Chapter Twelve
"We saw Beth, she says 'Hi'." Sienna said to Mike as she and Mia came into the house carrying many bags with them. Mike turned to Sasha who came up the front porch towards him. He wore an amused yet smug smile as he wasn't surprised to see his daughters get their way.
"They had a very logical argument." Sasha said defensively as she knew she should have brought the girls straight home but it was just too much for her to break their hearts when they'd wanted to see Beth. They didn't even complain at being gently told they had to leave after only a ten minute visit.
"Uhuh, it's just nice to know I'm not the only who can be strong armed by two harmless little girls." Mike said to Sasha, throwing her words back at her. She gave a resigned smile knowing she had no legs to stand on.
"Please don't tell Tom, I'll never hear the end of it." Sasha pleaded, she didn't need him teasing her as she'd been pretty proud at herself for not caving to his kids and their demands. But for some reason Mia and Sienna just pulled at her heart strings a little more than Ashley and Sam did. But then Ashley and Sam weren't enamoured of her so it was easier to draw a line in the sand with them and stick to it because she figured they can't hate her any more and knew no amount of pandering would win them over. They were too much like their father in that regard, they couldn't be bought.
While Mia and Sienna were polite and nice from the start, they didn't judge or dismiss her as a villain; if anything they seemed to be afraid of her like she were a gatekeeper to something really special. Their fear was if they asked she'd denying them the smallest of things and they barely asked for anything. When they did it was so minimal it was hard to deny them which made Sasha just want to smother them with whatever they wanted. She could see exactly why Mike was giving them all they wanted.
"I won't, thanks for taking them shopping." Mike said as he was happy to be off the hook for that.
"No, problem. By the way, Beth is really nice and good with the girls." Sasha told him, she actually liked the woman, she hadn't expected to feel much of anything but Beth was lovely and amusing. She didn't let the girls shut her out even though Sasha could tell Mia and Sienna wanted to protect their relationship with Beth.
"I know, I was thinking of getting them to see a therapist." Mike shared with her.
"I'd say family therapy first before going individually. I know from experience that if they go alone they'll think they are at fault. It doesn't hurt to do things in groups but maybe wait a little bit and see how they adjust before looking for a headshrinker" Sasha told him, Mike nodded not questioning how she knew but taking the advice at face value.
"That was the plan, anything else I should know?" He asked her, hoping she gained some insights into the girls to help him connect with them.
"Yeah, there's a sandwich, an apple and bag of chips somewhere in those bags. They sneaked food pretending they'd eaten it. Kara and I let it slide given you warned us." Sasha told him.
"Ok, thanks for the warning." Mike said wondering how he was going to stop the food being conserved when it didn't need to be. That and he didn't want food to go rotten.
A couple days later,
"I think you should seriously consider the surgery." Rios said to Beth, she was doing lightly better than she had previously. Food was staying down and thanks to some assistance from her nurse; she was able to have her first shower. She had to admit it was nice to have the luxury of shampoo and conditioner, not to mention a hair brush. Hell, everything the girls and Sasha brought were a luxury to have and use. It made her feel just a little more human which was a pleasant feeling.
"No, I know the complications that can come from it and it wouldn't be any better or worse than now. I would think as a doctor you'd have more patience." She told him wryly. He gave a smile not arguing his point further as he obviously just wanted her to keep it in mind.
"Patience is a work in progress for me." He joked before he flipped through the paperwork on her chart. "Your other blood work has come back. Everything was clear." Rios added, Beth felt a relief wash through her as knowing she was clean. Sex was the last thing on her mind but it was a relief to know she hadn't caught anything nasty during her time in the factory. "I do recommend retesting for HIV in 3 months just to be on the safe side. I also recommend a full blood work up to see how you're going in general." Rios added.
"Ok," Beth said, she appreciated him not judging her. She had protected sex where she could but even so, condoms weren't always effective and she wanted to be sure for her own sanity that she was clean medically speaking. Physically she needed at least a couple more hot showers and for time to fade the memories of disgust she had for herself.
"Other than that I think we can move you on out of here." Rios told her with a kind smile as he closed up her chart and replaced it at the end of the bed.
"Kicking me out already." Beth said wryly.
