Little Katie Reinhardt loved ducks. Her nickname from her daddy was Ducky so since then everything was coming up ducks. It was a family theme. She had been given toy ducks of all sized. The bathtub was a pond full of rubber duckies. Most of the books read to her were about ducks. Her favourite book was called Duck in the Truck about a duck who drives a truck that gets stuck in the muck. Katie loved rhyming books the most. All the animals have to work to help Duck. One day at the thrift store Katie found the perfect little red toy truck for Duck and she had the right sized little plastic duck to fit it at home already. All she had to do was hold it up and Daddy and Iris knew exactly why and bought it for her. But the key in her game was in finding some good muck. The garage was full of muck with the dusty floor but the piles kept blowing because it was a really windy day. Katie played endlessly while the grown ups were bringing in some of the outside stuff to put in a big storage cupboard they got recently for the end of summer things. Daddy and Iris and Grandma and Grandpa were back and forth working and cleaning up the yard.
Katie played on and they would encourage her as they passed her from time to time. She was getting dirty knees but that was ok at this house. She crawled forward as she drove the truck to a dust pile closer to the cupboard but on a crack in the garage floor the little red truck bumped and Duck flew right out into the cupboard. Katie gasped. All the grown ups were outside now. Katie leaned into the storage cupboard but she couldn’t see Duck. So she took a step in so she could look further back. Just then a big gust of wind whipped the door shut behind her and it had a bit of a latch that caught as it closed. Katie was in the dark suddenly in the cupboard. Just like she’d been put in a dark closet when she was Ash. She pushed on the doors and they didn’t open. She began to hyperventilate and ponded on them and then began to cry and scream, terrified and triggered.
Iris had been raking at the far end of the front yard fighting the wind when she heard the beginning of crying. She couldn’t see Katie with her truck in the garage anymore. Had she fallen down? Then the screaming began and she called out to Seamus “Katie!” And started for the garage.
John Reinhardt was in the back yard now clearing deadfall from trees from around the firepit. The wind was louder back there and he couldn’t hear anything but the wind in his ears and the waves from the inlet behind him.
Colleen had been raking in the backyard and was currently behind the greenhouse. She couldn’t hear much as she worked, but was closer. It wounded a little like the wind screaming, and yet not.
Seamus was just off of the back porch, moving away some of the twigs that had littered the yard now that it was getting colder. He’d considered raking but the wind made that impossible. Then he heard crying. He stopped and looked around. He couldn’t see Katie at all, but he could hear her. Iris called out Katie’s name and headed into the garage, and he looked around the yard. She was nowhere to be seen. Then he noticed the new storage cabinet rocking a little bit and headed in that direction. The screaming grew louder … and more frantic. He set his hand on the cabinet and it was moving, the sound coming out of it hysterical. Katie was in there .. and they had already been told she was afraid of closets as they had been used as punishment. Her mother and grandparents locked her in there. Seamus knelt down and tried the door, but it was jammed .. it auto-latched on her. He tugged harder. “Katie.” he called out. “I’m going to get you out of there. I promise.” she sounded terrified and the sound cut into him. He tightened his grip and lifted while yanking and the door popped open.
Katie sprang out into her Daddy’s arms like a scared animal and just wailed and wailed. He came to get her. No one ever had before. She attached to him like she’d never let go and clung.
Iris ran up as Seamus was fighting the door “Just break it!” She was a frantic as Seamus. Finally it opened and she watched Katie fly out into Seamus’s arms and she exhaled in relief. “Oh god sweetie...we’re so sorry that happened…” She hugged Katie’s back from the other side also hugging Seamus.
Seamus held onto Katie as if afraid someone would try and snatch her away. Her crying was lond .. still ear piercing .. and her little body was shaking like crazy. He hugged her and stroked her red hair. “It’s OK, Katie. Daddy’s here.” then he felt Iris also hugging. “Iris is here too, baby. I’m sorry. It’s OK now.” he made a mental note to rip that lock out as soon as he could. They could secure it with string through the handles or something. Anything to make it not lock. He held onto her. “You’re safe now, Duckie It’s OK.” he had no idea how she’d wound up in thee with the door closed, but he kicked himself for not checking for a latch when they got the thing.
