Be Still, My Heart (Chapter 3)
Robby's alarm blared in the room, but he barely shifted. Jack usually gets annoyed after a few seconds and would flip it off, but when his alarm was still going off, Robby reached over and turned off the 6 AM alarm himself. He groans, rolling over to his side and reaching his hand out for Jack, but finds an empty bed instead. The sheets were still warm, which meant Jack hadn't left long.
Robby lies there for a few moments before dragging himself out of bed and shuffling down the hall. Jack was leaning against Rose's door frame, silently watching her with a soft gaze. Robby's never seen Jack so at peace like this before. He snakes his arms around Jack's waist and rests his chin on Jack's shoulder.
"You're up early," Robby muttered.
"Heard whimpers wanted to check on her," Jack replied.
"Bad dream?" Robby asked.
"Something like that," Jack admits.
"Do you think she likes pancakes?" Robby questioned.
"Who doesn't like pancakes?" Jack playfully scoffed.
"I was thinking we'd make her a special breakfast," Robby offered.
"Hmm, sounds like a good idea," Jack agrees.
"I'll start the batter," Robby replied, pressing a soft kiss to Jack's neck.
With that, Robby shuffles off to prepare the special breakfast. While Robby prepared the pancake batter, Jack stayed, watching Rose. She was softly snoring, arm still tightly wrapped around the old stuffed bunny he had given her years ago, snuggled under the blanket. Jack's lips tug up into a small smile at the sweet scene.
He reaches over to turn on the small retro Bluetooth speaker, which was on the shelf by the door. He pulls out his phone from his pocket and clicks on a playlist, something soft. He didn't want to wake her by walking up to her and shaking her shoulder or calling out her name loudly. So instead, he used music to lull her away, hoping it'd work.
He returns to the kitchen and helps Robby finish the chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.
While the couple was talking and laughing, Rose slowly woke up, her eyes clouded with sleep. Blinking slowly, she realizes she isn't still in the car, but rather a bedroom, a nice one at that. The walls were a pale blue, almost whiteish, and in the very corner was her own bathroom.
Her bed occupies the center of the room, positioned against the wall. In the corner was a desk connected to the wall with a comfortable chair, presumably for doing homework. Right next to the desk was a built-in window seat with a reading light and a built-in mini bookshelf.
There were small side dressers on either side of the bed, a small closet with sliding doors by the door, and finally a shelf above the light switch, which was next to her door. The room was basic, but it had some touches to show they cared enough to make the room inviting.
She noticed the soft music coming from the radio-like Bluetooth box on the shelf and her belongings neatly set in front of the closet. She also saw three similar gift baskets sitting on the window seat. "Those are from our co-workers," Jack spoke up, causing the girl to jump. He instantly holds his hands up. "Whoa, easy there, sweetie. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, it's okay, I just didn't hear you coming," Rose said softly.
"Should've announced while I was still coming," Jack admits.
"It's fine," Rose assured.
She glances back at the gift baskets.
"Your co-workers got me gift baskets?" She asked.
"Yeah, when they found out that we were leaving to get a foster, they wanted to make you something special, a welcoming gift of sorts. There are two more in the living room, but we didn't want to overwhelm you with too many things," Jack explained, earning a nod. "You hungry?"
"Yes, please," Rose said softly.
Jack holds out his hand, and she untangles herself from the blanket, hops off the bed, and shuffles over to him, taking his outstretched hand. Jack guides her to the kitchen.
"Morning, kiddo. Did you sleep well?" Robby spoke up.
"Better than usual," She shrugged.
"I'll take it. You like pancakes? We made chocolate chip," Robby offered, watching her eyes light up.
"Yes, please," She said eagerly, shuffling over to the table and taking a seat. The couple chuckles at how adorable she was.
"We have plenty. Do you want to start with one, two, three, or however many you want? We also have bacon and strawberry halves," Jack explained.
"I'll start with one pancake, a couple of slices of bacon, and some strawberries, please," She spoke softly.
"Coming right up, kiddo," Robby replied, grabbing a plate and putting everything she asked for on it. "And how about some juice, or maybe even milk?"
"Just water is fine, please." Rose told him.
