Vibrations

Roo stopped fidgeting and smiled at me. She waved at me, I waved back.

"Are you sure?" Casey's voice sounded pained.

I nodded and winked at Roo. "I'm sure. We're going to go home, clean up a mess, then go see my mom. We'll have a busy day today and she'll be all tuckered out when we get home."

A part of me stopped short, "We still on for dinner?" I asked cautiously.

She was quiet again for a long time. "Yeah. Dinner. Then we can talk."

I felt a lump form in my throat... I tried to swallow it, and couldn't...

"See you then?" I asked.

"Yeah, I have to go anyway. I'll see you tonight."

I hung up, my heart dropping into my stomach. Too late I wondered if I should bring something for dinner...

I looked at Roo and she was fidgeting with her shirt again...

"Pumpkin, is that shirt uncomfortable?" I asked.

She put her hands on her shirt defensively, "No. I like my Olaf shirt."

I looked at her in her car seat, "What about your seat? Is your seat comfortable?"

She rubbed her hands on it affectionately, "I like my new seat. It's comfy."

I smiled at her, proud that I had got one thing right at least. I put the truck back in gear and looked at her, "Let's see what we can do about that shirt then."

She pitched a fit the whole way back to the store. I tried to explain to her that everything was going to be okay, but she was having none of that shit...

When we pulled into the parking lot she nearly burst into tears. "I'll be good! I'm sorry. Don't take my shirt back..."

I got it then. She thought I was going to take it away from her... I shook my head at her, "Roo, baby. I'm not going to take your shirt away. We're going to get you another one. That one is too big for you. I can tell, it's not comfortable. You can hang on to that one until you get big enough for it."

Her little eyes filled with hope. "And then I'd have two Olaf shirts?"

I smiled at her and rubbed her head. "I'll tell you what, Button, you can pick out whichever shirt you want, it just has to fit you baby girl, would that be okay?"

She smiled ear to ear as I got her out of her seat. I set her down on the pavement and let her walk at her own pace. It was slow, but I didn't want to rush her. When we got to the area where the cars drive through, she stopped and held her hand out to me, her little fingers opening and closing.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "What is it Button?"

"Momma says I have to hold her hand when we walk in park lots. Cars are dangerous."

I smiled at her, "Your momma's a smart lady, you should listen to her."

I took her hand as she smiled at me, "I always try to listen to mommy, but I forget sometimes..."

Looking down at her, I returned her smile, "We all make mistakes pumpkin, just try real hard okay?"

She nodded, her excitement growing as I led her into the clothes section.

I led her back to where Kelly had helped me to pick out the shirt. I let her wander around the aisles, fingering the clothes as she walked by them. I didn't rush her, I just let her look at things. She looked back at me tentatively the entire time...

We walked through the entire section three times...

She finally walked over to the rack I had got her Olaf shirt from.

"Can you pick one out for me? I like this one because you got it for me..." She asked me shyly. I have to admit, it choked me up a little bit...

I smiled and crouched back down to her level. I pulled a new one from the rack, this one was pink, and a few sizes smaller... "How about this one Button?"

Her face got all excited and she hugged the shirt tightly. "Pink! I like pink!" She held it out, her eyes quivering in excitement. "And look! It has Olaf too!"

We wandered the store a bit, just looking at things. She asked a ton of questions, and I did my best to answer them. She was like a little sponge, just taking in information and then asking more and more questions. As we walked, a thought occurred to me. I wanted to go to the hospital and see mom, and that meant I had to take her with me. That was going to be extremely boring for her...

I crouched down to her level and she smiled at me, hugging her new shirt tight. She had made me let her carry it.

"Button, I need to go see Aunty Deb. She's sick, and we have to go see her at the hospital. Can you be patient while we're there?"

She looked at the floor, a look of intense concentration on her little face.

"I think I could be good." She finally allowed.

I pulled her in close and kissed her head. "You're always good pumpkin, I just need you to be patient. I'll tell you what. While we're here, I'll get you a toy, and you can take that with you, would that help?"

She made a little O with her mouth, she was so excited. "Could I get a bike?"

I made a face at her, "Maybe later... why don't we pick out something that you can use while we visit Aunty Deb though..."

She nodded, going suddenly serious, "Oh, that's right... I forgotted."

