So...it's been a while. Sorry about that. A combination of real life and getting distracted with other stories (like a shiny toy distracts a three year old, lol). I will try to be better. Thank you so much for being patient.
"Eric, you need to stop buying baby clothes."
He came out of the bathroom with a freshly bathed Georgia in his arms. "Why? What's wrong with what I pick?"
"Everything you buy is-"
"Funny," he supplied. "Hysterical? Very fitting for our kid?"
"Do you really want to take her to visit Mr. Feeny wearing something that says, I Shih Tzu Not?" She held up the shirt he'd laid out.
"But it's got a picture of a cute dog on it and everything."
"I don't know."
"What about her Sleep is for Losers onesie? That's her personal anthem."
"Didn't Lila say one of Mr. Feeny's biggest issues ever since the stroke is sleeping for extended periods?"
"Wouldn't that make it more fitting? He's on her sleep schedule now."
"Except he wants to sleep, Georgia…I've given up trying to figure out what her deal is. I'm starting to think our exhaustion fuels her."
"It's called teething. Remember she was starting to sleep more before this nightmare began."
She sighed wistfully. "Yeah, that was a good two weeks. I almost felt human again."
"I'm sure we'll feel human again eventually. We just have to survive this detour into baby hell."
"Watch the language. Georgia's trying to repeat everything. Isn't that right, Little Miss?"
"Mama!"
She smiled and held her hands out to her daughter. Nothing made her happier than hearing her daughter call out for mama. Even though it was simply a part of a baby's basic development, Angela chose to take it as a sign she was doing something right as a mother. After all of the fears and insecurities she'd battled during her pregnancy and beyond, she'd take any victory she could get. "There's my girl. You're trying to say all the words, aren't you?" She kissed her cheek and delighted in the baby giggles that followed. "Yeah, all the words."
"Not da-da." Eric pouted. "She's not even trying with that. It's like she knows how much I want to hear it." The baby let loose another string of sounds and syllables. Nothing came close to sounding like da-da. "I'm starting to think she's doing it on purpose to torture me."
"I think acting out of spite is a little beyond her mental capabilities right now."
"And I think you're underestimating her. Our looks, your brains, my sense of humor; this kid is going to be unstoppable."
"Maybe she's saving da-da for Father's day. You said that it would be cool."
"I changed my mind. I don't want to wait."
"It's early in the talking game, at least from what I've read. Give her time." She handed the baby back to Eric. "I'm going to call Lila and make sure Mr. Feeny is still up for a visit. You get her ready."
"I'm putting her in the Shih Tzu onesie. People will get a big kick out of it. Right, Georgia?" She babbled nonsense at him. "See, you're outvoted."
Angela smiled at the two of them. "I might as well get used to that. I can't compete with the silliness."
Eric took the baby's clothes from the bed before he laid her on the floor. He turned around to get the diaper that had fallen behind him and when he looked back she was halfway across the room. "Where do you think you're going to go, you goof?" He crawled after her and laid her back down. "What are you doing? I know you love your naked baby time but we have to get your diaper on." She tried to sit up and twist around to crawl away again. "Seriously?" He laughed when she made her little sounds. It almost sounded like she was yelling at him.
"Compelling argument, but nope, not gonna fly. And no matter how much you say mama she's not going to help. Now if you say dada I might work with you." Georgia shrieked instead. "That's not the attitude of someone who wants to see Feeny."
"Having fun," Angela asked when she came back a few minutes later. The baby was whining and Eric was holding her in place with his leg as he tried to get her pants on. She'd laugh, but didn't want to tempt fate and have an even more difficult time with the baby later. Karma could be a bitch like that.
"If I ever have to update my résumé I'm so adding baby-wrangling to the special skills section."
/
/
"So aside from the six of us, we've got my parents, your parents, David, Shawn, Naomi, the kids' social worker and case workers…anyone else?"
Jack looked up from where he was playing with Calum on the floor and saw his wife standing in the doorway. "What was that?"
She walked into the room and showed him her notebook. "Is anyone else coming to the adoption hearing? I wanted a final head count so I know how big of a cake to order for afterwards."
"I don't think Monica would appreciate her and Xander being excluded."
"Damn it, I knew there was someone," she said, scribbling the names of his sister and their nephew onto her list. "And I was just talking to her on the phone yesterday."
"She's still feeling sensitive and worrying people judge her since the divorce. Leaving her out, even accidentally, would not go over well."
"She got out of a bad marriage before it got worse. Who would judge her for that?"
He shrugged. "I didn't say I was judging her. One of my aunts and a cousin on the other hand…"
"Aunt Alice and Marnie?"
