Scraps - Burn Unit

I had no idea what I was stepping into when I came home.

It wasn’t too unusual for Evie to be irritated with something -- her job, Bree, myself, whatever -- so I didn’t think too much when I heard her speaking through gritted teeth to someone on the phone. A few suspicions were raised when she slammed her fists on the counter and grumbled, seemingly to herself. I wasn't absolutely sure that there was something wrong until she breezed past me on her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs, though.

With peaked curiosity, I watched Evie’s stomping feet turn to the left, down the hallway, and off to what I guessed was our room. My eyes narrowed for a few seconds before I sighed and tromped up the stairs myself to find out what happened. A shower sounds so much better but…yeah, I can put out a fire first.

“Evie?” I called out cautiously and pushed open the door to our room, where Evie was pacing and muttering to herself. “Baby? Are you okay?”

“My sister just called,” Evie seethed out and turned on me with a murderous glare. “Apparently they've decided and now they're all coming to visit.”

“All?” I asked, my voice sounding as confused as I was. Six years Evie and I had been married, and never once had she ever told me of any siblings, let alone the ‘all’ she spoke of now.

“Yes. All of them,” Evie said, her voice coming out short and curt. “Bethanie just got back into the states and thought it would be oh-so-nice to get together with the lot of us. See, she's coming from Cameroon, saving children or building hospitals or being better than us in one way or another and now she has to shove it in our face.”

“Well, that doesn’t seem very nice,” I said lamely and crossed my arms.

Evie barked out a laugh and shook her head. “You don’t understand, Oliver. Every one of my sisters act like this. They’re all so damn amazing and I can't be allowed to forget it.”

“Yeah? You wanna tell me about that?” I said and smiled softly at Evie.

I hoped that this would help calm her down -- if she talked through things -- but I was so, so wrong.

“Oh, oh, okay,” Evie remarked and put her hands up as if to slow herself down in order to tell me this. “You want to know what those bitches are like? Let me tell you.”

“Okay…” I muttered quietly and lowered myself a bit.

“Bethanie thinks she’s God’s gift to the fucking world but don’t worry, because Meghan and Shawna are neck in neck trying to overthrow her for that title. Got one off saving all the fishies and otters and shit and the other one is a goddamn rescue pilot because, c’mon, if you’re gonna be a fucking humanitarian, have a little flair.”

“Wow, um, yeah. I could see how that-” I started in an attempt to agree with Evie but she was already off and pacing again.

“Then there’s Jessica, and how often am I reminded of the perfect little star she is?” Evie growled in her throat. “Why? Because she started a business that didn’t flop in its first year? I mean, I know how fickle fashion can be, but fuck! It’s not that amazing!”

“Hm,” I hummed.

I was afraid to say much more than that at this point. She needed to just get it out before I could even try to make it better. That much was very clear.

“And don’t even get me started on my oldest sister Carolyn,” Evie scoffed out quieter.

“What does she do?” I asked, a little apprehensively.

“She’s a doctor,” Evie murmured and shrugged.

I scrunched my brows up before scoffing, “I’m a doctor, Evie.”

Evie brushed me off with an exhausted wave of her hand. “Not like you, Oliver.”

I was immediately offended.

“Carolyn’s a surgeon.”

And then I deflated.

“Well… Oh…” I started and then stopped just as quickly.

“Yeah. See? You don’t understand, Oliver,” Evie sighed out and put her head in her hands. “I’m like, the black sheep of our family. I’ve never been as good as them and every chance they have to remind me, they do.”

“But, you have a good job,” I pointed out in confusion. “You’re a lawyer. You just made partner at your firm last year!”

“I graduated from Princeton!” Evie cried out and threw her hands up.

I narrowed my eyes at my wife and looked at her in disbelief. “What is it with the youngest redhead sister going all crazy because she feels overshadowed by her mass of older sisters? Why is that a thing?”

Evie pursed her lips and glared at me. “That is not a thing.”

“Sure it is,” I remarked and let a shrug fall of my shoulders. “How about Ariel from the Little Mermaid?”

Evie let out a scoff and rolled her eyes. “Okay, that’s one example. Big fucking deal.”

“Misty from Pokemon, too.” I laughed. “Oh, boy. She had a super inferiority complex.”

“There’s no way that you could have any more cartoons to back you up,” Evie said through gritted teeth.

I hummed and tapped my chin in thought before saying, “Well, there’s Daphne in the Mystery Incorporated reboot. And Pokémon is an anime, love. Not a cartoon.”

Evie groaned and threw herself on the bed. “Okay. Fine. Maybe you’re right,” my wife muttered out before she buried her head in the comforter.

Sometimes it’s a struggle being a know-it-all and a good husband…

“Listen to me, Evie,” I said softly and sat on the bed next to her. “Forget them. It doesn’t matter what they think of you because you’re damn amazing too. You’re a good wife, a good mom, a good friend, and it doesn’t matter where you graduated ‘cause you’re damn good at your job.” I moved the hair out of Evie’s face and smiled down at her. “You know that, right?”

“Yeah…” she mumbled out and barely met my eyes.

“Besides,” I said and pulled her into my lap. “If any of your sisters say anything, our daughter will cut them down with her vicious, vicious words.”

“Aw, babe,” Evie cooed and looked up at me with bright eyes. “You’re right!”

“Mm-hmm,” I hummed matter-of-factly, a smug grin painted on my face in triumph.

“How do you always know just what to say?” Evie asked me with a satisfied grin and touched my cheek with her fingertips.

‘Cause putting out fires is what I do best.

“Oh, you know,” I drawled and placed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s a gift.”