Childhood Fantasies

Part 2

 

Jarod turned on the kettle and then glanced at the woman who was sitting on a high stool, her arms resting on the bench. "Any more used to the idea yet?"

 

She nodded slowly. "When I looked in through the window and saw the three of you, suddenly it all seemed to click."

 

He glanced up at her. "I know what you mean. The moment we pulled into the driveway, it suddenly seemed completely natural." He glanced over at where the little girl was watching a video in rapt contemplation. "Whether it will still seem like it as time goes on is another matter."

 

"Do you realize how weird this all is?"

 

"Hey, I was the one who first mentioned that fact, if you'll recall." He grinned for a moment. "But what particular part of this are you referring to?"

 

"All of this." She waved her arms around the room and then met his eye. "Us."

 

He nodded. "I almost feel like a pawn in some giant game. Everything just seems really too neat. I mean, who were the two doctors in charge of the kids and their parents? Us. Who were the only people in the office when those packages were delivered? Us. Who...?"

 

"Okay, stop."

 

"Still a skeptic?"

 

"Trying desperately hard to be." She shrugged. "But I don't know if I can, now."

 

* * * *

 

"Jarod, are you going to make dinner?"

 

"Sure you don't want to?"

 

"No." Sam looked down at the book she was reading to the little girl. "You go ahead. I'll do it tomorrow."

 

He raised an eyebrow as he got up. "So you'll be here then? That's a relief."

 

She blushed slightly. "Well, we'll see."

 

Going into the kitchen, he took the meat out of the fridge and put a pan on the stovetop, reaching into the fridge again to extract some vegetables as the pan began to heat.

 

"Jarod?"

 

He looked over. "Yes, Bronwyn?"

 

"Did you buy ice cream, too?"

 

He opened the freezer and looked inside at the containers, glancing back at her with a smile. "How could I not? It's our favorite food, isn't it?"

 

"Goody." She looked back up at the woman who was reading the book and Jarod turned back to the stove.

 

* * * *

 

"Why on earth did you study medicine? You should have done a culinary course and made a fortune as a chef."

 

Jarod looked up with a grin. "Hey, I thought about it." He picked up the spoon and put a little of the baby food into the boy's waiting mouth. "But I decided medicine gave me more scope." Glancing down at the children, he looked back at her. "I think I was right."

 

Sam laughed and then looked down at the little girl who was sitting next to her and quietly cleaning her plate. "Nice, Bronwyn?"

 

"Mmm hmm." She ate the last piece of potato and then looked up at Jarod. "How did you know?"

 

He smiled. "Know what, sweetie?"

 

"Know that that was same as the last meal that Mommy and Daddy made?"

 

Jarod's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't, Bronwyn."

 

"Well, it was."

 

He looked at her, waiting for some sign of emotion, but none came and he looked up at Sam, eyebrows raised. She shrugged.

 

"How about we go upstairs and you have a bath while Jarod cleans up?"

 

"Hey, how did I get landed with the washing up?"

 

Sam eyed the dishwasher and grinned. "Who says you did?"

 

"Okay, okay." He looked down at the little girl. "And, after that, I might have something ready for you."

 

"Ice cream?"

 

"Hmm, maybe..."

 

He cleaned out the last of the jar and put the food into the boy's mouth, wiping his face with the bib and watching silently as Sam and Bronwyn went up the stairs together.

 

* * * *

 

"What are you going to do tomorrow?"

 

"No idea." Jarod glanced out of the window, the baby curled up in his arms. "I haven't started thinking that far ahead yet."

 

"Can you manage?"

 

He grinned at her. "You sound like a concerned mother."

 

She ran a hand through her damp hair and smiled. "I feel like one."

 

"Did you just wash her or did you wash you as well?"

 

Sam laughed. "As a special treat, I let her pour water over me." She grinned at him. "She said she'd do it to you tomorrow."

 

"Great, thanks for the warning." He smiled briefly for a moment before resuming his examination of the darkness outside.

 

"Jarod, what are you worried about?"

 

"All this." He looked up at her. "Let's just say that I never imagined myself in this position."

 

"And you think I did?"

 

"No, I'd say you probably didn't either but that doesn't make it a whole lot easier for me."

 

"Jarod, they trusted us. You."