Katie slowly calmed with the comfort and finally while now sniffling revealed why she’d gone into the cupboard “I lost Duck.” She pointed at the cupboard and then cried a bit more at the sigh of it. “Duck from Truck.” They would know what she meant.
Iris kisses the back of Katie’s head and rubs her back as she steps away “I’ll find Duck…..why don’t you go inside with Daddy?” She didn’t want Katie to be out here looking at the cupboard.
John came sauntering in the back door looking for a garden hose extension and stopped short at the scene of Katie clearly upset “What happened Pumpkin?” He said kindly to her and then looked between Seamus and Iris worriedly.
Seamus understands immediately what happened and looks at Iris with gratitude. “Iris will get Duck .. lets go in.” his father approaches and he stands gracefully with Katie in his arms. “SHe lost Duck and got locked in the cabinet.” he tells him. “I was thinking its cold anyway. How about some of your magical hot chocolate, Dad?”
Colleen comes from behind the greenhouse in time to hear what happened and sees how terrified Katie is. “Oh yes … some of that hot chocolate should make everything better.” she agrees. The weather is starting to feel like autumn and Katie hadn’t had the Reinhardt hot chocolate with hazelnut yet. She loiters behind the men waiting on Iris.
Iris digs around a bit and holds up the found Duck and then shuts the cupboard and huffs at it like it chose to terrify Katie. She walks in behind Colleen “Yes chocolate. Any kind.”
Katie lays her head down on her Daddy’s shoulder and gets carried inside. All the grown ups were nice now and they helped her when she was scared. She was still shaken but curious about the chocolate.
John frowns “We can just wedge thos doors open….stupid cabinet. I will make lots of hot chocolate Katie….don’t you worry.” He sighs looking at Colleen and heads into the kitchen. He wished they could magically take away the trauma with hazelnut and chocolate but he knew his recipe wasn’t really that magic.
Seamus sort of dances around the kitchen a little bit. He was still a little startled and shaky himself after her screaming. “We’re getting grandpa’s hot chocolate.” he dances around the room. “And you get to know the recipe now. Great family secret, Katie Duck.”
Colleen walks in with Iris and sees Seamus clowning it up. “Oh my god, your terrible.” she chides him. She looks at Katie as her face appears and disappears as her father turns with her in his arms. “Don’t let him talk you into giving you yours, Katie. He will.”
John hams it up too for Katie and lists all kinds of ingredients that are not in the hot chocolate taking pinches from the air “Fairy dust…...frog spit……….the sneeze of a singing fish….” As he grabs the hazelnut syrup and warms the milk.
Iris laughs at them trying to cheer Katie up and hands her the Duck “Here you go Duckie.”
Katie giggles a little and then looks at Iris “Duck Truck?”
Iris grins and holds up a finger “I’ll go get it.” And she heads back to the garage.
Seamus looks at the pot … the hot chocolate was always made in a large pot .. almost a cauldron. He continues to dance a bit with Katie, twirling until he gets to the counter before he plops her down on top of it, still holding her so she won’t fall.
Colleen huffs. “I never cared for the frog spit, but you get used to it.” she tells Katie. “It’s the price you pay when you let BOYS do the cooking.”
John nods sagely at Colleen “It’s an acquired taste dear. Thank you for putting up with me.” He teases. Then in no time it’s ready and he’s ladeling it out in mugs. He adds 2 ice cubes to Katie’s mug and blows on it.
Iris comes back in and drives the truck up Seamus’s back and makes vroom sounds “Duck! We have the Truck...watch out for the muck!”
Katie swings her feet a little when she’s on the counter and smiles at her Grandma and then squeals and the truck being driven on Daddy’s back.
Seamus laughs a bit as the truck is driven up his back. He turns and puts his arm around Iris and back on the counter, trapping her and keeping a secure hand on the ledge. “Now I have you both. Plus ducks … plus hot chocolate! I am the richest man in the world!” he proclaims. He lets his hot chocolate cool before reaching for it, but looks at Katie and, just as his mother predicted, looks innocent and awfully pitiful. “Can I have some?” he blinks, knowing he will get called out by Iris and Colleen.
Colleen takes her mug and laughs at her son. “Don’t do it, Katie. You’ll spoil him and he’ll never go away.” she smirks.
Iris just grins and is happy to be close to them both as Katie comes down from such a terrible moment. The chocolate game was funny and sweet.
