Chapter 40

As they are sitting around the table eating breakfast in their fancy new silk pajamas, Cathy asks, "So, what are we going to do today?"

"During the day we can do whatever we want. We don't have anything planned until our dinner tonight on the roof of the Glimmering Star restaurant that overlooks the river. Not only do we have a reservation to eat, but we also get to watch the fireworks from the same dining rooftop."

"I love fireworks!" states Hannah.

"Me too." adds Sarah.

"How about you, mommy, do you like fireworks?"

When Hannah calls Cathy mommy she has to blink back the tears. "I love them, too."

"And you, daddy?" asks Sarah.

"Yes, they have always been one of my favorite things since I was a boy." They all sigh in excitement as they can't wait for tonight.

As they sit there, Cathy is working on their itinerary. "So, tonight fireworks, tomorrow sight seeing, Friday our little Hannah's birthday at Coney Island, and then back to our home Saturday."

"Do we have to take a boat to get to Coney Island?" Wonders Hannah.

"Actually, babe, I'm not even sure if it is actually a real island." Christopher looks over at Cathy to see if she knows.

"I think we can take the subway there."

"The subway, huh? I'm not sure if I want to take us on the subway."

"You have to take the subway when you come to New York!"

"What is the subway?" asks Sarah, curiously.

"A train." answers Cathy in a way that locks in the girls.

"I want go on a train." Hannah.

"Me too." Sarah.

"Come on, daddy, we want to go on the train." Hannah again.

"Please, please, please, daddy!" Sarah's love wins through.

Cathy turns to him with a grand smile of victory. "That was not fair." All the girls giggle so prettily.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Sarah."

"Can I call Nana?"

"Of course, baby. I think that is a wonderful idea. Cathy."

"Yeah."

"I just thought where I would like to go today."

"Where?"

"Central Park."

"Oh, I think that would be a great place to visit. You always hear it mentioned in the movies."

"My reasoning exactly."

"Girls, you want go to a park today?"

"Yeah!" says Hannah, just glad to be alive.

Sarah nods her head. "You worried about Nana?"

"Yes. Even when I'm at your house and I know she is only right next door."

Christopher reaches over and grabs the phone that is setting on the end table. Sarah climbs in his lap. He has already read what you have to do to get out, so he dials the phone for her. As they are waiting for the lines to connect Christopher reminds her. "Don't forget we have the nurse checking in on her four times a day."

"Hi, Nana. Yeah, I'm having a wonderful time. We got some really fancy dresses and went to a restaurant called the Starlight and the ceiling looked like stars." After a little bit of a pause while Nan is talking, Sarah asks almost like she doesn't really want to know. "How are you feeling, Nana? Okay. Guess what? I'm calling Christopher daddy now. It makes me feel good and I think it makes him feel good too." Christopher smiles and caresses her hair.

"So am I!" says Hannah, running over and climbing aboard. Christopher puts his finger to his lips for Hannah to be silent.

He wraps his arm around Hannah and pulls her to him so he can kiss her.

"Yeah, Nana. We are taking a lot of pictures so you can see, too. I love you, too, Nana. Yeah, Saturday. Bye, bye, Nana, I love you." Sarah hands Christopher the phone and then hugs him.

"Feel better?" She nods and smiles. "We're not going anywhere for at least an hour, so find something to do."

Sarah sits down and starts watching television, but Hannah starts pulling on him. "Come on, daddy, I want to look over the edge again."

As she is pulling on him he turns the tables and pulls her to him and attacks her with a million little kisses. She giggles and squirms. Sarah, who is sitting just to the right of him, is looking at them with a smile. "You don't think you are going to escape my wrath, do you?" Then he attacks Sarah with a million little kisses.

She is giggling and squirming. "Don't stop, daddy."

"Oh, you like it, huh?" Then he starts tickling her with his left hand. Coming to her sister's rescue, Hannah attacks Christopher with tickles. "Oh, no, I'm outnumbered." Then Sarah goes on the offensive until Christopher falls to the floor not moving. The girls look at him suspiciously, and as they start to get closer he sits up and grabs them. "Ah ha, I got you." The girls scream, and at last out of breath they stop and look up. Cathy has been taking pictures this whole time.

"So, who won?"

"Daddy, he always wins." Christopher puts his hands on each side of Sarah's head and plants a big one on her.

Then he turns to Hannah. "So my little daredevil wants to look over the ledge again?"

"Yeah, come on." she says, pulling him to his feet.

"You coming?" Sarah shakes her head no slowly but definitively.

Again Christopher takes a death grip on Hannah as they both lie on the balcony ledge and look over. "They look so small."

"That's because they fell from here and are now a lot shorter."

"Yeah, right!" says Hannah, looking at him dubiously.

