Dad and Victor came home a week after we did. Medical professionals do get vacation time but it can be limited depending on what you are and how many more professionals there are that have the same job as you. But it is important to use up your time. Everyone, especially if you are in the medical field, needs a break every once in a while.

Greyson went to go pick them up from the airport. When the three of them got home it was a lot at once. Greyson immediately excused himself upstairs and I could've sworn that he was smiling. Victor looked like a disappointed parent. Dad had a determined look on his face. He was holding a Walgreens bag in his right hand when he walked in and immediately handed it to me upon arrival. Weird gift bag but okay.

I opened it finding what I expected. I headed to the restroom, sighing, slightly embarrassed. I did all that I needed to do and it came out negative. I showed it to Dad and it looked like a ton of weight was taken off his back. We were really, really careful.

"You have a doctors appointment tomorrow too," Dad said.

"Dad!" I said embarrassed. He will not relax about this. For a long time too I know it.

I sat down at the island and was munching on grapes, letting the blush in my cheeks fade away.

"How was Italy?" I asked them, Victor more though than Dad.

"Wonderful," Dad said.

"It was fun," Victor said. He had his eyes on Dad which he was trying to ignore but it wasn't that successful. He got up, seemingly getting something from the fridge, the bear hugged Dad from behind. Dad was just trying to make a ham and cheese sandwich. If their daughter wasn't in the vicinity I am hundred percent sure that it would have turned into a total 'Ghost' moment. Rest in piece, Patrick Swayze.

"Oh, Daisy, there's a small gift bag in the front of my suitcase, give it to Greyson," Dad said. "His grandmother asked me to give it too him. And tell him to pass our thanks to her again."

I found the bag in the front pocket. It had a small box, like the ones jewelry stores give you necklaces in, and a letter. His nonna came to the states a while back and she figured out the whole story that happened between Greyson and the rest of them. She called was extremely mad at her son and couldn't believe that her son would do that to his son. She called Greyson night after night. He thought it was a trick from his parents and brother. I finally answered the phone one day and it was actually his nonna. They finally met at a McDonalds one day. They had a long talk about everything. I stayed in the car for most of it until she called me in and talked to me. All she asked was for me to take care of her grandson, no matter what. I promised her; even if we split tomorrow, I always want to be by Greyson's side. We have been through too much together. 

I went upstairs to find Greyson. He was in the room, chilling on the bed.

"Negative?" he asked, a smile plastered across his face.

"Yeah," I said as I closed the door. "Just like the other 3." I purposefully didn't mention that part to Dad. We were careful, trust me, but there was still a slight possible chance.

I sat down on the bed next to him. "Your nonna wanted Dad to give this to you." I handed him the bag. His face kind of fell. He opened the box first. Inside was an Italian Sparrow pin, the national bird of Italy. I knew the story behind this one. Greyson was the only person in the family who was interested in his culture and heritage. Nobody else showed that type of interest. His nonno knew from that moment that Greyson was going to be very different from the rest of his family. And in turn Greyson used that as his strength most of the time to keep going.

The front of the envelope said, very uncomfortably, 'Only Open In Most Dire Situations'. His nonna has a thing for theatrics. She makes things more funnily dramatic than they actually are but there are times when she is dead serious. We put the letter in the nightstand for now.

We decided not to raise Dad's blood pressure and come downstairs. He was enjoying a sandwich with Victor. Victor had said something which made Dad blush and drop his sandwich. He snatched up his food, eating it with a smirk on his face. I guess his plan all along was to get the sandwich. Greyson and I sat down and they acted like normal parents again.

"How was Colorado?" Dad asked.

"It was fun," I said.

"Yeah, real fun," Greyson said. He looked at me from the corner of his eye, smirking. Yeah he's a real playboy sometimes.

"So, how was it?" Victor asked. I was blushing extremely hard. This is not something I want to talk to my dad about.

"It was- it was good. It was nice," I said. It sucks being the only girl around here sometimes. Where is Dani when I need her?

