Bonnie's New Home

[baby_snow_white]

Bonnie and the other 5 girls start chattering like monkeys. People walking by looks at the girls and Tracy. She looks at Tracy. "I hope not. They already hurt Jayme once and put her into the wheelchair."

Brenda nods. "This is getting more interesting and strange by the minute."

The lady behind the counter nods. "Is the person a lost child?"

Joe comes walking up to the front when she sees Brenda standing at the service desk. "What is everyone doing up here?"

[robehouse]

"two of them are. There are actually three lost people. One person in a wheelchair and two little girls sitting on her lap. If you could please page Jayme, Dinah and Angel to the service desk?"

Tracy turns to Joe. "We have lost three members of our party. Jayme is missing with Dinah and Angel. The last time I saw them was when we got out of the car. I honestly don't remember them following us to the service desk."

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The lady shakes her head. "We can't page adults to the front. Only lost children. I'm sorry I can't help you."

Joe nods. "Oh ok. I saw them over in the health and beauty section while I was shopping. She was looking at the incontinent briefs. One of the girls looks like they was asleep and the other was walking beside the one in the wheelchair getting things off the shelves and then putting it back when the lady told her. Is the one in the wheelchair deaf? I saw her signing to the girl who was getting things for her?"

[robehouse]

"that's too bad."

"You did? That's great. The girls thought they might have been kidnapped. No the woman in the wheelchair isn't deaf, but both of the girls that are with her are. She knows sign language so she can communicate with them. I need to learn sign language so I can talk to them as well."

"I'll be right back," Tracy says to Brenda and Joe as she takes off with all of the girls following her. She finds Jayme still in the health and beauty section.

"Are you about ready to go? I think I have everything I came here for," Tracy says "Just put what you are buying in my shopping cart and I'll pay for it."

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Jayme turns around with a sleeping Angel on her lap. "Oh there you are. We got lost from the rest of you. Angel and Dinah was thristy. So I took them over to the water fountain so they could get some water. When we got back. All of you was gone. We tried to find you,but we couldn't. So I took Dinah and Angel with me over here to look at the incontinent briefs." She has Dinah put the pack of briefs and the wipes in the cart. Dinah notices the toys in the cart. She signs to Jayme. "Dinah wants to know why there are toys in the cart?"

[robehouse]

"Oh, I am sorry. I should have made sure you were following us. I guess we did walk pretty fast. Oh well, we found you."

"Tell Dinah I allowed the girls to pick out one toy a piece. If she wants we can go back to the toy department and she can choose one toy that she wants to play with. I would let Angel get one, but she looks worn out. Unless you think it would be okay to wake her up."

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Jayme nods. "Well that's ok. The important thing is you found me." She looks down at Angel. "No she has had a busy day. I think it would be best to let her sleep. She can get something later." Jayme tells Dinah that Tracy allowed the girls to get a toy and she can get one if she wants to. She sees Dinah heading towards the toys. "I'll meet you up front after Dinah gets her toy."

[robehouse]

Tracy smiles as she looks at Angel sleeping on Jayme's lap with her thumb in her mouth.

"Let Dinah get anything she wants. I didn't set any limits on any of the girls toys as you can probably tell. We'll wait by the service desk for you."

Tracy pushes the shopping cart up to the service desk, making sure the girls were following her.

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Dinah walks back and forth between the baby dolls and Barbies. She finally decides on a Barbie doll. Dinah smiles wide as she leaves the toy department with her barbie gripped tightly in her arms. This was the happiest day of her life. She was away from the children's home and she had a toy of her own. Jayme follows behind her saying excuse her as Dinah ran into people as she skipped down the aisle to the service desk.

Bonnie looks at Tracy. "Mommy, I'm bored. Couldn't Dinah waited until we came back to get her toy? We was already to go. It isn't our fault that Dinah and Angel didn't keep up with us." She rubs her eyes and yawns a little.

Brenda looks at Bonnie and then at Tracy. "You have a tired little girl. That is the beginning of a tantrum. When kids get tired. They get cranky. Which leads to a tantrum."

[robehouse]

"Bonnie, it's only fair that we let Dinah get a toy since all of the rest of you girls got to pick out one. and before you say it I know that life isn't fair." Tracy smiles as she sees Bonnie start to yawn. She reaches down and lifts Bonnie up in her arms and lays Bonnie's head on her shoulder. She starts rubbing Bonnie's back.

