Rob muttered something to rav about wrapping the house in bubble wrap on the drive home. He had his cell phone to his ear like it was glued there. Mel sat beside him in her carseat smiling happily as she listened to a mixture of the radio and the rain drops pounding the windshield of the car. As rob pulled into the driveway, he smiled at the sight of Fribby running out to the car to meet them with Rav, fox and sarah standing in the sheltered porch. Fribby seemed to shove the door aside and then went to help his sister out of the carseat. Mel took his hand trustingly as she followed him up the steps and into her mothers waiting arms. Rav breathed a sigh of relief as she took her third born up in her arms.
"Mommy, dont cry."
Only then did rav realize she was sobbing out of relief. Sarah made a face and went back inside. stupid mel, she thought. Mel didnt look any different then she normaly did other then the gashes that were across her face. Her eyes were fine, she was just playing blind, sarah decided as she ran up to her room. Rob still puttered around the door way while fribby and fox seemed to have their play mate back. Rav passed a scrap of paper to rob. Mikes scrawling handwriting almost made it hard to make out what was on the paper before rob realized thatit was the name of a martial arts teacher.
"I'm going to go talk to this teacher about signing Mel up for it."
Rav said. Rob nodded in agreeance. The doctors had said that doing martial arts would definentaly be a good idea as physical therapy for mel.
"Can we afford it?"
Rob asked as his mind seemed to get the better of him. they had just moved into a house and with mel comming out of the hospital, that would be another bill to pay.
"We'll manage. We have before."
Rob nodded almost mechanically. Rob groaned as he sank down on a couch. It was a **** of a lot more comfortable then sitting in one of those hard recliners that they had in the childrens ward. Rav then busteled about to the kitchen, making Rob and Mel a little bit of a late lunch. She didnt see how with all the nutrition food that they had there, the food could taste so much like cardboard. Rob looked haggard, but she could only imagine the sense of relief was mirrored in her own eyes. Mel looked the same but her blank stare was the only give away with her brown eyes. Rav swallowed hard, not wanting to face it. As she popped something in the microwave, there was silence. Nothing was to be heard except for the sound of the microwave. Rav frowned as she scowered the house looking for her husband and daughter. once she reached the basement door, her suspicions were confirmed. there was banging away on the kit downstairs. Rav gave a small smile as she heard Mel's squeal of delight. Rav turned and went back into the kitchen. Rob bent down over his third borns head and whispered something in her ear.
"No matter what anyone tells you, the drummer is the leader of the band. the singer isnt, the drummer is. This is the most important thing to know."
"Alright daddy!"
Mel squealed as Rob helped her tap out the various parts of the drum. Fribby watched his dad and Mel from the top of the stairs. He was determined to not let anything happen to her.
Rob smiled as he tucked his two girls into bed. Fribby insisted on staying with the twins. Rob ruffeled his sons hair as Fribby setteled into his sleeping bag. Rob bid them all goodnight with out too much more of a delay, their bedtime already set back about ten minutes from the laughter and giggeling of rob happily instituting a riot of playfull banter with fox, sarah and fribby when to his suprise and Rav's dissapointment, Mel jumped in, being tickeled and played with almost as much as if she was able to see what was going on. Rob blushed under Ravs glare.
"Dont do that to mel."
She said shortly. She was already thin lipped from almost chewing her bottom lip off. Rolling his eyes, Rob went downstairs with Rav at his heels.
"I mean it Rob, you need to be more carefull."
Rob gave a groan as he ran his hand over the unshaven chin of his.
"Jesus rav, im just trying to treat her normaly. When we were down there playing drums together, she told me she wanted to be just like everyone else."
"Rob stop acting so childish. You and I both know that she cant be like everyone else!"
"Oh so what do you want me to do? Go out of my to play safe with her? Shes not going to learn anything unless she feels what its like to be like everyone else. What about when she and sarah start school? Do you think the teachers gonna have time to play favorites just because she's blind?"
Rob shot back angrily, normaly it would have taken much more to wind him up, but after being stuck in a hospital for the past five days was enough to make anyone want to go berserk. Rav snorted. Rob was being stupid and as oblivious as usuaul.
"Shes not a little boy who can rough around with you like Fribby can!"
"She might as well be! Mel is more like me and dave then anything!"
Rav growled back at him,
"shes not you! You cant expect her to be just like you and dave! She wont ever be like that!"
"I'm not expecting anything from her!"
Sarah crawled into the bed with Mel and Fribby.
"Mommy and daddy are fighting again."
"Theyre loud."
Fribby growled his agreence.
"They arnt gonna be like grandma and grampa are they?"
Mel's small voice asked as her blank stare was fixed ahead at a point on the wall above Fribby's head.
"prolly not. mommys too stubborn."
Fribby nodded, almost as if he was saying 'and dad isnt any better'.
"Youre right fribby. daddy is just as bad."
Sarah whispered, interpreting his nods for Mel.
"I dont want daddy to go, I love him too much."
"Come on mel, hed go if he could."
"nuh huh!"
"yeah-huh!"
Fribby growled sharply in repremind before his sisters started into another argument. Mel clutched squishy rob to her chest
"I dont want them to fight."
Mel wimpered. Sarah snorted.
"dont be dumb, everyone fights."