A/N's - KayKayLee, as I was writing I looked up at my porcelain doll -
that's where I got the analogy, but I went back and read your story, "His
China Doll," and you're right, it's similar. If you want I'll change it,
but I promise I didn't take it from you, I would never purposely do that.
By the way, I really liked your story, and I'm serious, if you want me to
I'll change it or take it out.
Chapter 2
"Mom! We're going to be late!" sixteen year old Anna Kinkirk called up the stairs.
A moment later Lucy appeared, "I didn't know you could be late going to the mall."
Anna sighed dramatically, as if her mother was completely clueless, "it closes in six hours, we're not going to have enough time to shop"
"I hope you don't think I'm going to spend six hours with you in the mall."
Anna frowned, "I need to go school shopping."
"And that takes six hours?"
"You could just let me drive there by myself."
"I could, but I'm not going to," Lucy replied picking up her jacket.
Anna sighed, "You know, Ashley has her own car."
"Do I look like Ashley's mother?"
"No," Anna replied, defeated.
Lucy smiled sarcastically, "let's get this show on the road."
"Uhh!" Anna pouted, "you're sooo embarrassing."
"Who am I embarrassing you in front of? The cat?" Lucy asked, motioning to Anna's cat, who was sleeping on the couch.
Anna immediately stormed out the door, muttering under her breath.
Lucy sighed, grabbed her purse and keys and quickly followed.
After three hours of shopping, Anna and Lucy sat down for lunch.
"Mom?" Anna asked after a moment.
Lucy looked up from the magazine she was reading, "yes?" she asked, wondering what Anna would demand of her now.
"Why didn't you and dad ever have any more kids?"
Lucy stared back at her in shock, that was definitely something she hadn't expected.
"Umm, I..uh.I don't know," Lucy finished quickly.
"You know, you're only 36, you could still have another baby."
Lucy stared back at her daughter as a rush of memories came flooding into her mind.
~
Lucy pulled the thin sheet of paper from the envelope she held in her shaking hands.
Kevin gently wrapped his arm around her, "do you want me to read it?"
Lucy nodded, handing him the paper, as she rubbed her round stomach.
Kevin quickly skimmed the short letter, then turned back to Lucy, tears shining in his eyes, as he shook his head sadly.
Lucy immediately burst into tear as Kevin gently pulled her into a tight hug, softly rubbing her back.
"It'll be okay Luce, we'll raise him or her as our own, we can pretend this never happened."
Lucy stared back at him, "we can't do that, what if Kenny." her voice trailed off as more tears fell from her eyes.
"He's in jail Luce, and I can get a restraining order against him. I won't let him anywhere near us, he doesn't even have to know that."
"Okay." Lucy whispered softly, as she leaned against him, "and Kevin?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry."
Kevin stared back at his wife, "Luce, you have nothing to be sorry about, this isn't your fault, if it's anyone's, it's mine."
Lucy didn't respond, just hung tightly onto Kevin.
~
"Mom? Are you okay?" Anna asked.
Lucy jumped, as she snapped out of her daydream, "Yeah.I'm.um, I'm fine."
Anna stared at her quizzically, "whatever."
That night Anna went to a friends house for dinner and Lucy and Kevin went out to dinner.
"Luce, can I ask you something?" Kevin asked.
Lucy nodded, motioning for him to continue.
Kevin took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to tell Lucy what he wanted, finally he decided to just spit it out, "I want another baby."
Lucy stared at him, in shock, "what did you say.no.I know what you said, Kevin, do you know how hard that was for me?"
"But this would be my baby, our baby."
"Are you saying that Anna isn't your baby? Our baby?" Lucy asked, angrily.
"No," Kevin answered quickly, "I just meant."
Lucy cut him off, "I know what you meant, by the way Anna wants one too."
Kevin stared at Lucy, this time it was his turn to be shocked, "she what?"
"She want me to have another baby."
"So.?"
"So what?"
"So.do you want another baby?"
Lucy frowned, "you're serious? You really want another baby?"
Kevin nodded, "but only if you do."
Lucy sighed, "let me think about it."
Kevin smiled, "thankyou, and I love you."
"I love you too."
The next morning, Lucy had to go to work early (after the incident she became a grief counselor for rape victims.) Kevin and Anna were making waffles.
"Dad? Can I ask you something?" Anna asked.
Kevin nodded, "sure."
"Yesterday, I asked mom why you guys never had anymore kids, and she got all funny, like she was remembering something, something really really bad."
Kevin stared at his daughter, completely mystified as to what he should tell her, "maybe she.um."
Anna immediately caught on, "you guys are hiding something from me."
Before Kevin could answer, the phone rang he immediately ran into the other room and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, It's me."
"Thank God!" Kevin exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, worried.
"Anna's grilling me, she says that yesterday you seemed like you were remembering something."
"And?"
"Luce, I think we need to tell her."
"What?" Lucy screamed into the phone, "How would you feel if your parents told you that?"
"Well what do you want me to tell her?"
Lucy sighed, "I don't know, tell her it was nothing."
"She's not stupid Luce."
"Well what do you want me to do?"
"Give me something to tell her."
Lucy sighed loudly into the phone, then hung up.
Kevin quickly walked back into the kitchen, just as Anna was hanging up the phone.
"Anna!" Kevin screamed.
Anna jumped at his voice, but then became just as angry, "What are you hiding from me?"
Kevin stared back at her, "nothing."
"Dad, I heard you, that wasn't nothing."
Kevin continued to stare at her, then reached over the counter and handed her his keys, "why don't you um.go to one of your friends houses?"
Anna stared at him, "by myself?"
Kevin nodded.
Anna smiled and immediately ran out the door.
Kevin sat down at the table, regretting what he had just done, and praying that Anna would get home before Lucy.