Katie looks up at Daddy and nods. She was happy to share with him. “I want Daddy to never go away.” She says, maybe not getting the joke but feeling that.
John had been chuckling and was now a little misty eyed at Katie’s words to Seamus. He sniffed and sipped his own chocolate “Must be the steam affecting me.”
Seamus was touched by his daughters willingness to share. He took her mug and only pretended to sip. “Now I can never go away on you, Duckie.” he told her and looked at his Dad with a nod and pulled Iris just a little closer in a hug. “We’re family.” He meant Iris as well.
Colleen sniffed a bit and sipped her own. This little girl was magical for her son .. for the whole family, really. She drank with them. “Well then … now we’re out of the wind .. what would everyone like for dinner? Katie?” she asked her first always.
Katie beamed and gave her Daddy a sloppy little kiss on his cheek. Then she leaned over and gave one to Iris too. Her Grandma asked what she wanted for dinner and she gave an answer that was common for her “Macaroni!”
Iris snuggled in and sighed happily “Family.” She was very content in this one that had come to be because of Seamus and this little girl, their little girl really. Then Katie gives her a toddler kiss and she smiles “Thank you. Macaroni huh?” She looks at Seamus “I think she’s hooked.”
John chuckled and sipped at his hot chocolate. “Kid’s got good taste.”
Seamus smiles into the wet kiss. Katie wants macaroni and Iris suggests she’s hooked. “Thats my smart girl.” he insists. “What should we have in it?” he asks. “We’re drinking all of the hot chocolate, but we have to have something else a duck might like.” he tickles her a little bit, just loving this family life.
Colleen grins, loving seeing Seamus like this. And Katie was so happy with her father. “We have some chicken and some pork.” she announces. “Plus some peas and spinach.” she looks at Iris. “You’re staying for dinner, right?”
John can’t resist a joke now “Katie….what’s a duck’s favourite food?” He pauses “Quackers!”
Katie forgets everything else and just chirps at Grandpa “Quack Quack Quack!”
John chirps back “Quack!”
Iris nods, laughing “Let’s do chicken and spinach…..I don’t think those two care. Yes I’ll stay. Let me text Paige so she knows she has our place for a few extra hours to herself with Sasha.” She smirks “I guarantee she won’t be sad.”
Seamus laughs at his daughter and John. Now that Katie was more comfortable, he had a whole new generation to tell his jokes and puns to. He nods at Iris and grins. “Chicken and spinach it is …. “ he looks towards the fridge and cabinet bringing out all he’ll need for his versatile macaroni dish … including crackers, which he ses on the counter with finaluty and a wink at Katie.
Colleen watches John and Katie laughing. When Seamus sets the crackers down, presumably for a topping, she shakes her head and looks at Iris with a look of joking sympathy.
Iris takes over holding onto Katie on the counter so she can stay there and be part of the cooking time. “You’re really going to put crackers?” She laughs “Could be a new favourite.”
“Quack Quack” Chirps Katie and smiles.
John looks pleased with himself that he’s had success amusing his granddaughter.
Seamus nods at Iris. “Crumb topping.” he tells her. “It should brown up nicely, I think. They don’t have salt, so everyone can have it.” he looks at his Dad who right now does not look like he has the high blood pressure problem he used ot have. Katie is good for him. For all of them, really.
Colleen laughs. “Probably will be. But it’ll be worth it .. and new casserole recipe is always fun.” she grins and looks around the kitchen. “Do you need any help?” he didn’t but she likes asking.
John looks like he’s thinking of sneaking off to work on his boat “I’ll do the dishes…” He offers and kisses Colleen on his way past her.
Iris smiles “I’m sure it will be delicious.” She plays with Katie and the duck and the truck on the counter.
Katie is content putting the duck in and out of the truck and alternating between “Vrooom vroom.” And “Quack quack!”
Seamus looks at his mother. “Not if you have something you’d rather be doing. You know .. having fun now that the kids can all themselves? Maybe .. watch some show on television that doesn’t involve reality in any shape or form?” he knows his mom is bombarded by health news. It would be nice to watch something grown up that wasn’t Covid news.