I shook my head at her and let her wander the aisles. She breezed through the girl's aisles. Honestly, I expected her to pick out a doll or something...

She showed a lot more interest in the boy's toys. Not a big surprise, I remembered Casey as a young girl, and she was always a bit of a tomboy... it made sense her daughter would be too.

She finally stopped seriously for the first time in one of the learning toy sections. She was looking at the little teaching tablets for kids. She pointed to one behind the glass. "My friend Jenny has one of those... It shows me all kinds of neat stuff..."

I looked at the price and was a little shocked... it was pretty expensive.

"You think your momma would want you to have that?" I asked her, not looking for an excuse to get out of buying it, just making sure I wasn't digging any deeper of a hole with Casey...

She curled up a little and I could tell she was disappointed. "I asked mommy for it one time and she said it was too espensive... we couldn't ford it."

A smile lit up my face, and I knew that it was perfect...

I leaned in closer to her, "Well, you see, your mommy wanted it to be a surprise, but she gave me the money and asked me to bring you here and see if you still wanted it..."

I knew it was a lie, but it was a pretty damn little one. What I really knew was that it had to have broken Casey's heart to have to tell Roo she couldn't afford something. My little fib meant that I wasn't going to get credit from Roo on buying it, but it meant that Casey did. That was a hell of a lot more important to me in my book. I really did not want to come in and spoil the hell out of Roo and make Casey feel bad. She worked her butt off, and I wanted her to be proud of what she had accomplished...

Her face lit up, "She did?"

I nodded, "Do you still want it?"

She nodded eagerly, "I do, but only if mommy can 'ford it."

I'm not going to lie. I'm a big manly man here...

But my eyes got a little wet there...

I stood quickly, mostly to hide it from Roo; but her little admission filled me with shame. I realized then that Casey had to be busting her ass hard to provide for herself and her little girl. For god's sake, she checked out groceries for a living. There was no way she was rolling in the dough...

I wasn't rich by any means, but I worked a lot of hours, and overtime stacks up pretty quickly. Pretty much anytime I wasn't in class, or actively studying, I was at the office running down leads for my boss. I didn't make bank, but I did pretty damn well for myself. Add in the fact that I lived pretty much like a monk, and I was doing pretty okay. I had a decent amount saved up, and while I had to be a little careful considering that I wasn't going to be bringing in any more money anytime soon, I could afford to splurge a little bit.

I couldn't think of anyone I'd love to splurge on more than Casey and Roo.

I took her hand. "Your mommy has been saving up for this, you know what that is?"

She shook her head at me, "No."

I walked her back to the front of the aisle to find someone to unlock the case the little tablet was locked up in.

"Saving is when you put a little money aside so if you need it later you have it."

Roo nodded sagely, "Mommy's real smart."

I smiled at her, looking down at her, "Yes," I told her, nodding, "she is."

She stopped. "She's a really good mommy."

I scooped Roo up, not liking looking down at her, "I know she is, Button."

She hugged me.

We finally found someone to unlock the cabinet. I got her the little tablet, checking the age range on it, considering I knew absolutely jack shit about kid's toys. It said it was suitable for four to six-year old's. I figured it was a bit of a stretch, but Roo seemed to know what it was, and she seemed like a smart kid, so I figured, what the hell...

I looked at the guy who had unlocked the cabinet for us, "This thing any good?"

He shrugged, "People seem to really like it, for her?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Yeah, I think she'll like it. Get it some good programs and she'll probably have a blast with it."

I picked out the tablet and a bunch of games, or programs, or whatever the hell they called them. It was a pretty penny, but it was worth it just to see little Roo's face light up...

Chapter 9

We went home and I set up Roo's little tablet and let her play with it while I used the little carpet cleaner on the couch and floor where she had spilled her cereal this morning. Roo sat on the other couch and as I finished she flashed me one of her little, shy smiles. "I'm sorry I spilled."

I got up and kissed her little head, "Don't worry about it, pumpkin."

When we were done, I loaded her and her new toy into the car and we headed to the hospital to see Deb.

Roo, of course, flew into the room like a whirlwind, screaming, "Auntie Deb!" as she jumped on the bed.

At first, I was worried about bringing Roo. I was worried about how much her energy might wear my mom out...

