The Safe House

Chapter 8

There was a knock on the door and it opened. I tensed until I realized it was Sergeant Lindsay. Then I noticed a little girl by her side. As soon as she noticed Jason, she ran to him yelling, "J!" This is one of the cutest things I think I have ever seen. She hugged the other boys while Jason talked to Sergeant Lindsay. Then Kenna noticed me. She looked at me for a while. I smiled at her. Then she went back to Jason and he picked her up. She pointed at me. Sergeant Lindsay left and Jason brought Kenna over to me and said, "Kenna this is Maddie."

"Hi Kenna." I said and she snuggled into Jason's shoulder. Awe! She was so adorable. She was probably three years old. I just smiled at Jason and he said," She'll warm up to you."

Kenna had been here for a couple of hours and she had warmed up to me in about ten minutes. Jason was surprised. He said that was the fastest she had ever warmed up to someone before. Which made me feel really good. I loved kids. Kenna and I were playing when I got up and said, "Go find Jason. I have to go start making dinner." She trotted off to the living room.

I decided to make lasagna for dinner. I started gathering supplies and cooking the meat. After the meat was done, I started layering everything in the pan. I felt a tug on my pants. I looked down and there was Kenna. I picked her up and set her on the counter. I helped her wash her hands and she started helping me. I helped her lay the noodles in the pan and I did the rest. She loved helping and being a part of it. Jason came to the kitchen.

"Oh my, are you helping Maddie cook?" said Jason. She just looked at him and had a huge grin on her face. "Yep! And we're all done!" I said. I helped her wash her hands and gave her to Jason. He took her to the living room while I put the pan in the oven.

When the lasagna was done, I made a salad and garlic bread. I called everyone for dinner and they sat around the table. I found a high chair for Kenna.

She was such a mess when she was done. I just giggled at her and said," I think you need a bath." She smiled in return. Jason gave Kenna a bath while I got dinner put away.

I was just getting done when Kenna came running down the stairs in nothing but a diaper and her hair was all over. Jason was chasing her around. They were giggling which brought a smile to my face. She ran to me saying, "M! Save me!" Apparently my name is M now? It is probably easier for her to say. I picked her up with my good arm and we ran away from Jason. We ran through the living room where the other guys were sitting and when they saw Jason chasing us they got up and joined in. We ran upstairs, into my room, and shut the door.

"What do we do now?" I asked her and she just shrugged. Then the door swung open. We screamed and I picked her up and we ran to the corner. Nowhere to go. They crept closer and closer and I was acting scared to play along with her saying, "They're gonna get us!" Janson grabbed Kenna and threw her up in the air and she laughed. I just smiled at how happy they were.

"Alright time for bed little missy." Jason said to Kenna.

"Nooooo" she whined.

"I wanna stay with M!" She said throwing a fit. Jason looked at me then back at her.

"You have to go to bed so that you can get a good rest for tomorrow."

She pouted on the floor. I walked over to her and squared down in front of her. "How about I tuck you in and stay with you until you fall asleep?"

She smiled at me "yeah!" She yelled.

"Only if it's ok with Jason though."

Her smile dropped. She turned toward him and waited for an answer. He finally said," That's fine, just as long as you actually go to sleep."

I picked her up and took her to her room. I brushed her hair and helped her brush her teeth. She got in her pajamas and came to me. There was a rocking chair in her room along with some books. They must have put some of her stuff in here before we got here. I got her blanket, wrapped her up, and started rocking and reading her a book. She was asleep before the story was halfway over. I took a little bit to just appreciate having someone like her bring joy back into my life. I laid her down in her crib and quietly shut the door.

I went downstairs to the boys. "Jason? Can I talk to you?" I said.

He got up and followed me to the kitchen. "Look, I'm sorry that she wanted me. The last thing I want to do is steal time away from you."

"Do you think I'm mad about that? Actually, I'm so glad to have someone like you around. It takes a lot to keep up with her. She needs a woman to look up to and from what I've heard about you, you're going to do great."

I dropped my head and smiled at the floor. "Thanks." I whispered. "I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning."