The New Foster

[Ishigreensa]

"Well, I don't know much about her mom either.  I thought you knew more, to be honest.  The file they gave us barely said anything about it."

Tom sighed.

"I would agree with you, except the little one seems to really need her birth mom.  Keeping them apart is only going to hurt her more, especially if the state says she can visit."

He sighed.

"I wish we could talk to her first though or something, and let her know that Lani is suffering somehow."

 

Rebecca listened to Lani's explanation, and though Lani seemed to make little sense to anyone that wasn't really listening, she heard exactly what Lani said.  There was nothing wrong with it, the way she said it.  She simply stated a fact, and then said she wasn't being mean.

"So, you never meant we couldn't be friends, only that you didn't know or trust me yet, then?" she asked her to make sure she understood.  She knew very well how easily people could mix up what you say because people sometimes misunderstood her, too.  It was sort of like the way she used the word stupid earlier and admittedly, she could have chosen a lot of better words to describe her frustration than stupid.

"So, you only take one pencil out even if I am the one that has it?" she asked her.  "Then how about, if I take one of yours because you are sharing, you take one of mine at the same time?" Rebecca asked her.  "That way, your pencils always have the same rule, and we can still share, I mean, if you are okay with that."

Rebecca looked over at her picture.

"I like your coloring," she told her.  

[Shy-Diapers]

“Maybe you can get her to open up and talk about her mom some more.” Charlotte encouraged her husband. “She seems to be fine talking about her with you.”

She sighed and nodded. “I guess all we can do is work with her while we have her. And if she does go back, just make it clear to both of them that we’re here to support them. I guess we can’t be thinking that far ahead.”

 

Lani shrugged a bit. Rebecca was close but not quite spot on. In her mind saying ‘yet’ meant that it would happen, which she wasn’t sure about yet. “We’re not friends.” She nodded again.

She shook her head a bit. “You can color with them.” She said with a small sigh. She held out the box of pencils to Rebecca, having put the one she was just using back. “I can share.” She didn’t have any desire to use Rebecca’s crayons. She didn’t get why Rebecca so badly wanted to use her pencils. She had seemingly everything a kid could ever want, surely she had pencils of her own. Why did she want Lani’s pencils?

[Ishigreensa]

Rebecca sighed and shook her head.

"Lani, it's not the pencils I'm trying to share, exactly," she told her.  "I don't care as much about the pencils as you might think.  I am just trying, to... I don't know.  I always learned that when you share, you show you care, and then it is easier to be friends.  Of course, being friends takes time, and hard work.  I am sorry if I am being forceful.  I can stop bothering you if you want."

She looked up hoping Lani understood what she really was trying to do and to care for her.

"I know! There is this game, we can play on the road.  You look somewhere, and you see something that I can still see, so pick something that is always around, and you give me a hint, like... if you were thinking grass on the side of the road, you say... I spy something green.  Then I guess, and I get it wrong, and then you say another hint.  "I spy something green that feels soft.  And you keep doing like that until I guess it or I give up.  Then we laugh and I spy something."

She looked at her.

"Or... if you want to do something else?"

 

"I guess I can try to talk to her tonight about her mom or her homelife a little bit," he told Charlotte, "At least as much as I can before she gets emotional...."

He looked back to see how the girls were getting on.  He heard some chatter and hoped that Rebecca wasn't pressing or bothering Lani too much again.

"I am kind of tempted to get them ice cream, but I think Lani has had a long day as it is and don't want to take her in somewhere that might be noisy."

He looked at Charlotte for some advice.  "I think some ice cream might make a good peace offering for Becks too, since I didn't play with her as much this time as I usually do when we go to the fair."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani sighed and shook her head. She was trying to do what Rebecca wanted and share, but now she was saying it wasn’t about that. She didn’t know what this girl wanted.

She decided to stay focused on her coloring book. She didn’t understand the game Rebecca was talking about and she was still coming down from how overwhelmed she was earlier. She was trying to be nice and talk with the older girl, but she was starting get overwhelmed again.

 

“I told Becks we’d see about getting ice cream.” Charlotte responded. “How about we just go home for a while and then when everyone is calmer, her and I go bring some back. While we’re gone you two can go to the store to get what needs for bed.” She suggested after a bit of thinking. “The pharmacy will probably be pretty quiet as compared to the ice cream place.”

[Ishigreensa]

Tom nodded.

