Crash...an Andie story

Crash…an Andie story (M/fmff)

This story is dedicated to Helen, Bobbyjo, and Gabbi for helping me to think of 12 girls’ names, 6 of which end in ‘a’. Thanks guys!

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Andie and Timmy were playing in the front yard with the ball. Timmy kicked the ball really hard. Andie jumped to catch it, but watched in horror as it rolled right out the gate.

“Hey, who left that gate open?” Timmy asked. The gate was never open. Not anymore. Not since…but Timmy’s thoughts were interrupted when Andie answered him.

“I dunno,” Andie said. The two six year-olds ran to the edge of the yard, stood in the open doorway of the gate, and peered into the street.

“I see it!” Andie yelled, pointing. Timmy looked to see where she was pointing.

“Oh, I see it, too. It’s right under that car. I think I could actually get it,” he said.

Andie and Timmy exchanged a look. They both knew they weren’t allowed to leave the yard. Andie knew she could just go into the house and get her big sister, Theresa. Terry was 13.

“What d’ya think?” Andie asked.

“We could do it real quick,” Timmy said, reading her mind. “And make sure we looked both ways.”

Andie nodded. “Okay.”

They held hands, did a quick look both ways and ran across the street. They both crouched down, but it was Timmy who actually went under the car. Andie looked under too, and told him which way to turn to get the ball.

“Hey!” she said, excitedly. “There’s a kitty under there,” she announced. “Here, kitty, kitty,” she tried, but the cat didn’t move. “I bet if I get it some milk, it’ll come home with us.”

“Okay,” Timmy answered, almost reaching the ball, but his arms weren’t quite long enough.

Andie ran back to her house, slipped inside, poured some milk into a bowl and ran back outside. She didn’t know where her sisters were, but no one even noticed her. She ran back across the street to where Timmy was. He was standing with the ball in his arms, having finally figured out how to get it. Andie put the milk down and again tried to coax the kitty out from under the car.

“Andie! Andie! Where are you?” someone yelled from the house.

Andie and Timmy both jumped up in surprise. They looked across the street. It was Andie’s little sister, Joanna. Joanna was shocked when she saw her sister across the street, and started to go toward the gate.

“No, Jo-Jo, don’t!” Andie yelled. It was bad enough she and Timmy had left the gate and crossed the street, but Joanna was only four.

Andie forgot the cat for a minute and started to run across the street. A car narrowly avoided Andie. It slammed on its brakes and crashed into a parked car. Everyone jumped at the noise. Andie jumped onto the sidewalk in front of her house, and turned back to see what had happened. UH OH! She thought to herself.

Timmy was still across the street. He looked over at the crash and then at Andie. He didn’t know what to do. Andie motioned to him to quickly come back over to their side of the street. Just as Timmy reached the gate where Andie and Joanna stood, Theresa came running out of the house, quickly followed by Christina and Rosanna.

“What’s going on?” Theresa asked.

Before Timmy or Andie could say a thing, Joanna screamed out, “Andie caused a crash!”

Theresa stared at her little sister and then at the open gate. Suddenly remembering something, she frowned. The kids all stared at the smashed cars as they heard sirens. A few minutes later, a police car drove up.

Just when they didn’t think things could get any worse, Theresa saw something that made her freeze. Andie turned to see what her big sister was staring at. Timmy turned too. They all frowned. UH OH! They thought again.

Down the street came the girls’ daddy. They watched as he pulled up into the driveway. He got out of the car and headed over to the car crash, and briefly spoke to the policeman and the driver of the car. Then he walked very matter of factly toward his girls and Timmy.

“Andrea Renee!” he said, in that strict daddy voice.

Andie wondered how Daddy knew it had been her, but somehow he just knew. Her lower lip trembled as she walked over to Daddy and in a small voice answered him. “Yessir?”

First he looked around the yard and counted kids. Six, including his nephew. They were all there. Thank god, he thought to himself. All they needed was another tragedy. But now was not the time to think about Patricia. He needed to focus on what had just transpired.

He ushered all the kids into the yard, and turned quickly to lock the gate. “I’ll ask in a minute why that is open, Theresa Lynn,” he said sternly, looking at his eldest child. “But right now, Andrea Renee, I’d like to know what it was you thought you were doing in the street?”

