What They Missed (Private with Ishigreensa)

[lebeau13]

Evie smiles as Susan handed her Lilly and rubbed her green hair with her fingers from her mouth and quietly asks her shoe “are you okay Lilly?” and then as she stops bring her shoe’s hair she puts her two fingers back into her mouth. As she looks at Susan she asks her “you take good care of Moe?” with her fingers still in her mouth.

As Dean gets into the small room the kids shared he lets David down and he sees David grab four socks. He isn’t sure why these socks are special, but then soon realizes that they have faces. It all makes sense to him now that David explains they had no toys. He bends down to his small boy and reassures him “of course you can bring them with you. I don’t want to leave anything behind that you want to bring. These puppets are cool, you sure have talent. Do they have names?”

After David says their names to him, Dean wants to have a quick talk with his new boy, “David, I know you are confused about my rules. My one main rule is that I want you to be comfortable in asking me to go potty, no matter where we are. It’s that simple, but if your body thinks that wearing pull-ups or diapers means that you have to use them then follow your body, but I want you to know that it is okay with me if they are dry and you need to use the potty.” He pulls David into a hug and then picks him up. “Do you have any questions for me while the girls are by themselves?” He asks him as he holds David close to his chest.

As he picks up David he carries him down the steps, he feels David’s head on his shoulder and he smiles and rubs his back, as Dean stepped off the last step he saw Susan bent over some papers reading and he approaches her, he puts his right hand in her lower back and asks “whatcha reading sweetheart?”

After she answers him he looks down and reads the reports for himself. The reports about David are sad, but the ones about Evie are even more worrisome:

 

“Small girl only goes to the bathroom if brother allows it and can come in and supervise her and 98% of the time they were at the house. If they were on the road she wouldn’t hold it at all and never tried to make it to the bathroom.

“Some of the later foster parents noticed that when Evelyn and David used the restroom they were in there for an abnormal amount of time and when they left the bathroom was a disaster, urine all over the floor and toilet. She often didn’t poop during the day was there was an added note to look for some health issue regarding her not pooping enough and to see if she was healthy. There is another note saying not to trust the kids alone in the bathroom together since they always leave it a mess, and to keep Evelyn in diapers since she can’t keep herself dry.”

What the foster system didn’t know was that David only took his sister, when she had to poop, in the middle of the night or when the other were too busy to notice them gone for awhile, when Evie could take her time and poop in the potty instead of in her pants since she hated that feeling. So the later two foster parents noticed that she didn’t poop at all except for when they were on long car rides.

When Evelyn needed to pee and her brother thought she could have enough time he often let her pee standing up which grossed her out, how was her pee supposed to go through the air like her brothers did and when it just ran down her legs she got frustrated when David would just put her on the toilet and make her pee like that, she wanted to do it right and if her pee pee isn’t growing then something must not be right. She was always worried about not growing right but never says anything to anyone.

 

As they finish reading the papers together Dean agrees with Susan’s thoughts that the kids just need shown love and compassion for their issues not violence and hatred. 

Evie was listening as she was being held and smiles at this new woman, ‘she really seems to care for me’ Evie thinks to herself. She then sees David being held by Dean and smiles at her brother with her fingers still in her mouth.

[Ishigreensa]

David reached out to Evie, and he made to pat her back, if Dean let him, but he didn't want to get down, either.

He wasn't sure what was going on, but these people didn't yell at them all the time.  Dean told him that he had a rule that David should tell him if he peed or needed to pee.  He nodded not sure if he could really do that yet, or not, but he didn't look like it was a big deal either way.  He seemed to explain that it was okay to just do whatever made him comfortable.  Well, wetting his pants was not comfortable, even with a diaper on.  Maybe he would tell Dean... maybe.  So he could stop, if he really was being honest about stopping.

Susan hugged her little girl even tighter after she read about her problems.  She didn't know how a little one could not poop at all at home, but end up doing so when she was in the car on long trips, but it was a little scary to think she was trying to hold it all the time.  She also didn't understand about her not going unless David told her that she could go.  She hoped that David wasn't bullying his sister, but then, his sister seemed be happier and more secure when David was around....  She picked up the papers to review later after Dean was done reading them.

"Well, are we ready to go?" she asked Dean.  "How about we take our little ones to lunch before we leave town?"

Susan carried Evie out to the car on her hip, and she as she did so, she showed Evie that she still had Moe.

