Chapter Forty Four

Jamie got home around 730. Annabeth had been going back and forth to the window waiting for him. When she saw his car she ran for the door and had it opened before Eddie could admonish her not to do it.

"Daddy," she cried running right into his arms soon as he came in

"Oh my goodness," Jamie smiled. "Oh my, did you miss me today?"

"Yes Daddy I missed you a lot," Annabeth gave him a tight hug.

Eddie and Henry came over and hugged Jamie to welcome him home.

"How was work?" Eddie asked as Jamie hugged both kids then kissed Eddie's lips.

"Good day," Jamie smiled. "A very good day."

"Your dinner is in the kitchen, we ate earlier," Eddie said

Jamie smiled, "I'll eat in a little bit, it's getting close to bedtime for these guys. Go on, brush teeth and wash faces, go go!"

The kids ran to do as they were told giggling happy Daddy was home.

Eddie was reading to Henry, so Jamie went to check on Annabeth. She was on her bed playing with her lace pjs. "Hey Annabear ready for Daddy to tuck you in?" Jamie sat on the bed smiling.

She nodded, she had to talk to her Daddy and do it like a grown up. She took a breath, "I need to have a word with you."

"You need to have a word with me?" Jamie echoed. "Okay honey what's wrong?" Jamie raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's the tea things," Annabeth replied trying not to break down and cry. "l don't want to go anymore."

Jamie's heart broke seeing his girl so upset, he reached out and hugged her tight. "Oh Annabeth don't cry. Talk to Daddy"

She sobbed into Jamie's chest, "Please Daddy, I don't like it. They are mean to me and Mommy. The girls are mean to Mommy."

"They're mean to you and Mommy? What do they say Annabeth?"

She sniffled and told him about the comments the girls made about Eddie's needing to be fed and needing help with that bathroom. "Please say we can't go. Please Daddy I'll do anything!"

Taking a deep breath Jamie hugged her tight, "I don't want you to be upset Annabeth." Eddie heard her daughter crying and slowly moved closer to hear the cause of her break down.

Jamie rocked her, "Annabeth you have to go honey, we can see what happens." She curled up and burrowed tight. Henry's words echoed in his head, "A father's every instinct is to stand up and protect his kids."

Jamie rocked his daughter comfortingly, "I know, I know. Daddy loves you."

He had to think on this, talk it over with Eddie, but he didn't want her to know she was the butt of cruel jokes.

Taking a deep breath while he thought how to do that Jamie held and rocked Annabeth until she calmed down. She fell asleep like that, next to her Daddy. Jamie laid her down and covered her.

"Daddy loves you Annabeth," he whispered kissing her forehead.

Eddie was in their room when he came out. "Jamie, I was thinking, it might be better if you take Annabeth tomorrow."

"Yeah? I mean why do think I should go?"

"I think...I think I hold Annabeth back, she worries about taking care of me and she just melts into her shell. I think she might be better off if you took her at least one time."

Jamie lay in bed holding Eddie tight adding a kiss to her head. "Okay Eddie I don't know, but you seem to be sure, so I'll take her"

"I…I heard her just now Jamie," she replied. "I heard everything, I heard my baby girl crying because of me. She's a target because of me and that was my worst fear as amom."

"Oh Eddie no I'm sure it isn't just you," Jamie soothed softly hugging her.

"She's picked on because of me, she's crying because of me...you were scared I would die, I was scared of this!"

Jamie sighed rocking Eddie slowly, "Eddie this is the first time she's dealing with this she'll be okay." His words did little to soothe her mother's heart.

Jamie didn't know what to do so he just held Eddie and rocked her.

The next morning, Jamie got up and ironed his best pants and shirt. Annabeth was dragging her doll, not wanting to go to the party. "Mommy, please can we not go," she begged

"Annabeth Mommy isn't going with you today. I thought it would be nice for Daddy to go."

"But everyone else is going to have their Mom,* Annabeth sighed then thought maybe Daddy would yell at them for being mean.

