Little Mercury

Grandparents

Freddie walks up the front path to his parent's house Amelia holding his hand tightly, he stops kneeling in front of her readjusting the bow in her hair "You ready, sweetheart?" She nods.

He was nervous for them to meet her, not for his mother or Kash reaction but he was worried about his fathers. Standing he takes her hand and a deep breath before reaching for the front door handle.

"Mum? Papa? Are you home?" Freddie calls entering into the living room. He sees his sister sat on the sofa.

Kash glances at him briefly "Mum's upstairs making the bed and Papa's in his study" then looks back down at the book she's reading. Her brain takes second to registers before she does a double-take, mouth a gasp, there's a child with him.

He gives her an anxious smile, "could you go and get them, please? There's someone I'd like you all to meet." As asked Kash ran off to get them.

Minutes later Kash comes back, their parents behind her. "I'm sorry we didn't hear you come in, Forrokh. Who's this?" Jer gesturing to Amelia, smiling kindly.

"That's alright mama, um..." Freddie looks down to his daughter who is now hiding behind his leg, stroking a hand over her hair, "this is Amelia. My-my daughter and... your granddaughter."

"Your daughter?" Bomi repeats observing the little girl.

"Yes, Papa." Freddie couldn't look them in the eye, he wasn't embarrassed by Amelia, quite the opposite he loves her to bits but he knew his father wouldn't approve of a child out of wedlock.

He knew he had some explaining to do, "Milly, sweetheart, could you go and play in the back garden for a bit please, I need to talk to your grandparents." There's a swing outside from when Kash was younger so Amelia did what her father asks and goes to play.

"That little girl looks near two years old and only now are we finding out about her? There better be a good explanation for this!" Bomi yells giving his son a stern look.

"Do you really think I'd kept her from you if I'd known about all these years, Papa?" Freddie had expected this reaction but it still hurt.

Jer interjects "Forrokh, please just tells us what's going on? Why didn't we know about her before? What about the girl's mother where is she in all this?"

Freddie grabs a seat next to his sister and starts to explain, "I didn't know about her until social services turned up on my doorstep five days ago asking me to take her in. Her mother was arrested."

"Arrested? Why?" His father inquiries.

"Her mother is a woman called Ellie James I meet her once a couple of years ago. Amelia was the result of a drunken night but I never knew, she didn't tell me she was pregnant. Ellie and her boyfriend were arrested for drug possession, child neglect and child abuse."

"Please don't tell me the child abuse was to Amelia?" Jer asks hand on her heart.

Freddie nods tearfully, "unfortunately, it was to Milly. They found her locked in a dark, dirty bedroom with no toys, sunlight or a bed, she was malnourished, covered in dirty, bruises and cigarette burns and worst of all, the boyfriend pushed sewing needles into her body."

Jer comes over to comfort her son, "well she's safe now with you and getting better. You did a good thing taking her in."

"How old is she?" Kash asks.

He smiles at his sister for the change in subject, "she'll be three on the 3rd of September. Two days before my birthday."

"We'll have to make your birthday meal a double celebration. Won't we Forrokh?" Freddie's smile turns into a grin, agreeing with his mother's suggestion.

After a moment of silence Bomi gives in, "I think it's time we meet her properly, I may not be happy about you getting a girl pregnant Forrokh, but she's here now and as your mother said, you did a good deed taking her in. I assume the mother has no more access to Amelia?"

"No she has no access, I have full custody of Milly. The mother and the boyfriend were found guilty and sentenced to 10-15 years in prison." Freddie went to retrieve his daughter from the garden.

When the father-daughter duo came back in, Freddie did a reintroduction, "Mum, Papa, Kash this is Amelia. Milly these are your grandparents and auntie Kash." He gives Amelia a little push forward.

Smiling Jer kneeling to her level, pushing some hair back from her eyes, examining her from head to toe. "My first grandchild. Oh, she looks just like you Forrokh, her hair and eyes, such a beautiful little girl." Jer found herself emotional, she hadn't expected to be a grandma anytime soon.

She notices the healing scars and fading bruises but doesn't comment on them, she couldn't believe a mother would do such a thing. She pulled Freddie into a hug kissing his cheek, thanking him for making her a grandma.

Amelia hesitantly turns to her grandpa, Bomi lefts her onto his lap, starts talking and asking her questions. She relaxes against him as they continue their private conversation.

Freddie couldn't believe his eyes, his father is usually a stern man but he's completely different with her, smiling and chuckling at some of her answers. It makes him happy to know his parents accept her.

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"Do you have enough clothes and toys for her?" Jer asks as they're getting ready to leave.

"We have the essential clothes and plenty of books but I wouldn't say no to a few extras she goes through so much washing," Freddie replies putting Amelia shoes on. He didn't like asking his parents for help but he'd only brought the basic clothes she needed.

"Children always do, you and your sister did. We still have some old clothes and toys that belonged it you and your sister when you were children, they may be of use." Jer sent Kash up to get them.

She came back down with two bags of clothes and a box of toys. "Thank you, mum, I'll have to pick the rest up another day though we're walking back." He takes one of the bags.

"Of course. Now give your mother a kiss before you go." Freddie kisses her cheek then picks Amelia up so she can do the same.

As they walk away hand in hand, Amelia turns back to give them a little wave.

Slightly smaller one sorry, guys. The next chapter is a long one though. I was going to wait till tomorrow to post this but my shifts weren't as tiring as I thought I'd be.

Thanks for reading xx