A/N: Thanks for your reviews.
Chapter 3- Fearless Four- February 4, 1955
"No, Colleen!" Johanna exclaimed as she pulled her doll away from her nearly two year old sister.
Colleen wailed unhappily, kicking her legs and flailing her arms as she always did when she was having a fit. "Mine!" she screamed.
"It's mine!" Johanna retorted. "You got a doll!"
Colleen screamed louder, trying to pull the doll away from her sister.
"No!"
"Johanna Elizabeth," Naomi said firmly as she stepped into the living room from the kitchen. "You share with your sister!"
"It's my doll," Johanna cried as she held on to it. "Colleen's got a doll!"
"She wants to play with a different one now; you've been playing with that doll all day. Let her have a turn!"
Stubbornness flicked across her four-year-old daughter's face. "No! It's my doll. Grandpa gived me this dollhouse and dolls for my birthday! It's my birthday, not Colleen's!"
Naomi's jaw dropped, surprised that her normally well-behaved daughter had just sassed her. "Don't you talk back to me, little girl! I can cancel that birthday party tomorrow!"
"No," Johanna whined. "I want more presents."
"Well you're not going to get any if you keep it up! I've just about had it today, little miss."
"It's my doll and my dollhouse!"
Naomi sighed deeply. She was going to kill Patrick McKenzie. He just couldn't wait until Johanna's party the next afternoon. No; he had come through the door with that dollhouse and set of dolls first thing that morning, stating that his granddaughter's birthday was today and it wasn't right to make her wait until Saturday at her party for her gift. Her life had been hell ever since as the girls fought over it all day long.
"It is your dollhouse," she stated; "But you still have to share with Colleen; she's your sister. Now you let her play with that doll and you play with a different one for awhile."
"It's not fair!" Johanna cried as she threw the doll at her sister.
"Hey," Naomi said sharply. "You don't throw things at your sister!"
"Put her in the playpen. I want to play by myself!" Johanna exclaimed.
"Don't you tell me what to do," Naomi exclaimed. "You're going to play with your sister or I'm sending you to your room and letting her play with it by herself and then I'm going to call Grandpa and tell him to come and take it back!"
"No!" she cried. "It's mine!"
"Then you better play nice!" her mother exclaimed. "I'm about fed up today, Johanna. Don't make me come in here and tell you again."
Johanna turned away from her mother and selected another doll from the set her grandfather had given her as Naomi headed back for the kitchen. She put the small doll in the house, intending to sit her down at the kitchen table but Colleen reached in and grabbed her. "No, Colleen! Mommy, she's trying to take my doll!"
Naomi stood at the threshold of the kitchen. "Johanna, you have to understand that your sister is just a baby; she doesn't understand sharing yet. Just play nice with her like I asked you to, alright?"
"I hate her!" Johanna exclaimed in frustration.
"No, you don't!" Naomi retorted; "And don't you ever let me hear you say that again!"
She pouted, tears filling her eyes as she pulled her doll out of Colleen's hand. Her sister screamed, throwing her fit once more. "Johanna!" their mother stated.
"Fine!" Johanna yelled, throwing down the doll. "I'm not playing anymore!"
Naomi breathed deeply, trying to find her last ounce of patience. "Sweetheart; why are you so cranky today? Birthday girls are supposed to be happy."
"I just want to play with my dollhouse," she cried; "And Colleen takes everything! Please put her away in the play pen."
"But she wants to play with you," Naomi said, doing her best to keep her frustration out of her voice. "Just try a little harder to be patient with her. Frankie didn't like sharing with you either when you were Colleen's age."
"Frankie don't share with me!"
"Yes, he does."
"No, he doesn't."
"He does when I make him and I'm making you! Now I've had it, play nice."
Johanna whimpered and reached for yet another doll only to have Colleen make a grab for it. "Mine!" Colleen yelled.
"No, it's not! Let me have one!"
"Mine!" her little sister yelled again before leaning over and sinking her teeth into Johanna's arm.
"OWWW!" Johanna screamed. "STOP IT, COLLEEN! MOMMY!"
Colleen held on, biting into her skin as Johanna tried to wiggle away from her. Finally she managed to slap her sister in the face, the action making Colleen let go and let out a loud wail.
"Johanna!" Naomi yelled; "You don't hit your sister in the face!"
"She bited me!" Johanna cried, tears streaming down her face as she held her arm out but Naomi was too busy examining the red mark on Colleen's cheek.
"That doesn't give you a right to hit!" her mother scolded. "I'll deal with Colleen when she's bad, not you!"
"But she hurt me!"
"That doesn't mean you hurt her in return, you let me or Daddy deal with it! Now this is your last warning; if you misbehave again, you're going to your room until dinner and I'll be canceling that birthday party tomorrow."
"You're mean," Johanna sniffled as her mother cuddled her little sister. "It all Colleen's fault and she don't get in trouble."
"Colleen's a baby; she doesn't know better," Naomi said. "Now let me check your arm."
"No," Johanna sniffled as she moved back to her dollhouse. "Leave me alone."
Her mother sighed. "Sweetie; you've brought this on yourself today. You've been in trouble all day because you don't want to share your dollhouse…is that how you want to spend your birthday?"
She swiped at her eyes but said nothing, her chin jutting upwards as she reached for her doll.
"Bambina, let me check your arm," Naomi said as she moved closer.
"No," Johanna said turning away from her. "You only like Colleen."
"That's not true," she told her. "I love both of you; why would you say that?"
"Frankie told me so."
"And you believe Frankie?"
She nodded, her fingers straightening the doll's dress and then smoothing her hair.
"Well he's wrong; I love all three of you."
Johanna ignored her, placing her doll in the kitchen of her house as she had wanted it before Colleen bit her.
Naomi sighed. "Four is getting off to a rough start, Bambina."
Her daughter sniffled and went on playing with her dolls as she eyed the bite mark on her arm. She could count all of Colleen's teeth but thankfully she hadn't broken the skin. "Alright, Colleen, I'm going to put you back down here with Sissy; you be nice."
"Sissy mean!"
"No, she's not," Naomi said as she sat Colleen down. "She's just cranky today."
"I'm telling Daddy," Johanna sniffled as she laid her doll down and pushed herself off the floor.
"Johanna; you're not to bother your father when he's working at home," Naomi stated. "You're going to get in trouble."
"I'm already in trouble," she exclaimed as she stomped off to her father's home office and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Frank asked gruffly.
"It me," Johanna answered.
"Go bother your mother, Johanna. I'm busy."
"Please, Daddy," she pleaded. "I need you."
Frank looked up from the blueprints he was studying, his heart squeezing a little at her words. His eldest daughter rarely needed him…rarely sought him out. "Come in," he told her.
The doorknob turned and Johanna entered the room, pushing the door shut behind her before hurrying around his desk to stand near his chair. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Colleen bited me," she said holding out her arm.
Frank examined the mark, gently brushing his fingertips against it. "She did it again, did she?"
