Chapter 6

Anna tucked Freddie into his little bed, kissing his cheek. "You take a good nap, darling," she cooed, running her fingers over his cheek.

The children had now been living with them for nearly two months. And Anna was exhausted, but happy. They had gotten themselves into a routine and so things were slightly easier than they had been before.

Anna then turned to Johnny who was snuggled up with his teddy bear. Anna bent over to kiss his cheek and she nuzzled her nose against his.

"Sleep well, my darling," she said to him.

"Mummy?" Johnny asked, reaching out to touch her cheek.

"Yes, Johnny?"

"Love you!" That made Anna chuckle.

"I love you, more than you can know. Now you two sleep. Your baby sister is also napping. After naptime, we'll all walk down to the pond."

The two boys looked at one another excitedly and then quickly closed their eyes. Anna smiled and stood, making her way to their doorway. She stood there a moment, to make sure they were both actually going to sleep and walked down the small hallway of the cottage. She spotted Natalie in her bed, reading a book.

"What are you reading?" Anna asked her daughter. Over time Natalie had warmed up significantly to her and John. They hadn't been called Mama and Papa by the older children, yet, but they didn't want them to feel pressured to use those names until they were ready.

She sat down next to Natalie on the bed and began absentmindedly stroking her fingers through her hair. The little girl immediately snuggled into Anna's embrace and began to read out loud.

"She was aw..awa..aw.."

"Awakened," Anna prompted, giving Natalie an encouraging grin. Natalie had been working hard on her reading and wanted so badly to finish this book, The Wizard of Oz. Anna told her it was a big book to go through, but that over time Anna knew she could finish it.

"She was awakened by a sh..shock, so sud…sud…"

"Sudden."

As though the book had summoned it, they heard a loud crash downstairs. Anna jumped up.

"The boys!" Anna cursed herself under her breath. She knew better than to leave Liam and Joshua alone. Liam still got into everything. It didn't matter how child proofed Anna and John made things, somehow Liam figured out how to get into it.

She rushed down the stairs to find the dish from on top of the cabinets on the floor, broken into several shards. Liam was on the counter standing with a wide eyed glance and Joshua was below him, with a sheepish look upon his face.

Anna nearly cried. This had been a special dish. One she and John had bought after he returned home from prison. But thankfully, her mind was on getting the children somewhere safe first. She told Natalie, who had followed her, to remain on the stairs and went to grab Liam from the counter top. She walked him to the settee and told him to stay put and then got Joshua, doing the same.

Once they were safe, Anna began to clean up the floor. In moments like this, she was getting concerned that she was not cut out for this. Had she taken on too much? Tears began to spill down her cheeks and she kept shaking her head. Maybe these children deserved a better mother than her, one who didn't turn her back for a moment too long.

Finally, the mess was cleaned up. She wiped her cheeks and walked back over to the boys. Natalie was now beside them and Anna could tell that she had been talking to them.

"I'm sorry," Liam whispered, looking down at his hands.

"We just wanted a cookie," Joshua added, twisting his lips anxiously.

"Please, don't return us!" Natalie now said. "I know they are a handful, but I'll help watch them. I can stop going to school and…"

"Shh," Anna hushed her, before giving them all a small, but kind smile. "Your papa and I will never send you back. You are ours, do you understand? We love you. Mistakes happen. However, when we tell you not to do something, you have to listen. Papa and I want you to be safe, alright?"

The boys both nodded.

"And Natalie, it is not your job to watch your brothers. That is my job and Papa's job. You will continue going to school." That made Natalie smile. Anna brushed hair off Natalie's cheek.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely," Anna strongly stated. Natalie bent over then, hugging Anna tightly. New tears filled Anna's eyes, but this time they were happy tears. This moment was when she remembered what made all of this worth it: the children.

"Thank you, Mama," Natalie whispered. Anna's heart skipped a beat.

"You're welcome, sweetie."

To be continued...