Chapter Two- Caterpillar.
Seeing the brunette woman standing on her porch with a scowl firmly in place caught her off guard for all of three seconds before anger started to set in. Who the hell did this woman think she was? How did she know where Regina worked and lived?
"What the hell are you doing here?" She hissed at Ruby , trying to keep her voice quiet so she wouldn't scare her son.
"You left before I got the chance to explain everything. Can I come in?" Ruby gestured with her hand towards the door.
"There is nothing to explain, get off my property." Regina's nostrils flared in anger.
"Yes actually there is. Mary-Margret appointed you as Emma's guardian. If you're going to refuse to take her in, you need to sign away your rights to the girl." Ruby argued watching the gears in Regina's head spin. Mary-Margret appointed her as Emma's guardian when she could have gotten loads of other people to take in the little girl, including her parents.
"Why would she appoint me ?" Regina asked out loud.
"It's all in her will. I understand you're going to need some time to work through everything before you come to a decision but you only have ninety days before she becomes a ward of the state and is either put up for adoption or sent into the system." Ruby informed the troubled woman in front of her.
"I-I'm not the best person suited for raising that little girl." Regina sighed.
"You haven't even looked at her yet! I'm not supposed to say this but you're that kid's last hope for a family and stability." Ruby exclaimed.
"And why is that ? Blonde hair and green eyes, plus she is so young. Sounds like a prime candidate for adoption if you ask me." Regina quipped.
"Emma is behind on her development. Whether its the side effects from overdosing on those pills at such a young age or from her lack of quality parenting, that is undetermined. She is considered disabled because she lost a vast majority of her hearing from overdosing and she doesn't talk. She is still in diapers. Developmentally she is around one and a half when she's turning four in several months. They are considering sending her straight to a special case home but I know Emma's smart. She has just never had anybody in her corner fighting for her!" Ruby sneered at Regina, her anger getting the best of her.
"If you are so passionate, why don't you adopt her?" Regina asked the question without any venom, she was truly just curious.
"Conflict of interest. When you first get out into this career you sign a contract preventing you from adopting a kid on your case load." Ruby answered.
"Look I feel for Emma I really do, but I can't just say I'll take another kid on when I barely have time for my own as it is." Regina said.
"Look why don't you just take her in for a little while, until I can find a family that's willing to work with her disabilities. I've already taken her out of a foster home because the dad was frustrated with her having a bed wetting accident so he beat her with a belt. You don't even need much for her, I'll go and pick up whatever she needs for while she stays with you. Hell I'll even help if she becomes too much, I just need you to take her for a little bit." Ruby pleaded.
"You'll help with her, correct? I've never been around a deaf child before, I wouldn't even know where to begin." Regina could feel herself begin to sway and from the look on Ruby's face she could feel it too. She could take in the little girl until the time came for her to go with a new family, and with Ruby helping her it would mean she would get to see the social worker more often.
"I'll help with whatever you need!" Ruby agreed quickly, fighting the urge to tell Regina the child was hard of hearing not deaf
"Okay, I'm going to need time to explain this to my son. I won't be able to take her until tomorrow." Regina warned watching the grin spread on pink painted lips.
"I'll bring her by around noon. I have to warn you, she's very small for her age. She is only about twenty pounds, so you should warn your son she is very delicate." Ruby said, watching Regina nod.
"MAMA I"M HUNGRY!" Henry bellowed out causing Ruby to chuckle.
"And I guess that's your Q" Ruby said before leaving. Regina watched the denim encased ass, sway away before she finally went inside to feed her child.
Regina had cleared away the dinner dishes and was setting a slice of apple pie in front of her son when she thought it would be a good time to ease him into the news.
"Henry we have to talk." She told the six year old before sitting down across from him. The brown haired boy faltered in his pie eating for a moment before speaking.
"Okay Mama." He put down his spoon before looking down at his hands in his lap and she realized he thought he was in trouble.
"You aren't in trouble baby, Mama just has some news to share with you." Regina said grabbing her son's chin so he would look at her.
"What news?" Henry asked cocking his head to the side.
"We are going to be having a little girl that's going to come live with us for a while." Regina informed him, watching his face light up.
"Like a sister?! I asked Santa for a brother or sister last year but I thought he forgot!"
"She isn't going to be your sister, honey. She is only going to stay with us for a little while." Regina watched her son's face fall.
"Oh." Was all the boy offered.
"I need to tell you some things before she comes Henry. She is very tiny, okay? Which means you have to be gentle with her." Regina warned her son.
"Like Roland?" Henry asked about his five year old god-brother.
"Even smaller. Also she can't hear as well as me and you. So we have to be patient with her, okay?" Regina spoke gently with the six year old boy.
"Yes Mama...can I eat my pie now?" Henry asked raising an eyebrow causing Regina to chuckle.
"Yes baby you can eat your pie." Regina ran her hand threw his hair, watching him eat the pie.
It wasn't until 12:30 the next day Regina realized how nervous she was to meet her niece, but she contributed it to the fact that Ruby was late. She was surprised when she saw a 2013 Chevy Cruze pull into her driveway and an obviously flustered Ruby slide out the drivers seat. The pale brunette had her hair slightly curled but her face was void of makeup. Dressed in a pair of short tight black shorts and a plain red sweater, she looked like she just woke up. Regina was surprised that she found this look even sexier than a done up Ruby.