Andie looked at her daddy and then at the ground.

“I want the truth, Andrea, and I want it now.”

So Andie took a deep breath and said it as fast as she could, “MeandTimmywereplayingballanditwentoutthegateandwewenttogetitandwesawakitty.”

It took Mitch a minute to understand what his daughter had said, but after having six kids, all of them girls, one kind of learns fast to decipher hidden messages.

Mitch turned to look at his nephew. “You were in the street as well, Timothy Michael?”

Timmy bit his lip, but nodded. “Uh, yessir.”

Mitch shook his head. He looked at his other girls. “Wait, where’s Joanna?” he suddenly said, looking alarmed. He knew she was there a minute ago. Of course, his youngest had this habit of disappearing.

The kids all looked around. Theresa screamed, “Oh my god, Daddy, she’s in the street!”

Mitch ran to the gate, unlatched it, and after a quick peek both ways, ran across the street and scooped Joanna up. He wasted no time in giving her bottom a large and very hard SMACK.

“Owww!” she cried.

“What are you doing in this street, young lady?” he roared.

Joanna held up the kitty. “I got the kitty!” she said.

“No kitty is worth dying for, little girl. You’re in just as much trouble as your big sister, maybe more,” he declared, carrying her back across the street. Mitch wondered how Joanna had managed to get out of the yard in the minute between when he had counted the kids and when he had locked the gate. He realized his mind was elsewhere.

After dropping Joanna and the kitty back into the yard, and relocking the gate, Mitch sighed. He had at least 4 naughty children to deal with, and he was not in the mood. He had driven over in a good mood, wanting to spend some quality time with his kids. Ever since he and Caryn had separated a few months before, he didn’t get to see them as much as he had wanted.

“Let’s go into the house,” he said quietly. He turned to Christina and Rosanna. “I assume you two had nothing to do with this?”

“Nope, we were watching a movie on TV, Daddy,” Christina explained.

“Good, princess. Because your sisters and your cousin are in enough trouble for everyone.”

The five girls and Timmy followed Mitch into the house. Rosanna and Christina headed back to their movie. Terry, Andie, and Jo-Jo were sent to their rooms, to stand in the corner. Timmy was sent to the master bedroom.

Just as Mitch was trying to decide who to speak to first, the telephone rang. He picked it up on the second ring. “Hello?” It was Caryn. Mitch sighed. Once upon a time he would have been delighted to speak to her. The mere sound of her voice was enough to make him deliriously happy. But now, all he felt was stress. Their relationship had been strained for so long.

“Hi,” he said absently.

She picked up on it right away. “What’s wrong, Mitch? Is it one of the kids?”

They used to be the kind of couple who never thought anything bad would ever happen to their children. But after what happened to Patty had happened, they would never feel safe again.

“It’s four of the kids,” Mitch said, only half-joking. But when he realized that Caryn thought they were hurt, he quickly explained. “What I mean is that four of them are in trouble. Big trouble.” He then told Caryn about what he had witnessed when he drove up.

“Jo-Jo, Timmy, and Andie were in the street?” she repeated. “I can’t believe it. Mitch, how could they!” she half-screamed.

Mitch nodded, even though Caryn couldn’t see it. He knew only too well what could have happened, and he was so thankful that everyone was safe. But he also knew he had to make sure that none of them ever did it again.

“I was just about to go start speaking to them,” he told her, thankful to have something to talk about with her, instead of the usual strained silence.

“I’m sorry I can’t be there to help you,” Caryn said apologetically.

She had been called in to work the overnight shift at the hospital. Caryn was a nurse. She usually worked the day shift, but someone had called in sick. Caryn was very busy. She had just finished nursing school. She had been a nurse’s aide, but after Patty had gone into the hospital, Caryn had gone back to school to finish her degree. She wanted to do everything she could to be the best nurse ever. After witnessing what she did in her daughter’s hospital room every day, she wanted to be like those nurses and help as many people as possible.

Mitch had been supportive at first, but then the strain of Caryn going to school, still working, taking care of the house, and also going to visit Patty at the hospital became too much. They hadn’t even realized their marriage had become one of convenience. They didn’t talk anymore, except about the kids, and some household chores that needed to be done. Mitch had no idea the last time they had just sat together and spent time.