Colleen laughs a little. “I’ll try and find something …” she smiles as John moves past and she herself heads into the living room as her son makes dinner for them. In the living room she looks for and finds perfectly stupid, mindless television that has nothing to do with current events, but she also realizes that the people in the show aren’t social distancing and she finds herself annoyed at them.
Dinner was delicious and Katie approved. Iris stuck around to help with bedtime and read the Duck Truck book at least 5 times. As it seemed like Katie was out she snuck away and kissed Seamus goodbye at the door “Sadly I have an early morning or I’d stay…” She kissed him again tenderly but tiredly “I’m glad she’s ok now. I love you.”
John was in bed reading a novel with his reading glasses. He looked over at Colleen “See I’m wearing them again? Even reading..” He snickered “All the words.”
Seamus kisses her back. “That’s alright. It would be one of those nights where we just talk till late and fall asleep.” they had had those nights together. “And I’m glad too. I love you .. and goodnight.” he leans in for one last kiss goodnight.
Colleen chuckles. “Every last one .. I’m proud of you.” she tells him. “See, no one made you give up real paper books or anything. ANd you can rad new books and not the ones you know every word of anyway.” she giggles and lays down. “What an afternoon.” she sighs looking up at him from her pillow.
John gives Colleen a cheeky look at her teasing and then puts a bookmark in his book and sets it on his bedside table with his glasses on top. He rolls back to Colleen and half side lies with her and is hal on top of her “I know…..our little Katie. How could they do it? I keep trying to logic it out...how anyone could treat her that way…” He grits his teeth. He kisses Colleen and then settles in beside her.
Seamus sees Iris off and heads back in the house, making sure everything that needs to be clean is clean, everything that needs to be off is off. It sort of amuses him how domestic he’s become and he loves it, which is even stranger. Finally he heads upstairs, checking in on Katie. She’s asleep, with her favorite stuffed duck in an adorable choke hold. He softly wishes his parents a good night and heads to bed himself. The day had been emotionally exhausting, and he falls asleep pretty quickly once he gets a quick text from Iris saying she got safely home and is also heading to bed.
Colleen hugs John and whispers good night to Seamus when he wishes them a good night. In John’s arms she falls asleep without them having any answer to the life Katie lived not so long ago as Ash.
Iris had ridden her bike home and was happily in her own bed. She always missed Seamus but sleep was also a godsend for her early day and she slept deeply.
In her room Katie is asleep. She’s in the safe room in the safe house with her Daddy and Iris and her Grandma and Grandpa. She’s curled up and hugging a plush duck. But in her dreams Monty is chasing her down a long hallway and at the end is the closet. No matter how fast she runs he’s right behind her yelling “Bad Ash….BAD BAD ASH!” And then she’s pushed in the closet and the door closes and locks and she starts to scream and scream and scream.
Seamus is so startled by the sudden scream that he literally flips out of bed. Still disoriented, he stumbles out of his bedroom in nothing but his sweatpants. Entering Katie’s room, he plops on her bed and gathers her in his arms. “Katie baby .. Duckie .. it’s OK .. it’s a bad dream.” he is awake now, but his heart is pounding like a drum.
Colleen starts awake when the screaming starts and gets up almost instinctively. She hesitates at the door, seeing Seamus entering Katie’s room. She looks at John with her hand near her throat as if trying to keep her heart in her chest.
John sits bolt upright at the screaming and is behind Colleen looking sticken. He puts a hand on her back and sighs at her.
Katie is unconsolable and just shakes and screams for awhile but eventually when she’s able to form worlds she wails “Iris! I want Iris!” She can’t stop crying to the point where she appears almost convulsive.
The door to Logan and Kurt’s apartment opens and Kurt pads into the main house walking quickly to the hallway by Katie’s room. He sees John and Colleen and can hear the little girl is still very frightened and looks deeply concerned “Is she going to be ok?” He whispers. He knew the whole story of how she was treated and it just made him feel sick. His own parents had been so loving and doting which was what shaped him as that persona. And the Reinhardts were full of love for their children too. He couldn’t imagine any other life for a child.
