An Accidental Family Ch. 02

First off, let me say that I really appreciate the positive response to, and comments on, the first part of this story. To see it on the Romance Hall of Fame with stories like As You Wish and Dream Small blows me away. Those are two of the finest stories that I have ever read on this or any other site (both are well worth a read if you haven't already).

As with Part 1, this part is long and, with apologies to JT and Jen stans, still doesn't have much sex. If you are new to this story, I have tried to provide a bit of a recap as it goes along, but you will probably need to go back and read Part 1 to really understand who everyone is and what they are about. This part picks up on Christmas day, following directly from Part 1.

CGN

Christmas Redux

After the emotional highs of Christmas morning, a more mellow early afternoon was a welcome reprieve. Jason spent a few hours playing games on his new console while Jen, my mom, and I cleaned up and chatted. Jen and my mom got along like a proverbial house on fire, joking, laughing, and teasing me good-naturedly. The teasing was more than made up for, however, by the contented smile on Jen's face, the looks that we shared from across the room, and the gentle touches on my arms and shoulders as we passed close to one another.

By mid-afternoon, we were done cleaning up, and I asked Jason if he wanted to come with me to drop off some presents for Lisa and her sisters. I hoped they were having a good Christmas. Surely their uncle would make at least this one day special for the girls. Jason grabbed his Santa hat and the bag of gifts, while I grabbed a coffee for the road, and we hopped into my truck. As we drove, Jason looked like he had something on his mind.

"So, are you and my mom dating now?" he asked with his typical directness.

Apparently, Jen and I weren't as subtle around Jason as I had thought.

"Yeah, I guess we are, although it's not like it's official or anything yet."

"Why not?" he asked, a bit perplexed. "You love her, and she loves you. Shouldn't you two be dating?"

It was easy to forget that despite Jason's taciturn nature and difficulties picking up on social cues, he was still an incredibly perceptive young man. Or maybe the connection between Jen and I was just that obvious to everyone but me.

"Well, yeah, probably. I certainly love your mom, but you would have to ask her whether she loves me back."

"She does. She definitely does. She talks about you a lot, and its mostly good stuff. Does this mean I can call you Dad now?"

This was not what I had pictured us talking about when we started the drive, but I already knew the answer.

"Jason, that is up to you and your mom to decide, but I would be honored to be called your dad."

"Okay. Thanks, Dad."

With that, Jason turned and looked out the window until we pulled up in front of Lisa's uncle's house. It was located on the far edge of town in a very bad neighborhood. The street it was on was paved at the corner but rapidly fell away to gravel and then dirt. It was like a city planner had intended for this to be a sleek, modern neighbourhood on paper but had given up in disgust when confronted with the reality on the ground.

The house itself was a sad, sagging two-story rat trap with tarps on the roof and more plywood than glass in the windows. The front porch tilted precipitously to the left like it had started to collapse but then just given up partway to the ground.

The uncle in question, was the only relative willing or able to take Lisa and her younger sisters in when their father had been sent to prison ten months prior. Their uncle had no interest in the three girls, but was terrified of his older brother, even in jail, so he treated the kids like a nuisance that would eventually go away if he ignored them for long enough. He spent most of his time stoned or drunk, so Lisa was left to raise her little sisters by herself, for the most part, as best she could.

Lisa's sisters, Lucy, and Bel (short for Isabel) were only 4 and 6, and they shared a small room on the 2nd floor of the house. Lisa had her own room but slept on the floor between her sisters to keep them safe. She protected her sisters with a single-minded ferocity. She opposed any attempts to have them removed from her uncle's 'care' since they would, almost inevitably, be separated from each other if that happened. There were always families interested in fostering or adopting young girls. Very few were interested in fostering troubled teenagers, however.

When we arrived, we knocked on the front door a couple of times but there was no answer. Eventually, we just let ourselves in. There might have been a lock on the front door, but it was rarely, if ever, used.