"Alright, water it is. Good choice. Gotta stay hydrated," Robby noted.
"Are you both doctors?" She asked.
"Yes, Robby works days, and I work nights," Jack said softly.
"Doesn't the day shift start at 7? It's 6:40?" She observed.
"Well, Jack and I thought it would be nice to take a month off to help get you settled. We've saved up a lot of days off over the years, but never really had any use for them. Now we do, and we intend to enjoy the break." Robby explained, setting the plate and glass of water in front of her.
"Thank you," her voice dropped to a whisper.
"No problem, kiddo," Robby said warmly.
Robby and Jack made their plates and began eating, but noticed that Rose hadn't touched her food yet. "Rosie, sweetie, you can eat. You don't have to wait for us," Jack softly assured.
"It's just...I always had to wait till everyone finished eating in case someone was still hungry and wanted more," Rose quietly admits.
"You don't have to do that here, sweetie," Robby said softly.
"Yeah, food is never a privilege, Rosie. You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want. So long as it's not ice cream past bedtime, but even then, we make exceptions," Jack gently explained. Rose gave a nod and ate a strawberry.
"Good girl," They both praised.
Jack and Robby finished eating first, so Jack started doing the dishes while Robby checked his phone. After some time, Rose finally finished her food, and Jack instinctively grabbed her plate before pausing.
"Do you want some more, honey. We have plenty of leftovers," Jack asked softly. She hesitates, shifting slightly in her seat.
"If it's not a problem, I'd like some more strawberries and bacon, please," Rose asked quietly. Jack nodded and gave her some more strawberries and bacon.
"Between you and me, Robby always has bigger eyes than he has a stomach. So trust me, sweetie, it's never a problem," Jack lightly assured.
"Thank you," She murmured, biting into the strawberry.
Jack takes a seat next to her and adjusts his prosthetic. "Robby and I were thinking that we would stay in and settle today. Then tomorrow, if you're up to it, we can do whatever you want," Jack told her, attempting to make small talk.
"I get to choose?" She hesitantly asked.
"Well, within reason, yes," Jack assured.
"Well, uh, I like books," She admits.
"Books, huh?" Jack chuckled.
"Books?" Robby perked up from the living room.
"We love books too," Jack told her.
"Our local bookstore is starting a sale tomorrow. Jack and I were planning on checking it out. Would that be something you'd like?" Robby offered.
She nods.
"Perfect, I've gotta start the laundry. Are you gonna be okay sitting here and eating, or do you want me to stay and sit with you?" Jack asked gently.
"I'll be okay," She replied.
Jack's gaze flickers to the couch where Robby was watching them. Robby gave a slight nod, and Jack returned it. "Okay, if you need me, just call," Jack told her, and headed off to the laundry room to start Robby's clothes. By the time he returns, Rose has finished her bacon and strawberries.
"All done, or more?" Jack asked softly.
"All done," She replied.
"Good girl, I'm so proud of you for eating," Jack praised, bringing the plate back to the sink, rinsing it off, and placing it in the dishwasher for a proper cleaning.
"Is that room really mine?" She spoke up.
"Of course it is, why do you ask?" Robby asked.
"It's so big," She pointed out.
"It was an old, unused guest room. It only made sense for us to give it to you. Plus, we wanted to make sure you had plenty of space," Jack assured. She nods.
"May I check out the gift baskets in my room, please?" Rose asked hesitantly, almost as if she was afraid they'd get mad.
"Of course, honey, they're yours." Jack replied.
Rose heads off to her bedroom and sits on the floor, grabbing the first basket. It was a square, firm, woven basket with ribbon and a card that said "From Samira Mohan."
In it was a pair of grey fluffy night slippers, a matching set of soft purple pajama pants, and a shirt with small white daisies on it. There was a second set of pajamas that were Care Bears-themed pajamas. Along with the pajamas came two Care Bears, Grumpy and Funshine. She lightly smiled, she loves Care Bears.
She turns back to the basket and finds two sticks of limp balm, a pack of hair ties, two packs of shower gloves, and a friendship bracelet. She finds a letter in the back of the basket and opens it.