I should not have been worried. The instant Roo ran into the room my mom's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Roo!" She screamed as the little girl jumped up and into her arms.

I leaned against the wall and watched them for a few minutes, just watching as mom and Roo played.

I had switched Roo into her new pink shirt while we were at home, and Roo went over top to bottom about how I had bought her a shirt this morning, and it was too big, and then I had taken her back to the store and I had bought her a new one and then I got her a tablet that she could learn on, and then something about kangaroos...

It was exhausting to listen to...

My mom seemed to follow the whole thing though. I guess that's why she's a great mom, and I'm some schmuck...

I shook my head and yawned.

Dad laughed from the chair beside mom's bed. "Exhausting, aren't they?"

I gave him a tired smile and nodded, not wanting to admit to him that I was more tired from the lack of sleep last night than from keeping up with Roo as she tore ass around town.

Looking at dad, I realized how haggard he looked. He must have slept in that chair last night... and he must seriously be exhausted...

"Dad, why don't you go home and get some rest?" I asked him.

His eyes narrowed and he shook his head slightly, "I'm good. I'll stay here with Deb." He said, his voice full of steel.

Deb looked at him, "Walter, go home before you fall over..."

He looked at her, and I could see the frustration in his eyes, "I'll be fine."

I figured Deb could use the backup, and there was no way dad could be any angrier at me, "Dad. Go home and catch a quick nap. I'll stay with Deb and if anything goes wrong, I'll call you first thing."

He started to argue. Deb shut him down.

"Honey, I'm fine. The doctors said I'll be fine until the surgery. Go get some sleep. Jakey will stay with me until he has to go pick up Adrianna, and then he can bring her home and you and her can come back here and we can all have dinner together."

Oops... I thought guiltily.

"Uh... I screwed up." I admitted.

Deb looked at me, "Plans with Casey?"

I looked at the floor, ashamed of myself for not thinking of spending time with Deb. How could I have been so stupid?

"I'll cancel with her." I told them, scratching my head and looking at the floor. "I'm sorry. I should have used my head. It's been such a hectic couple of days that I didn't even think about it."

I could see that Deb caught something in what I had said, "Don't cancel with her. You guys need time to talk and work things out. We'll be fine tonight, won't we Walter?"

I looked at dad, who in turn looked at Deb. Finally, he nodded. He looked so exhausted...

Finally, he rubbed his face and stood up. "You two are right. I need to go home and grab a nap." He leaned in and kissed Deb. His initial plan was to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned and pulled him in for a kiss on the lips. I smiled, seeing them so happy. Yes, they started out in a rough place, but I was happy for both of them, happy that they had found each other.

He pulled away from her and smiled, his eyes locked onto her like she was the only thing in the entire world. Looking up at me he smiled. "Take care of her, okay?"

I nodded and smiled, hoping he knew I would do everything I could.

After he left, I pulled out Roo's little tablet and handed it to her. I sat down in his chair and looked at Deb while she watched Roo play with her little pad.

"Where'd you get this kiddo?" She asked Roo.

"My mommy bought it for me with money she saved. Jakey helped me pick it up from the store today..." Roo answered distractedly, only half paying attention to Deb she was so enraptured with her new, little toy.

Deb looked at me, raising an eyebrow, "Your mommy bought it for you, huh?"

I gave her an exasperated look, "Yeah... her mommy bought it for her... I just helped her pick it up."

Deb shook her head at me, "You're a good kid, Jakey..."

I closed my eyes, suddenly very tired. "So, what are the doctors saying?"

She looked at me levelly, "That I'll be fine."

Tilting my head at her, I narrowed my eyes, "Don't bullshit me. If things go sideways I'm going to be handling the fallout. I need to know, mom."

She gave me a tired smile, "Have I ever told you you're a good kid Jakey?"

I nodded, "You might have mentioned it."

Deb smiled at me, this time wider, friendlier, "They think I have a thyroid growth. Day after tomorrow they're going in and taking it out."

My eyebrows went up, "How serious do they think it is?"

She shook her head, "Not serious. Most thyroid issues are pretty tame."

I sighed, "Please be straight with me." I gestured to the room, "I'm pretty sure they don't have you staying here because you like the ambiance..."

