Hello to everyone who is still reading! As stated before, I've done research on the Foster Care system but some elements of the story may not be fully accurate. I don't own glee. I do own the plot and Zack and Lainey! Enjoy!
Rachel took a deep breath. "Oh, Okay. Yes let's go answer the door." Rachel reached out for Finn's hand, gripping it tightly as they walked towards the front door. Through the glass window they could see Mrs. Kent's head as she mumbled something to the kids below her.
Finn opened the door and they saw them. Lainey was there in her jeans and pink tank top, blonde wavy hair flowing down her back. She clung to Mrs. Kent's arm tightly. The boy was holding her other hand. Zack looked up at Finn, sandy blonde hair in his eyes as he stood there emotionless. His clothes were tattered, worn, and clearly too small for him.
Rachel appeared next to Finn and said a quiet "Hello" as the kids just stood there making no attempt to enter the house.
Mrs. Kent plastered on a smile. "Okay kids, why don't we go inside and meet Mr. and Mrs. Hudson okay? It's getting quite warm and we don't want to get too hot."
Rachel backed away from the door as Finn held it open, allowing space for them to all move inside. Mrs. Kent let go of the children's hands since they all couldn't go through the door at the same time. Rachel couldn't stop staring at them. These children were beautiful but looked so sad.
A scream ripped her from her thoughts. "Lainey run!" Zack cried out. They took off down the front steps as Mrs. Kent dropped her bag and began chasing them.
Finn and Rachel stood at the front door stunned, frozen in place. Finn's instincts kicked in and he began to run after the group. He could hear Rachel's footsteps a few feet behind him. The kids were now running down the street towards the main road, Zack a little further ahead of Lainey. Mrs. Kent was wearing heels and was pretty much useless in this chase. She soon stopped once Finn passed her.
Rachel chased after Finn and the kids in a panic. What is happening? One minute she was staring into these children's eyes and the next they were running down the street as if their life depended on it. What were they so afraid of? This was eerily similar to her dream she had, except right now no one was calling her mommy. Panic coursed through her veins as she kept running, trying to catch up to Finn and the kids.
Finn began gaining on the kids. He was very close to Lainey and was able to reach out and scoop her up. This caused her to release a scream like none he has ever heard. It was carnal, filled with a fright that came from somewhere deep inside.
"NOOOOOOO! ZACK HELP ME!" Lainey screamed as Finn wrestled her up into his arms while still trying to run after Zack. Rachel was catching up but wasn't fast enough.
Upon hearing Lainey's screams Zack froze and turned around. Both Rachel and Finn stopped as to not cause him to run any further. Lainey's screams fell into a whimper once she made eye contact with Zack.
"Zack don't leave me. Please don't leave me!" Lainey pleaded.
Finn was very out of breath, holding Lainey tight in his arms. Rachel walked slowly forward towards Finn, making sure not to pass him and frighten Zack. A few neighbors had now made their way into their yards to investigate the commotion.
"Hey buddy," Finn huffed as he looked at Zack. "Why don't you come with us into the house and we can show you around?"
"No." Zack said as he crossed his arms.
"Okay," Finn replied, shifting Lainey to his other hip. "Well can you tell me why you don't want to?" Finn was trying to keep him engaged so he wouldn't run off again or until Rachel made a move. He wasn't sure either was going to happen right now. Rachel stood next to him frozen still looking at Zack and then back at Mrs. Kent who seemed to be searching through her bag at the moment.
Zack stood his ground not noticing Finn and Rachel were slowly inching closer. "I want to go home. I don't want to live in your house."
This time Rachel felt the need to speak. "I know this is scary but I promise you our house is a really safe place. You can stay with us until you can go back home ok? It's almost lunch time and I'm sure you're getting hungry. Do you want to help me make lunch?" Rachel held out her hand towards Zack but he still wouldn't move.
Lainey leaned into Finn's ear and whispered "I'm hungry". Finn looked at Lainey and her big blue eyes and smiled. "Okay. As soon as your brother comes with us we can go make lunch. We love to have helpers with lunch don't we Rachel?" Finn answered Lainey loudly to make sure Zack would hear.
