On the Line (19 page)

Andrew smiled broadly as he stood up. “Yes, I should think so.” He held the puppet
out to Zach. “Why don’t you put him back where he belongs then put the tub away.
I think we’ll do something else today.”

Zach did as he was asked as Andrew grabbed a basket from the shelf and walked to
the large table on the other side of the couch. As he started to unpack it, Zach
joined him and peeked into the container. He helped Andrew empty the basket of all
of its crafting supplies, and when that was done, Andrew set it on the floor and
Zach sat down at the table. Andrew walked to the file cabinet and pulled out a piece
of paper then returned to the table and set it in front of Zach, bent over to whisper
something in his ear, and then walked to his leather chair and sat down.

“What’s he doing?” Janelle asked.

“I’ve given him a Mandala to color,” Andrew answered. Janelle furrowed her brow and
he smiled. “It’s basically a circle in the middle of the page. Sometimes I give the
patient one with geometric shapes around it, sometimes it’s blank so they are free
to add to it as they see fit. It’s an ancient form of art, but it’s been discovered
to be very therapeutic and a good way for people to express themselves, through color
or shape, when they can’t, or won’t, use words. In Zach’s case, he’s obviously not
in the mood to play with the puppets because he’s had another upheaval in his life.”

“It’s only temporary,” Janelle assured him.

“To you, yes. To him, it’s not so simple.” Andrew focused on Zach’s head. “He sees
it as someone else he loves leaving him, and right now he’s not dealing well with
that.”

“I noticed,” Janelle mumbled and when Andrew turned to her with a question in his
eyes, she felt the need to add, “he’s had nightmares every night since Patrick left.”

“Well.” Andrew smiled and turned his attention back to Zach. “Hopefully this will help
him express his feelings and show me if I can help him sort them out. I’ll study
the picture he draws and the colors he uses, and we’ll talk about it today.”

Janelle nodded and settled into the corner of the couch and watched the rest of Zach’s
therapy session in silence.

Thirteen

The children were up early on Easter morning, anxious to see what the Easter Bunny
had brought them. After scoping out their baskets and having their usual Sunday morning
breakfast, Janelle and Kelsey took the kids to church for service and an egg hunt.
When they returned home, the sisters immediately started to prepare for dinner. Their
parents would be joining them, and Janelle felt certain that neither of them were
looking forward to it.

The good news was that Zach’s nightmares had once again subsided, but Janelle could
tell her sister’s were picking up steam. She was drinking more coffee, falling asleep
on the couch, and was increasingly aloof. Janelle had asked Kelsey about it, but
Kelsey had waved her worries off, blaming her blue mood on the pain in her leg or
missing Patrick.

Janelle took the ham out of the oven and placed it on the island then put the biscuits
in to bake. Kelsey sat on the stool across from her, head resting on her fist, coffee
cup spinning in the other hand. Janelle wished she knew what she could do to help
her sister. It was always easier for her to help others than to help herself.

“What was Patrick’s news today?” Janelle asked as she grinned at Kelsey. Patrick
had called just as they’d walked in the door after church.

Kelsey returned her smile slightly. “Not much. He couldn’t talk long, he has more
filming tonight.”

“Really?” Janelle raised a brow and Kelsey nodded. “I didn’t realize he’d work so
late.”

Kelsey yawned and shrugged. “Night scenes aren’t unheard of.”

Janelle looked at the clock above the sink. “But it’s close to eleven for him.”

Kelsey nodded again and drained her coffee cup. “Less crowded.” Her
eyes closed until
there was a knock on the front door. She groaned and put her forehead on the counter.
“Can I just go to bed now?”

“No, I’m not dealing with her alone,” Janelle said and turned to face the stove.

George entered the house, and his greeting to the children carried into the kitchen
as Janelle stirred the pot of green beans. She turned the burner off then poked the
boiling potatoes with a knife. It came out clean so she took them off the heat as
well. Janelle listened to her father’s interactions with her children and smiled.

