So Annabel looks like Lexie? Can't wait to see her miniature again. 
You will--just...not quite yet.
Such a nice and sweet update. Full of joy and excitement. Morgana will be so happy now that she got 3 grandchildrens. Looking forward for next update.
P.S. Nice poses.
Thank you! And I'm so glad to see you back on the forum!
This chapter was so wonderfully cute. 
I'm really curious to see what dear Justin has been up to all this time, as well as to see how all the little ones will turn out.
Thanks. And funny you should mention Justin...
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Chapter 21: Love is Patient, part 1
“Now you're sure it's okay...?”“Of
course it is, dear. You know your father and I will be thrilled to have her.” Morgana tried not to sound too excited, but the idea of having her precious two-year-old granddaughter over for the weekend tickled her to no end. She could pull out Winter's stash of stuffed animals, maybe the old block table, and maybe they could invite Jeremy and his family over for one of the evenings so the two cousins could play together...
“It'll just be for two nights, and we'll just be at the Pinochle Lodge if anything comes up,” Alexia continued.
“By the way, thanks for the recommendation. When Simon looked it up online he immediately fell in love with the place.”“I'm glad. Your father and I quite enjoyed it when we stayed there last year.”
Their twenty-fifth anniversary had been quite the celebration, Leighton and Morgana's first where they didn't have to worry about a babysitter. The lodge was nothing short of spectacular; the view was breathtaking, the service congenial, and the food was simply exquisite. About the only thing that somewhat bothered them was the price, but even Leighton had to admit that it was worth the splurge for something so monumental as a landmark wedding anniversary.
“So has Sam told you the news?” Morgana continued.
“He did! Twins...I can't believe it. And neither can Sandi, I imagine.”“Speaking of which...you and Simon wouldn't happen to be...?”
Alexia chuckled.
“Let's just say it's not out of the realm of possibility.” A pause.
“Oops, someone's awake from her nap. I've got to run, Mom. Thanks again—and I'll call you later in the week to finalize the details.”“No problem. Give Annie a kiss for me.”
“You bet. And tell Justin I hope he feels better, okay?”“I will. Take care.”
Morgana sighed as she ended the conversation with her eldest daughter. Five years. Had Lexie and Simon
really been married for that long...?
So much had changed in that short span that Morgana sometimes had a difficult time wrapping her head around it all. Five years had given them three grandchildren with two more on the way, a trio of high school graduations, and a wedding. Three of the six children were married with families of their own, and with Winter off at University only Justin and Abby were still living at home.
Though in Justin's case it was only a temporary situation...or so he hoped.
Up until about a month ago he and his long-time girlfriend had been touring with their ballet troupe, performing their art in grand venues all over the world to sold-out crowds. Their travel schedule was strenuous and there was time for little else, which was something that had always bothered Morgana to no end. Justin kept in contact as best he could, an e-mail here, a quick selfie posted on SimBook there, a text from the nectary at Champs les Sims...his life was filled to the brim with experiences of which most people could only dream. He was living his passion.
And then...disaster.
It was during a rehearsal in Bridgeport that an unexpected slick spot on the stage caused Justin to slip and fall awkwardly onto his right side, injuring his knee. The staff physician determined that he had a near-complete tear of his anterior cruciate ligament, which would inevitably require surgery. It would be several months—if not more than a year—before he would be able to rejoin the ballet troupe...and he was absolutely devastated.
Faced with such a long recovery, Justin decided to leave Starlight Shores behind and return to Sunset Valley. Morgana and Leighton were more than happy to see him come home, even if the circumstances were far from ideal. His surgery had been scheduled for this past Tuesday, and from what Ethan had told her everything went well and he was able to repair the ligament without too much trouble. Justin was sent home a few hours later with pain medications and strict orders to rest, ice, and elevate.
Not that Justin could do much
more than that; the side effects of the pain medication had more or less glued him to his bed for the better part of these last two days. He was too dizzy to do much of anything except hobble to the bathroom and felt too sick to eat more than an ice pop or two. The twenty-two-year-old was miserable, plain and simple...
...but at least he was miserable and in good company.
Lesley had also taken a leave of absence from the ballet troupe, and not just for Justin's sake. Her mother had passed away unexpectedly late last year, and with her father's health in question she was already considering coming home even before Justin's injury. Her boyfriend's plight sealed it though, and she made flight arrangements the very next day. Since then she had been dividing her time between an ailing father and an injured boyfriend, and while Morgana knew that Lesley was strong...there was only so much that a person could take without completely burning out.