"That seems like a good idea," he told her.  "We all need to calm down after all that excitement."

He sat in silence for a bit.

 

Rebecca noticed that Lani looked a little bit scared or something, she wasn't really sure what she was seeing.  

"I'm sorry," she said.  "I'm changing stuff too fast, right?"

Rebecca sighed.  "Let's just color side by side, quietly.  I'll use mine and you can use yours, and let's just be quiet together for a little bit.  Is that okay?"

She got out her crayons again, and started to color.

"I'm sorry I bother you."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani stayed silent for the rest of the drive home. She was perfectly content to just zone out and not talk to anybody.

When Tom got her out of the car, she looked up at him. “Can I play in my room?” She asked hopefully. She was still feeling a little overwhelmed and just wanted to feel calm again.

She fidgeted a bit before asking a harder question too. “And can I have some water please?” She asked softly. She felt hot and had already finished the water bottle Charlotte gave her before they even arrived at the fair.

 

Charlotte unlocked the front door and headed in with Rebecca. “Once everyone has cooled off you and I are gonna go pick out some ice cream. It’s a bit much for Lani but we’ll all eat it here together.” She explained with a smile. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Okay," Rebecca said when her mom told her the plan.  "Lani doesn't even want to play, it feels like.  I think I made her tired, so she needs a break from me, too.  I was just trying to be nice and friendly, but I don't think she's used to playing with others."

She skipped off towards her room to listen to some music on a very low setting so as not to disturb Lani.

"Of course you can, sweetheart," he said when she asked for water and then he took her to her room, and sat down with her a moment.

"Do you want some alone time, or do you want me here, honey.  This is your space and your room, so I will respect your space as long as I feel you are safe and you are taken care of.  You just need to tell me what you want, honey."

He made sure she had her water.

"Remember, the bathroom is right down the hall.  You can go, and if you get worried, you can come and find me to take you."

 

A while later, daddy went to check on Rebecca and they played some chess together while Lani calmed down a bit.

[Shy-Diapers]

“I think she’s tired from how big today was for her. She’s never been before so it probably overwhelmed her.” Charlotte reassured Rebecca.

She headed to her office to do a bit of work and research into Lani’s file to see what else she could find out about the girl.

 

Lani shrugged. She took out her origami book and started carefully trying to follow all of the instructions in it. She wanted to do something other than color and it seemed like the perfect familiar activity for her.

She sat with her back in the corner of her room with her water nearby. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anybody right now. She was just happy to be in a calm and quiet environment. Plus her room wasn’t too bright either.

[Ishigreensa]

Tom and Rebecca played chess a bit until Rebecca felt a little better, and then she looked up at him.

"Mommy said we could go get ice cream and bring it home to share," she told him.  "I don't want her to forget."

He chuckled and nodded.

"Of course, sweetheart.  Remember I like rocky road!"

"That's up to mom!" she called back like she always did but usually begged her mom until they got rocky road anyway just for her daddy.

 

Rebecca went to the edge of the office, very respectful of her mom's space especially if she was working.  She knew that sometimes she had other kids' stuff on the screen, and it was a no no for her to see other kids' work, even.  So, she stayed by the door waiting for her mom to look up at her.

"You said we could get ice cream later, and I was wondering, is it later now?"

 

Tom went down to watch some television to calm down a little bit.

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte laughed a bit when Rebecca stopped by her office. She closed Lani’s file and got up. “Go get your shoes back on and I’ll come out in a minute. I’m gonna talk to Daddy real quick.” She said with a smile.

She came out of her office and once she made sure Rebecca was out of ear shot, she found Tom on the couch. “I’m gonna take my car to go get ice cream with Becks. I think this is a good opportunity for you to go to the store to get Lani’s pull-ups for bed tonight.” She suggested.

Once she had finished talking, she grabbed her keys and put her shoes back on and headed to the car with her daughter. “Do you want to go to the grocery store and get some big things of ice cream, or go to the little ice cream place and get some fresh?” She asked in the car with a smile. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom nodded.  He hoped that Lani was okay going out with him.  He knew he had to buy her some things for nights so that he could hide her problems from Becks.

He walked up to Lani's door and lightly tapped on it.

"Sweetheart, I need to talk to you.  Can I come in?"

 

Rebecca smiled and listened to what her mom was saying.  

