The Woman with All the Answers

Author's Note: I wasn't planning on taking this route with this story, but once the idea occurred to me, it was too good to pass up. So, I think it's safe to say that many of you are going to get you wish. This story is definitely going to be more than just ten chapters.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Rabb Residence

San Diego, California

14:22 hours

Mac is busy wiping down her son's highchair when there's a knock at the front door.

"Just a minute." She calls out. She quickly finishes up, but before she can turn and head for the door, Noah is up, across the room, and pushing back the lace panel curtain that obstructs his view of the world outside.

Smiling, he stomps his feet, running in place excitedly. "Muh!"

"What is it, Noah? Who's out there?"

"Gamma."

Mac raises a curious eyebrow as she lifts her son's feet off the floor and simultaneously unlocks the front door. Realizing who's come knocking, she kisses the boy's forehead. "Say that again."

Noah points at Trish, and repeats, "Gamma." He bobs his chin in certainty.

Mac shrugs and steps back, allowing the older woman into the house. As Trish eagerly lifts her grandson from his mother's arms, Mac explains, "I guess that's what passes for 'grandma."

Trish chuckles. "I'll take it!" To the boy in her arms, she says sweetly, "Hello darling."

Noah kisses her cheek, and then immediately squirms to be put down.

Setting him free so he can return to his toys, Trish shakes her head. "He's smart. He's picking up other people's mannerisms. He has learned how to do that chin bobbing thing that Laura does when she knows what she's talking about."

Mac nods. "I think he prefers Laura to the rest of us. She plays with him, but she lets him make all the rules and she rarely ever tells him 'no' about anything. She's really good at redirecting his attention when he's doing something he shouldn't be doing. Yesterday, when I came home from work, she had her schoolbooks spread out in one corner of her bathroom floor. There was about an inch of water in the bathtub and Noah was standing up in the tub stripped to his diaper and having a ball throwing bathtub toys in, only to retrieve them and do it all over again. When I questioned this, she informed me that she started her homework in her bedroom like always and that Noah would come into her room every few minutes, help himself to a colored pencil, and disappear. She got curious about what he was up to, so she went to investigate and found him tossing her pencils into the toilet. Instead of fussing at him, she said,' Noah, let's do this instead.' She undressed him so he wouldn't soak his clothes and supplied him with a basketful of bathtub toys. I told her it was a bad idea to leave him alone, with even that small amount of water in the tub, and she replied, 'Duh, Aunt Mac! That's why I'm doing my homework on the bathroom floor.' When I commented that she was probably very uncomfortable she just shrugged and said, 'It's okay with me. Noah's happy. He just likes making things go splash."

Trish squints. "Where was Beth?"

"In the living room, resolving one of those rare disputes between the girls. They were fighting over a toy. Laura volunteered to look after Noah while Beth was busy. After the girls settled down, she went to check up on Noah and Laura and decided to leave them alone, for the most part, because every time she tried to get Noah to leave the bathroom he got cranky."

Trish helps herself to a kitchen bar stool and drops her handbag on the bar. "Wouldn't it be easier just to tell him 'no?"

Mac shrugs. "Laura doesn't think so. I have heard her do it when she's a little too preoccupied or if she can't think of the way to distract him. When we tell him no, he throws a fit. Laura says it's because – she quotes her niece - 'Nobody likes to be told 'no.' and neither does Noah.' According to her, he was only throwing her pencils in the toilet because he can reach it, and because he likes playing in water. She says, it's less distracting to give him something else that it is okay for him to play with and then watch him do it, than it is to tell him he can't and listen to him throw a fit."

Trish shakes her head. "Sometimes I forget she's only eight. She's so grownup."

Mac nods. "She didn't really have a choice before Harm and I came along. I guess you sort of have to grow up when your only parent refuses to. It leaves you to figure out most things in this life for yourself. Now that she's here, what are we supposed to do? Ask her to be more of an eight-year-old? I've tried. She just smiles and reminds me that she will be nine next month."

"That's why I'm here. Or at least, one of the reasons." Trish pauses and reaches down to pick up her granddaughter when Shannon crawls over and uses the legs of a bar stool to pull herself into a standing position and often her grandmother the doll she's been playing with. "Hello sweet baby. Who's your friend?"

In reply, Shannon simply pulls her grandmother's arms more tightly around herself and cuddles close.

Trish chuckles. "This one is content just to be held, but that's the last thing her brother wants."

