Chapter 51

David and Brie decided to give Reece a little extra time with the kids and went for a walk after dinner. It was just a short walk down the drive and back to the house, but it was honestly the only alone time that they'd had together in a few months. They loved each and every one of their grandkids but even they had times when they needed a break.

As they walked, they enjoyed the silence.  It was rare for them to have a quiet moment to just enjoy being together.  They’d had to except that when they had ten kids.  She tucked herself against his side and sighed.  He looked down at her.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing really.  Just worried.”

“About?”

“Jordan.  She’s gone through so much and everything is just crashing down on her all at once.”

“I know, but Delilah is working with her one some relaxation techniques to deal with the nightmares and Jake is willing to sedate her tonight if need be so that she gets a restful night’s sleep in order to deal with her business tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah, she’s got to call her attorney to find out about meeting with Davina’s attorney and going to court.”

“Yep.  That’s the plan.  She’s not looking forward to the conversation with her attorney.  And from what I understand Davina’s parents, though they’ve been told that Davina lied to them, are still pushing her to sue for custody of only Jasmine.  They don’t want anything to do with Levi.”

“What?  That’s ridiculous.  Why ever for?”

“

Davina pulled the wool over their eyes again.”

“This is ridiculous.  Is this what we get for being nice people?  People lie and take advantage of us?”

“The truth will come out in court, baby.  The judge that draws the case will see what we’re actually like.”

“Do you think that the attorney will want us to take the stand in all of this?”

“Maybe because we’re the kids’ guardians ad litem.  We’ve had legal possession of them for the last few months.  We know what’s in their best interests.”

She nodded.  “Lucky you almost went to law school, huh?” she giggled.

He shrugged.  “I suppose.  Too bad if I had I would have gone into Criminal Defense law rather than Family Law.”

She leaned her head against his chest with a sigh.  “I just can’t wait until this nightmare is over for everyone involved.”

“You and me both.  I can’t wait until this is over and Levi and Jasmine can go back to having a normal life.”

“Have those poor children ever known what normal is?”

He shook his head with a sigh.  “I don’t think they have and that’s all Jordan wants for them.”

“I know, because that all we wanted for her and her siblings.”  She looked up at him and pulled them to a stop.  “David, putting the fact that Jordan is our child aside, who do you think had Levi and Jasmine’s best interests at heart?”

“Putting the fact that Jordan is our daughter aside?”

“Yes.”

“Jordan, hands down.  She wants them to be normal.  She wants them to be together.  Davina wants to break them up.  Jordan and Reece are what’s best for those kids.”

She nodded.  “Ok.  I just wanted to make sure that we’re on the same page.”

He smiled at her softly.  “When aren’t we on the same page?”

She laughed.  “Very true.  I have to admit, you got me there.”

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When David and Brie made their way back out to the cottage, Reece was sitting in the spare room reading a book to the kids.  It was an old Dr. Seuss book that they’d read a million times to their children when they were all small.  They stood in the door way and just listened for a few moments.  When Reece closed the book and made his way out he looked surprised when he spotted the kids’ grandparents and he jumped.  “How long have you two been standing there?”

They grinned.  “Not in a box, not with a fox, Not in a house, not with a mouse.  I would not eat them here or there, I would not eat them anywhere.  I would not eat green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I am”, David chuckled.

“I’m sorry.  Jasmine found it in a box in the closet and asked me to read it to them.”

“Don’t apologize Reece”, Brie said with a motherly smile.  “It just brought back a lot of memories to hear you reading that to them.”

“That one and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.” David smiled.

“Horton Hears A Who.”

“Geez.  Fond memories, huh?” Reece asked with a chuckle.

“Many of them.  There are times when we miss our kids being small and reading those books to them, but then again we do have the grandkids.”

Reece smiled.  “That’s very true.” He sighed.  “Thank you for letting me hang out here with them.  I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem”, Brie said.  “If we’re not here who are they safer with than you?”

Reece couldn’t help but smile.  “Thank you.  That means a great deal to me.”

“It’s not a problem.  Are they asleep?” David asked.

“Yeah.  They’re down for the night, I think.”

“Good news, that”, Brie said with a sigh.

“That’s for sure.”  David looked at Reece.  “You about to head back to the house?”

“Yeah, I think so.  I need a shower.”

“Good idea.  Jordan may be in need of your shoulder later.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s having a rough go of it still.  She’s too proud to ask for help, but she may need you to let her cry on your shoulder”, Brie said softly.

“She must really hate herself right now.”

“She’s willing to fake it in front of her brothers and sisters, but she feels horrible.  She feels weak, mostly, and that’s what she hates most.  She’s always been a strong girl, but right now she feels like the powers that be hate her.”

“Not good.  I’ll head in and hold her for the night.  If she wants to cry, she’s more than welcome to cry on my shoulder.  I’m good with that.”

“You’re a good guy, Reece.  I can see why she asked you to be the father of those children”, David said with a nod.