"Well, we need to get separate things anyway because I want daddy to have Rocky Road.  It's his favorite.  And I don't know if Lani will like that kind.  It has a strange kind of taste when you try it the first time."

She looked up at her mom.  "Besides, if I can, I want to get the banana and strawberry mix.  I really like that one."

 

Tom came into the room, and he sat down next to Lani.

"Honey, I know it's hard on you right now, and the last think you want, is for Becks to know you wet the bed, right?"

He put an arm around her.  "No one is blaming you for what happened at the amusement park.  A lot of kids wet when they go there because the bathrooms are always crowded, or little ones your age, sometimes are so interested in riding, that they forget to listen to their little bodies and then they have an accident while on a ride.  You at least told me you wanted to go, sweetheart."

He pulled her into his lap.

"So, I don't think you need any help during the daytime," he tried to reassure her.  "But I think to keep Becks from figuring it out if you need to leave your room to get me because you're wet in the morning, and you are afraid she's awake, they make these special night time panties that will hold most of your pee pees and make it less noticeable if you wet the bed."

He hugged her.

"I can't leave you home alone, and the other two are going to a noisy place to get ice cream, so I figure if you come with me, where I'm going, it's a little quieter and you can hear yourself think.  Would it be okay if you I take you to get some special undies for night time?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani looked up a little startled when she heard Tom knock on her door. She was used to that meaning she was in trouble. She relaxed when he was calm and kind though, looking up at him curiously.

She blushed when Tom mentioned her accidents, looking down at the floor, the area around her covered in different origami animals. Her brown cheeks were tinted red as she listened intently, squirming in place in embarrassment. She nodded along to everything he said, it all made sense to her.

Tom had already mentioned getting her special underwear to wear at night. It seemed like a good option, even if it was embarrassing to talk about her bedwetting. She had no real knowledge of what pull-ups were or that they were a type of diaper, so she didn’t think it was babyish or anything. “They’re gonna keep my bed dry too right?” She asked hopefully, remembering what he’d told her before.

She nodded in agreement and stood up to leave. She made sure she grabbed her dragon to bring along and also handed Tom the now empty water bottle. “Thank you.” She said sweetly as she handed it over, trying to thank him for letting her drink earlier.

 

“Alright then.” Charlotte said with a smile. “We’ll go to the little ice cream place we like.” She said cheerfully.

She drove about 10 minutes away to the local little ice cream place. It was fairly busy that day since it was quite hot outside.

When they got out, she looked down at Rebecca. “What do you think we should get for Lani?”

[Ishigreensa]

"Um... do they still have those multiple cup packs, you know, the ones that have a little bit of this and that in them in little covered cups?  I know it might cost more though, so it might be too much, but if we did that..., so usually strawberry and vanilla are pretty safe flavors for most kids, right?  Chocolate, depending on some, might be too strong or cause them to get sick, I heard."

She looked up at her mom.  

"If you did get those sample cups, I can just eat that with her, and that will make it cost a little less?"

 

"Yes, sweetie, that is the plan.  Those panties do leak a little sometimes, but for the most part, they will keep your bedding mostly dry."

He hugged her.

"Can I help you get your shoes back on, and maybe while we are out, if you see something you like, if it doesn't cost too much, we can get it for you."

He took her by the hand down to the living room to get her shoes on her.

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte shook her head. “It’s fine Becks. I’m not worried about money. I think we can get her a normal cup though. Why don’t you pick between vanilla, strawberry, and blackberry. I think those are pretty safe flavors.” She suggested gently. She didn’t know why her daughter was suddenly so concerned about money.

 

Lani nodded and headed down the stairs with Tom, her dragon in tow. She let him help her get her shoes on and get her buckled into her car seat.

“What do you mean pick something out?” She asked curiously. She didn’t know what he meant really. She never got to get anything from the store when she’d go with her mom. She wasn’t used to getting anything ever really. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Well, Vanilla is boring...," Rebecca said. "So how about this instead?  How about we get one blackberry and one strawberry, and then we can both take one taste of each so it is fair, and then we let her choose?  I already like strawberry, and I think I would like to try blackberry, so that kind of sounds fun to me."

He smiled at her mom.

"So I don't need the banana-strawberry mixed one.  But daddy needs his rocky road one."

She looked up to see what her mom thought of that.