"See?  I still have your boy," she told her just as she put her down by the car so she could open the door for her.  She handed her Moe before she went to open the door, and then she helped her baby into the car, and put her in the car seat.  They only had one car seat, and she was a bit worried that the kids were not the proper weight or height to sit without one.  Hopefully, David could manage without one.

Once in the car, David reached over and took his sister by the hand and whispered to her.

"Tell me if you gotta poop," he told her.  "If it feels safe, I'll ask if we can pull over for you.  Dean says he'll let me pee outside if I gotta go, so he might let you poop, too.  Maybe?  if he doesn't, then just go in your diaper, okay?"

He smiled at her.

"But I think he might let you.  He's been nice since we met them, and Susan seems to be holding you a lot and making sure you aren't hurt."

[lebeau13]

(How is Susan holding Evie? On her hip or is she holding her so Evie is facing her face to face?)

Maybe David didn’t want to tell him their names yet. That is okay with him, he will learn them soon enough.

Dean feels David lean over and sees him trying to rub his sisters back he side steps more and lets the siblings have contact with each other, he didn’t want to strain or break their super strong bond.

As Evelyn feels her brothers little hand on her back she also feels Susan hug her tighter, she didn’t know what the report says, she can’t read that well anyways she barely even knows how to write her full name properly.

”I think lunch is a great idea Susan, does lunch sound like a good idea David? Do you and Evie really like anything? Chicken nuggets? Cheeseburgers? Nachos?” He asks as he rubs his back.

Evie likes chicken nuggets and nods her little head as he says chicken but then soon he changes his mind and doesn’t know what she wants. Why is he being so confusing to her? She just lays her head down on Susan’s chest

But before they go anywhere Dean turns his head and asks David “I know you just went potty, but do you want to try to go before we go to lunch?” He didn’t want his boy to have an accident on their very first car ride together as a family.

[Ishigreensa]

David looked up at Dean for a minute trying to figure him out.  Dean put him in a diaper, well a pull up, and now, he was asking if David wanted to use the toilet?  Dean was very different from everyone else that they had come in contact with.  A diaper was supposed to be used, but Dean didn't seem to think so.  If he messied his underwear, he was supposed to get hit, but Dean didn't so much as yell at him.  What was going on with this guy?

David nodded and went to the toilet and started to pull down his pants, but then he paused.  He wasn't supposed to pull down his diaper, was he?  Little kids were not allowed to touch their diapers, right?

He looked back at Dean.

"Help?" he whispered up at him.

 

Susan held her little girl near David while he tried to pee.  She didn't want either of the children to get upset if one of them couldn't see the other one.  While she held her little girl so she could see that David wasn't being hurt, she whispered to her.

"You are a good girl, honey," she said.  "Mommy and daddy are going to take good care of our good little kids."

 

David looked up at Dean after he helped get him ready to use the toilet, if Dean helped him, and he asked.

"How come you asked us if we like chicken, and then hamburgers, and then nachos?" he asked.  "No one asks us what we like.  They give it us, and if we eat it, good, and if not, then we don't eat.  That's how it's 'apposed to be, isn't it?"

He started to pee into the toilet whether Dean helped him, or encouraged him to pull down the diaper himself.

When he was done peeing in the toilet, he walked over to Susan and tapped Evie on the leg.

"You want to try to poop here?" he asked her.  "Or do you gotta go?"

He decided to give his sister the same chance Dean gave him, especially since he didn't think she's pooped for a day or two, and might need to go.

[lebeau13]

Dean went to the bathroom and lowered David from his arms, he watched him pull down his pants but then he stopped and hesitated. Soon he was asked for help and he bent down and nodded “of course I can help, what kind of dad would I be if I didn’t help?” He pulls down the pull-up and picked David up and sat him on the toilet. He says to David as he lifts him “you can sit on here just in case there you have any more poop inside you. Then I will help you down, if you need it.”

Dean waits until David is finished with his business. He doesn’t want to rush him so he waits until he is called for but answers his question. “I asked you so you could have a choice. Sometimes mommies and daddies decide what we are eating but sometimes it’s fun if you can choose. We want to give you a treat and have you decide where we eat, we don’t want to take you somewhere you don’t like.”