"Yes, I hope she lasts until we are out of the store."

Tracy saw Dinah skipping down the aisle with a smile on her face. It was the happiest she had seen her since she had first seen her playing with Angel in the playroom at the agency building. Tracy looked to see what she was holding that was making her so happy. All she saw was a Barbie doll. Tracy smiled and took the Barbie Doll from Dinah and put it in the cart.

Tracy leads everyone up to the checkout carrying Bonnie with one arm and pushing the cart in front of her. When she reaches the checkouts Tracy puts everything they were buying on the counter, including the Barbie mansion from underneath. Tracy hands the cashier the paper with the upc codes for the cribs and high chairs. The Cashier picks up the phone and makes a call and then rings up everything. She puts the packages in the shopping cart and goes towards the door. She sees three flat carts loaded up with her cribs and high chairs. Tracy waited at the door for Brenda and Joe and Wanda.

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Bonnie nods. Yeah I guess so." She snuggles in close on Tracy's shoulder.

Jayme looks at Tracy. "Looks like we both have a sleeping girl. Angel in my lap and Bonnie on your shoulder."

Brenda comes walking over with Wanda in her arms. Wanda looks at Tracy. "Bonnie sleepy?"

Brenda nods. "Yes Sweetie. Bonnie is sleepy. She had a long day."

Joe walks over. "Are my ladies ready to go?"

[robehouse]

Tracy follows Brenda, Joe and Wanda out to car, followed closely by the girls and three stock people bringing the flat carts with them. Tracy opens the back of the car and then carries Bonnie around to the side. She opens the car and slips Bonnie in her seat and fastens the seatbelt. She waits until the other girls get in the car and buckles their seatbelt. Finally she carefully picks Angel up and sets her in the car and buckles her belt. She helps Jayme into the car and wheels the wheelchair around back. Joe has just finished loading the high chairs in the back of Tracy's car. he spots the wheelchair and takes it from Tracy. Joe folds the wheelchair and slides it on top of the highchairs.

"Well aren't you the gentleman," Tracy says with a smile.

Tracy watches as Joe and one of the stock persons line up the cribs in his pickup truck. He puts a bungee cord over the cribs and raises the tailgate.

"Lets get this show on the road," Joe calls out.

Tracy smiles and gets in the car after emptying the shopping cart. She starts the car and drives home.

[baby_snow_white]

Angel starts to cry in her sleep. April looks at at Angel and then at Tracy. "Mommy, I think there is something wrong. Angel is crying,but she is asleep. Should I wake her up or just let her sleep and continue to cry?"

Joe pulls into Tracy's driveway and pulls up far enough so Tracy can get in behind her. He starts to upload the cribs. "What do you want me to do with the cribs? Where is there bedrooms?"

Brenda helps Tracy get the highchairs out of the back. "Should we take the highchairs into your house or take them over to my house?" The girls get out of the SUV after Tracy lets them out.

[robehouse]

Tracy looks in the rearview mirror. She can see Angel crying in her seat. Not sure what to do, she decides to ask Jayme.

"What do you think, Jayme? Do you think it would be better to let Angel sleep or wake her up and console her.? Since you are sitting next to her I'll let you decide."

When they reached home, Tracy got out and pulled the wheelchair out of the car and brought it around to the side and then helped Brenda stack the high chairs on the ground outside the car. She moved when Joe pulled his pickup up the driveway and close to the house.

"The girls really need the high chairs to eat in. If they sit in a normal chair they can't reach the table very well. I guess we will take the high chairs over to your house after we get the cribs inside."

"The girls room is upstairs. It is the only one that is big enough for six of them to sleep in. Two of them will go into the smaller bedroom just down the hall from the big bedroom."

Joes grabs a crib and waits for Tracy to open the door. She leads him upstairs to the girls bedroom. He sets the crib down on the floor and turns to go down for another one.

"I really need these cribs set up tonight so the girls will have some place to sleep. It is really going to be hard doing it by myself," Tracy told Joe with a sad look in her eyes and a fake frown.

[baby_snow_white]

Jayme looks over at Angel. "We'll let her sleep until we get home. Then I'll find out what is the matter."

