The next few days were a whirlwind of events. We got the rest of our things moved out of the apartment, and put all of mom's things in storage. We were hopping that she wouldn't spend long in jail, so Haley got us a storage unit.
Beth felt right at home here, she was always following Haley around. One day I even walked downstairs and she was cuddled on the couch with Nathan watching cartoons. He looked like her father. I got a tear in my eye. This was all either of us ever wanted, and here it is, at the expense of our mom. Nathan looked up and caught my eye; embarrassed I turned my head.
"Jenny do you have plans for tomorrow?" He asked to gain my attention again.
"Well school, that's it." I sat in a chair, and focused on the movie.
"Well, Haley and I spoke, and we want you guys to come to the game and meet the rest of the family." My eyes got wide and a grin spread across my face. He laughed at my expression, but I couldn't stop.
"YES YES YES!" I jumped up and down and hugged him. Haley must have heard the commotion, because she stuck her head in and laughed with him, and Beth just looked at me like I was crazy.
"You must have told her about the game," Haley said.
"More new people?" Beth asked.
"Yea, Beth you'll love them," Nathan said. "So tomorrow after school, you girls will go to the arena and watch us play. We buy box seats for our family. So no one will bother you."
"Shut-up. Box seats, really?" I was in shock.
"Yes, any game that you want to come to, I have the box open for you." I couldn't believe what he was telling me.
"I don't want to meet more new people." Beth whined, and I stopped all my excitement.
"Beth, stop. Haley and Nathan are nice enough to do all these great things for us, and your being ungrateful. I didn't raise you like that."
"You didn't raise her like that?" Haley looked at me concerned.
"Well I raised her, my mom was always working or out, so it was up to me. Sometimes I feel like the mother, and things come out like that." Haley reached out and touched my arm.
"I am so sorry. Listen from here on out, why don't you let me do the parenting, and you are the kid. You've done an excellent job, don't get me wrong, but you need to be a kid too. Your way too grown up, more grown up than Nathan."
"Hey," He said acting hurt. We all smiled.
"Ok, Haley. I'll try."
"Beth, I promise that if any of these new people are mean, we can leave. Is that a deal?" Beth smiled and shook her head yes. "Now its time for bed, missy. You've got school in the morning and your sister told me how grumpy you get."
"No I don't." Beth protested on her way up the stairs.
"Thank you, for everything." I told Nathan. He smiled at me.
"Being around you and your sister makes me wonder why Haley and I never had children." A gaze flashed over his eyes, like a dark memory that he wanted to share.
"Can I ask why?" He snapped back to reality when I spoke.
"Haley and I were married during high school. We were only 16, but we were in love. Don't tell Haley I'm telling you this, not this first part but why we don't have children. She would get upset all over again." I nodded and waited for him to continue. "Well the day we graduated from high school, we found out she was pregnant, and we were confused. We didn't know what to do, we were so young and both had our dreams in front of us." He paused, considering whether he should continue. I put my hand on his shoulder, willing him the strength to let it out. "Then the day came where we needed the baby more than we wanted our dreams, the baby was our dream. It was a combination of both of us, we made her from love, we found out she was a girl and we named her Laura Elizabeth Scott." He closed his eyes trying to push the tears back.
"Nathan, its ok. You don't have to go on, if you can't."
"No, I want to tell you. Six months into the pregnancy, Haley and Brooke, one of our friends, were eating dinner. Haley was on her way home pretty late that night. A drunk driver was on the wrong side of the street and they had a terrible accident. I almost lost the only two people I had ever lived for. Haley died for a few seconds, but they revived her, the accident induced labor."
"Oh my god, that must have been horrible, I'm so sorry." I gasped when I heard.
"Our Laura was a still born. We all blamed ourselves, what if this, what if that, but Haley took it worse than any of us. I was upset, but I almost lost Haley all over again, she slipped away form all of us." His throat choked up, and he paused. "We still love her and miss her everyday, even though we never held her, she is still with us. But that is why we have not tried again. Haley was too afraid that she would lose another child, and I was too afraid I would lose the love of my life. We haven't even discussed it." Tears fell down my face, and I didn't know why, I felt like I was there, like it was my child. I couldn't even imagine the pain.
"I'm so sorry, and to be in college at the same time, that must have been too hard for even me to imagine." He looked at me and noticed the tears.
"We're ok, and we love having the two of you stay with us." He squeezed my hand, and I stood.
"I should go to bed. Nathan, thank you for everything you guys have been wonderful to take us in."
"Jenny, you don't have to keep saying that. It's just as wonderful for us to have you as it is for you to have us. We love having you girls here." I began to head towards the stairs, and I turned to see him flip the TV channel.
"Nathan?" I said, he turned and looked at me concerned. I quickly walked to him and gave him a true hug, a hug I had never been able to give to a father before. Nathan was the closest father that I would ever have, and he was perfect for me.