Seamus Reinhardt had spent the last 24 hours at home with his daughter and some of his family. The beginning had been rocky, but some things had smoothed out as the day progressed. By dinner, he was feeling pretty stable with Katie. After dinner, he and his father had removed the doors to the few closets in the house, as Katie had a thing about closets. Now the washing machine and dryer were exposed. It would take some getting used to but he and the other adults decided that it was worth it to keep Katie more comfortable.
Now it was Sunday. The library was closed as was the Love Shack, so it was a perfect day to take Katie out in public. They decided to go to the Ice Goddess first and the park on the way back to the house. Seamus was dressed in blue jeans and a blue tshirt with his runners on his feet. Katie walked between him and Iris, both of them holding a hand and every few steps working together to lift Katie up and move her forward a bit. But Seamus was still ready, in his head, for another trigger to pop out at them. He’d deal with it, whatever it was.
As they came out of the grove of trees that separated the park from the Bottoms, he saw people ahead of him and recognized them as Noelle and, most likely due to who he was with, Chris Peterson as well as two small children. Olivia and Blaze. He wondered if they were also headed for the Ice Goddess.
Noelle Snow walked with Chris and the kids towards the Ice Goddess. She was dressed in a pretty green sundress down to her knees to fit the summer weather. Her ballet flats were also green. Ice cream was nearly non-existent during the fog but now that it was reopened, they were charging money again … and so it was a rare treat. She double-checked their menu online and found that, unlike many smaller ice-cream parlours, actually had a nice variety of vegan ice creams. That made it an even better treat, although she and Chris were learning to make ice cream at home, where they would have more control over what went in it. Now she looked around, hoping she would maybe see Daisy Dale so she could invite her to spend some time with her own daughter. But Daisy was nowhere in sight. It had been a month and a half since Seamus had called it quits, and Daisy had been seeing … different men since. Instead of Daisy, she saw, as they approached the Ice Goddess door, Seamus Reinhardt, his girlfriend Iris and … a little redhaired girl who was unquestionably a relative. She looked exactly like Seamus! “Chris…” she whispered, stopping and turning to look.
Blaze walked a little ahead of his parents, holding Olivia’s hand. She had spent the weekend with them, which he always loved. Now they were going for ice cream. He was dressed in jean overalls and a blue tshirt. Olivia’s mommy wasn’t around a lot anymore, but Blaze didn’t understand why exactly. Now he heard his mother call Chris and he stopped to turn too, seeing Seamus, a lady and a little girl coming towards them. “Olivia! Look! It’s Say!”
Olivia walked with her brother to get ice cream. She’s hoped her mother might come too, but it had been a long time since she and her mother had really done anything together. It was making her very sad. Blaze got her attention and she turned and saw Say and hopped up and down. “Say! Say!” but she didn’t run to him … mostly because he was holding another little girl’s hand, but also because she got in trouble when she asked her mother about him. She was dressed in worn blue jeans and a purple shirt with a rainbow on the front plus little sneakers.
Iris swung little Katie forward again with a giggle. She was in her dark blue rolled up jean shorts and a grey tank top. Her forest green bra straps were a little visible on either side of the tank straps but not indecently. Her hair was in a single braid down her back today with a tortoise shell barrette on top holding back some of the front that wouldn’t adhere to the plan. The barette matched her glasses and she had skipped putting on makeup. Even more so than with Thea, Iris was learning tag teaming with Katie meant she skipped a few things to make it go smoother. Thea was a completely content child and could be ignored a bit to do things like makeup. Iris felt terrible anytime she felt like she was ignoring Katie because it had been too much of her life already. So as soon as she was dressed she had let Katie sit on the bathroom counter while she braided her hair, with the door open of course. Then Katie wanted her hair braided. It wasn’t quite long enough to do the same thing with but Iris managed to create a little braid on each side by her ears and Katie seemed happy with it.
Iris and Seamus had tried to let Katie pick her own clothes but like with the food they had discovered those open ended choices were daunting since she hadn’t really been given a lot of choices in her life. Plus she was small so it was almost easier to give the illusion of choice. Katie was now dressed in a little black t-shirt that Thea had outgrown that had an adorable kitty pirate on it and a pair of red cotton shorts. They had tried to get her to wear the cute little hand me down sandals but she asked for her worn out donated yellow kid’s crocs. It wasn’t the hill they were going to make a stand on so she got the crocs. Iris saw Noelle and Chris with Blaze and Olivia. She knew them well from storytime and smiled at them. Then she looked warily around for Daisy Dale but as it often seemed lately Chris and Noelle had Olivia in their care.