Mary’s voice drifted into the kitchen just before she did. Janelle noticed that she
positioned herself at the island, exactly midway between her and Kelsey. Kelsey sat
up, looked at Mary, standing stoically with her hands on her hips, rolled her eyes,
and stood. She walked to the cabinet and started to get plates out for dinner.

“Is dinner ready?” Mary asked.

“Almost,” Janelle answered as she set the serving bowls in front of her.

“And what did you do to help, Kelsey?” she snapped. “It looked to me like you were
sitting on your butt while your sister does all of the work. Isn’t it enough for
her to take care of the kids without you being a burden too?”

Janelle heard the slight thunk of the stack of dishes as Kelsey set them on the counter
and glanced at her sister. Kelsey’s back was tense, her hands on the counter white
with strain.

“Mom, Kelsey’s still recovering from a gunshot wound,” Janelle said calmly, her head
starting to pound from stress and lack of sleep. “I asked her to sit and keep me
company.”

Kelsey glanced over her shoulder at Janelle and gave her a slight smile. She picked
up the plates and took them into the dining room, leaving Mary and Janelle alone
in the kitchen.

“You shouldn’t let her off the hook so easily, Janelle. That’s how you got into this
mess in the first place,” Mary began to rant. “You should make her pull her own weight.
It could only do her good to stand on that leg and work it out.”

Janelle closed her eyes to resist the urge to roll them. “She does work it out. She
has physical therapy once a week.”

“Once a week? I doubt that’s enough. You should still make her do more around here.
This is her house after all,” Mary continued shrilly.

Janelle glanced at Kelsey and noticed how stiff she was, saw the dead look in her
eyes. Janelle started trying to come up with a way to change the subject.

“I hear you’re taking Zach to therapy, too,” Mary continued. “Is that really necessary?”

Janelle grabbed the pot of green beans off of the stove. She poured them into the
serving bowl then stuck the spoon in the bowl.

“He needs it,” Janelle said as she turned to repeat the process with the potatoes.
“On top of kidnapping him, Richard said some pretty nasty things to Zach and, quite
frankly, scared him pretty badly.”

“I think you’re being a little dramatic, Janelle.” Mary held her head high as she
left the room.

Janelle looked up and saw her father standing in the entryway, glaring after her
mother as she walked into the dining room. He met her gaze and gave her a warm smile.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said as she met him halfway and he wrapped his arms around
her. “Need some help?”

Janelle grinned as she handed him the bowl of green beans. She picked up the bowl
of potatoes and led the way into the dining room.

“Kelsey, you should at least consider it. It’s time for you to take some responsibility
for your actions,” Mary was hissing as Janelle and George put their bowls on the
table.

“Mary, enough,” George snapped. She jumped and quickly turned to look at him. She
gave him a sweet smile then sat down in her designated seat next to the head of the
table. Janelle shook her head and walked back into the kitchen to get the ham and
biscuits then called the kids in to eat.

Zoe sat between George and Kelsey while Zach took his seat beside Mary. Janelle double-checked
the table to make sure they had everything then joined the others, sitting down beside
Zach. After a quick blessing, the meal began in typical fashion—Janelle and Kelsey
put food on the plate of the child beside them before taking for themselves. Janelle
noticed that Kelsey had a far-off look in her eyes and had piled too many beans on
Zoe’s plate. She lightly kicked her sister, and when Kelsey looked at her through
slightly narrowed eyes, Janelle nodded toward her daughter.

“Sorry, sweetie,” Kelsey said, passing the bowl to George then sliding most of the
beans onto her own plate.

Once everyone had their food and the dishes were back in the center of the table,
they all ate. For the first time in Janelle’s memory, there was no talking. She looked
around and noticed that beside her, Zach was pulling his biscuit apart and dropping
the crumbs into a pile on his plate. On the other side of her, Kelsey was using her
fork to pick at her ham and potatoes, but rarely taking bites of either.

