The New Foster

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte nodded and smiled. “I’ll see. I have to talk to Daddy after dinner though.”

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Speaking of dinner, I should start otherwise we’ll be hungry. Do you want to watch TV or play?”

 

Lani frowned and stiffened a bit, scared she was in trouble. She swallowed hard and looked at her lap.

“Please?” She asked hopefully the moment Tom mentioned the bath. “My tummy hurts thinking about my hair….” Despite sounding so mature sometimes, she didn’t have the language to describe the anxiety she felt. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom smiled.

"Well, it's not going to be that bad, sweetheart.  I'll be going slow and listening to make sure we don't pull it more than enough for me to know that we are caught up."

He hugged her and walked her to the bathroom.

"Go ahead and take your stuff off and put them on the toilet top.  They are clean, so we can put them back on you after your bath."

He started to run her water.  He knew she knew how to dress herself.  She had changed that morning.  He just kept doing it because he thought it gave her some comfort that someone was taking care of her.

 

"Can I help with dinner?  I promise not to wait until too late this time.  I'll go as soon as I feel it, I promise."

She looked up at her mommy.  She just wanted an excuse to be near her mommy since daddy was taken.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani gripped her dragon and followed along to the bathroom. She took off her clothes without any fuss or shyness. She didn’t seem to care about being undressed or bathed by him. She almost set her dragon down on the toilet but stopped. She hugged it tight and rubbed his face against her cheek before setting him down with her clothes.

 

Charlotte shook her head. “Why don’t you get your beads or another activity and do something at the table. I need to cook dinner myself sweetie.” She said gently. “That’s why I gave you the two options. Helping with dinner wasn’t one of them. You can set the table though if you really want to help.”

[Ishigreensa]

"Okay," Rebecca said.  "I'll get my beads, and just before you are ready, I'll set the table for you."

She smiled and collected her beads while her mommy went to get ready to make dinner.  She wasn't a toddler.  She knew her mommy would be in the kitchen, so she didn't have to walk down with her.  She just wanted to be generally near her at the moment because she felt a little lonely.  It was because daddy was taken that she truly felt lonely, but there was nothing to do about that since Lani needed him so much.

 

Tom started to get her bath ready, and when he looked back, he smiled when he saw her snuggle her dragon.  "I'd let you bring it in the bath, but we don't want it to get wet.  A toy like that getting wet is not good for it, sweetie."

He reached out and picked her up and put her gently into the tub.  This was the first time he could see up close how much she had missed before in getting clean, mostly because certain areas tended to produce a smell when they were not clean enough.

He didn't tell her that he noticed, though.  He just started with washing her back.

"I'm going to go ahead and wash you this time, sweetheart.  It will go easier, and then you'll already be in place to start your hair after your body is clean, baby."

 

He rubbed her back a bit to make sure she was calm before he started to wash her in other places.  He wanted to make sure she was comfortable before he went to places that might scare most little girls, but he knew needed a better wash job than she gave them the night before.

"You are such a little angel," he cooed at her as he cleaned her up.  "I'm so lucky those idiots that didn't want you were too blind to see what an angel you are.  Otherwise, I might have gotten stuck with a brat in my house."

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte was relieved when Rebecca was agreeable. She knew she wanted to help and be close, but cooking dinner when Rebecca was trying to help would just make it more difficult.

She headed downstairs and started prepping for the meal.

 

Lani nodded. “They get icky when they’re wet.” She agreed. “My old teddy got wet and he felt icky then Mommy threw him away.” She said casually. The memory hurt her but it was so normal for her that she didn’t really feel sad about it anymore. It was just a fact.

She didn’t have any problems with Tom washing her. “It’s okay.” She said agreeably. “I don’t know the last time Mommy washed me.” She thought aloud absentmindedly. While most kids would be scared, it was actually kind of nice to Lani. It was something she didn’t have to worry about doing for herself. “Maybe before she got sick.”

She looked up at Tom with a confused expression. “But angels are good.” She said skeptically. “I can’t be an angel.”

 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom heard that her Teddy Bear was thrown out on her, and obvious a pretty long time ago since she wasn't too broke up about it, and it caused him to feel sick to his stomach.  There were things you can do to restore the toy to at least be playable with.  Why would she just throw the bear out?  He tried not to dwell on it though.