 

"We don't even know who they were." He sat upright. "That reminds me. I asked somebody to see what he could find out for me." Jarod got up. "I'll put Jamie to bed and then call him."

 

* * * *

 

Jarod slowly walked up the stairs with the little boy curled up in his arms, and put him down on the changing table. For a moment he stood, looking at the small face and the long eyelashes that lay on the pink cheeks. Jarod stretched out a gentle finger and touched the smooth skin before picking up the baby again. He put Jamie down on his side in the bed, covering him gently, and then softly left the room. Passing the half-open door, he peeped inside to see the girl lying where he had put her earlier, clutching her teddy in her arms. Going over to the bed, Jarod bent down and softly kissed the round cheek, feeling an instinct of protectiveness that he only ever felt around children, like Michael. A memory of that time suddenly came into his mind and he smiled as he left the room again. It had been good training...

 

In his room, he picked up the cell phone and brought up the pre-programmed number. It was quickly answered.

 

"This is Sydney."

 

"What did you find?"

 

"Jarod, I wasn't expecting you to call."

 

"Why not, Sydney? I asked you to do me a favour and I figured, with somebody of Broots' ability, that it wouldn't take you long to find anything that might be useful for me." He heard the gasp in the background and chuckled. "Sorry if I gave you a shock there, Mr. Broots."

 

"Okay, what's going on, Jarod?"

 

"Now why do you think anything's going on, Miss Parker?" Jarod made his voice as innocent as possible. "I'm just slightly curious."

 

That has got to be the understatement of the year, he thought to himself as he opened the computer on the table in his bedroom.

 

"We sent you the little that we could find about anyone named Taylor." Sydney paused for a moment. "Couldn't you be more specific?"

 

"Not without giving away too much, no, Sydney." Jarod typed in the password and clicked on the email.

 

"And you'd never want to do that!" He could hear the sarcasm in Miss Parker's tones and grinned. "Otherwise we might actually find you!"

 

"I'm becoming increasingly confident that you won't." Jarod laughed as he heard a sound like a snort from the other end of the phone. "But I guess looking for me will at least give you something to pass the time."

 

* * * *

 

Jarod looked down at the pages of information in front of him, glancing up to see Sam standing in the doorway. "Anything?"

 

"Not yet, but I've only just started to look." He ran an eye over the first of the files that had been attached to the email and shook his head, opening the second. As he read the first few lines, his eyes lit up. "I think I might have just struck gold."

 

"Well?"

 

He looked up and realization struck. "Ever heard of a place called NuGenesis?"

 

"Should I have?"

 

"I'd be a lot happier if you hadn't." He looked down. "It's a fertility clinic and this tells me that the Taylors were patients there for a while."

 

"How long?"

 

"Once in 1996 for three months and once almost two years ago for the same length of time." He looked up at her. "Which would make it perfect timing for..."

 

"Getting pregnant with the kids." She sat on his bed. "What else?"

 

He looked up, brow furrowed. "According to this, the Taylors died just after Jamie was born, and I mean the whole family. All four of them."

 

"What?!"

 

"I'm serious." He paused, rereading the paragraph. "This says that the whole family was killed - in a car accident - when Jamie was only two months old."

 

"They obviously weren't."

 

"Unless this whole thing is a figment of our imagination." Jarod pinched himself hard. "Ow. No, it's not."

 

She smiled. "That was probably unnecessary."

 

"Hey, if I'm dreaming then I want to know about it." He grinned and then turned back to the computer, running his eyes over the remainder of the information. "It doesn't mention anything in here about any special abilities."

 

"Well, they’d hardly tell anyone, would they? It would be enough to get them put into some kind of freak show."

 

He nodded silently, reading through the last few facts that Sydney had sent.

 

"So what else is there?"

 

"Medical details - blood types, history, that sort of thing." He sat back in his seat and glanced over at her. "Frankly, I was hoping for more."

 

"Like what? An email from the psychic mother, telling you every step of the next thirty years?"

 

Jarod grinned. "It would’ve been nice."

 

"I think that's hoping for a bit too much." She leaned back, wrapping her arms around her legs. "You've got a little girl who can tell you just about everything anyway, so why do you need that?"

 

"For the occasions when she's wrong." He stood and walked over to the window, looking out. "She admitted today that her imagination could sometimes get in the way of her 'picture room'." He sighed. "So we now have to train a psychic child to use her abilities too."

