Meeting The Other Families Pt. 1:

Kansas City:

The Kennish family had invited the Vasquez family to live in their guest house so that each family could get to know their biological child. When they'd learned that the families of the other two girls were coming to visit, they'd known that it wasn't going to be easy for anyone. The Kennish-Vasquez family would be meeting with the Blondson family first. Ijana Blondson was biologically a Kennish and Daphne's twin. The Blondson Matriarchs were Mary's biological parents. They wanted Regina and Rebekah to be with Daphne while the Blondson's were in the house.

The Blondson's would have been at the meeting with the Geneticist, but Mr. Blondson had been overseas and Mrs. Blondson hadn't wanted to be alone. What the Blondson's hadn't told the Kennish family was that Ijana had been in a car accident and that she was learning to walk again.

When Regina had gotten a call from San Diego, she told the rest of the family that the Adams-Foster family would come to visit during the summer. She'd looked at Rebekah and said that the daughter the Baker's raised wanted to meet her and tell her about her birth family. Rebekah had nodded and said she'd hoped that the fact that they were dead had been some kind of mistake. But now learning about Regina's birth daughter and her adoptive family were coming during the summer meant that her birth parents really were dead.

So, the Kennish-Vasquez family was getting ready to welcome the Blondson family into their home. For four months, the Kennish-Vasquez family had been living together, getting to know their birth daughters, well half of them anyhow. After the whole Regina knew about the switch, everything was getting back to normal. When Rebekah had learned that, she immediately asked if she had known where her parents were while they were still alive. Regina had said that the Private Detective had never been able to find them.

Fort Marshal to Kansas City:

The Blondson's were driving to Kansas City because a plane ticket for three people cost more than it was to drive. Stf. Sgt. Blondson had taken a month's vacation, since he had the days to do so (and the Army understood the circumstances for the vacation/trip), to journey to where his birth daughter was living. It was in his best interest to be with his family during this unknown fork in their lives. Ijana was taking it the hardest. A neighbor had said they would keep an eye on the lawn and house and make sure the family didn't get any 'House Chits' while away from Post.

They started out for their Destination on a Friday. Ijana had gotten the emails of all her teachers so that they could send her assignments and tests while she was away from school. She had also brought along her school books and notebooks for assignments that couldn't be done on the laptop. Her teachers said that any hand-written assignments could be turned in when she returned to school and she had profusely thanked them.

Not only was the family going, but the family dogs were going as well, one still a puppy. They had gotten the puppy before the accident. The older dog had been acquired after the accident and was a 'Service Animal' for Ijana who now required one to get through the day. The dogs would have to be welcomed by the birth parents, or there was going to be some problems.

As they neared their destination, the family got a little more nervous. Ijana for her part stayed calm, though she feared her new family would want her to stay in Kansas City to get to know her better. If that happened, she would make it clear that she wanted to stay with the family that she had grown up with; that she loved her family and there wasn't anything anyone could do about it since I was legally a Blondson and had been for sixteen years.

Kennish-Vasquez-Blondson Families:

The Kennish-Vasquez family was all in the kitchen when the Blondson family arrived. They were pulling a trailer behind them as they came to a stop. Mr. Blondson got out first, closely followed by his wife. Both turned towards the back of the van. Mr. Blondson went to help his daughter as Mrs. Blondson took charge of the dogs. When Mr. Kennish saw the dogs, everyone could see that he was not thrilled that they would be staying at the mouse. The families had already agreed that the trailer would be hooked up to the house so that the family didn't have to keep driving to the Kennish house for a visit. This situation also gave the other girls a chance to get to know each other better as well.

When Ijana was standing, with the support of crutches, Mr. Blondson turned towards the Kennish-Vasquez families and started to talk.

"I'm Stf. Sgt. Samuel Blondson and this is my wife Mayla and our daughter Ijana Renee."

"I'm John Kennish and this is my wife Kathryn, our son Toby and daughter Bay. This is also Regina Vasquez who raised our birth daughter Daphne, who would make her Ijana's twin sister. Can I ask what happened?" Mr. Kennish finished as he pointed at Ijana.

"How about we all go inside and sit down first?" Kathryn said before Mr. and Mrs. Blondson could say a word. The Kennish mother could tell her birth daughter, both of them were getting a little self-conscious of the whole situation.

"That would be lovely." Mayla stated, bringing the dogs with her.

"The dogs will have to stay outside." Mr. Kennish stated.

"Too bad; one's a puppy that needs constant supervision. And the older one is Ijana's Service Animal. It no longer leaves her sight. They came into the house with us." Mayla said as she moved past Mr. Kennish who had a stunned looked on his face. Mayla guessed he wasn't used to people telling him 'no'. Mr. Blondson stayed by Ijana as she made her way into the kitchen and to the living room. Once in the living room, Ijana settled into a chair, putting the crutches aside. The puppy jumped into her lap and settled down, her parents set on the couch end closest to their daughter, for moral support.

"So, how did this happen? How did our daughter end up on crutches?" Mr. Kennish asked as Regina signed to Daphne.

"There was a car accident a few months ago, while my husband was overseas. She was in a friend's car and they were going to the mall off Post. The car was rear-ended by another vehicle while they were stopped at a red light. Because of the rear-ending, the car was propelled into oncoming traffic and hit by a semi-truck. Ijana survived, but barely. And her friend never made it to the hospital. The man in the car that had rear-ended them in the first place was arrested for the murder of Ijana's friend. The truck driver wasn't charged as it wasn't his fault in the first place." Mayla finished.