"Yeah."
"They're the same two witches who gave us grief for deciding to adopt instead of having biological children. They can shove it."
"Rach-"
"I know they're family but I don't get how your mother grew up in the same house as Aunt Alice. She can be annoying sometimes, but I'd take her over Alice any day."
"When is my mom annoying?" He didn't have a chance to hear her answer because Calum started whining and kicking from his spot on the floor. "What's wrong, buddy? You want to sit up?" He sat the baby up against his chest and handed him a toy. "Do you think we should be worried about his milestones?"
"How do you mean?"
"He's five and a half months old and he can't sit by himself for more than a few seconds, he's shown no interest in crawling, and he can only roll from front to back. I talked to Eric the other day and Georgia was rolling and crawling by now. Sitting took longer, but she was moving. Calum's a lump."
"How many times has the pediatrician said not to compare him to other babies? Besides, he tries to move to get close to his big brothers and sister. It's dragging himself instead of crawling, but he's trying. Besides, girls can mature faster than boys. Apparently it starts at babyhood and never stops," she joked with a smile.
"I just hate the thought of him falling behind. The world is already going to be hard enough because he can't hear."
"He was a preemie," she reminded him. "He's going to have a little catching up to do."
"You're not worried?"
"The way I see it: as long as he's not mobile, we don't have to catch him."
"Good point."
"You're the one who works from home. Imagine how it's going to be when you have to keep track of Milo and Calum?"
His eyes grew wide. "I'm screwed."
"Exactly my point. Angela said that keeping up with Georgia is like spending all day, every day at the gym, and she's not even walking yet."
"On the plus side I may wind up in the best shape of my life."
Rachel looked over her to-do list once more. "There's something else we have to decide with adoption day."
"What's that?"
"What are we going to do about Diane? Do we let her come?"
"You really want to invite Kara's mother?"
The woman had called the social worker to see if it was possible for her to attend the adoption hearing. She had no intentions of contesting the adoption, just wanted to witness the kids finally having a real family. "Not really, but not letting her come seems rude somehow."
"We don't owe it to her to be polite. If she really gave a damn then why did she never step up when Kara was spiraling down and neglecting them? You've told me yourself that the system always tries family members first before tossing kids into foster care and the kids were never left with Diane. It never came up as an option."
"This would likely be her last time seeing her grandchildren. I don't think she's ever seen Calum aside from a picture from the NICU Kara had. No, we don't owe her anything, but I'd still feel bad denying her one last opportunity."
"And I say she made her bed and now she can sleep in it."
"You know it's not as clear cut as you're making it. Kara's choices were hers', not her mother's."
"You just said you don't want her there. And I definitely don't want her there. Case closed."
She understood his hesitation, but the hostility was so unlike him. "But Jack-"
"How about we ask the kids? If Evan and Nina want Diane there then I'll suck it up and deal with it. If they say no, it's tough luck for her."
/
/
"This is a nice set up," Eric marveled as Lila showed him and Angela around George's room in the rehab facility. "It's more like an apartment instead of a hospital room."
"Yes, they wanted to give it a homey feeling. They've found that it helps patients keep their spirits up and wards off a certain degree of depression."
"How's Feeny doing?"
"His speech is slow and stubborn to come back, which is frustrating him to no end, but his motor skills are improving. He can write his name with his non-dominate hand and is working on using utensils again: fork, spoon, or spork for now. Knives will take a while."
"Wow. I guess-I mean-I didn't realize he had to start all the way at the beginning." It was hard to imagine that the educator who could once fill an entire blackboard with notes in record time now had writing his name as an accomplishment. "Back to basics, huh?"
"Exactly. He's taking a nap to recover from his morning physical therapy. They wear him out so much."
"Should we do this another time if he's resting," Angela questioned.
"It's good that you're here. It will give him something else to focus on. Besides, he'll be awake soon for lunch and then it's off to his next therapy session around two."
"They keep him busy, huh?"
"Yes, I tease him and say this is the most active he's been since his retirement. It's better that you three are here now because he is such a grump after his afternoon therapies." She reached out and ran a hand along Georgia's back. The baby was passed out in her father's arms, her head on his shoulder. "I can't get over how big she's gotten."
"I know. I haven't dared to buy her an outfit for Shawn's wedding yet because I'm afraid she'd outgrow it before then. It's only a couple weeks away, but she's so tall. She's in the 97th percentile for height and has been practically since birth. My dad's genes definitely won out there."
"Sure, his giant genes squashed the wimpy, short ones into submission."
Lila shook her head at Eric's remark. "Please take pictures of you three all dressed up for the wedding. I'm not sure yet if George will be well enough for us to attend."