Greyson grabbed my chair and pulled it closer to him. Risky. I rested my head on his shoulder just to push a bit further. Dad looked like he was biting back all the things he wanted to say to Greyson and they weren't all that pretty. We looked at him, seeing him try to hold it in, then laughed. It's fun sometimes.

We relocated to the couch, talking through the night. It was a late night catch up right before work which isn't the greatest idea but who cares. We told them all about our trip. The Rocky Mountains, The Garden of the Gods, Mesa Verde. It was a very beautiful state. I think it ranks in my top 5.

They told us about Italy. They wanted to go somewhere they've already been just to relax, not to go places. Greyson's nonna was kind enough to let them use her villa; she was on a cruise to Fiji.  They told us about the cities we missed so much. Italy has a very special place in my heart. I wouldn't mind retiring there in the future.

When they tried telling us vague details about the more intimate parts of their trip Greyson and I stuffed our fingers in our ears and hummed really loudly to drown out any words. I am telling you, 5 year olds. We are cool and very chill but their my parents for Pete's sake. I, for one, don't need to know every detail.

"Ready to get back to reality?" Victor asked as we turned in for the night.

"No," we all said then went to bed. We don't want reality to happen but it will anyway.

... 

So time was flying. I didn't even realize it at times.

The rest of January was interesting. It was also a little hearting breaking. I had accepted Victor into our family, and as my dad, but I found it hard that Dad had to divide his attention up. I know that I am grown up and should understand that he is trying to further build a solid relationship with his spouse but it was a hard thing to do. To have someone just randomly come in your life is a hard adjustment. But what really helped matters was that Victor understood completely. 

February was the month where we got, very slowly, got the hang of things. Dad did his best to give each of us time but that didn't mean it always worked. For now, Tuesday is date night and Friday is family time. Victor and I also had to build a relationship as a parent and kid. I can't call him my stepdad though. He is so much more than that to me. (Let me end this month with saying Valentine's Day was interesting. It was Dad's first one with a partner after a long time; He and Victor eventually took things to his house with Victor carrying Dad out of the house- I dare you to not throw up after witnessing that scene. And after bribing Joshua and Dani with a hundred dollars and our game card to Dave and Busters that has 2000 points, Greyson and I finally got the house to ourselves.)

March was a busy month, especially for the doctors. It was spring season which brought in a bunch of new allergy patients and sick people. They were seeing, on average, about 60 people each day. They were heavily reliant on us to feed them and help them function. God knows how many food runs we all did for them. I am pretty sure that gas tank on all of our cars were filled up at least 90 times this month. And since inflation is just at such a great place right now our wallets were equally filled up this month.

I went through another major depressive episode in April. I don't like summer, especially a Texas summer. I know I sound like one of those "Texas is better" and yada yada yada, but you would understand what I mean if you live here, especially more down south. It gets so hot and humid and don't even get me started on when it rains. Summer also means I have to stock up on deodorant. I wear long sleeves most of the time and sweat builds up in long sleeves. This was also the first time, that I know and remember of, that Victor saw me being actually be bipolar. I literally woke up one day extremely sad cause the sun was shining so bright.

May was a very fun month. Victor had basically moved into our house. He sold a lot of his stuff, like his furniture, and was slowly cleaning out his house. I think the most fun thing we did was set up his side of the closet. Yeah, on paper this sounds extremely boring but when you have a person who has taste like Victor it is anything but boring.

I may say, now that I see his entire closet, this man's taste in fashion is lit. It's a mix of casual and formal but really trendy and unique clothing that just yells his name and personality and is super comfortable. Like it is harder than you think it is to find a good pair of jeans that sit good on you and is actually easy to wear than it is to win the lottery. I think the craziest outfit he owned was a hot pink suit with rhinestones claiming the back of the jacket and fringe on the arms. Like somewhere along the lines of Lil Nas X's pink Grammy suit. He even put it on to give us a bit of a show. He put on loafers with it, no shirt and keeping the jacket open, and even went as far as wetting his hair to give it that look. Dad was trying to hide it but we all could see the blush.