Zack remained quiet but his eyes grew wide at the sight of Mrs. Kent walking towards him with a phone in her hand. "Don't call the police! I'll be good!" he shouted.
Finn and Rachel looked at each other wide eyed not knowing how to read this situation.
Zack rushed over to Rachel's open hand and grabbed it. "Hey no one is calling the police Zack. Right Mrs. Kent?" she said as she raised an eyebrow towards the social worker.
"No, no I guess that won't be necessary." Mrs. Kent placed her phone back in her bag. "Can we go into the house now so we can get everything set before I need to go?"
Zack looked up at Rachel and nodded. Lainey still clung to Finn's neck, unsure of the situation. They four of them followed Mrs. Kent back up the road to their house. The neighbors had all gone back inside once they saw them coming. "Great" Rachel thought to herself. Now they'll be the talk to the town by 4th of July.
Mrs. Kent held the door open as the four of them shuffled inside. Rachel led Zack over to the couch in the living room and Finn sat down next to him with Lainey in his lap. She still had her arms wrapped around his neck in a death grip.
Rachel could feel the tension in the room. The children looked terrified and disheveled. She and Finn didn't look much better after chasing the kids down the street. "Mrs. Kent, what do we need to do before we can get on with our day? I'm sure the kids need some down time after their morning?" Rachel's eyes never leaving the children as she spoke. "We've managed to get the necessities before you arrived and seeing as they didn't arrive with bags we can get the rest tomorrow."
Mrs. Kent reached into her bag, still shaking from the earlier events. She pulled out a folder with some papers in it and set them on the coffee table. "I'll need you two to sign these documents which say that I handed the children over to you and you are for now their temporary guardians through the state of Ohio."
Finn bent over to grab the pen off of the table but was stopped short because Lainey still clung to him tightly. He gently pulled her arms off of her neck and placed them in his hands. "Hey Lainey, I'm going to sit you down right here so I can sign these papers and then I'll pick you right back up ok?" Lainey gave a faint nod as Finn sat her next to Zack. Rachel and Finn both quickly signed the papers and handed them back to Mrs. Kent. The children still sat silent on the couch and hadn't moved at all.
"Okay that's all for today. Mrs. Hudson, can I have a word with you as we walk out please?" Mrs. Kent motioned for Rachel to follow her to the door.
"Yes of course. Finn you sit here with the kids ok?" Rachel looked at him wide eyed as if she was trying to send some sort of subliminal message to him.
"I think we'll be okay for a few minutes right kids?" Finn turned towards them waiting for a response, but they still just sat there silent.
Mrs. Kent and Rachel made their way to the front porch. Rachel was sure to close the door tightly behind them in case one of the kids decided to run. They were going to need higher locks on these doors. "So that's it?" Rachel asked. "You just drop them off like this and leave?"
"Well yes Mrs. Hudson. I wanted to call you out here to tell you that these children were abandoned yesterday by their mother at a grocery store. I'm not at liberty to say which one."
Rachel didn't realize that her mouth was gaping open. Mrs. Kent had just blurted that out like it was a common thing. "She….she just left them? At the store?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her heart hammered in her chest as she through about all of the turmoil the kids must have been through in just 24 hours.
"Yes," Mrs. Kent replied. "I know these children have been in the system before as you've seen in their file, but I can't imagine that being left in a grocery store by their own mother in the middle of a typical day is going to be an easy thing for them to get over. Now I'll be in touch tomorrow to get them set up for counseling services. I suggest you be very careful with Zack. He's wants to flee to find his mom. You are also required to call the police if he is missing at any time."
Rachel could feel her head spinning. Her eyes began to well up with tears. She was overwhelmed but mostly with sadness for Lainey and Zack. She and Finn had taken all of the classes and made sure they were fully prepared. Right now she's feels the most unprepared she has ever felt about anything.
Rachel quickly brushed the tear falling down her cheek away so Mrs. Kent wouldn't notice. "How long will we have them? Could this be permanent?"
