culpables years later

Noah

"Mommy, mommy! Wake up!" Andy shouted excitedly and jumped on our bed. Tired, I turned to Nick's side where Andy was. "What's wrong, honey?" I asked him, half asleep. "I have to go to school. Why aren't you awake yet?" Shit! We had overslept. I immediately got up in bed like a dream and looked at Nick. He didn't seem to have realized the situation yet. "Honey, get ready, we'll get breakfast on the way to preschool. Mommy, hurry up now." Andy ran out of our room and I closed our door. Nick still seemed to be hitting the wall and to wake him up I covered him with a pillow. "Nick, wake up! We all overslept! We have to go to work and Andy has to go to school." He grunted and turned to the side. Annoyed, I went to the bed to pull his pillows away, but suddenly he pulled me into bed with him. "Come on, Noah. You don't have to go to the office today and I can come later." I tried to free myself from his hands, but in vain. So I tickled my way out of his arms. I quickly jumped out of bed and pulled the pillows away from him.

"I have to go to the office and then go shopping with the girls. And you have to go to the office. So honey, get your sweet ass out of bed and get ready. Steve is waiting for us downstairs." He slowly went into the bathroom and I changed. After about a quarter of an hour everyone was ready and Steve took Andy to the car. Nick pulled me towards him and gave me a kiss. "Last night was very nice, Freckles. Today again?" He liked it. So I played my games very well. "I thought so too. We'll see how you behave, Mr. Leister." He grinned perversely and went to his car. He waved to me before he drove off and I went to the car where Steve held the door open for me. He drove us to Andy's school and I accompanied Andy to the entrance. "Mom? Do you still love Dad?" Andy asked thoughtfully, but also sadly. "Why do you ask? Of course I love him." Andy looked at the floor and stamped his feet. "You kept saying the F word to Dad last night. You almost shouted at each other." Oh my God. Andrew had heard us having sex. I want to sink into the ground. "You know, that was for fun. Dad and I always play board games and sometimes he loses and so do I. Then we talk loudly to each other." Andy nodded and seemed to believe me. I kissed him on the forehead and stroked his hair. "Have a nice day, honey." He gave me a high five goodbye. Embarrassed, I went back to the car. "Is everything OK, Miss Leister?" Steve held the door open for me and drove off. "Andrew heard Nick and me last night. That was awkward." Steve grinned and looked at me. "At least he doesn't know what you two were doing." I looked out the window and thought. "You're probably right." The drive was in pleasant silence. Steve drove us to the underground car park and went upstairs with me to the office. It was nice to see everyone again and talk to them. "Steve, if you want, you can come into the office and make yourself a coffee. I'm not expecting any visitors, so you can sit down." He nodded friendly and sat down on my sofa. Meanwhile, I made myself comfortable at my desk and went through the files that had accumulated. I went through the most important things and worked through them. In between, I kept getting visits from colleagues and friends who wanted to say hello to me. Many asked about the baby and wanted to stroke my belly. But what I was most looking forward to was seeing Carla again. We wanted to talk a lot, but we had very little time. Jenna was meeting me and Maggie in half an hour to go shopping for the gala.

So there was just time for some small talk and then it was goodbye. I had thought long and hard and decided to work from home for the rest of the pregnancy. I'd actually decided against it, but Nick had edited me. With my hormones and moods, I wouldn't be a joy to my co-workers. So my social contact with my family declined. Yay. As I said goodbye to Carla, Steve stood at the door ready to pick me up. By the time I got to the store, the two were already there. I got out of the car and Maggie hugged me. Steve parked the car and joined Alex, who was standing off. ,,Hi, sweetie, how are you? Are you all right with the baby?" Smiling, I hugged her and pulled her hair. ,,Yeah, everything's great. How's it going with you and Lion? Is it getting better?" She grinned sheepishly and brushed her hair out of her face. "Yeah, we do. We talk a lot and he's improving. The sex is even better than before," she whispered quietly and grinned. "Jenna!" We laughed and shook our fists and looked down at Nick's little sister. Jenna had made a private appointment in the boutique, so we had the full attention of the staff. We were greeted with champagne and small snacks right at the entrance. Everyone introduced themselves in a friendly manner and started right away. About two hours later, everyone had a beautiful outfit and we were ready for the gala. Since the mood was so good, we decided to go to other shops to look at shoes and jewelry. At the end of the day, Maggie was driven to the villa with Alex and Jenna stayed behind with me. Since we wanted to have a drink and chat, we decided to drive home. Jenna drove after us. Nick was apparently still at work and I almost forgot about Andy. While Jenna drove to us, we quickly picked up Andy. Luckily, Jenna had the keys to our house and was able to prepare snacks for us. We went into the house with Andy in one hand and my dress in the other. When Andrew saw Jenna, he hugged her and while they were greeting each other, I went to put my dress away. As I was putting the dress away in the dressing room, something caught my eye. Something was sticking out from half of my pile of clothes. It was a hand. I crouched down and saw Nick lying unconscious and bleeding under my hanging jackets. My heart started to beat faster. He was lying under a pool of blood. "Nick! Omg!" I quickly jumped over him and checked to see if he still had a pulse. Only a little. "Jenna! Call an ambulance!"

