Chapter 14

Monday came and after a fun day at the park, playing on the swings and the slides, only slightly limited by Zona's cast and stopping by the horse field showing Zeus and Titan the photos of the zebra's, it was time for their first day at school. With the rule of no sandwiches Barbara sent them with money, both teachers, their assistants and the head teacher were aware of the circumstances of their fostering and Edna had appointments with them both this morning.

Now they were back at school they'd be taken out of lessons twice a week for their session. Zona first then Timmy.

"Doctor Edna, you're at school, is Doctor Mabel here?" Zona asked bouncing into the room searching for Doctor Mabel. She liked Doctor Edna, but Doctor Mabel was her favourite. After all Doctor Mabel had magic, while Doctor Edna only had crayons.

"No, she had to stay at the hospital, she says hello and hopes you're feeling better?"

"Did you bring magic?" Zona asked curiously. Edna smiled glad she had prepared, getting out a pack of colour changing pens.

"Draw a picture then use this wand" she said, "Can you draw what makes you happy?" she asked, Zona nodded, getting started. First was Timmy.

"How was your weekend?" Edna asked,

"We went to the zoo and saw pigeons!" Zona exclaimed excitedly, bouncing in her chair slightly.

"Wow pigeons" Edna replied, mimicking Zona's excitement hiding her laughter. She could imagine her foster parent's reactions spending all that money going to the zoo, only for Zona to love the pigeons.

"Uh huh, we got to feed them and everything" Zona told her seriously. Edna could see the shape of a pigeon appearing on the page.

"That sounds great"

"Nurse B makes you say the animal's noise for every animal, it's a rule" Zona said solemnly, "I don't know why?"

"Did you ask her?" Edna threw back,

"I didn't want to make her mad or mad sad" Zona said,

"And do you think Nurse B would get mad or mad sad?" Edna pushed; Zona shrugged she was scared. Nurse B seemed nice, but Timmy said daddy had been nice once. She just didn't know what the new rules were and what the punishments were for breaking them. Instead of answering Zona focused on her drawing, it was easier than thinking about Nurse B or Captain getting angry. She was terrifyed that one day they'd become mean, one day either her or Timmy would do something wrong and get hit, or starved. Her body language showed everything as she curled in on herself, instead of drawing nicely she pressed hard on the page and scribbled in anger.

"Zona, what do you think would happen if they got mad?" Edna pushed. Zona still colouring bit her lip,

"I don't know, they say won't hurt us, and they don't like when we go to the cupboard, and they give us food three times a day, and snacks, and hot food and never sandwiches" Zona listed, "And when Timmy got angry, they just used words," she told Edna confused, "But I don't think they got mad yet, not properly, not like daddy." she sighed, almost wanting them to become mean so she knew how bad it would get, how hard they hit.

"What your daddy did was mean, and adults aren't allowed to hurt children or not feed them. It's against the law" Edna explained, "Nurse B and Captain are foster parents which means they have to follow the law even if they're mad, and if they do hurt you, all you have to do is tell me or your teacher and we will help" Edna promised.

"Never?" Zona asked, "Even if I'm really bad and kill someone?" she checked, after all that's when her daddy had become mean.

"Zona, your daddy was wrong, your mammy died when you were born but you didn't kill her" Edna reassured. Zona didn't look convinced; one of two conversations weren't going to change a lifetime of blame, Edna knew therapy was a long term game.

"What did you draw?" Edna changed the conversation sensing Zona was shutting down. Zona brightened up, she loved people taking an interest in her drawings.

"That's Timmy, and me and Nurse B and Captain, and you and Dr Mabel." She pointed at the figures, "We have cake, ice cream and doughnuts and we are all warm and I got my doggie and horsey and we are looking at the pigeons" she said. Edna noticed the large square around the edge of the paper. Next to the scribbles she had done on the edge of the page.

"Where are we Zona?" Edna asked

"We are in the safe place, daddy can't hurt us here" Zona explained, the safe place was her happy place, daddy couldn't hurt her there and she wanted to protect her new friends. "You can keep it if you want, I drew it for you" she explained.

