the kennedy's daughter

new normal

September 27, 1973

Washington D.C.

"Daddy!"

"Katie!" The two collided into a hug like they did after every soccer game these days

"Great game today sport!" Jack said grabbing her hand and walking to the car

"Thanks daddy, did you see that second goal? It was my best one of the game!"

"I know it was great! Did you have a good day at school today?" He asked getting into the car with Kate

"Yep, played with Matt and Louis on the monkey bars, oh and we raced and I won! Plus I got a 100% on my history test!"

"Oh yea that's my girl!" Jack exchanged high-fives with Kate

"And feeds went off without a hitch, no pain or nothing!"

"That's great Kate, see I told you!" He yelled as the two got out of the car

"Hey, do you wanna sit with me at the table tonight?"

"Yea sure daddy, can I help with dinner?" Although she wasn't into actually eating she sure would help

"Yea Kate, go bring your cleats to the laundry room and meet me in the kitchen"

"Ok!" She yelled as she ran in front of Jack into the house

Jack unloaded Kate's soccer stuff and sat it in its regular spot in the garage, and walked into the house.

"Daddy, will you take this off?" Kate said walking into the kitchen, with her shirt pulled up

"Oh yea, come here" Jack slowly ripped the sports dressing from her stomach and pulled her shirt back down

"Alright ready to help me with dinner?"

"Yep"

"What should I have tonight?" He said opening up the pantry, Kate quickly ran over to the pantry to stand next to her father

"Um... What about spaghetti?" She said pointing to spaghetti noodles on her level

"Sound good, you grab the stuff and I'll grab the pots and clear the counter"

The two split up, and quickly came together to make Jack's dinner.

"Okay, let's go sit at the table" Jack grabbed his plate and walked over to the table with Kate

The two sat down beside each other, Jack at the head

"Daddy how was your day?" Kate asked as she sat down

"Pretty good, I got to see you play soccer, highlight of my day"

"What did you do?"

"Well I went to work, came home for lunch, just in case you needed me at school like the other day, went back to work, picked you up from school, watched you play another great soccer game, and now I'm sitting, talking to you"

"That sounds like a great day daddy"

"Hey, why don't you go and pick out your pajamas, get ready for your shower, and I'll come up and get your tubie ready, ok?"

"Alright daddy! I'll be ready when you are!" She said running up to her room

She quickly picked out one of her many pairs of soccer pajamas, and grabbed her towels and wash cloths from the laundry room. And just as Kate had settled everything into her bathroom, Jack walked into her room

"Alright Kate ready?"

"Yep, get it over with"

Jack quickly stripped Kate's 'tubie' of the cloth pad under it, and stuck a new water proof dressing to her and off she went to the shower. Therefore Jack went out to the hall closet, or the "medical closet" and got everything that he needed to sanitize, and get Kate's feeds running for the night when she got out of the shower. He grabbed all her g-tube pads that Grammy made, and started to get everything set up.

"Ok daddy I'm ready!!" She yelled jumping into bed, and adjusting her shirt for easier access to her g-tube

"Which one tonight?" He said showing her all her g-tube pads, in which she picked another sports one because of the game she had the next day

Jack continued to hook Kate's feeds up, from her iv pole beside her bed, and just like that he looked up and Kate was out, so he adjusted her pillows around her so that she wouldn't roll around on her g-tube. And slowly he crept out of her room leaving the door cracked. He started to walk to his room at the other end of hall when there was odd knocking at the door, he just thought it was the teenagers in the neighborhood doing another ding-dong ditch

"I swear if they wake her up.." he whispered to himself walking toward his room

"JACK! JACK! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" quickly he rushed down the stairs to his brother at the door

"Jack, it's dad, the jet is ready for us, we gotta go"