 

"Well, sometimes when we get something at the store and take Becks with us, she might pick out a small toy to fidget with, or she might pick out a small package of snacks like peanuts, a cookie, or something like that," he told her.  "You can pick out anything that is under three dollars, and if you can't tell and it's over, I'll just ask you to choose something else.  Is that alright with you?"

He smiled as he got her shoes on her and then started to carry her to the car.

"It's normal for kids to pick out small snacks or toys when they are out with their parents shopping.  If the parents don't want to buy anything that time, they will tell their kid next time, but kids probably add things to the cart about sixty to seventy percent of the time," he told her.  "That is, if their parents are able to afford it, and we have plenty of money for small purchases here and there for little ones.  That's why we are fostering, honey."

[Shy-Diapers]

“I don’t know if she’d like that honey.” Charlotte cautioned. “I know you want to be nice. But she didn’t like you touching her earlier and didn’t want to share. So I don’t think she’d want to try something someone else also tried. Just pick one for her and you can get whatever you want. If she doesn’t like it, we still have her ice cream Daddy got the other day.” She explained gently.

 

Lani nodded. She didn’t really get why you’d get a little present for no reason. Those things were usually reserved for when you were extra good or did something the grown up wanted. Everything else made sense to her though so she didn’t argue at all.

At the store, she stayed close to Tom’s side while they looked at the different pull-ups the pharmacy had to offer. She was definitely too big for potty training pants, but would for sure fit into the size small in something like goodnites. She’d never seen pull-ups before that she could remember, so she looked up at Tom as he figured everything out.

She had an idea of what she wanted to pick out for a treat, but would have to take a closer look at the price since she only saw it out of the corner of her eye when they walked in. 

[Ishigreensa]

Rebecca sighed.  "I guess you're right.  She did get mad when I touched her, but she actually said I could share her pencils, but she has a rule, and she only wants to take one at a time, even if someone else is using it.  I don't think she's used to sharing."

Rebecca looked down.  

"I guess try strawberry?  That seems like a flavor that's not too strong or strange for someone that hasn't had a lot of choices before?  Maybe?"

She looked back at the banana and strawberry one she wanted at first.

"Um... can I get two scoops?  The top one banana and strawberry swirl and the second one, blackberry?" she asked hopefully.  "Maybe if I put a little bit of my blackberry one in a dish for her before I touch it, maybe she will try it?  Maybe?  It's just so she can test it, to see if she would like to get it next time?"

Rebecca understood her mom talking about not wanting something after someone else tasted it. She actually felt the same way, if she were eating after someone she didn't know, and she now remembered, they were not friends yet.  Lani reminded her in the car on the way home.  "We're not friends.  I'm not being mean.  It's just true."  And she understood.  They didn't really know each other that well yet.

"Or I guess... maybe not if it will bother her," Rebecca thought again.  "Maybe we can do something of a tasting thing later, after she gets to know me better, I guess?"

 

Tom walked through the store and eventually found sleep pajamas for kids around Lani's age.  Nearby, were pull ups for big kids that still have trouble at night.  One brand, Dry Nites, caught his eye and he looked for the size to see that it would fit Lani comfortably.  

"I think this one will fit you," he smiled and showed her the package of panties with fairies on it.  "They also have one with fish on it, and one with a blue dog on it," he told her pointing out the packages.  "Do you like one design any more than another?"

Once he had the package of pull ups they wanted, he walked towards the toy and snack aisles to see if she wanted something from either place.

[Shy-Diapers]

“You can get one of each yes. Just eat one here before we go home with the other one. I don’t want Lani feeling jealous that you got two and she only got one.” Charlotte explained gently. “Why don’t you start with the blackberry and eat that here. Then if you don’t like it, I’ll finish it. Either way we can order everyone else’s before we actually drive home.” She suggested to Rebecca. She wanted her to feel like she was contributing and getting what she wanted, but really wanted to avoid another fight between the girls if she could.

 

“That’s Bluey!” Leilani chirped happily upon seeing the blue dog absorbent underwear. She was very excited that she’d get to have the same character from her regular underwear on her bedtime underwear too!

Once they’d gotten the pull-ups she looked around and found the display she’d seen when they first walked in. It had a few little random things on it but she was drawn to a Bluey reusable water bottle. She excitedly looked around for the price, but noticed it was almost ten dollars. She wasn’t super good at math like she was reading, but she certainly knew ten was bigger than three. Tom said it had to be three dollars or under.