Evie has her ear over Susan’s heart and can hear her heart beating, it soothes her almost as much as her fingers in her mouth. She is relaxed and calm and doesn’t want to get down from her safety. Evie shakes her head no, that she doesn’t want to go potty here, she has the feeling but doesn’t want to get down in fear that she won’t be picked up again.

[Ishigreensa]

David looked up at him, causing him to lose concentration of where he was peeing, and it popped out and squirted up in the air for a minute before he tucked it back down into the toilet.

"So we can go have nachos?" he asked.

It wasn't really much of a squirt to speak of, but to David, he knew if it were one of those other people, they would have pulled him off of the toilet and swatted him for the mistake, but somehow, he got the feeling that Dean wasn't going to do that.  Though he didn't really know why he felt like he knew that.

He looked up at his sister in Susan's arms and he smiled.

"You want some burritos or something like that?" he asked.  "Or do you want chicken?"

He figured that he should let his sister choose, if Dean was really going to let them pick.

 

Susan didn't know that her little one was holding it, and was just scared she wouldn't be picked up again, so she continued to hold her and waited for David to let Dean know he was ready to go.

David got off the toilet and he started to pull up his pants, when again, he stopped because of the pull up, diaper.  He wasn't supposed to touch it.  Everyone said so.

Then he looked up at Dean, waiting for him to help.

[lebeau13]

Dean smiles as he watches David’s little spurt off pee go into the air. He just calmly grabs some toilet paper off the roll and cleans David up.

”of course we can have nachos buddy. It’s up to you where we go to eat.” He wipes David’s legs as he answer him “it’s okay I’ll clean you up. We all have accidents.” He then steps back and let’s David finish.

Evie was surprised that her brother asked her what she wanted to eat, she blushed and shrugged her shoulders. Then she remembers she likes those cheese thingys and she pulls her fingers out of her mouth and says quietly “do they have those cheesy triangle things and those cinnamoney things?” She is talking about a cheese quesadilla that is cut into triangles and churros. As soon as she is done talking she puts her fingers back into her mouth.

Sometimes she misses having a pacifier to suck on instead of her fingers. When she was 4 she had to give it up because it was only for babies and she wasn’t a baby.

Dean could see that David was looking at him with a worried look on his face. He bends down and asks “what’s wrong my boy? You look troubled.”

If David tells him that he isn’t supposed to touch then Dean responds “it’s okay David, you can pull them up yourself. You won’t be in trouble” but if he doesn’t say anything Dean pulls them up for him. Either way he lets David pull up his pants on his own.

[Ishigreensa]

David shrugged.

"I'll ask the nice people after I get off the toilet," he told her.  "Maybe they can take us to a place like that.  Maybe?"

He looked up at Dean, a red face and tears in his eyes.

"The diaper," he said.  "Not apposed to touch it cause I might mess up and make it not work wight?"

He looked down.

When Dean told him he was allowed to touch it, he started to cry until Dean pulled it up for him.

After Dean pulled his diaper up, he looked up to make sure it was alright, and then pulled up his own pants and with the sniffles from still crying, he asked.

"Can we go a Mexico restaurant and Evie likes Cheese Que Sa Dees and she likes that cinnamon stick dessert thing that they have sometimes."

He waited a moment for an answer, and then he looked up at Dean.  After a moment or two, he raised his arms to be picked up.

 

Susan patted her little girl's back and smiled at David.

"Daddy Dean said anywhere, Davie.  We meant it.  We'll try to find a nice little Mexican Restaurant.  Most of them serve Que Se Dillas, and I'm pretty sure they will have Churros, too."

 

David smiled and his tears stopped.  He still sniffled, but he didn't get the feeling that Dean was mad at him at all.  He got the feeling that Dean was just trying to let him be a big boy by telling him he could pull up the diaper on his own, but he was still kind of scared of the diaper.  There were too many memories, of especially when they put the tape ones on him, and he tried to go to the bathroom like he should and didn't fix it right, and then when they eventually checked to see if he wet, they would scold him to messing with his diaper even when he told them he went to the bathroom.  Eventually, they told him that when he has a diaper on, it means he is to hold it or if he can't, then wet his pants.  So, he learned that you are not allowed to use the toilet when you have a diaper on.  That's why he was tempted to tell his sister to just pee or poop herself at first, but now, he really did think maybe if she told him she had to go and he thought it was private enough, he would let her ask, or actually, he would ask for her, and let her go?