Mrs. Kent cleared her throat as she began to fish her keys out of her purse. "I can't say right now Mrs. Hudson. Mom has not been located so my guess is she'll be charged with child abandonment within the next few days. A judge will decide if her rights are terminated and then we can proceed from there." Mrs. Kent reached out to grab Rachel's hand. "Foster care is a fickle thing Mrs. Hudson. Just go in there and give those kids the home they deserve, whether it be for a few weeks for forever."
Rachel stood on the front porch as she watched Mrs. Kent get in her car and drive away. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she turned around to open the front door. As she walked inside she was greeted with silence. Rachel approached the living room cautiously. Why did she feel scared?
Finn remained on the couch with the kids as he saw Rachel come back in the room. He had tried to talk to the kids and engage them in some type of conversation, but they just sat there stunned and silent. Finn felt a wave of relief wash over him as Rachel returned. He didn't know what to do.
Rachel put on a brave face for Finn and the kids, even though she was panicking inside. What do they do now? What if Zack tries to run again? She felt her hands shaking, still not recovered from her adrenaline rush from earlier.
"Okay! Mrs. Kent is gone so what should we do huh? Are you guy's hungry for lunch? Wait what time do you eat lunch? Do you want to play a game or watch TV or.-?
"Rachel," Finn interrupted, "they aren't really talking right now so maybe we can just hang out for a few minutes?" He could tell Rachel was feeling overwhelmed. He was too. However, he didn't want the kids catching onto that vibe. They had already had a rough morning and he was trying desperately to find something that will bring them out of their shell.
"Yes. Sounds good. Why don't I find something we can watch on TV? Sound good. We've all had a busy morning and we can relax." The kids just stared back at Rachel, expressionless. She turned on the TV and found the Cartoon Network which was airing Tom and Jerry at the moment.
"Oh I love this show! It was one of my favorites growing up. Have you guys seen it?" Finn looked down at Zack who was still sitting stone faced. He didn't move. He then felt Lainey shake her head faintly to indicate she hadn't. Finn glanced over towards Rachel who was sitting on the loveseat across from him. She raised her eyebrows to question what he wanted. Neither wanted to speak and say the wrong thing. It was going to be a long day.
Two hours had passed and all was quiet in the Hudson home. That was the issue though. The kids still weren't speaking and haven't moved from the couch. Rachel had passed some time by cleaning up the shopping trip goods out of the kitchen, checking in with Finn and the kids every so often. Finn hadn't moved. Lainey still was clinging to him and he didn't want to disturb the peace. Zach became slightly distracted by the cartoons and the scowl on his face had lifted for now.
Rachel was at a loss about what to do next. She hadn't really focused on the fact that when they got a child or children in their home, they wouldn't know them. It's like having two strangers in your house. Finn was of course being amazing, not moving from the couch to give Lainey the comfort she needed. Zack didn't seem to want anything to do with anyone or anything.
Rachel walked into the room cautiously, but she needed to try and engage with the kids. "Do you guys want a snack? You've been here a while and I'm sure you're hungry. Maybe after we have a snack we can go play outside until dinner? How does that sound?" Rachel waited for a moment. She knew they had to be getting hungry and was hoping this would help them feel more comfortable.
"I'm hungry, but can this man come with me to eat?" Lainey said in a whisper.
"I sure can," Finn answered as he stood up with Lainey in his arms. "What about you buddy? You want to come with us?" Finn turned to Zack and held out his hand to help him up.
"No." Zack answered sternly.
"Okay well you know where the kitchen is? It's right through there." Finn pointed towards the kitchen door as Rachel turned around and waved. "If you change your mind and get hungry you just come and find us ok?" Finn made eye contact with Zack before he glanced back at the TV.
Once he got into the kitchen he placed Lainey down onto one of the kitchen chairs. "I promise I'll be right back. I just have to help Rachel get the snacks ready ok? You can see me the entire time." Lainey nodded and sat quietly in the chair.