 

* * * *

 

"I'm going to bed, Jarod," Sam announced.

 

"Okay, no problem." He glanced up from the computer. "Good night."

 

She smiled and walked down the hallway, going into the room and shutting the door behind her. He stared blindly after her for several moments before the mechanical voice of his computer informed him that he had mail. Turning, he entered the password and then stared at the sender.

 

"Maria Taylor?"

 

He looked around the room sharply as though expecting to see the woman come out of the shadows. "Okay, what gives?"

 

Getting up, he firmly closed the door and then sat down again, activating the video attachment. Eyes wide, he stared down at the woman’s image.

 

"Hello, Jarod. As I said in my letter today, you don't know me but I found out a few things about you when I went to NuGenesis to have my children and it's made me certain that you will do your best to take care of Jamie and Bronwyn."

 

He watched as she blinked the tears out of her eyes, glancing down for a moment before looking back up at the camera.

 

"I was at NuGenesis just after your escape from the Centre in 1996 and I'm sure that you're aware of how I knew about it. For safety's sake, however, I never mentioned my 'ability' to anybody at that place, a fact of which I know you were surprised to learn when you read through the information that you received from Sydney. But, with what I understood of that place and its connections, keeping it quiet seemed safer."

 

Jarod opened and closed his mouth several times without making a sound.

 

"As a reward for undertaking the care of my children, I'm able to assure you that you will never be found by the Centre in order to be taken back there. It doesn't mean that you have to break off communication with the people you still contact there, only that those who intend to harm you will never have an idea of your location. You can settle down and take care of my children for as long as they need you."

 

"And how long will that be?"

 

Jarod spoke without realizing but, as he heard his own voice, he watched as the woman paused and he stared, open mouthed, as she seemed to listen to his question and consider a response.

 

"I'd like to be definite about the length of time, but unfortunately I can't."

 

"Are you dead or not?"

 

"Yes, Jarod, I did die in that accident." She glanced around. "Although it seems a little strange to say that now, before I die." The woman shuddered slightly and he could see the tears that came into her eyes.

 

"And...Sam?"

 

"Samantha Childs will be an important part of the children's lives for a long time, but it's you on whom they will focus. Jarod, I know that you can manage to bring them up well. If I wasn't certain of that fact, I would never have left them to you."

 

He leaned forward, feeling uncomfortable about what he was going to do but doing it anyway. "Maria, can you tell me why your daughter is so free from emotion about either you?"

 

The woman nodded. "Bronwyn has been brought up to think of you, and to a lesser extent Samantha, as her 'parents'. Her father and I are more like distant relatives than mother and father, although that's what she calls us, for the moment." Maria Taylor paused. "When she asks if she can call you 'Daddy' instead of Jarod, know that we will be happy for her to do so. It'll mean that she's managed to break last the emotional connections that she still has with us." She smiled faintly. "Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

 

"Is it true that only Bronwyn has this 'picture room', as she calls it?"

 

"Yes." The woman nodded. "That is true. Jamie doesn't have the psychic abilities that Bronwyn has. None of the males in our family ever do. But he has a greatly heightened sense of awareness, which was how he knew you when you first saw him in the emergency room."

 

"And...are you...sure?" Jarod leaned forward, his eyes fixed on those of the woman on the screen.

 

"Yes, Jarod. I am. I'm very sure." The woman smiled sadly. "I want to thank you for this. I hope you know how much it means to me."

 

"Y...you're welcome."

 

He watched silently as the video screen flicked off, finally pushing back his chair and getting up to go downstairs, his mind spinning.

 

* * * *

 

"Hey, sleep's always a good idea, you know."

 

Jarod looked up sharply to find Sam standing on the top step, Jamie in her arms, and he got off the sofa, coming up to her. "What makes you think I didn't sleep?"

 

"I got up three times to check on the kids and you were always just sitting there, staring." She smiled. "I made a wild guess."

 

The boy held out his arms and Jarod took him, cuddling the child and wrapping his jacket around the small form. He looked up. "Are you going to work?"

 

"That's why I'm up at six thirty, Jarod." She glanced over, lips twitching. "I do try to sleep later on weekends, just so that you know."

 

He grinned. "Well, you have fun at work and we'll enjoy ourselves here at home."

