When Kat Came Back

Chapter 36

"I thought you might be tired of turkey," Melinda said as the three of them sat down to dinner.  "And chicken is too close. So I thought I'd make salmon. Then I realized. I don't know if you even eat fish."

Ashlynn looked around the table at all the food Melinda and her dad had made. She smiled at Melinda.

"I'll be honest. I've never tried salmon, I don't think. So I don't actually know if I like it or not. But I'll try it."

"How have you never tried salmon?" David asked her. Ashlynn looked at her hands in her lap.

"Um, I, we, they. I didn't really get to try much with them," Ashlynn said quietly. "I usually only had maybe a sandwich of some sort. Usually cheese. And maybe soup or a salad sometimes. I didn't eat a lot."

David looked angry. He shook his head. Melinda looked between the two of them, unsure how to proceed.

"I made you mad," Ashlynn said, her voice shaking. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad at you, Ash," David said. "I'm mad at them."

Ashlynn kept her eyes in her lap, afraid to see anger in David's eyes.

"Ash?" He said. Ashlynn looked up at him tentatively.

"I'm sorry you went through all that. I'm sorry it took us so long to find you and bring you home."

"It's okay. It's not your fault," Ashlynn said, tired of making everyone feel better about her kidnapping.

"How much salmon do you want?" Melinda asked, hoping to break some of the tension.

"I guess, just a little bit for now?" Ashlynn said. "So I can try it."

Melinda smiled, cut a small salmon piece, and put it on Ashlynn's plate. Ashlynn took some vegetables and waited for her dad and Melinda to fill their plates before she took a bite of her food. 

A little tentatively, Ashlynn took a bite of the fish. She didn't notice Melinda holding her breath, hoping Ashlynn liked the fish.

"This is really good!" Ashlynn smiled. "Can I have a bigger piece?"

Melinda's smile grew, and she nodded.

"Of course!' she said, picking up the serving piece and cutting a serving of salmon for Ashlynn.

The three of them ate dinner and talked. Really talked.  Melinda got to ask Ashlynn more about herself, and David even asked a little bit about Ashlynn's early life. Staying away from how her kidnappers had treated her, David asked about school, the cities she lived in, and the friends she made growing up.

After dinner, Ashlynn helped clean up, sat in the living room with Melinda and David, and watched TV. But it wasn't awkward like it had been previously.  Ashlynn sat on the sofa beside David, and as the evening wore on, she fell asleep on her dad, who carried her up to bed, tears in his eyes. Melinda smiled at him as they tucked Ashlynn into bed for the night. Tobey jumped up onto Ashlynn's bed and curled up at her feet.

"She is really sweet, David," Melinda said as they entered their room.

David nodded. He didn't trust his voice just yet.

At the end of the weekend, David drove Ashlynn back to Patricia's on Sunday night. The two talked about what to do on Ashlynn's next scheduled weekend. It was their first conversation that took the entire drive from David to Patricia's.

"Bye, Dad!" Ashlynn called from the door. "Love ya!"

"Have a good week, kiddo!" he said. "I'll give you a call this week and see how things are going, okay?"

"Okay!" Ashlynn said, and she actually meant it.

Opening the door, Ashlynn saw Patricia standing in the entryway, a smile on her face.

"Sounds like you had a good weekend," Patricia said, smiling.

"I actually did," Ashlynn smiled. "Dad and Melinda made salmon for dinner on Friday and it was sooo good!"

"Dad, huh?" Patricia said, smiling. Ashlynn blushed.

Patricia hugged Ashlynn, which she returned more easily than when she'd first come home. Patricia felt that Ashlynn didn't stiffen in her arms this time. She knew better than to comment on it but filed it away in her mind as a milestone. She'd journal about it later. She was happy to have her daughter home and felt that Ashlynn might finally feel like she was home.

"So," Patricia said, letting Ashlynn out of the entryway. "You got your homework done, and it's still early. What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to bring my stuff upstairs, get my laundry organized, and toss it in the machine. Then... I don't know.  Want to watch a movie?"

Patricia could have cried. Ashlynn had never, up to that point, suggested spending time together. Patricia had always felt that she was forcing Ashlynn to sit with her. But now, here she was, suggesting it.

"Should I make popcorn?" Patricia asked, her voice cracking just a bit.

"With melted butter?" Ashlynn asked.

"Sure," Patricia smiled. "I'll go get that started while you get your laundry on."

Ashlynn nodded and bounded up the stairs and into her room. Patricia let a tear fall and stifled a sob. Her daughter was home. Finally home.

Patricia texted Patrick about Ashlynn, suggesting they watch a movie together. She made the popcorn and pulled two cans of soda out of the fridge. Patrick responded with a smiley emoji.

"I told you, she just needed some time," he texted. "Now go enjoy hanging out with my baby sister and tell her I said hi."

Patricia smiled as Ashlynn came downstairs with her laundry.

"Popcorn always smells so good when it's freshly popped," Ashlynn smiled. Patricia agreed.

"I'll just go throw this in the machine, okay?" Ashylnn asked. 

"Of course. I'll pull up Netflix and we can figure out what to watch when you're done with that."

Ashlynn smiled at Patricia and went into the laundry room.

She was back out a few minutes later and sat down beside Patricia on the couch. Patricia wrapped the two of them in the large blanket she'd pulled out of the bin of blankets, and Ashlynn snuggled into Patricia, who smiled and wiped away a tear that had formed.

They agreed on a movie and laughed with each other at the movie. Patricia watched her daughter as she laughed at the characters on the screen and munched on popcorn.

Ashlynn noticed Patricia watching her out of the corner of her eye. But she didn't care.  It wasn't creepy. It was nice. Ashlynn felt like maybe Patricia liked having her around.

At the end of the movie, Ashlynn took the empty popcorn bowl and their empty soda cans into the kitchen. She washed the bowl and put it away and tossed the cans into the recycling bin.

Patricia was folding up the blanket when Ash came back into the living room. Patricia smiled at her.

"Off to bed with you.  School in the morning," Patricia said.

Ashlynn frowned and nodded.

"Blah. School," she groaned, but headed up the stairs to get into bed.

Patricia smiled.

Her daughter was finally home.