Now Katie revelled in being swung between Daddy and Iris and grinned. But when she saw two kids her age she stared curiously. They seemed to know Daddy. She liked other kids and she tilted her head at them, the first she’d seen here.
Chris heard Noelle and turned and saw Seamus, Iris and the little redhead girl who looked like a little girl Seamus. He did a double take and then saw Blaze and Olivia weaving into the line further ahead than they’d like and leaned forward to gently pull them back “Hang on you two, stay close.” He gave Seamus and Iris a curious wave “Hey there…..who’s little friend is this?” Chris was wearing a red and blue striped tshirt and a pair of khaki cargo shorts with his usual black and white trainers.
Seamus returned Chris's wave and could see Olivia a little ahead. Shrugging, he replies to Chris. "This is my daughter, Katie." he looks between Chris and Noelle. "Do you remember Sam Coffee?" he implies Katie's mother. "Sam's family left us and so now Katie lives with me." He hopes that the old grown-up talk is understood by Chris and Noelle. He couldn’t and wouldn’t get into details with Katie here. He smiles at Blaze and Olivia. “Hey Blaze. Hey O!” he can’t really help but look around for Daisy, as they hadn’t really talked since Iris had smacked her.
Noelle arched her brows. “I remember Sam…” she had also remembered the fight that Seamus had gotten into with Joey over her. Seamus suggests that Sam was now dead and she clears her throat and then smiles at the little girl. “Hi there Katie. I’m Noelle and this is Chris. And these…” she glances to see that the kids had approached. “Are Blaze and Olivia.” she looks at Seamus again, curious as heck about Katie as she looks to be the same age as these other kids. She sees Seamus looking around and guesses hes looking for Daisy. “Olivia is with us today and we thought we’d all get ice cream. Her mommy has a day off, so she couldn’t come.” but her smile is as stiff as a steel girder. Clearly she is not pleased at wherever Daisy might be.
Blaze moves closer, all but tugging Olivia with him. “Hi Say and Hi Katie!” he waves a little and adds. “I’m Blaze.” he looks at Katie. “I like your shirt.”
Olivia moves a little closer and hears the word daughter, which her mother used when introducing her. “Hello Katie. I’m Olivia.” she looks curiously between Seamus and Katie. “Is Say your Daddy? I like your shirt! I love cats!”
Chris’s mouth briefly forms an O and then he smiles down at Katie “Hi Katie. Welcome to Alexandra. Betcha these two would love to play.” He smiles at Blaze and Olivia and then sees Noelle’s forced smile and nods knowingly, looking between Seamus and Iris.
Katie focusses completely on the kids and beams that they like her cat shirt. She rolls her head down to look at it and then looks between them “Meow.” And then she nods at the question and glances up at Daddy “Daddy….and Iris.” She looks at them both with trust now.
Iris notices all the tension around Daisy as Noelle talks around the topic in front of the kids. Then she sees the kids connecting and smiles a bit “Well I’m glad you have them both today. Nice for Katie to meet some kids her age. Hi Blaze. Hi Olivia.”
Seamus smiles at the kids. “Do you want to play with these two, Katie?” he asks. “It’s OK if you do.” he points to an outside cafe table that a teeneged girl with an Ice Goddess apron is wiping down. “I will be right there with Iris where you can see us and come back anytime you want to.” his words sound like a promise, and are.
Noelle arches her brow a little bit at Seamus’s words to his daughter. Might be something there. She looks at Blaze and Olivia. “You can go and play in the sand. We’ll be here.” she motions to the same table Seamus pointed to.
Blaze smiles and nods. “Wanna play?” he asks, ready to take off running into the sand.
Olivia giggles at Katie’s meow. Then she nods. “Come on Katie! The beach is fun!” she reaches out her hand and will run to the beach with Katie if she wants to go.
Katie nods at Daddy and looks between him and Iris for both their approval before she takes off like the wind after the other two kids her age and size. She takes the hand offered and scampers over a log and leaps onto the sand joyfully.