Morgana heard the sound of footsteps and saw her son's girlfriend plodding her way down the stairs, looking pensive.
“Heading home?”
“Yeah,” Lesley sighed. “I wish I could stick around for longer. Heaven knows Justin could use the company...but Dad's got an appointment at three.”
Morgana's heart went out to her. Taking care of an aging parent was not a task for the weak of spirit, and Jack's worsening health of late had taken a serious toll on his youngest daughter. Ethan had mentioned that things were rough, but Morgana hadn't realized just
how rough...
“Forgive me if I am prying too much, but are you getting much help from your other four siblings?”
Lesley pursed her lips. “Well, Lisa hasn't talked to Dad since I was in high school, so no, nothing at all from her. Darlene has a full-time job and four kids under the age of eight, which more or less is like having two full time jobs.”
“That's a fact,” Morgana interjected.
“Arlo just moved up to Aurora Skies to coach their hockey team, so he's living up there now,” Lesley continued. “That leaves just me and Ethan, and you know just as well as I do that he's a very busy man, especially now that Doctor Steel is getting ready to retire.”
The mere mention of her long-time co-worker's impending retirement hit a nerve. While Morgana had known Jamie's intentions for quite some time, it hadn't quite sunk in that she would no longer be seeing her best friend on a daily basis.
“It's not so bad, really. Dad is still mostly mobile, I just have to take him to doctor appointments and all that. And Ethan and Darlene aren't out of the picture by any means. Ethan still manages to find the time to visit a few times a week to check up on things, and Darlene comes over and helps with household repairs whenever she gets a spare moment. It's just that I'm the only one who is even remotely free enough to do more.” Lesley heaved a sigh. “I just wish that Mom was still around. Part of him I think wishes that he could go to be with her.”
Morgana nodded. “I understand. And I'm sorry, Lesley. You've been through so much in these last couple of years.”
The blonde shrugged. “What can you do except just muddle your way through it? Honestly, I think...” Her voice trailed off. “I think that Justin's about the only thing keeping me sane right now.”
Without another word Morgana pulled the young woman into an embrace. “You're a stronger woman than you think, Lesley. Don't ever forget that...and if you ever need to chat, you know my number.”
Lesley managed a weak smile. “Thanks, Morgana. I...really do appreciate it.”
“You're welcome to come back over tonight for dinner, if you're not busy,” Morgana offered. “I'm making ratatouille.”
“Mmm...that really sounds good, too...” Lesley thought for a few moments. “Actually, I might just take you up on that. I think Dad was going to visit Darlene tonight anyway. It's one of the kids' birthdays tomorrow, but don't ask me which because there are too many of them to remember.”
Morgana chuckled. “I know the feeling. Take care, and tell your father that I hope he is well.”
“Thanks.”
As Lesley turned to leave Morgana couldn't help but feel a certain admiration for the young woman. She had always appreciated Lesley's character, particularly the way she managed to bring her shy son out of his shell. Winter had described her once as a “pink ray of sunshine”. At the moment though, the sun wasn't shining quite so brightly. Morgana could only hope and pray that she could pull through this difficult time without losing herself in the process.
She heard the familiar sound of her husband's car pulling into the driveway and glanced up at the wall clock, quirking an eyebrow when she saw the time. Leighton and Abby weren't expected home for at least another two hours. The game couldn't possibly be over
that quickly...
The front door opened, revealing a scowling Abby and a very irritated-looking Leighton.
“How was the game?”
Abby just sort of shrugged her shoulders and disappeared into her room, locking the door behind her. Seconds later Morgana heard the sound of her daughter's favorite rock band playing a bit too loudly from behind the closed door.
“Turn it down!” Leighton called after her.
Either Abby couldn't hear him, or heard him and chose to ignore him.
Now Morgana was concerned. “What is...?”
“No idea,” Leighton quickly replied. “She's been in a surly mood for most of the day.”
“Abby seemed fine before you left. Did something happen?”
“She
was fine until just before the game. Perky, even. Monika came by to chat with us for a while, and then all of the sudden she went from perky and upbeat to grouchy and sullen. After four innings I had just about had enough.” Leighton rubbed his forehead with one hand. “Teenage mood swings. Nothing we haven't dealt with five times before. Is it bad that I'm glad she's the last one?”
Morgana stifled a chuckle and planted a kiss on her husband's cheek. “We'll survive, love. It's only another four and a half years. And then we'll both be crying our eyes out when she leaves the nest.”
“Probably. By the way, speaking of leaving the nest...” He pulled a small decorated envelope out of his jeans pocket and handed it over to his wife. “From Monika.”