 

"Thanks, very helpful." She turned and walked back up the stairs, stopping as she reached her doorway. "I'll do breakfast once I'm dressed, if you feel like coming down for it."

 

He watched as she walked into her room and shut the door before looking down at the little boy who lay in his arms, looking up at him. As his eyes met that of the baby, the infant cooed. Jarod placed one finger on the tiny stomach and pressed gently, watching as the child giggled.

 

"Well, shall we go and get you all cleaned and dressed, Jamie?" Carrying the baby into the bathroom, he was about to fill the small plastic bath when he saw that the boy was staring up at the showerhead.

 

"You want to have a shower with me instead?"

 

The child cooed again, and Jarod grinned. "Well, if you're sure..." He made a little nest of towels, placing the baby inside it while he took off his clothes, and then started up the shower. When it was a proper temperature, he removed the small sleeping suit and diaper and then stepped under the running water with the child in his arms. Gently he picked up the special soap that he had bought the day before and began to rub it over the small body, watching as the child gave him a big smile. Smiling in return, Jarod glanced around the room and then back at his son.

 

* * * *

He wrapped the small body in a towel and carried it across the hall and into the child's room, placing the boy on the changing table.

 

"Did you just wash him or did you wash you as well?" a voice asked from the doorway.

 

"Hey, that's my line!"

 

"I know." She smiled and walked into the room. "But I got suspicious when I saw that your hair was wet."

 

"We showered together."

 

Sam looked down at the small baby. "Did he enjoy it?"

 

"From the sounds he made, a lot."

 

She smiled. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

 

"Is Bronwyn awake?"

 

"Not yet." She glanced at her watch and then up at him. "It's only seven and, after getting woken up every morning in the hospital at six, she's probably enjoying sleeping in."

 

He chuckled as he pulled the small top over the baby's head and she walked towards the door. "Sounds like a good idea. I should try that some day."

 

* * * *

 

"Jarod?"

 

He heard the sleepy voice as he walked past the door and immediately pushed it open. "Hi, Bronwyn."

She smiled drowsily up at him. "Did you talk to Mommy?"

 

"Yes, sweetheart. I got her message."

 

"Good."

 

Jarod sat down on the edge of the bed. "Are you going to get up for breakfast?"

 

"Don't I get it in bed anymore?"

 

"Hey, you're not sick now." He placed a gentle hand on her forehead. "But you can sleep a little longer if you want."

 

She smiled up at him and then rolled over, asleep almost immediately. With the boy still in his arms, Jarod got up and silently left the room.

 

"Where's Bronwyn?"

 

"Still asleep."

 

Sam's forehead creased. "She's not sick, is she?"

 

"No, just tired." Jarod sat down and put Jamie in the high chair. "I think you were right when you said that she'd sleep in. Don't forget, she only got out of hospital yesterday."

 

"But that fracture's healing, isn't it?"

 

"Oh, yes." Jarod picked up a piece of toast and spread jam on it. "I'm going to take the cast off in a few days."

 

"Good." Sam picked up the bottle and handed it to the baby who took it eagerly and began to drink the milk. With a smile, she looked up. "I really don't know why you're doubting yourself so much, Jarod. I just can't get over how complete everything here is."

 

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"

 

"Well, you've got a very full larder of baby food, just about every device you could need to prepare food for young children -"

 

"Most of which was already there, don't forget." He ate the last of his toast. "I only bought food, diapers and a few clothes. That's it." Glancing up, he gave a half-smile. "I know you're trying to boost my confidence, Sam. Thanks."

 

* * * *

 

He watched as she pulled the door closed behind her and then picked up the baby, placing him in the playpen that had been set up in the corner of the living room. Jarod set the mobile spinning and then looked down.

 

"I'm going to go see if your sister's awake. If you need anything, just yell."

 

The baby gave another grin and Jarod smiled in response, going up the stairs to find Bronwyn coming out of her room with her teddy still clutched in one hand. As he appeared, she threw herself at his legs.

 

"Hi, Jarod."

 

Bending down, he picked her up and hugged her. "How's my girl?"

 

"Hungry."

 

"You want breakfast?"

 

"Ice cream?"

 

"Not even I eat ice cream at this hour." He glanced at his watch as he carried her downstairs.

 

"No, you eat PEZ."

 

Jarod raised an eyebrow. "Do you know about all my bad habits?"