Mac nods. "Unless something scares him. When that happens, if Harm is around, he looks for his dad's reaction before he panics. If Harm is not here, he will become my little shadow. I can't leave the room without him."

"And little Miss Ellie just tries to keep up with the two of them."

"Mac bites her lower lip to keep from laughing as she moves the washable seat cover from the sink back to her son's highchair and slips it back into place. "Trish, I don't think it will be very much longer before she's running circles around both of them. Usually Noah will pick on Ellie first if she's here because Shannon will stand up to him. Ellie is only just beginning to do that. Until very recently, if he upset her, she simply cried. I think she's been taking lessons from Shannon. Either that, or she's just fed up with him. Noah took her drink away from her earlier this week. She surprised us all when she reached over, took it back, pried the lid off - which took her a few very determined seconds - and then turned it upside down over his head and gave it a good shake to be certain he got every last drop! I wish you had seen the look of shock on your grandson's face. It was priceless, Trish!"

Trying not to laugh herself, Trish eyes her grandson with forced disapproval. "That's what you get, young man! You shouldn't pick on little girls."

Noah's only response is to glance momentarily away from his toy cars and offer his grandmother an innocent 'I don't know what you're talking about' smile.

Mac chuckles. "One guess who he learned that from."

Trish laughs. "I don't need to guess. I've seen that look more times than I can count. He may have your smile but that look and the attitude that comes with it is pure Rabb."

Mac nods. "You wanted to talk about Laura's birthday next month?"

"Not just that. We're coming up on a busy time of the year. Noah's first birthday is three weeks away and closely followed by Halloween. The anniversary of Laura's adoption is precisely one month later, and her birthday is only one day before the girls'. Then there's Thanksgiving to throw into the mix. How do you want to handle the upcoming parties?"

"I've been thinking about that. Privately, we should do something special with each one of them to mark the occasions, so that I won't feel like any one of them is being shortchanged. However, this year, the little ones are so young, I don't think they'll really understand about birthday parties yet. Until they do, Beth and I were wondering if we could get away with the one big giant party for all of it – probably sometime in early November?"

Trish nods agreeably. "That seems reasonable, and it would fit in nicely."

Sensing a segue, Mac raises an eyebrow. "Nicely, with what?"

Trish looks around. "Where's Laura?"

"Magellan. Harm gave Beth the keys to the hangar. They're on a girls-only flight. They must be having a good time. They've been gone for hours."

"Good. I wanted to talk to you - and if possible, Harm - without her present but you two are rarely in the same place at the same time. At least not without her, and I didn't want to risk getting her hopes up in case you aren't comfortable with what I'm about to offer."

Mac pours Trish a cup of coffee without asking if she wants it and delivers it with a raised eyebrow. "I'm all ears."

"Laura's out of school the week after Thanksgiving?"

Mac shakes her head. "The week of. She goes back the following Monday."

Trish clicks her tongue against the inside of her cheek. "Do you think it would hurt if she missed a day or two."

"Trish, Laura hates missing school. Not that she's incapable of making up anything she misses, far from it, but you'd have to offer her something pretty spectacular just to get her to agree."

I can't miss the babies' first Thanksgiving. I know they won't understand what's happening, but I will, and I can't miss it. Frank has a trip coming up and he asked me to go with him. He's already pushed it back because I told him there was no way I was going to miss this thanksgiving with the little ones."

Mac nods, rolling her wrist in a 'bring it on' fashion as she takes a guess. "So, the day after Thanksgiving you and Frank are leaving, and you want to take Laura with you to…"

"Actually, late that Thursday evening… China."

Stunned, Mac's eyes widen noticeably. "Oh wow! Trish, are you sure about that? I know you two use these little trips like a couple's getaway."

Trish waves the question aside. "Oh please! We can do that anytime."

Mac chuckles and raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure Frank's going to be okay with that?"

"It was his idea! He got all excited. Come with me, he said. He knows I'm not terribly fond of Beijing, but that didn't stop him from immediately making plans. We can take Laura with us on the trip, said he. 'Experience China through her eyes.' I stopped him right there. Frank, darling, don't you think we should ask Laura's parents before we board a 20-hour flight with her?" They might have something to say about that! You should've seen him, Mac. He barely slowed down. The anniversary of her adoption is coming up and he just wants to make it extra special for her. She wouldn't be gone on the actual date. She could be here with you for that, and if you aren't comfortable with this, say no. You won't hurt my feelings, and we just won't mention it to her."