"That's too bad."
"I'm hoping he gets the go ahead, but it's such a long drive. The doctors won't let us know until a day or two before if he can go."
"Are things really so bad that he can't travel?"
"It depends on the day. He's improving and making strides with the therapies, but there are peaks and valleys."
"Huh?"
"Good days and bad, Eric."
"Oh. Right. I knew that."
"Let's not dwell on the negative. There are so many things in our lives to be grateful for. Jack and Rachel are adopting their kids, Shawn and Naomi's upcoming wedding, you two are engaged." She held up Angela's hand and examined the ring from George's family. He was so proud to pass on an heirloom to people he loved. "Have I officially congratulated you for that, by the way?"
"Many times."
"But thank you."
"You're welcome. And this wonderful little girl is growing and thriving. How old is Georgia now?"
"She'll be nine months on Wednesday," the proud mama stated with a smile.
"No! Wasn't it just yesterday I met a teeny baby in the hospital?"
"It sure feels like it. As much as I hate how fast it's all going I love to watch her learn something new and see her mind at work." She took a moment to look at her fiancé and their daughter. "And of course it figures that she's asleep now. She never sleeps, but chooses now to do so."
"Georgia knows what she's doing," Eric said. "She's got to leave her audience in suspense, wanting more. What fun would it be if she operated on our schedule?"
"We'd certainly have more fun. Not to mention be well-rested."
"That's all a part of her plan. Exhaust us now and we'll be too tired to chase after her and discipline her when she's older."
"Building her up to be an evil mastermind, I see," Lila remarked, stroking the baby's hand.
"No, not evil, just crafty." Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. "What the-" Georgia startled in his arms, causing him to sway back and forth and rub her back. Her waking up in tears wouldn't set the tone for a happy visit. "It's okay. Daddy's got you." He wanted her to be awake to see Feeny and Lila, but he couldn't lie. It was nice to have Georgia snuggly and clinging to him. He didn't get this version of baby often anymore. Usually she latched onto Angela in this mood- or any mood really. Despite the Daddy's Girl t-shirts and onesies that made up a good chunk of her wardrobe, she was a mama's girl through and through.
"Sorry about that. George must be awake and buzzed for a nurse to help him up." A few seconds later the door popped open and a nurse came in. "Hi, Kathy. He rang?"
"He's quite predictable."
"So you don't help him?" Angela watched the nurse hurry into the bedroom. "I mean obviously just you being here is helpful, but-"
"It's a liability issue. They're worried I may move him wrong or even hurt myself. I can help him with simple things- brushing his teeth, eating, turning a page in a book…but more physical things like getting out of bed or walking across the room require a nurse for now."
"He can't make it across the room?"
"He moves slowly, but he can do it. They still want him supervised for the time being until he's steadier on his feet. There have been a few minor tumbles. Kathy will escort him out in just a minute. Treat him as you would in any other situation. He's the same person you've always known. His mind is still as sharp as it ever was and he loathes any suggestion that it isn't." Lila hoped George remembered that Angela and Eric were visiting today. Maybe she'd better remind him just in case. "I'll be right back. Please, take a seat."
"Crap," Angela muttered.
Eric was following her to the couch and stopped in his tracks. "What?"
"We left the diaper bag in the car."
"How? We pack the entire world in there. How on earth did we forget- damn it."
"What? Please tell me we didn't leave it at home. I don't know if we have any spare diapers in the car. I used the last one the other day. How Georgia always needs to be changed when we're in the middle of the grocery store I'll never know, but-"
"Relax. It's in the back seat, but I just remembered we left the gifts in the car, too." They bought a potted rose for Mr. Feeny, thinking that if he had something familiar to take care of it would help him feel like he had a sliver of his old life back. And for Lila they got a gift certificate for a spa day. She rarely allowed herself a moment to relax since the stroke and deserved a little pampering.
She sighed. "Were we always this scatterbrained?"
"I was, yes."
"Well, not me. Can I blame pregnancy brain if the baby is nine months old?"
"I think they call it baby brain now. Soon you'll have toddler brain, then kid brain, and teenage brain, and-"
"Stop, I get the picture. Basically I'm screwed."
"At least until she moves out, which if I have my way would be never."
"Me, too, but that's not healthy. What would your life be like if you never moved out of your parents' house? And no, I would not move in there with you to live forever."
"In that case I'd be very lonely but also very well fed." He glanced down when Georgia rubbed her face into his shoulder. "Is our Sleeping Beauty waking up for Feeny, huh?" She raised her head for a moment before burying her face in his neck. "Or not." He laughed. "You're killing me, kid."