Iris looks relieved at Katie finding some ease and joy just playing. She blows out a breath looking at Seamus after “K lots of time with kids…..” She laughs “I’ll let you explain more.” She looks between Chris and Noelle “What’s going on with Daisy?”
Chris watches the kids happily run and play and beams and then sighs, looking both annoyed and uncomfortable “Daisy seems to be having trouble with her responsibilities right now. We love having Olivia, don’t get me wrong, but she’s just not stepping up.” He shrugs at Noelle “I hope it’s ok I said that much…”
Seamus watches Katie run off like any other carefree child her age with a smile and a sigh of relief. He nods and leans in for a quick kiss before heading for the table to sit. He looks at Chris and looks completely unsurprised to hear about Daisy. He blows out a breath. “No .. it's fine, Chris.” he sighs and watches the kids playing. “Daisy always had trouble being responsible, unfortunately.” he looks quickly back at Chris. “Is it someone we know or a tourist?” he asks like the only reason Daisy would be irresponsible would be a man.
Noelle watches the kids while listening to Chris. She pats Chris on the arm and then Seamus replies, ending by asking who it is. “Since the last time you saw her … which was when you smacked her with that book.” she can’t help but laugh, even though she is Daisy’s friend. “There’ve been a couple. This latest works on the construction crew, but he’s Mainland, not Island.” she sighs and looks at Seamus. “You are why Daisy was responsible, Seamus.” she tells him, but she expects he knows that. “She only did half the shit she did because you told her to between your visits. I mean I’m actually glad you arent fucking her anymore but that leaves Olivia in a lurch without a proper mother.” she snorts. “She complains about being called a slut but won’t close her legs.” she closes her eyes, almost angrily.
Blaze Runs out on the sand and turns to face the girls. He plops down and begins to brush the sand over his legs. He’d seen a couple of other friends of his do this and it looked fun.
Olivia watches Blaze and giggles. “Come on. Lets try it.” she also sits and begins to brush the sand over her legs.
Chris had less context for the pattern of Daisy’s behaviour than Seamus and Noelle so he just sits down and leans back, where he can see the kids “Yeah we’re basically parenting Olivia right now. I worry about Daisy…..but i don’t really know her as well as you two.” He snorts at Iris “sure heard about that book slapping day though. I thought she was going to try to charge you with assault but I kinda told her it wouldn’t get far.”
Iris had returned the kiss and sat down looking a little sheepish about the book incident and then wincing “Shit that’s not good for being a mom. I don’t want to judge her lifestyle but she’s not keeping it in balance for her daughter.” Iris was watching the kids too but a bit intensely “We don’t know how Katie is around water yet…” She almost looks like she might get up and go hover. “Blaze and Olivia know not to go in without a grown up?” She seems on edge about it.
Katie sits down and copies the other two looking curiously out at the water as well. The sand felt good though.
Noelle nods at Chris. "I always figured this would happen." she looks at Seamus. "I think everyone but Daisy knew that sooner or later you'd cut Daisy loose. You stayed as long as you did for Olivia, didnt you?" she looks at Iris. "Daisy is my best friend, but she isn't a good mother. She loves Olivia but .. if it weren't for Seamus ... I think she would have been taken, even in the fog." she looks out at the kids, then the water and finally Iris. "Yes, they know. And we're all watching. If Katie got too close I might lose my manners and call out to her myself." she chuckles.
Seamus looks at Chris. “You might have reason to worry.” he sounds concerned and looks at Noelle then nods. “Yea. I did.” he admits to staying with Daisy for Olivia. He tightens his jaw against Noelle’s words. “Yea … probably she’d be with Lydia now.” he looks at the kids and nods at Noelle. “If we miss it and you catch it, please do say something.” he looks between them. Sam and her whole family died of Covid except Katie … and … well it’s a long story but there is a lot of emotional and religious abuse in that house. But they found me … Sam never told me she was pregnant even. So Katie has some issues related to that other family.”
Blaze gets his legs covered, then wiggles his legs and starts again. “Do you like your Dad?” he suddenly asks.
Olivia is still covering her legs, but when Blaze asks if she likes her father, she looks at Katie, interested in the answer.