She returned to his side and shook her head. “It’s okay.” She said with a little shrug. She really wanted the water bottle, but knew better than to ask for anything. He was being nice enough to give her the chance to get something, so she couldn’t just pick something more expensive out. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Okay," Rebecca said happily.  She did want to try out the blackberry, and it made sense to her that her mom would just want to avoid any fighting, and they really didn't know what Lani would want to begin with.

"Can you get it for me real quick?  I'm going to the bathroom."

She ran off so she wouldn't have an accident.  She was trying to be extra careful now she had a little sister that might eventually look up to her.

 

"Oh, is that who that is?" he asked her.  "That's your favorite cartoon character, isn't it?"

He put the package in the cart and when she went up to a water bottle, he looked at her kind of strangely.  "This is what you wanted?" he asked.

When she confirmed it, he smiled.

"Well, I'll tell you what.  This is actually very useful, and even if you stop playing with it at home, I know it will get some use at school because these days, schools like us to pack water with you kids to take to class with you.  So, I'll get it for you.  Don't tell Becks how much it was though, okay?  She might be jealous."

He hugged her.

Then they started to the front to pay for the things he got for her.

He texted his wife.

-We just finished at the store, and I don't want Becks seeing the pull ups.  Can you find something else to do with her so we can beat you home?-

Then he got Lani settled, and they started for home.

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte nodded. She watches Rebecca run off and made sure she went into the bathroom. She preferred to wait at least outside the bathroom when Rebecca used a public restroom in a busy place. But she didn’t want to scold her since she was trying to listen to her body.

When she came back out, the line had moved enough so Charlotte ordered her the blackberry ice cream. “Take a little bite and see if you like it. If you do, we can go sit and eat it.”

She looked down at her phone while Rebecca tried the flavor. -Becks was being indecisive so we’re just now ordering. I’ll make sure to stall.-

 

Lani nodded quickly. “It’s one of my favorite shows!” She nodded quickly. “I used to read some books too, but they’re too short and easy.” The way she was talking showed that she was definitely more relaxed and warming up to Tom and the way they ran their house.

She nodded and seemed happy with the idea of the water bottle, not realizing Tom was looking at her strangely. Her eyes lit up and got wide when he said she could have it. She was thrilled!

“I’ll keep it a secret!” She agreed happily. “I’m really good at secrets!” She chirped, hugging her dragon and the water bottle to her chest before she gave it up to let Tom pay.

“Thank you so much!” She squealed when he started buckling her in the car. 

[Ishigreensa]

"I'll bet you are!" he told Lani when she said she's good at keeping secrets thinking she was just being an eight year old finally understanding how to keep a secret.  "Secrets can be very tricky to keep," he told her.  He picked her up and carried her to the car glad she was happy with the water bottle.

"Of course, sweetheart.  I'm glad to get you things you need, and you would definitely need a water bottle for school when school starts, so you'll have this one, and if we get you one when we get Becks, then if you accidentally lose one, you'll have the spare one."

He got her into the car, and he smiled at her through the mirror before starting it up.

"Oh, honey, let's not tell Becks you got some night time panties, okay?  We don't want her to get suspicious that you have trouble at night staying dry, do we?"

He got to a red light.

"We are doing this for your health and your safety, sweetheart.  It's no one's business if you wet in the night except your caregivers, which is mostly me right now, and yours, baby.  It's not a secret, really, just something we don't need to tell other people about that don't need to know, okay?"

He got her home and brought her up to her room to look for a nice place to put them where Becks wouldn't see from the door if she happened upon an open door, but would be accessible if he or Charlotte needed to get to them to change her during the night or early morning.

 

Rebecca ate some of it, and she smiled.  "This is really good, mom.  You want to taste it?"

She started to eat it, and felt really special because mommy got her two, and for once, she felt like she was being paid more attention to than Lani since Lani had arrived.  Sure, mommy had been spending time with her, but she was now the one getting two ice creams, and her mommy was making sure she was happy.  Of course, her mom did try to make sure she was happy at the fair, but to Becks, that was normal.  Of course her mom wanted her to be happy there.  It was a place where parents are supposed to try to make their kids happy.  But this was just buying ice cream, and now, Rebecca was getting extra because mommy just said so, and Becks didn't even ask at first for herself.

She took her time savoring it, and when she was ready to go, they had dawdled a good twenty minutes.  Becks didn't knock it that mom didn't rush her this time.  She hardly noticed, or if she did, she thought it was part of mommy trying to treat her special for once since they got Lani.  