Rachel realized that she hadn't even told Finn about the kid's circumstances. "Finn, can you come over here for a quick second? I need some help"
Finn walked slowly over to the fridge, keeping an eye on Lainey as well as Zack through the doorway. "What's up? I'm so on edge and I'm afraid Zack will try to run again? Is the front door locked? I'm going to need to buy higher locks that he can't reach." Finn was rambling. He had been sitting quietly with the kids for two hours and was finally away from them to talk to Rachel. He had so many questions. How were they going to do this?
Rachel put out her hand in front of his mouth to get him to stop talking. "Yes Finn I agree about the locks. You should do that tonight after they go to bed. I need to tell you quickly what Mrs. Kent told me. It's about the kid's mom." Rachel looked over at Lainey who was sitting so nicely at the table, short legs dangling below her. Tears began to form in her eyes again. "Finn, their mom….she left them. She just left them at the store on Sunday and never came back. Finn they've been abandoned."
Finn was stunned. He had read their file, but imagining these two little kids being left by their own mother left him speechless.
"I just wanted to tell you because there's reasons they are acting like this. We probably don't even know everything they've been through. We just have to remember what we've learned and we need to apply it. I'm trying very hard not to freak out because how they were dropped off was never what I imagined. But they need us Finn. They have no one." Rachel realized tears were starting to fall. She was trying hard all of this time not to judge their mother. She didn't know what she was going through. However, as someone who had struggled for years just to have one baby, she can't imagine why their mom would have left them behind.
Just then Lainey's quiet voice pipped up. "Excuse me lady, can I have my snack now? And big man can you sit next to me?" Rachel chuckled realizing she didn't know their names yet but still found a way to address them.
"Sure Lainey, what do you like? We have cheese, goldfish crackers, strawberries….."
"Oh Strawberries! We don't have those a lot." Lainey clapped her hands together in excitement.
"Oh and Lainey, my name is Rachel and the big guy there is Finn ok? So it's very nice to meet you." Rachel walked over to Lainey and shook her hand, which made Lainey giggle. Rachel glanced over to see Zack side glancing into the kitchen, still trying to act uninterested.
Finn cut up some strawberries and placed them in front of Lainey. She began feverishly shoveling them into her mouth. "Whoa there! Lainey slow down! One at a time!" Finn pulled the bowl away from Lainey as Rachel wiped her mouth.
"Hey Lainey, you need to eat one at a time okay? We have plenty. Now Finn is going to put the bowl back and I need you to eat slow ok?" Finn placed the bowl back in front of her and Lainey carefully put one strawberry into her mouth and chewed slowly.
"Great job Lainey!" Finn exclaimed.
Just then Zack appeared in the doorway. He glanced at Lainey's bowl of strawberries and then back at Rachel.
"Oh hey Zack! Do you want some strawberries? If not we have other stuff." Rachel waited for Zack's answer, if it was even going to come.
"Yes, strawberries," he said and he quickly sat down at the kitchen table next to Lainey. Finn smiled to himself. Progress is progress.
The two kids ate their snack as Finn and Rachel paced around the kitchen, unsure of what to do. This didn't feel natural. It felt awkward and tense. Rachel wanted to run over to them and scoop them up into her arms and just hug them and tell them everything was going to be okay. She didn't know that though, and the kids didn't seem receptive to her at all. She imagined their faces when their mom walked away from them and had to push that out of her mind. No. She had to be strong.
Once they were finished they all went into the backyard. Rachel still had all of the toys and games from the BBQ last month so they at least had something for kids to do.
Zack plopped himself down onto the chair on the deck and crossed his arms. Finn noticed him and went straight towards him.
"Hey bud, do you know how to play football?" Finn asked.
"No. Football is stupid." Zack looked away and pulled his legs up onto the chair to his chest. He looked like he wanted to disappear.
"Well I don't think it's stupid and I'd really like to show you how to play. I started playing when I was your age."
"Well good for you," Zack said sarcastically. "Sports are dumb."
"Who said sports are dumb? There are lots of sports you know, they can't all be dumb."
"My MOM said they were dumb so they are. They cost a lot of money and you need a dad to show you stuff and I don't have one. Can you stop asking now? I don't want to play. Leave me alone." Zack took a deep breath and sat further back in his chair.