Seamus tries to console Katie, but it’s impossible. Her crying doesn’t stop, or get better and in moments, he is afraid she might need medical attention. “Alright … alright Duckie. I’ll call her and she’ll come over.” he promises and tries to decide how to even make the call. His phone is by his bed and he is with Katie. It's not all that difficult a decision. Picking his hysterical daughter up, he takes her into his bedroom, looking at Kurt and then his parents with a resigned look. He goes in and sits on his bed, reaching for his phone which is on and charging on the bedside table. Barely needing to look he finds her contact info and calls her. That alone is strange. Most of the time, he texts.
Iris’s phone rang beside her bed and it woke her because it was so unusual. She scrambled for her glasses and answered it noticing that it was 2:37 am. It was Seamus’s number and she sounded immediately concerned “Hello?!” But even before he responded she could hear Katie’s crying and it sounded awful. She was sleeping in a tank top and pajama pants and she started standing up to grab a sweatshirt.
John heard Katie calling for Iris and saw Seamus go past with Katie. They used to own a car but it died during the fog and they had it towed and basically donated it as a parts collection to any needed farm vehicles that ran on biodiesel. “Someone needs to meet her if she’s coming back...” It was late and even though Alexandra was pretty safe John didn’t like the idea of a young lady like Iris walking alone to their house in the middle of the night.
Kurt piped up “I’ll go to her by bike.” He waited to see what happened with the phone call but he could be on a bike in no time as he slept in a t shirt and sweatpants. He just needed his helmet and flipflops.
Katie in the meantime was still a wreck. Almost fighting against Seamus as she cried so hard. She was past the point of reason kids get to when they’re both so tired and so upset.
Seamus heard Iris answer and he was relieved. He had the presence of mind to turn on the speaker phone. “Hey Iris.” he tried to keep his voice calm, but Katie’s crying was getting to him. She would not calm with him. “Katie had a nightmare. We didn’t mean to wake you, but could you talk to her? It might help.” part of him highly doubts it, but it’s worth a shot before he asks her to get dressed and come over, and that is sort of in his voice. “Duck … Iris is on the phone.” He holds it to make sure she can hear Iris, but she is a mess. Shaking and crying and re and snotty. It was scaring him more than a little. He hasn’t heard a word his family has said for Katie’s crying in his ears.
Colleen nods absently at John. The sound of Katie’s pain was drilling into her maternal instinct. She steps into the hallway and can hear Seamus’s side of the conversation. She knows what he is trying to do and already knows from experience that it isn’t likely to work. Looking down the hall at Kurt, she nods. “Get ready to go and get her, Kurt.” He could bike but they might have to walk .. or more likely jog back. She motions to John. “Go make some more hot chocolate. I think we’ll all need it even if she falls asleep as soon as Iris gets here.” she orders the men to their tasks and she stands watch over Seamus and Katie.
John nods and goes right to the kitchen, glad to have something to do. He felt helpless. Poor Katie and Seamus. And Iris.
Kurt runs to grab his helmet and opens the garage door ready to hop onto his bike and ride. He’s holding the flip flops but creeps back up the stairs to listen and see if he needs to head out.
Iris is stricken but tries to speak soothingly to Katie through the phone “Hey Sweetie I’m right here. Katie it’s ok. You’re safe...”
For little Katie, hearing Iris without seeing her made it worse and she wailed “I want Iris! IRIS!” And then a whole new round of convulsive crying.
Iris exhales “Seamus! I can come back!” She sort of shouts hoping he can hear while trying to make sure it doesn’t sound angry at all.
Kurt is still listening and ready to go.
Seamus blows out a breath. “Thank you, Iris.” his voice shakes with gratitude. Finally he turns and sees his mother hovering in his bedroom door. “Mom, could someone go and get Iris, please.” he nearly begs. “We’ll go downstairs and wait for her, OK Duck? Iris is on her way.” he hopes that helps her a little. Only hearing her voice made it much worse.
Colleen moves to the head of the stairs and calls down. “Go, Kurt!” and she waits in the hallway. “I’ll get the couch all nice and comfy for you two, Seamus.” she almost has to yell, Katie is screaming so loudly.
Kurt is out of the garage and pedalling fast the second he heard Colleen. He’s an avid cyclist so within minutes he’s made it to Iris. She’s also thought of biking and meets him with hers at her doorway. They ride back after a brief and stressed greeting and one of Kurt’s fastest hugs.
Katie is still crying and shaking but maybe from tiring herself a bit it’s not as actively loud. But it’s still non stop.