"Uh huh," she pouted. "It hurts."
He looked into her small face, seeing the pout on her lips that hinted that she was waiting for someone to kiss it and make it better. That was usually Naomi's job…but he had come home at noon, deciding that his home office would suffice since it was a slow day and he had heard Naomi yelling at Johanna numerous times. He supposed he was going to have to be the one to kiss the boo-boo this time. He lifted her onto his lap and kissed the bite mark on her arm. "Does that feel better?"
"Uh huh," she said, allowing herself to snuggle against him…another rarity, Frank couldn't help but think as he held her.
"I thought I told you to smack Colleen when she bites you."
"I did. Mommy got mad and yelled at me!"
"Why?"
"Cause Colleen's a baby," she said, mimicking her mother the best she could.
"Colleen's a little brat," Frank muttered.
"I know," Johanna said seriously as she nodded. "But Mommy likes her best even though she's been bad. She's been mean to me all day."
"Mommy or Colleen?"
"Mommy and Colleen have been mean," his daughter stated.
"I see," he replied. "What's going on today that they're being mean to you?"
"I want to play with my dollhouse and Mommy is making me share with Colleen and she keeps taking all my dolls and Mommy says I got to let her but it's my dollhouse! Grandpa gived it to me for my birthday! It's my birthday, not Colleen's!"
Frank nodded. "You do have a point, it's your birthday and it's your gift from Grandpa."
"Mommy keeps making me share it and Colleen don't play nice! I want Mommy to put her away in the playpen but she won't; she just yells at me and says she's gonna cancel my birthday party."
"Oh no she's not," Frank stated. "Daddy done paid for that party and Mommy isn't canceling anything unless she's got the money to hand back to me."
"She said she will cancel it and I won't get no more presents cause I'm being bad…it's Colleen's fault! She don't get in trouble! It's not fair!"
Frank gave her a gentle squeeze. "It isn't fair that Colleen hasn't gotten in trouble for being bad; she'll be two in two months; it's time for her to start learning right from wrong but Mommy wants to baby her."
"I don't want to play with Colleen all the time…I just want to play with my dollhouse by myself; it's mine."
"I know," he said, a measure of sympathy stirring in his soul.
Johanna sighed deeply, her bottom lip poking out as she glanced at the papers on her father's desk. "Daddy?"
"What?"
"What's that big picture?" she asked.
"That's a blueprint," Frank told her, rolling the chair closer so she could see it better. "A blueprint is a picture of a building that needs to be built."
Johanna studied the drawing. "Are you gonna build that building, Daddy?"
"My workers are going to build it," he replied.
"What is that building for?"
"It's going to be an apartment building," Frank explained. "See all these different boxes?"
"Uh huh."
"Those are apartments; when it's all done, people will live in each one of those squares."
"Mommies and daddies and babies?" Johanna asked.
He nodded. "Yeah; families will live there; and probably some people that don't have babies yet."
"Can I see that building?" she asked.
"It's not built yet, honey. When it's finished, I'll take you to see it, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy."
The door of the office opened and Naomi poked her head inside. "Johanna, Daddy is working, you need to go play with your sister."
"She's fine," Frank told her, a touch of tartness in his voice. "Why don't you go play with Colleen and see how long you last with her."
"Frank…" Naomi started to say.
"Daddy, do you build dollhouses?" Johanna asked.
He laughed. "No; my company hasn't built any dollhouses; toy companies make those but they have blueprints too so they know how to make them."
"How do they make a blueprint?" his daughter asked as Naomi shook her head and shut the door.
"Well, there's this person called an architect; he's a man who knows how to draw technical pictures…you probably don't understand what that means, but he knows how to draw the inside and outside of buildings; and then the architect shows the drawings to me and I have my workers build it. They use the blueprint to tell them how to do it."
"Like directions for a game?" Johanna asked.
He patted her leg, a smile on his lips. "That's right; you're a smart girl. Blueprints are directions that the construction crew uses to build a building."
"Is it hard?"
Frank nodded. "It's very hard work."
"Daddy, did you ever build a building with the directions?"
"Yes, I have done construction work…before I started my company."
"Now you got a big office in a big building," Johanna said.
"That's right," he replied as he gave in to the urge to press a kiss against the top of her head. "How about I go put Colleen in her playpen so you can play with your dollhouse by yourself until dinner? Would that make you feel better?"
"Yes, Daddy," she answered, smiling up at him.
Frank adjusted his hold on her and rose from the chair, carrying her from the room and back to the living room. "Colleen's chewing on one of my new dolls!" she said in distress as he sat her down in front of her dollhouse.
"I'll get it," he told her as he wrestled the doll away from Colleen and then picked her up and put her in the playpen. He tossed some of the baby toys in with her as she started to wail. "You stop that," Frank told Colleen. "You sit in there for awhile and play with your own toys so your sister can have some peace!"
"Frank!" Naomi exclaimed as she entered the room from the kitchen. "What are you doing?"
"Restoring peace to my household," he remarked. "Johanna doesn't want to play with Colleen anymore today."
"Well that's too damn bad," his wife retorted. "They're sisters and they're going to play together nicely…and you will share that dollhouse, Johanna; or it's going back to your grandfather!"
"No!" she cried. "It's mine; Daddy said so!"
"They don't need to play together every minute of the day," Frank retorted. "Johanna isn't responsible for keeping Colleen entertained."
"Out!" Colleen wailed from the playpen. "Me out!"
'No!" Frank stated. "You sit down and play with your own toys!"
"She wants to play with Johanna," Naomi stated. "She'll keep crying if we don't let her out."
"What else is new?" Frank asked. "She's been screaming her head off since you brought her home from the hospital. I barely even notice it anymore. Ignore it like I do."
Naomi scoffed. "So I'm just supposed to let my baby cry?"
"Yes; that's exactly what you need to start doing so you can break this bullshit of hers," he stated. "Frankie and Johanna weren't that way, and if they had been, I would've told you the same thing."
"They have a different temperament than Colleen does."
"Well then it's time to change her temperament!"
"She's just a baby, Frank."
"See, Daddy," Johanna said; "I told you that's what Mommy says."
He nodded. "I know; she needs to find a new phrase. You go ahead and play with your dolls. I'll deal with Mommy and her moodiness."
"Okay, Daddy."
Seeing Johanna moving toward the box of dolls, Frank gave his attention back to his wife. "Colleen is almost two years old; it's time for her to learn. Now I said she's staying in the playpen and Johanna's playing on her own just like Frankie's upstairs playing on his own and that's the end of it," he said before turning and heading back to the office.
Naomi huffed as she watched Johanna settle in front of her dollhouse, picking up her favored doll and returning to what she had been doing before Colleen bit her.
"Mama, out," Colleen cried as she stood in the playpen. "Out! Pease!"