Mitch started working more and more hours at the office. He came home less and less, because the atmosphere in the house was just too difficult. It wasn’t long before he just moved out entirely. He couldn’t believe how different their life had become in less than a year. And Mitch knew that Caryn blamed him for the accident.

It had happened almost a year before. Mitch was watching the girls while Caryn did errands. Patty, then 7, wanted to ride her bike on the sidewalk. Mitch allowed it. Maybe he wasn’t watching close enough attention, maybe he hadn’t warned her of the dangers, but she rode right into the street. Patty was hit dead on by a car that was driving too fast down the street. She was rushed to the hospital. Thankfully she was still alive, but was unconscious. Patty stayed in a coma for 5 months. During that time, Mitch and Caryn became zombies, eating and sleeping just because they had to. Thankfully Theresa was used to looking after her little sisters. She became a big help.

Mitch was suddenly brought back to the present by Caryn’s voice. “Mitch! Mitch! Are you hearing me?”

“What?” he said.

“I said if you want I will speak to the girls in the morning.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Caryn. They need to be dealt with tonight. In fact, if I don’t go up there soon, it’ll be midnight before I’m done. I’ll speak with you when you get home.”

“All right,” she said, sighing. They hung up the phone.

Mitch realized he needed to find out exactly how this had happened, so he decided to head to Theresa’s room first. He got to her door and knocked. When he heard the ‘come in’, he opened the door. Mitch looked around. The room that Rosanna and Theresa shared was neat as a pin. He knew that was Rosie’s influence. She was only ten, but liked things spotless. Terry was a slob. If she could, she would keep her side of the room messy. But between Caryn and Rosie, Terry had no chance of it.

Mitch stared at the flowered wallpaper. He remembered when Terry and Rosie had picked it out. Rosie was 6 and Terry was 9. It was the only paper they had agreed on. He and Caryn knew it was hard for the girls to share a room, but with the new baby coming, they had had to shift the girls around. Jo-Jo would be the last, so once this shift was made, it was final. Mitch’s eyes traveled to Terry standing in the corner. He sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“Come here, Theresa Lynn,” he said.

Terry came out of the corner and walked over to her daddy. Her lower lip trembled. “I have to tell you something, sir,” she said sadly. If she didn’t tell him, she’d feel guilty, and then he’d probably find out anyway. She knew it would be hard to tell him, but her parents had always taught them that the truth was the best.

“What is it, Theresa?”

“I left the gate open.”

“You WHAT?!” Mitch yelled. “Why would you do that? That was a very irresponsible thing, young lady.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Daddy. I just forgot.”

“You’d better explain, little girl.”

Terry sat down next to her daddy. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sit later on. “I came home with Ricky, Daddy. He and I were out riding bikes. I invited him in, and I guess I just forgot to close the gate. When he left, he went out through the back. I never came in the front again. When Andie and Timmy asked to go play out front, I never even checked the gate.” At this point, Terry burst into tears. “I’m sorry, Daddy!”

Mitch turned to look at his oldest daughter. “Theresa Lynn, do you have any idea what could have happened?” he asked almost rhetorically.

Terry nodded, sobbing. “I do, sir, I do. I’m so sorry,” she moaned, putting her head into her daddy’s lap. She knew only too well what could have happened. She thought about her poor sister lying in that hospital bed; the doctors unsure if she would ever walk again, ever talk, ever be a normal kid.

Terry’s father stood up. He took his knife out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Go cut me a switch.”

She gulped, but nodded. She took the pocketknife and ran from the room. Mitch paced back and forth while he waited. He was so upset; more than upset. When he thought of the things that could have happened, no, he had to stay in the present. Thankfully, this time, everyone was all right.

Theresa came back into the room and held the switch out to him. He took it and the pocketknife, slipping that back into his pocket. He pointed to her bed, where the pillow lay in the middle. “Please bare your bottom and lay over the pillow, young lady. I’m afraid I’m going to have to be very strict with you. What you did is very serious.”

“Yes, sir,” Theresa said, cringing as to what was to come. She knew she deserved this, but never the less, was still apprehensive.

Mitch took off the leaves and swished the switch through the air a few times. This would do, he thought.

He raised the switch back and aimed it at Theresa’s bare bottom. {SWISH! SWISH!}

“Owwwwwwwwww!” Terry cried. She had been switched before, but always forgot how much it hurt.