 

"Yup." She giggled. "But I won't tell Sam if you don't want me to."

 

"I think that's a good idea." He put her down in a chair and walked over to the toaster, putting two slices of bread in it before filling a cup with milk and handing it to her.

 

"What are we doing this morning?"

 

"What do you want to do?" He looked up as she finished the last of her milk and put down the mug, licking her top lip to get rid of the white line.

 

"Can we go to the park?"

 

"If you want, sure. But you have to get dressed first." Jarod glanced over to the stroller that sat beside the front door and then over at the boy who sat in the playpen, tapping the mobile to keep it moving.

 

"And after that?"

 

"Well," he sat back in the chair and looked at her, "let's wait until we get there before we decide, huh?"

 

"Okay." Her face wore a cheeky grin as she looked up at him. "Do I get to meet Sydney one day?"

 

Jarod narrowed his eyes. "How do you know about Sydney?"

 

"Mommy told me, but she said I should only talk to you about him and not tell Sam or Ruth."

 

"Mommy was right, again."

 

"But I get to meet him one day, right?"

 

"No promises, Bronwyn." Jarod got up and began to clear the table.

 

* * * *

 

The door of the house opened and Bronwyn looked up as Sam walked in and shut it behind her. The little girl put a finger on her lips. "Shh."

 

"Why?" Sam walked over softly and picked her up, looking over to see Jarod lying asleep on the sofa with Jamie on his chest. "Oh, I get it."

 

"It was funny," Bronwyn giggled. "He was talking to me and then he suddenly stopped and I looked up and he was asleep."

 

"Well, I don't think he slept last night." Sam carried the girl upstairs and into her room. "So he's probably tired."

 

"He was talking to Mommy." Suddenly the little girl looked up, both hands over her mouth and her eyes wide. "But I wasn't supposed to tell you that." Her eyes filled with tears. "Don't tell him."

 

"It's okay, Bronwyn. I won't."

 

"If you tell him, he'll get mad and then he'll run away and not come back." The child started to sob. "I don't want him to go."

 

"Hey," Sam picked her up and rocked her gently. "Jarod isn't going anywhere, Bronwyn. He's got you two to look after."

 

"P...promise?"

 

"I promise."

 

At the sound of the deep voice from the doorway, Bronwyn hid her face in the woman's neck. Jarod put the little boy down on the floor and then took the girl from Sam, who leaned against the wall and watched while he sat down on the bed.

 

"Bronwyn, look at me," he urged softly.

 

"Don't go, Jarod." The voice was a wail and she turned her face in to his chest.

 

He put one hand under her chin and gently lifted her head, kissing her. "I'm going to stay with you for a long time, just like I promised your Mommy last night. I'll stay with you for as long as you need me. I won't run away."

 

"But... I told... and Mommy said I wasn't s'posed to."

 

"Just because you did something that Mommy said you weren't supposed to doesn't mean I'm going to run away."

"So... you don't... mind?" She hiccupped, still sobbing.

 

"I was going to tell her anyway, tonight, so you're just making me tell her sooner."

 

The girl threw her arms around his neck, fresh tears pouring down her face as he stroked her hair. "And… you're not... mad?"

 

"No, Bronwyn, I'm not mad." Jarod rocked her. "And even if I was, that doesn't mean I'd leave you. You're my family now, and I wouldn't leave my family."

 

* * * *

 

Jarod walked into his room and picked up his computer, following Sam down the stairs. As she put the little boy into the playpen, he put the computer down on the table and then looked up at her.

 

"Remember last night how I said that I'd like an email from, in your words, 'the psychic mother, telling me every step of the next thirty years'?"

 

She glanced up. "Don't tell me you got one."

 

He nodded slowly, a smile curling his lips. She dropped into a chair opposite him, her mouth open. "No way."

 

"Yes way." He picked up his mug and swallowed the last of the cold coffee in it before refilling it from the warm jug.

 

"Show me."

 

"I have to tell you something first." His lips thinned. "Do you remember me saying something about a place called NuGenesis?"

 

"And you seemed relieved that I didn't know about it."

 

"Well, I think it's time you did know."

 

* * * *

 

He watched her face as the screen faded to black and then leaned forward and shut down the machine.

 

"And you said that...?" Sam began hesitantly.

 

"Every question that I asked that video was what I also asked last night, at the same time and same speed." He sighed. "And you wondered why I didn't sleep."