Iris nods at Noelle but is still on the edge of her seat a bit. She keeps listening about Daisy, feeling awful for Olivia and understanding Seamus’s connection to her and the child even more. “Maybe somehow you knew you were a dad before you knew you were a dad….” She muses. Then Katie stands up and brushes off the sand, taking a step towards the water and Iris jumps up and calls to her “Katie?” She tries to keep her tone even but there’s an undercurrent of anxiety.
Katie liked the sand at first but then it got scratchy and she needed it off her legs. So she stood up and brushed it off as she considered the question “I like Daddy.” She looks at Blaze and Olivia and then at Chris “You Dad?” She’s not sure how everyone is related and is still figuring out how it all works. She casually takes a step towards the water but then hears Iris call her. She turns and waves. She’s not near enough to step into water for a while yet.
Chris frowns a bit and nods “I get it. How can you not love that kid?” He sighs about Katie’s family before. “Oh man that’s a lot. She’s so little…” He looks over at her and then sees Iris getting nervous “Hey they’re pretty far back Iris. Don’t worry I’m fast. I suspect the rest of you are too…” He teases.
Noelle considers Iris's words and nods. And then she reacts to Katie taking barely one step towards the water. She exchanges a look with Chris. They'd said something about Katie being abused, but she is a little confused and unsure if she should butt in or not.
Seamus grins. “I guess. O’s a good kid and I wanted to help Daisy, but I went about it the wrong way. And yea. I guess they would put her in the damn closet as a punishment, so I took the doors off of the few closets we have in the house for her.” he sees Iris react to Katie getting up and heading towards the water. He’s become very tuned in the last day or so and wonders if Iris knows something he doesn’t about Katie. He waves back to Katie and calls out. “Don’t get too close to the water, Ducky. It scares me.” He uses his new nickname for her since the first thing she made with Duplo was a duck. Water didn’t scare him one bit and likely all the adults at the table knew it. He wanted Katie to not think she was in trouble and maybe thinking he was scared for her would work. Another step on the landmine of his daughters’ life.
Blaze nods. “Yea. My Dad.” he agrees and then Katie is up and heading for the water. Iris and Seamus call to her and Seamus says he is scared. “We better wait for grown-ups.” he suggests.
Olivia looks away at Katie’s words. “I don’t have a Dad.” she then looks at the grownups and agrees with Blaze. “Let’s wait so they don’t get scared.” she giggles. “Want to make sand people?”
Katie looks at the water and then takes two big steps back, hearing Daddy’s words. She looks confused by Olivia’s words but doesn’t know how to ask more. “How do we make sand people?” She asks Olivia and Blaze.
Chris shudders about the closet as a punishment for a small child “What the actual fuck…” He smiles a bit about the nickname Ducky and then looks over “See Iris, she’s listening.”
Iris blows out a breath and nods “I get freaked out by kids around water. Had a childhood friend drown with her little brother. We need to get Katie into swimming lessons. Sorry if I’m being a freak. I can see they’re fine and I’m in no way questioning anyone else’s speed or watching of the kids.”
Noelle sighs deeply about the punishment. "Poor baby.'' Then she sees Katie listening and also grins at the nickname. She looks at Iris. “That must have been terrible.” and then she looks between Seamus and Chris. “If you don’t want to take it on, I bet Chris could … swimming can be scary.“
Seamus grins when Katie obeys him. Then he looks at Iris and nods. “I can teach her. She’s … iffy when it comes to men, so we’ll see if she takes to learning from me or not.” he reaches for Iris’s hand. “I get it. I really do.” he chuckles. “Just wait until she learns to ice skate. After Owen, I’m going to be a nervous wreck.” he predicts.
Blaze smiles and throws himself down in the sand. “Like this.” he demonstrates by opening and closing his arms and legs, getting sand everywhere.
Olivia also tosses herself in the sand, mimicking Blaze. “It’s fun!” she laughs. The sand is going everywhere. In the clothes, in the hair, on the body, between the toes.
Iris nods and squeezes Seamus’s hand. She answers Noelle and Seamus at the same time “I can teach her if there’s no official swimming program too. I used to be a synchro swimmer. I won’t teach her that..” She laughs “Just basics and in particular treading water when she’s able to take it on. Life jackets and water wings for the first while. The thin ice thing is a whole other bridge to cross…” She smiles over at the kids “But right now it’s all about sand….”
