A/N- This chapter contains the disciplinary spanking of a minor by a parent. If you have an issue with this chose a different story. You've been warned so don't bother complaining.
NOTE: This is a DIRECT continuation of "Missing" and so will make absolutely no sense without first having read that one.
Abby sat for a long time rocking and holding her child. She was so grateful that he had been found unharmed along with his younger brother. But now was the time to be more than just the relieved parent. Now was the time to help teach her son that his actions have consequences and those consequences are far reaching and affect far more than himself and his immediate family.
Abby gently placed the boy in front of her while saying "Let's go" as she took him by the hand. Leading him out the door towards his own room he stopped and easily pulled himself free as she was not expecting resistance. About to tell him to come with her in a more demanding tone Abby opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it when she understood what Luc was doing. Running over to the crib he stuck his arm through the slats and in a funny voice said "We'll be right back, K? Sam" and then returned to his mother's side.
His sweetness and caring for his younger sibling was so sincere and admirable that Abby was having a hard time following through on her plan. Taking a deep breath she took Luc's hand and walked steadfastly into his room as sat on the edge of his bed. She stood the small child in front of her as she led his two hands in her own. Looking at his face she saw the sadness, worry and guilt that he was harboring.
"Lucas, I want you to think for a minute before you answer this question, alright" she waited until he nodded "yesterday when you took Sam to school with you how many rules do you think you broke?"
Confused Lucas stared back as his mother. He thought for a minute but didn't answer. "Alright" Abby began again" you said when you were in the park you realized you were in trouble, right?" Lucas nodded in agreement, that was the first time it had occurred to him that someone would be mad at him for what he'd done.
"Right then, what action of yours did you think you were going to be in trouble for?" Abby asked very gently.
Lucas scrunched up his brow and lips and moved his lips from side to side, as he did when nervous or thinking, in this case he felt both. "I didn't think about something specific, I just thought you'd all be mad because it had all gone wrong" he said his voice cracking as he tried to talk through his fight not to cry again.
Abby took another deep breath. This was going to be a much longer process if he didn't actually understand the enormous list of specific problems. "Ok.. let's start with taking Sam out of his chair. Are you supposed to move Sam alone?" Lucas shook his head no. "Going outside without telling a grown up, are you allowed to do that?" Again Lucas shook his head no. "Taking Sam with you outside, are you supposed to do that without a grown up?" Lucas didn't even bother to shake his head no. He hadn't even left the front porch and he'd broken 3 rules. Abby changed from asking questions to simply explaining. "Taking Sam to school after I told you NO, was directly being disobedient. Walking to school without a grown up meant you had to cross at least 2 streets which you would have done without a grown up. At school you left without telling anyone where you were going. You cut class all day as you were supposed to be at school not at the park, even if the adventure wasn't fun you weren't supposed to be there. You had your teacher, your family, the police department and the fire department all looking for you and worried because you didn't follow the family or school rules."
By the time Abby was finished with the explanation of the previous day Lucas was crying quietly looking at his feet and shifting his weight slowly from one foot to the other. Her words were stabbing him each time she spoke. He hadn't meant to do all that… and he definitely hadn't realized what the simple decision of taking Sam to school had caused so many people so much trouble.
"Com' here" Abby said gently tugging the boy closer to her. Shifting her own position she moved her son to her side and was about to lift him over her lap when something inside him snapped. He had never been in this predicament in his short life but for some reason the words, movement, actions all seemed somewhat familiar. And then just as his mother was about to lift him up it hit him. Uncle Tony's story about what a 'real' spanking was came flooding through his consciousness. Uncle Tony said that a 'real' spanking hurt so much that you couldn't sit down 'like ever again'. Lucas went quickly into self preservation/meltdown mode. He was kicking, crying and yelling 'no' over and over again at the top of his lungs.
Abby confused by this sudden turn of events quickly let go of Lucas' arm worried she would hurt him. He ran quickly to his closet and pushed himself as far into the corner as possible. "Lucas James Garret McGee, what in the world are you doing?" her tone firm and demanding.
Lucas simply pushed himself further into the wall.
"Get out here right this minute" Abby instructed. Lucas was not one to be able to resist listening to a firmly demanded instruction. Unlike normal though Lucas simply shook his head no, all the while Uncle Tony's vivid descriptions running through his little head, unbeknownst to Abby.
When angry mother approach didn't work, and threatening mother didn't work Abby sat back down on the bed and waited for a few minutes collecting her thoughts. In those few minutes she asked herself "what would Gloria have done?" Walking over to the still open closet she squatted down and asked "Lucas, what's wrong?" with as little frustration in her voice as she could muster at that very moment.
"You were gonna spank me" Lucas whispered through a tears and hitched breaths.
"Yes, and I still am" Abby explained to a now even more wide eyed little boy. "You kicking and shouting isn't going to change anything. We've already talked about all the reasons why you are being punished, is there something you don't understand?" Abby inquired trying to figure out why her child had reacted so strongly to something he had never experienced in the past.
Sobs under some control Luc shook his head no; there wasn't anything he didn't understand. Abby was losing her patience as this was going to be a long enough day without having to spend any more time coaxing Luc out of the closet. "Well then if you understand why are you in your closet and not out here like I asked?" her tone tempered as she really did feel like yelling again.
"Cause I don't want a spanking, Unc…."Luc didn't even finish the word uncle before Abby rolled her eyes and cut him off with "What did your Uncle Tony tell you this time?" more exasperated at the grown up she would head slap the next time she saw him than at the small child in the closet. She was sure that Lucas' reaction was 100 percent Tony's fault. Luc's explanation of Tony's exaggerated story was even more blown out of proportion by the child's wild imagination and worry.
"You know your uncle Tony. You know that his stories are…. enhanced"Abby replied her hands doing as much talking as her mouth. Her actions and words actually brought a smile to the boy's face as he watched his mother get into full story mode telling stories about other times Tony's rendition of the events were improved for tell'ability.
"Nothing is as bad as Tony says it is… now get out of the closet"Abby insistence this time was more forceful and with her reassurance that Tony had in fact been embellishing his story Lucas slowly extricated himself from his hiding spot. He was still very reluctant to join his mother who was now sat on the edge of the bed. This time she guided him to her side and quickly placed him across her lap without hesitation. For his part the boy became very rigid and after about a millisecond changed his mind that he was going to cooperate. He began to wiggle and try and push his way free. A heavy swat landed on his upturned bottom and he yelped more out of surprise.
Abby deftly pulled the young boy's pajama bottoms down and shifted his shirt up and away from his backside. This unexpected turn of events reinitiated the attempts at escape. No matter what his mother said about Tony's story not being true he had so many details correct that he couldn't believe that the rest wasn't as well.
Ignoring the wiggles and pushes Abby began to administer a sound spanking on the bare skin of her eldest child. As her hand fell each time he fought less and less having all his energy taken up by the racking sobs he was producing. At first they were sobs of frustration at not being able to escape but they soon changed tenor and were simply the cries of small child who's bottom felt like it was on fire. Abby ensured that her message was well received before straightening Luc's clothing and lifting him so that she could hold him again. Instead he pushed his way free standing in front of her, glaring as he frantically rubbed his small behind with both hands. He quickly jumped from foot to foot as he cried softer and softer. It took a long time before he had his emotions back under control and when he could finally speak he growled "It did SO hurt so MUCH!"
Abby had to do everything in her power not to laugh at the angry little face looking back at her.