John is puttering in the kitchen with the large pot again. For the adults he also has out some stronger things to put in their hot chocolate and keeps the hazelnut on the side.
Iris drops her bike in the garage and runs inside, not even taking her shoes and helmet off as she runs to Katie and Seamus. She’s a sweaty franti mess and she hugs Katie from the other side “Hey Ducky...I’m here.”
Katie rolls to Iris and curls her body around her and keeps crying for a bit but is noticeably taking comfort.
Seamus doesn’t complain about any of it. Not the shoes, none of it. He literally hands Katie over and looks at Iris as if she is an angel come down to Earth. “She had some kind of nightmare. I don’t know what about. I couldn’t make it better.” he’s not so fussed about it now that someone could.
Colleen had come downstairs to sit with Seamus and smiles in relief when Iris comes in. Katie is still crying, but it’s noticeably better than it was.
Iris rocks Katie a bit and talks to her quietly “Deep breath…..can you breathe with me Katie…..in…” She demonstrates.” And out…” She blows an exaggerated breath out.
Eventually after two or three Katie looks up at her and copies her. Her body relaxes and the breathing helps her calm but with so much exertion after a minute or two she’s fast asleep on Iris.
Iris eases back into the couch and lets Katie lie across her, looking at Seamus and Colleen “Must have been some nightmare…” She whispers. With one hand she awkwardly tries to take off her bike helmet.
Kurt is now watching from the edge of the room and sighs in relief as Katie calms and sleeps.
John peeks over from the kitchen and whisper calls “Hot chocolate and booze if anyone wants...schnaps, peppermint or butter ripple…...is she down?” She looks it.
Seamus physically slumps into his part of the couch as Katie falls back to sleep. He nods at Iris. “Yea .. it must have been. Maybe getting locked in that cabinet dredged something up for her? No idea, but I’ll die a happy man if I never hear that again.” he looks at his father. “Peppermint for me, Dad please and thank you.” he turns back to Iris. “I cannot explain how much I love you right now.” it’s both truth and the slightest joke.
Colleen places her hand on her chest. “Thank you so much for coming over in the middle of the night.” she had known Iris would, given how much she loved Seamus and Katie .. this just proved it even more. “My god, I haven't heard anything like that before.” she stands and moves to John. “Butter ripple for me, please and I’ll bring Seamus and Iris theirs.”
Iris grins but understands why Seamus is saying it like that “I love you too...both of you.” she looks down at Katie “She’s like a little sack of potatoes now. She must be exhausted. Peppermint for me too please.” She looks at Colleen “ And I’ve never heard a child cry like that. Thea had all kinds of ear infections when she was little and even her worst was not this. This….I feel like this is trauma.” She smooths Katie’s hair lightly.
John makes up everyone’s hot chocolate and passes them to Colleen “Iris….this little girl needs you both.” He looks at Colleen as if he’s thinking of saying more.
Kurt fixed his own hot chocolate off to the side and then gave a bit of a sleepy wave heading back for his bed “Goodnight...I'm glad she’s ok now.”
Colleen takes the three mugs to the couch to serve Seamus and Iris, then nods at what John’s said. “She does.”
Seamus sighs exhaustedly, closes his eyes and nods. “What the actual fuck, Sam?” he growls at no one in particular. He takes his mug from his mother. “Thanks …” he murmurs and takes a sip. He looks between his parents and then at Iris and finally at Katie. He thinks he knows what his parents mean, and its a bit of a surprise, He looks at Katie and as he speaks. “Yea … “ he looks up at Iris and searches her face. “She does…”
Iris takes her mug “Thanks. Night Kurt...thank you too…” She’s hearing them all and picking up a vibe and her gaze settles on Seamus as he looks at her “What are you all saying? That I should move in?” She kind of laughs lightly but then looks down at Katie with such love that it’s clear her heart is being called to the idea.
John just chuckles “Oh you kids are slow…..Seamus...just ask her already. We’re encouraging it.”
Colleen rolls her eyes. “Yes … and here I thought your father could be a little slow sometimes.” she laughs.
Seamus looks between Iris and Katie. “Yes … I’d love for you to move in, and not JUST for Katie.” he grins. He leans in to kiss her softly. “Move in with me, Iris.” he encourages her, even while lazily giving his parents a cheeky middle finger for their comments.
