EVELYN'S LITTLE PROTECTOR
Disclaimer: The Mummy and The Mummy Returns belong to Stephen Sommers, and to Universal Studios. I only own the idea, and maybe not even that.
It was rare when Rick and Sam had to go away on business, but one such time had come up, and now on his way home, he was feeling less than great. Evelyn had new exhibits opening up at the Museum, and for that reason he knew, she would not be able to go with him. There had never been a time, until now, that he had gone away without her, and he was almost tempted not to go, but Sam counted on his expertise at bargaining, as well as his good business sense to land them this deal. Unlike Rick, and Evelyn, Sam and his wife depended on the business as a means for living, and it was for that reason that Rick was going, to help out his friend.
When he pulled up to the house, he found Alex and Elaina out in the side yard playing with Alex’s red bouncy ball, though when Alex saw the car he abandoned the ball, running as fast as his chubby little legs would take him. As Rick opened the door, Alex was quickly in his arms.
“Addy payen if ball,” Alex said. He was dirty, and had little beads of sweat on his forehead, for the day was quite warm. Alex still held that sweet baby smell, and for a moment Rick just held him. “Addy pay if Alex,” he said struggling to be put down.
Though he knew he should get things ready for his trip, Rick could not resist spending time with his little boy.
As he stepped out of the car, Elaina came out of the house with her things, ready to go on her way. Since she lived so close to them, and since it was a nice day, she had walked there. “Do you need me to come tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, then was pulled away to play with his son.
~*~
It was late when Evie arrived home, and Rick already had Alex in bed. When she walked into the parlor, he stood up and walked to her gathering her into his arms for a kiss.
Needing his touch as much as he needed hers, Evelyn leaned in to his kiss, wrapping her arms around him. Rick was her strong hold. Whenever Evie had a difficult day at the museum, or when she was upset, he was there to help her through.
“I’ve missed you,” he said as he pulled away from her, but only enough to be able to see into her eyes. As always gazing into them captivated him, and he found himself lost within their hazel depths.
Always able to sense her husbands moods, Evelyn felt the tension in his arms, then realized why he was holding her so tight. He had called her earlier that day about possible having to leave her, and now it seemed he had no choice. “When are you going?”
A heavy sigh parted from his lips, and after kissing her one last time, Rick eased away from her. “Tomorrow, early morning,” he said as he walked over to the sofa and sat down.
After taking off her coat, and draping it over one of the other chairs, Evelyn walked to him and sat beside him. “We’ve never been away from one another,” she said, glad when he pulled her against him.
“If Sam wasn’t such a good friend, I wouldn’t be doing this. It’s your decision too Evie, if you don’t want me to go, then I will draft out plans for Sam, and have him do this,” Rick said, and was almost disappointed when she shook her head.
As much as she wanted to tell him to stay, Evie knew that Rick needed to go to this meeting, and told him as much. “Alex and I will be fine. I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve barely had time for him, so I might just take a few days off after the opening of the Dinosaur Exhibit, and spend some time with him.”
They talked a while longer, then went to the kitchen where Rick had her dinner waiting. As she ate he sat with her, telling her what the meeting was about, which was to build ships for a new shipline company based out of the United States. Once she had finished dinner, the two of them headed upstairs for their last night of bliss in one anothers arms.
~*~
The next morning, early, Evelyn and Alex drove Rick to the Air Field.
On the trip Alex was settled on his daddy’s lap drinking from his bottle, still dressed in his blue sleeper. He was quiet as they drove, not used to having to get up so early, but comfortable where he was. “Addy done,” he said letting his daddy have his half full bottle of orange juice. Rick set it on the floor and smiled as Alex turned in his arms to rest his cheek against his chest.
By the time they arrived, Alex was asleep, and Rick let mum take him while he got his bags. They were quickly greeted by Sam and his wife, then after hugs and kisses goodbye, the two men boarded the plane. Alex woke up long enough to watch the plane take his daddy in the sky, then went back to sleep.
~*~
The first day of his daddy’s absence barely went noticed, but it was the second day as Evie got ready for work, that Alex walked into her room rubbing his eyes. “Addy go,” he said sleepily.
Setting her hairbrush down, Evelyn got up from her bench at her vanity, and walked to him easily lifting him into her arms. “Your daddy had a business trip to go on. He will be back soon love,” She said.
Alex was used to having his daddy get him up in the morning, and it was upsetting to him because he really didn’t understand what it meant for his daddy to be on a business trip. “Addy home,” he said as Evelyn sat down in the rocking chair.
