A Birth day

"Thanks, Jack," Angus said. He watched Jack and Jessie change places. "I must have slept alright. I don't remember a thing," Angus told Jessie.

"Jack fixed a fry up, and it looks like there's plenty, so tuck in if you're hungry, Jessie," Marcus said, as the boys arrived back from their interviews with Robert.

"Breakfast! Good! I'm starved," Sam said. The boys fixed themselves each a plate and sat down to eat.

"How'd it go?" Anise asked.

"Well, we're official now," Sam grinned. "I think we're just gophers, but we're official."

"What's a gopher?" Ginger asked.

"Someone who's job it is to 'go for' this and 'go for' that," Victor told her.

"It's a start," Angus said. "Congratulations. Your first real jobs. When do you start?"

"When we get back from Tuscany," Sam said. "We did tell him we could stay behind, and Robert didn't think that was necessary. He said we could go because he didn't think we'd be more than just a couple days anyway." He looked at the girls. "You two need to finish up and go see him. I know we're a bit early getting back, but he needs to get to work, so the sooner you go and get it done, the sooner he can go to work."

"Angus," Anise said, "how hard would it be to ask him not to hire us off the estate? We really don't want to do that."

"They haven't been away from us," Marcus told Angus. "It makes them nervous until we let them try a little by themselves."

"Oh. That never occurred to me," Angus said, surprised. "I'm sorry. Just be honest and polite with Robert. He's very adaptable. If you need my help with that, just let me know."

"Let's go," Ginger said, motioning to Anise to get up and come with her. They left for the main house.

"What time are you planning to go to Tuscany today, Mate?" Marcus asked.

"Maybe nine or ten. I honestly was hoping for a moment with him myself, but I probably should send a paper bird instead." He accio'd a piece of paper and wrote a note and sent it as a paper bird to Robert. His note had said, "I need to be able to step up as a caretaker for my daughter than I have been able to do with one hand. I want to take the sling off and give it a try. A." A response came almost instantly.

"Absolutely not! Have you lost your mind?" Robert's note read. "Even if the worst of the damage is healed at this point, you're going to need a good deal of rehabilitation before you can lift a twelve or thirteen pound baby. I am not going to be happy about having to reconstruct that again if you damage it. Kate and I plan on trying to get away to get to Tuscany later today, perhaps this evening. Until then, behave yourself! Do you understand me? R."

Angus sighed, laying the note down on the table, and Marcus picked it up and read it.

"I'm surprised he didn't send you a howler, Mate," Marcus laughed.

Jessie nodded and moved to get some breakfast " Jack realy outdid himself with this" he said and took a plate and sat down to eat. He sat quiet as Sam and Victor returned but smiled "Congrats guys" he said letting his medallion dangle against his tee shirt as he ate his breakfast. Listening to them talk he smiled " I'll be there with you to take care of Caprice." he said "The girls and the boys both are old enough to take care of themselves, you'll have plenty of people to manage, you're not on your own." he said sipping some juice as he finished his plate and placed it into the sink.

Now done he looked at Angus " Im guessing Masarcus already packed for every one?" he said and looked over to him " I keep a to go bag so i'm ready when you are."

"I appreciate everyone's help far more than you probably know," Angus said. "You guys are wonderful with her, and I am so glad that she's going to grow up having a huge family the same way that Abbey has grown up. She's going to know that she will never be short of people who love her. That's definitely one thing I can give her that I never had."

"So where is the pressure coming from, then?" Marcus asked.

"My own restlessness. I'm tired of not being able to do things that take both hands," he replied.

"Well, then, certainly, you should ask him about your recovery time and how much rehabilitation you're going to need," Marcus said. "Until then, I'd try to not push to the point where you damage yourself. This really isn't about Caprice. It's about just being sick and tired of being on the disabled list. I think we all know how that feels. And, yes, I did pack for everyone. And I sent a note to Clive to send allocations of clothes for all the kids to Tuscany so we have an allotment to leave there so that we don't go through this every bloody time we have to go there."

"Good thinking," Angus said. "Thanks." He just remembered in that moment that the boys hadn't gotten their graduation gifts. In the happy chaos of the steak supper and that fabulous cake, no one had remembered their gifts. He decided to wait til the girls were back from the main building to give his gifts to them.

Jessie heard Angus and Marcus " yeah wasn't that far back I was on it for a while" he said smiling as he sat with Caprice and played with her " just give it time dude" he said blowing a razzberry at Caprice to make her laugh at him. " that is a good isea Marcus I'll leave mine there too once its all over and we can come back." he said it was now he realized the boys didn't get their gifts and looked to Angus but said nothing knowing it was the girls gifts and they should give them it.

Seeing the girls leave he chuckled " they will be fine" he said as Yu walked in with soem fresh fruit in his arms.

"I thought you could use this in a fruit salad" he said plcing the fruit in a large bowl " its Nashi(Japanese pear) , Ume(Japanese apricot) , Kaki(persimmon) and some Ichigo (strawberry)" he said as he washed each fruit gently so not to bruise the fruit. " my mother sent them over from our garden" he told Angus as he then drained them and walked over with them in the bowl to show him.

"Actually, Simone has plans to take one of the bigger empty rooms there and put at least two twin beds in it, maybe more," Marcus said. "She showed it to me. I think the room could easily hold four twins with plenty of room to spare, and it has a balcony. It's on the opposite side of the hall from Angus's room, but it's across from the nursery."

"Oh. That room's always been empty, so far as I can remember. I think, when my father was a child, it was his room," Angus said, "but it's been empty for a long time. Its one of the larger bedrooms, that's for sure. And it has a walk in closet, as I recall."

