Chapter Thirty

Frank watched only for a minute reaching a hand out for April. "Come with Grandpa April."

April reached up for Frank and hid, "Max mad..." She sobbed.

"Yes, he is but he'll be okay come on sweetie." Frank took April for a walk while they dealt with Max

Jamie tried in vain to control Max's anger, but the boy was in a white-hot rage.

He gently put Max down moving away so Max wouldn't target him giving the boy a chance to cool down himself.

Eddie moved in, "Max, stop. Stop now, hold Mommom, use your words."

"No hit Max Daddy bad." Max kicked the ground getting all his anger out.

"Max, Daddy was very scared when you ran away...Mommy was scared, you cannot run away, and we do not hit Daddy it makes Mommy very sad when you bite and hit your Daddy."

Max sniffed hands still clenched kicking at the ground but calming down slowly. "Daddy no hit Max either. Max don't run away ever again."

Eddie didn't know how to explain this, so she sighed and hugged him. "Let's take him back to the room. We'll be talking LONG into the night about this Jamie" Eddie was not happy with him, not at all.

"What are you so upset about?" Jamie asked. "I was spanked more than that growing up and for less than what he did too!"

"He's a sensitive boy," Eddie hissed. Max had settled down in his mother's arms and fell asleep against her breast. All Eddie could hear was her little boy telling her, "I sowwy Mommy Max don't want you to cry." Max had been in tears himself.

"Yes, and he's…" Jamie cleaned the wound on his hand. "I never expected him to respond that way, but it dawned on me, Eddie that Max is not from the same stock as we are. He's different, as much as we love him, he is different. He has Claudia and Andre in him and we saw that today."

"Jamie, he was scared!" Eddie replied. "He didn't expect you to spank him, in his head, you were attacking him! I told him how wrong it was to hit, and that it made my heart hurt when he hits. All he saw was you, his father, his role model, doing something I told him was wrong to do."

"I personally believe that spanking is a useful discipline if the punishment fits the crime and the parent remains in control," Jamie countered. "My father blistered my butt, Joe's, Danny's…and we turned out fine. If Max does have this violent streak, we have to nip it in the bud, now!"

"Violence, begats violence!" Eddie snapped. "I do not want you to spank my son again. Full stop! I do not want Max, April, or this baby boy spanked. If you want to…" Eddie was fuming.

Jamie just sighed. "So, he just gets away with it? He disobeyed you, ran away, scared us to death, and then attacks me. He has to be punished, Eddie. You coddle him way too much, you held him and rocked him to sleep for Heaven's sake!"

"He was remorseful," Eddie replied. "And he was crying, what would you have me do, haul off and whack him again!"

"Eddie…" Jamie was exasperated now. "No, I get you aren't a spanker, and I don't have to be but we do have to agree on a way to punish all our children when the do something wrong. Max did wrong and he has to face a consequence."

"Hasn't he already faced enough?" Eddie asked, her voice catching at the thought of her little boy unhappy. He was lost, he was humiliated in public by his father…I can't look at you right now!

"Eddie," Jamie sighed. "Really…"

"Fine, you want to punish him, we'll punish him. Most of this is not his fault!" Her mother's claws were out.

"Eddie!" Jamie snapped. "He chose to disobey you and run away from you. He chose to bite and kick at me. He made those choices and they were the wrong ones! He has his mother in him!"

"I'm his mother!" Eddie replied "I am his mother and if he's….acting out then we have to get him help. We have to get him help so that he can learn to cope with the genes he got from the nightmare that gave birth to him!"

Things escalated, words were exchanged. By the time Frank got back with April for her nap, it was clear the two younger Reagans were not happy with each other. They were sniping at one another, and Max was sitting in the corner sulking, his tambourine on the top shelf out of his reach.

"Okay," Frank sighed. "I think it's time for you to go to your corners, take April for a spin in the park, do something fun. Max and I will stay here while he serves his time."

Frank looked at Max he was wearing a pitiful look on his face.

"Dad" Jamie sighed. "It's been a long day…"

"Yes, it has," Frank smiled. "All the more reason for you to go forth and enjoy the beautiful surroundings with your girl and for Max and me to have a man to man talk…"

Eddie smiled, "Thanks Dad…we just don't'…"

"Agree?" Frank finished. "I know you don't, there are many times when you won't. "Babies don't come with a manual and parenting is the hardest thing you'll ever do!"

Both parents totally agreed.