{SWISH! SWISH!} {SWISH! SWISH!} {SWISH! SWISH!} Mitch made it go across both her cheeks.

“Owwwwwwww! Owwwwwww! I’m sorry, Daddy!” she cried out. She wanted to put her hands back so badly, but knew better than to do that. It would only make her daddy angry.

{SWISH! SWISH!} “You had better be sorry, {SWISH! SWISH!} young lady. I’m just so relieved that your sisters and your cousin are okay. {SWISH! SWISH!} Leaving the gate open was very irresponsible!” {SWISH! SWISH!} he scolded, keeping the switch going at her backside and upper thighs. Mitch wanted Theresa to feel this for hours, so she would remember what could have happened.

Theresa screamed. It hurt so much. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I’m sorry. Don’t hate me. Please forgive me!” she shouted.

Mitch put down the switch. His hands were shaking. He pulled Theresa up into his arms. “Oh, baby, I could never hate you.”

Terry sobbed on her daddy’s lap for several minutes. Finally she sniffled and looked up into his eyes. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

Mitch nodded. “I know, baby. It’s okay. It’s over now. You’ve been punished and I forgive you. Let’s just make sure that doesn’t happen again, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And Theresa?”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“I’m going to double check with Mommy. But I think two weeks of being grounded will do the trick.”

“Two weeks, Daddy?” she asked. “But it’s summer, and…”

But she stopped. She knew she was getting off lightly.

“Two weeks. And when Ricky comes over next, you tell him about that gate.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Terry said, smiling.

Mitch kissed Terry on top of her head and walked out of her room. He still had three naughty kids to deal with, and he wanted a drink of water before he tackled them. He headed down to the kitchen. There he met Rosanna and Christina. They were sitting at the table eating chocolate pudding.

“Mmmm, that looks good. Did you make that, Rosie?”

“Dadddy!” Rosie whined.

“What?” he asked, looking at his ten year-old, and then looking over at five year-old, Christina, for a clue.

Chrissy giggled. “Daddy, she wants to be Anna from now on.”

Mitch smacked his head. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot.” He had forgotten that his ten year-old daughter didn’t want to be called ‘Rosie’ anymore, but wanted the mature nickname of ‘Anna’. He looked at Rosanna. “Did you make the pudding, Anna?”

Rosanna nodded, smiling. “Yep.”

“And it’s really good, Daddy,” Chrissy said, with a chocolate pudding mustache.

Mitch kissed Christina on the face, purposely getting chocolate on him. Then he licked it off. “It sure is, princess.”

Mitch got his drink, sighed and headed up to the bedroom he used to share with Caryn. He walked in and motioned Timmy out of the corner. “Come here, young man.”

Timmy was his sister-in-law’s boy. He often spent a lot of time at their house, especially in the summer. He and Andie were inseparable. Since they were the same age, and looked somewhat alike, they were often mistaken for twins. Mitch groaned at the thought of Andrea twins.

“Timothy Michael, what did you think you were doing in the street?” Mitch scolded.

“Uh, I’m sorry, Uncle Mitch. Me and Andie just wanted to get our ball.”

“You know better than to leave the gate.”

“It was open. And uh, we looked both ways,” Timmy added.

“Well, that was good. But I’m afraid it doesn’t save you from a spanking. You and your cousin earned a good one, I’m afraid.”

“Y-y-yes, s-s-sir,” Timmy stuttered. He was no stranger to being put over a grownup’s knee. Somehow whenever he played with Andie, they both got spankings. But this time he knew they had done a very bad thing, indeed.

Mitch pushed Timmy’s shorts and underwear down to his ankles and put him over his knee. “You knew much better than to be out in the street.” He raised his hand and brought it down on Timmy’s bare bottom. {Smack! Smack! Smack!}

“Owwwwwwww!” Timmy cried. Uncle Mitch spanked much harder than his own Daddy.

{Smack! Smack! Smack!} {Smack! Smack! Smack!} {Smack! Smack! Smack!} {Smack! Smack! Smack!} {Smack! Smack! Smack!} Mitch made rapid-fire contact with Timmy’s bottom.

“Owwwwww! Owww! I’m sorry, Uncle!” he sobbed.