"Ms. Lucas, your late." Regina said dryly, holding back an excited Henry who was bouncing on his feet.
"Well I'm sure you know that with kids, you're always a little later then you expected." Ruby pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail before she let out a huge breath.
"Still common courtesy would be to call ahead of time to let someone know you will be late." Regina sniffed trying to feign boredom.
"Are you offering me your number? Because that didn't come in your file." Ruby cocked an eyebrow.
"Please, you'd have to buy me dinner first." Regina scoffed and then blushed when she realized what she said.
"Noted." Ruby smirked before walking over to the right side of her car. Regina followed in case the taller woman needed help. She was surprised to see the child still rear facing in a car seat designed for one year old's. Her feet touched the back of the seat but other then that she fit comfortably into the infant seat. The little girl had pale blonde locks that reminded Regina of David's when they all were younger and she could see dried tear stains on the little girls rosy red cheeks. Inside the little girls ears were a pair of bright purple hearing aids and Emma had a matching pacifier in her mouth.
"Isn't three years old a little old for a binkie?" Regina asked Ruby.
"Yes but it offers her comfort. She has been screaming her head off since we found her in her house and right now she is in some pain." Ruby lifted the little girls dress slightly to show Regina the bandages on the back of her legs.
"The foster father?" Regina questioned gritting her teeth.
"Yes, he claims he didn't hit her hard, that she just had sensitize skin. The bandages need to be changed every two to four hours, and there is a cream in her bag. She has a couple of changes of clothes until I run to Children Place. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call me." Ruby pulled out her business card and handed it to Regina.
"Wait you're leaving already?" Regina was surprised.
"Just for a few hours, so I can grab everything she's gonna need. I need to run by her doctors and pick up her prescriptions. I should be back before three." Ruby offered her a half smile, watching Regina nod. Pulling the car seat out, she passed a still sleeping Emma off to Regina, watching Regina perfectly balance it and the diaper bag she handed her.
"Mama is that her? I wanna see!" Henry pouted, trying to catch a peak of the little girl.
"Henry, you'll see her when we get in the house. Is there anything else I should know? Like what she likes to eat or anything?" Regina asked Ruby but she couldn't take her eyes off little Emma. It helped considering the little girl looked nothing like Mary-Margret, instead she was a carbon copy of David.
"She loves fruit, just make sure its small enough for her to eat it. She doesn't eat much at one time, she eats about every two hours though. She's allergic to nuts!" Ruby rattled off.
"Okay fruit no nuts, got it" Regina nodded watching Ruby kiss the little girl's forehead.
"I'll be back." Ruby promised before getting into her car.
"Okay Henry, let's get her inside." Regina watched her son scramble to get inside the house, his little brain figuring the faster they got in there the quicker he would be able to see the girl.
"Mama I wanna see!" Henry screeched.
"Lower your voice before you wake her!" Regina warned.
"But she can't hear..." Henry nose crinkled as he thought about the logic. Regina was going to agree until she seen the little girl start fussing.
"I think these help her hear." Regina pointed to the purple hearing aids watching Emma slowly open her eyes. At first the little girl seemed scared of the new people surrounding her, and she sucked fast on the pacifier in her mouth. Her eyes darted forth between Henry and Regina, as she began to tug on the straps to her seat.
"Mmmmm!" Emma whined around the binkie. Her and Regina were surprised when Henry pulled it out her mouth.
"Henry." Regina warned but Emma was already flailing trying to get the purple pacifier back.
"I don't know what she said cause it was in her mouth." Henry rolled his eyes, still holding onto the pacifier.
"Mmmmm!" Emma held out her hand for the pacifier, once she realized she couldn't get out.
"You wanna get out?" Henry asked, pressing the red button and releasing Emma from the seat. The blonde tried once to get herself out and Regina could only guess it rubbed against her bandages because the little girls eyes welled up with tears and her lip quivered. Regina didn't hesitate to lift the girl out gently and set her on the ground. She kept her hands on Emma's torso, unsure if the girl could walk. She was wobbly at first but she managed to get over to Henry to demand the pacifier back.
"MMMMM!" Emma's face was red as she tried to grab the pacifier.
"She don't talk?" Henry asked his mother.
"It's doesn't dear, and I don't think so. At least not yet." Regina shook her head at Henry before making him give Emma back the pacifier. She only planned on keeping the girl for a little while, her next family could worry about braces.
"Can she play?" Henry asked, both of them watching the little girl toddle around their living room.
"She can play with soft toys, I guess. Remember be gentle." Regina reminded the little boy.
"Gots it Mama!" Henry grinned before taking off to go find some suitable toys. She watched Emma, crawl around the carpet before the little girl slumped forward. It took her a moment to realize Emma had simply fallen asleep, and she had to calm her racing heart. Picking the small girl up from the floor, she set her on the couch before pulling a pillow on the side of her so she wouldn't fall. She couldn't stop wondering what exactly Mary-Margret had done for the little girl for her to be so underdeveloped. How could someone be so selfish and disregard their own child well being for the sake of getting a buzz on prescription drugs. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Henry came rushing back in with a plush rabbit that she couldn't remember buying.
"She sleep?" Henry asked disappointingly.
"Yes honey, why don't you give her that when she wakes up though. Right now you can help me make lunch." Regina tried to cheer him up.
"Okay Mama!" Henry grinned.