"Daddy is really excited about going with you honey," Eddie said softly

Annabeth smiled, "Okay. Can we pick it out, a dress for me?"

"Of course honey let's see what you have," Eddie agreed

Eddie took Annabeth to her room and they picked out a dress and matching shoes. "I like these Mommy," Annabeth twirled around showing off

"You look so pretty," Eddie kissed her cheeks. "My pretty girl. You stay by Kay all right if you feel scared."

"I will Kay is nice she's my friend. Can I take a doll with me to play with Kay?"

"Not this time," Eddie replied. "The tea party isn't for dolls this time."

Annabeth pouted her bottom lip, "What if Kay won't play with me?"

"Don't worry," Eddie replied. "Kay is your good friend, this time you are going to color and make bracelets."

Annabeth still looked nervous turning to Eddie reaching up for a hug. "Love you Mommy." Eddie gave Annabeth another kiss and sent her to finish getting ready

Jamie knew neither of his girls wanted to go to this tea, but he also knew he couldn't let either of them hide. He found Eddie's most beautiful and flattering dress in his opinion and laid it out for her. As soon as he was finished dressing Annabeth he went to help her. "We are all going to go as a family today...don't worry."

Eddie looked at him, "Jamie but Annabeth being seen with me…she'll be so upset."

"She will be fine, she can play and I can help you and we will charm those ladies you and me together." Both Eddie and Annabeth looked like they wanted to cry. "We do this as a family, we got this, come on let's go hurry up"

While he helped Eddie dress Jamie whispered in her ear, "I love you and Annabeth Eddie I have your back."

She nodded and with Jamie's help put on the dress and a full face of make up.

Jamie held Annabeth's hand and walked her into the designated party house. "Oh, Mr. Reagan," Babs greeted Jamie. "We weren't expecting the whole family today."

" I just wanted to escort Annabeth and Eddie this time if that's okay," Jamie assured

"Of course," Babs smiled. "We always like to see a dad here. Come in, Annabeth, the girls just got started picking out their beads, go on and join them."

"Thank you," Annabeth immediately scanned the area for Kay while Jamie watched his daughter

Kay saw her friend and smiled at her, "Annabeth, I got some of the big beads for you"

"Thanks Kay I'm glad you're here. My Daddy came too so it might be more fun for us," she said.

"Your Daddy is nice too," Kay replied. "Here. Let's make a bracelet for each other and we can wear them and be friends forever. Do you want to?"

Annabeth nodded smiling, "Yeah because you're my friend I want to stay best friends."

The two girls hugged impromptu then went to make the jewelry. Jamie watched his daughter, an except for Kay she kept to herself and didn't interact at all. He found these people pretty insipid himself, dull and boring. He knew the look in Annabeth's eyes.

As a kid he often found people like this quiet boring forcing him to keep to himself. His mind had been years ahead of the others, his games so much more complex. He was concerned about this...then he heard it. "It's got to be so much easier on her to have her father here, she doesn't have to wipe anyone's mouth of anything."

Eddie heard this and looked at Jamie, this is what she did to their daughter.

The women fell quiet, they knew they had been overheard. Suddenly they had nothing to say and turned their heads away. Eddie looked down at her hands in her lap. Jamie put an arm around Eddie turning to watch Annabeth his girls. "Don't let them get to you," Jamie replied. "They are jealous of you."

Eddie took in a deep breath, "Jealous of me no way Jamie."

The mothers look over at him all of them getting quiet glaring before turning away. "She's a six year old girl, this is normal for her, and hearing a bunch of thirty something women diss her mother is pretty rough stuff, so I would appreciate it if you discussed this stuff out of her ear shot, I know better than to ask you stop." The women stopped talking, and went about their own business for a while. One of the mothers moved closer to Jamie and looked him over, "You two are very lucky to have e other."

Jamie only smiled shaking his head, "I'm the one who's lucky to have her she's my best friend"

He smiled down at Eddie and rubbed her shoulder.

"That's very nice," she smiled. "And you do have a sweet, if not shy little girl."

