“Thank you for coming today. I know how difficult it can be with a new baby. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. It’s been an adjustment, but we’re getting used to having a little one in the family,” Derik said. “How’s D.C. doing in class so far? He was a top student last year. I’m sure he’ll do fine this year, too.”
Mrs. Ross sat back and laid her hands on her desk. “Mr. and Mrs. Stone, except for the new baby, have there been any other major changes in D.C.’s life?”
Derik and Kelly looked at each other then back at the teacher. “No, nothing I can think of. Of course there was our marriage last year, but D.C. was thrilled about that. He loves Kelly. Actually, he was the first one to bring up the idea of us getting married. Why?”
The teacher opened a folder and slid a piece of paper across the desk. It was a drawing, done in markers and crayons. A male figure stood in front of a house the same color as theirs. Flowers along the edge of the porch were bent as though they were dead or broken. Next to the man was a smiling boy with black hair. A woman stood to the far side, her face was without features.
“The children were asked to draw their family. This is what D.C. turned in.”
Derik and Kelly looked at the picture then back to the teacher. He placed the paper on the desk. “I’m not knowledgeable in child psychology or whatever it’s called. What should I be seeing here?”
“Obviously, Mr. Stone, you’re a central figure in D.C.’s life. You’re front and center, as well as the largest person in the drawing, and you’re smiling. But where’s Mrs. Stone in this picture?”
Derik did another look and noted the distance between the faceless woman and the rest of the family. He glanced at Kelly and saw by her expression that she noticed the same thing. They looked back at the teacher.
“You’ve recently had a baby. How did D.C. depict his new sister?”
Again they studied the drawing. Kelly gave an audible gasp when she saw the black, angry scribble that represented Sydney in her arms. She looked at Derik with sadness in her eyes.
“D.C. has a brother he talks about often. I believe his name is Win. What color is Win’s hair, Mr. Stone?”
“Black,” Derik said almost to himself as the teacher pointed to the smiling child with black hair standing beside him in the drawing.
“But the most important question when I look at this picture is where is D.C.? I see four people, but where is D.C. in this family?”
Kelly covered her mouth with her hand. Derik sat back and pushed his fingers through his hair and placed an ankle over his knee. “What exactly does this mean? Maybe there wasn’t time to finish the assignment and he didn’t get a chance to draw himself.”
“He had more than enough time, Mr. Stone. I’m afraid this is how D.C. sees his family. I’m not a counselor or child psychologist, but I know enough about child development to tell you that D.C. is expressing some anger, perhaps rejection, and possibly a feeling of abandonment in this drawing.” She removed another sheet of paper from the folder and presented it to Derik. “D.C.’s work has slipped. This is early in the year, but compared to last year, I don’t think he’s working at his full potential. This isn’t as bad as it may sound, but I believe it’s important enough to bring to your attention. D.C.’s trying to tell us something, and he’s doing it in a way that young children often find easiest and least threatening.”
On the way home, Kelly said, “All the books I’ve read said it’s normal for an older child to resent a new sibling. They explained the adjustment period of adding a baby to the family could be stressful and children often feel neglected, but this is something more. D.C. didn’t include himself in the family at all. We’ve got to talk to him.”
Chapter 32
Jack was on the porch when Kelly and Derik returned from the conference. He waved at the couple and headed to his pickup.
“Are you leaving so soon?” Derik said as he got out of the truck.
“I hate to run, but Mildred is cooking pork chops, and I swear I can smell them from here. We’re going to eat an early dinner then watch the football game on TV. The kids have already finished their homework, and I was just about to get them a snack.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Kelly took Sydney out of her seat and carried her into the house.
Jack waved and said, “Goodbye, boys,” then drove off.
Derik saw Win playing with his army men in the flowerbed. D.C. was nowhere in sight.
“Where’s your brother?” Derik said, squatting beside Win. The boy shrugged and continued to battle against an imaginary attack from alien worm monsters. Derik took one of the toys and joined in the fight. “Is something bothering him?” Win shrugged again and orchestrated a two-handed combat that included sound effects. Derik fought to control his irritation. “Well, do you know where he might be?”
“Maybe he’s in the treehouse. He goes up there a lot.” Win launched his men in a frontal assault.
“Okay, thanks. Watch your flank, you don’t want the worms to sneak up from behind.” Derik ruffled the child’s hair and looked toward the tree holding the fort. D.C.’s red shirt could be seen through the limbs.
He took a deep breath, walked across the yard, then climbed the steps nailed on the tree. His head popped up above the floor of the treehouse. “Permission to come aboard, sir.”
D.C. was sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees. Derik could see the sadness on his face. “Hi, Daddy. You can come in.” He pointed to the rail across from him. “There’s a spider over there Don’t sit on that side.”
“Thanks, I’ll just stay here beside you if that’s okay.” He sat on the floor next to the boy and assumed the same knee-hugging pose. “How are you doing?”
“Okay.”
Derik nudged the boy’s shoulder. “Anything you want to talk about?”