She smiled at me, gesturing to the oxygen tube in her nose. "The growth is putting pressure on my windpipe. Doctors are worried that it might make it hard for me to breathe. They said I would probably be alright going home..."

I giggled, "Let me guess, dad flipped the fuck out."

She nodded, "Yes. Your father had a few choice words about his opinion on me leaving..."

I thought of dad and how pissed he probably got... I remembered a story my mom, my birth mom, would tell me when I was a little kid. When she went into labor the doc at some point had pulled out a big needle and started to give my mom an injection. Apparently, he didn't explain himself to my dad's satisfaction and dad put him into a wall and pinned him there...

Deb smiled at me and kissed Roo's head. "I'll be fine. Besides, do you seriously think your dad would leave me for a second if he thought there was any chance of anything going wrong?"

She had a point...

I nodded at her and sat with her quietly for a little while, both of us watching Roo play with her new toy. She was enraptured with it, watching the little screen, pressing buttons, her whole world boiled down to that small point.

Deb looked at me, "You going to hang out for a couple of days?"

I nodded. "Yeah. At least until we get all of this stuff sorted out. Probably need to grab a hotel room."

"Honey, you don't need to waste money on a hotel room. You know you can stay at the house. I know things are a little tense with your dad, but you should know, you are always welcome."

I nodded, "I know, I just need some space. Right now, I have to crash on the couch, and that's going to get old after a couple of days. I know I could crash in Re's room, but I think I might go insane if I was surrounded by that much pink for that long..."

Deb smiled at me. "You could stay with Casey."

I shook my head at her, thinking back to last night. After that little disaster, I found it really hard to believe that I was going to be welcome at her place overnight...

"Probably not a good idea. We got in a little bit of a spat last night."

Her eyes narrowed at me, "A little spat?"

I shook my head, "Nothing serious. I just said something stupid. It's one of the reasons we're having dinner tonight, so we can talk about it."

I could see some hesitation in her eyes, "You're sure, nothing serious?"

My eyes narrowed at her. There was something going on here that I didn't understand... "Yeah. Nothing serious. What could it be?"

She smiled at me, "You two have been circling each other for a long time kiddo... sometimes things get out of hand when there's tension."

I yawned and rubbed my forehead, too tired to think about it...

"When you get home, talk to your dad. Tell him I asked him to give you the keys to unit 47. It just came open a few days ago. It's clean, and furnished. The park owns it and I haven't had a chance to list it yet. How's that sound?"

I smiled at her. "It sounds perfect. How much is the rent on it?"

She shook her head at me, "Tell you what, you can stay there for a few days while you figure out what you're doing and if you decide to stay longer, we'll fill out all the forms."

I smiled at her, "That won't get you in trouble, will it?"

She shrugged, "No. Between me getting sick and the trailer just coming open, if the owner asks, I can tell them you're cleaning the place up and fixing a few things."

Dad worked at the Fish and Wildlife department, checking water monitoring buoys. Deb owned a small photography business, and supplemented her and dad's income by managing the park they lived in. The owners held it as an investment property. Deb managed collecting the rent, making repairs on things that needed attention, buying trailers from people who decided to sell, and renting those trailers back out when they came open. Occasionally, she sold a property or a trailer and managed the payments on it. That was how Case had ended up with her trailer. An eighteen-year-old, single mom that worked at a grocery store, did not exactly have a glut of options when it came to where to live. My mom had made sure she was set up, and had vouched for Casey's loan. I was really proud of all the work Deb had done for Casey.

Casey had picked out the trailer right behind my parents' place, just so she'd feel a little more connected and safer. That in turn, had led to her and Deb hanging out a lot. They were pretty good friends for what it was worth, and it made me happy to see that they had developed such a close relationship.

Letting me crash rent free was not exactly kosher though... and I didn't want her getting in trouble. Mom and dad weren't exactly struggling, but they weren't flushed either.

"What's the rent on the place?"

Deb rolled her eyes, "Eight hundred a month."

I nodded and yawned, "I'll take it. I'd kill that in hotel costs by the end of the week. That way if there's any question of what you're doing, it's legit."

She ground her teeth at me, "You and your dad. Always so prim and proper."

I smiled at her, "I'm not prim, I just have shitty luck, and I don't like to spread that to the people I love."