Hey. *sheepish smile* sorry that it's been so long since I last updated. I guess I had a bad case of writer's block or something. This is probably only going to be a transition chapter so I'm sorry if it has no real plot to it. LOL. Okay, well review and be happy!!
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Lindsey woke up about a month later with a feeling of dread deep in the pit of her stomach. She sat up on her cot and looked around warily, then she sniffed.
"Sugar?" Squid looked at her sleepily from his cot. The bugle had not yet gone off, and everybody else was still asleep. "What's wrong?"
"Today is Gabby's birthday." She said in a flat voice, staring straight ahead and not blinking, trying not to cry.
"Oh my god, Lindsey, I'm so sorry." He scrambled over to her cot and hugged her tightly. She let her head fall onto his shoulder, but she wouldn't let herself cry.
"Thank you, Squid," she told him politely, sitting up after a minute. "But I think this is something I have to take on by myself."
"All right." He gently touched her face, then went back to his own cot.
Lindsey briefly wished that he would kiss her. He hadn't kissed her since the night that the boys had given her the dance. Then she shook those thoughts out of her head. It was her daughter's third birthday, and she wasn't going to be able to see her.
Then she got an idea.
She dug her hole faster than anybody that day, then she sprinted back to the camp. None of the boys had ever seen her with so much energy.
She dumped her shovel by the Library and ran straight to the Warden's cabin. She knocked on the door until the warden opened it.
"What do you want, Sugar?" She demanded. Lindsey wondered briefly how the warden knew her nickname, but she quickly brushed it aside.
"I want to ask your permission to make a phone call." Lindsey asked pleadingly. "It's my daughter's birthday, and I really want to call her."
The warden's usually harsh expression softened slightly. She gently nodded her head. "You may call, but make it quick. And don't tell anyone else. I don't want any of these boys to get the idea that they can come and use my telephone whenever they want."
"Oh thank you, ma'am, thank you!" Lindsey nearly started to cry she was so happy. She raced to the phone, pulling out the business card Ms. Timms had given her. She dialed the number.
"Hello?" Ms. Timms answered.
"Ms. Timms? It's Lindsey Miller from Camp Greenlake." Lindsey explained, her heart beating up into her throat so that she was afraid she would choke on it.
"Lindsey?" Ms. Timms sounded incredibly surprised. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if I could have the number of the family that Gabriella and Elizabeth are staying at." Lindsey asked hopefully.
"Your sentence is not over." Ms. Timms informed her. "You still have to serve nine months at Camp Greenlake."
"I know," Lindsey said quickly. "But it's Gabriella's birthday today. She's three. I would really, really appreciate it if you let me call her and say hello."
"I'll have to make sure it's okay with her foster family first." Ms. Timms said uncertainly. "I'll call you back just as soon as I get in touch with them."
"Okay." Lindsey agreed, her heart still fluttering up in her throat. She hung up the phone carefully, then very slowly headed for the door.
The phone rang just as she was leaving, and she turned and raced back to it, skidding on the rug. She snatched it up and pressed it to her thrice-pierced ear. "Hello?" She nearly shrieked.
"Lindsey?" It was Ms. Timms.
"Did you talk to them? What did they say?" Lindsey urged, feeling like she was hyperventilating. "What did they say!"
"They said it's okay for you to call Gabriella." Ms. Timms sounded like she thought it was a bad idea. "Here's the number. Do you have something to write it down on?"
"Yeah." Lindsey grabbed a pen off the warden's desk and turned Ms. Timms's business card over. "I'm ready for it."
"It's 555-9876." Ms. Timms said slowly. "555-9876. Do you have it?" (AN. Does that number sound familiar to anybody? Lol)
"Yeah, I have it." Lindsey sighed in relief. It felt so good to have this number in her possession now. "Thank you so much, Ms. Timms. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."
"Your welcome." Ms. Timms replied reluctantly. "Goodbye."
"Bye." Lindsey hung up, then dialed the number Ms. Timms had given her. It rang for what seemed like forever before somebody finally picked up.