The child was almost eight, so it might have been normal in some families to not be washed at this age, but what took him by surprise, was that she didn't mind him touching her at all, naked.  As though, it was natural or something.  So if mommy didn't wash her, then how was she so okay with him giving her a bath?  That felt really odd.  He shook his head.  The file didn't say anyone lived with them.  He certainly hoped no one was doing things to her.

"How long has mommy been sick, sweetheart?" he finally asked her wanting to confirm that maybe it had only been a year or so, but feeling like it had to be longer if the child didn't know how to clean herself properly.

He shook his head and touched her on the nose.

"You are an angel, baby.  Angels do make mistakes sometimes, but you are not bad.  You are largely confused about a lot of stuff, though, no doubt."

He continued to wash her closer to places that a girl should be screaming don't touch me there, and as she said nothing about it, he couldn't take it anymore.

"You're clean enough.  Let's wash your hair," he said without washing her privates.  He didn't want to touch her when she didn't even know that she had a right to give consent regardless of the fact that even if she gave consent, if his intentions were not pure, it would be a crime.

He showed her the shampoo bottle directing her attention to where it said to be careful of the eyes.

"So, when I say so, close your eyes so it doesn't get in them, and I'll try to rinse it in a way it doesn't go directly towards the front of your face, but sometimes, some stray water does go that way when we are rinsing."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani furrowed her eyebrows and thought about what Tom asked her. “I don’t know exactly.” She started out. “But I had to walk to first grade all by myself.” She said casually as if it was normal. “So after I started kindergarten but before I started first grade.” She said with a definitive head nod, being satisfied with her answer.

She didn’t really mind Tom washing her because she just assumed that’s how things were in this house. He had told her before that there were things she was too young to do like wash her clothes, so maybe washing herself all the time was one of those things. Or maybe he thought she was extra dirty from wetting the bed twice. She sure felt extra dirty.

She nodded and closed her eyes tight, letting Tom start to wash her hair. It was full of knots and tangles and it would certainly take a while to get them all out. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom was careful as he went for her hair, not reaching for shampooing until he had some of the knots out with just water, so that she wouldn't have to have her eyes closed as long.

"So you walked to first grade?" he confirmed.  "Did you walk with a group of kids going to school?"

He carefully slid his fingers through a few strands of hair at a time looking for knots to disentangle.

"In our house, you don't ever walk to or from school by yourself," he told her.  "They have a bus that stops a block from here, where we won't mind you walking to and from because we can see it from our front door, but if you need to do anything but take the bus, someone we trust, and at first, that means one of us, will drive you, baby."

He kissed her little cheek.

"We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, sweetheart."

He had taken nearly an hour to find all the tangles he could before finally washing her hair.

"Baby, I think I need to wash you for a little while.  It's not your fault, but I don't think you know how to get fully clean yet, sweetheart," he tried to be gentle about it.  "We just have to be extra careful you are clean, especially if you are wetting the bed until your nerves calm down, okay?"

He decided he could wash her privates.  She probably just didn't know better and if her mom was sick before she learned to do it, maybe she just doesn't understand about her body yet.  He would have to teach her, but right now, she had to be clean, so that would have to be done later.

 

Rebecca was making a bracelet right now for daddy and for Lani, trying hard to make them match, so she made them side by side.  

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani nodded. “And to second grade.” She added proudly. “Nuh uh.” She said in response to Tom’s question about other kids. “I don’t have friends at school. I just walk by myself.” She said with a little shrug.

“Do I gotta change schools until I go back to Mommy?” She asked sadly. The way he talked about it made it seem like she’d be going to the same school as Rebecca, which she knew that they lived too far away to go to the same school. She may not have had friends at her school, but it was all she knew and she didn’t want to change.

Her cheeks turned bright pink when Tom brought up her wetting. She was really embarrassed. She felt like she was lying to him by not telling him she wet the bed all the time, but she was still so scared. Sure he had been nice about it, but that’s because he thought it was because she was scared. If he knew it happened even at home what would he do? She just nodded without saying anything, too focused on what she considered to be her lie.

 

[Ishigreensa]

"Well, we will talk about that between Charlotte and me before school starts, honey.  Obviously, it's not idea for you to be jumping around to different schools especially if your mom gets better sooner than later, but we'd have to make sure we have a safe way to get you back and forth, honey."

He smiled.

"I'll let you know as soon as I can, what we decide is best, baby."

He saw her get a little embarrassed about wetting the bed.

"It's okay," he told her.  "It's not a big deal, and I'm sure you'll be okay once you get to go back home.  I just don't want you getting sick while in our care, so I'll wash you in the mornings, and there will be no more talk about it, okay?"