"It does," Marcus said. "Simone is thinking of redoing the bedroom and remodeling that closet so that any of us first stringers could use it when we go with you. And, she and Edward have talked about allowing us some of our own closet space in that closet to keep some things for the same reason that we're stocking allotments for everyone else."

"I think that's a really smart choice," Angus said. "I know it would be rare for us to have four of you there at one time, but it might not be a bad idea to consider having more beds in there than we plan to use. With the sorts of things my family's been going through lately, its hard to say what we might get into." He heard some confusion outside, and Marcus went to the window.

"Oh, its the driver with your school things, Boys," Marcus said. "Go fetch them, would you? And let us know if we need to pay the driver." The boys got up and went outside.

"That fruit looks wonderful," Angus said. "Thank you, and thank your other for me. That will make a lovely salad. I think I'll take a few of each along to send with Ruby. I know she likes all sorts of fresh fruit. Have you lot seen Finn this morning?"

"Not yet, actually," Marcus frowned. He walked over to Edward's to ask about Finn, and he came back a moment later.

"Apparently, Robert went on a very early morning run at the farm and took Finn with him, and now Finn is over at the main house, hanging with Abbey for the moment," Marcus said.

Yu smiled and nodded to Angus as he said to thank his mother for the fruit " I will do just that" he said placing th fruit on the counter. He heard Marcus talk about finn and nodded " she was playing with him when I left." he said " as a girl not a puppy" he chuckled Jessie listened to them talk of the exstenshion to the house and rooms he was looking forward to seing Angus and Edwards home since he'd only seen fleeting glance at it when he ahd taken over from Jack that one time.

Jessie moved to the door and whistled loudly after amoment Finn came running over to them followed by Abby laughing as she ran behind him. " Hey Abby" he said smiling " you playing with Finn, and keeping him out of trouble?" Jessie asked knowing it was probably finn keeping Abby out of trouble.

"Well, the fact that she didn't go all metamorph is a good thing," Angus said.

Abbey was glad to be able to get outside, and when Finn ran back over to the duplex, she certainly had to come along. When Jessie asked her if she was keeping Finn out of trouble, Abbey sighed.

"You see that?" she pointed to Finn's now very large, very round, bulging belly. "Zoe gots a big box of berries today and she leaved them on the floor. And this dumb dog eated all my berries! Now he's is very round."

Angus got up and went over and looked at the dog, and saw the overly extended stomach.

"Oh, no," Angus sighed. "I'm not looking forward to the messes that dog is going to make over the next 48 hours. Robert might have to keep him in the barn. Either that or he's going to need lots and lots of paper towels. And Zoe is going to have to learn to keep boxes of food up off the floor when Finn is around."

"Maybe Robert has some sort of spell or remedy to keep Finn from having a huge stomach problem," Marcus said.

"Does Papa know?" Angus asked her.

"No, but Gam knows. She not happy."

"I bet she isn't," Angus said.

"Is the baby all growed up yet?"

"Well, she's grown some but she's still little."

"She needs to hurry up. We cant play if she stays little."

Well, she's always going to be littler than you are," Angus said. Abbey sighed, disappointed.

Jessie looked at Fin and shook his head " oh boy" he said softly then looked at Abby " don't be sad, the boys are back, maybe they can play with you for a bit once they have eaten." he said gancing over at them as they sat eating their breakfast. Yu looked at the main house and smiled .

"I'll go find Zoe and ask if she wants some fruits from my mothers grden to replace the ones he ate." he said and walked over to the main house Jessie chuckled and looekd over at the herb garden .

"hum looks like it could use a weeding" he said as he walked out on the deck. " I'll be right back" he said taking some gardening gloves and waking over to the herb garden to start pulling out weeds leaving perfectly need rows of herbs and plants. Once done he stood up and dusted off his trousers then picked up a watering can to water them before heading back inide to wash his hands.

Sam finished first, and he came outside and saw Finn looking like he had been in certain trouble.

"Well, that doesn't look good," Sam said.

"It isn't," Angus said. "Do you have just a little bit to take Abbey over to her play yard before we have to go?

"Sure," Sam said.

"Nooo. I wants to find a froggie," Abbey said.

"A frog? What for?"

"Molly's mama said she could have a pet froggie. Daddy say there are no froggies here."

"If there are any, they'll be down at the pond," Angus told Sam. "Do not let her go swimming in there, or Kate will have our heads. Go get a minnow bucket from storage and use that for now in case you get one."

"Okay," Sam said. "Come on, Abs. Let's go see if we can catch us a froggie." Abbey skipped off happily with Sam.

"That'll keep her happy for a few minutes," Marcus laughed. "You are not bringing that dog in the house, are you?"

"So he can poop on the floor? Not on your life. That many berries? He'll have the runs for the next three days," Angus said. "Jessie, you might want to alert the outdoor crew that the dog has had an overdose of berries. There's liable to be trouble unless there's a remedy for it."

Jessie watched as Abby and Sam walked off to catch a frog and then chuckled at Finn's preducament " of course, I'll warn them to watch where they step for the next three days." he said unable to hide his amusment " Im sure it won't take that long for it all to pass" he said seeing Finn start to wander around and sniff as if he wanted to go " okay Finn come with me " he said walking into the woods " we should be too long" he called back.

After a mment Jessie called out " oh my god this is bad" he said from behind a bush. " peeyou what a smell" he added from with in bush the woods as Jack pasted by and chuckled. Jack walked over to Angus as he herd Jessie gag.

"let me guess dog and fruit?" he asked then chuckled as he heard Jessie again " Im sure its not that bad" he said and saw Jessies head pop up .

"you want to come over here.." he paused as he gagged again and disapeared once more.