A/N — set during Warriors (Ep. 5.05). xoxo — kals
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Chapter 13: And I'll take the kids to school, Wave them goodbye
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Debbie poured herself a cup of coffee, apparently noticing the empty beer containers in the recycling bin. "I see that Danny was here last night."
"He wanted to talk," Kara replied shortly. The last thing she needed right now was a lecture, not when she was already beating herself up for what happened today.
"And I'm sure he slept on the couch too," Debbie said tartly.
Kara sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Mom, please stay out of it."
"You called me, Kara," Debbie reminded her. Something that Kara regretted but, with both Andrea and Alisha dead and gone, there was nobody else to call. Hell, going through her cell phone this morning, Kara realized that she really didn't have anyone to talk to. The only other person she could think to call right now was Carlton and the last thing she wanted to do was ask him to come over, especially once she confirmed with Carlton that Danny was safely back at Burk's apartment. She thought about Danny's last text — This is why I stay away — wondering how many more times she was going to be forced to make a choice between taking care of her son and her husband.
Taking care of her husband.
The thought stopped Kara cold.
When had she begun thinking of Danny as someone to take care of rather than her partner?
Forcing the thought away, ignoring the chill it left, Kara checked to make sure that Frankie was still on the swing set and not in earshot. Halsey was with him, ensuring that Frankie wouldn't wander off. At least Frankie seemed fine, more upset by Danny yelling than the fact that he might have been seriously hurt.
Kara continued staring out the window, not looking at Debbie, as she explained. "We were at the park this morning and Frankie grabbed Danny's knife out of the holster. Danny yelled and grabbed it back and Frankie started crying. Then Danny stormed off."
"And you called me why?" Debbie prompted.
Spinning, Kara stared at her mother. "Frankie got Danny's knife!"
"Did he get hurt?" Debbie pressed.
"Well, no." Kara admitted, confused by the line of questioning. Debbie usually jumped all over Danny for the least of offenses, and now she was indifferent?
"Kara," Debbie said with a sigh. "Accidents happen. Do you remember the time you jumped off your grandfather's porch roof and broke your arm?"
Kara found herself raising a hand to the small scar near her hairline. She did remember that day, the way she dressed up in her favorite dress and cape before climbing out the small window onto the porch. How she spread out her arms before taking a running leap, arms spread out, and tumbling to the ground directly below the porch windows. The look on her grandfather's face when he ran outside to find her huddled in the dirt, holding her left arm and sobbing, was enough to convince Kara to never so much as open the window again.
"That was different. Papa had no idea I was going to climb out an upstairs window and jump off the roof," she said softly.
"And Danny had no idea that Frankie would grab his knife." Debbie set down her coffee. "Look, Kara, while bringing a knife to a park was certainly a questionable choice, it was an accident. The important thing is that Frankie didn't get hurt. Danny was right there and took it back from Frankie."
"He scared Frankie," Kara pointed out.
Debbie raised an eyebrow. "The fact that Danny yelled just makes him human. I would have yelled too if I saw Frankie holding something dangerous. And he probably learned an important lesson about not touching knives and, hopefully, guns. Because I doubt the two of you are always careful to lock things up."
That note of disapproval was back, and Kara knew that Debbie was picturing a pile of clothing and weapons from the front door to the bedroom. Which, now that Kara thought about it, wasn't that far off. Not about the living room, of course, but Danny must have had his knife on him last night and neither one of them had considered the need to lock it away. Frankie could easily have picked the knife up instead of crawling into bed between them this morning, chattering brightly about the day ahead. Even Danny seemed happy to be here, smiling indulgently at Frankie through breakfast.
Giving Kara so much hope about the day ahead.
Kara sighed, dropping into one of the kitchen chairs and burying her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do, Mom. Every time I think that we're making progress, something happens and he disappears again." She raised her head, voice beseeching. "How do I fix this? How do I get my husband back?"
"Oh honey," Debbie sat down at the table, taking one of Kara's hands in hers. "You know that I love Danny like a son. But this isn't something that you can fix. Danny has to make his own decisions. It's time for you to accept that."
Kara felt the tears leaking through her lids and sliding down her face. "And if I can't?"
Debbie smiled sadly, as though she knew that Kara's heart was shattering — again. "It's not your choice, sweetheart. Marriage is a two yes, one no kind of thing. And from what I'm seeing, Danny's telling you no. All you can do is accept that and move on."
Dammit. Kara hated when her mother was right.
She turned, looking out at her son, the one person in this entire mess who had done nothing wrong. Kara wouldn't make the same mistake that Debbie had, chasing after a man who didn't want to be chased.
Frankie had to come first.
Returning her gaze to Debbie, Kara took a deep breath. "I really don't want to talk to anyone on base. Does your friend Lucia handle divorce cases?"
"Let me check," Debbie said, pulling out her phone. Then she paused. "And Kara, remember that you aren't alone. Peter and I are both here for you and Frankie, like we've always been."
As Debbie made the call, Kara returned to the window.
God she missed Alisha.