/
/
"…and then Emmy's mommy let us play with her old make-up and we played beauty store!"
"Wow." Rachel wiped the make-up remnants off of Nina's face. She attended her first sleepover last night and had been giving the play by play ever since she got home. "That sounds like a lot of fun."
"It was the most fun. Mommy, how come you don't let me play with your make-up like Emmy's mommy?"
"Emmy's mommy must be cooler than me."
"You're cool."
She smiled. "Thank you."
"But Emmy's mommy let us do more fun cool stuff."
Rachel's mother told her once that no one kept you more humble than your kids. That had proven to be true time and time again.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Nina?"
"How many more tomorrows until you and daddy adoption us?"
"Today is Sunday and adoption day is Friday. What days have to come before we get to Friday?"
"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and…" She paused, counting on her fingers. "…five! Friday is in five tomorrows."
"Very good. That means adoption day is in five days."
"And it's Milo's birthday, too."
"Right. That means it's an extra special day."
"Does that mean two cakes?"
"We'll see."
"Yay," she squealed, jumping up and down. "We get two cakes!"
"Nina, I didn't say that."
"But you did not say no, mommy. That means yes."
She ruffled the girl's hair. "Go wash your hands. Daddy will be back soon with Evan and Milo and our lunch."
"Happy meal," Nina asked hopefully.
"Chicken."
"But they don't give toys."
"You have enough toys. No go wash your hands. And use soap," she called out as Nina stomped down the hall. "I mean it. I'll smell your hands if I have to. They'd better smell like your watermelon soap." Why did kids hate washing their hands so much?
"Aw, man!"
Rachel shook her head. Nina could be exhausting to the nth degree, but she wouldn't trade her for any other little girl in the world. She was counting down the hours until she would be hers' for keeps.
/
They were about halfway through lunch when Jack and Rachel noticed the looks Evan was shooting across the table. "What's wrong, pal," Jack asked. "Is the chicken too spicy?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"You're going to tell us something important, aren't you?"
If Nina was too smart for her own good, then Evan was too perceptive for his. "How did you know?"
"You get weird when it's something important."
"We do?"
"Dad acts too happy and buys special food."
"What about me?"
"You frown a lot and keep looking at me and Nina."
The couple glanced at each other. "Well, you're right. We do have something important to discuss."
"The adoption is still happening on Friday, right," Evan asked with a hint of panic in his voice. "We're still going to court and to see the judge?"
"Oh, honey, yes. The adoption is still happening,"
"Then what's going on?"
Jack deferred to Rachel. She handled these "important topics" in a more sensitive manner than he did. He tended to be very blunt and blurted things out. He didn't mean to be, but it just came out that way.
"Megan talked to me the other day and someone wants to come see the adoption happen, but we want to check with you first."
"Who is it?"
"Your grandmother."
"But mommy, Grammy and Lala are already coming, right? You told them?"
"Yes, they will be there and so will Grampy and Opa."
"Then what other grandmas?"
"Kara's mother, she wants to be there."
"Grandma Diane," Evan asked. Rachel nodded. "Why?"
"She called Megan and said she wants to sit in the courtroom. She won't try to stop anything. She only wants to watch."
"But," Jack interrupted, "we wanted to check with you two first. If you want her there, okay, but if you don't then that's fine, too."
"No, thank you. She's a mean lady and I don't like her."
"What did she do?" He braced for the worst. Nina was rarely so formal. "Why do you say she's mean?"
"One time we were at Grandma Diane's house and my old mommy made me sit in the closet when I did bad behavior. I wasn't even super bad. I tried to give the dog a bath because he smelled yucky! But mommy still made me stay in the closet. I didn't get no light or anything."
"What did Diane do when your old mommy did that?"
"Nothing! Even after mommy left she didn't let me out. She said I did bad and had to sit there until I learned. Seth had to sneaked me out."
Evan didn't flinch at the use of his old name. It didn't bother him when Nina slipped the way it did when other people called him Seth. "She had to go to the bathroom and Grandma wasn't going to let her out until Kara got home and said she could. I snuck her out and got her back in the closet when Grandma Diane was outside talking to a neighbor."
"And he put crackers under the door, too."
"I tried to find a flashlight so she wouldn't be in the dark, but none of them had batteries."
Jack balled his napkin up in his fist. A lot of things suddenly made a lot more sense now that there was context. Nina refused to sleep in her bedroom until the closet door was removed. She begged him to take it down. He'd chalked it up to typical kiddie fears of monsters, especially since couldn't articulate why she wanted the door gone. Apparently hearing Diane's name triggered some memories. He was glad he listened and removed her door, even if he didn't understand why at the time. "Don't worry, she won't be there."