 

"I don't wonder any more." She caught his eye. "So you aren't really a doctor?"

 

"I've never completed an examination or received a certificate. All I've done is read the books and treated the patients."

 

"And you've never been caught out?"

 

He shrugged. "Once or twice. But I either talk them around or leave. Fast."

 

"But you won't leave now?"

 

"Hey, I promised." He sat back. "If anyone figures that I'm not really a doctor, I'll stop coming to the hospital, but I don't somehow think that'll happen." He eyed her. "Unless you tell them of course."

 

"I wouldn't do that, Jarod. You know I wouldn't."

 

"I know." He nodded. "That's why I decided earlier today that I'd tell you about it."

 

* * * *

 

"Jarod?"

 

He stood in the doorway, looking down at her, but as she spoke he walked over to the bed and sat down beside her. "It's okay, Bronwyn."

 

"I'm sorry, Jarod." Her eyes filled again and he picked her up.

 

"No more crying, sweetheart. You've done enough of that. Come on, now."

 

"I was… so scared..." she sobbed against his chest.

 

Gently he stroked the back of her head, holding her close to him. "You don't have to be scared of me ever leaving, Bronwyn. I wouldn't do that to either of you."

 

"And the Centre...?"

 

"Your Mommy told me that the Centre won't find me, sweetie, like she told you, and I believe her."

 

"But... one day... Sydney will..."

 

"Will what?" He looked down at her as she snuggled into his arms.

 

"Will come and...find you...to visit..."

 

"Well, that's okay." He wiped the last tears away. "After all, you wanted to get to know him, right?"

 

* * * *

 

"Is she asleep?"

 

"Yes." Jarod sat down on the sofa and curled his legs up underneath him.

 

"Well, at least we know now why she wasn't upset about her parents, and that she isn't hiding any emotions."

 

He nodded slowly. "I'd begun to think about that too." His eyes met hers. "Can you imagine actually doing that? Bringing up your kids to become attached to other people, knowing that you won't even see their fifth birthday?"

 

"No." She shook her head before an amused light came into her eye. "But then I never imagined bringing up kids."

 

"They weren't in your scheme of life?"

 

"Not really, no." She looked down at the carpet. "Ever since I can remember, I've only ever wanted to be a doctor, not a mom. In fact I never even had a boyfriend through high school, because I was too intent on my studies."

 

"You probably won't be too surprised to learn that I didn't exactly plan for it either, but for different reasons."

 

"Funny that." Her lips twitched. "Well, despite what we both planned, it looks as though we've got them. They're both attached very firmly to you, and I..."

 

"You can't get out of it either, Sam." He met her eye. "So don't even think about that possibility."

 

"I wouldn't want to, not now." She swallowed. "My heart was almost breaking, listening to her cry. I couldn't bear the thought that I might cause it by leaving if I felt it was getting too much."

 

"That's presumably why she gave them to both of us." He looked up at her. "So that we'd have somebody else to help if we ever did begin to feel like that."

 

* * * *

 

Jarod stretched and then his eyes opened suddenly, feeling the small body curled up against his. Looking down, he saw her lying there, her eyes closed and a look of perfect relaxation on her face. Hearing a sound from the doorway, he looked over to see Sam standing there, smiling.

 

"I got up to check on her and found she wasn't there, but I could make a pretty good guess as to where she'd go."

 

Jarod smiled and began to pull himself up in bed, but felt the little body tense and looked down. Seeing her begin to move uneasily, he stretched out a hand and gently placed it on her head, feeling her relax immediately.

 

"Don't worry, Jarod. It's only four o'clock. I was checking on them, not actually getting up."

 

He smiled. "It seems rough that you should get that job."

 

"Hey, you're taking care of them all day."

 

"And you're working all day."

 

"Which has to be easier than staying home with those two." She laughed softly and turned away, leaving the room.

 

"Jarod?"

 

Her voice was a mumble and he lay down again, stroking her hair.

 

"It's okay, Bronwyn. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

 

Gently he put out both arms and drew her close to him. She sighed once and wrapped her fingers around his thumb, asleep immediately. With a smile on his face, he looked up out of the window, his eyes fixed on the moon as it sailed out from behind the clouds.

 

* * * *

 

Jarod felt the light touch of a kiss on his cheek and looked up to find a pair of brown eyes staring into his. "Hey, gorgeous."

