To Quell the Wrath

Chapter Three - Home Again

Jackson, August, Early Afternoon

JJ is gurgling to himself as Dina watches him from the couch. It's been four months since Ellie left to chase Abby. In those four months, she realised that raising a baby alone and keeping up with the farm work and maintenance was a huge task. She had moved back to Jackson and was living in her old house, around the corner from Jesse's parents. They visited frequently, and Robin had finally returned to her old self and was more inclined to talk about Dina and Ellie rather than Dina and Jesse. She focused as much attention on Dina as she did JJ and helped where she could.

This summer had dragged, and it was unusual to not have Ellie by her side, as they had spent the entirety of last year with each other, hunting down members of the Washington Liberation Front, or WLFs; "Wolves" as Dina had called them.

Dina missed Ellie with all her heart, but she knew that she had to let her go. She couldn't stop Ellie from going on the hunt for Abby and she couldn't make her stay. She just wished it had been different. Dina often wished that Ellie had found Abby before JJ was born, so then it was all over and done with and they could be a happy, little family. She was thinking about all of this and didn't hear Robin speaking to her.

"Hey, Dina, you with me?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"You okay?"

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"How I wish everything was different."

"Do you miss her?"

"Every day, Robin. I keep hoping that she's alive out there, but I've got to be realistic that she may not be. And that's what hurts the most. She just left."

"No goodbye?"

"Not a proper one." Dina sighs.

"You gotta just let her go, move on."

"I can't... Look..." she lowers her voice "JJ hasn't got a dad and he's gonna, probably, start wondering where mommy's gone..."

"Honey, kids are resilient, he's probably not even noticed that Ellie's not around."

"He's noticed that there's no guitar music."

"Well... get him a record of just guitar music."

"Robin. He knows Ellie's not there. I know he knows."

Robin sighs and gets up from the couch. "You'd be surprised by what babies forget."

Dina scoffs.

There isn't much left to say, so the pair lapse into silence.

"I don't want him to forget her. I want him to remember her." Dina says interrupting the deafening silence.

"She's only been around for the first year."

"Yeah, so?"

"So how can he remember someone who isn't around?"

Dina sighs. "Whatever."

"Has he said his first word yet?"

"Nope. I was kinda hoping me and Ellie would hear it but guess she's gonna miss out on that one. I have been trying to teach him to say 'mama' and so far he's not repeated it."

"Oh, well, he will get there. When he's a little older, maybe." Robin coos.

Dina sighs again and goes to open the front door to let in some fresh air. She sits back down again and drinks the fresh orange juice that Robin has made for them. JJ is crawling around on the carpet and disappears behind the couch. Dina, having not noticed he's vanished continues talking to Robin.