Camo and Navy Blue [Book Two]

Three

Maureen

By the end of the school day, I had received a call from my mother regarding their current case. A child had been kidnapped, and it was all hands on deck. She and my father wouldn't be coming home tonight or probably for a few days, so once again I was in charge. I picked up the youngest four from school and took all five of my siblings home.

"Chores need to be done before bed," I sighed, as I heard Jacob, Jasper, and Tobias arguing from the living room. I stepped from the kitchen and leaned against the wall as my little brothers turned to look at me.

"Mo-"

"No, Toby. All chores need to be done before you head to bed. So please, get to it. Toby and Jasper, please pick up your toys and put the shoes in their correct spots," I frowned. The twins grumbled under their breaths, but still did as I told them.

I returned to the kitchen just in time to see Kathleen and Lilly enter after taking the trash out.

"Are you sure that Mama and Dad aren't coming home tonight?" Lilly asked me quietly. I looked her over and frowned as I saw her cracked lips from where she had chewed them. I walked over to the little girl before squatting down in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sorry, Lils."

"It's okay, Daddy and I were just going to talk tonight," she frowned.

"Do you want to talk to us?" Kathleen asked as she squatted down beside me. We both looked at our sister, but that seemed to make Lilly more uncomfortable. She looked down at her shoes before whispering.

"I'm going to finish my homework."

Lilly ran from the room as Kathleen and I stood. We walked to the sink and Kathleen dried dishes as I washed and rinsed them.

"Do you think something is up with her?" Kathleen asked as she glanced at me. I frowned and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I do. I just don't know what. She just seems really off lately, and doesn't even want to cuddle in the recliner with Dad anymore. She used to do that every night, but it's kinda just stopped suddenly."

"Do you think she may have a disorder like me? I don't think she's bipolar, but she could have an anxiety disorder," Kathleen spoke. She had gotten diagnosed as bipolar last year and has taken such great care of herself since. Between therapy and taking her medicine, she has made sure that she won't leave us. Like Nana left our father when he was younger.

I didn't respond to my sister because I was too busy thinking about my little sister. I was almost wondering if maybe she was having a hard time growing up in a blended family like I am. If she's worried about what other people think, or if she's even missing what her life may have been if the donor that Mom had picked was actually her father.

"Mo? Did you hear me?" Kathleen asked, and I stopped scrubbing the dish to look at her.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I'm pretty sure the boys are fighting."

"Of course they are. Boys!" I huffed, as I quickly tossed the sponge down and moved to break up the fight between three annoying little brothers.

///

I called my parents a few hours later to give them an update on us. I told them about the fights that had broken out, and was given direct orders to take away iPads until my parents could come home and talked through things with Jacob, Jasper, and Tobias.

Then we also talked about Lilly. I explained how she was behaving, and my mother informed me they talked about it last night. Lilly was anxious, and she had never been like that before.

So before bed, I knocked on Lilly's door to make sure she was tucked in and ready.

"Lils, are you ready for bed?" I asked as I swung open her door. My little sister was sitting on her window seat, her eyes focused on the backyard.

I watched her as she just zoned out on the dark backyard, as if she hadn't even heard me. I stayed in the doorway for a moment, before knocking on the open door again.

"Lilly?" I breathed. She spun her head and looked at me with tear filled brown eyes.

"Hi, Mo."

"Hey, baby. Are you ready for bed?"

"I-i guess," she mumbled. I walked over and pulled the blankets back, and covered up my little sister once she was laying down. I didn't leave the room right away, and was glad I didn't because she cried quietly.

"Lilly, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I whispered, my own eyes burning with tears. I hated to see any of my siblings cry, but especially Lilly. It took a lot to make her cry, and I wanted to know what exactly had pushed her this far.

"I'm not a Stabler," she sobbed. I reached out and pulled her close as she continued to sob.

"You are a Stabler, Lillian! Daddy adopted you, and that makes you a Stabler! Even before, you were still Mama and Dad's little girl!" I exclaimed, as I held her tightly to my chest.

"But I don't look like the rest of you! A mean girl in my grade found out that I was adopted, and she bullied me about it!"

"Honey, that girl can fuck off," I huffed, as I rested my cheek against her silky brown hair.

"Mo..." Lilly trailed off as she leaned back to look at me. I looked down into the brown eyes of my little sister and smiled softly.

"You are an amazing little girl, and the best sister. That is saying a lot because you are stuck in the middle of three boys. No matter what that girl says, you are a Stabler. You just look a lot like Mama and a little less like Dad. I know that being a part of a family that has siblings that aren't full siblings is scary and sometimes confusing, but we can make it through this together. As a family. As Stablers," I smiled. I pressed a kiss to her nose, and she smiled weakly at me before hugging me again tightly.