“You had better be sorry, {Smack! Smack! Smack!} young man. What you did was dangerous. {Smack! Smack! Smack!} I know your parents taught you better than this. {Smack! Smack! Smack!} You and your cousin KNOW {Smack! Smack! Smack!} we don’t let you in the street. {Smack! Smack! Smack!} You aren’t even supposed to leave the gate. {Smack! Smack! Smack!} And I don’t care that it was left open. {Smack! Smack! Smack!} You don’t go out of it!” {Smack! Smack! Smack!}

“Owww, yessssirrrrrrrr!” Timmy cried. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

Mitch stood Timmy up then. His nephew looked up, tears in his eyes. Mitch stood up and pulled off his belt. Timmy looked terrified. His uncle had never spanked him with a belt before.

“I told you I was going to be very strict this time, Timothy. I want to make sure this never happens again. We love you too much, and care too much for your safety.”

Timmy nodded, sobbing. He was going to try to be really brave.

Mitch stood up and bent Timmy over the side of the bed. Mitch doubled his belt, swung it back, and aimed it at Timmy’s already red bottom. {Thwaccck! Thwaccck! Thwaccck!}

Timmy screamed. He didn’t know something could hurt so much. But before he could wonder how more would feel like, Mitch stood him up. He pulled his nephew into his arms and held him tight. “I do love you, Timmy.”

“I love you too, Uncle.” Timmy sobbed in his uncle’s arms for several minutes.

“Now you can go downstairs and hang out with Chrissy and Anna if you want. Okay?”

Timmy nodded, sniffled, and wiped at his tears. Mitch helped him fix his clothing. Then he headed to Jo-Jo’s room. She shared a room with Christina. The walls were pink, and each bed had white ruffles on them. Andie hated going in there; she said it made her want to barf. Andie was a tomboy through and through, just like Patty. That was why they made such a good combination. But Mitch put that out of his head right now. He couldn’t stop to think about Patricia now.

“Jo-Jo, come here,” Mitch said, sitting on the edge of her bed. He moved her stuffed tigger out of the way. Jo-Jo walked over with a pouty lip.

“Me is sorry, Daddy,” she said, in her cute little baby voice. “Me just wanted to be like mine sister, Andie.”

“Well, look where it got you, tigger. Right over Daddy’s lap. Going into the street was a very bad thing. Do you understand that?” Mitch asked gently.

Jo-Jo nodded. “Yes, Daddy. Me won’t do it again.”

“No, Joanna Lee, you won’t. And Daddy is going to make sure of it.” He took out a small paddle and placed it on the bed next to him.

Jo-Jo looked at it and her eyes widened. “Me not want that, Daddy.”

“I know you don’t, little girl, but you’re going to get it anyway. What you did was very dangerous. You could have been killed going into the street. And you saw what had just happened when Andie did it, didn’t you?”

The little girl nodded. “Her made a crash.”

“Yes, she did. Andie could have been killed, too. What she did was very wrong, and she’s going to get a big spanking too.”

“Me don’t wanna spanking,” Jo-Jo cried.

Mitch knew trying to reason with a four year old was not going to work. He wasted no more time and pushed up Joanna’s dress, and pushed down her panties. He then laid her over his lap and raised his hand. {Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!}

“Owwwwwwww! Owww, you’s hurting mine tushie!” Jo-Jo cried.

Mitch didn’t bother to scold anymore. He wanted his daughter to feel her spanking, and he knew she couldn’t concentrate on his talking while crying from pain.

{Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!}

“Owwwwwwww!” Jo-Jo yelled.

Mitch picked up the little paddle and aimed it once more at Joanna’s bottom. {whack! whack!} “I don’t ever {whack! whack!} want you leaving the gate {whack! whack!} and going into the street {whack! whack!} again. Is that understood, {whack! whack!} young lady?” {whack! whack!}

“Yesssssssssirrrrrrrr!” she screamed, putting her hands back on her tushie. Mitch didn’t bother moving them. He just put the paddle down and picked his youngest girl up, snuggling her close.

“There, there, tigger, it’s over. Daddy loves you and forgives you.”

Joanna cried into her daddy’s shirt for a long time. Mitch held her close and whispered things to her until she calmed down. He knew he still had the most difficult spanking to do. When he knew Joanna was calm, he fixed her clothing, laid her down on her bed, and kissed her cheek. She would nap for a little while. When he was finished with Andrea, he’d come back and wake her for dinner.