Brenda nods. "Ok. We'll take the highchairs to the house while Joe puts the cribs together."

Joe smiles. "Thanks alot. Give me the hard job." He moves the last box up the stairs and puts it into the bedroom. "I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail. I've got to go get my toolbox." Joe goes down the stairs and comes back 10 minutes later with his tool box. He looks at the girls. "Does anyone want to be my little helper?

Emily raises her hand. "I'll help."

Mary raises her hand. "I'll help too."

Joe nods. "Ok ladies. The two of you can be my helpers. Can either of you read japanese?"

Mary and Emily laugh. "We can't read at all." They follow Joe up the stairs while the rest of the girls follow Jayme,Tracy and Brenda to Brenda's house. Jayme lays the sleeping Angel and Bonnie on the couch and covers them up.

[robehouse]

Tracy breathes a sigh of relief as Joe is "volunteered" to put the cribs together. She felt bad taking advantage of her best friends like this. Tracy and Brenda moved all the high chairs to the other house, including the Diego chair from inside Tracy's house.

"I feel so awful taking advantage of you and Joe like this, Brenda. I really do appreciate it," Tracy said.

Tracy turns to Jayme. "Can you watch the girls for a little while? I want to have a talk with Brenda."

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Brenda shakes her head. "Don't feel bad about it. That is what neighbors should do for each other. They should help one another out when they need it. I can't count the times you have watched Wanda for me while I'm out running errands. This is just paying you back for all the kindness you have shown us. Besides I think of you more than just a neighbor. We are like sisters and sisters should help out when they can."

Jayme nods. "Yes I can watch the girls. Two of them isn't going to be too hard. They are asleep."

Brenda looks at Wanda. "Sweetie, why don't you take Tracy's little girls up to your playroom and play with them. I'm sure they would like that."

Wanda gets up off the floor. "Yes Mommy." She takes all the girls upstairs to her room except for Dinah. She sets on the floor next to Jayme's wheelchair. Jayme tells Dinah that the others are going upstairs to play in Wanda's playroom. Dinah signs back that she doesn't want to go play. She is afraid to go. Jayme tells her it is ok and she can stay with her while she keeps an eye on Bonnie and Angel.

Brenda sets down at the table and helps Tracy put the highchairs together. "I'm all ears if you want to talk."

[robehouse]

Tracy recounts the story of how she adopted Bonnie and her sisters. She tells Brenda about the Children's home and everything they did to to the girls. Tracy explains about the Department of Children and Family services and how Bonnie was instrumental in getting the other girls out of the home. She relates how Jayme was taken and how she was treated because she was a snitch. Tracy explains why she decided to adopt all of the girls and then how April was brought into the fold. A half hour later she was finished with the story just as they got the last high chair put together.

"So that is basically what happened. What do you think?" Tracy wondered as she slid the tray on the last high chair.

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Brenda shakes her head as Tracy talks. "Good grief. I had no idea the girls had been though so much. It explains alot. Like why Bonnie is so short and looks so young, Why she acts like a toddler. Why they don't trust people and why Bonnie was so panicky when we couldn't find Jayme,Dinah and Angel. I would like to ring the people who was responible for this. That is no way to treat children. What they did to those other girls was disgusting. Giving them homones to make their breast bigger and fill up with milk so they could be milked like cows. That is really low and disgusting. They have probably messed up those girls' normal development for the rest of their lives. If you will excuse me. I need to step outside for a moment to cool off." Brenda gets up from the table and walks outside on the deck. She stands there calming down and watching the fountain change color. After 15 minutes of calming down. She walks back inside and sets down at the table. "That is one brave little girl you have in Bonnie. I don't know too many who would have that kind of courage and bravery."

[robehouse]

"Yes I agree with you. However she would say it was Molly who was brave. Bonnie could not have done anything she did if Molly had not been by her side. They are a team. Molly is all those girls courage. If any of the girls are scared then Molly comes to help them through it."

While Brenda was outside Tracy opened one of the bags she had brought in with her. She took bibs out of the bags and placed them on the tray of the high chair so they would be ready when dinner time came. When she was done she walked out to the living room and smiled at how cute Angel and Bonnie looked curled up on the couch with their thumbs in their mouth as they slept.