We called out to Lisa and her sisters, and the younger girls came running. They were dressed in threadbare dresses and clearly had not been bathed, but they greeted us with joy and enthusiasm. They pulled us through to the kitchen where Lisa was standing at the stove making a container of macaroni and cheese. The younger girls showed us their Christmas presents excitedly, a package of new crayons and some coloring placemats from one of the local chain restaurants.

Lisa's face looked tense. Glancing at her, you would have thought that she was angry unless you noticed the bead of moisture that was leaking from the corner of her eye and the slight tremble in her left cheek. She was angry, yes, but more she was lonely, hurt, and ashamed. I had always thought the expression 'my heart shattered' was just a metaphor but I could literally feel a sudden unbearable ache in my chest as I watched her prepare their meager food. I wanted to pull her into a hug and take the three of them away from this.

"Merry Christmas, girls," I said putting on a smile for Lucy and Bel. I needed to say something, do something. Anything.

"Where is your uncle?" I asked Lisa.

"He's out," was her only reply.

"On Christmas?" I asked, incredulous.

"He's out a lot," she said.

Just then a man came in through the back door and into the kitchen. To say this man looked like a weasel would have been unfair. To weasels. Any self-respecting weasel would have taken one look at that scrawny, mean-looking pile of grease, sinew and aggression and refused to be associated with him. Even weasels had their standards.

"Who the fuck are you?" the man asked. As he did, his eyes flicked up and down Lisa and then away as he noticed the baseball bat that was leaning in easy reach by the stove. Lisa eyed him warily and the muscle in her cheek started to twitch uncontrollably.

"I'm JT, and this is Jason," I replied reaching out to shake his hand.

"Dale," he replied, unsuccessfully trying to crush my hand before finally letting go and stepping back. I had an instant and fierce dislike for Dale, and wanted to know what he was doing here, particularly when Lisa's uncle wasn't home. While I was thinking of how to ask him who he was, without raising the already palpable tension in the room any further, Jason decided to fill the awkward silence.

"We are friends of Lisa and her sisters, and we are here to take them to Christmas dinner at my mom's place."

We were what now? With the benefit of hindsight, we really should have planned for the girls to join us for Christmas day, but we hadn't. If they came over now there would be nothing but leftovers for them to eat. But we clearly couldn't leave them alone with this predatory creep in the house, and with only macaroni and cheese for Christmas dinner.

"Jason, why don't you and Lisa go help the younger girls get ready to go, while Dale and I have a quick word."

The younger girls ran out of the room and Lisa and Jason followed, both glancing backwards to see what would unfold. Once they were out of earshot, I spoke quietly to Dale.

"Dale, I don't know who you are or what you are doing in this house, but I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I hope that you are a good dude who will treat the girls well. They have had a hard life, and they deserve the world. But you need to know that they are loved. Deeply loved."

Dale looked at me with a mix of contempt and disdain.

"Sure, they are so deeply loved that they are spending Christmas by themselves, while living in a shit hole like this, with druggies like me. Go sell your line of shit to someone who believes it. And you can keep your threats to yourself big man, I am not fucking afraid of you. In fact, I want you the fuck out of this house. Now!"

He yelled the last part loud enough that the girls must have heard, as they came running down the stairs and stood in the front entrance, eyes wide. I walked over and picked up Bel, whose little body was shaking, while Jason took Lucy's hand.

"Dale, it was nice meeting you. Remember our conversation, and I hope you have a lovely Christmas," I said as we left the dilapidated building.

"Fuck you," he mumbled as he watched us leave, before turning to the fridge to grab a beer.

I was shaking with the adrenaline rush of confronting Dale. And the worst part was that I knew he was right. I felt like a fraud for having enjoyed my Christmas morning with Jen and Jason, while the girls suffered by themselves. I vowed that this would be the last holiday they would spend like this. I would figure out a way to fix this. To make things right for them.

"Jason, you get the girls settled in the truck. I need to make a few calls."

Lisa stopped beside me on the way to the truck and said in a low voice, so that the younger girls couldn't hear, "don't worry too much about Dale. He talks a big game, but he is terrified of our dad and wouldn't risk crossing him, even while he is in jail."