He continued to get her hair clean and then got her out of the tub.

"Actually, you barely wore these things, and it's almost bed time, so let's go put your pajamas on, and you can wear these things in the morning, but no changing into them until I've checked you and given you a bath so you'll be clean, okay?  We won't have to be thorough since we are doing that now, just clean the important places so you don't get a rash or get sick."

He carried her in a fluffy towel back to her room, putting the dragon in one of her hands, and her clothes in her other hand to hold for him.

 

Rebecca held up the matching bracelets for her dad and Lani.  "Look mommy!  It's for daddy and Lani so they can always be connected even when he's at work.  I don't know if she'll like it, but maybe when she's ready, she'll accept it?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani frowned. She really wanted to stay at her school. She didn’t want to fight though. Tom seemed to know best after all.

She kept silent and had her head down the rest of her bath. Her mind was racing and her stomach was in knots.

When Tom finally got her to her room she broke down. The guilt was eating her up inside! “I won’t be okay when I go home…” She admitted meekly. She was fidgeting in place on her floor more than usual.

 

Charlotte looked over and smiled. “That’s very thoughtful of you. If she doesn’t want to wear it we can have Daddy put it in her room for her. I’m sure at some point she’ll be very grateful you made it for her.”

[Ishigreensa]

He bent down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sweetie, what do you mean you won't be okay when you go home.  Is someone hitting you?"

He hugged her.

"It's okay to tell me what's wrong at home, baby.  It's not your fault, but I can't help you if you don't tell me what you are scared of or what won't be okay, baby."

He started to dress her into her pajamas so that she could be cared for and hopefully feel he was paying attention to her and that he was trying to understand her.

 

"Do you really think so?" Rebecca perked up.  She thought she could stand waiting if she knew that it would eventually be appreciated.

Rebecca finished the bracelets adding love to each of them, and then put them aside to give daddy to introduce to her, and then she started to set the table.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani burst into tears. She was overwhelmed by guilt and felt awful for lying to Tom. “It’s not cuz I’m here.” She sobbed. “It happens at home too!” Huge tears ran down her face as she started breathing faster.

“I’m sorry!” She choked out as Tom got her dressed. “I didn’t mean to lie! I was scared! I’m sorry!” She blurted out, clearly having been really worked up inside about this.

 

“It may take a long time.” Charlotte added. “But I’m sure she’ll appreciate it eventually.” She said with a smile.

As Rebecca started setting the table, she put the homemade pot pie on in the middle. Once it had cooled she cut it and started putting a piece on everyone’s plate. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom smiled and hugged her.

"Well, of course you were scared," he agreed with her logic.  "Here, you get taken from your home, and not knowing what will happen with your mom.  And you have this really harsh secret that a lot of kids would die if other kids found out about, and you are at a strangers home, not knowing what they will say or do about it, and then you have an usual accident.  Of course you're scared, baby.  I wouldn't have expected anything otherwise."

He pulled her to his lap.

"Tell you what, sweetheart.  We'll put some towels on your bed tonight to save the mattress, and then I'll try to pick you up some special panties tomorrow that they make to help bedwetting.  That way, you won't have to feel guilty about getting the bed wet, and you won't have to sleep in wet clothes either."

He kissed her cheek.

"And.., baby.  You didn't lie.  You just didn't say anything which is very understandable given you were not able to trust anyone, but now you've told me, you'll tell come to me when it's happened from now on, and we'll just clean you up, okay?"

He rubbed her back.

"No one is going to think you are a baby because the only ones that will know are Mrs. C because she does your laundry, and me, because you come to me for help.  Rebecca doesn't have to know you have accidents.  If she had them, I wouldn't tell you about hers, either, understand?"

He rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"And now, we can solve your little problem with special panties and maybe we can take you to see a doctor later on, once social services approves it to find out what is causing it."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani sniffled and rubbed her eyes, looking up at Tom. The poor little girl was so scared and overcome with guilt and fear she couldn’t contain it anymore. The secret had been weighing on her mind for days!

“Special panties?” She asked with confusion. She rubbed the tears from her eyes as she started to calm down and realize everything would be okay. She held her dragon close as she listened intently to everything he said. She wanted to show she was listening to him.