“Kelsey, is Patrick enjoying Paris?” George asked, and Mary harrumphed. Everyone
fell silent, waiting for Kelsey to answer, but she seemed too busy pushing a green
bean around her plate to notice.

Janelle leaned across the table as much as she could. “Kelsey,” she said firmly,
preparing to poke her with her toe again. Kelsey looked up, met Janelle’s stare then
looked around the table.

“What?” she asked as her eyes widened and she looked back at Janelle.

“Dad asked you a question,” Janelle answered quietly.

“Really?” Kelsey turned to their father. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear it.”

George smiled and repeated himself and Mary repeated her scoff, only louder.

Kelsey’s lips lifted slightly. “He’s working hard, but he’s had a little time to
sightsee.”

“I’d love to see Paris,” George stated brightly. “Your mother and I have been talking
about going for years.”

“It is quite a romantic city,” their mother added sweetly, staring at Kelsey. Janelle
saw the discomfort on Kelsey’s face and noticed little tension lines appear around
her lips.

Janelle decided she had to do what she could and hoped that Mary wouldn’t say anything
crude that Zach might pick up on. “How would you know if you’ve never been?” Janelle
asked politely as she picked up a piece of potato and put it in her mouth. She chewed
slowly then turned to her mother. “It does have that reputation, but if you haven’t
actually seen it for yourself, then you can’t honestly claim it to be romantic, can
you?”

Mary scowled at her eldest daughter.

George cleared his throat. “Still,” he said, calmly entering the fray and looking
fondly at Kelsey, “it’s too bad you couldn’t go with him.”

“George,” Mary snapped. “I don’t think you should talk about such things.” She moved
closer, in an attempt to whisper, “Especially in front of the kids.”

George looked at his plate and began to slice his ham. “Don’t be silly. They’re dating,
I didn’t say anything inappropriate. You’re the one making presumptions.” He turned
to Kelsey. “Are you going to eat anything?”

Kelsey smiled slightly and took a bite of her ham. The rest of dinner passed rather
peacefully, but Janelle didn’t relax until it was finally over.

Across town, Nathan was sitting down to Easter dinner with his family at his mother’s
house. Holidays had become the only times guaranteed to bring them all together.
He carried the ham into his mother’s dining room and set it on the table. His mother
was the first to take her seat, at the foot of the table, and the rest of them followed
suit. Mason sat to his mother’s left, his wife, Charlotte, on his other side, and
their nine-month-old son in a highchair beside her. Nathan’s youngest brother, Jackson,
sat on their mother’s right.

Nathan took his seat at the head of the table, the spot that had been his father’s
until he’d died when Nathan was eighteen. After fifteen years, he was still not comfortable
with the position as head of the table, and the family. He’d given up a scholarship
to a four-year university and pursuing a career in law, instead opting for two years
at a community college and an immediate career on the police force. He’d used the
money his parents had saved for his education and put it toward Mason’s and Jackson’s
instead. He’d never regretted his decision.

Mason was now an excellent lawyer, with a wife and child of his own. Jackson had
gone to college, gotten a degree in Landscape Architecture, but was now pursuing
his dream of being in a rock band. They’d just made their first album and were about
to embark on their first tour. Nathan was proud of both of his younger brothers.

“Nathan, could you please say the blessing?” his mother, Nancy, asked, smiling proudly
at him across the length of the table.

Nathan did as he was asked, and then they passed the food around the table. When
all plates were filled, they began eating. A few bites into their
meal, Mason looked
at Jackson.

“So, when does this tour of yours start?” Mason asked as Jackson put a forkful of
mashed potatoes in his mouth.

Jackson narrowed his eyes as he chewed the potatoes then swallowed. “Not sure yet,
we have to find another manager,” he answered. He stabbed a few peas and put them
in his mouth.