Chapter 39: Trying to Adjust – Part 3: Beginning of Understanding
House and Kate looked at each other. House wanted to speak, but Kate held up a hand. She took Monica's hand and spoke quietly. "Honey, Greg isn't your dad. He's never hurt me. He never would."
"He's yelling at you. My dad yelled at my mom just like that. Then he would hit her. And the last time, he didn't stop and she died. I won't let him kill you!"
"Greg has never hit me. Never. He wouldn't. First of all, he knows I wouldn't let him. But he also loves me too much to hurt me. He's not your dad. He's NOT your dad."
Monica started crying. Kate tried to put her arms around her, but the girl ran from her and into her bedroom.
"Well, that was fun." House said.
"Poor kid. All she knows is people angry at each other and a man who hurts women." Kate said, sadly. "You didn't help with all the backpack nonsense."
"Well, I need it."
"So figure out what you did last night. You must have put it down somewhere else."
He looked down at the floor while Kate walked away to talk to Monica. He thought about his actions from the night before. Suddenly he remembered that he had brought it into the bedroom so that he could go over the case file while he was in bed. He limped to the bedroom and there it was. He picked it up and as he went past Monica's room, he could hear the girl crying and Kate trying to comfort her. He peeked in, held up the backpack for Kate to see, then waved and left.
Kate sighed and shook her head as he left. Caused all that trouble for nothing, she thought. Monica had been weeping uncontrollably and all Kate could really do was pat her back and hand her tissues. Once the tears started to subside, Monica looked up a Kate with red-rimmed eyes.
"Are you going to send me back?"
"Send you back where?"
"To Social Services."
"What? Of course not, what makes you think that?"
"I just threatened to kill your husband."
"It's not the first time he's been threatened. Probably won't be the last either. The thing is, I know you don't mean it."
"But I do." Monica said in a quiet voice, staring at her hands as they crumpled a tissue.
"No, you don't…"
"Kate," she interrupted, "If he hurt you or Emily, I would kill him. I mean it. Even if I have to go to jail, I don't care. I won't stand by and watch someone I love be hurt again."
Kate looked at the girl. She felt such love and sorrow for her. Poor child, she had gone through so much. Kate understood. She had felt the same way when she slammed that soccer trophy on the head of her mother's boyfriend, while her mother lay dead on the floor. Even though the incident had haunted her for the rest of her life, if she had the chance to go back, she wouldn't have done anything different. He deserved to die and that was that.
But she had to make her understand that it was different here and now. No one was threatening them.
"Monica, I do understand what you are feeling. Believe me, I do. And I agree with you. Because if anyone, anyone threatened Emily or you or Greg, I would stop them any way I could."
Monica felt a little thrill to be included in that statement.
"And," Kate continued, "If I thought Greg was threatening us, believe me, he would be out of our lives and in jail so fast you'd get dizzy." Then she added, quietly, "I'm not your mom. I don't take that. I fight back.
"I can tell you without reservation that Greg is not like your dad either. He would never, ever hurt us. Oh, he screams and shouts and wants his way, absolutely. But it's over in seconds and it never escalates to violence. Not with us. Do you believe me?"
"I guess. If you say so." Monica replied.
"Give him a chance. He's not a bad guy and he won't hurt you. And forget this stuff about sending you back. You're a part of this family now. You're staying."
Kate smiled, gave the girl a hug and went back to the kitchen where Emily was still munching on Cheerios.
Monica watched her leave. She took a deep breath. Kate was the smartest, coolest person she knew. If she believed in him, maybe he was okay. Monica wasn't sure and she wasn't going to let down her guard too easily, but she would watch and listen. If he turned out to be okay, well, then great. But if he didn't, Monica would take care of the people she loved.
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When House came home that afternoon, everything was quiet. He moved to their bedroom and found Kate laying on the bed reading.
"Hi," he said. "Where's Lizzie Borden?"
"Monica is at the library and that's not funny."
"But accurate. I'm sure that if she'd had an axe this morning, she would have given me forty whacks." House said, as he sat next to her on the bed.
Kate sighed and put down her book. "Greg, you have to be a little more understanding of her. She's trying so hard to adjust. The kids at school are alienating her because of what happened and she's so confused. On the one hand, we seem like a happy and loving family. On the hand, so did her parents until you looked beneath the surface. The whole thing almost destroyed her. She's so afraid that it will all happen again.
"I wouldn't have been surprised if she had retreated into subservience, based on the example her mother gave her. But she didn't, she's fighting back, fighting for her rights, her life. I'm so proud of her for doing that. We have to support her." Kate told him.
"I'd be thrilled to support her if she actually talked to me. I don't know any of this because she only communicates with you."
"Just have patience and give her time. Between the two of us, we are uniquely qualified to help her. You understand what it's like to be abused by your father and I know the pain of killing someone to help someone you love. We can make her a whole and happy person."
House looked at his wife. How did she get to be so kind and understanding? And how did he deserve a woman like that? He reached out and caressed her arm.
"Where's Emily?" he asked.
"Napping." She replied, then seeing the light in his eyes, added, "And I don't have to pick up Monica until five."
"Well, in that case…" he said as he pulled her into his arms.