"Hello?" The voice said. It was a woman, probably about middle-aged from the sound of her voice. She sounded kind.
"Hello? This is Lindsey Miller, Gabriella and Elizabeth's mother." Lindsey said, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Oh yes, Ms. Timms said you wanted to talk to Gabby." The woman said, and she sounded distant. "I'm Mrs. Clark. Hold on just a second. I'll get Gabby."
A minute later, there was a rustling on the other end and Gabby's voice came on. "Hello?" Her talking was getting better.
"Hey baby, it's mommy." Lindsey said, feeling tears stand out in her eyes. She clutched the receiver so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Mommy!" Gabby cheered ecstatically. "I miss you so much!"
"I miss you too, baby." Lindsey said, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "How are you doing? Are you have a good time?"
"I'm fwine." Gabby replied. "I'm having fun here. I like my baby sister, mommy. She's really nice, cept when she throws up."
"Well that's good." Lindsey smiled again. "Happy birthday, my big girl!"
"I'm tree!" Gabby exclaimed proudly.
"I know, baby." Lindsey said gently. "And I bet you're the prettiest three-year-old that ever lived!" And she meant it too.
"I am!" Gabby replied cheerfully. Then her voice fell. "I gotta go, mommy. Mrs. Clark says it's snack time, and she wants to talk to you."
"Okay. Bye baby. I love you." Lindsey didn't want to hang up. She wanted to stay and talk with her daughter forever.
"I love you too mommy! Bye!" Gabby said, and then there was more rustling as Gabby handed the phone back to Mrs. Clark.
"Lindsey?" Mrs. Clark said.
"Yes ma'am?" Lindsey decided it would help her to be respectful to the woman who was taking care of her children.
"Gabby really does miss you." She said gently. "She cries at night, even still, because she misses you." Lindsey got choked up through her tears. "Perhaps I could bring her and Lizzy by to visit you sometime?"
"That would be wonderful," Lindsey sobbed.
"We'll come by soon then." Mrs. Clark promised. "Thank you for calling Gabby. It really made her day, you know."
"It made mine too." Lindsey offered.
"Well, goodbye." Mrs. Clark said politely.
"Bye." Lindsey hung up the phone and sank onto the floor, sobbing.
When she finally regained her composure enough, she went back to her cabin and went to sleep, skipping dinner entirely.
It was the day after next when Pendanski drove up in his truck with a woman and two children with him. Lindsey looked up, hardly daring to hope. Pendanski climbed down from the truck and helped his guests down.
"Mommy!" Gabby shrieked, racing across the hole-filled ground.
"Gabby!" Lindsey scooped her daughter up into her arms and spun her around, blowing a raspberry on her cheek. Gabby giggled profusely.
"I missed you mommy!" Gabby informed Lindsey matter-of-factly.
"I've missed you too, baby." Lindsey told her gently.
"Ooh, Uncle Squid!" Gabby wriggled down from Lindsey's arms and ran to throw her arms around Squid. He picked her up.
"How's my favorite little girl?" He asked her, tickling her. She shrieked with laughter, squirming like a worm in his hold.
"How's my other baby?" Lindsey asked Mrs. Clark gently. Mrs. Clark handed the baby she was holding to Lindsey.
Lindsey took Lizzy in her arms and looked lovingly down at the pretty face. Lizzy was four months old now, and she had brilliant, curious eyes. "She's so beautiful." Lindsey breathed. It seemed like it had been a lot longer than two months since she had last seen her.
"Yes, she is." Mrs. Clark agreed gently. "She's the most sweet-tempered child I've ever seen. You must have treated her well while she was here."
"I tried." Lindsey admitted. She pressed her cheek again Lizzy's. The baby cooed pleasantly, and they all smiled.
Mrs. Clark took Gabby and Lizzy and left after a little while, and the parting was even harder than before. But Lindsey was glad that Mrs. Clark had brought them.
