CHAPTER 10
Later that morning, James woke up to a little finger poking at his face.
« James, wake up, Jaaaaaames! My teddy and I are hungry. »
« Hum? What? Oh, hi Ada », growled Dempsey not completely with it yet « wait what time is it? It looks early still »
« I don't know. It's the I'm awake time. I'm hungry »
« Ok… I take it you don't do lie-ins on Saturday mornings, do you? »
« That's boring! »
And then Dempsey turns his head to a giggling Makepeace who was trying to hide her laughter in her pillow but completely failing.
« Oy partner! You find this funny, do you? "
"Yup"
"You two will be the death of me", said Dempsey collapsing back on his pillow, having the distinct impression that his night was over.
"Ok well young girl, go get dressed and ready while I jump in the shower"
"Hurry up 'cause I'm starving"
"And she's bossy! Say, Makepeace, you wouldn't have lied to me and have a 10-year old daughter you've been hiding all those years? Because God she's just as bossy as you are! Jeeeezas!"
"I am NOT bossy, lieutenant! I just like things done a certain way. It's a sign of character in a woman! Actually, a fine example for a young lady like Ada" she added with panache.
"Yeah right. Next, you'll send her to finishing school at this rate!"
"There are worse things I could wish a child. Doesn't my aristocratic side appeal to you, Dempsey?" She added with a smile tugging at the side of her lips
"You're a minx, Harry, you know that? Anyway, anyone that's anyone knows that a few weeks in Brooklyn is all she needs to learn about what life is about. And my mum will teach her how to make some decent lasagna. Life lessons learned in a few weeks."
"I think she's had enough life lessons to last her a lifetime, to be honest!"
"True. However, my ma's lasagna is a must in a child's life!"
"She'd be a bit surprised if her single son, the most vocal advocate of celibacy and freedom, shows up on her doorstep with a child demanding that said child learns her lasagna recipe, wouldn't she?"
"Admittedly, seen like that, she would be wondering if I'd finally lost the plot" admitted Dempsey
"Anyway, as Ada would say, chop, chop, James. Off you go" she smiled viciously curling back under the warm blankets.
"Behave, Sergeant, otherwise no tea for you!" he warned as he stumbled into the bathroom still half asleep. And he went off grumbling "women!"
Once ready, Dempsey and Ada went downstairs where breakfast was waiting for them and Ada was beaming in front of the choice of pancakes, warm croissants and pains au chocolat, eggs and a huge array of various cereals. The little girl kept filing up her plate in front of Dempsey's amused look. She'll soon get bored of it, Dempsey thought, but for now, let her enjoy life's little pleasures. She certainly deserved a break and she needed filling up after months of stress and limited food. Admittedly, Dempsey felt a growing warmth and tenderness towards the little girl. One thing that he could never understand nor brush off was violence towards children. That was one thing in his books that was unforgivable and God knows that if anyone tried anything at all against Ada, they'd meet the full strength of his wrath. He took a tray to Makepeace with a teapot, cup and saucer (God knows she hated mugs!) and a choice of toasts and fruits knowing she would not indulge in a pile of pancakes unlike Ada and him just did.
As Dempsey entered Makepeace's bedroom he could hear the shower running in the ensuite. He deposited the tray with the teapot on a nearby table and waited. Looking outside the window he thought about how much his life had changed in such a short time. It had been a rollercoaster of emotions, an absolute whirlwind. He tried to make sense of it all but sometimes it was hard. He was sucked in this whirlwind of emotions and felt he was losing control at times. He knew that Harry was his future, being around her made him whole as though she was the piece of puzzle missing, the piece without which his life had no meaning. However, he was yet to share the depth of his feelings with her. Now was not the right time though. They had a job to do, they had to protect Ada. He also had to make sure Harry recovered properly from her ordeal. Just the thought of what she had been put through merely days ago, left him shaking; he had been so scared, so powerless.
In his mind his job was clear: protecting both Ada and Harry. Harry was first and foremost his partner and that's what partners did: they had each other's back. Whether she liked it or not, whether she thought he was becoming an overprotective boyfriend, he couldn't care less. He will do his duty. The alternative? Well...it just doesn't bear thinking about. So, it was time to have a serious conversation with his partner.
Harry came out of the bathroom enveloped in a tick bath towel. She looked like she had lost weight, she looked swamped in that towel. Dempsey could also see the scars following the surgery to remove the bullet and was trying his hardest not to let his worries show on his face. However, Harry was not easily fooled and spotted his frown immediately. "I'm ok Dempsey. Nothing that won't disappear with time." « Hum, yeah, well won't disappear from my mind anytime soon I tell you that much. »
« Anyway, Harry, we seriously need to talk about Ada. We've got to find out more about her to be better prepared. I think she needs to talk to a psychologist who specialises in childhood trauma. She seems to be blocking the memories and the longer we wait the worse it will be and it may blow up to our faces. Ultimately it's not healthy for her. She needs to face her fears in order to move on. She's still young enough to leave all that behind. We need any info she may have though and we need to find out more about her stepdad. Something doesn't feel right there. I'll call Chas in a minute to see if he found out anything about him. »
"I agree with you. He scares her, it's quite obvious. Let me know what Chas finds out. In the meantime, I suggest taking her for a walk and a bit of fresh air. Perhaps we can get air to talk if she's relaxed enough.
"Should you really be walking and straining yourself? You know what the doctor said: rest, feet up", he added concerned that yet again she was not taking things seriously.
"I'm fine, Dempsey! Stop it with the overprotective attitude, will you?! I AM FINE! I'm going to go mad if I stay locked in any longer. Who knows I might start using you as target practice!"
"Okayyyyy, impatient AND grumpy!"