Mitch headed to Andrea’s room. It was, as usual, a disaster area. Patty’s side of the room was still a mess, too. Caryn wouldn’t let anyone pick up any of Patty’s things. Her stuff was as she had last left it, a year before. They all hoped she’d be home soon to use everything again.

Mitch moved some dirty clothes and sat down on Andrea’s bed. “Now young lady, you and I are going to discuss your being in the street and knowing better.”

Andie looked at the floor and mumbled, “It was just a quick run. I didn't know them cars was gonna crash.”

“I don't care. You could have been killed. Period.”

“I's sorry, Daddy,” Andie said quietly.

Mitch frowned. “I thought I had taught you better. Especially after what happened to your sister last year. I thought you knew better. I am disappointed in you; very disappointed.”

Andie started to cry. “Does Mommy know?” she asked, scared.

Mitch nodded. “Yes, she does. And she’s very upset about it.”

Andie sniffled. She absolutely hated disappointing and upsetting her parents. She knew how much it hurt them to see her sister in the hospital. If only she could turn back time and tell Timmy they couldn’t go into the street. If only.

“I am going to give you a spanking you will never forget, Andrea Renee. And after that, you are going to be grounded for three weeks. We won’t have to worry about you leaving the gate because you will be inside the house.”

“But Daddy, I hate being grounded!” Andie said, a little too loudly.

“I’m afraid you’re in no position to argue with me, little girl. You’re already in entirely too much trouble.” Mitch sighed. Of all his girls, Andrea never seemed to lose the attitude. Her mouth got her into more trouble than any behavior she exhibited.

At this time, Mitch pushed Andie’s shorts and panties down. He pulled her over his knee and wrapped his left arm around her waist. He lifted the wooden spoon he had brought in and began smacking her bare bottom and thighs.

{SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT}

“Owwwwwwwwwwww!” Andie cried.

{SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT}

“Dadddddddddy, I’s sorrrrrrry!” Andie screamed.

“I hope that this teaches you to never ever take risks like that again. You KNOW BETTER!”

Andie was sobbing. She had never gotten this bad a spanking before. Mitch then added a few extra hard ones across his daughter’s sit spots. {SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT}

“Owww, Daddddddy, that hurtttttttttttts!” she cried.

“It was meant to hurt, Andrea. Maybe now you’ll remember this lesson. I don’t EVER want to repeat it with you. Not EVER.”

Mitch thought about adding the belt as he had with Timmy, but then realized his daughter had had enough. He didn’t think she would ever do this again. So he let her up. Andie rubbed her tushie furiously. It actually hurt her hand. She was sobbing.

Mitch let her dance around for a few minutes. Then he pulled her close to him and looked right into her eyes. “If I ever hear of you doing this again; what you just got will seem like a cakewalk.”

Andrea nodded. She knew her daddy meant business. “I’s sorry, Daddy. Please don’t hate me.”

Mitch softened. “I don't hate you, Andie. I meant to teach you a lesson.” He kneeled and pulled her to him. She put her head in his lap and sobbed. She was crying so hard that no sound was coming out.

“I's sorrrry, Daddy. Can you ever forgive me?” Andie cried.

“Of course I forgive you, sport. But I want you to promise me you’ll never run out in the street ever again.”

“Oh, Daddy, I won’t. Not ever. I’s sorry.”

“I know you are. It’s all over now.”

Andie sniffled and rubbed her bottom again. “Daddy, it still hurts so much.”

“I know, sport, but you earned it,” Mitch said, adjusting her clothes. “Maybe it will keep you out of trouble.” He gave her one more big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Come on; let’s go see about some dinner.”

They had a quiet dinner that night; four of them sitting on pillows. There was no talk about what had happened that afternoon, but all were thinking about it.

The next morning, Mitch got up with the girls and made them breakfast. Timmy had gone home the night before after dinner. Mitch knew Timmy would be getting another spanking when his mother got him home. She was appalled at what he had done. Caryn had come home early that morning and had gone right to bed. Mitch would stay with the girls until she woke up later that afternoon.

When Caryn woke up, she headed to the kitchen for some coffee. Chrissy was sitting at the table. “Mommy!” she yelled, running for big hugs. “I’m glad you’re home, Mommy. Mommy, will you braid my hair?”