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Okay, well there ya go. I finally updated this story. I went and checked online the other day, and this story was # 159 or something. That means it's been a LONG time since I've updated. Okay, well just review and give me some incentive to post again!!
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Lindsey woke up about a month later with a feeling of dread deep in the pit of her stomach. She sat up on her cot and looked around warily, then she sniffed.
"Sugar?" Squid looked at her sleepily from his cot. The bugle had not yet gone off, and everybody else was still asleep. "What's wrong?"
"Today is Gabby's birthday." She said in a flat voice, staring straight ahead and not blinking, trying not to cry.
"Oh my god, Lindsey, I'm so sorry." He scrambled over to her cot and hugged her tightly. She let her head fall onto his shoulder, but she wouldn't let herself cry.
"Thank you, Squid," she told him politely, sitting up after a minute. "But I think this is something I have to take on by myself."
"All right." He gently touched her face, then went back to his own cot.
Lindsey briefly wished that he would kiss her. He hadn't kissed her since the night that the boys had given her the dance. Then she shook those thoughts out of her head. It was her daughter's third birthday, and she wasn't going to be able to see her.
Then she got an idea.
She dug her hole faster than anybody that day, then she sprinted back to the camp. None of the boys had ever seen her with so much energy.
She dumped her shovel by the Library and ran straight to the Warden's cabin. She knocked on the door until the warden opened it.
"What do you want, Sugar?" She demanded. Lindsey wondered briefly how the warden knew her nickname, but she quickly brushed it aside.
"I want to ask your permission to make a phone call." Lindsey asked pleadingly. "It's my daughter's birthday, and I really want to call her."
The warden's usually harsh expression softened slightly. She gently nodded her head. "You may call, but make it quick. And don't tell anyone else. I don't want any of these boys to get the idea that they can come and use my telephone whenever they want."
"Oh thank you, ma'am, thank you!" Lindsey nearly started to cry she was so happy. She raced to the phone, pulling out the business card Ms. Timms had given her. She dialed the number.
"Hello?" Ms. Timms answered.
"Ms. Timms? It's Lindsey Miller from Camp Greenlake." Lindsey explained, her heart beating up into her throat so that she was afraid she would choke on it.
"Lindsey?" Ms. Timms sounded incredibly surprised. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if I could have the number of the family that Gabriella and Elizabeth are staying at." Lindsey asked hopefully.
"Your sentence is not over." Ms. Timms informed her. "You still have to serve nine months at Camp Greenlake."
"I know," Lindsey said quickly. "But it's Gabriella's birthday today. She's three. I would really, really appreciate it if you let me call her and say hello."
"I'll have to make sure it's okay with her foster family first." Ms. Timms said uncertainly. "I'll call you back just as soon as I get in touch with them."
"Okay." Lindsey agreed, her heart still fluttering up in her throat. She hung up the phone carefully, then very slowly headed for the door.
The phone rang just as she was leaving, and she turned and raced back to it, skidding on the rug. She snatched it up and pressed it to her thrice-pierced ear. "Hello?" She nearly shrieked.
"Lindsey?" It was Ms. Timms.
"Did you talk to them? What did they say?" Lindsey urged, feeling like she was hyperventilating. "What did they say!"
"They said it's okay for you to call Gabriella." Ms. Timms sounded like she thought it was a bad idea. "Here's the number. Do you have something to write it down on?"
"Yeah." Lindsey grabbed a pen off the warden's desk and turned Ms. Timms's business card over. "I'm ready for it."
"It's 555-9876." Ms. Timms said slowly. "555-9876. Do you have it?" (AN. Does that number sound familiar to anybody? Lol)
"Yeah, I have it." Lindsey sighed in relief. It felt so good to have this number in her possession now. "Thank you so much, Ms. Timms. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."
"Your welcome." Ms. Timms replied reluctantly. "Goodbye."
"Bye." Lindsey hung up, then dialed the number Ms. Timms had given her. It rang for what seemed like forever before somebody finally picked up.
"Hello?" The voice said. It was a woman, probably about middle-aged from the sound of her voice. She sounded kind.