"I'll try to be nicer to Lani," Rebecca told her mom.  "I like her.  I just didn't understand her, and I still kind of don't.  She's not the same as other kids.  She says things strange, and she seems easy to upset."

[Shy-Diapers]

Leilani nodded along with everything Tom was saying. It all made perfect sense to her. She had no desire to tell Rebecca she wet the bed at all.

Back in her room, she watched Tom put the box of pull-ups in her closet. She was excited to get a good nights sleep for the first time in forever where she didn’t wake up to soaked sheets and pajamas. She set her new water bottle on her nightstand next to her bed. She wanted to ask Tom if she could have some water, but he told her not to let Rebecca know she got the bottle.

She hugged his leg all of a sudden, clinging on tightly. But she didn’t seem scared or upset. She was just happy.

 

“No thank you sweetheart. I want you to enjoy it.” Charlotte said with a smile. She already knew she liked the flavor which was why she suggested it.

She was doing her best to shower her daughter with extra attention and focus the past few days. Of course the transition was extremely hard on everyone, but she still wondered if Becks even cared how much Charlotte was compensating for Tom’s focus on Lani.

“That’s very kind of you. But I think you’re already being very nice.” She said gently. “She’s still new to our family.”

She listened intently when Rebecca talked about how Lani was different. “Lani comes from a different background than you do.” She explained. “You know how you learn about different cultures and holidays at school?” She asked for a moment. “It’s kind of like that. She’s used to her own house, her own mom, her own rules, and her own neighborhood. She might even celebrate or do different things than we do. It’s okay to be different, that doesn’t make it bad.”

[Ishigreensa]

Tom figured that most kids want to try out their new stuff as soon as they had a chance, so when she hugged his leg, he bent down near her, and he whispered to her.  

"We can't put juice in it right now because Becks will notice it right away, but if you let me take it a moment, I can wash it out and put water in it for you."

He hugged her a moment while she clung to his leg.  When she eventually nodded and let go so he could walk, he picked her up and brought her to the kitchen where he sat her on the counter by the sink while he washed her bottle out for her.

 

Rebecca looked up at her mom, and wondered.  She had not thought about Lani being from a different culture.  She was an American, wasn't she?  She might not believe in God the same way her family did, or might not know what some holidays are because she heard of churches like the Seventh Day something that went to church on Saturdays and not Sundays, and she heard one or two churches didn't do Christmas, but she never really thought of that as culture.

She was a little bit confused.

"Well, I'll try to remember she had different rules and a different mommy," she finally looked up at her mom.  "But the way she said "We're not friends," I'm afraid if she does that at school, she won't have any.  People find that a harsh way to say we don't know each other that well yet."

She looked up to see what her mom would make of that.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani smiled and nodded. She was very happy to have her very own water bottle. She let out a small giggle when he scooped her up to head downstairs.

She squealed in excitement when she saw Tom filling it up with water. She started flapping her hands in the air as she watched on.

 

Charlotte sighed. “Don’t worry about that Becks.” She said gently. “I don’t have all the answers either honey.” She explained calmly. She felt like Rebecca was obsessing a bit much about Lani being so different. “You just focus on you. That’s all you can do is focus on yourself. Daddy and I are here to take care of Lani.”

Once her daughter had finished her ice cream, they went back to the counter and ordered everyone else’s ice cream. “You carry these two.” She instructed as they headed to the car. She set the two in her hands in the cup holders in the front seat and had Rebecca put the rest in the holders in the back seat.

Once they got home, Charlotte carried two of the ice creams and headed inside. She looked around to see where Tom and Lani were. She was happy that Tom’s car was already home. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom had filled her cup up, and he took her to the living room, and let her pick out a story book.

"Can I read to you?" he asked her.  "I know you are a good reader and you like to read, but sometimes, it helps to build a relationship when someone reads to you," he told her.  "Sometimes, we even read to Becks at night."

 

Rebecca held the ice cream like her mommy said, and she understood that mommy and daddy would take care of Lani, and he only job right now, was to just try to be friends.  It was not going to be easy.  Lani apparently didn't automatically warm up to you just because you were nice to her.  She needed something, but Rebecca wasn't sure right now what that was.

She went into the house when they got home, and put the ice cream she had on the counter in the kitchen and waited for her mom to find the others.