Settling Down

5

December 15, 1990

Stevie was watching Lindsey and the girls from her gate. They were setting up Christmas Decorations outside. Stringing lights up and setting up a fake snowman statue. She gnawed on her lip and she ran into her garage. She had a pair of outside lights for one of the trees in her back yard but she didn't really have anyone to set them up for her. She was too short and scared of the ladder to do it herself. Karen was always doing other things and her brother was in Phoenix. So it wasn't like she had anyone that could help her. She collected the lights and she made her way across the street.

She observed them for a little bit before she finally tapped on Lindsey's shoulder. He jumped but he turned to her and he cleared his throat.

"Ms. Nicks, what's up?" He asks.

"Would you mind?" She holds up the lights.

"I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to step foot on your property." He shakes his head.

"Will you just forget the NDA and help me put my lights up?" She asks.

"Yeah, but it looks bad if a cop has a criminal record and your assistant kinda scares me." He shrugs.

"Officer Buckingham, would you please help me string these lights up in the backyard?" She asks.

"Sure, I'll string them up for you." Lindsey gives in. She was cute, she had curves in the right places, and in that instance wearing a pair of jeans and a Tom Petty long sleeve, she really didn't look like a rockstar. In fact, she looked like someone he'd hit on in a bar. The Tom Petty Tee indicating good taste in music, and blondes with brown eyes who were petite was his type, literally everyone including Carol Ann, who he dated was blonde with brown eyes and they were small in stature.

"Dad what take out is tonight?" Emily comes jogging up to them.

"Why?" He inquires cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm not feeling too good, and I don't want something unsettling." She looks down sheepishly.

"Not feeling good how?" He asks.

"I don't know, I just feel weird." She shakes her head.

"Well, I was thinking that Irish Pub on the corner." He points.

Emily makes a face and Stevie can't help but jump in, "I'm making homemade Chicken Noodle Soup."

Lindsey just cocks an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, you guys could come over for dinner and I could feed you as a thank you for stringing my lights." Stevie shrugs.

"We have an NDA, Miss. Nicks."

"A non disclosure agreement doesn't mean that you get arrested if you step foot on my property it just means that you can't tell anyone what you see on my property." Stevie shrugs.

"Chicken soup does sound good daddy." Emily shrugs her hands wrapping around her slim waist.

"STELLA!" He calls.

The little girl runs up to the small group of people standing in the front yard.

"Yes Daddy?"

"Do you want to go to that Irish Restaurant or do you want Chicken Soup for Dinner."

"Soup daddy, it's Christmas so that means it's winter and mommy used to always make soup in winter." Stella beams.

"Alright, we'll come over for dinner." Lindsey sighs.

"Thanks daddy." Emily launches at her father and wraps her arms around him.

***

They were eating dinner at Stevie's oversized dining room table when Emily asked for the bathroom. Stevie directed her, and she came back moments later and she was as white as a ghost.

"What's wrong Em?" Lindsey asks.

Emily just gulps and goes over and whispers in his ear and he chokes on his spit. "What?'

"What's the matter?" Stevie asks. She didn't want to be nosy, but something was wrong and she wanted to help.

"Um, Ugh..." Lindsey looks at Emily. "She actually might be better help than me."

"But I don't know her and it's weird." Emily chews on the sleeve of her sweater.

"What's the matter honey?" Stevie tries again.

"Blood. There's blood...I went pee and there was blood on my underwear, and in the toilet." She gives in.

"Oh, oh...okay, come on upstairs with me." Stevie pushes back in her chair and places her napkin down holding her hand out.

"I'm really scared." Emily admits as Stevie leads her through the house.

"You don't have to be scared sweet girl...this happens to every young lady eventually. It happens to me, it's going to happen to your sister in a few years. It's normal...It's called a period...or a menstraul cycle." Stevie sighs.

She was not prepared to do that in the slightest-but its as evident that she was way more prepared for it than Lindsey was seeing as she had the equipment.

"So this is um, it's going to happen every month. It might start out a little wonky but it'll eventually even out, like it happens to me the second week of the month. Mine ended about two days ago." That was way too personal and Stevie could tell by the look on Emily's face but she didn't know how else to explain it. "So when it happens, what you're going to do is you're going to have to wear a pad or a tampon. I have both, but a tampon is a little bit too personal for me to show you because I just met you. You're going to have to start carrying them around with you."

"Really, like all the time?" Emily asks.

"Yeah, I'm sorry sweetheart. Do you have like a little purse or something?" Stevie asks.

"No, I don't have anything...Just my backpack and my dance bag." Emily shrugs.

"Okay, what if tomorrow I take you shopping?" Stevie asks.

"What?"

"Yeah, after school, we'll get you a little bag, and we'll get you some pads of your own. Mine are probably going to be too big for you and they're going to be a little bulky, awkward, and uncomfortable but they'll get you through the night and the school day. Then tomorrow, we can go to the store and we can find you the size that'll fit you the best."

"Okay."

"Alright, I'll talk with your dad and make a plan...but back to the subject matter. This is a pad." She pulls one out of her master bathroom under the sink and Emily's eyes go wide.

"I told you, mine are probably too big for you." She laughs lightly.

"it's just really long." Emily states.

"I know, which is why I said we had to find a size that fit you... So this is how you put it on. "She opens it and peels it apart and she shows Emily. "If you're comfortable I can place it for you in your underwear, but if you're not, I'll let you do that right now, you're going to want to sit on the toilet while you do it and just yell for me when you're done."

"I wanna try it."

"Okay, I'll be in my bedroom, just yell for me or come out when you're done."

Stevie exits the bathroom and jumps a mile in the air when she sees Lindsey standing in her doorway.

"Thank You for doing this."

"It's not a problem. I'm a woman, I know what she's going through. I still have to talk to her about somethings but right now she's getting situated. I'd like to take her shopping to get her her own pads. I'm going to give her some of mine before you guys leave but she's going to need more than four. I know I have to get some myself because that's going to be my last little bit." Stevie sighs.

Lindsey wrinkles his nose but nods. "Sure it gets me out of doing it. But when?"

"I'll take her tomorrow after school."

"I have a Pick Up Person because I don't get off until six." Lindsey tells her.

"Call and Cancel. Karen and I will pick them up after school. Where do they go to school?" Stevie asks.

"Well Emily's in eighth grade at Santa Monica Middle School, and Stella is in fourth grade and Pine Elementary. The middle school gets out at three Pine gets out at 3:45." Lindsey explains.