A grin spread across Morgana's lips as she carefully tore it open. “So Demetria and Brent set a date for the wedding. Monika must be thrilled beyond imagination.”
“She is...though she's still having a hard time believing that her daughter is old enough to be getting married.” Leighton chuckled slightly. “Something we know all too well.”
Monika's only daughter was about the same age as the twins and in every way her mother's child, from her rugged personality to her raw athletic ability. That she was even dating Jeremy's uber-nerdy best friend came as a shock to pretty much everyone—especially the
rest of the Fearsome Foursome.
“Slowly but surely, they're all pairing off. I remember when Monika was pregnant, and now...” Morgana sighed. “We're getting old, Leighton.”
“
Ohhh no we aren't.” Leighton grabbed her in a strong embrace. “It's the kids who are getting older. We're just staying the same.”
“Thus says the man without a shred of gray hair at fifty-five.”
Their lips met in a passionate kiss, and Morgana felt herself melting once again into her husband's arms. No matter how old either of them were, she would never tire of this.
Not ten seconds later their reverie was interrupted by the sound of Morgana's cell phone accompanied by a loud
thunk from upstairs.
“I don't like the sound of that.” Leighton grunted as he broke off the kiss. Neither did Morgana; the only person upstairs at the moment was Justin, and loud percussive sounds were probably not a good sign. “I'd better see if he's all right...”
As Leighton made his way upstairs Morgana reached into her slacks pocket to retrieve her phone, smiling when she noticed Winter's name on the caller ID.
“Hey there, baby girl! How are you?”
“Hey Mom!” Winter's voice sounded cheerful.
“Doing great, actually. I finally got all of my suitcases unpacked, and my first classes start tomorrow.”“So how is the place? Have you met any of your housemates?”
“A few of them. I haven't gotten a chance to chat much, as everyone is too busy unpacking. A couple of them are from Riverview, and there's one from Starlight Shores, and I think my roommate Annie-Mae said that she's from Twinbrook, or at least it sounds that way from her accent. They all seem pretty cool.” Winter paused.
“So...how's Abby doing?”
Either Winter had some sort of sixth sense or she knew something that Morgana didn't. “Actually, not too well,” she replied. “She just locked herself in her room.”
Winter sighed deeply.
“I was afraid of that, actually. I'm guessing she found out about Demetria and Brent...?”Huh?“...Winter, what are you talking about?”
“Mom...Abby has had a crush on Brent Alto ever since she was in elementary school.”Morgana's eyes widened. “...are you serious?”
“Dead
serious. Why do you think she always wanted to hang around Jeremy and his friends?”“I always thought it was because she enjoyed playing video games.”
“That's part of it, yes...but Abby loved being around Brent most of all. He always said nice things to her, and she always thought he was cute. She told me not too long ago that she hoped he'd still be available when she came of age.”It took a few moments for it to really sink in, and when it did Morgana felt nothing but sorrow for her youngest child. Five years of pleasant dreams had been suddenly crushed under the foot of reality, leaving the thirteen-year-old utterly and completely heartbroken.
“Poor Abby,” she finally replied.
“Let me talk to her, Mom. I might be able to help. In fact...don't even let on that you know, 'k? I don't want her to think that I'm divulging all of her secrets or anything.”“I promise that I won't. Thank you, Winter. Abby really is lucky to have you as a sister, you know that?”
She heard Winter giggle.
“I try. Hey, would you mind sending a care package sometime? Like, maybe with a dozen oatmeal cookies or something?”Now it was Morgana's turn to laugh. “Of course I can, dear. Rest well, and good luck on your first day.”
“Thanks, Mom. See ya!”Morgana ended the call and placed her phone back into her pocket. Never in a million years would she have thought that Abby would have such strong feelings for her brother's best friend. Then again, there was a lot about Abby that Morgana couldn't quite figure out...
“Nothing's broken,” Leighton declared as he began his descent down the staircase. “He was trying to get up so he could get some water and accidentally knocked over the nightstand.”
“That's a relief,” Morgana sighed, “and I found out what's going on with Abby?”
Leighton quirked an eyebrow. “You mean she actually opened her door?”
“No. I was talking to Winter, actually. Did you know that Abby has had a crush on Brent for the last five years?”
“You mean...
oh...” Leighton's face fell as the realization hit him. “So when Monika mentioned that Demetria and Brent were engaged... No
wonder why her mood suddenly changed.”
“She had just had her heart broken.”
--To Be Continued-----
Another one of those chapters that was way too long to post all at once.
Thanks for reading!
