"Savanna, honey, I need you to tell Aunt Jeffer the truth, ok? Can you do that?"
She nodded.
"Did someone hit you on your back?"
"Yes, actually. Uncle Mike".
"Uncle Mike did? What did he hit you with?"
"His belt. He said I was bad, but I really wasn't. It was Easton".
"What did Easton do?"
"He throwed the ball and hit the lamp, and it falled over. Uncle Mike came in and Easton pointed at me, and he took me to his room and gave me lots of panks".
"I'm so sorry, lovebug. He should not have done that."
"Aunt Jeffer, I don't want to go back to them. I want to stay with you".
"Well, we will see if we can make that happen, ok?"
"Ok".
She washed her hair, and conditioned it and detangled it, and then very carefully washed her back for her.
She was blinking back tears the whole time.
"Thank you for giving me a bath, Aunt Jeffer".
"You're welcome, lovebug".
"I'm glad you let me have hot water".
"Did Aunt Abby not let you have hot water?"
"Well, she said we drived her crazy. So, we had to take cold showers".
"I see".
McKenna was just splashing around and having a good time.
"Lovebug, do you remember eating dinner last night?"
"Yes. She made us pasghetti".
"And then what did you do?"
"She made us take cough medicine. But I wasn't coughing and Luke wasn't coughing. She said it would keep us from coughing. It tasted gross and she wouldn't give us any water. And then she made us get on the couch and told us not to get up".
"I see".
"Did I wake up when you sawed me?"
"No. You slept all the way to the airport, on the plane the whole way home, and then all night long, after we put you in bed".
"Oh. She gave us two medicines".
"Two medicines?"
"Yeah. Two of the same yucky medicine".
"Interesting".
Jonathan and Jennifer were going to have a lot to talk about.
She let Savanna play in the bath while she bathed McKenna and then she got them both out and dried them off.
"Savvie, does Uncle Mike spank Luke too, or just you?"
"Just me. He makes Luke move bricks in the yard".
"And what about McKenna?"
"No, Aunt Abby holds her all the time".
"I see".
She got the girls dressed and they headed downstairs. Jennifer put McKenna in her jumperoo, and sat on the couch with Savanna while she combed her hair out.
After she was done, she put Savanna on the couch next to her.
"Can you stay here and watch TV with Uncle Max while I talk to Luke for a minute?"
"Yes, actually".
She and Luke went to the patio.
"Luke, I need to ask you something, and I want you to know you can be honest with me, ok?"
"Ok".
"Are your aunt Abby and Uncle Mike mean to you and Savanna?"
"Yes. They are always yelling at us and telling us they didn't want us, and they make us do all the chores but no matter how good we do them, we can't do anything good enough to not get yelled at. We don't get to eat the same foods as their kids, and we have the crappy room while their kids have the good ones. I know I'm not supposed to say crappy, but I don't care, that's what it is. Their kids broke my xbox and Uncle Mike said it was my fault, but I wasn't even home. I hate them, and I don't want to go back there".
He leaned over and hugged her so tight.
'Ok, ok. Listen, I need you tell me something. Did they ever physically hurt you?"
"No. They spank Savanna, but they make me move bricks in the yard. And when I was sick, they wouldn't take me to the doctor".
"They wouldn't?"
"No. They said we cost them too much money".
"Ok. I promise you, I am going to talk to Uncle Jonathan, and we will figure something out".
She and Luke went back inside, and sat on the couch.
Savanna and Max were discussing the movie.
"I don't care what you say, mermaids ain't a thing".
"Yes, they are! If they ain't a thing, then how come I was one for Hallobeen?"
"You were a mermaid?"
"Yes".
"Did your hair get wet?"
"No".
"Then you wasn't a mermaid".
"What were you for Hallobeen?"
"A monster".
"Monsters are scary".
"That's why they are called Monsters".
Jennifer sat down on the couch again and Savanna came and sat in her lap.
They all snuggled up under a blanket, and before she knew it, Jonathan was home.
"Max, we aren't going to take a walk, we are just going to go upstairs".
Savanna and Luke both ran and gave Jonathan huge hugs.
"Uncle Jonathan, I need to talk to you. It's important".
"Ok, let's go to the kitchen. Darling, I'll be right back".
A few minutes later, he and Luke came back and Jonathan took Jennifer upstairs.
"Talk to me while I take a shower?"
"Sure".
He sat in the bathroom and she told him everything the kids had been telling her.