"Annabeth is such a sweet girl just very quiet," Jamie smiled at his daughter. She had finished her bracelet and was sitting by herself while Kay went to the bathroom. Jamie wanted to pluck her up and take her home and never let go but he knew for her own good, he couldn't.

They headed home with Annabeth wearing the bracelet that Kay made for her. Eddie was quiet all the way there, she was glad Jamie had been there with them and could see what kind of thing happen

Jamie parked then helped his girls out of the car letting Annabeth in the house

"Kay is a very nice girl and her mother is lovely as well," Eddie replied. "But she is still so inside herself Jamie..."

"Yes she is I'm glad she has Kay though she does seem like a good friend for our girl," Jamie agreed

Jamie was going inside himself for a few minutes to think, he saw a fee things that he wanted to discuss with his father.

He waited not wanting Eddie or Annabeth to hear the conversation with his father

Frank was busy the next few days, but was finally able to meet up with Jamie the day before the next tea. Jamie expressed his fears and his concerns about having Annabeth and Eddie continue to attend the events.

"If you do that," Frank advised his son. "The vultures win and unfortunately, you teach Annabeth it's okay to run away and hide when it's tough. That's not a virtue I raised you with, and it's not in Eddie's body either. If it was…"

Jamie nodded, "She's be long gone, I know, but she begs me. She cries and clings to me and begs me, "Daddy, don't make us…My job is to protect her and…"

"Your job is to prepare her, Jamie," Frank reminded him. "It's a rough world and believe me, every tear you shed I wanted to dry it. Anytime you were scared or hurt, I wanted to wrap you up in a big bubble and never let you out, but if I did that, Jamie, if I did that, what kind of person would you be now. You can face this as a father because of a strong foundation. You could face this without talking with me if you had to. One day, Annabeth won't have you or Eddie there, and she'll have to stand alone. This is where that lesson is learned."

Jamie took his father's advice to heart and knew he had to keep bolstering his daughter up at home to help her outside. As he was bustling around the house cleaning up later that day, the phone rang.

Eddie answered it, a call at this time of day was strange. ",Hello.,x

"Mrs. Reagan this is Sister Marie from Annabeth's school. She's fine but I wanted to speak with you and your husband."

"Okay, what time would you like us?" She asked.

"Eleven thirty would be great thanks see you soon."

Eddie called Jamie to come help her get ready. "My dad can watch Henry," Eddie told him. She said it wasn't an emergency.,x

"I'll call him before we leave," Jamie said helping Eddie to the room and changed.

"Just put my hair up," she told him "I don't want it to look too conspicuous."

Jamie did the way she liked finishing up. "Looks perfect let me just change real quick."

They arrived together at the school and were taken to the principal's office. The school counselor was there as well.

Sister stood up to greet them, "thank you for coming on such short notice Mr. and Mrs. Reagan."

"Anytime Sister," Jamie replied. "What can we do for you?"

Sister sat folding her hands, "we want you talk to you about Annabeth."

Eddie nodded and Jamie sat back. "We noticed that Annabeth tends to keep to herself and doesn't mingle with the other children. Your living situation is different as she is at an age where differences, even slight ones, can be a strain on her sense of fitting in. Add to that an IQ of 165 and she is very out of place here."

"Wait a 165 IQ," Eddie repeated surprised Jamie looking over at his wife

"Annabeth is bored to tears in her class and likely with her classmates as well. That's why she keeps so quiet."

Jamie nodded that sounded familiar, "so what would you suggest?"

"We suggest that she might benefit from a gifted and talented program," the counselor replied.

"How do we get her into the program is there a test she has to take," Eddie asked worried

"Well, at first I would just call these schools and set up meetings to locate the school you feel is best suited to your needs. Then there is scholarship tests, intelligence exams and in some cases also psychology exams."

"Can you offer a list of schools you would-recommend," Eddie asked

"Of course," the counselor replied. "Here are five that we picked out that we think would be a benefit to her."

"Thank you very much," Jamie took the paper we will look into them."