“That she had an ailing heart, and it wouldn’t be able to keep her alive much longer. Your poor mom fought for as long as she could, Charlie. You and Maisie mattered to her more than anything.”
In a tone not often used by a child, he stated with a harshness that made her sad, “Yet she left us alone. I thought mom’s weren’t supposed to do that.” Those words brought a gush of tears, ones he couldn’t hold back.
Before Jaqueline could answered, Colin arrived. Realizing the kids needed to be held, she opted to move to the back seat. In her heart, she figured Gisele had done her best, but Charlie had been right too. His Maman had left them all alone with no one to step in and take her place. Not caring if her judgment might be harsh, she had to agree with the boy. Mom’s should do better… even sick ones.
Chapter Seven
The drive from the hospital to the restaurant was one of the saddest times Colin could remember having to deal with. Upon his return, he could see the children were having a meltdown. Thankfully, Jaqueline decided to move to the middle of the back seat with the two kids who were both crying their little hearts out. She held one in each arm, gathering them both close to try and soothe them as best she could.
Colin sensed the fear that Charlie tried manfully to hide but hadn’t the skills to do so. And he knew that Maisie picked up on her brother’s distress and reacted accordingly for a small child. None of them had any idea what would be happening to them, especially Colin after hearing what the doctor had told him about Child Services.
Whether they knew what that entailed, he wasn’t sure, but he did believe that Charlie understood it meant they might be taken away and separated, which would be his ultimate nightmare. Therefore, when they stopped in the parking lot of the caféJaqueline had requested they go to, Colin turned to look at the three sad individuals.
“Listen, kids. I want to tell you something, and I need you both to understand as best you can. If you have any questions, we’ll deal with them later but for now you must know that both Jaqueline and I will do whatever we can to keep you together and with us. We’re going to talk to a lawyer after we eat and see if we can get started on my being able to foster you two. But for now, let’s just enjoy our lunch, okay? Gisele would want you to eat your favorite food, right? And she’d want you to have faith that it will all turn out just fine. Agreed?”
Two small, weepy voices echoed along with Jaqueline’s. “Okay.”
While the kids were getting out of the car, Jaqueline caught his eye, hers questioning. All he could do was shrug and nod, hoping to give her some sense of calm assurance. In his heart, he just wished he felt as certain as he pretended.
***
A short time later, sitting across from Jaqueline and Charlie in the restaurant, Colin helped Maisie off with her coat and hat, then smoothed her long, messy blonde curls from her face. When the little girl beamed up at him shyly, her damp blue eyes sparkling with happiness at the idea of getting her favorite food soon, he caught his breath. His heart twisted with the flood of fondness that he couldn’t stop in the same way he couldn’t stop breathing.
Actually, he’d known his feelings had begun from the minute he saw Maisie fighting so hard to obey her brother’s call and come back to life. Her tiny limp body had all but made him cry in horror at the thought of losing such a precious child. WatchingJaqueline work so hard to make magic, he’d found himself praying, caring more than he’d ever thought possible.
When the paramedics arrived to take over, he’d known that without Jaqueline’s intervention at the beginning, the outcome would have been completely different. Just thinking about that made his feelings for the young woman blossom too. With her being so kind to the children, he saw a light in her that only a kind-hearted soul might have.
Shaking off the introspection, he zeroed in on the conversation between her and Charlie and sat mesmerized. “How old are you, Charlie?”
“I have six years and six months. And Maisie has four years and six months. That’s what Maman told me a few days ago.”
Jaqueline smiled at the quaint way he answered her question. “Do you remember your birthday?”
“Yes. It’s June sixteenth. And I know Maisie was born two years later on June seventeenth. Maman said if she would have arrived only three hours earlier, we’d have the same birthdays.”
Both Jaqueline and Colin chuckled at the image the boy’s words produced. “Did your mother celebrate your birthdays together?”
“Nope. We got a cake each. That was the deal. But I think she just cut one cake in half and pretended they were a different cake. For me she made chocolate icing and Maisie’s was always pink.”
“Aha! Smart woman, your mother.”
“I guess.” The boy’s face fell, and Colin thanked his lucky stars that the food arrived just then. Before anyone knew what would happen, Charlie slid Maisie’s plate toward himself and began to cut her pancake up in small bites. “I’ll fix it for you, Mais. I can do it just like Maman.” Seeing his chubby hands trying so desperately to hold the fork while he maneuvered the knifemade Colin blink hard. Just this one demonstration of brotherly affection destroyed his composure.
Without thinking, he caught Jaqueline’s glance, and the silent message passed between them. What a sweetheart! Once he finished massacring the pancake and gathering all the chunks that had fallen to the table back on her plate, he passed it to his patiently waiting sister and grinned when she beamed her approval. “Thank you, Charwie.”
“No problem.” His husky reply made Colin add his thanks too. “That was very kind of you, Charlie. Thanks.”
Ducking his head, Charlie pushed his longish hair behind his ears while his dedicated stare at his own plate revealed the little boy’s shyness like nothing else.
Once they’d all finished their food, Colin kept his promise and gently asked the kids if they had any questions.
Charlie nodded, keeping his face down. “Maman is dead, right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Is she with God?”
“For sure. And with everyone else in her life who passed before her.”