She sighed, her arms reaching for her child. Why should she force her to stay in a pen while the other two children were at liberty, able to roam where they wanted? She lifted Colleen out of the playpen, cuddling her as she wiped her tears with the corner of her apron. She kissed her soft cheeks several times until she began to calm and then she carried her closer to Johanna and sat her down. "You be nice to Sissy, Colleen," she told her as she eyed her daughter.
"Daddy said she was staying in the playpen!" Johanna exclaimed.
"Daddy doesn't tell me what to do and neither do you," Naomi told her. "Now play nice."
Johanna shifted, turning slightly away from her sister as Naomi headed back to the kitchen. Frankie came bounding down the stairs, following on his mother's heels. "Can I have a cookie?" he asked.
"No; you had two an hour ago when you got home from school," Naomi told him. "You can wait until dinner."
"But I'm hungry now!"
"You'll be fine awhile longer," she stated, aggravation in her tone.
Frankie scowled. "It's not fair," he muttered.
"So I've heard," Naomi remarked; thinking to herself that she had now heard that from two of her three children.
Frankie stomped off to the living room, going to the TV and turning it on, casting a glance at his sisters as he did so. He saw that Colleen had one of his trucks in her hand and stormed over and tore it out her hand and marched away as she screamed.
"Johanna Elizabeth!" Naomi exclaimed from the kitchen.
"I didn't do it!" Johanna cried. "Frankie did."
Frankie pretended to be shocked by the statement as his mother entered the room. "No, I didn't! Johanna did it; all I did was get my truck."
"I didn't do it!" Johanna yelled. "It was Frankie; he took his truck from Colleen!"
"I did not," Frankie lied.
"Knock it off, all three of you," Naomi said sternly. "Johanna, if you take one more thing from your sister, you're going to be sorry."
"I didn't!"
"You've been doing it all day!" Naomi yelled back; "Now knock it off!"
Frankie laughed at his sister as his mother went back into the kitchen. "Ha-ha, you got in trouble."
"Shut up!" Johanna retorted.
Colleen reached for the doll in her hand and Johanna jerked her hand away. "No, play with yours!"
"Sissy mean!" Colleen yelled before leaning over and sinking her teeth into Johanna's arm once more.
"OW! MOMMY! DADDY!" Johanna screamed as she slapped Colleen's face a little harder this time, making her let go and then she shoved her, making her fall over which sent Colleen into a screaming fit.
"JOHANNA!" Naomi yelled.
"She bited me again!" she cried.
"And what did I tell you! I would've handled it; you don't hit!"
"Daddy told me to smack her when she does that!"
"You don't listen to your father when he tells you to hit people in the face, that's wrong!" Naomi yelled as she examined Colleen's face before yanking the doll from Johanna's hand and dragging her to her feet. She slapped her hand against her eldest daughter's backside twice and then headed for the stairs with her. "You're going to sit on the steps until dinner and think about what you did! You have been so bad today, Johanna; and on your birthday at that!"
"What the hell is going on!?" Frank bellowed as Naomi was directing Johanna to a step.
"Colleen bited me again!" Johanna cried.
"How did she bite you? She was in the playpen," he stated.
"Mommy took her out," his daughter replied, holding her arm out so he could see the newest bite mark.
"Oh she did, did she?"
"Uh huh; and I smacked Colleen like you said and Mommy smacked my butt!"
Frank turned to Naomi, his brown eyes dark with anger. "And did you punish Colleen for biting?"
"No; she doesn't understand."
"Uh huh," he said as he stormed into the living room where Colleen had Johanna's doll in hand. He pulled the doll from her hand and smacked her mouth, making Colleen cry once more. "You don't bite, Colleen! Every time you bite someone in this house, you're getting your mouth smacked and I don't care if your mother likes it or not!" he yelled as he picked her up. "If your sister is being punished, so are you; you're staying in that damn playpen until dinner and you can scream your damn head off!"
"Don't smack her mouth!" Naomi exclaimed. "If you're going to discipline her, a swat on the bottom will suffice."
"Her bottom didn't do the biting; her mouth did," Frank replied; "And I'm sick of it. She must think she's part dog and that her brother and sister are her chew toys! It's going to stop!"
"Oh and we're just going to do it your way," Naomi retorted. "You want to discipline Colleen but it's fine that Johanna doesn't like to share and has jerked things out of her hands all day; it's fine that Frankie tattles…you're fine with those things."
"Johanna shares with her sister more often than she doesn't," he stated. "Today is Johanna's day; the dollhouse is her gift from her grandfather and she doesn't have to share it or let that brat chew on those dolls that my father paid a fortune for! Now that's how it is! Johanna, go play; your punishment is over, you didn't do anything wrong. This wouldn't have happened if your mother had listened and left Colleen in the playpen."
"Don't you move from that step!" Naomi said, pointing a finger at her. "I will not tolerate you hitting your sister! You stay there until dinner and as for you, Frank; go back to your office!"
Frank's hand clenched at his side, his eyes narrowing at his wife. "I'm going to walk away, Naomi; not because you told me to, but because I have to so I don't get tempted to give you a smack like I gave Colleen," he stated before storming back to his office.
She glared at his back as he disappeared into his office. Colleen continued to wail in the playpen while Johanna cried on the stairs and Frankie laughed from his spot on the living room floor, making Naomi wish for a moment that she could run away but she did her best to shrug it off.
"Me play dolls!" Colleen screamed.
"No more dolls," Naomi told her. "Be quiet."
Colleen continued to cry, as did Johanna and Naomi felt like she was at her wits end as she moved to the stairs. "Come here, let me check the new bite," she told her eldest daughter.
"No," Johanna cried as she turned, putting her back to the wall and pulling her legs up against her. "Leave me alone."
"Johanna," she sighed.
"Leave me alone…go check Colleen; she's the baby," Johanna stated, her voice thick with tears.
"I'm not liking this attitude that has come along with your new age, sweetie."
Johanna stayed silent, a pout on her lips despite the angle of her chin. That McKenzie arrogance, Naomi thought to herself as she turned away to head back to the kitchen. She was definitely Frank McKenzie's child.
Time seemed to pass slowly to Johanna as she sat on the step, her brother making numerous trips past her, knocking into her, calling her names in a hushed voice. She ignored him until finally he stopped on the step in front of her, a cocky grin on his face.
"Nobody likes you," Frankie taunted. "That's why they got Colleen because they didn't like you and needed a new girl baby."
"Shut up, Frankie!" Johanna replied.
"It's true," he told her. "As soon as they find someone to take you, you're going away and you won't live here anymore and then Colleen will be the only girl."
"Mommy and Daddy aren't getting rid of me!"
"Yes, they are," he laughed. "Someone is going to come take you away to a place for bad girls…that's why we're having a party tomorrow."
"That's my birthday party," Johanna retorted.
Frankie shook his head. "Nope; that's your goodbye party…we don't want you so you gotta go away."
Tears pooled in her eyes. "I'll go live with Grandma; she loves me."
"You should. You should run away before they come get you at your party."
