That Would Be Enough

20

Kate and Lin watched Maddie closely for any sign of trauma.  She seemed perfectly fine.  Even though Jason had broken the law, it seems like he'd taken good care of her.  Maddie said she hadn't had any bad episodes with her diabetes, so he must have figured it out.  The next week was just spent being together.

The police in Philadelphia were in contact with Kate about Jason's case.  She might have to go back to Philadelphia to testify against him in court.  Kate had no qualms about pursuing a harsh sentence for him.  He'd waltzed into Maddie's life after being absent for years, then had taken her away from everything and everyone she knew.  They kept all this private from Maddie, of course.

They decided to enroll her at a local neighborhood school.  It had a good reputation and a lot of the kids from the apartment building went there.  On the first day of school, Kate was very nervous about leaving her.  Both she and Lin went to drop her off. 

When they arrived at the classroom, Maddie was excited and raring to go.  Kate gave her a hug and kiss with tears in her eyes.  Lin put a hand on her shoulder in support.  They went to the main office to make sure they had strict pick-up procedures on file.  Jason was in jail, but his mother wasn't.  No one but Lin or Kate was allowed to pick her up.

They went back home and Kate cried on the bed, terrified of losing her again.  Lin just held her and tried to be reassuring.  He tried to fill up the morning playing with Rio and spending time together.  When 3:00 rolled around, they were the first parents at the door to pick her up.  Maddie ran to her mother with a huge smile on her face.  She loved kindergarten.

Lin and Kate, and also her teacher, began to notice that Madeline was very anxious.  After talking with the school counselor, Jason was constantly worried about being found out, and some of that rubbed off on her.  Plus, Kate was still being very anxious, afraid of somehow losing her again.  The school counselor recommended they send Maddie to regular therapy.  They enrolled her straight away.

It wasn't long before Maddie was invited to her first sleepover.  Kate was worried about letting her go, but Lin urged her to let Maddie attend.  Just because this event had happened didn't mean they should let fear control their lives.  Kate relented, but spent the whole time anxious.  She texted the girl's mother throughout the evening, checking on how Maddie was doing.  She was doing just fine.

However, at around 10:00, Kate received a phone call from the girl's mother, saying Maddie had started to cry at bedtime.  She was missing her mom and wasn't feeling good about sleeping at someone else's house.  Since it was so late, Lin went to pick her up.

The door opened to a tearful little girl.  Lin scooped her up in her arms and rubbed her back, then the girl's mother handed him her bag and pillow.  He thanked her and Lin carried her home, her head resting on his shoulder.  By the time they were back, she was asleep.  Lin tucked her into bed and Kate came in to see her.  She didn't think she'd ever get tired of watching her little daughter sleep.

The anxiety reared its head on field trips, outings out with anyone other than Kate and Lin, and sometimes at school.  It broke Kate's heart that her daughter was experiencing all this nervousness.  Many times, either she or Lin had to end up picking her up or staying with her.  She was working with a therapist once a week to get her anxiety under control.

About a month later, Jason's trial was set to start.  Kate had to testify.  She really wanted Lin to come with her, but they knew they couldn't leave Maddie, and she didn't need to go back to Philadelphia.  Before Kate left for the airport, Lin hugged her tightly and tried to reassure her.

"He's going to prison for sure," he told her, his hands on her upper arms as he looked her in the eyes.

"I just don't want to see him again," she admitted, not feeling very brave.  Kate tried to remind herself she was doing this for Maddie.  Jason had put her through quite an ordeal and he needed to answer for it.