Susan saw how much her little girl kept putting her fingers in her mouth, and she wondered if that was really all that good for her.  Maybe she should talk to Dean about that later, out of ear shot of course, because she didn't want Evie to think she was talking about her as if she was a baby.  She seemed especially sensitive to that word even for a child her age.

[lebeau13]

Dean bent down after David got down and looked up at him with a red face, he could sense something wrong. After the pull-up was on and his pants were pulled up he handed David a Kleenex “here son, blow your nose and wipe your tears away. No need to cry, we are all learning about each other together. There are going to be some bumps in the road, but everything is going to be alright. I am here to help you both, no matter the situation.”

”of course we can go to a Mexican restaurant” Dean says as he picks David up making him straddle his hip. He has an arm supporting David’s lower back.

As Susan said Davy, Evie realized she was using her pet name for her brother; only she can call him Davy. She whispers into Susan’s ear “don’t call him that, that’s my name for him.” She says as she turns to looks into this woman’s eyes with a ‘don’t mess with my brother, or I will hurt you’ look as her stomach growls audibly.

Sure Evie was sensitive to word ‘baby’, to her it meant bad things. She never got to have a normal early childhood or even the same rules when it came to behavior. One set of parents say that she was allowed to have her pacifier when she was 4; but only at bedtime. When she was 3 she couldn’t have it and whenever she tried to get it she got severe beatings. If she got to it and got it in her mouth she had her hair pulled and then they would flick her thighs to make her open her mouth to give it up, but that was never in the reports of course. In the process they would tell her “you’re such a baby, why do you need that old thing. You should be more like your brother.” So that’s what she did, became more like her brother in every sense.

Dean walks out of the bathroom and heads to the door. As they exit Megan runs towards them carrying a booster seat Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, you forgot Evelyn’s booster seat.”

[Ishigreensa]

David hated it when they did that to his sister, and when he could, if he saw an opportunity, he would get it back, but he would warn her to hide it, and try not to use it when people were looking at her.  He always saw her as a baby, and because her pee pee didn't grow, (yet), he actually thought she still was a baby, but he knew she was sensitive to the word, so he tried not to say so out right to her.  He didn't know she didn't like being called a baby because of what they did to her, though it was terrible.  He thought she was sensitive to it the same way all kids were when they were trying to prove they were growing out of it.

Susan turned around and got the booster seat.

"Oh, that's just what we needed," she said.  "Now we have one for each of them, or doesn't David still use one?" she asked Megan.

David looked up when his sister said that that was HER name for him.  He liked that she thought she was the only one that could call him that, and for now, he agreed with her.  That might change in time though, if these people were taking care of them the way they were now, a month later, but he never ever let anyone else call him anything other than David before.  Sometimes, the teachers at school called him Dave, and he just pretended to ignore them until they said David.

Actually, the seat in the car, however, was more babyish than the one Megan gave them.  It was for a kid between the age of 4 and 8, but certainly looked more like it was designed for a four year old.

Susan came out to the car with Megan in tow since she didn't want to put her little girl down to get the seat, and now, both parents' hands were full.

"I'm sorry," Susan had told Megan.  "But as you can see, my hands are full.  Can you please carry it out for us?"

When they got to the car, Susan put little Evie down so she could set up the booster seat.

"One of you needs to ride in the other car seat," she told the children.  "WE don't want you to get hurt, so since they are both designed for your age spans, we'll let you choose who sits in which one."

David sighed and looked at Evie.  It was really up to her because the booster seat that Megan carried was hers, and the one in the car looked like it was for a baby.  He didn't want to sit in that one, but he also didn't want his sister to be upset, so he didn't know what to do.

[lebeau13]

Dean is surprised that Evie would speak up like that and tell his wife off, he didn’t mind since it was done in such a cute way.

Megan is more than happy to help them carry it to the car. She is ashamed but admits “David should use one but we can’t afford to buy every growing boy a booster seat when they won’t need it after a year or two. So we don’t have one for him.”

Megan was happy and followed them to their car. She opened the door and put the booster seat in the seat that wasn’t already filled up. “There you go. All set. Call if you need anything or have any questions. And Evelyn and David, I hope you enjoy these new people.” She waves as she hears the phone ring inside. “I have to get that.”