It was rare that he let her cuddle him, but this particular morning, Alex seemed to need her touch. As she rocked him he held out her hand, looking at her wedding ring. “Addy give to you,” he said as he touched it with his baby fingers.
Evelyn smiled, remembering their wedding day with clarity, how nervous she was, and how calm Rick had been. “Yes he did, this ring is very special to mummy,” Evelyn said, then to herself, ‘But not half as special as the man who gave it to me.’
After a little bit of snuggle time, Alex got up and ran down the hall, then slid down the stairs finding his Uncle John just getting in, and with him was Elaina. When he saw her he screamed and ran back up the stairs, and back into his mum’s arms. “No Laina, mummy,” Alex said as he grabbed around her legs and started to cry.
Evelyn picked him up and Alex held on to her as tight as he could. Having never dealt with this type of behavior, Evelyn carried him back to the rocking chair and sat down. “Alex, you like to spend time with Elaina don’t you?”
He shook his head still holding on to her, and Evie sighed. Today of all days was not one for Alex to develop a sudden shyness, and she knew his behavior likely had something to do with Rick being away, but she also knew that there wasn’t anyone at the museum who could handle an opening.
After a moment she managed to pry his arms away from her then cradled him in her arms. “Now Mummy needs you to be a big boy today. I have to go to the museum and take care of a few things, and you need to stay here and let Elaina take care of you,” Evelyn said.
Not liking what his mummy wanted, but also knowing that she wasn’t going to give in to him, Alex sighed then after a kiss went to find Elaina while Evelyn finished getting ready.
~*~
It was another long day at the museum, and when Evie arrived home, and found Jonathan sitting in the parlor she was not surprised. As she removed her coat and scarf she listened as Jonathan told her about how rotten Alex had been that day. Jonathan would never tell her he was rotten but it was clear to her that her little boy had been less than easy to deal with.
“Thank you for taking care of him this evening Jonathan. I’ve taken a few days off, perhaps that will help,” she said, hoping that it would. Once he was gone, Evie locked up for the night hugging herself as she began to walk up the stairs. Already she missed her husband, and the ache in her heart was growing by leaps and bounds.
Since Alex’s room was the first she passed, Evie stopped, and peeped in finding his bed empty. Panic began to set in, but she took a deep calming breath, then went down the hall to the room she and Rick usually shared. It was there safe in their bed that she found her son, and she smiled. A part of her wanted to allow her son to sleep in her bed, but he was never allowed when Rick was home, and she knew if she started now it wouldn’t be easy later to get him to quit.
Before she got him moved to his bed, Evie went ahead and got ready for a long night, knowing that without Rick she would not sleep well. Once she was ready, and very carefully, Evie lifted her baby off of their bed and carried him down the hall to his room.
Alex had been sleeping in his big boy bed for a month now, and had adjusted well. It was easier to get him in bed, without the bars of his crib to get in the way. Gently Evie placed him on his bed, but it wasn’t gentle enough because he woke up. “Shhh,” Evie said easing in bed with him. Alex scooted against her, and in a moment he was still. For a few moments, Evie stayed where she was, then carefully moved away from him and got up, hoping that both their nights would be peaceful
~*~
Somehow Evie managed to get to sleep, but it wasn’t very long before she heard Alex’s cries, and instantly she was awake. After pulling a robe on, Evelyn made her way quickly to his room. His cries were interrupted by coughing, and when she arrived she found him laying on his floor vomiting. “All right baby,” Evie said as she got to him. She held him up and leaned him over as he vomited more, screaming as he did. “Shhh, shh,” she said hating that he was sick. His body radiated with heat from a fever, and she felt fear, but knew that right now it had no place to be there. Once the vomiting stopped, Evelyn stripped him down to his diaper then cradled him against her and carried him to her room, to get him a bath and to call the doctor.
~*~
Being in New York City would have been exciting and entertaining but Rick was neither amused nor happy to be there. He wanted to be in England, spending days with his little boy, and time with his wife. All night that first night, he had spent tossing and turning, and finally about three in the morning when he couldn’t sleep another wink, he picked up the phone and had the operator make an over seas call to the British Museum. While it was night in New York, it was six hours later in England, and when Rick didn’t get his wife, he made another call to the house. Just as he was about to give up getting anyone, the phone was answered by Jonathan. “Rick old chap how is the big city,” Jonathan said very much awake.
Hearing his brother-in-laws voice, made Rick realize that he even missed him. “Just another big city, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen all of them. Is Evie home?” he asked hoping that she was.
