Durham, North Carolina
July 9, 2010
"Why do I always get left behind to babysit?" asked Kristen, as her sister came in to put her coat on.
"Because it's Shaina's birthday, and we're taking her to a bar, and you, my baby sister, are too young to grace us with your presence." said Meghan, smiling.
"Why do you have to take her to a bar? If you took her out to dinner, you could bring your kids." said Kristen.
"And that is exactly why we're going to a bar. Grown-up time. So, enjoy your kid time. Don't let Mal stay up too late." said Meghan.
"You're mean." said Kristen.
"You love me." said Meghan.
"No—I love my niece and nephew. I tolerate you." said Kristen.
"You'll get to come along with us grown-ups in a few years. But for now, you get to be a fake adult. The kind that can only buy lottery tickets and cigarettes." said Meghan.
"I hate being the baby of the family." whined Kristen.
"Chin-up. It's nice to be as young as you are right now." said Meghan, smiling.
"Have fun while you're out." said Kristen.
"I'm sure we will. Take good care of my kids." said Meghan.
"You know I will." said Kristen.
"They adore you, you know. And I love you for that." said Meghan, wrapping her arms around her sister.
"I love you, too, Meg." said Kristen, softly.
Later that same evening…
"Quick, to space shuttle!" shouted Mallory, running into the living room with a bowl on her head.
"Aye-ay, Cap'n. Where to?" asked Kristen, scooping the little girl up onto the couch.
"Mars. We have to capture the evil Dr. Eth-monster." said Mallory, giggling.
"Roger that, but, Captain?" asked Kristen.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" asked Mallory.
"I think Dr. Eth-monster is sleeping." said Kristen.
"It's easier to capture a sleeping person than an awake person." said Mallory.
"But, what if he wakes up, Captain?" asked Kristen.
"That's where you come in. You make him stop crying." said Mallory.
"But if we don't capture him and wake him up in the first place, there will be no crying to deal with." said Kristen.
"But if we don't capture Dr. Eth-monster, who can we capture on Mars?" asked Mallory.
"How about the maniacal—the terrifying—" said Kristen, before Mallory cut her off.
"Giant Caspian!" shouted Mallory.
"The Giant Caspian's native territory is up in the trees. Shall we go hunt for him?" asked Kristen, standing up as Mallory jumped onto her back.
"Onward, Lieutenant." said Mallory, holding onto Kristen's shoulders. Kristen raced the up the stairs, Mallory chatting all the way, when they reached a dark room with a closed door.
"Is the Giant Caspian in there?" asked Mallory, knocking on the door.
"I do believe so." said Kristen.
"Let's do this!" said Mallory, giggling. With that, Kristen opened the door, to reveal a seemingly empty bedroom.
"He's gone." whispered Kristen, setting her niece down on the floor as she closed the door.
"Giant Caspian, come out, come out, wherever you are." called Mallory, walking around the room, until she stopped. Something under the covers of the bed moved.
"I think he's right there." said Mallory, running over to Kristen.
"What do you think? Should I capture him, Captain?" asked Kristen, looking down at Mallory.
"Yes. Get him, Lieutenant." said Mallory. Quickly, Kristen reached into the bed covers to pull out a little black Labrador puppy.
"You got him! That's the Evil Giant Caspian!" shouted Mallory, smiling.
"What shall we do with him?" asked Kristen, bending down so Mallory could pet him. Just then, the phone rang.
"Hold that thought—can you watch Caspian for a moment while I get the phone?" asked Kristen, setting the little puppy in Mallory's lap. Smiling, Mallory nodded, petting the little dog. Kristen ran over to answer the telephone.
"Hello? Yes—this is she? They what? No. Are you—are you sure? I can't leave—I have Meghan and David's kids here with me. Yeah, I was babysitting so they could take my sister out to the Tavern for her birthday. You need me to come to the hospital now? But what to I tell the kids? No—no, I understand. Yeah, we'll be there. Okay. Bye." said Kristen, hanging up the phone. Slowly, she felt her feet let go underneath her.