Johanna worried her bottom lip; was her mommy going to get rid of her? Was that why she was being so mean to her? Her stomach hurt as tears spilled down her cheeks. Mommy did like Colleen better…so maybe she was getting rid of her.
Frankie smiled, seeing that his story had the desired effect on his little sister. "I'll be glad when you go live at the place for bad girls. I'm not going to miss you."
"I won't miss you either!"
"I bet you'll miss ice cream and toys…you won't have no ice cream and no toys at your new home."
Johanna glared at him. "I hate you!"
"I hate you more!" he retorted as he reached out and grabbed her hair by the roots and yanked as hard as he could, making her scream.
"Let go!" Johanna screamed, her fist drawing back and swinging forward, clipping him in the chin.
"Ow!" he yelled, letting go of her hair to rub his chin.
"That's it, I've had it!" Naomi yelled, swatting Frankie on the backside. "You go sit on the couch and don't move until I say so; and you, little miss," she said jerking Johanna off the step and swatting her bottom as well; "You're going to your room for the rest of the night; I'll bring your dinner up to you and when you're finished, you're going straight to bed. You have been bad all day long and it's stopping right now!"
"What the hell is going on now?!" Frank demanded to know.
"Daddy!" Johanna cried, her arms reaching out to him.
Reflex had him reaching for her but Naomi blocked his path. "No; she's going to her room. Go on, Johanna; I'll be up in a minute to make sure you're settled."
"Why are you sending her to her room?" Frank asked.
"Because thanks to you telling our children to beat the hell out of each other all the time, Frankie just about ripped her hair out and she punched him; she got him right in the chin!"
"See, Daddy!" Frankie said, showing him the red mark.
"Did you pull your sister's hair?" Frank asked; "And don't even think of lying to me, boy."
"Yes," he answered.
"Then you got what you deserved just like Colleen did. Johanna has a right to defend herself, Naomi!"
"None of them need to be hitting each other," she said, her gaze returning to her daughter who had made her way to the top of the stairs and stood there. "I told you go to your room!"
"No!" Johanna yelled back. "Send Frankie to his room!"
"You go!" Naomi told her; "You haven't behaved an entire hour all day!"
"I'm going to go live with my Grandma!" she exclaimed. "Call her and tell her come get me!"
"No, I won't!"
"Call her! I want to live with Grandma!"
"You're staying right here where you belong! And I'll tell you something else, little girl; there will be no party tomorrow and no gifts! How do you like that!?" Naomi exclaimed.
"Yes, there is!" Johanna retorted. "My Daddy said I'm having my party cause he done paid for it and you don't have money to give him. How do you like that!" she said with a stomp of her foot.
Naomi's jaw dropped as Frank tried hard not to laugh. "Do you hear the attitude she has today?" his wife asked in outrage.
Frank nodded. "She's a McKenzie...we don't take shit laying down."
Naomi's blue eyes blazed. "Well I've got news for both of you; I'll say if a birthday party takes place or not!"
"You're not the boss!" Johanna exclaimed; "Daddy is; he's got a office!"
"She's not wrong," Frank remarked.
"Oh but she is," Naomi stated. "I am the boss here and I don't give a damn what your father said; now I said go to your room!"
Johanna's small hands clenched into fists as she stuck her tongue out at her mother.
Frank couldn't hold back his laughter as he looked at his daughter sticking her tongue out in anger.
"You think it's funny, Frank!" Naomi exclaimed.
He nodded. "A little…I mean look at her, she's so serious…and it's kind of refreshing to see her take you on; she's usually your little shadow but you've pissed her off all day and now she's letting you have it."
"It wouldn't be funny if she was doing it to you."
"No, that wouldn't be funny…but it's not me so I'm kind of amused."
"That's real nice," Naomi remarked. "You decide to work from home this afternoon and all you've done is undermine my authority with the children!"
"I haven't undermined anything! You're the one who lets them get away with everything, especially Colleen! If you wouldn't insist on her being up Johanna's ass all day, there wouldn't have been any problems, but no, you can't listen…so guess what, Naomi; they get that trait from you!"
"And they get being roughnecks from you!"
"Well at least they'll know how to take care of themselves! What's up your ass today?" he asked her. "You haven't been this moody since you were pregnant," Frank stated; and then the realization set in. "Oh my God…tell me you're not pregnant!"
Naomi swallowed hard. "I don't know yet."
"What do you mean you don't know!"
"The doctor is supposed to call today but he hasn't yet!"
"You better not be pregnant," he stated; "Because I am done, Naomi! I was done after baby number two…you snuck number three in on me and I am done! There is not going to be a fourth! I don't want anymore damn kids! Some days I'm not sure I want the three we have!"
"Well what if I want another one!" Naomi yelled.
"Then you better go find another husband because it's not going to be with me! We don't have room for another one. I don't want another one; I didn't want the last one! No more!"
"You might not have a choice!" she retorted. "If I am, you'll just have to accept it."
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "I told you I was done…you said we were careful!"
"That doesn't mean it can't happen…that's how we got number three!"
"Oh my God," Frank stated. "I do not want anymore kids! I can't stand anymore!"
"Well you'll have to learn to stand it if I am."
"No; I'll just find an apartment and you and the kids can live here and I'll pay the bills."
"You'd leave us if I had another one!"
"I won't leave entirely; I'll pay the bills and I'll pick Frankie and Johanna up on the weekends!"
"What about Colleen!?"
"You get to keep her as a parting gift since you won't stop her from biting people! Jesus Christ, Naomi; we don't need anymore! We've got three! Three kids to feed, clothe and educate…there is not going to be a fourth!" he said before storming back to his office, Naomi hot on his heels.
Johanna remained at the top of the stairs, unsure of what to make of her parents yelling from behind the closed door of the office. Frankie drifted into view at the bottom of the steps and he glared up at her. "See what you did," he said tartly. "You made Mommy and Daddy fight and now everything is bad. It's all your fault! That's why no one likes you! I wish you would run away and live with Grandma!"
Johanna turned away from him, hurrying into her room as she started to cry again. She ran to her bed and grabbed her teddy bear, hugging him tightly as she cried into his fur. Maybe they didn't want her anymore. Maybe she would just go live with Grandma. Grandma wouldn't yell at her; she'd let her have birthday cake and presents…she wouldn't be mean to her…and Grandma didn't have other kids at her house; she could play on her own there and not get into trouble. With her mind made up, she went to the closet and got her shoes, putting them on and then kept her bear tucked protectively against her chest, she headed downstairs.
She could still hear her parents yelling in the office as she made her way through the living room.
"Where are you going?" Frankie asked as he played with his truck on the floor.
"To live with Grandma," Johanna answered. "Can you open the door for me?"
Frank smiled. "Sure," he said, getting up from the floor and hurrying to the entry way. He turned the lock on the door handle and opened it, pushing open the screendoor as well.
"Bye, stupid," he told his sister.
"Bye, dummy," she retorted as she stepped out into the cold.
