Silent Lives 6: Yesterday's Trash
By Maureen
***
Jamie slept fitfully in the guest bedroom of his mother's house. It wasn't that the bed wasn't comfortable, it was, piled high with soft blankets and comforters and plenty of pillows. The mattress was firm; yet yielding obviously picked to provide comfort to as many people as possible.
The problem was that Jamie could not seem to stop dreaming. The nightmares flooded his unconsciousness, penetrating deep into the recesses of his mind and tearing out his greatest fears, waving them like flags only Jamie could see.
Abandonment.
Pain.
Shame.
He tossed and turned, trying to escape his inner demons. While he dreamed, his bedroom door opened and Shannon, the younger of the two girls crept in, her pink night gown almost glowing the in moonlight, a stuffed dog clutched in one hand dressed in a matching pink nightgown.
She watched Jamie for a minute, while he called out softly, his eyes clenched shut. "He's having a bad dream, Peepers," she said to her dog quietly so not to wake him up, not sure what to make of this. She wasn't entirely sure who he was or why he had even come to visit unexpectedly, but she knew he was nice. He had pushed her on the swings.
She climbed in to the large bed and handed her dog to Jamie and rubbed his back like her mother did when she had a bad dream.
"It'll be okay, it's just a dream," she told him. Almost at once Jamie calmed down and returned to a peaceful slumber.
Shannon snuggled in, curling herself into a ball against his back, falling asleep with him.
The next morning Mary Stewart was surprised to find Kristin watching cartoons quietly in the living room by herself. "Where is Shannon?" she asked, heading to the kitchen for coffee.
Kristin shrugged, "I don't know," she told her mother. The girls usually woke about the same time on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons, but this morning Shannon hadn't come in. "I guess she's still asleep."
Mary nodded, accepting the explanation. She began to make the traditional Saturday morning pancakes for everyone while she thought about what needed to be done that day. The first thing of course was to figure out Jamie. And try to somehow make Richard not be mad at her anymore, although she wasn't entirely convinced that it was possible.
After Jamie had brought the girls back home, he had played with them until it was their bedtime, before retiring to the guest room that they had shown him.
Soon, the smell of pancakes wafted through the house, drawing Richard out of bed and even managing to pry Kristin away from her beloved cartoons, but still no sign of Shannon or Jamie.
"Where's Shannon and Jamie?" Richard asked his wife, skipping the morning pleasantries.
"Asleep, I assume. I'll go wake them up," she replied, knowing that he would finish getting breakfast together.
She headed first to the guest room to wake up Jamie. Normally she would knock on a guest's door before entering, but she didn't think he would complain if she simply walked in. Opening the door she saw Jamie stretched out on one side of the bed, all arms and legs with his head barely on the pillow. The bedclothes were twisted about him in a mess, but as she followed the arm she could see, she saw it was holding Shannon's stuffed dog, Peepers. And next to Peepers was Shannon, still curled up in the bed.
Mary looked at them a minute longer, enjoying how cute they were. Then her 'bad mommy' instincts took over and she opened the curtains wide, "Wake up!" she called to Shannon and shook Jamie's leg lightly.
"Ah," he moaned when the sun hit his face. He tried to roll over and bury himself in his bed when he realized something. This wasn't his bed. And Alex was not opening the curtains.
Alex. Oh shit.
"Wake up! Breakfast is on the table!"
"Morning, Mommy," Shannon said, rubbing her eyes as if it were the most natural thing for her to wake up in bed with an older man she didn't quite know. Had she been ten years older it would have been a problem.
"Pancakes are waiting, Shannon," Mary said, leaving the room.
Jamie sat up in bed wearing only his boxers. Shannon was already climbing out of the bed and trying to extract Peepers from the bedclothes. It was then that he realized that she had spent the night with him.
Jamie stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes later, having pulled on his pants once more and pulled on his shirt, although he didn't button it.
"Hungry?" Richard asked him, pretending to eat.
"Yeah," Jamie said, preoccupied with how much trouble he was already in. A plate of pancakes later and he began to feel ready to take on Alex. "Um...I've got a slight problem."
Mary and Richard's interest was piqued; they had both wondered whether or not Jamie had shown up wanting something, although neither had voiced the concern.
"I didn't tell anyone where I was going yesterday and Alex, my guardian, is probably frantic."
Within a minute Mary was on the phone, he was her son after all, trying to reach Alex.
"Alex Freeman?" she asked when the phone was picked up.
"Yeah?" he replied, more of a grunt that actual English. He hadn't slept well, worrying about Jamie.
