Time went on at the scrap yard. Abby and Sam brought Nate to the store so Abby's co-workers could ooh and ahh over him. Sam just didn't let anyone hold him, or touch him for that matter. He stood behind Abby wanting her to be able to visit but ready to whisk Nate away if someone with a cold dared reach toward him. Sam was taking parenthood very seriously.
Nate was able to wake the house with his cries. Bobby helped with some of the late night feedings as did Sam. Abby was going to give up nursing before she went back to work. Tasha heard Nate's cries because her room was right up the stairs. Kylee and Dean didn't hear him as often because their room was at the other end of the house. Still, until Nate started sleeping more at night, the whole family was sleep deprived.
Dean and Kylee managed to keep up with the garage. Bobby still ran the scrap yard and found cars for Dean and Kylee to get running again. Tasha went to work at the store, and Danny was actually friendly to her. That was a huge relief.
Abby's hormones started to get back to normal, and that eased Sam's mind. She was doing almost everything she did before she was pregnant. She had weight that she just couldn't seem to lose, but Sam assured her that it would go away in time.
Meanwhile, Nate was the center of everyone's world. He was constantly held or played with. Dean and Kylee washed up as soon as they were done and took care of Nate. Dean told him about all the cars they'd worked on and Nate would just look at him with huge eyes. Kylee would talk to him about his toys. She remembered that babies could see black, white and red. So, she usually picked the red toys to put in front of him and let him play with.
Bobby and Tasha kept going on their walks whenever she worked days at the store. It was getting colder out, but they just bundled up more. And, sometimes, they cuddled on the couch. Tasha loved the feeling of being warm and safe, under a blanket and curled up beside Bobby. They had a hard time finding places inside where they could be alone to talk, much less kiss. It was a crowded, happy household.
Sometimes it was just a smile over the dinner table that made Tasha's heart jump. Or the way that Tasha was with Nate that made Bobby melt inside. It was stolen glances and moments into who each other was. They knew each other way more than any other dating couple ever could.
"Bobby," Sam called him over to where he'd been busy on his laptop. "Look at this."
Sam got out of the chair so Bobby could sit down and see the screen. Back in Boston, Tasha and Abby's father and mother had been in a bad car accident. While their mother was treated and released, their father was still in intensive care. It was just a newspaper article. Sam googled Abby's parents every so often just to see if they were looking for her or Tasha. He didn't expect to find that they'd been hurt.
"That's something the girls might want to know about," Bobby sighed. "I have no clue how to tell them or how they'll react."
"Why couldn't he just die?" those hurtful words from Sam's mouth shocked Bobby. "He deserves it after what he did to them."
"Yes, he does. I just didn't think I'd ever hear you put it so bluntly."
"If the girls decide to go visit, will it blow their cover for their new identities?"
"No, those were perfectly legal name changes," Bobby told him. "I just had a buddy who could rush them through for me."
Sam nodded. "So what do we do?"
"I guess we talk to them tonight when they get home from work. We'll have Dean and Kylee take Nate into their room so that he doesn't have to hear any of it. I know he's just a baby, but I don't want him to expose him to any of the grief their father caused. You are aware that this could bring back the nightmares full-force, right? Are you ready to handle it?"
"Yep. How about you, Bobby?"
Bobby's heart was getting twisted and pounded, he wanted to spare Tasha any pain that he could. But, he knew she had the right to know about her parents. "I can do it."
They spent the rest of the afternoon in relative silence, worrying about the conversation they were going to have to have after supper.
Bobby went out and told Kylee and Dean what was going on. They agreed that Tasha and Abby needed to know. Taking Nate to their room would be no problem.
Dean watched Bobby slowly walk back to the house.
"Bobby and Tasha have been so happy lately. This has to be the worst timing for them," Dean lamented.
"For Sam and Abby, too, with having Nate. They should be allowed to be happy and not have that monster to deal with.," Kylee added.