Maybe that was true on a rational level, but I had a sick feeling that Dale's life choices weren't always dictated by logic. It was clear, that Lisa had her doubts as well, but she was putting on a brave face.

"And you don't need to do this," Lisa continued. "I can look after my sisters by myself. We have mac and cheese for dinner if that bastard hasn't eaten it all by now. We don't want to intrude on your Christmas."

"I know, Lisa, but Jen, Jason, and I, we ... we think of you girls as part of the family. I thought that your uncle would look after you, at least on Christmas. I am so sorry that I didn't take better care of you all."

"Looking after my sisters is my job, JT, not yours, and I can do it just fine without any help from you or anybody else. I don't need your charity." Lisa said, starting to look angry and defensive.

"I know, Lisa, I know you can do it alone. But maybe you don't have to. Sometimes it's good to have backup."

Lisa didn't look convinced, but she got in the car with her sisters. Once the kids were out of earshot, I quickly called Jen.

"Hey, Jen. Is my mom still with you?" I asked. When she answered in the affirmative, I laid out what had happened and told them I was bringing the girls over for Christmas dinner.

"I can drive them around to see the Christmas lights for maybe an hour or so. Do you think you and mom can pull something together for them at the last minute?"

They said they would see what they could whip up.

I had a thought and made a second call to Ted and Sue. I had been best friends with them since high school and they were as kind and dependable as the day is long. If I was lucky, they might be able to make Christmas a little more special for the girls. The phone rang, and I heard Sue's voice,

"Ted's phone, what's up?"

"Sue, it's JT. Do you think Ted might be willing to dress up like Santa for an hour or two this evening?" Ted was a former offensive lineman and, certainly, had the size (and now the girth) to pull off a credible Saint Nick.

"Merry Christmas to you too, JT," she said with a laugh. "I'm not sure about the Santa thing, but we can certainly give it a shot. Why? What's up?"

I explained about the girls, who Ted and Sue had met several times, and told them that they were coming to our house for an impromptu Christmas dinner. Given the year the girls had had, I thought they might really appreciate a visit from Santa.

"You got it. Santa and his crazy helper will be there in an hour."

I felt guilty once I realized that I hadn't even asked if they had other plans. They were the kind of people, though, who would drop anything to help friends or family.

For the next hour, we drove around town and checked out the displays of lights and other festive decorations. We made a point of stopping at the church, so the girls could see the nativity creche. They were enthralled.

They found the idea of a baby in a manger, filled with shepherds, angels, wise men, and donkeys to be both charming and hilarious. It was wonderful to see them smile and laugh. They found it even funnier when I told them that the three wise men were named Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Lucy declared that when she grew up and got a cat, she was going to name it Balthazar.

When we arrived at the apartment, Jen and my mom had worked up an honest-to-goodness Christmas miracle. Mom had reached out to the Women's Guild at her church who, in turn, had reached out to their friends and families. By the time we arrived, there were gifts for the girls under the tree, and mom had repurposed our stockings so there was now one each for Lisa, Lucy, and Bel. The leftovers from our Christmas lunch had been transformed into an even bigger and better Christmas dinner. There were even three types of dessert for the girls to try.

The highlight of the evening, though, was when Santa himself arrived, along with his little helper elf. I can't say that Ted looked all that much like the Santa that you would see at a mall. His 6'5" frame was packed into a bright red sweater, and his balding head was covered by a classic Santa hat. Somewhere, Sue had tracked down a white beard that looked comically small on Ted's round face. But he played the part to a tee, laughing and carrying on for the younger girls. Santa also brought his helper, Sue, dressed in a green sweater and green tights, to help spread the holiday spirit. She had even found a bell which she was ringing gleefully.

Lucy and Bel were ecstatic. They squealed and ran to Ted, jumping on his knees before he even had the chance to sit down. The look of pure joy on their faces was incredible as they babbled away at him. He asked them if they had been good this year and what they wanted for Christmas, and they whispered their wishes in his ear. I noticed a few tears leaking out as Ted listened, before he gave each of them a big hug.

While the younger girls were with Santa, I glanced over at Lisa, who had a smile on her face for the first time all day. The smile, though, was leavened by a profound sadness in her eyes.