"Hello? This is Lindsey Miller, Gabriella and Elizabeth's mother." Lindsey said, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Oh yes, Ms. Timms said you wanted to talk to Gabby." The woman said, and she sounded distant. "I'm Mrs. Clark. Hold on just a second. I'll get Gabby."
A minute later, there was a rustling on the other end and Gabby's voice came on. "Hello?" Her talking was getting better.
"Hey baby, it's mommy." Lindsey said, feeling tears stand out in her eyes. She clutched the receiver so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Mommy!" Gabby cheered ecstatically. "I miss you so much!"
"I miss you too, baby." Lindsey said, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "How are you doing? Are you have a good time?"
"I'm fwine." Gabby replied. "I'm having fun here. I like my baby sister, mommy. She's really nice, cept when she throws up."
"Well that's good." Lindsey smiled again. "Happy birthday, my big girl!"
"I'm tree!" Gabby exclaimed proudly.
"I know, baby." Lindsey said gently. "And I bet you're the prettiest three-year-old that ever lived!" And she meant it too.
"I am!" Gabby replied cheerfully. Then her voice fell. "I gotta go, mommy. Mrs. Clark says it's snack time, and she wants to talk to you."
"Okay. Bye baby. I love you." Lindsey didn't want to hang up. She wanted to stay and talk with her daughter forever.
"I love you too mommy! Bye!" Gabby said, and then there was more rustling as Gabby handed the phone back to Mrs. Clark.
"Lindsey?" Mrs. Clark said.
"Yes ma'am?" Lindsey decided it would help her to be respectful to the woman who was taking care of her children.
"Gabby really does miss you." She said gently. "She cries at night, even still, because she misses you." Lindsey got choked up through her tears. "Perhaps I could bring her and Lizzy by to visit you sometime?"
"That would be wonderful," Lindsey sobbed.
"We'll come by soon then." Mrs. Clark promised. "Thank you for calling Gabby. It really made her day, you know."
"It made mine too." Lindsey offered.
"Well, goodbye." Mrs. Clark said politely.
"Bye." Lindsey hung up the phone and sank onto the floor, sobbing.
When she finally regained her composure enough, she went back to her cabin and went to sleep, skipping dinner entirely.
It was the day after next when Pendanski drove up in his truck with a woman and two children with him. Lindsey looked up, hardly daring to hope. Pendanski climbed down from the truck and helped his guests down.
"Mommy!" Gabby shrieked, racing across the hole-filled ground.
"Gabby!" Lindsey scooped her daughter up into her arms and spun her around, blowing a raspberry on her cheek. Gabby giggled profusely.
"I missed you mommy!" Gabby informed Lindsey matter-of-factly.
"I've missed you too, baby." Lindsey told her gently.
"Ooh, Uncle Squid!" Gabby wriggled down from Lindsey's arms and ran to throw her arms around Squid. He picked her up.
"How's my favorite little girl?" He asked her, tickling her. She shrieked with laughter, squirming like a worm in his hold.
"How's my other baby?" Lindsey asked Mrs. Clark gently. Mrs. Clark handed the baby she was holding to Lindsey.
Lindsey took Lizzy in her arms and looked lovingly down at the pretty face. Lizzy was four months old now, and she had brilliant, curious eyes. "She's so beautiful." Lindsey breathed. It seemed like it had been a lot longer than two months since she had last seen her.
"Yes, she is." Mrs. Clark agreed gently. "She's the most sweet-tempered child I've ever seen. You must have treated her well while she was here."
"I tried." Lindsey admitted. She pressed her cheek again Lizzy's. The baby cooed pleasantly, and they all smiled.
Mrs. Clark took Gabby and Lizzy and left after a little while, and the parting was even harder than before. But Lindsey was glad that Mrs. Clark had brought them.
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Okay, well there ya go. I finally updated this story. I went and checked online the other day, and this story was # 159 or something. That means it's been a LONG time since I've updated. Okay, well just review and give me some incentive to post again!!