"Promise, daddy?"
"Cross my heart."
She nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Can I watch My Little Pony?"
"Sure."
"Thank you." She jumped down from the chair and ran for the living room.
Evan was hot on her heels. "No, not the dumb ponies! I want to watch Teen Titans."
"You call Megan back and tell her to let that woman know if she's anywhere near the courthouse on Friday there's going to be hell to pay."
Rachel nodded, still processing everything she'd just learned. "I'm on it. I can't believe-"
"Ow! Daddy! Evan won't give me the remote and you said I could watch my show first!"
He sighed before standing, preparing to get into dad mode and go to the living room. How could he go yell at them to behave now? "It's a good thing that after everything that's happened they're still able to bug the crap out of each other like normal siblings, right?"
"That's the spirit!"
/
/
"My goodness, she is definitely an adventurous eater," Lila remarked.
"It's okay. You can call her messy. She is. Eating first, table manners can come later."
"All I meant was she isn't refusing anything you put in front of her. I thought babies and little kids were supposed to be picky about food."
"She hates peas," Angela said. "If she detects a single pea, even mixed in with other food, she won't eat it."
Eric smirked. "I wonder where she got that from."
"Okay, but if I am served peas I don't throw them on the floor. I want to, but I don't."
"Please, she throws the food she likes, too. It's amazing our kitchen floor isn't stained orange from all the sweet potato she drops."
"She…can have," George asked, gesturing to his macaroni and cheese.
It was hard not to focus on how slowly the words we coming out, but he and Angela had done their best to keep conversations normal. Still, Feeny seemed to prefer observing today. "Sure. Georgia loves cheese and goes crazy for noodles, but I don't think we've tried mac and cheese yet." After failing to gather some noodles on a spoon, Eric watched his mentor pick up a few noodles and hold it out to the baby. "She might get you a little cheesy."
"N-no care."
Angela sighed in relief when Georgia gently grasped the noodles. Gentle was not a word that could often be used to describe her daughter. It was as if the baby sensed something was different. Of course the second she had the food in hand she shoved it into her face. Some of it even got into her mouth. "Mmm, is that good, Georgia? Good stuff, huh?"
Lila laughed as George offered more of his food to the baby. She suspected he was doing it to avoid eating in front of their company, but it was good to see him smiling. Georgia was proving to be a good distraction from the new struggles of his everyday life. She didn't look at him as someone who was sick, old, or frail. She didn't care that his words came more slowly- if they came at all- or that he now had a cane. In fact she cried earlier because she wanted the cane for herself. In Georgia's eyes, George was someone she loved and loved her in return. "So what milestones has this little lady met recently?"
"She can pull herself up so she's standing. Of course she doesn't know what to do once she's up so she starts to cry."
"Mama!"
"Thank you, Georgia," Angela said with a chuckle. "And she said mama for the first time on Mother's day."
"Oh, how wonderful."
"It was the best."
"I'm trying to teach her to say Feeny, but every time she repeats it she sounds like she's saying potato." Eric leaned back when Georgia's cheese covered hand came at him. "What? Are you trying to share? There's nothing daddy loves more than third-hand food." He brought her hand to his mouth and pretended to eat it, resulting in big belly laughs.
"Has she said dada? I've heard that usually comes first."
"Ugh, don't ask. Eric is taking it personally that she hasn't said it yet."
"In that case, fill us in on what's interesting in your lives. We're a little behind on gossip in here."
He shrugged. "Morgan's coming home this weekend for the summer. I'm sure she'll be visiting you soon."
"I've missed her. I'm glad she adapted to UCLA. Whenever we talk she says she loves it." She'd really bonded with Morgan during her high school years and choosing a college and they talked a couple times a week. George would joke that she had it easy. He had to deal with Eric and Cory across the fence when they were younger. Their sister was a breeze compared to them.
"Georgia's going on her first camping trip soon."
"Really?"
"Alan asked me way back when I was still pregnant if he could take Georgia camping Memorial Day weekend. So she'll be with her grandparents, Josh, and Morgan exploring nature."
"That's nice. You two will have a few days to yourselves."
Angela was trying to see it as a good thing and not focus on being separated from her baby for long weekend. "I don't know what I'll do with the time. Take a nap, I suppose."
"Oh, I hope you have more fun than that. Eric, while that baby is away it is your job to wine, dine, and romance her mother."
He chuckled. "Are you giving me homework?"
"If that's how you want to look at it- fine."
"In my defense we plan dates, but then something happens and derails them."
"Then Angela's homework is to make sure that nothing gets derailed. Go on a date and have fun."