Frankie shut the door behind her before she could turn back to get her coat. She shivered a little, hugging her bear tight and then she set off down the porch steps; she'd get warm at her grandmother's…she just hoped she got there before it got dark. She didn't like the dark; it scared her…but she'd try to be brave anyway.
Patrick McKenzie wasn't sure why he had the sudden urge to step outside of his home for some air but he was starting to regret it as the cold air of early February wrapped around him. He shivered a little, thinking to himself that he probably should've put on a coat. The thought was fleeting however as his housekeeper stepped outside the door and handed the garment to him.
"You'll catch your death standing out here with no coat on," Alma chastened.
"I was just getting a breath of air," he grumbled as he pulled the coat on.
Alma smiled a little. "I don't want Sarah haunting me for letting you out here in the cold without a coat."
Patrick frowned. "Let's not talk about Sarah."
"It's hard not to sometimes…she was one of my closest friends. I miss her."
"I'm aware of that, Alma."
"I know you're…," Alma started to say but trailed off as she caught sight of something across the street. "Patrick," she said, a touch of panic in her voice. "Isn't that your granddaughter?"
Patrick gave a shake of his head, trying to shake away thoughts of his wife. "Where?"
"That little girl over there!"
Patrick glanced across the street, his heart squeezing as he saw his four-year-old granddaughter strutting down the street, a teddy bear tucked in the crock of her arm. She wore no coat, no one was following behind her and she was quickly approaching the end of the street where she'd either have to turn and continue down the sidewalk and out of sight…or worse, step out into the street and into the traffic. Before he could even think about it, his feet were propelling him down the steps and across the street, running after the little girl.
"Johanna, stop!" he yelled.
The little girl flinched at the sound of his voice, stopping in her tracks as she clutched her bear tightly to her chest. "Grandpa," her small voice said.
"Where are you going?" Patrick asked as he reached her, lifting her into his arms as his heart beat wildly, seeing how close she was to reaching the end of the sidewalk.
"I'm going to my Grandma's," Johanna answered, her chin quivering as she shivered in the cold.
"You're going to freeze, lass," he said as he tucked her against his chest and pulled his coat around her before heading back across the street. "Why are you out here by yourself! Do you know little girls could get hurt being out by themselves?! Where is your mother and father?"
"Don't yell at her, Patrick," Alma chastened as he headed up the walk. "You'll frighten her."
He thought that maybe she should be frightened but he held his tongue as he carried the small bundle into the house. "Alright, Josie; where's mommy and daddy?"
"At home," she answered, her voice small and fearful as he sat her on her feet in the entry way.
Patrick glanced down at her, taking in her sullen face and the slightly fearful green eyes that peered up at him. Sarah's green eyes, he couldn't help but think…and he softened, offering his granddaughter his hand to hold. "I think we better go into the kitchen so Alma can make you some hot chocolate to warm you up. Would you like that?"
Johanna nodded and he led her to the kitchen as Alma followed behind them. "Does your mother and father know you're outside?" he asked once they were settled at the table.
"No," his granddaughter answered as she hugged her bear tightly.
"That's a nice bear," Patrick commented. "Is he your favorite?"
She nodded once again. "What's his name?" her grandfather asked.
"Fuzzy."
"Fuzzy," Patrick said with a laugh; "That's a good name for a bear. Where did you get him?"
Johanna looked at him. "Mommy said you gave him to me when I was a little baby."
"Oh," he said, peering at the well loved bear. "I thought he looked familiar. I'm glad you like him so much."
"I go to sleep with him," his granddaughter stated.
"I see; he's a good friend," Patrick remarked. "Why aren't you home playing with your dollhouse? It's your birthday you should be playing."
Johanna's bottom lip poked out. "It's not my birthday anymore."
"What do you mean not anymore? It's your birthday all day and all evening; it doesn't end until you're in your bed sleeping."
"Mommy said no birthday…no cake, no presents, no nothing," she pouted.
"Why would your Mommy say that? You're having a party tomorrow; I'm going to be there."
Johanna shook her head. "Mommy said no birthday. She was mean…Mommy and Daddy are fighting now. I'm going to go live with my Grandma."
"It's a long walk from here to your grandma's," Patrick told her.
"Maybe you can drive me in your car," his granddaughter suggested as Alma put a small plate of cookies in front of her.
"We'll see," he replied.
"She is so adorable," Alma cooed as she ran a hand over Johanna's dark curls. "She's got the face of a porcelain doll; and those beautiful green eyes…she looks just like Sar.."
"Alma," Patrick said gruffly, cutting her off. "Maybe you should listen at the back door every so often to see if you hear anyone yelling for a certain person."
Alma nodded, but not before giving her employer a sharp look for cutting her off mid-sentence.
"Now, Josie; what's been going on today that has you wanting to go live with your grandma?"
"Everybody's being mean to me."
"They're being mean to you on your birthday? That's not very nice."
"It's not," his granddaughter agreed.
"What happened that caused all this trouble for you?" he asked.
"Colleen bited me!" Johanna exclaimed.
"Your sister bit you again!?" Patrick asked.
"Uh huh."
"What did you do when she bit you?"
"I smacked her," she said matter of factly.
Her grandfather gave a nod. "That seems reasonable to me."
"Mommy said I can't smack Colleen; she just a baby."
"She's almost two years old; she needs to quit biting people!" Patrick exclaimed. "What happened after you got in trouble?"
"Daddy put Colleen away in the playpen and said I could play with my dollhouse by myself but Mommy says I got to share and she took her out. Then Colleen bited me again!" she exclaimed, holding her arm out for her grandfather to see.
"Good lord, that kid must be half piranha," he muttered, taking in the bite marks on Johanna's small arm.
"What's a pawna?" Johanna asked.
"A fish with sharp teeth. What did you do when Colleen bit you again?"
"I smacked her and pushed her over."
"That still seems reasonable to me," he remarked. "Then what happened?"
"Colleen cried again and Mommy yelled and smacked my butt and said I had to sit on the step and think about it."
"Did you think about it?" Patrick asked.
"No; Frankie kept saying mean things. He kept pulling my hair and said no one likes me," she said sadly. "He said Mommy loves Colleen and they don't want me no more."
"Frankie's a little liar," her grandfather stated. "Your mommy loves you and they still want you as much as always. Did you tell on Frankie?"
"No; I punched him when he pulled my hair."
Patrick laughed as he tossled her hair. "You're a feisty one, lass."
"Mommy yelled and got mad and smacked my butt again and it hurt…and then she made me go to my room and said no birthday party."
"What happened next?" her grandfather asked as he stole a cookie from the plate in front of her.
"I cried and got my bear and Frankie opened the door for me so I can go live with Grandma."
"You cried and then decided to go live with your grandmother?" he repeated.
"Uh huh; Grandma loves me."
"She does," Patrick agreed. "But your mommy loves you too."
"She loves Colleen."
"She loves you both."