 

"Are you still mad, Jarod?"

 

"I never was mad, Bronwyn." He wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close to him. "Why did you think I would be?"

 

"Mommy said that, if we ever did anything wrong, then you'd be mad and you'd leave and then they'd get you." Her eyes were wide as she finished the sentence and he could see the panic in them.

 

"But your Mommy also said that, as long as I was with you, I'd be safe from them, and I want that, too. So that's a really good reason for me to stay, isn't it?" Jarod gently kissed her forehead. "Was that why you came in here, so you could make sure I wasn't running away?"

 

She nodded, slipping her arms around his neck.

 

"Tell you what, Bronwyn, I'll make you a deal."

"What?"

 

"I'll never run away from you if you never run away from me."

 

She nodded and buried her face in his neck, squeezing him as tightly as her small arms could manage. He pulled himself up in bed and leaned back against the wall behind his pillow, wrapping his arms around her and letting a few tears dampen his shoulder.

 

* * * *

 

"Jarod, what's this?"

 

Sam picked up the box and held it out to him as he walked into the kitchen with Bronwyn still in his arms. Jarod shrugged.

 

"My preferred breakfast."

 

"With no nutritional value whatsoever, coated in sugar..."

 

"They have eleven essential vitamins and minerals..."

 

"That you could get in something far healthier, like orange juice."

 

"And they taste great."

 

She eyed him. "It's a medical miracle that you're the shape you are."

 

"Running keeps you fit."

 

"So what will you do now?" She returned the pop tarts to their place in the pantry and grinned at him. "Now that you don't have to run anymore?"

 

"Hey, I still have to run."

 

"Oh yeah?"

 

"Definitely." He looked down at the little girl and then over at her brother. "After these two."

 

* * * *

 

"Ruth!"

 

Jarod looked up as he heard Bronwyn pronounce the name to find that she had somehow managed to get the door open. "Hey, you could at least have given me a chance to clean up before you did your tour of inspection."

 

"Oh, I couldn't wait." She picked up the girl who was hugging her legs. "It's so quiet now that they've even given me the day off. I thought I'd take advantage of the fact to fulfill my promise."

 

"Well, want to come to park with us?"

 

"Please!" Ruth looked down to see the pleading expression in Bronwyn's eyes and she laughed.

 

"How could I refuse?"

 

Jarod wiped Jamie's face and then picked him up, placing him in Ruth's arms, while he turned and rapidly cleared the table.

 

"You've become an expert already?"

 

He shrugged and grinned over his shoulder at her. "Hey, as a stay-at-home dad, I've had to pick up some things quickly."

 

"But you're still officially working?"

 

"Oh, yes." He picked up the small pager and the mobile phone, slipping them into his pocket. "They'll call me if they need me, but so far they haven't. After all, with the big Children's Hospital on the other side of the city, I'm really only a stop-gap measure."

 

She nodded. "That's why I wanted to work there and not at the Children's. We don't get the rush of patients that they do and can devote more attention to the few that pass through the wards."

 

"But, if you didn't work there, you'd never have met us!"

 

Ruth looked over to see the puzzled expression on Bronwyn's face and smiled, reaching over to tickled the little girl, who giggled in delight.

 

"And that's the best thing that's happened to me this week!"

 

She looked up to see the smile on Jarod's face. "Are you getting used to it?"

 

"It's easier here than it was at the hospital."

 

"And Sam?"

 

"I think she's slowly adjusting too." He placed the last plate in the dishwasher and then turned it on, leaning against the machine as it began to hum softly. "But we both still have moments of the 'I can't believe this is happening' variety."

 

Ruth laughed. "Now that I can definitely believe."

 

"You have kids, right?"

 

She nodded. "Three, but they're all into their late teens and only need me once in a while."

 

"And… your husband?"

 

"We separated a few years ago, but it's very amicable and the kids share their time between us very evenly. And we spend holidays together."

 

"Is that why you came back to work, to fill in the gap?"

 

"Basically, yes." She sighed. "I wanted to feel needed again."

 

"Well, nursing kids will definitely make that happen."

 

"Jarod, are we going?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready?"

 

She looked down at the pajamas that she was still wearing and giggled, coming over to grab his hand and drag him in the direction of the stairs.
 
Part 3

 

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