Go easy on me, kid. I'm horrible at making friendship bracelets. Welcome to the Pitt family. I'm so excited to meet you one day.
Much love, Samira.
She puts everything back into the basket just the way it was, and moves to the next basket, which is a round woven basket from Mel. There was a variety of fidget toys, such as Pop-Its, a squishy duck, a cute cow stuffed animal, a fidget cube, noise-canceling headphones, and some snacks. Along with the basket was a card.
Hi, my name is Melissa King, but everyone calls me Mel. Sometimes life gets overwhelming, and what I find helps best is a fun distraction.
Sincerely, Mel.
Once again, she returns everything the way it was and scoots over to the last basket. It was a purple, rectangular, cotton rope-woven basket filled with snacks, the entire Peter Rabbit book collection, a pack of socks, two hoodies, one black, one purple, two solid colored t-shirts, one blue, one black, and two pairs of sweats, one black, one purple. Finally, buried under all the snacks was a simple card.
Hope you enjoy, kiddo.
From, Cassie McKay
Rose smiles, grabs the Care Bear pajamas, quickly changes, grabs the first book, and the headphones before crawling back into bed, diving straight into reading the first book, but falls asleep when she is at the end of the book.
Jack and Robby check up on her after an hour, finding her fast asleep while leaning against the headboard. The couple smiles at the sweet scene, and Robby wraps his arms around Jack's waist. "I think she's going to be just fine, honey. See, you were worrying over nothing," Robby told him, pressing a soft kiss to his husband's cheek.
Jack hums and walks over to the bed, setting her book on the side dresser, takes off the headphones, and carefully lays her down on the bed, adjusting the covers. "Whatever you say, Robby, just don't sleep too deeply tonight," Jack told him, walking out of the room to do the laundry.
----
Rose slept through lunch but woke up around three PM to soft music playing. "Rosie, sweetie, are you up?" Robby called softly from his bedroom. He heads to her room, hearing a soft groan.
"How long was I out?" She muttered, rubbing her eyes.
"Quite some time, it's a little past three," Robby replied, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her sit up. "Jack was making snacks for the movie. Are you hungry?"
"What movie?" She asked softly.
"We haven't decided yet, do you wanna choose?" Robby asked.
"Ummm, sure," She agrees.
Robby steps into her room and turns off the Bluetooth speaker before holding out his hand. "Well, then, come on, sweetie, let's find a movie to watch. Do you wanna bring your blankie and bunny?" Robby asked softly. She nods, grabbing both items and sliding off the bed before shuffling over to him and taking his outstretched hand.
Robby guides her to the kitchen.
"Aw, looks like someone's up. Did you have a good nap?" Jack asked softly while preparing the snack platter. He had apple slices, a small container of peanut butter, slices of cucumber, slices of cheese, salami, a few deviled eggs, salted wheat thins, and halves of celery sticks.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep," She murmured.
"It's okay, sweetie. Sometimes we can't help it," Robby assured.
"Oh, okay," She replied quietly, more to herself.
"Why don't you get comfortable on the couch and look for a movie while I finish up with the snack?" Jack offered, she nods, and Robby guides her over to the couch, where he already has the corner prepared for her, knowing that she might not be comfortable with them just yet.
Jack knew more than anyone that her falling asleep wasn't a sign of trust. For the first time in probably her entire life, she had a safe environment, even if she didn't know it yet, and while she may not have wanted to fall asleep, her body shut down.
Jack brings the snack platter to the coffee table and leaves only to return with the drinks. Rose chooses Peter Rabbit, no surprise there, but neither of them minded. Through the movie, Rose had a juice box and a few snacks, using the Wheat Thins to stack cheese, salami, and cucumbers to make mini lunchables.
Along with a few of her homemade lunchables, she ate two deviled eggs and a few apple slices. Robby and Jack were cuddling on the other side of the couch, watching the movie, which only had 20 minutes left. Jack happened to glance over and found Rosie asleep, arm tightly wrapped around her stuffed animal.
Robby smiles and snaps a quick photo on his phone, sending it to the group chat along with an update.
The Pitlings: This group chat contains Dana Evans, Trinity Santos, Dennis Whitaker, Melissa King, Heather Collins, Samira Mohan, Cassie McKay, Frank Langdon, Jack Abbot, and Victoria Javadi.