"It was a bit much for Coachella but I rocked it nonetheless," Victor said as he was fixing his hair in the mirror, or so it seems. I saw them staring at each other through the mirror. Married couples are the worst thing in the first year. They just want to be all up on each other and be like "Oh my god, I love you and I want to be with you forever and blah blah blah." I have had to tell them several times to take it to his house, I didn't want to hear any of it.

"You've been to Coachella?" Dani asked. She is that person who is very much into this stuff. It would be fun to go to minus all the drugs and beer and people and sand and afterparty sickness. I've seen things and it's not always picture pretty.

"Yeah, I went with my cousins and some friends. It was okay. Though I have never been that stoned in my life."

June came rolling around and you know what that meant. It's cheesy but I wanted it to be special for them, especially Dad. It was their first as a couple, and the first time for Dad since he has shown his true colors. I wanted to surprise them today. They had work today at 5 in the morning so I had to wake up at 3:30 to work on my surprise. But when I got to the kitchen Victor was standing at the counter mixing a batter. We both stared at each other, shocked that we had the same idea and were both us this early, then laughed hysterically as quietly as we could. It doesn't help that I am sleep deprived right now so everything is so much more funnier to me.

"Leave, I got this," I managed to say as I calmed down a bit.

"No, it's okay," he said.

"Leave. Go back to your husband. Wake him up the way he wants to be woken up."

He dropped the whisk and gave me a kiss on the cheek before going back to Dad.

I stared at the counter realizing I didn't have a game plan. I usually like to prepare the food that I am making most of the time but that is not always possible. I had to quit yawning and rubbing my eyes and actually get to work.

I finished making breakfast by 4. I saw the light through the crack of the door and some muffled talking. I even heard a slight gasp at one point. I thought for a second to leave the tray by the door and just run.

Victor had already made the batter, so I just made cinnamon waffles with it. I also made egg muffins, 2 cups of coffee, 2 cups of OJ, and I put some cupcakes I brought from the store yesterday. Vanilla with red frosting. These colors are and will definitely be overused in this house, but the meaning will never be lost.

"Come in," I heard from the other side of the door. I tried turning the knob but I almost dropped the tray as I did so. Greyson, who was coming downstairs, saw me and came to help. He grabbed the tray from me and walked into the room, though giving me a kiss before doing so.

"Surprise!" we said as we walked in.

"Thank you sweetheart," Dad said as he wiped his eyes. His hair was wet and so was the collar of his shirt.

"Dad why is your shirt wet?" I asked as I sat on the foot of the bed.

"Cause I was greeted with a bit of a splash this morning," he said as he sat up. My eyes travelled over to Victor who was hiding under the blanket.

"You said to wake him up the way he likes to be woken up. I did. Mission accomplished." It was all muffled cause of the blanket but I heard him trying extremely hard not to laugh. Dad ripped off the blanket from his head which reveal a very flustered and slyly smiling Victor.

"Eat or you are going to pass out later," Dad said as he grabbed his coffee.

They ate then left for work. I cleaned up the house, had a mid afternoon nap, then went with Greyson to go meet up with a friend of his. He was flying in from Georgia, don't ask me how they know each other, and Greyson said he would show him around.

At 1 o'clock Dad sent me the cutest pictures and video. Some of their coworkers had decorated a table for them in the break room. They even draped a flag around their shoulders as a cheesy way of saying "I love you- but no homo from me though". Somebody had snapped the cutest picture of them. Victor had wrapped an arm around Dad's neck, who was laughing and had his head away from the camera, kind of in a headlock. Victor was kissing him on the side of his head and looking so happy. There was also a video of their friends basically forcing Victor to go on one knee, again, and proclaim his love for his Romeo.

I showed it to Greyson, who loved it. I was about to show it to his friend but Greyson advised me not to. His friend isn't the most accepting in that sense. 

On their 6 month anniversary the 4 of us went back to the hospital (I did not people seriously celebrate anniversaries. Greyson and I are so bad with dates that it has honestly become a joke at this point. Like this one time, everyone bought a cake for my birthday, right, and Greyson was so confused on what was going on. Only when he read the icing on the cake did he realize what was going on.) Between the incident a while back and the wedding, and that whole situation, and just everything else going on we haven't been here a while. I feel like I was starting to neglect the kids here.