Jonathan sobered at that. “Yeah, we had a pretty rough night. Alex got some sort of stomach sickness, and had a pretty high fever. Don’t worry though he’s doing better today, but she decided to stay home with him. Do you want me to get her?”
Finding that his son had been sick woke Rick right up. “Tell her I’ll be home tonight,” Rick said, then he heard her voice.
Evie had heard Jonathan’s jolly voice and guessed it was her husband. “Rick, we’re all right. He’s been asleep most of the morning, and his fever is all but gone. You and Sam do what you need to do, then come home,” she said, not willing to let him ruin a deal, even with Alex being sick.
Rick sighed. “You call me if he doesn’t get better,” Rick said, feeling his heart beating painfully in his chest. “So how is everything else?” He asked, trying to change the subject. He listened as Evie told him about the opening of the new exhibit, and let her voice ease his aching heart. They got disconnected twice, and finally he knew they needed to go. “I love you,” he said, then he hung up and tried to sleep with what little of the night was left.
~*~
Rick’s stay in New York finally came to an end, and on another early morning, Evelyn and Alex drove to the Air Field, and waited for the airplane to arrive. During her husband’s absence, Evelyn had taken a leave of absence from the museum to spend time with her baby, and both of them had spent wonderful times together.
Now as she held him, Alex looked in the sky for the plane. “Ummy? Addy come home an seep my bed?”
The stomach bug Alex had gotten was not the only sickness. On top of that he had gotten an ear infection, and had a cold, though was on the mend. At night she had let him sleep with her, even though she had known it would be difficult to try and get him back to sleeping in is own bed once Rick got home. “No sweet baby, Daddy needs to sleep in his own bed,” Evelyn said as she rubbed a hand over his back.
He merely sighed, resting his cheek against her shoulder, about to go back to sleep when he heard the noise of the plane.
Both of them watched as the plane landed, and as soon as Rick stepped off, Evie ran to him with Alex in her arms and they hugged around him. “Next time we all go,” she said in between his kisses.
Not liking being sandwiched, Alex pushed against his fathers chest. “Addy go,” he said then coughed, which got his fathers full attention.
At his worried gaze, Evelyn reassured him that Alex just had a cold, and that he was getting better. “Next time both of you come with me,” Rick said, then he got his luggage and they headed home.
~*~
All Rick had wanted to do when they got home was to spend time with his wife, but Alex seemed bent on not letting that take place. Now he was rocking on his rocking horse, Ezra, while mum and dad talked.
“I always thought it would be nice to move us to the States, but I realized that I like the people here better,” Rick was saying.
Evie was snuggled against him, happy to be back in his arms, and sighed. “Perhaps one day you can take us there. I know they have a wonderful museum in New York,” Evelyn said, then turned her head, giving him a kiss on his neck.
While they talked, Alex watched them, and when he saw his mummy give his daddy a kiss, he decided that wasn’t appropriate behavior. “Ummy we go up an pay if my toys,” Alex said as he dismounted from Ezra’s back. He walked over to them and rested his head on her lap.
“Hey pal, do you want to come with me to the office?” Rick asked, having missed his son as much as he had missed his wife.
Not wanting much to do with his daddy, Alex just ignored him, and that was the start of trouble between father and son. In Alex’s young eyes, his daddy was interfering with his time spent with mum, and he was ready to fight for her attention.
~*~
The next battle came that very night at bed time. All day Alex had been grumpy with his daddy, and both parents had ignored his behavior for the most part. Now it was bed time, and once Evelyn had given him his bath, and gotten him ready for bed, He ran to their room and crawled under the covers at the end of the bed.
At his desk, Rick had been finalizing the deal they had made in New York, and when Alex got in their bed he decided to try and have some fun with him. Quietly he walked over to their bed and sat down. “Oh I’m tired,” Rick said, and usually this little game would get laughter from his son.
Not happy that Daddy was trying to mess up his game with mummy Alex started to push at him. “OFF OFF OFF,” he screamed, and to make things worse he kicked his dad’s side.
For Rick that was the last straw. He was tired, and his patience for his son had run out. Quickly he got off the bed then lifted Alex out, getting more screams and struggles. “ALEX ENOUGH,” Rick bellowed.
The screams turned to cries, and Alex struggled to be put down. “UMMY,” he yelled as his daddy carried him to the rocking chair. When Rick sat down, Alex straightened his body crying hard, and that brought mum.
Seeing the look in her husbands eyes, the tired look, Evelyn started toward them but Rick shook his head. He knew that Alex wanted mum, but he wasn’t going to stand for his son’s behavior, and once Evie was gone, and Alex was more or less calm, Rick turned him so they could see eye to eye. “Now I realize you had fun with mum, but we have to share her,” Rick said kissing Alex’s forehead.