"My name is Mary Stewart...I'm calling for Jamie. He wants you to know that he's in Jacksonville, Florida. He came out here to find me."
"Find you? In Florida? What?" Alex's brain was quickly waking up sans coffee, but it still was slow in processing the information.
"He came out here to find me...I'm his mother."
Alex dropped the phone.
***
Two hours later Alex had completely woken up, had directions to their house and was at the small Kingsport airport waiting for his flight to Jacksonville. Since it was not a very popular flight, or a very large airport he was going to be hitching a ride on a small four-seater Cessna that a flight student would be piloting with the teacher.
Alex sat in the hard plastic chairs staring at the vending machines only a few paces in front of him. To one side was the check-in counter and there were no x-ray machines to go through like in a normal airport. Only about ten chairs constituted the waiting area and a drink machine and vending machine was all that they offered for food.
With slight trepidation Alex followed the girl and her teacher out to the plane and climbed the stairs behind them to the plane. Fortunately the trainee pilot had been flying for several years now, which helped ease any qualms Alex may have had over flying with a student.
More than that though, Alex was worried about what would happen and what had already happened in Florida. Obviously his mother hadn't rejected him, but what would this mean since Jamie was in foster care and his mother had been located? How was he reacting to the news? Everything was going to be haywire.
Alex drove like a bat out of hell, his ambulance training kicking in. If only he had a rack like an ambulance to get the other cars out of his way to get to the Stewart's house. Ringing the doorbell, Alex hastily tried to make himself look presentable, although clad in pressed khakis and a polo shirt, he fit into the neighborhood well. He left an overnight bag for himself in the car and carried an overnight bag for Jamie since his departure had been spur of the moment.
"Hello?" Richard asked, coming to the door.
"Hello. I'm Dr. Alex Freeman, Jamie's foster father," Alex shook hands with Richard before coming into the house. "We sent Jamie and the girls to the park again, we wanted to speak to you alone first."
Alex nodded, wondering what they could want. Several things immediately came to mind ranging from terrible to mildly annoying. None of his thoughts, however, were close to what Mrs. Stewart said.
"I want custody of Jamie. Full custody."
***
A/N: Peepers is for Bea :) Hope you and Mr. Peepers like.
One of my best friends is aviation major in Jacksonville :)
"The rack," the siren.
By Maureen
***
Jamie slept fitfully in the guest bedroom of his mother's house. It wasn't that the bed wasn't comfortable, it was, piled high with soft blankets and comforters and plenty of pillows. The mattress was firm; yet yielding obviously picked to provide comfort to as many people as possible.
The problem was that Jamie could not seem to stop dreaming. The nightmares flooded his unconsciousness, penetrating deep into the recesses of his mind and tearing out his greatest fears, waving them like flags only Jamie could see.
Abandonment.
Pain.
Shame.
He tossed and turned, trying to escape his inner demons. While he dreamed, his bedroom door opened and Shannon, the younger of the two girls crept in, her pink night gown almost glowing the in moonlight, a stuffed dog clutched in one hand dressed in a matching pink nightgown.
She watched Jamie for a minute, while he called out softly, his eyes clenched shut. "He's having a bad dream, Peepers," she said to her dog quietly so not to wake him up, not sure what to make of this. She wasn't entirely sure who he was or why he had even come to visit unexpectedly, but she knew he was nice. He had pushed her on the swings.
She climbed in to the large bed and handed her dog to Jamie and rubbed his back like her mother did when she had a bad dream.
"It'll be okay, it's just a dream," she told him. Almost at once Jamie calmed down and returned to a peaceful slumber.
Shannon snuggled in, curling herself into a ball against his back, falling asleep with him.
The next morning Mary Stewart was surprised to find Kristin watching cartoons quietly in the living room by herself. "Where is Shannon?" she asked, heading to the kitchen for coffee.
Kristin shrugged, "I don't know," she told her mother. The girls usually woke about the same time on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons, but this morning Shannon hadn't come in. "I guess she's still asleep."
Mary nodded, accepting the explanation. She began to make the traditional Saturday morning pancakes for everyone while she thought about what needed to be done that day. The first thing of course was to figure out Jamie. And try to somehow make Richard not be mad at her anymore, although she wasn't entirely convinced that it was possible.
After Jamie had brought the girls back home, he had played with them until it was their bedtime, before retiring to the guest room that they had shown him.
Soon, the smell of pancakes wafted through the house, drawing Richard out of bed and even managing to pry Kristin away from her beloved cartoons, but still no sign of Shannon or Jamie.
