Ribbon of hopes and fears

Chapter 5: shopping

The next morning Rachel woke up well-rested. She sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room. It took her a minute to remember she was no longer at the group home, but instead at the Hendrix household. She looked to her left to see Kitty-Can-Do lying next to her pillow. She hopped off the bed and went to her closet to grab an outfit. It felt strange to be able to put her belongings somewhere. In the group home, she was given a small chest at the end of a coat to put her things in.

But here she had a somewhat "permanent" place to put things. At least, until she leaves for another family. She was used to it, but with one family then got moved to another, and then went back to the group home before being moved again. She didn't know why it was like this, but her social worker said her forever home would come in time.

She brushed the thought aside as she slid open the closet door to find her stuff just out of reach. She jumped, trying to grab an outfit, only to feel her port smack against her skin. She frowned, how she hated it. She tried to stand on her toes, but even that didn't work. She let out a frustrated sigh, maybe the chest was better.

Just then a knock at her door startled her. She jumped as a sound came from the other end. "Rachel, you up."

It took a moment for the words to register in her brain. She looked at the door and shouted "Ya." Her door then opened and Julian entered with a smile. "Morning Rachel, sleep well?"

Rachel nodded as she looked back up at the hangers. Again she stood on her toes, trying to reach an outfit. Julian raised a brow before realizing what she was doing. He walked over to the closet and grabbed an outfit for her. It was a plain purple shirt and blue shorts.

He handed it to her to which she replied thanks and quickly changed. When she was finished, Julian picked her up and brought her downstairs. When they reached the dining room, Rachel could smell all the breakfast foods, though she couldn't identify them.

Julian sat Rachel in the same chair as yesterday. She observed the kitchen as Steven and Mark were cooking, while David and Brian were gathering silverware, cups, and plates to set the table. Phil was busy grabbing the beverages from the fridge. Julian sat down next to her as David and Brian came over, setting the table with plates, cups, and silverware. The brothers got glasses, ceramic plates, and metal silverware. Rachel got a paper plate, a plastic cup, and a metal fork. Phil also got out several different juices and sat them in the middle of the table. There was Orange, apple, and grape juice.

Soon the food was done as Steven and Mark entered with plates full of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Everyone then took their seats and began passing the plates around the table. When the plate got to her, Julian helped her by placing a little bit of everything onto her plate. Unlike last night, she felt hungry enough to eat her whole plate. Though there wasn't much on it, the brothers were happy that she at least ate something. To help it all down, she chooses a nice cold cup of grape juice.

"So Rachel, how do you feel about going to the mall today?" Brian questioned as they were around halfway through their meal.

"Mall?" Rachel asked. She knew what one was, but had never been offered to go.

"You could use some new clothes and toys. Pulse, it would be nice to get out of the house." David added.

Rachel pondered on the option for a moment. She did want to get out of the house. Pulse, no one had ever offered to get her anything. Whenever she was given something, she would either need to share it or give it back to the family when she was done staying with them. Whatever she got, she would cherish with whatever little time she spent with the brothers.

"Ok," she said shyly as she put her last spoonful of eggs into her mouth. When everyone was done, Phil took her upstairs, making sure she brushed her teeth and hair. He was a bit surprised that she still had most of it, but there were some noticeable spots where her hair didn't grow. Though it had only been 3 weeks since she started her treatment, there was still some time for it to fall out.