Chapter 824: Tree Hill Hall
Monday, April 3rd, Evening
Tree Hill Hall sat on the high ground overlooking Murphy Inlet. From the large windows of the kitchen, one could look down at Murphy House, which sat on the shores of Murphy Inlet and was the primary residence of this large tract of land. Tree Hill Hall was built as a wedding present from a wife to a husband on the foundations of the original manor house. Now they live here, and a group of children currently controls the house affectionately called the Horde.
Chastity "Chase" Burke sat in her living room, surrounded by her five children. As they went about their evening routines, a comforting sense of unity filled the room. Chase sighed, her gaze moving from one child to the next, feeling the warmth of their presence.
Brett Pierce-Burke, the oldest and the only one not born to Chase, sat at the kitchen table, finishing her dinner. Her impending departure for the University of Notre Dame was a source of both excitement and hope for the family. Chase looked forward to helping Brett settle in at college, a new chapter in their lives.
Her next oldest, the first Chase gave birth to, sat on one of the sofas. The tall brunette girl seemed distracted from the movie they were watching. Paige "PJ" Burke was fidgeting, and something was up.
Next to PJ on the sofa was her Irish Twin Sister, Keelan "Key" Burke. Chase has an Irish twin, her sister Izzy, and now has a set herself. Key was not as distracted as PJ and seemed to be watching the movie.
The younger pair of kids were on the floor. The youngest girl, Bridget "BB" Burke, lay claim on the floor. The girl supported her chin on her hands as she lay on her belly. BB's knees were bent, and her eyes scanned the TV screen. Chase often wondered if she should closely monitor BB to ensure she was not causing trouble. BB had too much of Chase inside her.
The youngest member of the Horde and the only boy, Colin "Col" Burke, was next to BB, ignoring the movie. He pushed his trucks around and ignored his sisters. Chase wondered if Col would grow too soft or become too hard. Col was very much a little boy, but his sisters were active, too.
Chase looked at PJ. She saw certain things in PJ that died in Chase years ago. Of all her children, PJ took to skateboarding. There was joy in PJ's face and eyes when she skated, but PJ was a daddy's girl and did much of what Huck would do. Chase found it endearing as her dad wasn't around much when she was growing up.
Chase, whose nickname reminded her of her estranged dad, also has an estranged brother, Noah, and feels resentment. She had little to do with Noah, further exacerbated by her refusal to see her father. Despite her father's declining health, some betrayals were too deep to forgive.
Brett finished dinner and cleaned the table. After washing the dishes, she came into the living room. Taking a seat next to Chase, she looked at her stepmom.
"You have something to say, don't you?" Chase said.
Brett nodded, "Yes, I do," she said.
"What is it?" Chase asked, thinking that she wasn't going to like the answer.
"Well, Aunt Kelly is having dinner with somebody, and Uncle Andrew is still at work," Brett said and trailed off.
"Why am I not surprised?" Chase asked.
"Gee, I don't know," Brett said.
"How much is Kelly paying you?" Chase asked.
"Excellently," Brett said.
"So, are you going down the hill, or are they coming here?" Chase asked.
"What do you think?" Brett asked.
"You better not have the McMichael kids coming up here," Chase said.
"I'm not; I'm going to head down to Murphy House soon," Brett said.
Chase nodded, "Good," she said.
Brett nodded, "Do you want me to turn up the scanner before I leave?" she asked.
"Why?" Chase asked.
"I know Daddy Huck is working, and you would like to listen to see if he's on a call," Brett said.
Chase nodded, "You know me too well," she said.
Brett shrugged, "We've known each other for how long?" she asked.
"Too long, Brett," Chase said, "You better get going before your Aunt Kelly gets pissed."
Brett laughed and shook her head, "Yes, Mama Chase," she said and left.
Chase looked over to her daughters PJ and Key. PJ turned from the TV and looked Chase up and down.
"Do you think Daddy will be going on a call soon?" PJ asked.
"I don't know, PJ," Chase said.
PJ nodded, and Key looked at her. "The universe will act in its own time," Key said.
"Where do you get this stuff?" PJ asked.
"Key probably is reading your dad's books, PJ," Chase said.
"No!" PJ said.
"Yeah!" Key said.
"Please, girls, no fighting tonight," Chase said.
"Yes, Mama," PJ said.
"Yes, Mama," Key said.
"Mama?" BB asked.
"Yes, BB?" Chase asked.
"What are we watching after this?" BB asked.
"Baths and bed," Chase said.
"Mama!" BB said.
"You have school in the morning, Missy," Chase said.
"I don't want to go to school," BB said.
"You have to go to school and don't give me any lip, Missy, or you'll be going to bed before the movie ends," Chase said.
Chase observed that Col was unusually quiet. Quiet Col had learned early on to avoid annoying his elder sisters, particularly PJ and Key, who always looked out for one another.
The scanner decided to let itself be known. PJ perked up.
"Rescue Call," the scanner announced, breaking the evening calm. PJ's excitement was palpable. "That's Daddy!" She squealed, her voice filled with anticipation and a hint of worry, drawing everyone's attention to the unfolding drama.
"Shhh!" Chase said, finger to her lips.
The tones went off, and a voice came over the air once they died. "Rescue Call, intermodal port facility, Car 20, Truck 26, Recuse 27, time of the alarm 17:53 hours."
Chase sighed, "Be careful, Huck."