Chapter 2
Cookies
Two days later
Grocery Store
The polite three year old sat expressionless in the shopping cart. She would speak to her
Grandmother when spoken to, but she was in no mood to talk
otherwise.
When some co-worker of Audrey's violated her private zone when she
tried to pinch her cheeks Nina was fighting every tiny urge to snap. She just concentrated on how
many farm animals were on her playful caramel colored sweater.
She counted six cows, but she knew there were others on the back. She was relieved when her
Grandmother's annoying friend left.
"Sweetie, why don't you pick out a box of your favorite cookies?" Audrey put the shopping cart
within Nina's reach.
"No, thank you."
Audrey picked up the standard kid happy package of Oreos and when it was sadly noted that Nina
didn't want to hold the cookies. Audrey put them in the bottom of the cart with the rest of the
groceries.
(Daddy……)
15 minutes later
Audrey nervously laughed when the alarm went off as she pushed the cart through the 'exit' door.
"This never happened before." She's been shopping at Ralph's for decades.
Nina wanted to be invisible. They were going to find it and make a BIG deal about it.
"Did your Granddaughter hide anything in her pockets?" asked the gum chewing, part time, sixteen
year old female
"Sweetie, what do you have there?"
It was a BIG oatmeal cookie with raisins. The girl let out a groan when her Grandmother took it
away.
"You'll get your cookie back, Sweetie. They just have to scan it so I can pay for it."
Audrey wasn't going to tell her that "she was old enough to know better", she's been through
enough.
"Do you want to go to McDonald's?" she asked her after she buckled her in the car seat.
Nina was holding onto the cookie for dear life.
"No, thank you."
"You can eat your cookie if you'd like?"
"No."
"All right, dear. You can take your nap when you get home."
The first grandchild of the Parker-Nichols family just nodded.
Megan's room
Josh was beginning to think he couldn't do anything for Drake. What Drake would do if Josh
weren't even here?
He could be trying to salvage his relationship with Mindy once again. But other than dealing with
work he couldn't abandon his niece and Goddaughter.
He had to be there for the child. She didn't ask for any of this.
He got her to eat one half of a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich. She drank a few sips
from her Disneyland kiddie sized mug before drifting off.
The girl was adamant that her unwrapped oatmeal cookie stay on the end table so she could see it.
Could toddlers have nervous breakdowns? Because it seemed like this pretty girl was headed for
one.
"Love you," he kissed her on the cheek and covered her with the blanket, "Try and get some rest,
honey."
There was no point checking on Drake when Josh left the room. He would eat as long as the food
was left at his door.
Audrey noticed he was taking a bath every night or actually morning at 4:00, because she found his
dirty pajamas in the hamper.
If he could do all that—why was he ignoring his daughter?
She wanted Drake's love more than anything. Josh almost wanted to hit him with one of Walter's
golf clubs.
When Josh got in the hallway his cellphone rang.
"Hi, Mindy…"
"How's it going?"
She knew everything from reading Sharon's obituary in the paper and calling up Audrey soon after
to see if there was anything she could do.
"Not well."
"How's Nina doing?"
"I feel so bad for her. She wants Drake. No matter what. Good or bad. It would make her feel so
much better to get a hug. She's trying so hard to keep it
together."
"I'll leave my personal feelings about Drake on the shelf….we all deal with grief in different ways
and I remember him loving his daughter so much. Maybe he needs to go to the hospital?"
"I don't know…" Josh headed downstairs. He didn't need Nina to open up the door and hear this
conversation about whether or not her father should be put in a mental rehabilitation clinic.
Guestroom
Nina did fall asleep for real as she tried to fake her Uncle Josh out. When she woke up she knew
what she had to do.
This room was so scary with the shades drawn. She had to close the door behind her because she
knew her Grandparents or Uncle would carry her up and
take her out of here as if she were doing something wrong.
(Daddy, I love you)
(Don't you love me anymore?)
Drake tossed and turned and Nina quietly walked to the other side of the bed.
She noticed that his feet weren't covered so she carefully moved the blanket so he wouldn't be
cold.
(I miss you)
She gently took the package containing the BIG cookie out of her sweater pocket and put it on the
end table next to the unplugged lamp.
(I hope you'll eat the cookie Daddy, so you will get better.)
She left the room as calmly as she entered it with only one thing in mind to help her Daddy get
better.