When Evie sees the car seat that looks so childish she actually bounces in Susan’s arms a little and giggles. “Is it for me? It’s all pink and blue, it so pretty with sharks and pretty girls (the pretty girls are Ballerinas) she giggles again as she shows Lilly the new seat “look it even has a place for you to ride.” She shows her shoe the little bag in between the two booster seats.

She didn’t care if David used her other one, it didn’t fit her properly since she was small for her age and the seat belt always left a mark under her chin.

After Megan sets up the other booster seat and Evie has clearly voiced her opinion, Dean carries David over to Evie’s old booster seat and sits him in it “Well champ, I think this is now your new seat.” He brings down the seatbelt and starts to buckle his boy in, but decides to ask him “do you want to buckle your own belt?”

[Ishigreensa]

David reached for the seatbelt at first as Dean started to get it ready for him, but when he stopped and asked him, David shook his head and lifted his arms so that Dean could fasten him in.  If Evie saw that David trusted the new adults, then she would know it's okay to trust them, too.  David had such a good feeling about these people, this time, that he wanted to try to trust them.

Susan smiled and helped her little girl get into her seat and get her fixed in it.

"Yes, and it has a cup holder, too," she told Evie.  "We'll get you a sippy cup for the car later, that way, you can drink stuff in the car without worrying about spilling it if you fall asleep.  And of course, we'll get David something he can drink from, too, that won't spill."

Susan sighed because with both booster seats in the car, she didn't have room to sit between her new kids, so she had to get in front with Dean.

Susan kissed her little girl's head.

"Call up front if you want to stop somewhere to pee," she told her.  "I won't care if you wet your diaper, but if you want to be grown up about it, I'll take you potty if you ask me."

David wasn't sure.  He didn't think Evie should worry about peeing her pants since she was in a diaper, but he also wanted her to trust these new people.  He was torn, so he didn't tell Evie if she should ask them or not.  He would come to that if she actually asked him.

Susan got in the front seat, and then waited for Dean to take them to the restaurant for lunch.

[lebeau13]

Dean smiled and buckled David into the car as David raised his hands. As he bent upwards he kissed David on the top of his head as he shut the car door. 

Evie looked at her new seat, she liked it and then she saw the cup holder Susan was talking about and really questioned her “I really have a cup when we go? I never haf that afore”

She let Susan buckle her into her new seat. But before Susan could shut the door she looks around “Moe? Where Moe at?” She starts to panic that he will get left behind and she starts to hyperventilate.

After Moe was back in her arms safe and sound she put him in her new cup holder. She doesn’t want to let him out of her sight.

As Susan got in the front and she told Evie that it’s was okay to tell her if she had to pee. Peeing in a potty was private and only something she did when she and David were alone together. She didn’t want to do it and looked at her brother as if to say ‘is she crazy? I don’t want to do that.’

Dean soon started up the car and left the social workers office and headed towards town. He found a little authentic Mexican restaurant and pulled in, it’s a place he and Susan often come on date nights.

[Ishigreensa]

David shrugged to Evie when she looked at him like that.  He knew that she was not going to do that until she felt comfortable doing so, and until then, he would watch after her and let her pee either in front of him or in her pants, which ever was best at the time.

He was glad his sister still didn't want to speak up about going to the bathroom to these people because he wanted to make sure they were okay first.  But they had been nice so far.  It was hard.  His head was swimming with confusing thoughts about whether he trusted them or not.

When they arrived at the Mexican restaurant, another tick for trusting them registered in David's mind.  They said they would take them where they wanted for lunch, and they brought them to the kind of restaurant that likely served what they wanted.  They told him that he could pee even if he wore a diaper, and they let him pee without going in the diaper.  They gave his sister a car seat that could have a cup in it.  That meant she was allowed to drink on long trips.  Something others denied her because of her peeing her pants all the time.  Something they even denied him when he accidentally didn't make it once in a while, too.

Susan looked at Dean when they stopped.

"You know, we should stop at the store and get the kids something they can drink from.  Three hours is a long ride home, once we start back, if either of the kids gets thirsty.  I promised Evie a sippy cup so it won't spill, and maybe we can get David something that isn't as..." she searched for a good word in her mind so that Evie wouldn't think she was calling her a baby... "...immature so he will not spill his drink, too?"

She smiled at Dean.

Then she got out of the car, and walked around picked up her little girl.

"Let's leave the shoesies in the car so they don't get lost in the restaurant," Susan told her little girl.  "We don't want that, do we?"