"I wish I could go back and change how we got Tasha," Dean said as he tried to get back to work. "We swiped her off the street. Our only concern was getting her out of there. We should have beat her dad to a pulp, let him know what he deserved for what we knew he'd done. No one--and I mean no one--deserves to be brought up in a home filled with fear. I can only imagine what Bobby and Sam have had to go through on account of him."
"Maybe we should take Nate overnight in our room," Kylee put a hand on Dean's back. "Tasha and Abby could have awful nightmares and Sam and Bobby could have their hands full with them."
"I think that would be a great idea," Dean gave Kylee a kiss. "Did I tell you how lucky I am to have you?"
"It's always nice to hear. I'm lucky to have you, too. Suddenly, what my folks pulled at our wedding doesn't seem bad at all."
Tasha and Abby were happily chatting with each other when they came in after work. They fell silent when they saw Bobby and Sam sitting quietly at the table.
"What's up, hon? Is Nate alright?" Abby asked as he hung up her coat.
"Yeah, he's up with Dean and Kylee in their room. Bobby and I just need to talk to you and Tasha for a few minutes."
"Okay," Tasha spoke from behind Abby. "What's going on?"
Bobby patted the chair next to him. "Come on over, darlin'."
After they'd sat down, Sam started to tell them what he'd found. "I search on the internet for your parents and both of you every so often to see if anyone has reported you missing or if we need to hide your identities better. Today, I found an article from Boston. Your parents have been in a bad car wreck. Your mom had minor injuries so she was treated and released. Your dad is still in intensive care. His injuries are more extensive."
Abby had a grip on Sam's hand and her knuckles were as white as her face.
Tasha curled up next to Bobby. He smoothed her hair and made comforting sounds. Bobby's eyes were filling with tears for those girls that he loved so much.
"We thought you should know what we found," Sam continued. "We didn't know if you would want to try to go see him or not. We weren't going to make any decisions for you. We'll support you whatever you decide to do."
"I can't see him," Abby said quickly. "I said my goodbyes long ago. I can't go back."
Tasha realized most eyes were on her, wondering how she wanted to proceed.
"I-I don't know," she looked panicked. "Can we go somewhere?" she asked Bobby.
"Sure," Bobby shot Sam a look because he wasn't sure how Tasha was feeling.
Sam concentrated on Abby. Bobby tried to think of a comforting place to bring Tasha and all he could come up with was his room.
"We can sit in here, Tasha. No one will bother us." He had one arm around her slender shoulders. She slowly followed him into his room. He shut the door and Tasha started to cry. Bobby led her to the bed. Then, he sat down beside her to get ready to listen to whatever she had to say or talk about whatever was worrying her. Bobby knew what Sam had said had come as a shock.
When Tasha was silent for a period of time, Bobby asked if she wanted to go see her parents.
"I don't know," Tasha replied. "Does that make me an awful person?"
"No, honey, it doesn't. Don't worry about that anyway. You just do what is right for you."
Bobby sat with his back against the headboard, holding Tasha in his arms. She cried until she slept. At some point, Bobby laid down on the bed and threw a blanket over them.
"I can't go," Abby told Sam again, this time she was totally calm. "There's no way in hell I'd go back there. Tasha is the only reason I ever did in the first place."
"That's okay. You don't have to." Sam repeated yet again.
"I'm tired. Can we just go to bed?"
"Yep. Dean and Kylee said they'd watch Nate for tonight."
"So they know about this, too?"
"They're family and we wanted to be able to concentrate on you and Tasha without having to worry about Nate. He's fine with Dean and Kylee. I went over everything with them, and we're just downstairs if they need us."
Abby sat down on the bed and sighed.
"Just take tonight to sleep, Abby, please?"
"Okay. No more secrets?"
"I never intentionally kept a secret from you. I just wanted to know about any issues before they blew up in my face. I told you I'd always protect you. That's what I was doing."
"I believe you. I love you, Sammy."
"I love you so much, Abby. I hope I made the right choice telling you what I found."
"You did," Abby nodded. "That was something that I needed to know and deal with. Keep protecting me, but no secrets, okay?"
"You got it," Sam pulled her close.