"I found Annie a new school," Carter said. "It's actually closer to home
than the other one."
I looked up from my position in Carter's arms. We'd been working opposite shifts for the past week and hadn't seen each other at all. "When does she start?" I asked.
"She already did," he said, pulling me over so that I was practically on top of him.
"There's a parent's evening tomorrow. Will you . . ."
"Go with you?" I finished, kissing him. "Of course."
********************************
"Look, look!" Annie said, dragging Carter and me across the room. Everything in the room gave me a good feeling. Much better than that last place she was in. Everything there was adult-sized. Everything here was just the right size for a child.
"I have my own cubbie," Annie said, proudly pointing to a green box in a series of boxes. "And, look!" Annie dragged us to a bulletin board covered in crudely drawn pictures. "That's us," she said, pointing to a picture near the bottom. "That's Daddy, that's me, and that's Mim."
"What's that?" I asked, pointing to a yellow haze with wings in the corner of Annie's drawing.
"Mommy," Annie said. "She's watching over us."
I glanced at Carter, expecting to see him grinning but he was studying the picture. "Annie," he said. I could hear concern in his voice. "Why is your hair black in the picture?"
I looked and, sure enough, a black-haired Annie was standing in- between the stick-figure drawings of Carter and me. But not only was her hair black, her clothes were black, and her face was black.
Annie looked gravely from me to Carter. "That's how I feel," she said.
"What's how you feel?" I asked.
"I feel black." Annie walked away from us and over to a box of legos.
I looked at Carter. "What do you think that's about?"
Carter just shrugged. "I dunno. We should talk to her teacher, see if she's noticed anything."
I followed Carter over to the young woman at the front of the classroom. "Hello," she said brightly. "You must be Annie's parents. I'm Judy Gale."
"Nice to meet you," Carter said.
"Annie is a wonderfully bright child," Judy said.
"Thanks," Carter said, giving Judy a genuine smile.
"I'm actually quite curious," Judy said turning to me. "Why Annie calls you mim."
"It's a name she made up," I said. "She didn't want to call me mommy because that's how she refers to her real mother."
"Oh," Judy said, clearly shocked. "I wasn't aware that you weren't . . ."
"Listen," Carter interrupted. "We were just looking at the drawing Annie did of our family and we're slightly worried that Annie drew herself so . . . so dark."
Judy nodded. "From what I understand, Annie's had quite an episode a few weeks ago. It's normal for children to use darker colors when they've been upset."
"But why was it just her that was black? And she said that she feels black," I said, looking over at Annie. She was sitting with a couple of other kids, playing with legos. "She feels black."
"Perhaps it would be beneficial for Annie to see a psychiatrist," Judy said gently.
Carter frowned and looked at me. "Worth a shot, right?"
Response to reviews -
Aaron - Why thank you! I think that's maybe a strong word to use but if you say so . . .
Carbyfan - Yeah, Carter got over his little episode there.
Fanfictionfanatic - Thank. I don't know what else to say. I'm flattered you like it so much.
Kayla - Well, I thought Carter should treat her like crap to make up for Abby treating him like crap on the show. And thanks for saying this fic is one of the best you've read. That made my day.
Kattybaby2318 - There will be more angst, don't worry.
I looked up from my position in Carter's arms. We'd been working opposite shifts for the past week and hadn't seen each other at all. "When does she start?" I asked.
"She already did," he said, pulling me over so that I was practically on top of him.
"There's a parent's evening tomorrow. Will you . . ."
"Go with you?" I finished, kissing him. "Of course."
********************************
"Look, look!" Annie said, dragging Carter and me across the room. Everything in the room gave me a good feeling. Much better than that last place she was in. Everything there was adult-sized. Everything here was just the right size for a child.
"I have my own cubbie," Annie said, proudly pointing to a green box in a series of boxes. "And, look!" Annie dragged us to a bulletin board covered in crudely drawn pictures. "That's us," she said, pointing to a picture near the bottom. "That's Daddy, that's me, and that's Mim."
"What's that?" I asked, pointing to a yellow haze with wings in the corner of Annie's drawing.
"Mommy," Annie said. "She's watching over us."
I glanced at Carter, expecting to see him grinning but he was studying the picture. "Annie," he said. I could hear concern in his voice. "Why is your hair black in the picture?"
I looked and, sure enough, a black-haired Annie was standing in- between the stick-figure drawings of Carter and me. But not only was her hair black, her clothes were black, and her face was black.
Annie looked gravely from me to Carter. "That's how I feel," she said.
"What's how you feel?" I asked.
"I feel black." Annie walked away from us and over to a box of legos.
I looked at Carter. "What do you think that's about?"
Carter just shrugged. "I dunno. We should talk to her teacher, see if she's noticed anything."
I followed Carter over to the young woman at the front of the classroom. "Hello," she said brightly. "You must be Annie's parents. I'm Judy Gale."
"Nice to meet you," Carter said.
"Annie is a wonderfully bright child," Judy said.
"Thanks," Carter said, giving Judy a genuine smile.
"I'm actually quite curious," Judy said turning to me. "Why Annie calls you mim."
"It's a name she made up," I said. "She didn't want to call me mommy because that's how she refers to her real mother."
"Oh," Judy said, clearly shocked. "I wasn't aware that you weren't . . ."
"Listen," Carter interrupted. "We were just looking at the drawing Annie did of our family and we're slightly worried that Annie drew herself so . . . so dark."
Judy nodded. "From what I understand, Annie's had quite an episode a few weeks ago. It's normal for children to use darker colors when they've been upset."
"But why was it just her that was black? And she said that she feels black," I said, looking over at Annie. She was sitting with a couple of other kids, playing with legos. "She feels black."
"Perhaps it would be beneficial for Annie to see a psychiatrist," Judy said gently.
Carter frowned and looked at me. "Worth a shot, right?"
Response to reviews -
Aaron - Why thank you! I think that's maybe a strong word to use but if you say so . . .
Carbyfan - Yeah, Carter got over his little episode there.
Fanfictionfanatic - Thank. I don't know what else to say. I'm flattered you like it so much.
Kayla - Well, I thought Carter should treat her like crap to make up for Abby treating him like crap on the show. And thanks for saying this fic is one of the best you've read. That made my day.
Kattybaby2318 - There will be more angst, don't worry.