Finn was scrambling in his mind for the right thing to say. "I don't have a dad either!" he blurted out. "I mean, my dad died when I was a baby. I have a new dad now but he wasn't around until I was older."
Zack stared back at Finn. "You….you didn't have a dad when you were little? Like me?"
"No. My mom had to teach me how to play football and she wasn't very good". Finn laughed which earned a small smile from Zack. "And you know, if we play in the back yard it doesn't cost any money! It will be fun I promise. You've been sitting down all day! Let's run around a bit!"
Finn began to run down the steps to the yard as Rachel and Lainey got the bubbles out and had made it down to the grass. Zack slowly followed Finn down to the yard.
Rachel saw this happening and was overjoyed. "Hey Zack! Glad you could join us!"
Zack ignored Rachel which was a blow to her emotions. He kept walking towards Finn until they were close enough for him to toss the football back and forth.
On the first toss Zack jumped out of the way and let it go by. "That's okay" Finn shouted, "We'll try again!"
Zack waited for Finn to throw it again and he dropped it. Finn realized this wasn't going to be as easy as he had pictured it in his mind. Zack picked up the ball and threw it to Finn. It didn't make it but at least he was participating. The third time Finn threw the ball and Zack put his hands up but the ball went straight through and smacked him in the forehead.
"Crap!" Finn shouted as he ran towards Zack. He expected to see Zack upset, but instead he looked enraged. His hands were balled up into tight fists and his face was red.
"I TOLD YOU SPORTS WERE DUMB!" he shouted, and he began to run for the gate.
Finn began to chase after Zack. "STOP Zack! STOP! I'm sorry!" Finn screamed as he began to catch up to Zack.
Lainey and Rachel were pulled out of their happy bubble blowing by all of this commotion. As Finn passed them Lainey began to scream. "BIG GUY! Where are you going? Come back!" she shouted as she too began to run after them.
Rachel stood frozen. She couldn't believe this was happening again. These kids were only here a few hours and it's been pure chaos. She couldn't move. Couldn't help. Not that she would be of much help anyways. The kids would barely look at her.
Zack reached the gate first. What he wasn't anticipating was that the gate had a padlock on it that he had no way of opening. He was trapped. Zack spun around just in time for Finn to grab his arm.
"Let me go!" he shouted as he tried to squirm from Finn's grip. Finn picked him up to get a better hold on him when he felt a tug at his leg. Lainey.
"Big Guy don't run away!" she said as she clung to his leg for dear life.
Rachel saw the scene and began to jog over to them. "Lainey, come here so Finn can walk Zack back into the house." She held out her arms but Lainey wouldn't budge.
"Rachel I'll be fine. Let's just get inside." Finn began to walk towards the deck holding Zack who was squirming. He couldn't bend his left leg because Lainey was clinging to him like a monkey. He began his long hobble to the steps as Rachel stood by. She couldn't do anything. She knew if she tried to get Lainey off his leg he would freak and Zack was too big for her to hold.
Once inside Finn was out of breath, sweat dripping off of his brow. Zack had given up struggling once he realized how strong Finn was.
"Okay Lainey I need you to go with Rachel so I can sit down and talk to Zack." Finn looked down at Lainey who was still hanging on to his leg. He was quite amazed at how long she held on.
"I don't want to go with the lady. I want you."
Rachel looked at Finn as her face fell. That stung.
"Come on Lainey, why don't you help me cook dinner? I'm making spaghetti and you can be my chef!" Rachel tried to act enthused to try and tempt Lainey to follow her.
"Yum spaghetti!" she cheered as she let go of Finn's leg. "Big Guy are you coming to dinner? With Zack?"
"Of course! We will be right there!" Finn carried Zack to the couch as the two girls went into the kitchen.
Zack sat with a scour on his face and his arms crossed. This seemed to be a common look for him.
"Zack, I know you are upset about being here. You don't know us and we don't know you. But you can't be trying to run away all of the time. What about Lainey? She needs you right? You're her big brother."
