Vacation

Day Five

There was no clock in the truck, but Cooper's watch read two in the morning when they finally pulled back into the orphanage's driveway. Kirsten cut the engine and coasted to a gentle stop just before the closed barn doors. She didn't say a word to him as she jumped out of the truck and headed for the main building. Cooper took his sweet time; while letting her stew in whatever was bothering her wasn't his smartest idea, it would save him some trouble later.

Kirsten had already long disappeared up the stairs when Cooper entered the main building. He stood in the foyer for a moment, debating on pursuing her footsteps, or coffee. He ran through as many different mental scenarios as he possibly could before making his choice. Cutting through the nave of the church would get him quick access to the kitchen, and coffee pot. His body was tired, but his mind wouldn't shut off. What was he going to say to Kirsten to make things more relaxed?

That one statement had been a gross betrayal of trust. No matter what, he had to go talk to her. Coffee would be the balm that he would come to later, when their words were exchanged. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he headed up the stairs toward the dormitories. Conscious of sleeping children, he moved as quietly as he could manage. The kids' room were small, and the three boys had piled into the nursery with the toddlers so Cooper could have his own space. They had never seemed indignant or angry at the intrusion, but sometimes, Coop couldn't help but wonder.

The shower was already running by the time Cooper reached the bathroom at the end of the girl's side of the hall. He hesitated before rapping on the door lightly.

"Kirsten?"

Water splashed in reply. Either she was still giving him the silent treatment, or she couldn't hear him at all. He waited a few more minutes before trying again, repeating the simple query of her name.

"Go away." This time, he was rewarded with an actual answer. "Just leave me alone."

He leaned against the closed door, shaking his head even though he knew she couldn't see. "I'm gonna eat crow, here. Wouldja just let me?" Once more, she failed to answer him. So Cooper figured he'd just forge on ahead. "I shoulda kept my mouth shut, but I'm not gonna sit idly by and watch you tear your back apart 'cause you're too stubborn to admit when you're down and out. If I have to go shouting it to the world, make you hate me, just so I can see you healed and back in action... well... so be it."

That hadn't been quite what he wanted to say, but those words just would come out. Grumbling to himself, he turned away from the door, and headed back down the hallway. His room was at the complete opposite end, by the stairs. He'd passed by Kirsten's door, and was on his way past the next one in line when he heard the soft whimper. He paused for a moment, listening intently. The water was still running, muffled by the door, and distance, so he tried to listen beneath the burble.

There it was again, another whimper, this time echoed by a soft murmur. Little kids shouldn't be up at 2 o'clock in the morning. Before he even thought about it, Cooper knocked twice on the door, and then eased it gingerly open.

"You two okay in here?" he fairly whispered.

The two little girls looked up at him. Miranda, her dark hair a mess, and her dark eyes rimmed with red, hiccuped and tried to muffle a sob. Julie had her arm around the younger girl, and was obviously trying to comfort her. With Miranda crying quietly into her shoulder, Julie chewed on her lower lip.

"Randa had a bad dream..." The whispered words brought another round of muffled sobs from the dark-haired one.

It took Cooper two strides to cross the little room. Kneeling down beside the bed the two girls were huddled on, he reached out to smooth Miranda's wild hair. Kids weren't his forte, but he knew nightmares, and he knew them well.

"Hey," he prompted nudging Miranda a little bit. "Hey, lookit me?" When she finally raised her eyes, Cooper used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Whenever you think something bad is gonna happen... just think of Kirsty... and me... and we'll come protect you, okay?"

"B-but.." Miranda started to protest but Cooper shook his head, cutting her off.

"No matter what it is... we'll come protect you. That's what we do; why we're here." Cooper smoothed her hair back again, managing to tame some of the wildness. Julie was all smiles, but she wasn't watching the exchange between the man and child. Cooper caught her looking at the door.

Half-turning, while Miranda was promising to try, he caught sight of Kirsten outlined by the hall light. With the shadows in her face, it was hard to read what she was thinking, but after a moment she nodded. And slipped away. Cooper waited a few moments, tucking the girls back into their beds. He was shocked when both of them wanted a good night kiss, and nervously bent down to give them each a quick peck on the forehead.

When he closed the door quietly behind him, he found that Kirsten hadn't gone that far away. She raised a brow as he turned away from the door with a sigh.

"And you say you don't like kids..." she chided gently.

"That..." Cooper pointed back in the room. "Was nerve-wracking."

"Never going to do it again?"

"Never. Ever."

He broke into a grin, hoping to see it reflected on her. But she didn't smile. Instead she crossed the hall to her own door, lightly touching the USMC banner the kids had tacked up. She didn't move to open the door, she just waited with her back turned to him. Her hair, darkened and damp, hung loose down her back. She seemed poised on the verge of something; her shoulders lacking the confident squaring he was accustomed to. Somewhere in the past few minutes, she had shed the toughened exterior of the Marine Corps, and was content giving him a brief glimpse of the woman beneath the bravado.

"Is that what you're trying to do?" she finally asked, breaking the pall with that one question. "Are you trying to protect me?"

She looked back over her shoulder just in time to see Cooper's silent answer. He nodded.

"From what?"

"Yourself." He tried to grin, but his heart just wasn't in it. "I watch it with Gung Ho all the time. You Marines will beat yourself until you drop. But you don't need to. You don't have anything to prove to anyone... not to me, and especially not to them." He gestured at the doors around them, indicating the rest of the orphanage.

He took a step forward, but stopped when he heard the twist of the doorknob beneath her hand. She pushed the door to her room open, and turned away from him again. He cursed silently, unable to read her face. "G'night Cooper," she bid him, entering her room. She turned toward him as she began to close the door. "I'll take you out for that beer I owe you tomorrow night. Promise."

Cooper felt his heart lighten as he realized she was smiling. He felt goofy as he returned the expression, and she shut her door. Standing in the hallway for a few moments, he gave himself a moment to exhale. Somehow, somewhere, he'd said something right, and finally gotten through to her. It felt good. It felt damned good.