"I want to live with Grandma," Johanna stated. "Grandma will give me cake. Mommy and Daddy are mad and I'm not going to get cake because I'm a bad girl."
"You're not a bad girl," Patrick said as he ran his hand over her dark hair. "Your sister was bad for biting you and you had a right to defend yourself. Your brother was bad for pulling your hair and saying mean things and you had a right to defend yourself against him too. The law says if someone is hurting you, you're allowed to defend yourself."
"What's a law?" Johanna asked as Alma sat a cup of hot chocolate in front of her.
"A law is a set of rules that we have to follow," he explained. "Why did Colleen keep biting you?"
"Cause she wanted my dolls you gived me…she even chewed on one!"
"That little brat," Patrick remarked. "That's your present, you don't have to share it with Colleen; I gave it to you!"
"Mommy don't care; she said she'd tell you to take it back."
"The hell I will!"
"Patrick, language," Alma chastened.
"Oh…right," he said, trying to settle his temper as he pulled his granddaughter onto his lap and hugged her. "Guess you've had a rough day, lass."
"Uh huh; Mommy and Daddy are yelling…Frankie says it's my fault. He said I got to go live in a place for bad girls."
"No, you're not," Patrick soothed as he gave her another squeeze. "I wouldn't let anyone take you away."
"Can we send Frankie away?" Johanna asked.
"I'll look into it," he told her before putting her back on her chair. "Drink your hot chocolate and tell me more about what happened today."
The smell of dinner burning in the oven was enough to halt Naomi and Frank's argument, sending them both out of the office and into the kitchen. Naomi groaned as she opened the oven and found the roast burnt to a crisp and the water in the pot of potatoes boiled away. "So much for dinner," she muttered.
Frank rubbed his jaw, the day feeling like a disaster. "I'll just go pick something up for us to eat I guess."
"No; I'll just make something else," his wife retorted.
"Come on, Naomi; it's getting late. I'll just run out and get some burgers and fries."
"You know Johanna doesn't care much for burgers."
"She doesn't shun them," he replied. "She doesn't like them as much as Frankie does but she will eat one…go ask her, if she wants something else, I'll get her something else since it's her birthday."
"Alright," Naomi remarked as she cracked open the kitchen window to let the smoke and odor of burnt food out before leaving the kitchen and heading for the stairs.
"Johanna," she called as she reached the top of the steps. Her daughter didn't answer, but she wasn't surprised; she was probably giving her the silent treatment. "Johanna," she said again as she went into the girls room. Johanna wasn't curled up on her bed as she had expected her to be.
"Johanna!" she yelled, hurrying back into the hallway to the door of the bathroom that the children shared. Her child wasn't in there, nor was she in her brother's room. She returned to the girls room, looking under the bed and under the crib, finding no sign of her. The closet door was open but Johanna wasn't hiding inside there either.
"Johanna!"
Silence met Naomi's ears and her heart tumbled in her chest as she hurried out of the room. "Frank!"
"What?" he asked as he met her at the bottom of the steps.
"Johanna's not up there!" she exclaimed. "I checked everywhere up there."
"She probably snuck back down here and she's hiding," he remarked. "Go check under the kitchen table, you know she hides there when she's in trouble; I'll check our room."
Naomi hurried into the kitchen and pulled up the tablecloth, looking under for her middle child who did have a habit of making that her hiding place. She wasn't there this time, though…nor was she in any other corner of the kitchen. She hurried to the basement door but found that it was still locked, ruling it out as a place Johanna might have gone.
"Johanna!" she called out. "Quit hiding now!"
"She's not in the bedroom or our bathroom," Frank stated.
"Did you check under the bed and in the closet?"
"Yes," he said tartly; "I know how to look for a little girl."
"Johanna!" she called out again as they moved into the living room.
"Frankie," Frank said; "Have you seen Johanna?"
"Yeah," he said, his gaze on the cartoon on TV.
"Where is she!"
"Sissy go byes!" Colleen exclaimed from the playpen.
Naomi looked at Frank in horror.
"Frankie," Frank demanded. "Where is your sister!?"
"In the playpen," he told him.
Frank grabbed his son by the arm, pulling him off the couch. "I didn't mean Colleen and you know it! Now where is Johanna!?"
"She went to live with Grandma," he replied.
"And how did she do that? She can't get the door open by herself; it's too heavy for her to pull!"
"I opened it for her," Frankie stated. "I wish she coulda took Colleen with her."
"Frank!" Naomi gasped.
"You put your sister outside!" Frank yelled.
"She wanted to go," his son retorted; "And I'm glad she's gone, now I can hear the TV."
His father cracked his hand against his backside. "I hope you enjoyed it because you won't be watching TV for a week," he said. "Naomi, unplug that goddamn TV, I'm going out to get Johanna; she couldn't have gotten far."
"What if she did," she cried. "What if someone…"
"Don't think it," Frank demanded; "I'll find her…I promise, I'll find her. I'll check all over the yard and then go through the neighborhood; hopefully the farthest she got was Dad's, she might've gotten scared and went there. Just stay here and wait for phone calls," he told her as he hurried to the entry way to grab his coat and keys.
Naomi turned her gaze on her son. "Why would you open the door for your sister!" she yelled. "Do you know what could happen to a little girl!?"
"I don't care," he said; "I don't want her; she makes everyone mad!"
"And you don't?" she yelled. "I'm furious with you, Franklin Patrick McKenzie Jr.! That basketball game your father was going to take you to; that's not happening! You're grounded! And you better start praying that your father finds your sister…you pray!"
Her son glared at her and she walked away, moving to the window as tears clogged her throat. "God, please," she silently prayed. "Please let Frank find her and bring her home safely. I'll do better…just give me my little girl back."
Alma had started preparations for Patrick's dinner as she listened to Johanna tell her grandfather about the terrible day she had had. It did sound bad…and the fact that she was ignoring the cookies in front of her, seemed to hint at her distress.
"Now I don't get no cake and no presents," Johanna said once more.
Alma smiled a little, she must have Patrick's sweet tooth, she mused as she opened a cupboard and took out a package of snack cakes. The pink sno-ball cake would make for a quick little birthday cake, she thought as she dug in the drawer for a candle and a match. She stuck the small, skinny candle in the center of the cake and lit it before carrying it to the table. "Here's a birthday cake for you, sweetie," she told her.
"For me?" Johanna asked.
"For you," Alma replied. "We better sing Happy Birthday so she can make a wish, Patrick."
He nodded, although he hated to sing…but it appeared that he had had a hand in her bad day by leaving the dollhouse in the living room instead of carrying it up to her room for her.
"Make a wish and blow out the candle," Alma said after they finished singing.
Johanna closed her eyes and blew out the candle as her grandfather and his housekeeper clapped.
"What did you wish for, lass?" Patrick asked as he pulled the candle from the cake.
"I wish that Mommy don't bring home anymore babies," she answered before taking a bite of her cake.
Patrick laughed. "That's a wish your father would approve of."