"So, what you are saying is, they feed them worse things than they feed their own kids, they blame our kids for their kids mistakes, they don't seek medical help for our kids, and they purposely over medicated our kids last night?"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying. Plus, they give Savanna hot sauce on a spoon when she's "bad" and call it medicine. Lots of mind games being played in that house".
"Ok. I'm going to call my lawyer, and my PI, and see if we can track down where they went, and when they are supposed to be back. We know they went somewhere. And I'm going to have him look for any other family, just in case there is family out there. If not, we will petition the court to keep them with us".
"Good".
"I need to take Luke to the doctor this afternoon. He told me in the kitchen that Easton stepped on him with cleats and cut him, and it's gotten infected".
"Oh no! I have some bandaids and ointment if you think he needs that".
"Darling, he needs antibiotics for this. He showed it to me, it's bad. And it's in a very sensitive spot".
"Got it".
She rinsed her hair and then turned the water off.
"Both of the older kids have thanked me 100 times for "letting us be with them", and "saving them". And Luke said that Abby tells them all the time she never wanted them and they are too expensive. And he says Easton broke his Xbox, and Mike told him it was his fault, but not Easton's".
She got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself.
"It's going to be ok, darling. I swear it".
She nodded.
"You should have heard Savanna this morning. She came running down the stairs and was sitting in my lap. I introduced her to Max, and told her that Max was a good cook. He told her he made the best pancakes ever. She said no you don't, Aunt Jeffer does".
Jonathan cracked up.
"She tells it like it is".
"Did you get the high chair?"
"Yes, it's in the car".
"Thank you".
She leaned forward and hugged him and kissed him.
She got dressed really quickly, and Jonathan changed clothes and they went downstairs.
Max looked a little frazzled. He was holding McKenna, and Savanna was singing. Luke was eating some ice cream.
Jonathan took McKenna from Max, and Jennifer pulled Savanna into her lap.
"Mr. H., can I ask you something?"
"Sure Max".
"How in the hell did you two do this for 2 months?"
"Bad word, bad word!"
"It's not as bad as it seems, Max".
Jonathan grabbed Jennifer's hand.
"Max, we want to tell you something".
"Go for it".
"We are getting married, most likely in August".
"That's wonderful! Welcome to the family, Miss Edwards".
"Thank you, Max".
Jennifer kissed Jonathan and hugged on him a bit before he went to get some water.
Jennifer made a list of what they needed to get for the kids, long term.
Crayons/coloring books, feeding utensils for McKenna, diapers, formula, a crib for McKenna, and a few other things for Savanna and Luke.
"Luke, I'm going to take you to the doctor this afternoon. Is it ok if Aunt Jennifer comes too?"
"Yes, but I want it to be just you and me in the room".
"Ok, that's fine".
Jonathan gave McKenna her bottle and put her down for a nap.
"Darling, we need to take Savanna with us, so that the doctor can document the bruises".
"Good idea".
"Max, McKenna should sleep for about 2 hours. We will be back by then, and if she wakes up before we are, just change her diaper and put her in the jumperoo".
"Uncle Max don't do no diapers".
"Ok, just put her in the jumperoo and I'll change her when I get home".
"Deal".
They headed to the doctor's office, and got signed in.
Savanna started to get upset, so Jennifer sat down with her in the lobby.
"It's ok, you aren't getting a shot. I promise."
"No shots?"
"No shots".
They were called back right away.
"Hi Jonathan, good to see you".
"Hi. Thanks for seeing us on short notice. This is Jennifer Edwards, my girlfriend. Jennifer, this is Dr. Susan Kendall".
"THE Jennifer Edwards? From the New York Times?"
"Formerly of the Times, yes".
"It's an honor to meet you, you do excellent work. I don't think you've written anything that I haven't enjoyed".
"Thank you, very much, it's nice to meet you".
"Susan, these are kids that we were taking care of, this is Luke, and Jennifer is holding Savanna. Luke has a medical issue that needs attention, and we want to take pictures of Savanna's back for documentation purposes".
"Ok we can definitely do that".
Savanna started whispering in Jennifer's ear.
"Ok, I'll tell him. It's ok".
"Jonathan, she says she needs privacy for the pictures".
"I tell you what. Luke wanted privacy for his issue, so why don't we go into another room and Susan can take the pictures and then come to us when she's done?"
"Good idea. Thank you so much for helping us with this".
"No problem".
She had the nurse take Luke and Jonathan to the next room, and then they undressed Savanna.