"Where's Shannon and Jamie?" Richard asked his wife, skipping the morning pleasantries.
"Asleep, I assume. I'll go wake them up," she replied, knowing that he would finish getting breakfast together.
She headed first to the guest room to wake up Jamie. Normally she would knock on a guest's door before entering, but she didn't think he would complain if she simply walked in. Opening the door she saw Jamie stretched out on one side of the bed, all arms and legs with his head barely on the pillow. The bedclothes were twisted about him in a mess, but as she followed the arm she could see, she saw it was holding Shannon's stuffed dog, Peepers. And next to Peepers was Shannon, still curled up in the bed.
Mary looked at them a minute longer, enjoying how cute they were. Then her 'bad mommy' instincts took over and she opened the curtains wide, "Wake up!" she called to Shannon and shook Jamie's leg lightly.
"Ah," he moaned when the sun hit his face. He tried to roll over and bury himself in his bed when he realized something. This wasn't his bed. And Alex was not opening the curtains.
Alex. Oh shit.
"Wake up! Breakfast is on the table!"
"Morning, Mommy," Shannon said, rubbing her eyes as if it were the most natural thing for her to wake up in bed with an older man she didn't quite know. Had she been ten years older it would have been a problem.
"Pancakes are waiting, Shannon," Mary said, leaving the room.
Jamie sat up in bed wearing only his boxers. Shannon was already climbing out of the bed and trying to extract Peepers from the bedclothes. It was then that he realized that she had spent the night with him.
Jamie stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes later, having pulled on his pants once more and pulled on his shirt, although he didn't button it.
"Hungry?" Richard asked him, pretending to eat.
"Yeah," Jamie said, preoccupied with how much trouble he was already in. A plate of pancakes later and he began to feel ready to take on Alex. "Um...I've got a slight problem."
Mary and Richard's interest was piqued; they had both wondered whether or not Jamie had shown up wanting something, although neither had voiced the concern.
"I didn't tell anyone where I was going yesterday and Alex, my guardian, is probably frantic."
Within a minute Mary was on the phone, he was her son after all, trying to reach Alex.
"Alex Freeman?" she asked when the phone was picked up.
"Yeah?" he replied, more of a grunt that actual English. He hadn't slept well, worrying about Jamie.
"My name is Mary Stewart...I'm calling for Jamie. He wants you to know that he's in Jacksonville, Florida. He came out here to find me."
"Find you? In Florida? What?" Alex's brain was quickly waking up sans coffee, but it still was slow in processing the information.
"He came out here to find me...I'm his mother."
Alex dropped the phone.
***
Two hours later Alex had completely woken up, had directions to their house and was at the small Kingsport airport waiting for his flight to Jacksonville. Since it was not a very popular flight, or a very large airport he was going to be hitching a ride on a small four-seater Cessna that a flight student would be piloting with the teacher.
Alex sat in the hard plastic chairs staring at the vending machines only a few paces in front of him. To one side was the check-in counter and there were no x-ray machines to go through like in a normal airport. Only about ten chairs constituted the waiting area and a drink machine and vending machine was all that they offered for food.
With slight trepidation Alex followed the girl and her teacher out to the plane and climbed the stairs behind them to the plane. Fortunately the trainee pilot had been flying for several years now, which helped ease any qualms Alex may have had over flying with a student.
More than that though, Alex was worried about what would happen and what had already happened in Florida. Obviously his mother hadn't rejected him, but what would this mean since Jamie was in foster care and his mother had been located? How was he reacting to the news? Everything was going to be haywire.
Alex drove like a bat out of hell, his ambulance training kicking in. If only he had a rack like an ambulance to get the other cars out of his way to get to the Stewart's house. Ringing the doorbell, Alex hastily tried to make himself look presentable, although clad in pressed khakis and a polo shirt, he fit into the neighborhood well. He left an overnight bag for himself in the car and carried an overnight bag for Jamie since his departure had been spur of the moment.
"Hello?" Richard asked, coming to the door.
"Hello. I'm Dr. Alex Freeman, Jamie's foster father," Alex shook hands with Richard before coming into the house. "We sent Jamie and the girls to the park again, we wanted to speak to you alone first."
Alex nodded, wondering what they could want. Several things immediately came to mind ranging from terrible to mildly annoying. None of his thoughts, however, were close to what Mrs. Stewart said.
"I want custody of Jamie. Full custody."
***
A/N: Peepers is for Bea :) Hope you and Mr. Peepers like.
One of my best friends is aviation major in Jacksonville :)
"The rack," the siren.