Zack sat quietly thinking about Finn's words. He looked across the couch at Finn and tried to fight back his tears. "If I run away then I can try to find mom and I'll get Lainey later. She can't keep up with me. She's small." Zack could no longer hide his sadness. The sobs he'd been holding in all day finally came. "I don't want to live here. I want to find my mom. She's probably looking for us and the police won't tell her where we are."
It was then Finn realized the enormity of their situation. These kids want their mom. They need their mom, even though she abandoned them. They were suffering and he and Rachel had to find a way to ease their pain.
Finn reached out to rub the small of Zack's back. "I know bud. I know you miss your mom but you can't run away to find her. If she goes to the police I promise they will let us know. The police are here to help you and keep you safe. I'm sure these past two days have been scary right?"
Zack sniffled through his tears. He was sad. Sadder than he's ever been. Mom usually left them in the motel, but never at a store. How would she find them? "Yeah I guess. I'm a big boy though and I can take care of Lainey all by myself. I don't need to be here with you and HER. Lainey and I don't need you."
Finn wishes Rachel would come in the room because he's running out of things to say. What do you say to a 7 year old who has been taking care of his little sister for her entire life? He turned back towards the kitchen only to find Rachel and Lainey at the stove stirring something and their backs were turned.
"Zack I am sure you do a great job of taking care of Lainey. But now you have us and you can be the kid and we can do the grown up stuff ok? We want to do the grown up stuff and you can be the helper."
"No. I'll take care of Lainey. She doesn't know things like I do." Zack curled himself into a ball and sat deep into the couch.
Finn was at a loss. Obviously this wasn't going to be fixed with one conversation.
Rachel reappeared to announce that dinner is going to be ready soon and asked the kids to wash their hands. Zack ran into the kitchen to grab Lainey and Rachel showed them were the bathroom was.
Finn realized it was 5pm and he hadn't looked at his phone all day. Things had been so crazy he didn't even know where his phone was. Everyone at the office must think he's dead.
Rachel seemed to have a handle on things so Finn ran to the office to find his phone. He was afraid to even look down at the screen. 30 unread emails, 5 missed calls (2 from Puck, 3 from his mom) and 27 text messages. He'd weed through those later. They hadn't even had time to notify the office. Things were changing around here and fast.
Dinner went off without a hitch. No one managed to choke, cry, or run away so it was a success to the Hudson's for sure. It was time for bath and then bed before Finn could run to the store to buy more locks for the doors.
They both walked the kids upstairs to show them their rooms. The creaking of the stairs was the only sound that was made.
"Okay Zack your room here is on the left with the light blue walls. Lainey yours is on the right with the light green walls. Our room is right next to Lainey's and across the hall from you Zack. We have some pajamas for you and a few outfits but we can go to the store tomorrow and buy some more things ok? Your toothbrushes and toothpaste are in the bathroom and we can help you brush your teeth after your bath." Rachel looked down at the two kids whose bright blue eyes were staring back at her. Maybe she was going a little too fast.
Zack and Lainey stood still looking back and forth between their rooms. Lainey pushed her hair away from her eyes. "I'm gonna be all alone?" She asked as she looked up at Rachel for some reassurance.
Zack chimed in quickly. "We've always been in the same room. In the motel we slept in a big bed with our mom. We like it that way." Zack looked up at Rachel as if he was daring her to do or say something wrong.
Rachel stood in front of them as she clasped her hands nervously in front of her. She wanted to be the parent figure, but she also didn't want to say or do something to upset them. She knows Zack is waiting to see her reaction and Lainey will follow whatever he does.
"Well why don't we try to sleep in our own rooms tonight? Finn and I can sit with you guys until you go to sleep if you'd like. Now let's get in the bath so we can clean up before bed!"
Rachel walked further down the hall to the guest bathroom. She realized no one followed her so she stuck her head back out into the hallway. The kids were standing side by side, Finn standing behind them. He motioned his arms up in the air indicating he had no idea why they weren't moving.
"Are you guys coming?"
The kids slowly walked towards Rachel and stopped at the door.