Chris had looked sympatheirc to Iris about the loss of her young friend and then nodded “I’m sure I could do it but yeah if she’s skittish around men better one of you. Now, if she wants to play soccer…..or hockey. Oh hell who am I kidding Seamus was my worst nightmare as a coach when he was on any team facing ours.” He smiles and then sees the sand party “Oh yeah…...good thing they’re washable little monsters.”
Katie had been given permission to be messy so many times now she rolled in the sand and became one with it like her new little friends. She swam in sand and tossed it, spat a big chunk out and kept going.
Noelle looks impressed. “Synchronized swimming? Wow .. that’s better than anything I can do. Listening to Chris, she arches her brows. “I’m sorry … was that modesty I heard?” she blinks in disbelief and then looks at the kids. “Well, if you guys would like to hang out for a bit we can head to my place and hose them down a little bit, but it looks like we’ll all be dealing with sand for a while.”
Seamus smiles. “Katie would love to be taught by you.” he says and nods at Chris. “You were a good coach. Made me work for every win.” he smirks. “And I never lost to your team. And when I was on your team, it never lost.” he looks at the kids. “Well, she didn’t object to a bath, so … time to see how she likes showers.” he laughs. “We can hang out. At some point we need to catch up with Paige and pick up masks for Katie. I ordered a bunch. Probably overdid it but … we’ve both had it, but it remains to be seen if that means we’re safe. Dr McKinney has already stuck me for my plasma three or four times since I recovered.”
Blaze looks and sees Katie just having a ball. He forgets about making people and rolls around, too.
Olivia laughs in delight at the idea and also rolls in the sand, getting it in her mouth and spitting it out as well.
Iris nods lightly “Only until I was 13 but it kinda makes you a good swimmer forever.” She laughs at Noelle’s teasing and then smiles at Seamus. She’s getting to know a bit more about Chris and Noelle as people which is kind of cool outside of just being the library lady for their kid. She nods about the masks for Katie “Yeah we do.” She really hopes Seamus and Katie have immunity to Covid.
Chris smirks at Noelle “Are you giving my sports ego a swat?” He leans over and kisses her lightly if he can “Because if you are, aim lower.” He jokes. He laughs and looks appreciatively at Seamus “Thanks man. Yeah we’re totally going to have to hose them all down. But they’re having fun.”
Katie spits again and sits up just grinning from ear to ear. She’s so sandy her hair looks almost blonde and her face, clothes and skin are covered. She giggles at her rolling companions and then dives backwards for some more herself. This is freedom and happiness.
Noelle accepts the kiss and smirks. “After the kids are asleep .. then MAYBE.” she tells him. Then she looks at the kids and shakes her head. “Just to figure out which kid is which.” she snorts.
Seamus half grins at the teasing between Chris and Noelle, but mostly he is looking at Katie. “She is. The beach is a winner, babe. Just look at her.” he murmurs then looks at Chris and Noelle. “Katie has so many triggers and things to get used to. The new name was a big hit, for which I am grateful.”
Blaze keeps on grinning. He is coated in a fine layer of sand and could not care less.
Olivia is laughing and so getting more sand in her mouth. But this is so much fun for her.
Iris nods after smirking at Noelle and Chris. “Yeah today has been a low trigger day so far…..but there are things like she just hasn’t been given choices about anything. And yeah this is great. I mean with those kids they could be in dirt or grass too and they’d be just as happy.”
Chris wiggles his brows at the maybe and then he laughs about figuring out which kid is which “Well theirs is the redhead…...ours are the blondes…” It dawns on him he said ours and included Olivia. But it has been that way lately. He also looks between Iris and Seamus “You guys have that new but old thing going on...the kid brings it home...sorry but I can see it because we’ve been there. Tell me to fuck off it I’m off the mark.”
Katie now sings a little made up song and makes sort of sand angels.
Noelle bites her lip at Chris words. He was including Olivia. Well, they were brother and sister, after all. She smiles at Iris and Seamus. “He’s right .. you do.”