"Of course not. You fall from here and you won't be anything more than a blood spot on the sidewalk."

"I know, daddy, I know. I won't come out here without you."

"That's my girl!" he says, kissing her cheek. When he slides back he takes her with him. As they are walking back into the suite Cathy is coming over. "How about you, babe?"

"Yeah, come on, mommy."

"No thanks. I'm with Sarah on this one."

After they get dressed, Sarah is sitting between Christopher's legs and Hannah is sitting between Cathy's, getting their hair brushed. After a nice long hair brushing Christopher looks around Sarah and asks, "Ready?" She shakes her head. "No?"

"Nope."

"Okay."

She turns around and hugs and kisses him and then she says, "Now I'm ready."

Hannah, Sarah and Cathy have put on their new short outfits they got yesterday. Hannah's is red, Sarah's is white and Cathy's is blue. Being July it's a warm day, but they still enjoy their adventure through Central Park. Cathy and Christopher walk hand in hand as the girls explore under their ever-watchful gaze.

By the time they get back to the hotel they are ready for a nap. Cathy goes and lies down in the master bedroom, and shortly after that Hannah finds her and takes a nap with her. As Christopher is watching TV Sarah comes over and lies on the couch with her feet touching Christopher. Christopher looks over at Sarah and smiles. It amazes him that a little girl's heart is so strong that it has allowed for all of this. Christopher turns off the TV and lies down with Sarah putting his arm snuggly around her. As she snuggles back into him he whispers, "I love you."

As they are finishing up with their dinner the night has cooled down nicely. They move their chairs over to the lip of the roof and place their feet on the two-foot high ledge. The girls are all wearing white cotton summer dress. Thankfully the chairs are good-sized and have a lot of padding, so they relax and wait for the show.

Sarah is sitting on the far right, and then going left is Christopher, Cathy and then Hannah on the far left. It takes about five minutes of that for Sarah to climb into Christopher's lap. Hannah looks over across Cathy.

Christopher notices and whispers into Sarah's ear. "You think we can make room for Hannah?"

Sarah nods and moves over to his right thigh. "Come here, baby." He waves Hannah over. She sits down on his left thigh and he wraps his arms snuggly around them. Cathy scoots her chair all the way over until she can lean her head on Christopher's shoulder.

All of a sudden they start hearing fireworks going off. "Is that them? I can't see them."

"No, Hannah, those are just regular people setting theirs off before the big show." Just then another family further down on the same roof starts some sparklers.

"Oh, look, daddy!"

"I see. Huh!" Christopher twists and turns the best he can with two beautiful little girls in his lap. He catches the eye of one of the workers. Christopher nods to him and he comes over.

"Yes, sir?"

"I didn't know we could have are own fireworks up here."

"Only sparklers, sir. We have some set aside. I'd be happy to give the girls each a pack."

"You girls want to do some sparklers?" They look up at him and nod vigorously. "Yeah, that would be great, thank you. Do you have a lighter or something we can borrow or buy?"

"Of course, sir."

As the girls stand in expectation of even more fun, the man walks over and gives them each a box of sparklers and hands Christopher the lighter. Christopher hands him a hundred dollar bill. "Thank you. Now, you girls keep it away from your eyes. You ready?" They both nod. Christopher first lights Sarah's sparkler and then Hannah's. They are making them do zigzag patterns in the air. "Okay, do two each this time." Once they have them lit they start twirling. "Damn it!"

"What, babe?"

"I should have brought the camera."

"Way ahead of you." she says, trying to hand it to him.

"Oh, so now I have a million and one reason why I love you." Cathy smiles and leans in and gives him some very pleasant kisses, with her right arm draped across his shoulders. She tries to hand him the camera but he says, "No, babe, go ahead, I have to go the bathroom."

As Christopher is walking off Sarah asks, "Where are you going, daddy?"

"The bathroom. I'll be right back."

"I have to go."

"Well, come on. How about you, Hannah?"

She shakes her head no as she makes her fading sparkler dance. They have to go downstairs to use the bathrooms. There are two sets of bathrooms, the regular use walk-ins and some private ones that only one person at a time can go in. You have to be a preferred customer to use that one, of which Sarah and Christopher are. It is a good thing, because neither Sarah nor Christopher cares to use the busy walk-in ones. They still have to wait for someone to exit, but when it is their turn Christopher tells Sarah to go first.

"But that means when you are going I'll have to wait out here by myself." Sarah may open up to glorious heights when Christopher is near, but she is still a shy girl. "Come on, daddy." She pulls him into the bathroom with her. While she is going pee he freshens up in the mirror. While he is going she does the same.

As they come walking out together the next person gives them an odd look. Christopher looks at him without embarrassment or shame and says, "The family that pees together stays together."