“She didn’t ask.  I offered.”

“That makes you an even better man in my eyes, then.”  He yawned and shook his head.  “Well, we’ll see you in the morning.  We’re probably going to head on to bed.  Have a good night, Reece.”

“And you as well, David and Brie.” 

Reece grabbed the key to his ATV and headed out the door.  Once they heard the motor roar off into the distance, they decided to get comfortable and head to bed.  They’d had an interesting couple of days and it was time for it to end.  Once they had settled into bed it wasn’t long before David and Brie Draiman had drifted off to sleep.

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Jordan was sitting on her bed watching a movie that had not violence in it what so ever.  It was a romantic comedy that Makayla had recommended.  Usually, Jordan preferred hard hitting action or super gory horror, but considering the fact that she was living her very own horror movie at the moment, she really didn’t want to watch one.

When Reece walked into the room, she gave him confusion. "Where were you at dinner?" she asked.

"I was out at your parents' cottage with the kids. Cooked them dinner and read them Green Eggs and Ham until they fell asleep."

She smiled sadly. "Too bad I couldn't be out there. That would have been a sight to see."

He smiled. "Your parents seemed to think so. They were reminiscent about when you and your brothers and sisters were younger. Your dad even quoted the book to me."

"Green Eggs and Ham was my favorite growing up. Jake was a One Fish Two Fish guy. I think it's because he's fucking OCD". She laughed genuinely. "Either that or he's anal retentive."

"Well, he is a Neurologist. They tend to be anal retentive. I mean, he is dealing with the nervous system". He got comfy and climbed into bed with her.

Once he was settled in, she curled up against his side and laid her head against his chest with a heavy sigh. "When is this nightmare going to end?" she asked as her voice started to crack. Her emotions were running high that night.

He wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders and squeezed her gently. "I don't know Jord. But, no matter how long it lasts I'm here for you".

She sniffled and took a shuddering breath. "I want to see my babies, Reece." She started to cry.

"Shh, I know babe. They want to see you too. Levi is really, really worried about you. He's not used to not being able to take care of you."

"Jasmine must be freaking out too."

"She is. That baby loves you Jordan. She really does".

She sobbed heavily into the shoulder of the man who held her in his arms. All she wanted was to see and hold her children. They were more important to her than anything else in the world. They were more important to her than her own life. She wanted her babies more than she wanted anything in the world.

All Reece could do was lie there and hold her as she cried. He knew that her heart was breaking and that she was tormented by the things that she had done the night before. It wasn't something that she was proud of and he knew it. But, in order for all of them to live the lives that they chose, what was done had to be done. There was no avoiding it. Eventually she would see that. Right now, she hated herself too much to realize it.

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Jake and Delilah were sitting downstairs and trying to watch a movie to distract them from the things going on with Jordan. Everyone wax worried. Finally, after sitting in silence for most of the movie, Delilah spoke. "Jake, do you think that Jordan is going to be ok?"

Jake sighed. "I don't know, Lilah. I really can't say right now. I hope so. Unfortunately psychology isn't my field of expertise. I'm primarily a neurologist, though I'm trained in obstetrics and emergency medicine as well."

"I don't want your professional opinion, Jacob. I want your personal opinion as her brother."

He sighed again. "As her brother all I can say is that I pray so. All I want is for Jordan to be ok after all of the things she's been through."

"I'm scared for her."

"We all are. She's got a lot she has to deal with now and it's all happening all at once."

"Other than what Mom and Dad have asked of us, is there anything that we can do?"

"Help them out by taking Levi and Jasmine off of their hands. Motivate the more reluctant of my siblings to do the same. I know that Jeremiah and Jona will help out as much as they can but the others maybe difficult to get to help out. Apparently Maddie was complaining that we need a schedule set up for when who will help out. Dad told everyone to make time."

"Us making time won't be that big of an issue. I've always got time to help out with our nieces and nephews."

He smiled. Of all of the things she could have said in that moment, that meant the most to him. "Thank you baby. I don't think there's anything that you could have said in this moment that would have warmed my heart more than that. You are truly a one in a million."

"Jacob, they're just as much my family as they are yours. Of course I'll do anything for them. Hell, your parents are the only parents I know."

He chuckled. "I know, Lilah my love. But you saying that you always have time for our nieces and nephews is what made me smile."

"Well if I always have time for brothers and sisters then why wouldn't I have time for their children? But, Mom and Dad take precedence."

"I think they'll insist that the kids come first."

"I know. And that's how it will go. Kids, them, you, your siblings. That's the pecking order."

"Our kids are included in the kids part right?"

She looked at him like he was stupid. "Of course I did. Our kids come before everyone else's. The only exception to that might be Jordan's kids and they would rank with our kids because Jordan can't take care of them herself right now."

"Have I told you recently how completely awesome you are?"

She smiled. "Only every time you get the chance to. I've come to expect it quite regularly to be perfectly honest."

"Well gorgeous, I hope I don't let you down."