This time we were just playing board games. Today was a bit cooler than than other days- and what I mean by that is that today wasn't in the hundreds- so it felt lime a nice day to sit down and enjoy the nice weather while sipping on some lemonade and having more chocolate chips cookies. I asked the nurses a while back what kind of snacks I could bring when I come over, you know, to get their once in a while treat, and they told me nothing other than chocolate chip cookies, and even then they had to have 0 sugar. I get why they have to, but it still stinks. I don't tell the kids though, it would just ruin their entire day. 

This time when I saw B, the guy she was talking to actually looked like he was okay with it! He even was enjoying the conversation a bit; he even laughed at one point! I told you she was going to be fine.

The kids had a lot of fun today. Sometimes we take them on a fun, wild adventure and sometimes we give them a piece of normality. Yes, even in a hospital setting a fight broke over Monopoly, ok it's normal. Little Jack landed on Little Jill's hill and there was no payment which ended in slight tears. I am pretty sure this game is going to be tacked on the banned list if I bring it in one more time. 

We were all fine and having a great time till I finally saw something. I am kind of surprised that it took me this long to notice. There was a sharp jab at my heart when I saw Max's parents here. I forgot. They were sitting in the corner, playing cards with a kid who seemed to know a bit too much about poker. Like, I am confident that if you would have put that kid in a real casino, he would walk out richer than Elon Musk and Bezos combined. And Lady Gaga's poker face is nothing compared to this kid. 

I saw them smiling and, ironically, putting on a poker face, but I know pain when I see it. Their eyes were illuminated right now as the kid won another cookie but there were dark circles and multiple bags around them. I eventually got up to go talk to them a bit. It felt like they haven't left the hospital since he left. They lied when they said they were fine but I didn't want to say anything.

Victor came at lunch time. Dad had his break in about an hour. He joined me and some kids at the drawing table. It gives people hope when they see someone else worse than they are at something. My mountains look like upside side down blue ice cream cones and the grass looked like melted pistachio ice cream. The kids and Victor were playfully making fun of my drawing- I hope. You don't know how brutally honest a kid is until you spend some time with one.

His lunch shift ended too soon and he had to leave back for work. He told me, very briefly, of his plans for tonight then left.

"Who was that?" a new kid named Valery asked as the door closed. 

"That was Dr. West. He is a radiologist here," I said.

"Is he your dad?" she asked me.

"Yeah he is."

"Wait," a kid named Jason said, "I thought Dr. McCarthy was your dad."

"Yeah, he is my dad too."

"Wait!" another kid named Viviana said. "You have two daddies? Where's your mommy? Everyone has one mommy and one daddy."

"Well not everyone has a mommy and daddy. Some people have two mommies and some people have two daddies. As long as they love each other it doesn't matter if you have mommies, daddies, or both." She was a bit confused and I honestly kind of loved it. It shows you how a kid is exploring the world very slowly. They live in their own world where everything is bright and bubbly and happy for a while until they see the real one where you learn the hard truth and opinions of way too many people. I sometimes  miss that feeling.

"I don't get it," she said.

"Well a boy can love a girl, but boys can love boys, and girls can love girls, and people can love people. It doesn't matter who you like. It's okay to like everyone. But the important thing is that we don't make fun of them because that can hurt their feelings and love them for who they are. You don't like it when someone hurts your feelings, right? So why do you want to hurt other people?"

There was a general agreement between the committee.

"Wait!" Valery suddenly said. "Then how were you a baby? My mom and dad said told me a girl and a boy make a baby. So how were you a baby if you have two dads?"

Wow, this girl has deep thoughts. The thing I worried most about as a six and a half years old kid is which corner the sun goes into. Left or right? It's a serious debate in the art community.

"I'm magic," I said in a mystical voice. No point in telling my depressing life stories to a bunch of happy kids.

"Oh yeah? Than make your drawing better with your magic!" Jason said.

I looked down at the piece of crap artwork that I did and said straight up "Kid, this is beyond my magical powers. I think I need to call Fairy Godmother for this."

...

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