Anna started to drive to her best friends house, but quickly changed her mind and headed for the library.
"Where are the newspaper archives?" she asked the librarian.
Chapter 2
"Mom! We're going to be late!" sixteen year old Anna Kinkirk called up the stairs.
A moment later Lucy appeared, "I didn't know you could be late going to the mall."
Anna sighed dramatically, as if her mother was completely clueless, "it closes in six hours, we're not going to have enough time to shop"
"I hope you don't think I'm going to spend six hours with you in the mall."
Anna frowned, "I need to go school shopping."
"And that takes six hours?"
"You could just let me drive there by myself."
"I could, but I'm not going to," Lucy replied picking up her jacket.
Anna sighed, "You know, Ashley has her own car."
"Do I look like Ashley's mother?"
"No," Anna replied, defeated.
Lucy smiled sarcastically, "let's get this show on the road."
"Uhh!" Anna pouted, "you're sooo embarrassing."
"Who am I embarrassing you in front of? The cat?" Lucy asked, motioning to Anna's cat, who was sleeping on the couch.
Anna immediately stormed out the door, muttering under her breath.
Lucy sighed, grabbed her purse and keys and quickly followed.
After three hours of shopping, Anna and Lucy sat down for lunch.
"Mom?" Anna asked after a moment.
Lucy looked up from the magazine she was reading, "yes?" she asked, wondering what Anna would demand of her now.
"Why didn't you and dad ever have any more kids?"
Lucy stared back at her in shock, that was definitely something she hadn't expected.
"Umm, I..uh.I don't know," Lucy finished quickly.
"You know, you're only 36, you could still have another baby."
Lucy stared back at her daughter as a rush of memories came flooding into her mind.
~
Lucy pulled the thin sheet of paper from the envelope she held in her shaking hands.
Kevin gently wrapped his arm around her, "do you want me to read it?"
Lucy nodded, handing him the paper, as she rubbed her round stomach.
Kevin quickly skimmed the short letter, then turned back to Lucy, tears shining in his eyes, as he shook his head sadly.
Lucy immediately burst into tear as Kevin gently pulled her into a tight hug, softly rubbing her back.
"It'll be okay Luce, we'll raise him or her as our own, we can pretend this never happened."
Lucy stared back at him, "we can't do that, what if Kenny." her voice trailed off as more tears fell from her eyes.
"He's in jail Luce, and I can get a restraining order against him. I won't let him anywhere near us, he doesn't even have to know that."
"Okay." Lucy whispered softly, as she leaned against him, "and Kevin?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry."
Kevin stared back at his wife, "Luce, you have nothing to be sorry about, this isn't your fault, if it's anyone's, it's mine."
Lucy didn't respond, just hung tightly onto Kevin.
~
"Mom? Are you okay?" Anna asked.
Lucy jumped, as she snapped out of her daydream, "Yeah.I'm.um, I'm fine."
Anna stared at her quizzically, "whatever."
That night Anna went to a friends house for dinner and Lucy and Kevin went out to dinner.
"Luce, can I ask you something?" Kevin asked.
Lucy nodded, motioning for him to continue.
Kevin took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to tell Lucy what he wanted, finally he decided to just spit it out, "I want another baby."
Lucy stared at him, in shock, "what did you say.no.I know what you said, Kevin, do you know how hard that was for me?"
"But this would be my baby, our baby."
"Are you saying that Anna isn't your baby? Our baby?" Lucy asked, angrily.
"No," Kevin answered quickly, "I just meant."
Lucy cut him off, "I know what you meant, by the way Anna wants one too."
Kevin stared at Lucy, this time it was his turn to be shocked, "she what?"
"She want me to have another baby."
"So.?"
"So what?"
"So.do you want another baby?"
Lucy frowned, "you're serious? You really want another baby?"
Kevin nodded, "but only if you do."
Lucy sighed, "let me think about it."
Kevin smiled, "thankyou, and I love you."
"I love you too."
The next morning, Lucy had to go to work early (after the incident she became a grief counselor for rape victims.) Kevin and Anna were making waffles.
"Dad? Can I ask you something?" Anna asked.
Kevin nodded, "sure."
"Yesterday, I asked mom why you guys never had anymore kids, and she got all funny, like she was remembering something, something really really bad."
Kevin stared at his daughter, completely mystified as to what he should tell her, "maybe she.um."
Anna immediately caught on, "you guys are hiding something from me."
Before Kevin could answer, the phone rang he immediately ran into the other room and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, It's me."
"Thank God!" Kevin exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, worried.
"Anna's grilling me, she says that yesterday you seemed like you were remembering something."
"And?"
"Luce, I think we need to tell her."
"What?" Lucy screamed into the phone, "How would you feel if your parents told you that?"
"Well what do you want me to tell her?"
Lucy sighed, "I don't know, tell her it was nothing."
"She's not stupid Luce."
"Well what do you want me to do?"
"Give me something to tell her."
Lucy sighed loudly into the phone, then hung up.
Kevin quickly walked back into the kitchen, just as Anna was hanging up the phone.
"Anna!" Kevin screamed.
Anna jumped at his voice, but then became just as angry, "What are you hiding from me?"
Kevin stared back at her, "nothing."
"Dad, I heard you, that wasn't nothing."
Kevin continued to stare at her, then reached over the counter and handed her his keys, "why don't you um.go to one of your friends houses?"
Anna stared at him, "by myself?"
Kevin nodded.
Anna smiled and immediately ran out the door.
Kevin sat down at the table, regretting what he had just done, and praying that Anna would get home before Lucy.
Anna started to drive to her best friends house, but quickly changed her mind and headed for the library.
"Where are the newspaper archives?" she asked the librarian.