She smiled over at David who waved.

Then David looked up at Dean.

"You carry me again?" he asked not wanting to step on any sharp rocks or worse.

[lebeau13]

“I think we can manage to stop at the store across the street after we get finished here, I think that it has a large...” Dean didn’t want to say the word ‘baby’ so he thought before saying “...a large isle of kids options. While we are there we can pick up some shoes and some juice and snacks for them too. I bet after an hour on the road they will start to get peckish.”

Dean returns the smile and grabs her hand and squeezes it before looking back at the kids and sees Evie is wide eyed and looking around.

Evie had never seen a restaurant like this before, it was like walking into Mexico for her. It was a yellow building with a reddish curved tiles on the roof, she was amazed and asked her brother who knew all “how do the curved roof stay on? Does it slide?”

As Dean and Susan got out Evie smiles at David and says to him “I like her do you like him?”

But quickly the door opens and Evie is being unbuckled from the five point harness by Susan and is being lifted up. She will never get used to being carried she thinks to herself and smiles and nods when Susan says they should leave the shoes in the car but Evie asks her “can they breve in there?” (Can they breathe in there? Is what she asks her)

Dean opens the car door and unbuckles David and as he asks for Dean to pick him up, Dean is ready for him. “Of course buddy, I don’t want your feet to get hurt in these rocks and glass.”

He lifts him up and puts him on his hip before he shuts the car door and locks the car.

”I’ll even carry you to the table so you don’t have to walk on their sticky floors, how does that sound?” He rubs David’s back as he asks him as he walks to the back of the car to wait for Susan and Evie.

[Ishigreensa]

David giggled.

"No silly," he said.  "it's just magic.  They use the same kind of magic to hold the roof on as they do to keep those lights on those poles over the road, you know.  The ones that should have a second pole to hold them up, they either they don't, or it's invisible, or something?  I think there is a second pole, but somehow, it is invisible and go through-ish or something."

He smiled as they walked into the restaurant.

It was like a new world to him, one that he was faintly familiar with, but from a past he had long forgotten.

David looked up at Dean.

"Can you do magic like they use to hold stuff up like the roof in this place and the lights on the road?" he asked him.

 

Susan smiled at the children's conversation.  It was a wonder to think she had ever been a child and thought like this before.  Susan patted her little girl's back, not bothering to correct David on how he thought the world worked.  There was no harm in kids believing in a little magic.  It wasn't harmful or unhealthy, was it?

When they took a seat, Susan carefully put Evie next to her, but also next to David.  Then, she handed over a menu at David of the children's menu, which was also in pictures.

"You can each choose something from this," she told him.

David nodded.

 

[lebeau13]

Evie nodded and took David at his word. She believes everything he tells her. “Ohhh so they are magic then!” She is amazed at the world and is still finding new discoveries.

As Dean carried David into the restaurant he smiles and tells him, “you know what... I can’t do that kind of magic” he pulls a quarter out of his back pocket, for this exact occasion, and hides it in his palm “but I can do this...” he pulls a quarter out of David’s ear and asks him while smiling “did you loose this quarter? I found it back behind your ear.” 

 

The hostess seats them at a table and watches Susan arrange the chairs so they were all in a line next to one another. Dean sits at the end of the line next to David and handed him a menu.

As Evie looks at the menu she sees what she wants and points to it to show someone, she also sees the churro on the dessert side and tugs on Susan’s shirt “can I get this too?”

She hopes that when she tugged on Susan’s shirt she didn’t come back and swat her hand for touching her. She didn’t think this would happen but still feared for it happening to her, since it has in the past.

Dean looks over the menu but already knows what he wants and then looks over to David to see what he chooses, but asks them first “what do you two want to drink?”

Evie isn’t sure what the choices were and looks to David for advice. She really wants some sprite or orange pop but isn’t sure if that is allowed. She looks troubled, she normally doesn’t ever get to pick.

[Ishigreensa]

David isn't much better at reading that his sister, so it took him some time to look at the menu, looking carefully at the pictures on the menu so he could get what he wanted.

Susan smiled when Evie tugged at her shirt and she brought her little one up to kiss her head.

"Of course you can get that, honey.  But I want you to finish your lunch before you eat it, okay?  If you get full before you can eat it, I think they'll let us take it to go, and we can put up until you get hungry again, okay?"

She patted her thigh.