Alma drifted to the door, her ears straining as she picked up the sound of a voice somewhere nearby. She slipped out the backdoor quietly, listening once more.
"Johanna!" she heard as the voice grew closer. She hurried down the porch steps and around the house, catching sight of Frank as she did so. "Frank," she called out to him.
"Alma, have you seen Johanna?!" he asked.
"She's in the kitchen," she answered, shivering in the cold. "We were on the porch when we saw her heading down the street. Patrick grabbed her before she made it to the end of the block."
"Thank God," Frank muttered as he followed Alma back around the house. "Is she alright?"
"A little cold and upset but otherwise fine…don't yell at her too much; running away wasn't an idea she thought of on her own…but Patrick will probably want to tell you about that."
They moved into the house and Patrick met his son's gaze. "So you finally realized you were missing one?"
"Why didn't you call?" he asked.
"I wanted to see how long it would take you and Naomi to figure out she was gone," Patrick answered. "It took a little while…but I hear you and your wife were arguing so I'm sure you were preoccupied."
"You could say that," Frank said before shifting his gaze to Johanna, watching as fear flicked across her face as she pressed closer to her grandfather. "I ought to paddle your ass for you, Johanna. Do you know how worried your mother is? What were you thinking running away like that?"
Patrick gave his granddaughter a consoling pat. "It's alright, lass; tell Daddy what you told me…who told you to run away?"
"Frankie told me to run away," she said softly.
Frank stared at her for a moment. "Why would your brother do that?"
"Frankie said you and Mommy don't want me no more; that's why you got Colleen so you'd have a new girl baby. He said my party tomorrow isn't my birthday party, he said it's my goodbye party because you're getting rid of me and I gotta go live at a place for bad girls. I said I would go live with Grandma and he said I should run away before the party so they don't take me away to the bad girl place."
Frank closed his eyes. "And you believed him?"
"Uh huh…cause no one likes me, Frankie said so; and Mommy likes Colleen better and you said you don't want no kids…so I'll go live with Grandma cause I don't want to go to the bad girl place. Frankie says they don't have toys or ice cream."
"That Frankie," Patrick said with a shake of his head. "I love that boy but sometimes he's a little asshole."
"Patrick, language!" Alma scolded.
"I can't help it, Alma; it just comes out!" he exclaimed. "Anyway; Frank; now you know she didn't think this stunt up on her own…Frankie put it in her head and she's just certain that you all don't want her."
"That's not true," Frank said as he moved closer to his daughter. "We're not sending you away anywhere; you're staying home with us where you belong. You're a smart girl; you should know not to believe everything your brother says; he's a little liar."
"But you said you don't want kids…I'm a kid, Daddy."
Frank sighed as he stooped down by her chair. "Listen, Josie; you misunderstood; I told Mommy that I don't want her to bring home anymore babies because we have enough kids. I didn't mean that I don't want you and Frankie…and Colleen…I just don't want any new babies."
"Me neither," Johanna said.
"That's what she wished when she blew out the candle on her little cake," Patrick said with a laugh. "She wished that Mommy wouldn't bring home anymore babies."
Frank smiled. "You wished that?"
"Uh huh."
Her father laughed and kissed her forehead. "That's Daddy's girl."
"Daddy," Johanna said as she squirmed in her chair.
"What?"
"Am I gonna get my butt smacked again?"
Frank blew out a breath and shook his head. "No; not this time…but don't you ever run away again; do you understand?"
"Yes…I'm sorry."
"It's alright, I forgive you this time," he told her; "But if you do it again, you won't be so lucky."
"Am I gonna have my birthday party tomorrow?"
"Yes; because like I told you earlier; I already paid for it so I don't care what Mommy said. Most of the trouble you've been in today is Mommy's fault because she wouldn't make Colleen play in the playpen so you could play on your own…so I'm giving you a pass today because I don't feel like it was your fault."
"Okay, Daddy."
"See," Patrick told her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I told you it would be okay."
Frank got to his feet and lifted Johanna into his arms and then picked up her bear from the side of the table and handed it to her. "We better get home; I have to get the car and go get us some burgers and fries to eat because Mommy burned dinner."
"I want to go with you, Daddy," Johanna said.
"I don't know if Mommy is going to let you out of her sight once she sees you."
"Please."
"Alright," he sighed; figuring that she was seeing him as her only ally for the day. "Are you going to eat a burger?"
"No cheese on it," Johanna replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Okay; what do you want on it?"
"Pickles!"
"What about a tomato?"
"No!" she exclaimed. "I don't like 'matoes."
"Lettuce?"
"Yes; and ketchup."
Patrick laughed. "She doesn't like tomatoes but she likes ketchup."
"Yeah," Frank said as he adjusted his hold on her. "It's an oddity…but it's easily dealt with at least."
"True; Alma; will it be awhile before dinner?"
"Yes," she answered.
"Alright; Frank, I'll take you and Johanna to get your food and then home; I want to have a word with Naomi and then you and I are going to move that dollhouse to Johanna's bedroom so she can play with it in peace since I'm sure Naomi doesn't allow Colleen to play upstairs yet."
"That's a good idea, Dad. Alma; will you call Naomi and tell her that I have Johanna and that Dad is taking us to get the food and we'll be home directly?"
"Yes, I'll call her," she replied as she moved closer to kiss Johanna's cheek. "Happy birthday, baby doll."
"Thank you, Miss Alma," she smiled.
Alma watched them go, a small sense of sadness filling her. "I wish you were here, Sarah," she murmured. "You have beautiful grandchildren…I wish you could be here to enjoy them…to comfort little girls whose days have gone wrong. Make birthdays a little happier. But I'm sure you're watching over them…maybe that's why Patrick suddenly needed that breath of air this afternoon."
"When are we going to eat; I'm hungry!" Frankie complained as he kicked his feet against the couch.
"We'll eat when your father gets home," Naomi snapped. "But I ought to send you to bed without supper for what you did to your sister!"
"Daddy found her," he retorted.
"That's not the point, Franklin!" she yelled. "If you ever do something like that again, I'm going to take the belt to you myself!"
"No, you won't," he stated.
"You want to try me?" she said, her tone low and even.
He glanced away. "No."
"That's what I thought."
"Mama, out!" Colleen yelled from the playpen.
"No!" Naomi told her. "You've caused enough trouble too!"
The sound of the door opening stopped her from saying more and she turned away from the sofa in time to see Patrick carrying Johanna into the room as Frank followed with the bags of food. "There's my baby," she cried, hurrying towards her daughter and taking her from her grandfather's arms. "Oh thank God, you're safe," she said, squeezing Johanna tightly. "Don't you ever do that again!"
"Frankie told me to," Johanna replied.
"You don't ever do something like that no matter who tells you to!"
"She's already had a talking to, Naomi," Frank stated as he took the food to the kitchen. "She knows she was wrong and she knows her brother is a little liar who is grounded for a week, no TV."
"And no basketball game!" Naomi added.