"And why would the truck driver not be charged? He's the one that hit them right?"

"Yes, but he wouldn't have hit them if the man that did the rear-ending hadn't rear-ended the car. Both of our families agreed that the truck driver wasn't at fault. And don't say you're going to have charges filed on the truck driver just because you have money and can. That'll ruin an innocent life."

"Mayla! That last bit wasn't necessary. We are here so Ijana can get to know her birth family and sister. No need to make arguments for no reason."

"I agree with your husband. So how is this going to work? I mean you can't take time off every time we want to see Ijana. And we don't want to remove her from your custody…" Kathryn started.

"And Ijana doesn't want to leave us either. We are her parents, we raised her. But you're right. For the month we are here, we get to know each and the girls can do the same. Questions can be asked and answered will be provided. While your kids are at school, so will Ijana be doing school work. At the end of the month, we will decide what the best course of action will be. As her parents, I believe we can all agree on that."

"Of course, so Ijana, are you allergic to anything? Toby, Daphne and I all break into hives when we eat…" Kathryn began.

"Kiwi's, but I also learned recently that I am allergic to morphine. Apparently I reacted violently when they gave it to me when I was in the hospital for pain."

"Huh, I don't think any of us has had to have morphine for anything, but that's something to keep in mind next time any of us are in the hospital or doctor's office."

"So, what are your hobbies? Do you play any sports?" John asked.

"Not really into sports at the moment. But Emmaline and I play League Hockey, you know, Ice Hockey."

"Really, and Emmaline is your sister that I couldn't come?" Daphne asked.

"No, I don't have any siblings. Emmaline is my best friend. We've been stationed at Fort Marshal since I was young and Emmaline and I became fast friends."

"Oh, anything else you do for fun?" Toby asked.

"I did gymnastics when I was younger, but I haven't in a while. I kind of got busy with school and hockey. Now, I'll never be able to do it again and hockey is also off the life block. The doctors say I'll never walk without a crutch again. So once these crutches are gone, I'll go to a smaller on that I can walk normally if, even if I have a small limp."

"So what do you want to do when you graduate, college wise?" Regina asked, she'd been signing to Daphne the whole time.

"I haven't figured it out yet. I'm still looking into it. But that also depends on my dad's next assignment. He's getting new orders when we get back home."

"You guys are moving?" John & Kathryn asked at the same time.

"It's normal in the Army. Most people get new orders every three years. We've been at Fort Marshal for the last ten years, that's not normally what happens most times." Mr. Blondson stated.

"We've been lucky. When and if we get PCS'd, it'll be a new adventure from the family. Yes, we'll miss our friends, but it's the Army. You go where they need you."

"Yes, Bay learned that the hard way when her boyfriend enlisted. He's stationed at Fort Powell. But at the moment, he's overseas." John said.

"Ah, yes, a lot of younger men are going into the Army. Since it helps with college and all medical is fully paid. Some make it for life. Others figure out that the military life isn't for them. I was stationed there when Ijana was born, but we had been visiting and shopping for the baby in the city when Mayla went into labor. That's how we happened to be at the same hospital when this all went down. Otherwise, the baby would have been born in the Army Hospital."

"Oh, so if you hadn't been shopping here, I never would have been switched and this wouldn't be happening right now?" Mary questioned, finally putting her voice into the conversation for the first time.

"I guess so. So, Mary, what do you like to do? Any sports you're into?" Ijana asked.

"I'm into swimming, mostly competitively but sometimes just for fun. Other than swimming I like to cook."

"Well then, that's something that we have in common. My mom's been doing all the cooking lately, but I'm a pretty good cook."

"Then you and Daphne will get along fine. She cooks too, although it's more vegetarian than meats?"

"You're a vegetarian?" Ijana asked.

"It's a long story but yeah. How about you? Chicken and beef or veggies?"

"Both, sometimes I'll be a vegetarian but when I'm craving meat there's no stopping me. My best friend Emmaline has been trying to convert me into a vegetarian for years now. Her father is the core commander at Fort Marshal. She's going off to Woodsen College in the fall. She's a year older than me, so she'll graduate this year."

"Sounds cool. How about we all go eat? I've made Chicken Enchilada's, Daphne made Squash Soup and we have salad and bread to go with it all."

"Sounds good; you guys get that ready and I'll go feed the dogs. They normally eat dinner around this time." Mayla said standing up.

"Let me help you, mom. I need to practice my walking anyways. Mrs. Sherwood said I need to get my legs stronger while I'm away."

"Who's Mrs. Sherwood?" Bay asked, stepping into the conversation.

"She's Lt. Colonel Sherwood's wife. She's also a Nurse Practitioner. She's been helping me with my physical therapy, getting me used to walking again, but not pushing me too hard. When I got out of the hospital, I was wheel chair bound before the doctors knew if I would walk again."

"Oh, nice and simple explanation."

The families got up and headed to the dining room while Mayla and her daughter headed out to the trailer with the dogs. Once the dogs were fed, Mayla and her daughter joined the rest of the families for dinner. The talking continued throughout dinner and when it was done and everything was put away, Mr. Kennish and Mr. Blondson went out to the trailer to unhook it and get the electric plugged in.

After everything was set for the night, the families went their separate ways: Kennish's stayed in their house, the Vaquez's to the guest house and the Blondson's to their trailer. In the morning there would be more bonding and getting to know each other. And the Blondson's would have to get used to not only sharing their birth daughter, but they had nearly a month for that to happen. For now, everyone got ready for bed and turned out their lights.

More to come in next chapter…

Please Review…