It takes Mac a moment to find her voice but when she does, she asks, "What's there to be uncomfortable about. I know you love her and that you'll bend over backward to take care of her. I can't deny her the opportunity – not if she wants to go. She doesn't have a passport. To the best of my knowledge, she's rarely been out of the state of California, and never abroad, but that's easily remedied. How many days of school does she need to miss? I will clear it with her teachers. I'm sure I can make them see the potential of the trip. I don't see a problem with that."

Well, Frank's in meetings all day Monday and Tuesday that week. We can have her back here as early as late Wednesday evening, she would probably need Thursday off just to recuperate and get over the jet lag. But she could be back in class the following Friday. She would only miss four days, if that's what you want. If we stay through Friday, she only misses one extra day of school but, we would have three extra days for her to explore, come back on Saturday, and that gives her Sunday to relax and re-adjust before returning to school the following Monday."

Mac shrugs thoughtfully. "Let me discuss this with Harm before we tell Laura anything."

"Of course." Trish looks around again. "Where is my son?"

When Ellie starts to fuss, Mac picks her up off the play palette spread out on the living room floor and rubs her back. "I think it's a nap time. Right, Ellie?" To Trish, she says, "I'm not exactly sure. He and Keeter left hours ago to go to the gym where they were supposed to meet Sturgis; who is in town. I thought they would be back by now. I'm sure they've gotten sidetracked. They could be anywhere, but I know they will show up eventually."

"I wonder what Sturgis is going to make of Keeter."

"They've met. On our wedding day."

"Oh, right. I don't recall them spending a noticeable amount of time together."

"I can only guess, but I'm not predicting any lifelong friendship to spring up between the pair. I think Sturgis is a little too tightly wound for a guy like Keeter."

Trish nods indecisively. "I suppose we'll find out soon enough. So, big party, maybe the first weekend in a November, with something private to mark each occasion on the actual dates?"

Mac hums agreeably. If you do take Laura to China, and if you leave Thanksgiving evening, then, she will be with you on her actual birthday this year."

Trish nods. I know. We've got it covered - as long as you don't mind doing the family celebration on a different date."

Mac shakes her head and beckons with a whisper as she leaves the room, "Bring Shannon."

They place the sleepy girls in a single crib in the nursery and take a moment to silently marvel at the way the two of them curl together the moment they are within touching distance of each other.

Back in the kitchen, Mac addresses her son. "Noah, nap time?"

Busy crashing two toy cars together deliberately, Noah shakes his head emphatically. "No, Muh!"

The marine shrugs. "Okay."

Trish squints. "You don't make him take a nap?"

Mac shakes her head and whispers. "Don't have to. He hates to stop playing, if you force him, he will throw a fit. All you have to do is wait him out. I promise you, within the next 20 minutes, you will look over, and he will probably be standing there in the same spot where he is now, but he will be slumped over the coffee table sound asleep. Wherever he is, he literally just plays until he drops."

Trish groans. "It would've been nice of my son to tell me that a few weeks ago when Noah was staying with me during the day. He told me that nap time generally started shortly before 15:00 and that I would have about an hour of downtime to myself while he slept, which I knew, but somehow, I wasn't privy to the rest of it. I forced the child to lay down in his crib and he howled for 45 minutes before he finally slept."

Mac rolls her eyes. "I'm sorry. Harm knows this. He would leave something like that out. I should've called you myself. it's easier to just let Noah drop. He does in every afternoon. Then, pick him up and put him in his crib. He doesn't even know he's there until he wakes up, and then he howls to be let out."

Trish chuckles dryly. "Typical Harm." Moving on to the next topic, she queries, "What about Halloween?"

Mac nods but shrugs at the same time. "I can't decide. I'm tempted to buy them cute little costumes of some sort just for the memories, but they are too little to understand, and they can't have a hard candy yet. I don't relish the idea of taking them door to door for trick-or-treating and then combing through treat bags just to sort out what they can and can't have.

"So, don't do that. Dress them up and bring them to the Montage instead."

Mac laughs. "One of these days, you're gonna get tired of hosting Halloween in an art gallery."

"Nonsense! Halloween has never been more fun for me than it has been the last couple of years; not to mention more profitable. I talked to Chloe a few days ago via e-mail. I've already agreed to pay her airfare. She said she would come and bring me lots of pretty pictures to exhibit if I threw a costume gala this year. Costumes required for admission!"