“Sure, princess. Let me just put butter on my toast.”

Jo-Jo came into the room. “Mommy’s hassing breakfast and it’s the afternoon,” she said giggling.

“That’s because she just woke up,” Chrissy informed her. Even though she was only 5, she liked to boss Jo-Jo around.

“Duhh, I know that!” Jo-Jo said.

Andie came into the room then. She saw her mommy and ran and hugged her tight. “I missed you, Mommy,” she told her.

“I missed all you girls,” Caryn said. Then she looked at Joanna and Andrea. “What were you two girls doing in the street?”

“Uh oh,” Chrissy exclaimed. “I’m outta here!” And before anyone could say another word, the little girl ran out of the room. Andie and Jo-Jo looked at each other and then up at their mother. She did not look happy.

“I asked you both a question,” their mother said.

So Andie took a deep breath and retold her mother the whole story. Then she bit her lip and looked at the floor.

“So you were in the street more than once, Andrea Renee?”

Andie nodded slowly. “4 times, but real fast-like.”

“You are not allowed in the street at all, little girl.”

“I know, but me and Timmy was pretty careful.”

“Andrea, you’re not allowed in the street at all,” Caryn repeated. “YOU’RE NOT EVEN ALLOWED OUT OF THE GATE. MOMMY IS VERY UPSET ABOUT THIS!” Caryn said a little too loudly.

Jo-Jo jumped. Andie just burst into tears. “I knowwwwww!” she sobbed.

“But the gate was left open,” Andie tried to explain. “And the ball went out.”

“Does that mean you can go out?” Caryn asked, lowering her voice a little. Mitch had heard her outburst but had stayed in the other room. He wasn’t even sure why he was still hanging around the house. He guessed because Caryn had mentioned she wanted to go to the hospital that afternoon, and he figured they could all go together, as a family.

“No, ma’am. I’s sorry,” Andie cried.

Caryn sat back down at the table. She looked at her daughters and shook her head. “You knew better, Andrea. You too, Joanna.”

“Yes, Mommy,” Jo-Jo said sadly.

“Are you going to spank us again?” Andie asked, sadly.

“I might. But not right now. After I eat my toast, we’re going to go visit Patty. I want you two to remember and see what could happen when you’re in the street,” Caryn said bitterly.

At that point Mitch came in the room and looked at Caryn. “Do you think that was really necessary?” he asked, putting his arm around his daughters. Before Caryn could respond, he led them out of the room.

Twenty minutes later, they all piled into Caryn’s minivan and headed downtown to the hospital. Mitch drove as Caryn was still very tired from her long night. The girls talked quietly in the car. Going to see their sister was always very draining.

Theresa and Rosanna went in first, with Mitch. They couldn’t all go in together as there were way too many of them. Chrissy and Andie played quietly in the hall. They were the closest of all the sisters. “I still can’t believe you did that,” Chrissy told Andie. Andie was getting tired of hearing how she knew better and just nodded. “I know.”

Mitch came out and talked quietly with Caryn. “They’re telling Patty what Andie, Timmy, and Jo-Jo did yesterday.”

“Really? Do you think that’s wise, Mitch?”

“It can’t hurt, can it?”

They hadn’t had any assurance that Patty understood anything they said to her. When she woke up out of the coma four months before, they were so happy. But then even after a few weeks, Patty didn’t talk or respond to anything they said or did. The doctors said they didn’t think there was any brain damage, but couldn’t understand why she didn’t speak or communicate. Sometimes just sitting and watching their once vibrant little girl was too much for Caryn and Mitch to bear.

Chrissy and Jo-Jo went in next. Andie asked if she could go in alone. No one knew why, but decided to grant the little girl her wish. When it was her turn, she walked up to the bed slowly.

“Patty?” she said quietly. She knew her big sister wouldn’t answer, but she still walked over and spoke hesitantly. “How come you rided your bike into the street?”

There was no answer. Andie continued. “It was pretty dumb. And you made Mommy and Daddy so upset. Now I can’t even go get my ball,” she reasoned.

Andie didn’t see but Patty blinked. Andie kept talking about what she had done the day before. “Mommy hates Daddy now. Her thinks it’s all hims fault that you’re here. He moved out. I want him to come home. And I want you to come home too,” Andie said, crying.