"Right," Frank said with a nod. "Grandpa and I are going to that game without you."
"That's not fair!" Frankie cried.
"Well maybe you'll remember that the next time you open the door and put your sister outside alone!" Frank yelled.
Patrick moved toward his grandson, leaning down to be close to his eye level. "You listen to me, boy; you ever do something like that your sister again and you know those boats my company has to ship things overseas?"
"Yeah."
"You'll find yourself on one of those boats on your way to a Norwegian school for wayward boys where you'll work from sunup to sundown and be given whale blubber to eat while wearing a sailor suit."
Frankie's eyes grew wide. "No."
"Oh yes," Patrick stated. "I already called; they'll keep a place waiting for you…so you better mind yourself, young man…because I have ships heading that way all the time."
Frankie sank back against the couch, his face slightly pale at the thought as his father and grandfather shared a knowing smile. "Now, Naomi," Patrick said as he turned to her. "I have a bone to pick with you."
"What?" she asked as she held Johanna tightly.
"I bought that dollhouse for Johanna," he said firmly; "Not Colleen. It's Johanna's birthday, it's her gift and she doesn't have to share it. I had that dollhouse and that box of dolls imported from London…and even with my client's generous discount, it still cost me a small fortune…and I don't appreciate you forcing Johanna to share it with that little piranha you call a child who has been chewing on the dolls!"
"I want the children to share," Naomi stated.
"They shouldn't have to share everything! They should be allowed to have something to themselves! Now, do you allow Colleen to play upstairs unsupervised?"
"Of course not; she could fall down the stairs."
Patrick smiled. "Good; then Frank and I are moving the dollhouse up to Johanna's room so that she can play with it in peace whenever she wants to. Now, if Johanna chooses to share it one day when her sister is old enough to have respect for things, that's her choice and she's free to do so…but for now, I said it's hers and hers alone. I paid for it and I'm going to move it and that's going to be the end of that. Colleen is your child; you entertain her. It's not her sister's job all the time; she's still a baby herself!"
"Fine," she said grudgingly; figuring it wasn't worth further argument over…perhaps life would be more peaceful if the dollhouse was upstairs. Johanna could play alone in her room and Frankie usually played alone in his when he wanted to play with his army men…and Colleen would have to learn to entertain herself in the playpen with her own toys.
"Good," he said as he took Johanna from her arms. "Go get your box of dolls, lass; Daddy and I will carry your dollhouse upstairs."
"Okay, Grandpa," she said happily.
"Can we eat now?" Frankie asked.
"Food is in the kitchen, Naomi," Frank remarked as he and Patrick moved across the room to pick up the large dollhouse to take upstairs.
She nodded, her head throbbing from anger, worry, and hunger. This wasn't the birthday she had in mind for her middle child…and she knew that for once, she couldn't blame it on Frank. This one was on her and her bad mood…and she hoped nothing like this would ever happen again.
Later that night, Frank wandered upstairs in search of Naomi. He found her in the girls room, perched on the edge of Johanna's bed, her fingers softly threading through her dark curls. "What are you doing?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake either child.
"Just thinking," she murmured.
"About what?" Frank asked.
"About today…I guess you probably noticed that she stuck close to you all evening."
He scoffed a little in amusement. "What, are you jealous?"
"No…I'd like her for her to be confident enough in your affection to always feel free to stay close to you."
"Naomi," he breathed; "Let's not go into all that again…not tonight."
She gave a soft nod. "I was so afraid…thinking the worst while you were out looking for her."
"I know…but she's alright. Dad saw her and got her…I don't think she'll pull a stunt like that again…and if Frankie ever tells her that kind of nonsense again, I'm letting Dad drive him down to the ships just to scare the hell out of him."
Naomi gave a soft laugh. "I thought about asking him to do it this weekend."
"No; we'll hang on to that card," Frank stated.
She breathed deeply. "She's still mad at me."
Frank nodded. "I think she's justified today, Naomi. You can't expect her to always want to play with Colleen…just like Frankie doesn't always want to play with Johanna. It just doesn't work that way. I'm sure you didn't spend every moment of your childhood playing nice with your siblings, now did you?"
"No…but I just want them to be close…especially the girls."
"If they're meant to be close, they will be. Johanna doesn't ignore Colleen; she plays with her, she tried to help you with her when she was an infant…she loves her…but she also wants to have something to herself and she deserves that, don't you think?"
"Yes…it was her gift, her day…and I spoiled it."
"We're not good with birthdays going off without a hitch…for any of them…but we'll get the hang of it one day. As for Josie; she'll be fine come morning. She just wants her birthday party and presents and cake…and I've assured her that she'll have it all. Afterwards, she can play with her dollhouse and dolls alone and she'll be a happy little girl again. It'll all be forgotten and you'll be forgiven."
"I hope so," Naomi whispered.
"You will be; you're her mommy…she thinks the sun rises and sets according to your whim; she'll be following you around as always."
"You were good with her today," she remarked. "I'd like to see that more often…and no, I'm not trying to start something."
"I do my best, Naomi."
"I know."
"I do love her," he said quietly.
"I know you do," she assured before pressing a soft kiss to Johanna's temple and rising from the bed.
Frank moved across the room and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "She's a feisty little thing," he whispered, a smile on her lips.
"Yes…she's a McKenzie," Naomi remarked.
"She is that," he agreed as he moved back toward the door where Naomi had drifted.
"The doctor called while you were out," she stated.
Frank's blood ran cold. "And?"
"The test was negative…I'm not pregnant."
"Thank God," he breathed as he pulled her into his arms for a quick hug.
"Would it really have been so terrible?" Naomi asked.
Frank released her. "Naomi; we have three…we've got all we can handle…we almost let one get away today…think about it; Frankie will be seven in few months; Johanna's four today, Colleen will be two in April…do we really need another baby?"
"Babies are always nice."
"Yes; they're nice and cute…but we have three babies…and we don't have room for more, especially if it would be another girl and I'm not buying another house. Be thankful for the three we have instead of asking for more," he stated. "Do you know how much it's going to cost to put them through college?"
She breathed deeply. "I know…what do you think they'll be when they grow up?"
"Well, I want Frankie to go into the business with me…that is if he isn't on one of Dad's ships by them. Johanna…she's already a smart little girl; she can be anything she wants; she gave you a good run for your money in the argument department so maybe she'll be a lawyer…Colleen…it's hard to tell at this point; she seems to like using her teeth so maybe she'll work in a dentist office."
Naomi laughed softly. "Maybe so."
"We have plenty to look forward to with the three kids we have, Naomi; let's just go with three."
She nodded. "Okay…but let's try to make the next round of birthdays a little smoother."
"Deal," Frank said; "And tomorrow, after the party; I'm adding a lock to the front door and the back door…one none of the children can reach."
"That's an idea I fully support," Naomi replied as they left the room. She didn't want anymore runaway attempts…and she prayed that the party would go smoothly…and that Johanna would forgive her for her the way today had gone.