"Oh yes. We definitely need to document that."
She leaned down to Savanna.
"Sweetheart, I'm Dr. Kendall. Can I ask you a few questions?"
"Yes, actually".
"Thank you. Do you know what happened to your back?"
"Yes. My cousin throwed a ball and the lamp falled over. And Uncle Mike said it was my fault and gave me lots of panks for it".
"With what?"
"His belt".
"I see. Has that only happened once, or has it happened more than once?"
"Just once. Usually he makes me take a cold shower when he says I'm bad".
"I see."
She looked at Jennifer.
"Is it only on her back?"
"I gave her a bath today and that's the only place I saw them".
"Ok, good".
"Savanna, can you take your shirt off, so I can take a picture, please?"
"Yes, actually".
Jennifer helped her get her shirt off and Dr. Kendall measured the bruises and made some notes and took several pictures.
"Ok, it's in her chart. If the courts need it, just call and ask."
"Thank you".
Jennifer got Savanna's shirt back on, and they opened the door.
Dr. Kendall was in there with Luke for about 10 minutes, and then they came out.
She had written out a prescription for him and brought it to Jennifer.
"Ok, I think he will be fine after a couple of doses. I gave Jonathan lots of gauze pads and that's a prescription for an antibiotic cream that he needs to put on before bed each night and after his shower each day. If he doesn't shower, he needs to take a sponge bath. Pus will come out and there will be a lot coming out, so it's going to look worse before it looks better, but that's ok. Use that for 10 days, twice a day, and if he's not better, bring him back in."
"Thank you so much, it was so lovely to meet you".
"Lovely to meet you as well".
Jonathan pulled out his wallet.
"No Jonathan, no charge for this one. It's ok".
"Thanks Susan".
They got all the kids to the car, and got them buckled in, and headed to the pharmacy.
They dropped off the prescription and asked for it to be delivered and then took them home.
Max was holding McKenna on the couch when they came in.
She got so excited to see them, she started clapping her hands and smiling.
"Hi monkey".
"Hi Bahman".
Jennifer started laughing.
"Did she just call you Batman?"
"I think she did".
"Max, you are off duty tonight. We will make dinner".
"Are you sure? I don't mind".
"I'm sure. You earned it".
"Thank you".
"Darling, can you change her diaper while I get them settled?"
"Certainly".
"Ok kids. What do you want for dinner tonight? We can have whatever you want".
"Chicken strips".
"Yeah, chicken strips. And onion rings and barbeque sauce".
"Ok, chicken strips it is".
"Darling, why don't we order from Coastal Chicken?"
"Great idea. Family bucket, extra crispy".
Jennifer went and looked up the number and called in an order.
"1 bucket of Chicken strips, 2 large onion rings, one family bucket, extra crispy please, with biscuits and mashed potatoes and gravy. And a gallon of sweet tea, for delivery".
"22.14 See you in 40 minutes".
"Ok, thank you".
She hung up and went back to the living room.
Savanna was laying on the couch and Luke was reading his book.
"Aunt Jeffer, I want to play with your hair".
"Ok".
She got behind her and started playing with her hair, and pretty soon Jennifer had about 10 ponytails and braids going on.
Jonathan sat down next to Jennifer.
"Darling, tomorrow, let's do something fun with the kids."
"Like what?"
"Well, we had that bet, that was never honored. How about Disney Land?"
"Oh, that would be fun."
"We can hire a babysitter to come watch McKenna, and we can take the big kids".
"Great idea".
Savanna climbed up in Jennifer's lap then.
"Did you say we were going to Disney land?"
"Yes, I did".
"I don't want to go, that's where Aunt Abby and Uncle Mike and the cousins are".
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, they said they were going to where Mickey Mouse lives".
"Land, or world?"
"World".
"I see. Well we are going to the other one, and we won't see them, I promise".
She was clinging to Jennifer's neck so tight, and it took Jennifer about 20 minutes to calm her down.
Dinner arrived then, and Jonathan paid for it and took it to the kitchen.
Jennifer got everyone plates and drinks and they all sat and ate.
Savanna wanted to sit right next to Max, and so did Luke.
"Have you ever tried this combo? Chicken strip dipped in bbq sauce, and then dipped in sour cream".
"No, we don't like sour cream".
"You don't know what you're missing, kiddo".
Jennifer leaned back against Jonathan.
"They've really taken to Max".