She nodded seriously when he said she wasn’t a baby. She wasn’t thrilled that Charlotte would know, but it couldn’t be helped she supposed. At least Rebecca wouldn’t find out.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes and nose on her arm as she felt all the way better finally. She didn’t really hear Tom when he mentioned the doctor, so she didn’t react to that. She leaned into him while he continued to talk and explain, enjoying his comforting presence. 

[Ishigreensa]

"It's hard to explain unless you see them, so I'll just show you a pair tomorrow, and if you don't like it, we will let you have a few days without it and you can get used to them in your own time.  It's not a big deal if we have to wash a few extra towels until you are more comfortable, sweetheart."

He picked her up and carried her down to the kitchen now he thought she was feeling better, but on his way, he stopped by the bathroom to grab some toilet paper.

Putting some to her nose, he smiled and said. "Blow."

He helped her get her nose as cleared as he could, and after flushing that down, took her down the rest of the way to the kitchen after washing her hands and his.

"Here we are," he said.  "I'm going to put you in your seat from before, but if you get upset, come and bring your dish, and you can sit on my lap, okay?"

 

Rebecca smiled and sat patiently for everyone to take their seats.  Her necklace was near daddy's place.

"Dad?  I made that for you and Lani, that way, when you go back to work, Lani can still have you close to her."

She turned to Lani.  "I know it's hard to talk to me right now, so you don't have to.  But that's why I gave it to daddy to give you.  I'm not giving up though.  I want to be friends, but only when you're ready, okay?"

Then she turned to her mom and waited for time to eat.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani nodded. She was still curious but Tom promised to explain it to her tomorrow so she wasn’t going to argue. His answer was satisfying enough for now.

She blew her nose into the toilet paper and felt better when she did. She was feeling so much better now that she had gotten the secret off her chest. It had been weighing so heavily on her for so long.

Lani didn’t respond to Rebecca right now. She just nodded and stared at her plate.

 

“Lani your hair looks so pretty! Did Daddy help you get it all brushed out?” Charlotte said cheerfully, not thinking twice before calling Tom daddy since she was so used to talking to Rebecca. She was just shocked to see Lani’s previously tangled and matted hair all brushed out, showing just how long, thick, and wavy it was. Something her own hair was not. She gave Tom a nervous glance when she caught her mistake, holding her breath as she sat down to eat.

Lani blushed a bit and nodded when Charlotte asked her about Tom. She wasn’t used to getting compliments so it surprised her. She didn’t make any reaction to her slip up though.

When Tom let her, she quickly started eating the food on her plate. She was absolutely starving. After only a few minutes she’d finished her milk already. Finally having access to something to drink whenever she wanted she felt so thirsty. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom had not really paid much attention to the slip up, after all, they had originally wanted to adopt, and the girl was in their house, going on the second night, so he was only keeping away from sensitive territory because he didn't want her to think her mom was being replaced.

He did look to see what Rebecca's reaction would be though.  He knew that Rebecca and he had a special bond that could set something off.

Tom smiled when he saw the bracelets and when Rebecca explained them.

"Well, then, we'll just have to put them in a special place so we don't get food on them," Tom said picking them up, and putting his in his shirt pocket while tying Lani's to her wrist for her.

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte was relieved when Lani didn’t seem to react. She was a little curious as to why it didn’t bother her with daddy like it did mommy. Maybe Tom knew more she could ask about later.

 

Lani was finally feeling content with things for the time being. She felt clean, she had gotten her big secret off her chest, Tom brushed her hair, she had fresh pajamas and a new stuffie and now she was eating dinner. She rocked back and forth in her chair as she ate, feeling content and relaxed for once.

As soon as Tom tried to tie the bracelet on her rest though her mood shifted. “No!” She declared, yanking her hand away. She didn’t want to wear the bracelet and didn’t appreciate it being put on her without asking. “I don’t want it!” She said as she sat on both of her hands. She didn’t really mean she didn’t want it at all, she didn’t really care or have an opinion on the bracelet itself. What she really meant was she didn’t want it on, that she didn’t want to wear it. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Well, how about I just put it in my pocket for safe keeping later," Tom asked her.  "I'm sorry."

He frowned not sure why the sudden outburst.  She had let him touch her hair and wash her, so he didn't really understand why she was suddenly so adamant about hi not putting the bracelet on her, but then again, maybe it might be a sad reminder that she wasn't with her mommy right now.  It was better not to dwell on it.

He touched her shoulder softly.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked, sweetheart."