D.C. shook his head and placed his chin on his knees. He continued to stare at the spider building her web.
“Well, I have something I’d like to talk to you about. We just got back from your parent-teacher conference.”
D.C.’s head shot up. “Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?”
Derik slid his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “No, but Mrs. Ross is a little concerned that maybe you’re unhappy. She says your class work isn’t as good as she knows it can be.” He let out a sigh and sat for a moment, holding his son against his side. “Is there something on your mind? Is anything bothering you? I know there have been a lot of changes lately, with the wedding and Sydney. You can say or ask anything you want. I promise you won’t get in trouble.”
D.C. looked at his father and took a breath then placed his chin back on his knees. “No, nothing’s bothering me.”
A grunt brought their attention to the treehouse stairs. A picnic basket emerged through the opening and landed with a plop on the wooden floor. Kelly’s head was next, followed by her slim body, with Sydney strapped to her chest.
“There’s a spider over there,” the two males said at the same time, pointing to the far rail.
Kelly looked in that direction and scurried next to D.C. “In that case, we’ll just sit over here.” She pulled the basket in front of her, took a large towel, and spread it on the floor. Next, she took out a bowl of grapes, some cubed cheese, and a container of apple slices. “I was hungry for a snack. You guys help yourself.” She popped a grape in her mouth and offered the bowl to D.C.
He took two and handed the bowl to his dad. Derik looked over the child’s head and gave her a questioning look.
“Your teacher was very nice. I bet you’re having a lot of fun in her class.” She looked at D.C. and ate a bite of cheese.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Hey, what’s everyone doing up here?” Win said as he crawled into the treehouse.
“Ther
e’s a spider over there,” all three said with fingers pointed toward the opposite wall.
Win looked over his shoulder at the insect and scampered next to Derik. “Can I have some apples, too?” He sat down and stuffed a slice in his mouth.
Derik pulled a juice carton out of the basket and passed it to Win. “How was your day today?”
“The hamster got out of his cage again. Sabrina climbed on top of the teacher’s desk and screamed. She was so loud the principal came to see what was wrong,” Win said before tossing a grape in his mouth.
Kelly handed D.C. a juice box. “How about you, D.C.? How was your day?”
“It was okay. We have a goldfish. He never gets loose.”
Win grabbed another apple slice, two cheese cubes, and a fist full of grapes. “I’m going to go play.” When he reached the steps, he looked at his full, dirty hands and put the cheese and apples in his pocket and the grapes in his mouth. He turned to back down the ladder and smiled as his head disappeared, his cheeks bulging.
Sydney whimpered. Kelly patted her on the bottom and smoothed her short brown hair. She glanced at D.C. then back at the baby. “You don’t like Sydney very much, do you, D.C.?”
Chapter 33
D.C. sat hugging his knees and watched the spider without talking.
Kelly continued stroking the baby’s head. “That’s okay. You don’t have to. She is going to need a big brother to watch over her while she’s growing up, but Win can do that.”
He looked at his father then at Kelly. “But I’m the biggest brother.”
“Yes, you are, but Win can teach her how to hold a bat and catch a fish.”
“She’s a girl.”
“Is that why you don’t like her, because she’s a girl?” Kelly asked.
D.C.’s eyes burned with unshed tears. “You made a girl, so that means you like girls more. And if you like girls better than boys, then you don’t like me or Win.” He dropped his head on his knees and cried.
Kelly looked at Derik. She pulled the boy against her and said, “Oh sweetheart. I didn’t have a girl because I wanted a girl.”
Derik cleared his throat. “When a woman’s going to have a baby, she doesn’t know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl. She just has to wait and see what it is when it’s born. She can’t make it one or the other.”
“Who does?” asked D.C.
Not wanting to get into the discussion of how babies are made, Derik took the simple route. “God does. We can pray for a baby brother or sister, but the choice is up to God. He gives us what He wants us to have. Sydney being a girl was not Kelly’s choice, or her fault.”
The boy wiped his eyes. “Then Kelly wasn’t lying about loving me, or Win?”
Derik looked into the boy’s eyes. “Son, you listen to me very carefully. Kelly has never lied to you about her feelings. She loves you, and Win. And she loves me too. And Sydney.”
“My heart is so big that I have enough love for all of you. Don’t think that because I had a girl when you wanted a boy it has anything to do with how much I care about you. It doesn’t. And don’t think that now that I have Sydney I don’t love you just as much as I always have. I believe when a mother has a baby her heart just automatically gets bigger. My love for you never changed, D.C., and it never will.” She kissed the boy and hugged him against her.
D.C. sniffed and looked at Kelly. “Now that you have Sydney, are you still going to be our mom?”
“Of course I will. I’ll always be your mom.”
D.C.’s eyes filled. “But there’s nowhere for me at story time.” He wiped his face with his arm. “You’re always holding her, and I never get to sit in your lap anymore.”
Kelly lifted the small boy and placed him on her leg. “There’s always room for you, D.C., and if I’m holding Sydney, you can help me.” The baby grunted, and D.C. climbed out of her lap.