"I can give Lainey a bath. I always do it." Zack said as he pushed past Rachel towards the tub.
Rachel looked up at Finn at a complete loss. Finn stepped forward as he realized Rachel had not heard any of his conversation with Zack earlier.
"Rachel, Zack was telling me earlier how he was a big boy and takes care of Lainey. I explained that he gets to be the kid now and we get to be the adults. Right Zack?"
Rachel nodded at Finn and back at the kids. Now she sees what's going on. Zack is struggling for power because he's had all of it up until today.
"Yeah I guess, but I want to give Lainey the bath." Zack started to run the water which made Rachel nervous.
"Okay Zack but one of us has to stay in here and supervise ok?" Rachel sat down on the closed toilet seat as Lainey began to undress.
"NO! I want Big Guy in here! Not you!" Lainey shouted.
Finn motioned to Rachel to leave the bathroom. She was stunned. Rachel felt as if she wasn't needed at all. Finn gave Rachel a squeeze on her shoulder and told her to go lay out the kids pajamas while he got them bathed.
After laying out the kid's clothes, Rachel went into her room and sat down on her bed. She let the mattress envelope her as she laid back. She stared at the ceiling as she could hear the kids chatting with Finn. It wasn't much, but he was interacting with them. Being a dad figure. She was alone in her room, useless.
She thinks back to the classes they took. The scenarios they heard about but thought it would never happen to them. Well it's happening. Rachel didn't expect it to be easy, but today has been hard. Really, really hard. Exhausting even. They had a boy who wanted to escape them and a girl who wanted nothing to do with Rachel on a personal level.
She had to snap out of this. She felt selfish for even letting herself feel these things when these two kids have been through so much.
Soon she saw both kids running down the hall wrapped in their towel. Finn waved to her as he walked by. "Rach can you come help me?" he asked, never once stopping to lose sight of the kids.
Both kids willingly got dressed into their pajamas. Zack tried hard to hide his smile as he put on the Ninja Turtle pajamas Finn had picked out. Finn noticed but didn't want to mention it. He also figured it was best if he tucked Zack in tonight.
Lainey twirled in her princess nightgown. "Do I get to keep this?" she asked excitedly. "I've never had one like this before with a pretty skirt!"
"Of course you can" Rachel replied as she pulled back Lainey's covers. "Do you want me to read you a story before bed?"
"No, I want Big Guy to do it."
Rachel sighed as she walked across the hall to get Finn. "Hey Lainey would like you to read her a story. Zack do you want to come over too?"
Zack climbed into his bed. "No," was all he said as he let Finn pull the covers over his body.
As Finn walked across the hall, Rachel decided to try and talk to Zack. She had to make an effort so he could see that she cared. Rachel sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Hi Zack. I know we haven't talked much today but I'm really glad you're here and I hope you will give us a chance to show you."
Zack rolled away from Rachel. "Go away."
Rachel blinked back the tears but they came anyways. "Okay well have a great night's sleep and you can come across the hall into our room or shout for us if you need anything. I promise we won't be mad."
Zack remained silent so Rachel left the room, closing Zack's door but left a sliver of it open. She promptly wiped her tears away just in time to see Finn wrapping up his book with Lainey.
"Good night Lainey," Finn said as he stood up from her bed. "Can you say goodnight to Rachel?"
"Goodnight Lady," Lainey said as she waved to Rachel in the doorway. "Big Guy where do you sleep?"
"I sleep next door with Rachel and if you need something in the night just call for us and we will come ok?" Finn made his way to the doorway and grabbed Rachel's hand. She had that look in her eye where she could break at any moment.
He closed Lainey's door and they barely made it down the stairs before Rachel let out the sob she had been holding in. Finn rushed her to the kitchen so the kids wouldn't hear.
"Shhhh Rach. I know. Today's been pretty bad. Hard. I think we did a good job."
Rachel shook her head at Finn. "You mean YOU did a great job while I did nothing. They hate me. And you know what? Even though they hate me, I look at them and I love them. I love them already and they've been here for less than 12 hours." Finn handed her a tissue to wipe away her tears.
