."
He smiled sheepishly. "It's not serious. We met at a bar about a month ago."
I raised an eyebrow, instantly reminded of the last time I was in a bar. The result was two noisy toddlers and toys all over the floor.
"What's she like?"
"She's nice. Smart. Pretty. We have a lot in common."
"Ooh, Will's—"
"Don't say it."
"I won't. But just know I'm thinking it."
Will rolled his eyes, ignoring the comment. "Thanks… and you? The big day is tomorrow."
My smile wobbled. "Don't scare me like that."
"It'll be fine," he said gently. "And if it's not, you know where to find me."
"Not while you're on your big date."
"Ah, we can't have that happening."
We laughed and kept cooking until the table was full.
As we all sat down for lunch, I looked around. The color marker on the walls, the half-built fort in the living room, books scattered on the coffee table, toys peeking out from under the couch. Everything was familiar and comforting. A little chaotic, but it was mine. The life I'd built over the years.
And all of it would change tomorrow.
I blinked and looked back at my plate. The sound of Zia and Zeal arguing over who got more meat, Emily humming to herself, and Will humming along just to annoy her.
My home. My world.
Tomorrow, things wouldn't be the same. And I just hoped it would all change... for the better.