Seamus looks at Iris and nods. Then he looks at Chris for a long time. “No, man … you know when I was sick with Covid this spring me and Owen talked about relationships. He wanted a family like ours was. I told him to have fun with it. I’d keep finding them, fucking them and forgetting them until I was too old to get it up anymore.” he looks at Iris. “Then I meet Iris and … bam!” he shakes his head, but suddenly turns it in Katie’s direction, looking a bit shocked. “Jesus she sounds like Fiona …”
Blaze listens to Katie singing and just rolls on his belly wriggling around trying to bury himself without using his hands.
Olivia smiles at the sound and sits listening while she lights up handfuls of sand and drops them over her own head.
Katie keeps sweeping her arms and legs, enjoying the sand. She keeps singing but it’s more focussed now and recognizable. “Should I stay or should I go now….if I stay there will be trouble..if i go there will be double…” It’s Should I Stay or Should I Go which is an unusual song for a 3 year old to know this well.
Chris smirks at Noelle and then at Seamus and Iris. He looks curious about Seamus saying Katie sounds like his sister and then blinks “Uh...is she singing The Clash? What the hell?”
Iris takes Seamus’s hand if she can and nods at Chris and Noelle “Yeah for me too….big time. Seamus and I are a lot a like. Bam.” If she’s got the hand she brings it up to her face and kisses it if she can. Then she smiles that Katie sounds like Fiona “Well maybe she’ll be a great singer like she is…” Then the song changes and Chris comments and she blinks “Yeah she knows that one too. Earlier today in the bathroom she was singing Cory Hart’s Sunglasses at Night. And last night as we put her to bed I swear she hummed Love is a Battlefield…..someone in her old house watched Stranger Things. You guys haven’t seen it because it was during the fog. Yes I know about the fog. But that is way too scary a show for a three year old. It scared me half the time. I swear I have the soundtracks.” She sighs “It’s like Stephen King level horror.”
Noelle listens to Seamus and Iris. She remembered that Seamus had quite the reputation in school, but being male it was cool and not damaging. Then she hears Katie singing and it is a beautiful voice, but they are odd songs. She arches her brows at the Stranger Things reference. “What? I don't think I saw that one, but I’m a coward, I admit, especially if I’m alone.” but she blinks. “Stephen King? Jesus…”
Seamus grins at the kiss to his hand. “You got into my brain.” he tells her and then looks curious as the song Katie is singing becomes clearer. “Yea, that's The Clash. And yea I remember last night. I thought she had a taste for classical or her grandparents did. I mean, cool sound but where did she …” and then Iris explains and his jaw tightens. “Jesus. What the actual fuck.” He is clearly angry. “So if she has nightmares I won’t be surprised.” his hand moves to his temple and he rubs at his forehead. The angry look fades, because he doesn’t want Katie to see it and think its directed at her.
Blaze finally sits up and sort of dances in place as Katie sings.
Olivia beams and sways at their little concert.
The 4 adults and 3 small children made their way up from the beach area, after a stop at the playground. They were now headed for Noelle’s to use the garden hose on the almost unrecognizable sandy sweaty ice cream covered and delighted toddlers.
From the back of the building comes a tanned muscular tall guy with curly black hair. He’s leaving fairly quickly and pulling on a t-shirt impatiently.
Daisy Dale runs out after him with a hastily pulled on white tank top and little red bikini panties “Hunter come back…..what the fuck is it wham bam thank you Ma’am?”
Hunter turns and scoffs “Wasn’t that the idea? You told me to come over and fuck you...I did my part..” He’s gruff and so is his voice.
As the group approaches Katie hears the voice and it’s tone and suddenly hugs Daddy’s leg and hides her face.
Hunter breezes past the group approaching, not even trying to social distance, even though it’s obvious he’s not from Alexandra.
Iris stares at the guy Daisy called Hunter and then at her in disbelief.
Chris herds Blaze and Olivia out of the careless man’s way and calls out “Two meters apart buddy!” In his mind he replaces the word buddy with asshole but he filters for little ears.
Hunter doesn’t filter and calls back “Fuckin paranoid…..fuck’s sakes….” and keeps going.
Noelle tightens her jaw at Hunter and then looks at Daisy with a sigh. She almost says something but instead she goes to the spigot, where the hose is always attached. She turns it on and faces the kids. "Who wants to get wet?" she turns the hose on.