"Thank you, Zona, I love it" Edna praised, she checked the clock. "It's time for you to go have playtime, can I come and see you next week?" she asked, Zona nodded

"Can you bring the magic pens?" she asked, Edna nodded.

"Okay" Edna smiled sensing the young girl was using her for her pens and drawing time. Still, she was happy to try and help her heal. Edna grabbed a coffee needing a small break before seeing Timmy.

Her thoughts gathered she called Timmy in,

"Hello Timmy" she greeted,

"What do you want?" Timmy replied, his arms crossed.

"I just wanted a chat, is that okay?" Edna asked, she was used to defensive patients.

"About what?"

"About how things are going with you and Zona? Zona tells me you went to the zoo this weekend?" Edna attempted to get the conversation going.

"It was alright" Timmy shrugged.

"What's on your mind?" Edna asked this lack of conversation was unusual for him. He shrugged again, not wanting to upset her or any adult.

"Zona seems happy" Edna tried searching for the opening that would the get him talking. She could tell he tensed at that. "Zona really likes it with Nurse B and Captain" she used the children's names for the couple. "How do you feel about that?"

Timmy huffed, "I can't protect her, when they go mean I don't know how to save her, she likes them too much."

"And do you think they will turn mean?" Edna asked

"Daddy did, he was nice until Mammy died, then he was sometimes nice, then angry or sad all the time" Timmy explained, it was his greatest fear that Nurse B and the Captain would turn mean and hurt them again.

"Do you think that will happen?" Edna questioned, Timmy shrugged, he wasn't sure. He'd tried to leave the house to go and find work start building a fund in case he needed to buy food again, but Barbara had stopped him. Instead, they'd given him pocket money, free money telling him he could save it for a new game, and he'd get more each week, Zona too. Over the weekend they'd even brought him a new toy, of his very own, a stuffed lion. They hadn't taken it away or destroyed it, they hadn't threatened it, it was just his.

"When I get angry or I'm naughty they just talk to me, they don't hit or anything." He explained, "And Captain said I should go to Karate learn how to defend myself and Zona, but why do I need to defend myself if they aren't going to hurt us" Timmy asked allowing his vulnerability to come through.

"Maybe it's not to defend yourself against them, maybe they can tell you like protecting people and want to give you the skills to do that" Edna suggested. Timmy frowned deep in thought. He hadn't considered that the lessons were to protect himself from Daniel but to help him develop and give him general life skills.

"Do you want to go to Karate?" Edna asked, knowing she could speak up for Timmy if he was against it. Timmy bit his lip, deep in thought, he did want to learn to protect himself and Zona better.

"I guess, daddy made me fight" he revealed, Edna nodded, this was a new detail and explained why he was so upset at being asked to go to karate.

"How did he do that Timmy?" Edna enquired.

"He said I had to stop him hurting Zona, the longer I stopped him the less he'd hurt her" Timmy told Edna, tears running down his face. "I tried to fight him I did," he told Edna, "I tried" he sobbed again. Edna stood opening her arms and hugging him tightly.

"I know" she soothed, "I know you did everything you could, Zona is healthy you risked everything to make sure of that, and you are incredible. There aren't many people your age as resourceful and brave as you" She praised.

"I wanna learn karate, I want to know how to protect Zona and people like her against daddy" Timmy vowed. "I want to be like Captain protecting people"

"That's very brave" Edna praised, she checked the clock their time was running out. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" she asked, now he was opening up she wanted to give him the opportunity to speak.

"When we were at the zoo Nurse B made us do animal noises, I don't know why but she got sad if we didn't" Timmy said,

"It's something we do with children, practice animal noises when you go to the zoo." Edna explained, "It's not a rule, it's just what parents do to help their children learn"

"So, we don't have to when we see every animal" Timmy checked, "And it won't make her sad"

"No, why don't you try asking her." Edna encouraged, "She what she says. I promise she won't hurt you" she knew Barbara and Daniel were hoping they could adopt the children and wanted them to feel comfortable enough to ask questions and go to their foster parents with their concerns.

Timmy nodded; he would try.

Another chapter, sorry about the delay, life is manic,