Chapter 2
Kate smiled as Danny and Grace entered the cabin. "Go wash up, Grace. Dinner is almost ready." Looking Danny over, she nodded toward the wash basin by the bed. "I heated some water up."
"Thanks," he told her as he crossed the room. "Though I don't think even hot water will get all the grease off my hands. Come here, Grace," he grabbed her as she tried to slip outside again. "You can wash up first."
Crossing her arms she pouted up at him. "Don' wanna."
"Grace," Kate warned.
Danny squatted down in front of her. "Okay then, I'll go first, but then you'll be stuck with greasy dirty water and you'll never get clean so we'll just have to give you a bath." He smiled, winking up at Kate as Grace glared at him. Grace continued to pout, but stomped over to wash her hands anyways. "Good girl," Danny ruffled her hair playfully. "Maybe we should give you a bath. Look how dirty your feet are!"
Grace whipped around. "No bath!" Danny just smiled at her, handing her a towel to dry her hands.
"Where are your shoes, little one?" Danny asked her as he began scrubbing his hands and arms. "Did you leave them outside?" Grace just shrugged as she sat at the table.
"I told her she didn't have to wear them," Kate informed Danny. "They're too small for her anyways."
Danny frowned. "What about the shoes the McKinley's gave us?"
Kate shook her head. "Too big," she told him. "It's been warm and will only get warmer. She can run around barefoot until September, if she wants too."
"Yeah, I guess," was Danny's glum reply.
Kate looked up at him. "What's wrong?"
Danny turned back to scrubbing his hands, "Nothing."
"Danny, something's bothering you. I can tell. You can't hide from me Walker," she kidded.
"It's just," he paused, "I don't like it that I can't provide her with shoes. That's something she should have. I should be able to take better care of her - and you, than that."
Danny's shoulder's slumped, almost as if in defeat and Kate hated seeing that. She put dinner on the table and then went to stand next him, her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you take great care of us," she told him. Danny's only response was a small harrumf. "You do Danny. We have this cabin, and occasional chicken and eggs. A small garden behind us. And rice. Lots and lots of rice," she joked. Danny offered her a tight lipped smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "If it wasn't for you, Grace and I would be living in the dorms with no privacy and little more than rice to eat."
Danny turned to look at her and Kate was shocked by the pain she saw there. "If it wasn't for me, you would be back home in the States, safe and well fed. And Grace would have shoes." Grabbing the towel next to the wash stand, he quickly stalked over to the table and began to serve up dinner. Kate could only stare at him. Where had that come from?
She watched him for a moment. "How can you even think that?"
He glanced up at her, then back at his soup. "How can I not?" was his reply. "If it wasn't for me you would have been safe at the embassy. You would have left with everyone else. Instead you were stuck babysitting me in the middle of nowhere. You should have just let me...."
"Don't you dare," Kate said, her voice loud enough to make Grace flinch. "Don't you dare tell me I should have let you die, Daniel Walker, because I don't want to hear it." Danny looked at her, surprised at the vehemence in her voice. "You don't know that I would have been at the embassy in time to leave with everyone. We don't know what happened to Micheal." She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "I would rather spend my whole life living here with you than back in New York with Micheal and my family," she quietly stated.
Danny shook his head. "You don't mean that," he said. Kate tried to protest but, he wouldn't let her. "You can't really mean that, Kate. Back in the States there would be plenty of food and clothing. Grace could go to a real school and have toys and..."
"She has all she needs right here. We have all we need," Kate said emphatically. "She has two people who love her. She has friends and enough food. It's not the best food, but it's enough."
"You can't tell me that you don't wish for her to have more, to have better," Danny demanded.
"In exchange for what?" Kate asked. "She can have more food and clothes, but she looses you and get's Micheal?" She shook her head vehmently. "I don't think so!" Getting up, Kate walked out the door.
"Where are you going?" Danny called after her. "What about dinner?"
"I'm not hungry."
Danny let out a sigh as the door closed. He hadn't meant to argue with Kate. Grace let out a little sniff and he looked over at her. Her big green eyes, so like her mother's, were filling with tears. He pulled her too him and gave her a hug. "It's okay, Gracie. Don't cry." He stroked her hair.
"Mama?" she asked tentatively.
"Mama's just fine," he told her. "I just upset her a little." He looked at the closed door again. "Can you finish up your dinner. I want to go talk to her." Grace nodded. "When you're done you can play with Ramsey on the bed, okay?" Ramsey was Grace's rag doll which was made up of what was left of Danny's flight fatigues. "Make sure you finish everything in your bowl - even the carrots."
"Don' like carrots," she pouted.
"I know," he kissed her head as he stood up, "But they're good for you, so eat them anyway. Please."