"Aunt Kristen? Why are you crying?" asked Mallory, looking over at her aunt.
"Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Papa, Uncle Will, and Aunt Shay are hurt and we have to go meet them at the hospital, and I'm just sad, and a little bit scared." said Kristen.
"Are they going to be okay?" asked Mallory, lip quivering.
"No—no, Mal, they're not." said Kristen.
Durham, North Carolina
July 10, 2010
Kristen looked around her brother's hospital room, sighing. In the bed lay William, hopelessly sedated, and Mallory, nestled next to him, asleep. Ethan slept on a blanket on the floor. Kristen hadn't slept. She had spent the evening identifying bodies, signing organ donation affidavits…she hadn't had a chance to process exactly what was happening to her family. She was about to take a break when the door opened, and an older man walked in.
"You must be Kristen—I'm Larry Holmes, your sister and brother-in-law's lawyer. I wanted to speak with you about their will." said the man.
"What's there to discuss?" asked Kristen, softly.
"Custody of Miss. Mallory Elizabeth and Mr. Ethan Christopher." said the man.
"Who—who did Meg and David leave the kids to?" asked Kristen.
"There was a long chain of people—firstly, they left the children to your parents. Next was your sister, Shaina, and then your brother, William. Then, Miss. Naughton, they left her to you. The final clause stipulated that if you were all incapable or unwilling to take on the children, you were all to select someone in the state registry of adoptive parents to raise the children." said the man.
"So, either I give up everything and take those kids in, or I choose someone from a registry to leave them with?" asked Kristen.
"Exactly." said the man.
"If I took them in, I wouldn't be able to go to school in the fall—it just wouldn't happen for me. Meg—school was so important to her. She would never, ever forgive me if I didn't go. And I wouldn't be able to take care of those kids if I got a job without a college degree. Meg and David were going to be doctors—they were smack in the middle of their residencies. They were going to give their kids the world, and I just wouldn't be able to do that. Not for a long time." said Kristen.
"Then, I guess we'll be going through the state registry." said the man.
"I'll go through the registry, but if I don't find anyone that I approve of, they'll stay with me, indefinitely." said Kristen, softly.
Durham, North Carolina
July 15, 2010
"What are you doing?" asked Mallory, climbing into Kristen's lap as she sat at the computer.
"Just reading. How are you doing, Mal?" asked Kristen, kissing the little girl's hair.
"I'm just sad. Can you just hold me?" asked Mallory, leaning into Kristen.
"Sure, bug. I can do that." said Kristen, wrapping an arm around the girl before continuing to read. She'd spent days pouring over the registry, and she'd settled on one profile of a woman in Tree Hill. Reaching for the phone, she dialed the number of the lawyer, Mr. Holmes.
"Hello—yes. We're doing okay—yeah, I've been better. I did—Brooke Davis, from Tree Hill. Yeah, she sounds the most like Meg and David, and that's what I want for them. Yes, okay—tomorrow at noon sounds great. Thank you." said Kristen, hanging up the phone.
"What are we doing tomorrow at noon?" asked Mallory, looking up at Kristen.
"We're meeting a nice woman, Brooke, so we can see if she'd be a good person to watch over you and Ethan." said Kristen, softly.
"But what about you?" asked Mallory.
"Oh, Mal—I'm just Aunt Kristen. I'm too young to raise you guys. Brooke can give you the world, and I just can't." said Kristen, softly.
"I don't care. I just want to be with you." said Mallory.
"I know, and I'd love to be with you, too, but sometimes, we have to make decisions that are hard and seem so wrong when we make them, but later, when we look back, they were the best decisions we ever made. And that's what having you and Ethan live with Miss. Brooke will be—a hard decision, but a good one." said Kristen.
"Promise?" asked Mallory, softly.
"I promise. I love you, Mal." said Kristen, kissing the little girl's cheek.
"Love you more." said Mallory, giggling.
"That's not possible." said Kristen, softly.