Noah

"Mommy, mommy! Wake up!" Andy shouted excitedly and jumped on our bed. Tired, I turned to Nick's side where Andy was. "What's wrong, honey?" I asked him, half asleep. "I have to go to school. Why aren't you awake yet?" Shit! We had overslept. I immediately got up in bed like a dream and looked at Nick. He didn't seem to have realized the situation yet. "Honey, get ready, we'll get breakfast on the way to preschool. Mommy, hurry up now." Andy ran out of our room and I closed our door. Nick still seemed to be hitting the wall and to wake him up I covered him with a pillow. "Nick, wake up! We all overslept! We have to go to work and Andy has to go to school." He grunted and turned to the side. Annoyed, I went to the bed to pull his pillows away, but suddenly he pulled me into bed with him. "Come on, Noah. You don't have to go to the office today and I can come later." I tried to free myself from his hands, but in vain. So I tickled my way out of his arms. I quickly jumped out of bed and pulled the pillows away from him.

"I have to go to the office and then go shopping with the girls. And you have to go to the office. So honey, get your sweet ass out of bed and get ready. Steve is waiting for us downstairs." He slowly went into the bathroom and I changed. After about a quarter of an hour everyone was ready and Steve took Andy to the car. Nick pulled me towards him and gave me a kiss. "Last night was very nice, Freckles. Today again?" He liked it. So I played my games very well. "I thought so too. We'll see how you behave, Mr. Leister." He grinned perversely and went to his car. He waved to me before he drove off and I went to the car where Steve held the door open for me. He drove us to Andy's school and I accompanied Andy to the entrance. "Mom? Do you still love Dad?" Andy asked thoughtfully, but also sadly. "Why do you ask? Of course I love him." Andy looked at the floor and stamped his feet. "You kept saying the F word to Dad last night. You almost shouted at each other." Oh my God. Andrew had heard us having sex. I want to sink into the ground. "You know, that was for fun. Dad and I always play board games and sometimes he loses and so do I. Then we talk loudly to each other." Andy nodded and seemed to believe me. I kissed him on the forehead and stroked his hair. "Have a nice day, honey." He gave me a high five goodbye. Embarrassed, I went back to the car. "Is everything OK, Miss Leister?" Steve held the door open for me and drove off. "Andrew heard Nick and me last night. That was awkward." Steve grinned and looked at me. "At least he doesn't know what you two were doing." I looked out the window and thought. "You're probably right." The drive was in pleasant silence. Steve drove us to the underground car park and went upstairs with me to the office. It was nice to see everyone again and talk to them. "Steve, if you want, you can come into the office and make yourself a coffee. I'm not expecting any visitors, so you can sit down." He nodded friendly and sat down on my sofa. Meanwhile, I made myself comfortable at my desk and went through the files that had accumulated. I went through the most important things and worked through them. In between, I kept getting visits from colleagues and friends who wanted to say hello to me. Many asked about the baby and wanted to stroke my belly. But what I was most looking forward to was seeing Carla again. We wanted to talk a lot, but we had very little time. Jenna was meeting me and Maggie in half an hour to go shopping for the gala.

So there was just time for some small talk and then it was goodbye. I had thought long and hard and decided to work from home for the rest of the pregnancy. I'd actually decided against it, but Nick had edited me. With my hormones and moods, I wouldn't be a joy to my co-workers. So my social contact with my family declined. Yay. As I said goodbye to Carla, Steve stood at the door ready to pick me up. By the time I got to the store, the two were already there. I got out of the car and Maggie hugged me. Steve parked the car and joined Alex, who was standing off. ,,Hi, sweetie, how are you? Are you all right with the baby?" Smiling, I hugged her and pulled her hair. ,,Yeah, everything's great. How's it going with you and Lion? Is it getting better?" She grinned sheepishly and brushed her hair out of her face. "Yeah, we do. We talk a lot and he's improving. The sex is even better than before," she whispered quietly and grinned. "Jenna!" We laughed and shook our fists and looked down at Nick's little sister. Jenna had made a private appointment in the boutique, so we had the full attention of the staff. We were greeted with champagne and small snacks right at the entrance. Everyone introduced themselves in a friendly manner and started right away. About two hours later, everyone had a beautiful outfit and we were ready for the gala. Since the mood was so good, we decided to go to other shops to look at shoes and jewelry. At the end of the day, Maggie was driven to the villa with Alex and Jenna stayed behind with me. Since we wanted to have a drink and chat, we decided to drive home. Jenna drove after us. Nick was apparently still at work and I almost forgot about Andy. While Jenna drove to us, we quickly picked up Andy. Luckily, Jenna had the keys to our house and was able to prepare snacks for us. We went into the house with Andy in one hand and my dress in the other. When Andrew saw Jenna, he hugged her and while they were greeting each other, I went to put my dress away. As I was putting the dress away in the dressing room, something caught my eye. Something was sticking out from half of my pile of clothes. It was a hand. I crouched down and saw Nick lying unconscious and bleeding under my hanging jackets. My heart started to beat faster. He was lying under a pool of blood. "Nick! Omg!" I quickly jumped over him and checked to see if he still had a pulse. Only a little. "Jenna! Call an ambulance!"