In The Family

Chapter Three

Abbey stepped out of the steamy bathroom, expecting to find her husband waiting, but instead met an empty bed. She dried off hastily and slipped into a set of Jed’s deep blue pajamas. She peeked out into the hall and didn’t see him. Coop lifted his chin towards the guest room a little ways down from theirs. She padded barefoot over the lush carpet and stopped outside the door. She wiggled her toes in the plush and waited. And listened.

If she concentrated just so, she could hear Jed’s honeyed voice through the door. She rested her palm against the wood and surmised that she could feel the vibrations through there. Jed’s laugh rose above the silence in the corridor. One of the children must have said something funny.

“And that is the end.” They both “awed.”

Well, Lesly “awed” and Toby copied in his soft way.

Abbey smiled despite herself and stepped back as Jed clicked off the light and headed towards the door. She hurried back to their room and hopped into bed before he came in. She pretended to read the book she’d picked from his side of the bed, but couldn’t quite pull it off; one, without her glasses. And two, without knowing what language it was in. Whatever it was, she was sure no one living spoke it.

“What is with you and your damned dead languages?” She looked up to see him perched on the edge of the bed, untying his shoes.

“They’re interesting.”

“They’re tiresome.” He smiled and rolled off his socks.

“Only to those who don’t understand them.” She narrowed her eyes at him and closed the book, leaving the dark red silk ribbon in place.

“How are they?” He shrugged and started to remove his tux. “You don’t know. You just spent the last hour with them and you don’t know?”

“I just spent the last hour feeding them, bathing them, and putting them to bed. There’s only so much you can learn between burps, bubbles, and yawns. They’re small children, Abbey. Children who’ve just been abandoned and misplaced.” He inhaled thoughtfully and dropped his pants. “For what they’ve gone through, they’re doing remarkably well.” She snorted as he stood there.

“Yeah, I bet. Jed, put on your pajamas and come to bed. We’re going to need to talk about this in the morning.”

“Yeah.” He started to amble towards the closet, but tripped over his pants, which he’d forgotten to step out of.

“Oops,” she said out loud and covered her mouth as he launched daggers at her with his eyes. “Sorry. You are tired. Babe, just take off the shirt and I’ll let you have the bottoms from my pajamas.”

“They’d fit?” She beamed.

“They’re yours.”

“Abbey!” She shrugged guilelessly.

“Share and share alike, Jed.” She patted his spot beside her. He disposed of the rest of his tux until he was left in just his boxers and undershirt. He stood on his side and held his hands out for the pants. She held up her hand for him to wait and shimmied under the covers. He watched with interest as she wiggled about. Finally, she produced his bottoms. “There you go, babe. Now get in bed.” He slipped them on and did just that.

She snuggled up to his front and gave him a kiss he wasn’t expecting. He reached out and took her hand. “What is it?” She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time.

“Tomorrow, Jed. Tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He pulled her closer and rested a hand on her thigh. She laid her hand on his chest and kissed his chin before settling into his shoulder. “Tomorrow,” he thought as he drifted off after her.

That night they slept peacefully for a few hours until around 4:30 in the morning. All of the sudden, a shrill scream filled the air and jerked Abbey and Jed out of their joint slumber.

They both leapt out of bed and hurried down the hall to the room the children were supposed to be asleep in. The agents rushed in before Jed and Abbey reached the door. The screaming intensified until Abbey was forced to cover her ears. Jed moved in between the agents and waved them away as he saw what was happening.

A nightmare. It was just a nightmare. From the sounds of it, Toby’s nightmare. He went over to the bed the children were sharing and took the screaming boy into his arms.

“Hey, hey. It’s all right. It’s just a dream. That’s all. It’s not real.” All the same, Toby clung to Jed’s undershirt as he mumbled and rocked. “Les, what happened?” She sat up with her arms wrapped around herself self-consciously.

“He was having a bad dream. I tried to wake him it up, but he started screaming and he wouldn’t be quiet.” She was rambling her way to hysteria. “I tried to tell him to be quiet, Uncle Jed, but he wouldn’t be quiet.” He waved his hand in an attempt to calm her. “I didn’t want him to wake you up.”

“It’s okay.” He put on arm out to her. “Come here, honey.” She crawled over the covers and hid her face from the agents still searching the room. “Guys, I think everything’s all right. We’ve got it from here.” The lead agent agreed.