John just sips his hot chocolate and silently chuckles, even with the finger given. Iris was one of them. It was time.
Iris nods and grins “OK I will...not just for Katie…” she giggles and kisses him back sweetly. They were really becoming a family now, extending from his, into their own pocket within it.
Seamus kisses Iris back softly. He was glad she was going to move in. They were a family .. he, Katie and Iris. For the first time, he realized he needed them both in his life, when he’d never thought he needed anyone.
Colleen watches them and moves over to John, putting an arm around his waist. She sips her hot chocolate and watches them.
John slides his arm around Colleen and snuggles into her a bit “Now they got it.”
Iris cradles Katie to her with one arm and slides her other hand up the side of Seamus’s face “I can move in after work tomorrow. I’ll leave Paige my bed and dresser in case she has a guest or one of our sisters wants to sleep over. Basically it’s just my clothes and some bathroom stuff. Then I’ll be here.”
Seamus nuzzles into her hand a little. “Okay…” he replies, softly. He moves then, leaning over to get her mug and hands it to her. “I’ll have space ready for you.” Then he gets his own and sips it, looking down at Katie sleeping so peacefully it was almost hard to imagine her as she was less than half an hour ago. “I need to talk to her therapist tomorrow about all of this.” he finally murmurs.
Colleen smiles at the decision and nods about the therapist. “Yes … I thought we’d done all we could taking off the closet doors, but … obviously we didn’t move fast enough on that cabinet.”
Iris nods “I mean I would think two parents are what a therapist would approve of...I mean not that I’m saying I’m her mo…..” She broke off and smiled “I do want to be….”
John nods at Colleen and then listens to Iris “You can be a mother to a child you didn’t give birth to Iris.” He looks around the house “This whole place is going to be open concept….we can take all the doors and cupboards off everything if it helps that never happen again.
Colleen grins at Iris. “It’s good that you want to be, because it seems you’ve been chosen for the role.” she looks around also. “She seems alright with larger rooms, John. It’s smaller spaces. She’s claustrophobic.” she sighs deeply.
Seamus looks at Iris. “You are her mom, as far as I am concerned.” he tells her. Nodding at Katie he adds. “Her too, I think. We’ll run the title past her. But I meant just telling the therapist about yesterday and the nightmares.” he blows out a breath and sips his chocolate, repeating what he said earlier. “What the actual fuck, Sam.” he shakes his head. He’s tried to just be happy that Katie wasn’t with Sam and her family anymore.
Iris nods “I wasn’t making it about me...and thank you. I just figure more support might help. But yeah maybe they have some ways to get her to talk about the nightmare so it can be something she lets go. I mean at her age it’s hard because she can’t articulate it all. I’m not excusing Sam...but if her parents were the people behind locking Katie in a closet maybe they did it to her too and she grew up thinking it was some sort of fucked up normal.”
Now John snarls “Not buying that totally…..but it can go either way. My old man tried to show me that beating your wife and kids was normal and I’ve never laid a hand on any of mine…...Sam could have made a different choice.” He realizes he’s blurted out something Iris might not know and it’s personal so then he retreats a bit into his hot chocolate.
Iris inhales “I’m sorry John...I didn’t mean…..I’m just trying to understand it…”
Colleen uses her free hand to massage John’s shoulders. “It’s hard to understand and it seems we’ll never know. We never really knew Sam.” she admits.
Seamus sighs. “Maybe Sam thought it was normal, but I find that hard to believe just because we had all kinds of kids not being abused. I don’t know. She could have made different choices … I think I’d better be happy those choices didn’t include abortion … or really even adoption snce if that had happened I never would have known Katie even existed. All I can do now is give her the best life I can and I think I’m doing that. Great grandparents, family.” he looks at Iris with a wink. “Mother.”
John nods and presses into the comfort of Colleen’s massaging hand. He didn’t shut her out anymore. “We didn’t. But we’ll know Katie and she can break the pattern too.”
Iris listens and nods “I’m very thankful of all her choices, Katie is here now and you got to have her come into your life …all our lives” she smiles “I’ll do my best to be her mom.” She gets teary eyed at the word. She never knew she wanted a child...not like this. She never knew she wanted Seamus either but it seemed the universe knew...or Alexandra did.
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