Risen From the Ashes

III

Tonight we had a family dinner with everybody. All of our schedules had been busy and it made me happy that we could make time for each other as a family. Just like Father wanted so many years ago. 

Just like Issac wanted. 

I knocked on Molina and Jr's door, seeing if they were ready to join Ke'aysha and Jazmyne downstairs in the kitchen. I could hear Jr behind the door excited, "Mama! Mama! Door! Door!" I chuckled, knowing Jaz would do the same thing. I swear two-year-olds were like dogs sometimes. 

Molina came to the door, her face had no makeup on and her bags had gotten worse. I had a bad feeling about my little sister and how she was dealing with the whole parenting thing. I couldn't imagine having to raise Jazmyne on my own, knowing Ke'aysha would never come back.  My heart went out to her. I think the first years were the hardest for sure. Neither of us knew what we were doing, but we're definitely managing somehow. 

"Dinnertime! Dinnertime!" Jr sang offkey a song from one of the shows he always watched. He tried to run past me and to the stairs to the kitchen. 

I crouched to Jr's level and smiled at him, "Hey, buddy. You don't have your bowtie on." For some reason, he loved that bowtie and always insisted on wearing it wherever he went whether it matched his outfit or not. 

"I have it," Molina announced. Everything about her seemed tired and exhausted. I couldn't stand seeing her like this any longer.

I took the bowtie away from her and started to clip it on Jr's collar for him. He still had a few fingers in his mouth as I performed the task. "Mo, I think you should try to get some rest tonight." 

She shook her head, "No, it's family dinner and he's been excited about it all day seeing everybody. Plus Jr has to eat and drink some water and you know he gets really fussy if he doesn't eat at the right time and- " 

"Mo." I stopped her, "I can take care of Jr tonight. You don't have to be superwoman tonight. Just be human, you need a rest." 

She hesitated, trying to think of more excuses for me. I could see right through her, but still, she persisted, "Jr has to be put to bed after dinner. He likes to have a noise machine on and his stomach rubbed if he's going to sleep at night. Make sure he's on his back, he likes it better that way and I don't want him to not be able to breathe-"

"Molina, relax." I understood her worry, but I needed her to relax. She was always worrying about something and this is why she was so high strung. "I have a two-year-old. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but Jr seems to like me enough. I think I can manage." 

Molina kept biting her bottom lip, fidgeting with her fingers as she looked down at her little boy. He seemed oblivious to the fact of his mother's stress, but what child is?

She sighed and finally gave in, "Fine. You'll just be downstairs, I suppose." 

I nodded and picked up Jr and placed him on my hip to be carried to the kitchen. "Get some rest, Mo. You deserve it." I turned on my heel to feed the little baby and myself. I heard the door clicked closed behind me as we clicked our way down the stairs. Jr was a little heavier than Jazmyne, but it wasn't something I couldn't handle being the tough Alpha and all. 

Once we entered the dining hall, Jaz's eyes fell right to Jr's and they lit up in an instant. They had always had the same reaction from seeing each other, she chirped up, "Jay Jay!"

"Ja'myne!" He greeted back. 

They both had trouble with each other's name, especially Jr and z's, but they always tried. I put Jr next to Jaz and they started playing with their food and each other as friends. They were always so cute. 

I turned to the rest of the table who was sitting and ready. Ke'aysha, Jazmyne, Jr, Caroline, David, and Callie, looking healthy and nourished after years of neglect from her previous family. This was my family and I will protect them with my dying breath. 

Dinner had passed by rather quickly, there had been numerous smiles and jokes and laughter. Ke'aysha was putting both children to sleep as I was getting ready for bed in our room, a slack white t-shirt and old running shorts on. I was cleaning up around the room to get ready for sleep and I came across a manila folder I didn't recognize on the desk. 

I remembered this was the folder Key was talking about earlier today. I guess I should read it so I can throw it away. I opened the folder and it held five or six papers, about half of them were handwritten and from different people. I scanned the papers, gaining bits and pieces of information that was pertaining to me. 

I took in every piece of information I could before I put the folder down. This was bad. This was really bad. But it's only bad if it's true. It's only a rumor. Nothing true yet. 

I picked up the folder and the papers and ripped them in half, then in half again. And then down the middle one more time, just to make them illegible. I pushed my way to the window and raised it open, the cold air sucking out the heat out of the house without a second thought. I let the wind carry the ripped pieces of paper. As far away as possible. Nothing's going to threaten my family. Threaten what I have. I won't let them. 

I watched the pieces of paper fly away into the woods. Gone forever. 

"Why's it so cold in here?" Ke'aysha closed the door behind her as she entered the room, her own pajamas unable to cover the draft I had created. "Why do you have the window open?" 

I quickly closed the window for her, turning and seeing her look at me crazy, trying to keep warm. "Sorry, sweetheart..thought I saw a bat outside. Wanted to have a look at it." 

She shook her head at me and started to climb into bed once more, "Why would bats come all the way out here? Don't they stay in caves mostly?" She asked me. 

Her brown ocean eyes were transfixing me back to a calm state before I had read the folder contents. No matter how tired of me they seemed, I knew I would always come back to her no matter what. I shrugged to answer her question, "I don't know. Silly me," I followed suit to with her into bed, feeling much warmer than the outside world. The thick duvet covers hugged my legs and abdomen and shimmied my way to hold my princess in my arm. 

Ke'aysha regarded me for another moment or two, seeing through my diversion from the window, but she must have disregarded it because it didn't seem too important to make a big deal about it. 

She yawned and found her favorite spot in the bed with her face in my chest as I held her. I found myself being unable to sleep without her on my chest anymore. It didn't take her long to start snoozing on me, she must have been pooped from the long day she's had. 

I'm not going to lose what I've waited so long to gain. Not over my dead body.