"Please be careful when you tug at my shirt, honey," Susan said in a low calm voice.  "If you pull too hard, it chokes me, and if you aren't careful, you might pull something else that would hurt, okay?  But if you are careful, you are more than welcome to tub at mommy to get attention, honey."

She kissed her again.

David finally pointed out fajitas and he also wanted Churro.

"We never get drinks at restaurants, assep water," he said up at Dean.  "We can get soda, really?  Can we get orange?"

he smiled at his sister.

"Do you want orange?" he asked her.

Susan frowned.

"Well, as a general rule, we won't be giving you pop all the time either because it's not good for you, but there is nothing wrong with having some once in a while, especially for a special event.  Today, the special event is your new home, kids."

She looked at Dean.  

"Right?"

[lebeau13]

Evie is scared when she is picked up but relaxes a little when Susan only kissed her head instead of flicking her, she looks up and nods that she will eat her quesadilla first. “I try to eat all m...” she started to say mommy but quickly stopped herself, she didn’t want to get her feelings and emotions hurt again if she says that she ‘isn’t her mommy and never will be’, just like the last people did.

“I have it laters?” She asks, she has never gotten to take food home from a fancy place before. “But... but... the car...get...messy” she rubs her eyes not sure of these people. Why do they let them take stuff in the car when other people never did.

She was hurt when this nice lady almost snapped at her about pulling on her shirt and Evie slid closer to David and wrapped herself around his waist. But when Susan was calm and low voice Evie wasn’t as scared as before and she just nodded that she wouldn’t do that again, she lowers her head “sworries” she says in a voice almost no one can hear.

Evie doesn’t even know that Susan kissed her again, she is in such a dark place thinking she did something wrong and that she is in trouble when they get out of the restaurant and to a private place.

Dean notices the fajitas and the churro that David points out, “good choice David. Do you want me to order for you or do you want to be brave and do it yourself?”

When David asks him about the soda he smiles and then looks down at his boy “of course you can have soda pop. Normally we only have water, milk or juice, but since this is a special occasion you can get whatever you want, within reason.” He says with a smile as he sees Susan frown at him knowing that even they don’t drink soda pop all the time at home.

[Ishigreensa]

Susan noticed her demeanor change, and she leaned closer to Evie.

"Honey, are you okay?" she asked her.  "I'm sorry if it sounded like mommy was mad.  I'm not mad.  I'm glad you wanted to get my attention, sweetheart.  I just wanted you to be careful about where you were grabbing and how hard you pull.  It can hurt, sweetheart."

She patted her little legs.

"What kind of soda pop did you want, Evie?  Do you want orange like your brother, or do you want something else?"

Susan smiled and nodded when she said the car would get messy.

"Cars usually do when you have small children," Susan said.  "I want happy children more than I want a clean car.  Besides, messes caused by food can mostly be cleaned up, and so can cute little messy children."

She tried to hug her again.  "It's okay to tug at mommy's shirt lightly or to get mommy's attention," she told her little child.  It's important that you know you have a right to talk when you feel you need something, baby."

 

David hugged his little sister.  He didn't know what the lady told his little sister, but he felt like whatever it was, these people still needed to prove that they were not just acting nice, and their true colors come out later.  He's seen that, before too.  He didn't trust people easily at all, even if he wanted to.

"Are you okay, sissy?" he asked Evie.  "I won't let her hurt you," he told his little sister.

[lebeau13]

Evie wasn’t sure what to do she was scared and just held onto her brother, she didn’t want hugs from this woman anymore. As Susan leaned in closer Evie held her breath and closed her eyes and when she felt her legs being touched she tightened every muscle in her legs to prepare for a slap, and to her the little pats seemed like slaps, it’s the same motion after all she thinks.

She shakes her head when she was asked if she wanted orange pop as she let out her breath. She turns her head and talks to Susan with a very disappointed voice “water fine.” She really wanted Sprite or something similar; she held out her fist for a fist bump, she didn’t want any more hugs and now her mood is somber.

She didn’t care anymore and just wanted her only friends, her shoes. She put her fingers back in her mouth and sucked on them. Evie didn’t really understand what Susan was telling her, she wasn’t really even paying attention.

When David hugged her it snapped her out and nodded that she was fine. She just whispered “want Lilly” as a tear rolled from her eye.