Seamus watches it all and can feel Katie on his leg. He reaches down to stroke her hair comfortingly. “It’s OK, ducky.” he rumbles and then looks at Daisy. He considers saying something, but remembers Katie is right there, so instead looks down at Katie. “Go on and play in the water. It’s hot out here. It’ll be fun.”
Blaze looks at his sister’s mother, but is then distracted by the water. “Come on!”
Olivia looks at her mother and the man who says bad words. She reaches for Katie’s hand. “Let’s play, Katie.” and tugs her towards the stream of water.
Daisy huffs at Hunter and then realizes she has an audience for this whole scene and rolls her eyes. One of them is her daughter but in the state she’s in she doesn’t even greet Olivia but says to Noelle “I’ll be right back.” She glances at Chris and then glares at Seamus and Iris but looks a bit stumped by the extra kid. With a confused look she goes inside to put on more clothes.
Katie relaxes after the gruff man is gone and runs after the others after a smile at Daddy. She grand Olivia’s hand and runs with her into the hose “Aaaaaahh!” She chants as she takes the water into her mouth as well as letting it soak her.
Iris walks up beside Seamus and shakes her head “What the hell?” She mutters about Daisy and that little display.
Chris looks grateful to Noelle for shifting things to stay focussed on the kids. He watches Daisy walk in with a disapproving expression.
Daisy comes back out dressed more fully with jean shorts on and a bra under the tank at least in no time and makes a beeline for Olivia. “Thank you Noelle, I’ll take her. I didn’t know you were meeting…” She looks at Seamus and Iris “Them.” Then she looks down at the redhead with Olivia “And who are you?” She glances up and between Chris and Noelle like Iris and Seamus don’t exist “Seriously, who’s kid is she?”
Noelle looks at Daisy. “Give them a minute. We’ve been to the beach and had ice cream so they need a rinsing off. We met them.” she overemphasised the last word. “At the beach. This is Seamus’s daughter with Sam, remember her?” they were all in the same class, so probably. “He’s got full custody now.” and she leaves it at that since Daisy didn't like Sam thinking her a jock who couldn’t get a boyfriend … then finding out Sam had screwed Sam too.
Seamus watches the kids and then Daisy, who is acting like she’s fourteen or something. He stays close to Iris and nods at Daisy as he takes Iris’s hand. He bites his lip to keep from speaking his mind. He had never been seen by Olivia in any stage of undress and had always made sure Daisy was properly dressed before Olivia saw either one of them.
Blaze ignores the grown ups, jumping and splashing around in the spray.
Olivia dances away from her mother and further into the stream of water.
Daisy flips her hair “Sam….he knocked up Sam. Well that’s great.” She smirks a little at Iris “Got more than you bargained for then?” She looks down at the redheaded child who could clearly only be Seamus’s. If Seamus wasn’t fucking and forgeting Iris then this would surely drive her off. “Olivia just a few minutes ok? We should go in.” She doesn’t want Olivia bonding to Seamus anymore than she has. Besides he has his own now so he probably won’t care.
Iris holds Seamus’s hand and then squeezes it a little hard when Daisy addresses her “Actually, I just got a bonus on top of what I’m already ecstatically happy about and now there’s more to love. And clearly I should have brought some books…”
Daisy now lunges a bit at Iris with her finger shaking and pointing “I had a bruise for a week. That’s assault...and now you’re threatening me?” Her voice is getting shrill and the children’s eyes are getting wide. “Chris is a cop you know….”
Chris had moved closer to Noelle and the kids and looked like he was trying to suppress a grin at Iris’s comeback. Then he leaned his head down near the hose “Sorry the water’s really loud…..did you say something Daisy?” He has to turn his head to not openly smirk at her but Noelle can see it. He mouths “Sorry.” but he’s really not. He was patient with Daisy because he liked Olivia and because she was Noelle’s friend, but he really just put up with her.
Katie looks a little freaked out by Daisy’s anger and backs away from her and then turns and runs to Iris, burying her still sandy face in Iris’s leg.
Iris leans down and smooths Katie’s hair “It’s OK sweetie…..”
Blaze’s eyes grow big and he heads for his mother. Daisy was sometimes scary, he was learning more and more these days.
Olivia’s eyes grow big at her mother’s tirade. She moves further from her and grabs onto Chris’s leg, sniffling. When her mother got upset it was always best to stay out other way.