Eddie, Jamie, and April went out to the park again and Frank settled in with Max. He felt maybe he could reach the boy.

Max didn't look up at his Grandpa staring ahead at the wall rubbing his eyes tired and still upset.

Frank walked over to Max, "So you and me tonight hmmm?"

"Yes Grandpa. Max sowwy Max no mean to make Mommy cry and Daddy angry."

Frank nodded, "Don't talk that way, say it like a big boy."

Max looked up at him a confused look. "What Grandpa?"

"Don't call yourself Max, call yourself "I" like Grandpa does. Now tell me why you ran away from Mommy. That's was not you being good was it?"

"No but I really wanted to see the band and Mommy promised. Didn't mean to make Mommy cry."

"You know Mommy keeps her promises," Frank replied. "That wasn't the real reason was it?"

"Mommy goes to April first and I have to wait. April goes first." Max admitted.

"Oh..." Frank knew that wasn't true but April was a little younger and sometimes needed the help. "I see. And April had to go potty."

"No, she didn't Mommy asked her. Not just today…we go on baby rides for April. Mommy only wants Max for music."

"Oh Max, that's just not true, you know mommy loves you..." Frank sighed. "But you know better than to run off. What if someone took you away?"

Max shook his head "I would yell so someone would help. Daddy taught me that"

"That doesn't always work little man," Frank sighed. "Bottom line is this...you can't just run off because you don't like something, or you want something. You need to wait your turn and be safe. You really scared Mommy and Daddy."

"But Daddy hit me Grandpa by Mommy and April and the other guys. Daddy shouldn't hit Max like that it made me mad."

"Max, Daddy did that because you know better than to run away from Mommy. Daddy got really scared something happened to you. When you do something wrong you get a consequence"

"Like take my tambourine and not go out?" Frank nodded. "Hate Daddy. He hate me."

"He loves you Max he wants you to grow up and be a good boy and doesn't want anything to happen to you." Frank said gently

Max began to cry again. Frank sighed and rocked the boy. He had to have a word with Jamie and Eddie about some of what he learned.

Jamie held April's hand as they came off the Dumbo ride. "Did you like that ride flying up so high?" Jamie asked as Eddie watched from the bench.

"Yes, fun Dumbo good elephant." April waved her arms out to fly as she giggled.

Eddie stood up, "You were up so high!" She was trying to keep the night light for April, but the tension was thick enough any adult knew things were amiss. "Do you want to do the tea cups one more time with Daddy before we go back?"

"Yes, tea cup goes round and round again." April smiled moving her hands in a circle. "Mommy come on ride this time?"

"No, April," Eddie replied. "Mommy can't ride the ride because of the baby in her belly. I'll wave at you..." Eddie rubbed her baby belly, her hip was sore, and the baby was moving a lot.

April nodded taking Jamie's hand "Daddy again tea cup we go around." She held his hand pulling Jamie back to the ride

Jamie smiled. He liked one to one time with his children or in this case two to one. He worried about Max. Earlier, while they rode the bus back to the kingdom Eddie broached a difficult subject, "Perhaps Max needs a therapist to help him deal with his emotions, he didn't inherit those tools because of his parentage."

"No, he's still young and teachable we just have to show him and give a lot of praise." Jamie shook his head.

"And spank his butt," Eddie sighed still bitter about that.

Jamie sighed "I will talk to him but there still needs to be consequences."

"I know, and we agreed I will discipline him more and primarily but..." Eddie sighed. "He's in pain, Jamie. Our child is in pain."

"I know, and I want to deal with it as much as you do Eddie. He scared both of you seeing you crying like that he had to know it was wrong."

Eddie let it go, she was still seething with anger, why was Jamie not wanting to help their boy. She looked now at April running off with Jamie, this was too happy a time to dwell. She massaged her belly, "What will you be Joseph. A brain? A jock? Another musician...I know no matter what you are I'll love you."

The ride started April holding on sitting close to her Daddy grinning each time they passed Eddie. She was all smiles when they came off the ride.

Eddie moved to stand up but felt Joey going to town inside of her. Jamie saw the false start and grew concerned. He loved her even though they were clearly at odds with each other.

Holding April's hand Jamie started over to his wife. "Eddie are you okay? Are you in pain," he asked?

"No... Not that kind of pain anyway...here...Joey's got the hiccups." She took Jamie's hand and held it on her belly, their eyes meeting.

He couldn't hold back the smile feeling their boy moving around. "Wow that's amazing…look at him go."