"Sooner the better." He joked, Beth gave a mildly amused expression but said nothing as he already knew this day was coming. "You've declined surgery and all you need now is bed rest and food. So yeah, we're kicking you out. But I do want you to come back if you start vomiting blood again or any serious issues arise." Rios told her.
"Ok." She said with a nod, she had to admit she was nervous about leaving. There was a safety in the routines of being in hospital as there was in being in a factory. It was one room, there were rules and schedules. The outside world just seemed like an overwhelming concept to her with too many variables and dangers.
"I've also informed Captain Slattery that we're discharging you today and he'll be here this afternoon."Rios said.
"You haven't discussed my tests or anything with him have you?" Beth asked him.
"No, that's for you to disclose. I've only informed him that you're able to go home but you're to rest and take it easy." Rios told her.
"Everything has to be perfect." Sienna told Mike as she and Mia had gone around the house making sure everything was a certain way. They even dressed Kaito in his most formal wear which was faux corduroys, a shirt with a bow tie. Something Kaito didn't complain about wearing but there was at least one feeding between now and when Mike brought Beth home. Plenty of time to mess up his outfit.
"It's all fine. I think Beth will love it all as it is." Mike assured her, he'd been with his daughters for over a week now and was still feeling completely out of his depth. He so wanted to reach out and hug Sienna or at the very least touch her shoulder with a reassuring squeeze but her body language screamed at him to keep his distance.
They didn't want to go to school but wanted to be home schooled. Mia and Sienna refused to leave the house unless it was to see Beth. The shopping trip was the only time they'd broken their pattern of behaviour.
Tom and Sasha had 'popped' by for visits to see how he was going and brought food. Anything Tom cooked ended up in the bin while Sasha's devoured. Tom was a great friend, leader and man but he was the worst chef. Sasha on the other hand was gifted with being able to mix the most unusual of ingredients and end up with something very tasty. Kara had popped over a couple times as Frankie and Halsey seemed to have won the girls.
Mia had an affinity for the small children but there was a sense of protectiveness to it that made Mike uneasy. Same with Sienna, as she spent a lot of daytime hours looking out the front window as if waiting for something. The only time she wasn't looking out the window; she was cleaning or repairing something even though he assured her she could just rest. She also seemed to get it stuck in her head that the place needed to be in top shape for Beth's arrival.
He knew from talking to Beth since meeting her that she'd be happy with the basics. There was no fuss to her, but then she seemed to not want anything in the fear of it coming with a catch. Either way, when they brought her home, Mike knew he was going to be living a minefield of psychological triggers. But he had to admit he was looking forward to it as Beth seemed to have a way of calming the girls that he couldn't do.
"Yeah, but it's nice to have everything look good." Sienna argued.
"Well, it all looks perfect to me and I think Beth will agree." Mike assured her.
"Sure but she deserves the best of what we got while it lasts." Sienna said, Mike paused at her choice of words as he realised that Sienna's words were really a reflection of how she felt and her fears. But before he could say anything the doorbell rang.
"That's Ms Debbie." Mike said, he moved to the door and opened to see Kara's mother's smiling face. "Hey, come in. Can I take your bag?" he asked her.
"No and thank you, wow look at this place. It's looking very special." Debbie said as she came into the house with a grocery bags on each arm. Mia and Sienna came towards her looking at her bags as if trying to catalogue what was in them.
"You brought it all?" Sienna asked her.
"Yes, I didn't forget a thing." Debbie informed her with a cheeky smile.
"What's this?" Mike asked them, he suddenly felt like an interloper from the looks on Mia and Sienna's faces. They looked half afraid at what his reaction would be and half not wanting him to know which didn't make him feel very good about himself. It also didn't help that he couldn't help but feel his stomach clench anxiously as he wondered what he'd forgotten and why he couldn't seem to get anything right.
"It's a surprise, so you best go get Beth." Debbie said basically telling to go away.
"Ok, I'm going." Mike said, he vainly hoped that Beth would help him find his place in his own family as he was just struggling.
"Like always." Sienna said softly, Mike pretended not to hear it as he knelt down to the floor.
"Can I get a hug before I go?" he asked, Mia gave a tiny smile before she came into his arms and gave him a hug. He smiled and looked to Sienna who held onto the lounge and he knew she was not going to hug him which made his heartbreak just a little.