"You can talk to Santa as well, if you would like," I said to her quietly. "Even big kids get to make wishes at Christmas."

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at me, and said in a soft voice, "I just need them to be safe." It was like a dam had burst and she started sobbing.

Jen and I held Lisa as she wept, while Santa and his helper kept the younger girls distracted (with some help from Jason and my mom). Once Lisa had cried herself out, Ted slipped out to my apartment to get changed into his civilian clothes. If the girls noticed that Ted looked suspiciously like Santa without his scraggly beard, and that Santa's helper stayed around even after he left, they never said a word.

Later that evening, Jen and I talked softly in the kitchen as the kids watched a movie. There was no way that we were sending the girls back to that house, at least not until their uncle was back home. As we spoke, Ted came over to join us. With an uncharacteristically bleak look on his face, he told us about the girls' Christmas wishes.

"Bel asked for a mom and dad to help look after them, so that Lisa wouldn't be so sad all the time. Lucy asked for a lunch each day to bring to school, so she could feed Bel when her tummy hurts. JT, tell me you have a plan to help these girls. Please. We need to fix this."

I felt overwhelmed. The problems the girls were facing seemed so far beyond my knowledge or capabilities. These girls needed a home and a family. They needed stability and love. How was I going to fix this? What was I going to do?

As I felt the edge of panic beginning to set in, Jen squeezed my hand. I looked up, and she held my gaze while she gave me a small smile.

"We will figure this out together. First, we'll figure out where everyone is sleeping tonight. Then, we will figure out breakfast in the morning. Next, we will put together a roster of adults who will look in on the girls every day, morning and evening, until we can get them into a safe, permanent home. I will speak to the lawyers I work for on Monday about how to get that process started."

Looking at the younger girls who were snuggled up on either side of Jason and Lisa, Jen continued, "you did good today. Maybe we should have guessed how bad things were going to be at their house, but how could we have known? Who abandons their nieces on Christmas? You turned what could have been a miserable day for those girls into a positive memory. They even got to see Santa. You did that, JT."

"We did that," I corrected her. "We make a pretty good team."

The Shelby Rides Again

Getting everyone settled for the night between the two apartments took some doing. In the end, I gave Jason my bed while I slept on the sofa in my apartment. Jen wanted to give the younger girls her bed with Lisa in Jason's room, but Lisa insisted that she would be more comfortable on the sofa, so the younger girls slept in Jason's room instead. By morning, the younger girls were on either side of Jen in her bed, gripping her so tightly that she could barely turn over. I peeked in at them before Jason, Lisa, and I went out for a run, and Jen had her arms wrapped protectively around our girls.

At some point during the night, as I lay tossing and turning, "the" girls became "our" girls, even though there had only officially been an 'ours' for Jen and I for less than one day at that point. Nonetheless, in my head and, more importantly, in my heart, they were now "our" girls and that's how they would remain.

Later that morning, Jen and I sat down to talk with Lisa while Jason showed Lucy and Bel how to game. They didn't make much progress in the games they tried, but there was a lot of giggling, squeaking, and squealing which suggested that they sure had fun trying.

We asked Lisa what we could do to help with their living situation, but she was adamant that we not get Child Protective Services involved. The last time they were called, before their mother was killed and their father went to jail, they were placed in temporary care and the younger girls had been separated from Lisa. It had gone very badly. Lisa refused to say what had happened, but she made it clear that she would never be separated from her sisters like that again.

We asked her about Dale, and she said that he had moved into the spare room in her uncle's house earlier that month. She knew he was trouble, but her uncle kept him mostly in line, at least when he was home and sober.

In the end, we reluctantly agreed to bring our girls back to their uncle's place once he returned from his Christmas hiatus. We spoke with Ted and Sue, my mom, and some of our other friends. It was agreed that an adult would go by to check in on them each morning and bring them lunches for school when they did. I also purchased a cellphone for Lisa and told her to call me anytime and for anything, and that I would drop everything and come if they needed me. Lisa had never owned a phone before and thought it was too expensive to be wasted on her, but I insisted.