"I accept my mission."
"Speaking of romance and dates, any wedding planning for you two yet?"
"Not yet," she said. "Eric did make me see that an actual wedding would be better than eloping. If we'd followed my initial impulse, we would have gone to city hall and gotten married as soon as legally possible after he proposed."
"I'm glad he convinced you. I couldn't imagine missing your big day."
"After I thought about it for longer than half a second I realized it wouldn't feel right to do it without our family and friends. It won't be a big wedding. That was one of my two conditions. I don't want or need a ton of people there."
"I'm curious. What was your second condition?"
"No candles."
She nodded in understanding. "Good plan. He is a bit of a fire risk, isn't he?"
"Hey! I'll have you know I've only started one fire…well, only one where there was damage."
"I'm well aware," Lila said. "I saw the insurance paperwork for the damage you caused to Cory's dorm."
"Still, the record holds, one fire with minor damage."
"Yes, babe, and I'd like to keep that record going instead of having to hose you down with an extinguisher in the middle of the vows."
/
"Uh-oh, why the tears?" Lila bounced a fussy Georgia on her lap. "There are no tears here."
"She's just hungry and probably needs to be changed."
She held the baby up so they were face to face. "Is that true? Are you hungry? George was quite mean for not giving you his chicken, wasn't he?" She caught her husband's eye roll and smiled at him. "But don't worry. Your mama will be back any minute with your snacks." Georgia only squirmed more. "What's the matter, honey?"
"You can sit her on the floor. Maybe she'll play with one of her toys." As soon as Lila put her down she crawled over to her father, grabbed onto his leg, and pulled herself to her feet. She rubbed her face against his knee, her whines sounding more pathetic by the second. "You're being a little overdramatic, don't you think?"
"Your kid."
Eric was relieved Feeny said more to him it didn't even matter that it was a potential knock. "I'll take that as a compliment. For the record, I'm not over-dramatic. I'm expressive."
"Whatever you say," Lila remarked. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost time for George's therapy. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get the wheelchair from the bedroom. The nurse will be here any minute to take you to the therapy room."
"No-not…not need."
"It's policy, George. Argue with them if you don't like it."
"Will I."
"Here, Georgia, you want your bumpy ball?" She reached for the toy with one hand. The other was still wrapped around his calf. She waved the toy around, giggling when it rattled. "Do you need me to get that," he asked when Lila came back into the room with the wheelchair.
"I got it, but thank you." She placed the chair next to her husband and seconds later there was a knock at the door. "At least they're always on time to get you for therapies. Hi, Paula," she said, opening the door to the nurse. "He's almost ready for you."
"Wheelchair resistance?"
"Gee, how did you know?" Lila grinned at her husband, who in turn huffed at their banter. "Oh, I almost forgot the check-list from last week. It's just in the bedroom. I'll be right back."
The nurse spotted the baby on the floor. "Well, hello, cutie."
"Georgia, can you say hi?" Eric mimed waving.
"Oh, she's adorable."
"Thanks."
"Where did you get her?"
"I…what?"
"What agency did you use? Was the wait long?"
He frowned. "I don't understand."
"You know, her adoption."
What was this woman saying? "She's not-"
"I don't mean to pry. You see, my daughter and her husband have been trying for years and just found out biological children are likely never going to happen. I saw you and your baby and thought I'd ask where you got her to give them ideas for a lawyer or agency to use. They're getting desperate and just want a baby. It doesn't matter what kind of baby it is."
"What kind of…" He picked Georgia up from the floor and held her tight. "There was no agency. I'm her dad."
"What the hell is going on?" The door to the apartment was open and Angela heard everything. "Is there a reason you're looking for our life story?"
She looked back and forth between Angela, Eric, and Georgia. "Oh, I get it now. One of you is the real parent."
Angela walked over and stood directly in front of her little family. "If you really need to know I'll tell you. I screwed his brains out and then thirty-nine weeks and twenty-one hours of labor later I pushed out a baby: this baby. Our baby."
"Oh, I just thought- I mean, she doesn't look like-"
Angela felt something akin to a chill up her spine and took a step forward. "Doesn't look like who?"
Lila chose then to make her presence known. "You know, I'm not sure how comfortable I am with my husband having a nurse who has trouble grasping such simple concepts like biology and human reproduction. It is rather disturbing."
"I'm so-"
"Go," George chimed in. He'd wanted to say something before, but couldn't formulate the words. "Now." He gestured towards the door with his good arm. "Go."
She nodded. "Right. I'm sorry again."