He went back to his place so she knew he wasn't going to bother her about the bracelet again, and he mouthed "thank you" to Becks anyway.  He knew that Becks worked hard on it, and he was sure that given she had gladly taken other things they gave her, that it had nothing to do with the bracelet or with Rebecca.  He just wasn't sure what it was that made her so against it.

 

Rebecca gave a soft smile.

"You don't have to wear it," she told Lani.  "It's yours, however you want to do with it.  I just thought it would connect you with my daddy since you seem to like him."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani nodded when Tom apologized. It was something she wasn’t used to, but figured she could ask him later why he apologized to her so much. For now she was just happy to finally have her voice heard, something she never experienced at home or school before.

In reality Lani didn’t care too much about the bracelet. She hadn’t meant to raise her voice or sound upset, she just couldn’t control her tone or emotions very well. She mostly just wanted to be left alone and not fussed over while she ate. “I like it here.” She said quietly when Rebecca spoke to her. She wasn’t ready to have full on conversations with her yet, but she was willing to respond back to her in that specific moment.

The rest of dinner was uneventful for Lani. She had a second helping of food and quite a few helpings of milk. She wasn’t used to being able to drink as much as she wanted so she was taking full advantage of it. When she had finished she decided to be brave. She got up out of her seat and shuffled over to Tom, putting her arms up a little bit so he could put her in his lap. She really enjoyed his affection and comfort. 

[Ishigreensa]

Rebecca smiled when Lani said she liked it there.

"I'm glad you are starting to like it here."

She smiled back at her mom, but she decided not to pester Lani anymore since she only wanted to say the one phrase.  At least she talked to her.

"Mommy?  We have those cookies," she said.  "Can I asked Lani if she wants a cookie after dinner?"

She waited though, to ask Lani until she was sure Lani was done eating.

 

Tom smiled when she came to him and put her arms up a little bit.  He nodded and lifted her up to his lap.

"Did you get full, sweetheart?" he asked her still not knowing she still had the old McDonalds food from the day before under her bed.  

 

Looking at Charlotte, he wondered to her:  "What do you think we should do tomorrow?  Take the girls to the park or something?  Since I don't have to be back to work too soon, I would like to spend as much time having family time with children as I can, and it looks like Lani might be getting used to things, but I dare say, it would be best if I do wait on going back to work until Wednesday, so we might at least get her to speaking to you a little bit?"

 

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte smiled back at Rebecca. She was glad she seemed so happy with Lani’s response. “Let’s just wait a while sweetie. Daddy can offer her a cookie if he thinks she’ll want one. I don’t want you accidentally pressuring her to interact with you.” She said gently.

Lani nodded without saying anything. She was scared of not having enough food or having food taken from her so she wasn’t used to just eating until she felt full. She sat quietly in his lap with her dragon while everyone else talked, not having any input for anything going on currently.

“Well, I did tell Becks that we’d try to do something together all four of us.” Charlotte started. “She suggested the fair and I think it’s a pretty good idea. Do you think Lani will enjoy it?”

[Ishigreensa]

Tom shrugged when asked if Lani would like the fair.  It was hard to know if she did without asking her, but he wasn't sure she had ever even been to one since he was sure she didn't have money or a capable parent at home that would have been able to take her.

"Sweetheart, have you ever been to the fair?" Tom asked Lani as he rubbed her back holding her in his lap.  "Do you know what a fair is like?"

He looked over at Charlotte and smiled.

"I mean, we can take them to see how it goes, and just see what happens.  A lot of kids her age like to see the fair."

 

Rebecca nodded when her mom told her to maybe wait for daddy to suggest a cookie, so she nodded and continued to eat.  

Becks started to get up from the table, and she looked at her mom while they were talking.

"I'm going to clear the table," she said.  "And then go up and find something to wear to the fair tomorrow?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani shook her head. She’d never been to anything like the fair that she could ever remember. “I’ve seen them on TV.” She said when asked if she knew what they were like. “I watch a lot of TV at home.” She added. They always seemed so interesting and fun on TV so she was happy to try to go.

Charlotte nodded and smiled. “Make sure it’s easy to move in, we don’t need to wear anything fancy.” She said gently. She was mostly worried about Becks needing the bathroom but being in something difficult to get down, though she hoped Rebecca would know to go as soon as she could at the fair. On the other hand though her earlier accident was making her a little doubtful.

“Sounds like a plan then!” She said happily. “If need be we can always leave early. But I’m sure she’ll find something she enjoys there.”