Dean watched all of this going on and wasn’t sure what to do. If he interjected would it even help or would it make or worse. He wanted to try and ease his daughter, he asks her gently “Evie, do you and David want to switch places?”

She didn’t know and looked to David for an answer, she felt safe by David, but still had mistrust for Susan.

[Ishigreensa]

David shook his head.

"Evie is okay where she is.  Moving her around isn't going to help us get used to you guys."

He looked up at Dean.  "Just leave her alone for a little while, please?"

He hugged his sister.

"You want to sit in my lap for a little bit?" David asked her.  "You can if you want.  Evie wants water and the same as me, orange, if that's okay, sir?"

He looked over at Susan, but decided that if his sister was upset at her, then he was too.  So, he wouldn't talk to Susan for a while.

 

Susan sighed at Dean.

"I just felt like she was choking me when she grabbed the shirt, but I also knew she didn't do it on purpose.  I was trying to ask her to be careful.  We can't just let them do what they want for fear that we might hurt their feelings," she told Dean.  "We are going to take good care of them, and they will see, with time, that we really want them to be our little kids, but we also need to teach them how to be careful and to do things right, don't we?"

She sighed.

"David, I really just wanted her to be more careful when she tugged at my shirt...."

David turned away from Susan so as not to hear her excuses.  No matter what, because of all that they had been through, he was on his sister's side.  No matter what excuse Susan had for what she did or said, it didn't matter.  His sister needed him to be there for HER, not the monster adults that never really cared for them.

[lebeau13]

Dean looked down at David as he basically barked back at him, he threw his hands in the air “alright big man, if you say she doesn’t want to be moved then she doesn’t have to move. I just wanted to offer her an option. It’s okay if she stays there I won’t bug her again. I promise.”

As Evie was asked if she wanted to sit on her brothers lap she shook her head and says quietly “I fine here” as she calms down and colors a cowboy boot on the kids menu like Lilly, green hair and red face.

Dean smiles and answers his son “of course she can have the same as you. Do you want some water too or just orange pop?”

 

Dean listens to his beautiful wife and nods “I know she didn’t mean any harm and I’m sorry it felt like you were being choked but I think they both need our support and understanding in this early time. I agree that they will know over time that we love them and care for them and won’t let anyone hurt them, but they don’t know that yet sweetie, it’s our word against all of their bad experiences. Let’s try and put ourselves in their shoes for a little bit if we can.”

Evie listens to their adult conversation and realizes she didn’t mean any harm to her and she gets brave. She puts down the green crayon, takes her fingers out of her mouth and slowly taps with one of her dry fingers onto Susan’s leg. She hopes this is a better way to get this lady’s attention and that she doesn’t snap at her again. As soon as she tapped Susan she pulled her hand back to her lap as fast as she could, in the past she has had other adults grab her wrist and she knew she didn’t want that so she just braced herself for the worst. 

[Ishigreensa]

Susan looked down at little Evie when she tapped her, and she smiled.

"Yes, honey?" she asked her.  She was trying to be careful about causing her to feel threatened, so she didn't reach out for her at this time, but hoped her smile was enough to let her know that she was not in any trouble, and that she could talk or ask whatever it was she wanted.

David heard the adults talk, and he frowned.  It was still just an excuse to him, but still, he wondered if his sister did do something wrong.  He saw her tap at Susan and he reached to hold her arm, but it was too late.

He cringed when he was too slow, waiting to see what Susan would do, but she just smiled.

He smiled back up at her.

"Yeah, I think I want some water, too," David answered Dean while watching Susan like a hawk for a reaction that might come late.  She smiled, but that didn't necessarily mean that Evie would not be snapped at or pushed out of the chair, or slapped on the hand later for bothering her.

[lebeau13]

Evie didn’t smile back at Susan, she just pointed to the picture of the sprite on the page and asked her in her nicest voice “pweeeaaase? No want orange. Want...“ she doesn't know what this drink is called, everywhere they go it’s called something different so she holds her finger on her brother’s placemat at the picture of the Sprite.

Hopefully Susan will notice that she colored the shoe on the page that looks like Lilly.

Dean smiled as he watched David protect his sister and watched over her. He would do the same for his little sister so he doesn’t mind. “Alright, we can both get you water too. It’s no problem.”

As Evie was waiting for a reply she could hear her own tummy rumble and was scared because it happened so loudly. She wasn’t sure what to do so she just looked down.