A/N:
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them.
Chapter 61
Dr. James was waiting for the family at the door when Steve pulled the truck into the parking space. He and Danny were both relieved to see hers was the only other car in the lot. Duke and the governor had assured they there should be no other unscrupulous reporters lurking, but they both knew those weren't exactly the sorts to care about breaking the rules.
Steve and Danny opened the back doors, using their bodies to shield the ladies as they departed. While neither of them had consciously done so, both grandmothers noticed.
"I don't think anyone is going to start shooting at us." Beth whispered to Steve when she slid out of the truck.
"What?" He arched a brow at her while maintaining his position.
"You look like you're about to shield us from a hail of bullets." Her look challenged him to deny it. "Not saying I fault your instincts. Grace is right, you make one heck of a guardian Super SEAL." This earned her a smile as they followed Danny and the other two into the office building.
"Welcome back, Grace." The therapist greeted the little girl first. "Would you like to introduce me to your grandmothers?" Based on appearance, she already had a guess which was which.
"This is Grandma Bradley." She motioned with the hand that was clasped in one of Dianne's. "And this is Grandma Williams." She held her other hand up, now holding firmly to Danny's mother.
"I am Dr. James. It's a pleasure to meet you both. If you would all like to follow me, we can get started. I'm sure you have plenty of other plans for the day."
"That's the theory." Danny grumbled under his breath, giving Steve an accusatory glare.
"You'll know soon enough." Steve slipped his hand onto Danny's side as they followed the women through the security door to the inner portion of the building.
"Grace, why don't you show your grandmothers around," she motioned to the room where Grace had spent much of her time with her. "I just want to talk to your dads for a couple of minutes before we get started."
The little girl nodded before leading the two women further into the area. Dr. James motioned Danny and Steve toward her office.
"How have things been going this week?"
"Better than expected. Which seems to be the trend so far." Danny admitted.
"And you are concerned about that?" The therapist asked in an understanding tone.
"Yes. What if she isn't really processing this? I know we talked about this Wednesday, but my worst fear is that she isn't as okay as she's letting on." Danny elaborated.
"Unfortunately, only time will tell us for sure, but as I said Wednesday, based on my time with Grace my professional opinion is that she is coping quite successfully. Based on what I've seen so far this morning, it appears her bond with Rachel's mother is continuing to improve. I believe over time, that relationship will be quite beneficial as it will provide her a means of getting to know the mother she lost too young." She paused to let him consider her words for a few seconds. "Has anything happened since our last appointment to raise new concerns?"
"No. But I'm sure you have figured out that I like to worry." Danny answered.
"He is quite a professional worrier." Steve teased even as he kissed the top of Danny's head. "As he said, there have been no issues or red flags, but it is hard for either of us not to worry where she is concerned."
"And that level of concern is serving you well. From what Grace has told me, I have no doubt she is well aware that either of you would do anything needed to help her come to terms with things. Even better, she knows it isn't just the two of you, but the people you have surrounded her with. Sometimes the single most important thing to recovery is the unshakable belief that you are not alone, that you have a network of support if you fall apart. Your daughter's belief that she has that is absolute."
Both men smiled at her assertion. If there was one thing they could do for her, ensuring she had her ohana was it.
"Now, if there are no other concerns I suggest we join the others." They both nodded before following her back toward Grace and her grandmothers.
They found the little girl drawing a picture and chatting with the older women. Doctor James looked at the picture, noting it appeared to be the start of a new family portrait.
"What are you working on there, Grace?" She inquired.
"A picture of the family for Grandma to take home with her." She looked up at the doctor.
"That is very nice of you. Why don't we just sit here and talk so you can finish that for her?" The girl nodded, so Dr. James took a seat around the table as the men did the same. "Like I said earlier, we'll keep this short today so you can enjoy the rest of your day. Mostly I wanted to make sure that the three of you are all okay with the coming changes and what it means for your positions in each other's lives."
Grace looked at her when she spoke. "I'm sad that Grandma Bradley is going back to England tomorrow, but we're going to video chat every Saturday morning at nine." Her eyes shifted to Rachel's mother as they exchanged conspiratorial smiles. They had figured that out right after the test call.