“Does that clear things up? Do you feel better?” Derik asked.
“I guess.” D.C. wiped his nose on his sleeve. “But I still don’t like her.” He nodded his head toward his sister.
“Why?”
“She cries a lot, and she’s really loud. I don’t like cry-babies.”
Derik laughed. “Yes, she can be loud. And you’re right, she does cry a lot. But you did, too, when you were that age. She’ll grow out of that. I think if you give her a chance you’ll find out having a little sister can be fun.” He hugged his son and said, “She’ll grow up before you know it.”
“Okay, but I still don’t like her when she’s crying.”
Chapter 34
Kelly had just put Sydney down for a late morning nap when she heard the banging. She ran down the stairs, trying to get to the door before whoever was there knocked again. A young deputy stood on the front porch.
“Are you Kelly Stone? Kelly Hastings Stone?”
“Yes”
“Sign here.” He handed her a clipboard and pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket.
Kelly jotted her signature on the form, and he handed her an envelope he had tucked under his arm.
She ripped open the package and pulled out a letter then sat at the table and scanned it. After she read it a second time, she wadded the envelope in her hand and threw it across the room.
She was sitting at the table, still staring at the sheet of paper, when her phone rang.
“Hi, Kelly. How ya doing?”
“Mikki? What’s wrong?” She looked at her watch. “Why aren’t you at work?” She could hear voices in the background on the other end of the phone.
“Sorry, that was the nurse. Time to check my vegetables.”
“What nurse? She’s checking your what? Mikki, are you drunk? It’s nine o’clock in the morning.”
Mikki started laughing and said, “She thinks I’ve been drinking.” There was more background conversation before she returned her attention to Kelly. “I did something really stupid this morning. I was walking to the car, and I got a text from this really cute guy I met last night at Diane’s party. It was a lot of fun. You should have been there. He is so fine, blond hair, blue eyes, I—”
“Mikki! Nurse. Vitals.”
“Oh sorry, I’m on some really good pain meds right now, so the brain is like cottage cheese. No, that’s the lumpy kind. I mean Swiss cheese, with the holes in it. Anyway, I was wearing those red heels, the ones that make my butt look so good. Did I tell you I found the perfect dress to go with them last week?”
“Mikki!”
“Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, I was texting him back and stepped off the curb and sprained my ankle. Right now it’s the size of a volleyball and just about the same color.” She giggled. “Wow, my toes are blue, look at that. Oh, you can’t. Hang on, I’ll send you a picture.”
Kelly sighed. “Let me talk to the nurse.”
There was a pause, then a woman said, “Hello?”
“Hi, I’m Mikki’s friend, Kelly Stone. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Ms. Gray has a grade III inversion sprain of the right ankle. The doctor is ordering a walking boot, and then she will be released. She will need to follow up with her primary care physician and stay off her foot for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. We suggest someone be with her for the next few days.”
Mikki took the phone. “I’m back. Did you hear that? I get to go home.”
Kelly rubbed the bridge of her nose, and her eyes landed on the letter in front of her. “How about I come up for a few days? Just until you’re able to take care of yourself. I could use a break, and it’s time you meet Sydney.”
“Thanks. I didn’t want to ask, but I need you.” Mikki broke into tears. “Oh crap, I’m crying. I never cry.”
“It’s the meds, Mikki. Why don’t you call Mrs. Harmon? She still lives next door does
n’t she? Ask her to take you home. Go to bed, and I’ll head that way.”
They hung up, and Kelly dialed Derik. He answered on the third ring. “Derik, Mikki fell and hurt her ankle. She’s going to be in a boot for a couple of weeks. I think I need to go and help her out. I’ll ask Jack if he can stay with the boys after school.”
“Okay, call me before you leave. Be careful, and tell Mikki I hope she feels better soon.”
Kelly called Jack then ran upstairs and tossed some clothes in a suitcase for her and Sydney. She took two boxes of diapers from the closet and carried everything to the car along with the portable crib. As she stepped back into the house, Sydney woke up. She was in a foul mood and screamed regardless of the efforts to quiet her. Kelly paced the floor, bouncing the crying baby on her shoulder. She tried to call Derik, and when he didn’t answer, she dialed the shop number.
“Derik’s Towing and Repair. Barry here.”
“May I speak with Derik, please?”
“Sorry, he’s not here. He just left to pick up some parts. Can I take a message?”
Sydney’s cries grew louder and more demanding. “Yes, this is his wife. Tell him I’m leaving.”
Barry Steadman stood behind the counter, staring at the phone in his hand.
Stewart looked up. “What’s wrong, kid? You’re white as a sheet. Bad news?”
The young man with the freckled nose and braces said, “Mrs. Stone just called. She told me to tell Derik that she’s leaving him.”
Chapter 35
Derik returned to the shop an hour later. The two men behind the counter grew quiet when he walked into the building. He carried the parts to the counter and went to his office. Stewart followed and closed the door behind them.
An Unexpected Rescue (Oak Springs Series Book 1) Page 17