We Are Free

Truth Or Dare And Packing

That night all 5 of them are in bed Halo and I sit down and talk. After about a couple minutes we stair at the floor and have are mouths open. We can't think of anything to say. We are just sitting there. How can you think of words? Finally I can't take the silence.
      "I am going to shower." I say.
      "Okay." I get up and start to walk down the hallway. I peak in the kid's rooms. I go to my room and just grab some shorts. I go into the bathroom and turn the water on.
     I take my clothes off in frustration. This is so annoying. Everything that is going on and to do it on Zane's birthday. Where the hell was she 3 years ago? I step in the shower the hot water hitting my back and calming me.
     I wet my hair down and run my fingers through it. I take in a deep breath and let it out. We can't let her get away with this. I wash my hair and call it a day. I get out of the shower.
     I dry off and put my shorts on. I lay down in bed. I stair at the ceiling. Ryker starts crying so I go to the room. I pick him up and grab a new diaper and wipes. I take him to our room. I lay him on the bed and unzip his footie pjs.
     I pull his legs out and fold the bottoms under his back. I take his diaper off and clean him up. I put the new diaper on him. I put him back in his pjs. He looks at me. I pick him up and hold him.
      "There all better." I rock him a little and lay him back down in his room. I throw the diaper away. I still have the mattress from Emily's old bed I am thinking about pulling that out. Zane looks really cramped in the play pen. He wakes up to as I leave.
     "Uncle Ace."
     "What?"
     "Sleep with you?" I go over and pick him up out of his play pen. I grab his blanket. I lay him in my bed and cover him up. I go to the living room and Halo was sitting there dazed.
      "Halo." I say.  She looks at me.
      "What?"
      "Zane is in our bed and I'm going to bed myself."
      "Okay, I will be there soon."
      "Okay." I kiss her temple. I go to our room.
      "Where Auntie?" Zane asks me.
      "She is coming."
      "Okay." I lay down and he cuddles next to me. He finds interest in my earring and starts playing with it. It was a silver diamond so it could be that it was shiny.
    Halo comes in the room. She digs through her dresser to find some pjs. She settles on some basketball shorts and a tank top. She gets dressed and lays down. We all fall asleep.
*19th*
We wake up. They have been good but it is killing them. They can't talk to Zac or nothing. I can't do it either. They have done a home search and everything.
    It is the day of the court date. The kids will stay in a room while we go there. We are scared. They have been so strong and today is the truth. It's a huge game of truth or dare.
    The truth is going to come out or there will be a dare and something is going to happen. It won't be good either. We are all dressed in nice clothes. We eat breakfast and get all the kids in cars and go to the court house.
     My stomach is in nots and my heart is beating out of my chest. Halo is scared to and I can tell. We are all scared. We get there and put the kids to the day care area. We see Zac and Chloe.
    We hug them we can't tell them anything. We sit down and court starts. We sit there for over an hour. Question after question is asked. She looked awful. Finally after what seemed like forever they reach a verdict.
       "Blake and Ryker may return home. Zac has full custody but you may visit. If you walk out again for any reason I will allow Chloe to adopt him." The judge says.  She nods her head and we leave court. It went better then excepted but it kills him to have to let her share him. He knows she isn't capable of doing so and she will walk out again anyway.
    When this happens they will go through with the adoption. It's scary to think about. It's scary to think that he has to go see her. She sees him in the day care and picks him up. He starts crying.
      "NO NO UNCLE ACE! DADDY! MOMMY!" Zane screams as loud as he can.
      "I'm your mom." She tries to hold him still.
      "NO NO DADDY! UNCLE ACE! AUNTIE!"  He yells for who ever he thinks of first. Zac can't take it anymore but he can't do nothing about it. I grab Zane and he stops crying but gasps for air.
      "MEAN!" He has nothing to do with her he knows who his mom is. It is so sad to see him do this.
      "I can't do this." Amy says.
      "Mommy!" Zane says.  Chloe takes him.
      "I love you mommy." He says.
      "I love you to baby." She says.
      "What do you mean?" Zac starts getting mad. 
      "I can't do this."
      "You just dragged me to court and then you tried to get all my kids taken from me. Now you can't do this."
      "Yeah that's what I'm saying."
      "Then what the hell do you want?!You can't have it both ways. Do you want him or not. I am offering you so many chances to be in his life and you keep doing this shit. Make up your damn mind!"  She looks at Zane who is still crying and gasping for air. She looks at Chloe who is holding him. She looks at Zac who was holding Blake.
     "Are you high?" Zac asks her.  She doesn't answer. "Don't lie to me. Are you high?" She nods her head.
      "I am so stupid I don't deserve him. I will sign away my rights and Chloe can adopt him. If you don't want to you don't have to tell him. I will just disappear and you won't hear from me ever again. Can I just ask one thing?"
     "What?" He says through gritted teeth.
     "Send me pictures please?" She begs him. I think she would have got on her knees.
     "I can live with that." He sighs.
     "Okay, you will get the papers soon. I wish you the best of luck. I'm happy he has a mom. I will pay child support if you need me to."
      "I think we can manage we always have." She nods her head and leaves, we all look at each other.
     "What the heck?" Halo says.
     "Yeah."
     "Bye bye." She waves to him. We go to my house and pack all the kids up. This nightmare is over. The second Chloe adopts him then she can't go after them anymore.
      "Do you want me to go and help you when you get home?" I ask him.
      "No we got it."  Chloe hasn't put Ryker down. She hasn't let any of her kids go. Zac hasn't either. This is something I wish on no one and they went through it. The important thing is they did it.
    It didn't turn out the way we had planned it to but it worked. I hug him and Chloe Halo does the same. Of all this we won. Now we have to pack to go to Disney. We have to do laundry first. We all go out for lunch/dinner.
      "Well that hell is over." Zac says. He really sounds happy it is.
      "Thank goodness."
      "The second I get I am adopting him."
      "You do that."
      "I will."
      "Good." We start laughing.
     "I love mommy!" Zane says.  We all laugh at him a little. It's been a hell of a ride that's for sure.
      "Daddy, we go home?" Zane asks Zac.
      "Yup we are going home."
      "See Stitches?"
      "Yup you can see Stitches." He starts laughing. He is such a happy kid. Stitches has gotten old she is like 10 years old now but she is still her lovable self. She lets Blake puts crowns on her head and loves it when Chloe paints her claws.
    She only has back ones. She is a good kitty. Bowser loves the kids to. She was so good with Ryker. They leave and they hug us. We go home.
    We start laundry for packing. We pack what we can such as some clothes, first aid, sunscreen, towels (I don't know why) and some extra things. Emily and Andrew pack their bags and I go through them. I tell them yay or nah.
     The whole next day we spend packing and doing laundry we leave in three days. The kids are very excited. It is Monday and we aren't going to work. We spend the next two days packing and getting ready. Disney here we come!