Seamus took in a deep breath when Daisy started in, scaring all three kids to adults they could trust. He took a step to block Katie from Daisy. “Go inside, Daisy.” he keeps his voice even. “You’re scaring the kids.”
Noelle feels her son on her leg and can see the girls clinging. She’s already figured out that Katie is possibly being triggered by Daisy’sbehavior and she backs up Seamus. “Go home and calm down.” she tries to hee her voice neutral. “We can keep Olivia tonight. She made a new friend and I wouldn’t want her to get in trouble for it when she spends all night talking about her.” and she suspected that would be a problem if Olivia talked about Katie .. maybe even more than asking after Seamus. “We’ll talk later.” it’s more of a threat than a promise.
As Daisy is ganged up on she lets out another shrill noise of derision. “I’m scaring the kids?! Well that’s rich…” She glares at Seamus and then Noelle for turning on her and siding, as she feels she is, with the enemy “Fine…..fine…” She tries to catch Olivia’s eye and look at her sweetly but in truth Daisy looks a bit unhinged and it comes off as looking creepy “You know Mommy loves you. And I’m ok with you having another sleepover. Have fun Olivia….I love you.” She gets a little tearful and runs inside after.
Chris picks up Olivia if he can and rubs her back, comforting her and shaking his head. There’s a lot of stuff he’s holding back on right now in front of the kids, especially hers.
Katie looks up at Iris and Daddy after the scary lady leaves and then over to Olivia, scared by the woman’s voice, scared for Olivia “Is that her….mommy?” She’s crying now thinking about it.
Iris picks up Katie and just hugs her “It’s ok…” is all she can offer, even though it’s far from ok as far as Daisy is concerned. “Noelle, Chris….I think we should give you Lisette’s contact info. She’s the woman who brought Katie here..” She mouths “Social worker” but doesn’t say it out loud in front of the children. They don’t know most likely but they might repeat it by accident.
Olivia is picked up and immediately throws her arms around Chris’s neck and begins to cry. She hated when her mother scared her. But at least she got to spend the night with Blaze.
Blaze hugs his mother’s leg tight, trying not to cry like the girls were.
Noelle watches Daisy go and suddenly feels near tears herself. She nods at Iris to give them the number. “How do we recover from this?” she breathes.
Seamus watches the whole thing and feels a flash of anger at Daisy. He also nods at Iris’s offer and then answers Katie vaguely. “Yea, Ducky. It is…” he takes in a deep breath and lets it out, looking at Noelle. “Know what? This garden hose is nice and all, but I think the sprinklers in our back yard are even better. If you’d like to come to our house and play.” he looks at Katie. “Would you like to have your new friends over for a while? I bet I can get Kurt to bake cookies…” nice … neat cookies. He looks at Chris and Noelle to see if they’d be okay with that. It gets all of them away from Daisy for a while.
Iris shifts Katie into Seamus’s arms to take out her phone without triggering her and show Noelle Lisette’s information “We’re minimizing our phones for Katie…” She explains her discretion “Trigger.” She whispers, including Chris who’s just put Olivia down and taken her hand.
Chris puts his free arm around Noelle, seeing her expression about what’s happening to her friend. He keeps his voice low “Sadly, this might be how we recover...we’ll sort it out and put the kids first. We’d love to come play Seamus.” He looks down at the kids now and speaks louder “Do you kids want to go to Katie’s house?”
Katie moves easily to Daddy now and hugs him and then gives a happy gasp and a nod about her new friends coming home with them for more playtime “Cookies?” She beams.
Blaze and Olivia beam first and then cheer at the idea of cookies.
Seamus nods. “Well the best way across town is horseback.” he winks at Katie. “Time for horsey back rides.” he moves Katie to his back and nods at Olivia. “You can ride piggy back.” hs winks at Chris. Then he looks between the women. “Can you two handle Blaze?”
The ladies can and each takes a Blaze hand as they all head for the Reinhardt house. They are greeted by Kurt who is more than happy to bake cookies for children. While that is happening, the kids play in the sprinklers in the back while the adults talk a bit about triggers and social workers. After cookies the kids play some more and come out of it move or less clean a couple of hours later when it is time for the guests to go home for dinner.
Katie Reinhardt made her first two friends on Alexandra Island.
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