Kate smiled as Danny and Grace entered the cabin. "Go wash up, Grace. Dinner is almost ready." Looking Danny over, she nodded toward the wash basin by the bed. "I heated some water up."
"Thanks," he told her as he crossed the room. "Though I don't think even hot water will get all the grease off my hands. Come here, Grace," he grabbed her as she tried to slip outside again. "You can wash up first."
Crossing her arms she pouted up at him. "Don' wanna."
"Grace," Kate warned.
Danny squatted down in front of her. "Okay then, I'll go first, but then you'll be stuck with greasy dirty water and you'll never get clean so we'll just have to give you a bath." He smiled, winking up at Kate as Grace glared at him. Grace continued to pout, but stomped over to wash her hands anyways. "Good girl," Danny ruffled her hair playfully. "Maybe we should give you a bath. Look how dirty your feet are!"
Grace whipped around. "No bath!" Danny just smiled at her, handing her a towel to dry her hands.
"Where are your shoes, little one?" Danny asked her as he began scrubbing his hands and arms. "Did you leave them outside?" Grace just shrugged as she sat at the table.
"I told her she didn't have to wear them," Kate informed Danny. "They're too small for her anyways."
Danny frowned. "What about the shoes the McKinley's gave us?"
Kate shook her head. "Too big," she told him. "It's been warm and will only get warmer. She can run around barefoot until September, if she wants too."
"Yeah, I guess," was Danny's glum reply.
Kate looked up at him. "What's wrong?"
Danny turned back to scrubbing his hands, "Nothing."
"Danny, something's bothering you. I can tell. You can't hide from me Walker," she kidded.
"It's just," he paused, "I don't like it that I can't provide her with shoes. That's something she should have. I should be able to take better care of her - and you, than that."
Danny's shoulder's slumped, almost as if in defeat and Kate hated seeing that. She put dinner on the table and then went to stand next him, her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you take great care of us," she told him. Danny's only response was a small harrumf. "You do Danny. We have this cabin, and occasional chicken and eggs. A small garden behind us. And rice. Lots and lots of rice," she joked. Danny offered her a tight lipped smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "If it wasn't for you, Grace and I would be living in the dorms with no privacy and little more than rice to eat."
Danny turned to look at her and Kate was shocked by the pain she saw there. "If it wasn't for me, you would be back home in the States, safe and well fed. And Grace would have shoes." Grabbing the towel next to the wash stand, he quickly stalked over to the table and began to serve up dinner. Kate could only stare at him. Where had that come from?
She watched him for a moment. "How can you even think that?"
He glanced up at her, then back at his soup. "How can I not?" was his reply. "If it wasn't for me you would have been safe at the embassy. You would have left with everyone else. Instead you were stuck babysitting me in the middle of nowhere. You should have just let me...."
"Don't you dare," Kate said, her voice loud enough to make Grace flinch. "Don't you dare tell me I should have let you die, Daniel Walker, because I don't want to hear it." Danny looked at her, surprised at the vehemence in her voice. "You don't know that I would have been at the embassy in time to leave with everyone. We don't know what happened to Micheal." She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "I would rather spend my whole life living here with you than back in New York with Micheal and my family," she quietly stated.
Danny shook his head. "You don't mean that," he said. Kate tried to protest but, he wouldn't let her. "You can't really mean that, Kate. Back in the States there would be plenty of food and clothing. Grace could go to a real school and have toys and..."
"She has all she needs right here. We have all we need," Kate said emphatically. "She has two people who love her. She has friends and enough food. It's not the best food, but it's enough."
"You can't tell me that you don't wish for her to have more, to have better," Danny demanded.
"In exchange for what?" Kate asked. "She can have more food and clothes, but she looses you and get's Micheal?" She shook her head vehmently. "I don't think so!" Getting up, Kate walked out the door.
"Where are you going?" Danny called after her. "What about dinner?"
"I'm not hungry."
Danny let out a sigh as the door closed. He hadn't meant to argue with Kate. Grace let out a little sniff and he looked over at her. Her big green eyes, so like her mother's, were filling with tears. He pulled her too him and gave her a hug. "It's okay, Gracie. Don't cry." He stroked her hair.
"Mama?" she asked tentatively.
"Mama's just fine," he told her. "I just upset her a little." He looked at the closed door again. "Can you finish up your dinner. I want to go talk to her." Grace nodded. "When you're done you can play with Ramsey on the bed, okay?" Ramsey was Grace's rag doll which was made up of what was left of Danny's flight fatigues. "Make sure you finish everything in your bowl - even the carrots."
"Don' like carrots," she pouted.
"I know," he kissed her head as he stood up, "But they're good for you, so eat them anyway. Please."