"They are so adorable when they are asleep. Have you checked their diapers lately?" Tracy asked Jayme.

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Brenda laughs. "It isn't adorable how little kids think their stuffed animals are real and have lives of their own. We both know it isn't true. Stuffed animals are no more real than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. It isn't Molly that is brave or has courage. It is already inside of them and they are just using Molly as the means of letting the own bravery and courage out." Dinah gets bored setting on the floor and starts to walk around the house looking. She sees the fountain outside and Dinah opens the door. She walks out on the deck and sets down in front of the railing. Dinah watches the fountain change colors and shapes as it goes though it's cycle.

Jayme nods. "Yes they are both wet,but I'm afraid to move them because they might wake up and be grumpy. Speaking of Grumpy. Is Dinah in the kitchen with you and Brenda?

[robehouse]

"You better never let Bonnie or any of the other girls hear you talk like that if you want to be their friend. They are as real to them as we are. If that is what it takes for Bonnie to be courageous, then so be it. I wonder how Joe is getting along on the cribs?

"No, I haven't seen Dinah since she sat down next to you in the living room. Do you think she may have gone upstairs to be with the other girls?"

[baby_snow_white]

Brenda nods. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just commenting on the fact that little kids think their stuffed animals are real and living beings. I'm seem to keep sticking my foot in my mouth when it comes to your girls." She shrugs. "I don't know. With his two helpers. They might have one crib done."

Jayme shakes her head. "I don't know. She said she was afraid to go upstairs because we might both leave her here with these strange people and their daughter."

Joe walks in with Mary in one arm and Emily in the other. Mighty Joe and his little helpers are back. We have all 8 cribs together and in the rooms. You can arrange them however you want to. Your little girls was a big help. They got the pieces I needed as I asked for them. With my help with the electric screwdriver. Each of the put a crib together. It was a big thrill for them."

Brenda smiles at Emily and Mary. "If you two want to. Your sisters are upstairs playing with Wanda. You can go up and play with them." The two of them go running up the stairs. The sound woke up Bonnie and when she stretched out. She kicked Angel in the chin. Angel woke up and started crying. She was holding her thumb and there was a little blood on her upper lip where her tooth cut her lip. Jayme looked at Angel's thumb and didn't see any blood from a cut. She took a tissue out and held it to Angel's lip to get the blood to stop flowing.

Bonnie looks over at Angel and then passes out at the sight of blood. Joe grabbed her before she fell and hit her head on the coffee table. Joe looks up at Tracy. "After things at the circus calms down. I have something to tell you."

[robehouse]

"Don't worry about it. I guess we both have done that today. I guess it's good we are such good friends to begin with. I hope they are further along than that. I am getting hungry and that spaghetti sauce is smelling really good."

"I don't think she could go far. You would have noticed if she had gotten the front door open and walked out. If she wandered out back, we don't have to worry about her getting into the pool area. They have a lock on the gate. I'll go look for her in the backyard."

Tracy smiles as Joe entered the house with Mary and Emily in his arms. She is relieved to hear that they have all the cribs together. Now the girls would have a place to sleep tonight. "It sounds like I have a couple of handymen on my hands. If anything breaks down I won't have to call a professional out."

Tracy sees Bonnie kick Angel in the mouth and rushes over. She watches as Jayme puts the tissue up against Angel's lip and Bonnie passing out. Tracy takes Bonnie from Joe and sits down. She starts patting Bonnie's face and looks up at Joe.

"I hope it's not bad news. I have had enough of that in the past few days."

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Brenda nods. "Yes the sauce does smell good." I'll go look and see if she is upstairs with the other girls."

Joe nods. "Yes you have a couple of handymen. Though I think the correct term would be Handyperson." He shakes his head. "No it isn't bad news. It was kind of cute. We was putting the cribs together and I asked Emily to go get the bag of bolts for Bonnie's crib and she said ok daddy. Emily quickly covered her mouth and blushed. I told her it was ok with me if she called me daddy.

Bonnie starts to wake up. "Hello mommy." She looks around. "Where is everyone at?"

Jayme goes towards the door that leads to the deck. "I found Dinah. You have to come see this. Dinah is setting with her legs though the railing and watching the water. She was signing the colors the fountain was making.