“Yes, sir.” They filed out, leaving Abbey watching from the door. She longed to join Jed in consoling the children. Her heart ached for it, but her mind knew better. She couldn’t get attached. She knew that. Besides, it seemed like Jed had things well in hand. Painfully, she pulled herself away and went back to their bedroom, though she knew she’d find no peace waiting for her there.

Toby was still crying and Les was scared out of her mind that they’d be put out. Jed was furious. He couldn’t help but wonder what in the world would make these children so afraid. When he questioned Les about the cause of her brother’s night terrors, Les confessed guiltily.

“When we lived with momma, her boyfriend used to come in at night and wake us up.” He halted in dismay.

“Would he do things to you when he woke you up?” She didn’t answer. He pulled Toby away so that he could see his face. “Toby, did that man hurt you?” His lips moved, but not sound came out. “Toby, did he hurt you or your sister?” He began to mumble as the trauma was revived anew.

“Bad Toby. Bad Toby. Bad Toby. Bad Toby.” He started to hit himself on the head with his tiny fists. “Bad Toby! Bad Toby!” He hit himself until he cried. “Bad Toby. Bad Toby,” he sobbed to himself. Jed rocked them with their heads pressed together.

“You’re not bad, baby. You’re good. You didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing.” He hugged them in his arms, trying to give them all the love they’d missed. “Neither of you, and as long as I have you in my home and in my arms, you will never be hurt. I won’t have it. No one here will have it. No one. We love you. We all love you.” He kissed the tops of their heads, his tears soaking their hair.

“Even Aunt Abbey?” He nodded.

“Especially Aunt Abbey.” He looked over his shoulder and saw the doorway empty. As much as he understood Abbey’s resistance, he didn’t know how much more of this he could stand without her help. He was no substitute for a mother’s touch, their mother’s touch. They deserved nothing less. “She loves you so much that it hurts her to see you. That’s how bright her love shines for you.”

“How bright,” asked Lesly.

“As bright as the sun, sweetheart. As bright as the sun.” She nodded as if that was something that made sense to her and tightened her arms around he and her brother. She didn’t know much about the sun, but she did know that it burned long and it burned bright. She was also certain that no matter where in the world you went, somewhere it would always burn. So that meant that Abbey’s love would always burn. Unfortunately, it burned her and it burned them.

They sat together until the light came back to the sky outside their windows. There was a knock at the door and Abbey stuck her head back in to let Jed know that his wake-up call had come. She halted when she saw the scene laid out before her. His shoulders were slumped, though she could see that he was awake.

“Jed.” He didn’t respond. “Honey, it’s time to get up.” He raised his head and heaved a sigh in mourning for the night. “Hey.” He didn’t look at her.

“Hey.” She came up behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. She looked down on the slumbering children with a frown.

“Why didn’t you come to bed last night?” He leaned his head back against her and looked up into her eyes. His eyes were red and puffy from tears that still threatened to fall. “What is it?” His breath caught in a sob and he looked away. “What happened?”

“Someone hurt them, Abbey. Someone hurt them bad.” She stroked his cheek with her thumb.

“Who?”

“Sienna’s boyfriend. He used to come into their room at night and…” His voice cracked and those tears that had only threatened before dripped down his face.

“That’s why he had that nightmare?”

“That’s why.” Her eyes darkened and she flushed in rage.

“She let this happen? She let him stay there and hurt our babies? She let him abuse them? No. She won’t get away with this.”

“How are we gonna find her?” She rested her cheek against his forehead.

She shrugged absently. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Why should I? What good could come from her return? In fact, I’m not going to look for her. You were right, Jed. We’re these kids’ best and only chance. I am going to keep these children safe; we are going to keep them safe. And when she comes back, she’s gonna get the surprise of her life.”

“What?” Her eyes sparkled somewhat deviously.

“We’re not giving them back. We’re going to keep them. We’re going to love them. And we’re going to raise them as our own, like we should have all along. The hell with what the law says. We don’t get to make excuses for Sienna anymore, Jed. This,” she gestured to their quorum, “is what matters now.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Sit with us.”

“All right.” She took a seat beside to him and pulled a serene Lesly into her embrace. Though asleep, the gangly wraith went willingly. Abbey stroked her long dark hair lovingly. “I’m here, now. I won‘t let go. I love you and you’re safe. That horrible man won’t get his hands on you or your brother ever again. I’ll kill him before I let that happen.” That was no idle threat. Her Hippocratic Oath aside, her instincts as a mother won out without question. Should their paths ever cross, should she ever see him, she couldn’t be held responsible for what she did.

No one touched her children.

No one.

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