Chapter 43

Roger got out of rehab the week after the fight with George about being overbearing. Since that phone call they'd all gotten together for dinner and everything had supposedly been resolved. Josiah and Rossalyn promised to be more understanding about how excited they were while George and Cylvia promised to stop butting into every decision they tried to make. Josiah and Rossalyn had agreed to watch the twins while Sarah went and picked Roger up from rehab. Their weekly visits had been successful in family therapy and Sarah and Roger seemed to be doing good in their sessions as well. Sarah had originally been unsure on whether or not she'd take Roger back once he was released from the facility but over the last few months, had agreed to work things out with him.

The kids were overly excited, impatient for their daddy to get to Josiah and Rossalyn's house. They did their best to keep them entertained and ran their energy out letting them play on the swing set that Josiah had built for the kids to play on. Josiah figured that even though it would be a while before their child would be old enough to play on it, it would be a good investment to have since more and more frequently, they were having children at the mansion while their mothers visited with Rossalyn. Josiah mused that before long, his whole backyard would be taken up with outdoor play furniture if he didn't get some control over the situation. But he really didn't mind that much. He loved looking out from his office when he wasn't busy and seeing the kids having so much fun on the days that Rossalyn felt up for visitors.

Rossalyn played with the twins, pushing them on the swings, chasing them around the yard, hide and seek. It seemed to be just minutes of each activity before they were bored wanting to play something else. She didn't mind since it kept her too busy to stress over the reception they'd get when Roger got there. Though their sessions had helped their relationship there were still some bitter feelings on both their parts about how everything had went down. She was taking a break and watching the kids play in the sandbox while she talked to Josiah when suddenly the kids were yelling and running toward the house. She looked up and seen Roger and Sarah coming out of the back of the house.

They stood and followed the kids at a more sedate pace since there wasn't anything the kids could do, other than trip, to hurt themselves between where they were and their parents. The twins launched themselves at Roger who acted as if he was knocked off his feet catching them and went down to the ground with his laughing children who he had flipped over and was tickling. Josiah and Rossalyn laughed as they observed the reunion and caught up to the small group.

"Someone was missed, I can tell." Josiah said, gesturing to Roger and the kids still on the ground with the kids shrieking in delighted giggles.

"Nah, not a bit." Sarah said sarcastically, observing them in playful indifference, though she struggled to keep a straight face.

"Supper should be ready soon. The baby wanted spaghetti." Rossalyn said giving Sarah an evil grin when Sarah groaned in mock horror. "Ooooo yes, the kids will have to be hosed off before you can take them home."

"Which baby wanted spaghetti? If it was mine, they can do without." Sarah said arching an eyebrow.

"Mine. We have been on a pasta kick the last few days." Rossalyn said grinning.

"Yes, pasta for daaaaays. Its the only thing that doesn't make her sick, apparently. Well, other than icecream." Josiah groaned in mock sadness.

"Yes, we've had to keep icecream in stock constantly along with chips. He doens't understand the cravings." Rossalyn patted Josiah reassuringly.

"At least she is finally eating. She needs to put weight on. I swear she is skinnier now than when she first got pregnant. If that is what the baby will allow, then spaghetti it is." Sarah said, though she gave her kids a calculating look. "Maybe if we wrap them in saran wrap, we can get away without baths before home?" She suggested hopefully.

"Ooooh yeah, because they'll allow that." Rossalyn agreed, and laughed at Sarah's glare.

"Remember, your baby will turn into a toddler one day. Auntie Sarah will have revenge." Sarah threatened though she wrapped an arm around Rossalyn's waist while she waited for the wrestling trio on the ground to finish.

"Bring it on sister." Josiah said laughing.

Another few minutes passed while Roger reunited with his children, playing and rough housing on the ground with them. Roger finally got off the ground and gave a fake groan of strain when both of the kids wanted to be picked up and carried at the same time. Rossalyn and Josiah both had hung back from him but he finally gave his attention them and looked pleased.

"Hey Roger." Rossalyn offered tentatively, hoping to keep the mood light. For the last few months, Roger had been volatile when it came to interacting with her. Sometimes he was pleased to be around her, other times quite bitter.

"Hey Ross. How you feeling?" He asked and his tone was caring and genuinely concerned.

"I'm feeling okay today, thanks. Glad to have you back again." Rossalyn said and gave him a relieved smile.

"I'm sorry for....well...everything. I can't even describe how bad I feel for everything, though I'm glad that you seem happy." Roger said.

"Yeah, I'm happy. Everything works out how it is supposed to, I guess." Rossalyn said, though she could feel Josiah's attention sharp on her. She hoped they'd done a good job of hiding their tensions when those had cropped up. Overall they were happy, but they did have times they still butted heads over things. Her words seemed to have the desired affect and Josiah's regard lessened.

They all started for the house and settled around the table as the cook brought food out for them. The conversation stayed light for the rest of the evening. Roger informed them he had plans for a job starting the next week and thanked Josiah for taking care of his family while he was in rehab. Josiah had a weird feeling when Roger wouldn't go into details about the job he lined up, but under the circumstances of having been on extremely restricted contact to the outside world, figured he was just out of practice of sharing so he didn't push the issue. But a glance at Rossalyn showed she was having some misgivings with the lack of sharing something so trivial. But, he had to admit, if he had been forced into rehab and cut off from Rossalyn and his child for half a year, he would be pretty unlikely to want to confide or share much with the people who did that to him too.