Eddie smiled, "April, you want to feel the baby?"

April climbed up on the bench nodding slowly. "Yes Mommy."

Eddie held her little hand on her belly, for a long moment the three of them sat there in bliss enjoying the quiet entertainment of one yet to be born.

Frank sat with Max at the hotel table, he had the idea of Max writing down his feelings and his apology to his Mommy and Daddy. "Okay tell Grandpa what you want to put down and I'll help you spell things okay?"

"I'm sorry for scaring Mommy and Daddy and making Mommy cry for running away." Max spoke out loud slowly.

"Okay, so let's put that down on the paper here..." Frank watched as Max carefully wrote his words. "That's good, do you want to tell them anything else? Maybe what you said to Grandpa?"

"April gets to be first a lot and Mommy and Daddy only see Max for music class. That makes Max really sad sometimes."

Frank helped him write that down only he insisted Max write in the first person as he spelled the words...Finally Max added, "Daddy hit me and made me sad. Makes Mommy sad too. Hate Daddy and Daddy hates me..." Frank knew that would break Jamie's heart. "You don't mean that Max."

"I do Grandpa Daddy doesn't like me he wouldn't hit me if he did. Made Max sad he did that." Max wiped at his eyes just thinking about it.

Frank thought back to the spankings he gave his kids, did they feel this way about it too? Frank picked Max up, "You did good buddy. Let's go potty and have our story for bed, okay?"

"Okay thank you Grandpa." Max climbed down from the chair following Frank to get changed and follow his bedtime routine.

When Jamie and Eddie came back, April was in Jamie's arms asleep, Frank was reading in the chair by Max's bed, and the note was on the table next to Eddie and Jamie's bed.

"Did he give you a hard time?" Eddie asked as she placed a kiss on Max's forehead.

"No," Frank replied. "He was a good little solider. He has a lot on his mind, most of which he passed on to me, but I think he'll be okay."

"I know he will, I just…I hate to see them hurting," Eddie replied. "I hate to see them hurting. Thanks for watching him tonight Dad."

Frank smiled, he knew he was going to be watching the next night too, his son and daughter were at odds and needed to reconnect. They would be blown away by what he had cooked up for them, but first, they'd have to weather the storm with Max.

Frank headed back to his room, Jamie found the note and picked it up. "It's Max's writing…" He opened the envelope and started to read. In Max's very juvenile printing were the words that would kick Jamie in the chest.

Eddie wasn't paying attention, she was getting ready for bed when she heard Jamie suck in as if in terrible pain. "Jamie?" she put her anger aside for the moment when she heard that. "What's wrong?"

"Look at this, what Max wrote…well what Dad helped Max write…" Jamie remembered his own spankings as a kid, there were times, now he thought of it, he felt his father didn't love him. That he was alone…and he'd made Max feel that way.

"Oh, Jamie, he's just sad," Eddie sighed. "He doesn't mean that. You hurt his feelings when you spanked him, and that made you at odds with him. We punished him together, in the right way, after. He's still remembering the hit, I drilled into his little head how wrong hitting was. That's my fault. Tomorrow, give him a little one to one time, and it'll be okay. I promise. It appears from this note, I need to check myself a bit with him too. He's feeling like I'm only concentrating on his music. My mother did that with me and I gave it up…I don't want that for him. We both have to correct him when he's wrong, but we have some things to fix too."

Eddie gave Jamie a hug, "It's late, and it's time for us to get some sleep too."

Jamie nodded, he knew she was right. They had made a few mistakes but they did love their kids more than anything and first thing in the morning, Jamie was going to make sure Max knew it.

The couples sleep was fitful, both still reeling from the day's experience and Max's innocent words. He was too young to be manipulative, he did feel badly about things and didn't know how to process that. They slept apart, one on the far right, and one on the far left…When they got up in the morning, Eddie went first to the shower. Inside of her make-up bag was a note from Frank.

Dear Eddie,

Just remember parenting is the hardest job on earth, and it is so important to have your partner by your side. Children will always try to divide and conquer, go in the bathroom, turn on the shower so the kids can't hear you argue, and battle it out until you emerge as a team. Good partners will always prevail, no one knows that better than the two of you.

Love Dad…

Eddie bit her lip, Prince Charming…she already had that, but it was clearly strained at the present time. It was crazy how well Frank knew what she would do at first, go for her cold cream, then to the shower…She smiled, things would be okay soon, she felt it.