(Robby inserts photo)
Robby: So, turns out she loves Peter Rabbit, points to McKay.
Dana: Aw, she's so cute. How's she settling?
Abbot: Pretty good, though she takes a lot of naps.
Santos: Perfectly normal, especially if she's pretty guarded.
Santos: Cute kid, by the way.
Langdon: When did you get a kid?
(Frank Langdon was kicked from the group chat by Robby)
Santos: Lol
Collins: I'm really happy for you both. How was the drive?
Robby: Ugh, long, so freaking long.
Mohan: Wait, are those the jamies I brought her!
Mohan: OMG THEY ARE! 😍
Abbot: Turns out she likes Care Bears as well.
Robby: The noise-canceling headphones were a good idea, too.
Mel: That's awesome, I'm so glad she likes them!
Whitaker: What's her name?
Abbot: Rosalie, but she goes by Rose.
Robby: We call her Rosie. She's 12.
McKay: Aw, she's the cutest. Harrison had a huge Peter Rabbit phase, and now I have all the books that he won't even touch anymore. I didn't want to get rid of them, and I figured, what 12-year-old doesn't love animals?
Robby: Well, we appreciate it. The first thing she did was go for the jamies and books, but she's happy about all the gifts.
Abbot: She still hasn't gotten to two Heather's or Dana's gift baskets. Poor thing has been falling asleep all day.
Javadi: Maybe it's because she feels safe.
Abbot: Unlikely.
Santos: Yeah, a kid like that has probably been through a lot. It's more so out of pure exhaustion. It could take months for her to trust them.
Mel: That's actually very insightful.
Robby: Alright, we'll let you get back to your shifts. We wanted to thank everyone who gave her a gift basket, and update everyone that we got home safely.
Abbot: Hasta la vista, vatos.
Mohan: Bye, send lots of photos.
McKay: I second that vote.
Mel: Bye
Santos: Later losers
Whitaker: Bye
Javadi: Bye
Collins: I triple the vote, but later.
Dana: Be safe, everyone.
Collins: I've got them, mama bear.
Dana: You better.
Robby chuckles and sets his phone down, resting his head on Jack's shoulder. "You think we should move her?" Robby asked, pulling Jack closer. Jack rolls his eyes at his husband's needy affection.
"No, let her stay," Jack told her.
"She is pretty adorable," Robby notes.
"The cutest," Jack agrees.
"I can't believe we're dads now," Robby sighed.
"Don't you have like five kids?" Jack teased.
"More like five shadows," Robby replied sarcastically.
Jack and Robby started dinner at seven PM and finished making it by eight. Rose woke up to the aroma of spaghetti and garlic bread. "Hmm, food," She muttered into the pillow, slowly blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting.
"Hungry, sweetie?" Robby asked softly, moving to the living room.
"Food," She groans, pulling herself up and rubbing her eyes.
"I'll take that as a yes," Robby chuckled.
She abandons her stuffed animal and blanket on the couch and follows Robby to the kitchen. Dinner went by smoothly, and she brushed her teeth, but stayed in her pajamas. While Jack tucked Rosie into bed, Robby did the dishes.
"Nightlight on or off?" Jack asked softly.
"On, please," She replied.
"Story or no story?"
"Story, please."
"Alright, my little bunny, where did you leave off?"
"Start over, please."
"You want me to start over?"
"Yes, please."
"Okay, bunny, I'll start from the beginning,"
"Once upon a time," Jack began, moving through the story and even making funny voices that made her giggle. By the end of the story, Rosie was once again asleep, her breathing even, and her arm wrapped firmly around her stuffed bunny.
"Goodnight, my little bunny," Jack said softly, setting the book aside and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"You're such a natural," Robby teased, leaning against the doorway with a smirk tugging on his lips. He pushes himself off the doorframe and moves over to the bed, his thumb gently stroking her delicate face. He leans down and kisses his forehead.
"Come on, babe, let's go to bed," Robby said softly.
With that, the two men leave Rosie's room, hand in hand, and head for bed, but as always, the universe was not going to make this easy for them.
