The Search for Home

CHAPTER 8 - Evening Time

BILLIE'S POV

Quicker then expected, 6 o'clock comes around and it is time for dinner. Mom decided on making a simple meal of vegan spaghetti with veggie meatballs in tomato sauce for our first night together since we don't really know what Briar likes and dislikes quite yet.

As my Mom plates up dinner and my Dad sets the table, I strap Briar into her booster seat so that she can sit at the table with everyone else. I walk away for a couple of seconds to go to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and as my back turns, Briar starts to moan and cry. I quickly turn around and take a seat crouch by her side. "What's wrong?" I ask her hurriedly as I run my hand over her arms and upper body, looking for injuries. "No leave!" Briar cries as she lifts her arms, hinting she wanted out of the seat. "I will be just there, you will be able to see me I promise, I am not leaving you baby" I reply sadly as I point to the fridge a couple of meters away. Briar doesn't find any comfort in this statement and starts to cry again. "It's alright Billie, I will grab you a bottle of water" My Mom replies as she continues to pass out plates of food. "I wasn't even going to be that far" I explain frustratedly as I take my seat, rubbing one of my hands along Briar's back to calm her down. " I know Billie but in her eyes as a child, everyone she has known has left in some shape or form so now she is scared you will leave too. It is just something we are going to have to work on" My Mom replies as she passes me a bottle of water, placing a kiss on my head before going back to the kitchen to grab the last plate. "Look Briar!" My mom exclaims as she lifts the dish so that Briar can see it. "Are you ready to eat?" She asks. Briar claps her hands happily as my Mom places her plate in front of her and passes her a childs fork and spoon. Briar picks up her spoon happily and starts to tuck into her meal.

As we eat, Dad tells us about his day and Mom starts to discuss some ideas she has had for the new house so I am occupied while I eat. I feel a hand tap my shoulder and I look over in Briar's direction to see that she has demolished her dinner and left no scraps. "Wow baby, you ate that fast" I chuckle as I push the plate away from in front of her and place her cutlery on top. Briar reaches for my right hand and so I give it to her, allowing her to play with the rings on my fingers. It takes me a bit longer to finish my meal as I am trying to use my left hand rather then my right but I don't really mind. I hear a loud growl erupt from Briar's direction and everyone at the table gasps. "Wow Briar, you must still be hungry with the amount of noise your stomach is making. You could hear that down the street" My mom laughs as she takes Briar's plate and walks towards the kitchen. "Would you like some more spaghetti?" she asks Briar. Briar freezes in reply. "Baby, are you alright?" I ask as I shake her arm a little. Briar grabs onto my hand and starts to cry, lifting my hand up to cover her face. "What's wrong baby?" I ask Briar as I take my hand from within her grasp and use it to rub circles on her back. "Are you still hungry?" I ask. "If you are, it is okay to have some more food. There is no need to cry okay... you are okay. You don't have to be afraid of being hungry, there is plently enough food to fill you up all you have to do is ask, always". Briar wipes her arm over her eyes to wipe her fallen tears but ends up wiping spaghetti sauce on her forehead. "Would you like some more spaghetti?" My mom repeats as she stands in the kitchen. Briar nods her head but looks in my direction afterwards to take note of my reaction. "Good girl" I smile as I place a kiss on her cheek and let her take back my hand in hers.

After dinner is all finished and all the dishes are cleaned up, I look down at Briar who is clinging onto my leg as I finish drying the plates and she is coated from the waist up in spaghetti sauce. It is even in her hair and behind her ears. "How does a bath sound?" I ask her. She looks up at me with her large ocean-like eyes and nods her head happily. I quickly put away the dish cloth before taking Briar's hand in mine and leading her towards the bathroom. I turn the faucet of the bath on, letting the water heat up as well as putting in the plug. I grab Briar's shampoo and body wash as well as a towel and place them all next to the bath so they are easily accessible. "Toys?" Briar asks as she points to the bath. "I'm not sure we have any baby" I reply as I lead her to stand in front of me so that I can strip off her dirty, tomato stained clothes. "Mom!" I bellow. My Mom quickly appears in the doorway behind us within seconds. "What's wrong Billie?" she asks quickly. "Do we have anything that Briar can play with in the bath?" I ask as I throw Briar's clothes into the hamper next to me. "We don't have any toys but we should have some bubble bath in the cupboard above the sink. That should do the trick" My Mom answers with a smile as she leaves.

I pour some of the bubble mixture in with the water, allowing it to grow. "WOW!" Briar exclaims as she tries to lean into the bath to get a closer look. "Not yet baby, soon" I reply as I quickly place an arms around her waist pulling her back down.

Once the bath is half full, I turn off the faucet and place my hand in the bath to test the water. I lift Briar into my arms and allow her to dangle over the bath and touch the water aswell. "What do you think? Is it too hot?" I ask her. She shakes her in reply before pointing at the bath and asking "please?" "Of course baby" I chuckle at her eagerness to play with the bubbles.

I quickly wash her hair, using a cup to rinse out all of the suds and then I wash her body. "You wanna play with the bubbles now?" I ask Briar and her face lights up. "Yes!" she squeals excitedly. She starts to waft her arms about in the water, collecting a bunch of bubbles in her hand and squishing them together to make them all pop and disappear. I roll up my sleeves before dunking my hands in the bath to take my own chunk of bubbles. "Look" I say as I place the bubbles on top of her head. "I made you a bubble crown" I smile as she lifts her arms to feel said crown. "Me a princess?" she asks. "Of course" I chuckle, "You are now the princess of bath land". This makes her laugh and she continues to swirl her hand around in the bubbles, leaving to crown of bubbles to rest on her head. "You wanna splash?" I ask her. "I can?" she asks in reply as she looks up at me with a look of confusion. "Of course, just not too big" I reply as I start tapping the water. Briar watches me curiously for a moment before copying my movements. It doesn't take long before she is splashing happily with both her hands and feet, giggling at the waves they cause. Suddenly she gets a bit too excited and throws her hands in the air and slams them onto the water, causing a large splash that climbs up the bath and hits me in the chest, leaving my shirt wet. Briar stops instantly and her bottom lip start to drop. "Sorry" she whispers as tears start to well in her eyes. "It's okay, don't worry. I'm not mad, we have to get changed into some clean clothes to sleep in anyway" I reply quickly before the waterworks start. "Promise?" Briar asks timidly as she shuffles towards me. "I promise" I reply as I take her pinkie in mine, giving it a kiss.

"Do you wanna get out now? The water is starting to get a bit cold" I ask Briar. She shakes her head in agreement and lifts her arms for me. I lift her out of the bath and place her on her feet before wrapping her in a big, fluffy towel. "Lets get you changed and warmed up, yeah?" I ask as i pull out the plug and lift Briar into my arms, walking her to our room. She tiredly shakes her head before resting it on my shoulder.