As soon as the nurse was gone Angela turned her attention to Eric and Georgia. "Are you okay?" It was evident in his eyes how deep the nurse's insinuation had cut. It bothered her, too, naturally, but he seemed stunned. She was not. "Do you want to talk and-"
"Did you get the teethers?"
"What?"
"Georgia's teething crackers: where are they?"
She had forgotten all about why she went to the car. "Oh, right." She dug through the diaper bag until she found their daughter's favorite teething snacks. "Here you go, Georgia." She held up two boxes. "Which one do you want: banana and sweet potato or blueberry and carrot?" The baby lunged for one of the boxes, making her parents laugh. "Okay, blueberry and carrot is the winner."
"Of course it is," Eric said. "It's the messiest."
/
/
"Daddy?"
"Nina, what are you doing up?" Jack muted the television. She was standing in the doorway, her stuffed pony from Shawn and Naomi in hand. "It's late and you have school in the morning."
"You have to work on your computer tomorrow but you are still awake."
Busted. "I know, but that's only because I didn't realize it was so late. I started watching a movie and forgot to look at the time." It wasn't a lie. He did lose track while watching the movie, but even if he was in bed he wouldn't be sleeping. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Nina: small and afraid in a dark closet. She was only five now, five and a half if you asked her. That meant she had to be what…three or four when it happened?
"Daddy, can I watch the movie, too?" She tugged on his sleeve when he didn't look at her. "DADDY!"
He jumped. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"I said can I watch a movie, too?"
After looking at the screen he quickly grabbed the remote and changed the channel. She certainly didn't need to see guns and explosions right now. Hell, he probably didn't need it either. "Nope. I'll put on a kids show, though."
"But this is the baby channel! I wanna watch cartoons."
"It's either this or bed." She climbed into his lap and settled against his chest. "Did you have a bad dream," he asked as he pulled down the blanket from the back of the couch a covered them both.
"I did not feel happy when I woke up."
"How did you feel?"
Nina held her pony close. "Scared."
"Do you remember anything that happened?"
"No."
"You know you don't have to be afraid, right? Me and mommy love you and are here to keep you safe."
"You do good job."
"We do?"
"Uh-huh," she mumbled through a big yawn. "When I didn't have you and mommy I was scared lots."
"How about now that you have us?"
"I get a little bit scared sometimes, but not lots."
"Good, I'm glad. I don't want you to ever be scared, but I am glad it is only sometimes now." After a few minutes of silence it was evident that Nina had fallen asleep. Jack considered putting her back into her bed, but decided to stay out here with her for just a little while. He wanted to be there if she got scared again.
/
/
"Why are you still awake?"
Eric rolled over to face her. "How did you know?"
"I can practically hear you thinking. What's going on?"
"It's nothing."
Angela turned on the lamp before she sat up. "Come on. Talk to me." He'd done an excellent job staying preoccupied throughout the rest of the day. "Nothing gets settled if we don't talk."
"But we're not the problem. The rest of the world on the other hand..." He got up and walked around the bed. "Did you hear the way that nurse talked about Georgia: 'What kind is she? Where did you get her?' She didn't even talk about Georgia like she was a person. She talked about her like she was a puppy I found on the side of the road and decided to bring home and raise. Like I thought, 'Ooh, this one's cute! I think I'll keep her.'"
"I know. I wanted to-"
"And then when you came into the room she had the nerve to ask which one of us was the real parent? Real parent? What the hell kind of crap is that?"
She winced slightly as his volume increased. "Shh."
He sighed and sat back down on the bed. "Sorry."
Angela scooted over until she was directly alongside him and pressed her cheek against his back and wrapped her arms around him. "You know we've never talked about it much before. It's irresponsible on our parts. Stupid really."
He held her hands against his chest, over his heart. "Talked about what?"
"Me and you...black and white...what that means for our family, Georgia especially."
"Why does it have to mean anything? I love you. You love me. We love Georgia. She loves us. What else do we need? That should be enough."
"If it was a perfect world then that would be enough, but this isn't a perfect world. Some people see us together and judge us just because we love each other. You don't notice the looks we get sometimes? The occasional points and whispers?"
"When we're out I'm paying attention to you, not anyone else. Besides, I'm a local celebrity, the most famous news person in town. I'm used to people staring at me. And if people look at us I assume it's for two reasons: one, we're happy and who doesn't like to see some happy walking down the street?"
"What's number two," she asked, though she had a feeling she already knew his answer.
"We're hot and they're jealous."
She laughed before placing a kiss on the back on his neck. "How did I know you were going to say that?"
"I speak the truth."
"No one has ever stared or asked questions when you're out alone with Georgia?"