"Rachel they don't hate you. I'm just a safe person. Remember in the classes? The kids sometimes go to the person who seems the least like their caregiver remember?" Finn pulled her in for a hug.
"So you're saying I remind them of the woman who LEFT them in a store?" she said angrily, pushing out the hold Finn had around her.
"Rachel come on! Calm down. You getting mad isn't helping. What I mean is you remind them of a MOM. Any mom. Their mom or not."
Rachel took a deep breath as she realized she was getting emotional and needed to be strong. "I'm sorry. Today has just been so weird. I feel like we are in the Twilight Zone right now. Bottom line is that we have two kids upstairs, living in our house Finn. What if they are here forever?" Rachel backed up and sat down in a chair to regain some composure.
"Rach we need to take this day by day. Hour by hour even. I think I need to take the rest of the week off until we can get daycare set up and get them settled. I'll send out an email tonight." Finn grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and pursed his lips together as he typed feverishly.
"Shit work! Where is my phone?" Rachel scanned the room but didn't see it in the kitchen. She didn't even have the energy to get up.
"Your phone is in the office with mine. I didn't check mine until before dinner. My mom had called a few times. Guess we need to tell our parents about this? They'll want to come up and see them but honestly I don't know if the kids can deal with that."
Rachel nodded in agreement. The kids couldn't handle Rachel and Finn, let alone a ton of relatives in their faces.
"I think we can tell them but no visitors for at least a few weeks. These kids have been through enough without our crazy family around."
"I'll send out a group text tomorrow. I don't even want to have to field the texts or calls we'd get tonight if I sent it now." Finn walked over to Rachel and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to run to the store before it closes and get those locks so we can put them up quickly before bed."
As Finn left for the store Rachel quickly checked her phone and sent out an email that she would be out of the office until next Monday. She then crept up the stairs to check on the kids. To say she wasn't nervous was a lie. If anything she learned that this journey was completely unpredictable. Fortunately both kids had passed out in their own beds.
After a quick shower for herself, Rachel laid down on her bed and sent Finn a text asking when he was going to be home.
Rachel sat up with a start. She must have fallen asleep because she glanced at the clock and it was 1:15 am. "Oh my God" she said out loud as she waited for her eyes to adjust. She began to frantically reach over to Finn's side of the bed but it was empty. Her heart began to race as she realized how long she had been asleep and the kids were alone in their rooms. Where was Finn?
She stood up and raced to the hallway. Near the top of the stairs she could see a large figure on the floor. As she got closer she could see that it was Finn, sleeping in the hallway with just a pillow. What on Earth was he doing?
Rachel shook him gently, trying not to make too much noise. "Finn," she whispered, "Finn wake up."
Finn opened his eyes and groaned. "Ugh! My back!" He began to sit up slowly and Rachel crouched down to his level.
"Why are you sleeping in the hallway? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Finn rubbed the back of his neck to try and dull the ache that was lingering. "Well I got home and you were passed out on the bed. I realized that me installing locks would make a ton of noise so I just decided to sleep here in case one of the kids got up and tried to go downstairs."
Rachel leaned over to give Finn a gentle kiss. "Oh Finn that is so sweet but maybe not the brightest idea seeing as you barely fit in this space as it is. Let's check on the kids and go to bed."
Rachel put out her hand to help Finn up and they walked into Lainey's room. There they found Lainey sound asleep, with Zack right beside her. They finally looked peaceful for the first time since they'd arrived.
"Should we move him?" Finn whispered.
Rachel nodded "no" as they tiptoed out of the bedroom.
As the climbed into bed Rachel began to chuckle.
"What?" Finn asked.
"I'm just imagining Zack sneaking into Lainey's room and seeing you sprawled out in the hallway. He probably thinks we are both nuts."
Finn cracked a smile. "Yeah some good that did considering I didn't even hear him."
As they both got under the covers, Finn grabbed Rachel's hand. "We can do this Rachel. It's going to be hard but we can. We can help them."
Rachel wasn't so sure. This was her idea and now she was doubting herself. "I hope so Finn. I really do."
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