"Yeah, they have. He likes them too. Otherwise, he would be telling them to leave him alone".
"Ok Max, give us the biggest burp you've ever done".
"Excuse me, we are not burping".
Savanna and Luke collapsed in a fit of giggles.
Max gave them a burp anyways.
"Max!"
"Sorry Miss Edwards, it slipped".
Jennifer got up and mashed up some more bananas for McKenna and fed them to her in the high chair.
She got so excited and ate them all as fast as she could.
"Darling, after we get them down for bed, can we make a grocery run?"
"Sure".
"You can go now if you want".
"Thanks Max, but bedtime can be a little crazy".
"I'm Max, I got this".
"Ok, if you're sure".
Jennifer started cleaning up and then came over and kissed the kids goodbye.
"Are you coming back?"
"Positive."
"Are you really coming back?"
"Yes, I'm really coming back, I swear it".
"Ok".
They headed to the car and drove to the grocery store.
After loading up and buying almost every kid food imaginable, they headed back home.
"Darling, do you mind if we make another stop?"
"Not at all".
They pulled into Target and went inside. 20 minutes later, they were walking out with a few new Barbies and a new Xbox, plus a swing for McKenna.
They came inside and unloaded the groceries and got them all put away.
Everyone was in the den. Savanna was on Max's shoulders, and McKenna was in his lap.
She squealed when she saw Jonathan.
"We have presents, who wants one?"
"Me! Me!"
"Ok. Sit on the couch".
She went and sat on the couch, and Jennifer gave her the Barbie dolls they had gotten for her.
"Oh yeah! I love these!"
She gave Jennifer a huge hug.
Jonathan handed Luke his bag, and he pulled out his Xbox.
"Thank you!"
"It comes with 3 games, but we can go get some others if you want".
"This is so cool!"
He and Luke went upstairs to set it up and Jennifer and Savanna stayed downstairs playing Barbie.
Jennifer took the next bottle with McKenna and got her to sleep and put her in the pack n' play.
She came back and snuggled on the couch with Savanna some and then took her upstairs to bed.
Max said he would lock up downstairs, so she and Jonathan went to bed.
She went and told Luke goodnight, and then went to her bedroom with Jonathan.
They settled into bed and he gave her a backrub.
"Oh, that feels wonderful".
He rubbed all her stress spots out, and got her totally relaxed.
As soon as he finished, they switched and she gave him one.
"Darling, what happens next?"
"Well, as far as the kids, I have my PI tracking down their every move. And I'm going to call my lawyer in New York tomorrow to go put a lock on the door and a letter barring anyone from entering the premises. If I have to, I will put security on the property 24/7. My fear is they will try to sell the house and keep it for themselves. And we are going to meet with Lt. Gray Friday to see about pressing charges".
"I see. Can you take the day off Friday?"
"Highly doubtful, but I'll see".
"Are you sure you want to go to Disney land tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure of something else too".
"What's that?"
He rolled her off him and moved to lay down next to her.
"I'm sure, absolutely sure, 1000% sure, that I love you with every fiber of my being, and that I cannot wait to marry you".
She kissed him, as they both heard a knock on the door.
"I'm also sure this house isn't big enough for 6".
"Come in".
It was Savanna, with her blanket and her stuffed bunny.
She climbed up in bed and into Jennifer's lap.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I just wanted you".
"Ok".
"Do you think if you stay in here a little bit you could go back to your room later?"
"No".
"Why not?"
"There's no nightlight in there".
"Oh, I see".
"We forgot to take your medicine tonight, let's go get it".
She nodded.
"Can you give Uncle Jonathan a goodnight hug and kiss?"
She leaned over and kissed and hugged him.
"Goodnight sweetie pie".
"Good night".
"Aunt Jeffer?"
"Yes, lovebug?"
"Is it still Nude Year?"
"It was about to be a nude something".
"Jonathan!"
"No, lovebug, New Year's only lasts two days."
They went downstairs and Savanna took her medicine without complaining and then they went back upstairs.
Jennifer took the nightlight from the hall and put it in Savanna's room.
"Goodnight, lovebug. I love you".
"I love you too, Aunt Jeffer".
A few kisses later, Jennifer was back in her room with Jonathan.
She climbed in bed and snuggled up to him.
"I love knowing they are here and safe".
"Me too".
"Darling, we cannot let them go back there. No matter what. We have to do something".
"We will, I promise you".
She kissed him.
He made love to her a few times, and then they fell asleep together.