"Again, I'm not paying attention to other people. I'm focused on her." He was quiet for a minute, deciding whether or not to say this to her. "I mean there have been some mean things but after the first couple comments I decided to just have an intern delete those and never tell me about them."
"What are you talking about?"
Eric sighed. He'd done his best to forget about this. "If I talk about you or Georgia or show a picture...or when you came to the set of Rise and Shine, America with me last summer not everyone was a fan."
"People said stuff?"
"On social media, yeah. I tried to skim and delete by myself, but I couldn't stomach the negative things people said about you...us...but especially you. You're amazing. How could anyone hate you or think what we have is ugly? It didn't make sense to me. It still doesn't." He paused and shook his head. "Then when they started talking about Georgia…"
"When did they talk about Georgia?" Angela tried to keep her tone neutral, but the thought of anyone insulting her baby made her want to rage.
"Her TV debut, also known as her first smile." Introducing his daughter to his TV family had been such a big deal. It never occurred to him that people could look at Georgia and see anything but happiness and love.
"What did they say?"
"I asked the social media guy what kind of reaction we got after I had been off TV for so long. Mainly I just wanted to hear other people tell me what I already knew: Georgia's the most perfect baby since the invention of babies."
"And?"
"He said it was a mostly positive reaction. I didn't want to know what the others had to say. They don't matter and I want to forget they even exist."
"Except we have to co-exist in the world with those people and they won't always be bullies hiding behind a screen. Sometimes they'll be right in our faces. We'll be expected to justify our love for each other, our relationship, our family, and the fact that we brought an innocent child into the middle of this."
"The middle of what? A loving family? That's stupid. A family is a family and love is love."
"I agree, but not everyone thinks like that. It's better for us to talk about it and have a plan now rather than wait until after something happens."
"What do you think is going to happen?"
"Today for example, people will assume that Georgia isn't ours, yours' especially."
"Why especially me? She looks just like me."
"Yes, but some people won't look beyond the color of her skin or her curly hair. She definitely takes after me there."
"And she has your smile," he reminded her. "That's all you."
She clutched his hands. "I know. Thank you. But all of that combined with those beautiful blue eyes of hers' that I love? She's going to have the 'what are you' question thrown at her for the rest of her life."
"God, that makes me so sad for her."
"Sad won't solve anything. We have to empower her and teach her how to handle everyone from the nosy but harmless to the downright offensive." He was quiet for quite a while. "You're not the only one whose parentage has been questioned."
"What do you mean?"
"There's not a week that goes by where I don't have at least one person assume I'm Georgia's nanny instead of her mother."
"Are you kidding?"
"I wish I was, but no. I've even had actual nannies ask how much I get paid to take care of her. They're trying to compare rates."
"Where does it happen?"
"Take your pick: the bank, grocery store, library, the park, and one time this stupid bitch tried to say something at Mommy and Me yoga class of all places. Luckily the instructor is a good person and kicked her out."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I-I don't know. I wasn't sure you'd understand. I've been dealing with this crap my whole life. I'm used to it. You…you're not. But somehow it hurts worse now knowing our daughter is being judged." She leaned into him. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why didn't you tell me about the comments on social media?"
"I was trying to protect you. I didn't want to expose you to that ugliness." He let out a bitter chuckle. "It never occurred to me that you've been going through it forever."
"To be honest it never occurred to me that you'd be on the receiving end of such blatant ignorance until I saw it today. I assumed you were immune to that."
"How do we fix it?"
This time she laughed. "You want to fix that level of hate and ignorance?"
"I know I don't want to send Georgia out into a world like that."
"You could live eight lifetimes and still not fix everyone."
"You should give motivational speeches," he said sarcastically. "Mister Rogers has nothing on you."
"I'm sorry." She kissed him gently. "But it's true."
"I hate that we even need to have this conversation."
"So do I, but I think it's important that we keep it going. Ignoring it can only make it worse. Look at how much was going on behind the scenes that we didn't even tell each other about. A relationship is complicated enough without adding this stuff to it. The only way we even have a shot at combatting this is to do it together."
"I guess it's a good thing there's no one else I'd rather have in my corner."
"Me, too."
You have no idea how much I hesitated with the Angela and Eric scenes and the countless edits and redos I did trying to get it right. I like to think of reading (and writing) as an escape from the ugliness that can exist in real life. But I also like my writing to be real. And after recently witnessing the difficulty one of my best friends faced just trying to check her ill son out of school I realized that I was ignoring the struggles that interracial families face every day. This isn't going to get political and I'm not going to hammer it over people's heads and mention it every chapter (though it may come up from time to time). I'm just trying to write as real a story as I can. If this was a miss (or a hit...maybe?) in writing and tone, please let me know.