Mitch came over then and put his arms around Andie. “Oh, sweetie, Mommy doesn’t hate me,” he explained.

“Yes HER DOES!” Andie yelled. “I heard you talking. You said her blamed you for the accident.”

Mitch didn’t know what to say. It was true. He had accused Caryn of blaming him for Patty’s accident. Even though it could have happened while she was in charge, it hadn’t. Patty had been hurt while he was supposed to be watching her, so of course it was his fault.

“Stop.” It was so quiet that Mitch wondered if they had imagined they heard it. They both looked over at the little girl lying in the big hospital bed. Patty was staring at them. She looked no different than she had for the past several months. But something was different…her lips were moving.

Andie ran to the head of the bed. “Patty? You talked?”

Patty nodded her head. Mitch felt the tears coming out of his eyes even before he realized he was crying. He went over to the bed and took Patty’s hand. “Are you okay, pumpkin?”

“I feel funny,” she said.

“I’s going to go get Mommy!” Andie screamed. She ran from the room. A minute later, Caryn was next to the bed, as well as Chrissy, Rosanna, Terry, and Jo-Jo. They all crammed around so they could see their sister sitting up and talking.

No one hid their tears. They were so elated that Patty had woken up from wherever she had been. Caryn clutched her hand. “Hi sweetie,” she sobbed.

“There was a car, Mommy. It hit me,” Patty said sadly.

“Yes, pumpkin. You rode into the street. It was an accident.” Caryn couldn’t believe Patty remembered what happened. Of course she thought it just happened, instead of it being eleven months before.

“No,” Patty said.

“No? What do you mean no?” Caryn asked. “Of course it was. No car would mean to hit you, sweetie.”

The doctor came in then and ushered all the kids out of the room. He spoke to the nurse and checked vital signs and looked at monitors, and smiled and smiled and smiled. He was so happy that this girl had finally showed signs of normalcy. Out in the hall, Terry, Anna, Chrissy, Andie, and Jo-Jo jumped for joy. Their sister was going to be okay.

After the doctor was finished, all the girls came back into the room. They all talked quietly and laughed and played with Patty. It was as though she had been okay for some time. A bit later, Terry announced she was hungry. Mitch gave her a ten dollar bill and told her to take her sisters down to the cafeteria and get some snacks.

Alone with just her parents, Patty tried to sit up. She still didn’t know that the accident had happened almost a year before, but it was something she didn’t have to know for the moment. She had something to say and she was going to do it.

“Mommy? Daddy?” she said, tentatively.

“Yes, pumpkin?” Mitch asked, squeezing Caryn’s hand. They were both so ecstatic that she was going to be all right. The doctor even said that after a week of observation, they could probably take her home.

“It was a dare,” she blurted out.

“What? What was a dare?” Caryn asked, confused.

“Riding into the street,” Patty explained. “Kenneth dared me to do it.”

“I don’t understand,” Caryn said.

“Me and Kenneth were riding bikes the other day,” Patty said, still thinking her accident was days ago, not months. “He dared me to ride from one side of the street to the other and back again. He didn’t think I’d do it. He thought I was chicken. I couldn’t let him think that. I just couldn’t. So I did it. That’s when the car hit me.”

Mitch and Caryn stared at each other and then looked down at Patty. They didn’t know what to say. Never in the whole eleven months had they seen Patty’s friend, Kenneth. He hadn’t come by; he hadn’t explained.

“That was a very foolish thing to have done, young lady,” Caryn scolded.

“Are you going to spank me?” Patty asked tentatively.

Mitch and Caryn exchanged a look. Mitch spoke, “We should, but we aren’t going to.”

“How come?” Patty asked. She was shocked.

“Mommy and I are just so glad that you’re okay, pumpkin.”

“But…”

“You need to rest now, sweetie. Daddy and I have to talk and we have plans to make about you coming home. We’ll see you in the morning,” Caryn said, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

“Okay,” Patty said. “Good night, Mommy. Good night, Daddy.”

“Nite, pumpkin.” Caryn and Mitch walked out of her hospital room hand in hand.

There was so much to do. So many plans to make. So much to talk about and decide. But right now Mitch and Caryn were going to find their girls and celebrate.

The end. (for now)