"And I am going to come back for at least a couple of weeks around Christmas this year while Grace is on school break." Dianne added. "The plan is for me to come twice each year. Once during summer break and once during winter break." She did her best to portray a confidence she was not sure she really felt about going back to England. It was no longer the separation from Grace that bothered her the most, it was lack of closure she felt around Stan's part in this whole affair.
Dr. James could tell there was something Ms. Bradley wasn't saying. "Are you …" a small shake of the woman's head and the pleading look in her eye as she glanced from the therapist to her granddaughter, made Dr. James deviate from her original question. "Are you looking forward to enjoying a warm Hawaiian Christmas?"
Dianne's shoulders visibly relaxed, a detail not missed by the doctor, Steve, or Danny.
"I am. It will also be the first time in years that I have been a part of a big gathering for the holiday." She admitted.
"I assume it is safe to bet that all the people in Grace's drawing are likely to be there." The therapist looked at the picture noting there were more additions that just Ms. Bradley to this edition.
Grace seemed to notice her looking and starting pointing them out. "That's Aunt Mary, Daddy's sister, and that's Kamekona. Aunt Mary left yesterday, but she is going to come back and stay with Grandma and Grandpa Williams."
Chatting for a while longer, it was clear that both women and Grace were as comfortable as they could be with the way things stood. Most surprising was the strong friendship that was obviously developing between the two grandmothers.
As things wound down, Dr. James decided to see if she could get Ms. Bradley to speak with her away from Grace for a moment. Seeing that the little girl was still putting the finishing touches on her drawing, the doctor decided to make use of the time.
"Ms. Bradley, would it be okay if you and I stepped into my office for a few minutes?" The older woman looked concerned, but seemed to calm some when Steve reached over and took her hand. "Steve is welcome to join us if you prefer."
Dianne's grip on his hand tightened. Taking that as his cue, he rose and helped her to her feet. "We'll be right back Gracie, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy." Grace's expression told him she knew they were going to talk about something they didn't want her to hear, but as with previous situations, she trusted him.
Steve and Dianne followed Dr. James toward her office. Rachel's mother started to thank him for staying with her, but he shook his head when she opened her mouth.
"Ohana." His single whispered word forestalled anything she might have considered saying.
Closing the door to her office, Dr. James took a seat across from the two. "I didn't mean to alarm you by requesting we speak in private, but it was evident earlier that something else was on your mind, something you didn't wish to speak about in front of Grace."
"I …" Dianne started but then stopped.
Before the therapist could encourage her, Steve leaned forward on his knees, bringing him at eye level to Ms. Bradley. "Dianne, whatever is bothering you, it is better to tell us now than hold onto it until you're back across the ocean. We can't help if we don't know what it is." He held her eyes as he spoke, encouraging her to put the same faith in the ohana that he did.
Dr. James leaned back in her chair. She would interject if needed, but in reality, letting part of the family get her to open up would be more effective in the long run.
"I know it will sound unreasonable, but it bothers me that I couldn't confront Stanley about what he did to my daughter. I know he's pleading out. I know he'll spend some number of years in prison, but part of me wants to look him in the eye and see if even comes close to realizing how horrible his actions were."
Dianne stared at the floor as she spoke, but Steve looked to Dr. James to see her reaction.
"That's not unreasonable. I'm not sure how likely it is to happen before you leave, but wanting to confront the person that did something like this to your family is far from unreasonable."
"Let me make a phone call. I can't make any promises, but I may be able to make it happen later this afternoon." Both women stared at him. It had never dawned on either that given the parties involved, even with limited time it could be feasible. "If for some reason we can't make it happen today, I'll set it up for when you are back in December. Worst case, it takes two and a half months to be able to have that conversation, but we will make sure you have the chance."
Dianne continued to stare at him. "Thank you." Not for the first time, she thought she understood even better what it meant to be part of this family. When one of them needed something, there was no protracted argument over reasoning or the validity of the request. There was no being made to feel inadequate because you asked for something. There was simple acceptance and steps taken to fulfill the need. After less than a week with these people, Dianne felt a greater sense of belonging and family than she ever had in her life.
/ GUARDIAN /
A/N: I swear I really was going to reveal McG's surprise for the afternoon in this chapter, but you know how out of control this lot gets sometimes. I promise you'll find out at the beginning of the next chapter.
You know how this goes - you leave reviews, I write faster, and we're all happy :)