Tired, and still not feeling good, as well as not wanting to hear that he had to share his mum, Alex stuck out his tongue and spit on his fathers face, and quickly found out that he had gotten himself into very deep trouble.
Very quickly Rick placed his son over his lap and smacked his bottom hard three times. Alex wailed then, and when his daddy held him, he grasped around his neck tight.
“That was very very naughty, don’t you ever do that to me again,” Rick said gruffly.
Alex just cried, and Rick felt a headache coming on. He closed his eyes and rocked both of them, and after a few minutes both the O’Connell guys went to sleep.
It was there almost an hour later that Evie found them. Quietly she walked over to the rocking chair and leaned in kissing her husband on his soft lips, which woke him. “Why don’t you draw a bath, and let me get him to bed?” she whispered.
Rick only nodded feeling like the worst father in the history of the world. He regretted leaving them, and throwing Alex out of sorts, and once Evie was gone, he undressed then went to take a soaking bath.
~*~
Morning arrived with Alex in the same state of mind about his mum, and when he started to overstep his bounds, Evie put her foot down. At the breakfast table, while his parents were talking, Alex decided to start throwing food on the floor, something Rick caught first. “Hey pal the food goes in your tummy,” Rick reminded.
Defiantly, Alex threw another piece on the floor. As Rick was about to get up to discipline his son, Evie beat him to that. She lifted Alex out of his highchair and swatted his bottom once which got his attention, then she knelt down and held him so that they were eye to eye. “You will listen to your daddy, and stop being naughty. Mummy loves both of you very much, but you have to share my love. You will stop being mean to your daddy, or mummy will give you another spanking,” she said.
Alex hadn’t cried when she smacked his bottom, but when she scolded him he did cry. Evelyn picked him up and carried him over to her seat, sitting down with him. “Unt pay only mummy,” he sobbed as she rocked him.
“I think I’ll take more time off. Alex would you like to go to the park with daddy and I?” she asked.
Always up for a trip to the park, the mention of such an excursion cheered him up. “Addy mummy fie kite,” he said as he slipped of her lap. They agreed to that, and once breakfast was over, and once they were all dressed, they left for a day at the park.
~*~
One of Alex’s favorite games was chase the ball, and now both he and his parents were playing that game. “I winnen,” he yelled as he kicked his ball away from his daddy.
Rick laughed, then ran after him catching him up in his arms. He tossed Alex up in the air forgetting that his son had a cold. Alex laughed, seeming not to mind all the running around they were doing, and once he was in his dad’s arms, Alex rested his cheek against his chest. “Addy eat,” he said through a yawn.
As Rick turned to go back toward the blanket, Evelyn caught up with them. She had gone after the ball, which Alex had managed to kick down a large slope, and took her husbands hand. “I think he’s warn out,” she whispered.
Rick nodded, knowing how his son felt. He was still on New York time, and though he was glad they had come to the park, to mend things with he and Alex, there was nothing he wanted more than to lay in bed and sleep for a year.
As they settled down for lunch, Alex grabbed a grape and threw it at his daddy hitting on the head. “Foo fight,” he yelled.
Rick was so shocked by that he didn’t know whether or not to be angry and punish Alex, or to just laugh, then when another grape hit his head, thrown by Evelyn, he laughed. “Just you wait,” he said and grabbed a whole handful of grapes throwing them all at Evie.
Suddenly Rick was tackled by his two year old, and fell back laughing as Alex smashed a grape in his face. Evie joined in, both she and Alex winning the battle, until Rick, in one swifted move, pinned both of them down. “Ah now whose turn is it.”
~*~
It was getting dark by the time the O’Connells arrived home, and as they walked in the house, Rick carried his sleeping son, and with his free hand, held Evelyn close to him.
In their son’s room, Evie got out clean night cloths and they managed to get him dressed for bed without too much of a fuss, then once he was down they retired to their own room.
As Evelyn started to move away from him, Rick eased her into his arms. “We need to do this more often,” he said as he nuzzled her neck.
It had been a long time since they had spent quality time with one another, and Evelyn had enjoyed that time as much as her husband.
“I know,” she said, then turned so that they were face to face. Rick lowered his head and took her lips in a gentle yet demanding kiss, leaving no doubt as to what he wanted to do next.
Life was back the way it should be, perhaps even a little better, and that night for both of them, time was spent in the exclusive world of their love.
THE END