compassion

Maggie released Makoa’s hand to rush close to the dress. “I love it!” From a little ways away she was already excited about the style, it bore similarities to a few she had of her own. Glad that they were off to a good start, he smiled then addressed Lucy. “I’m not sure,” He didn’t trust the airline’s timeline for returning their misplaced luggage. “About a week’s supply, maybe two?” Quite frankly, he didn’t mind spending the money, that would never be an issue. Makoa had alot of adjusting to do and this was barely scratching the surface. “What do you think? Is that too much?” 

Lucy hummed in acknowledgement as she let the little girl gush over the dress.  “There’s a few more on this rack you might like,” she told Maggie as her gaze shifted back to Makoa.  It was still so hard to believe that he was actually back in town.  That he was a father, even.  That blew Lucy’s mind.  “Yeah, the airlines are trash about that.  They once lost my bag and I didn’t get it back for over a month.  One to two weeks seems fine.  I mean, you could get by with less but then you’d have to do laundry more frequently.”  And kids were messy creatures by nature.  No doubt having some extra would be helpful.  “Though I’m just guessing.  I’ve never been responsible for the long term dressing of a child.”  A pang hit her chest then and she thought briefly of Eliana before shoving those thoughts deep down.

“Unless you would like to fabricate a terrible accident to explain why you lost your hand, I’d suggest you remove it from my waist.” Annabelle spoke casually, addressing the man who was trying to hit on her while she waited in line at a cafe. As he shuffled off in embarrassment, she looked around, realizing they’d had a witness. “You can go on ahead,” she said. “I didn’t even have time to consider what I wanted before Casanova there interrupted me. I don’t want to hold you up.”

Lucy had been checking her instagram while she waited in line.  It was the woman’s voice that pulled her from her thoughts.  She looked up just in time to see the man backing down.  “Why are men so disgusting?” she mused.  She got that sort of thing all the time and in some ways, she’d grown numb to it.  “Props for how you handled him.  I’ve reached the point where I just try and ignore it, which I know is not the way to handle it.  You’ve got to teach me your ways over a coffee.”

“Theo.” Willa bit her bottom lip before her lips curled into a smile as she thought about their shared kiss. She felt like some love-sick teenager with her heart fluttering every time she thought of him. “Its a completely new development and kinda surprised me. I’ve liked him for awhile but like we’ve just been good friends. Plus he’s amazing with Owen which is great but my track record with relationships aren’t that good.”

“Wait my neighbor Theo?” Lucy asked with a bright smile.  “The one with Little Lucy?”  She had a soft spot for the girl and Theo was a great guy.  If he and Willa were hitting it off then she was thrilled for her.  “I’m glad you guys are really hitting it off and going there!  You deserve to have someone good in your life and since you’ve both got kids you both understand the fact that you have to prioritize your child.”

“My girlfriend has two pitbull puppies. Your dog baby is gonna have friends”, Declan said. That was a serious suggestion, his dogs were all older, they were socialized but hers wasn’t. Declan had never even been able to have just one dog himself, they were pack animals. Her pup should have friends. “I know, I’m so fucked when she starts walking. She’s so tiny, she’s gonna get into everything”, he said with a sigh. “I’m supposed to start interviewing nannies that will run after her while I’m at work.”

“Oh wow you have a lot of dogs in your life,” Lucy replied with a laugh.  “I could’t even imagine that.”  Murphy was more than enough for Lucy to handle, but she knew she’d figure it out eventually.  “I think he’d like some friends.”  She smiled, imagining a little girl trying to toddle after her father.  “That sounds like a big job.  I’m sure you’ll find a good nanny for her though.  And I’m sure once she’s walking you’ll be over the moon that you can chase your daughter around.”  She wished she could, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“A czechoslovakian wolfdog and a husky, and my daughter has two Norwich terriers”, Declan said. His wolf was a grumpy lady, she didn’t really need friends, but the rest did. His husky loved everyone. The distinction that the terriers were his daughter’s was very important - to his daughter, not as much to him. “The first weeks are long. You don’t sleep and you’re dealing with a lot”, he said. Having a baby was a rollercoaster, and having her prematurely just made it worse. He didn’t prepare for that at all. “Thank you. We called her a cantaloupe while Cas was pregnant, we really had to come up with something else”, he said. “Sort of, she’s a fast crawler.”

“I know what a husky is but I don’t think I’ve heard of the others before,” she admitted.  They sounded very interesting and a little wild.  Still, it was cool.  “Murphy might have fun with some friends.”  Her dog was still a puppy but introducing him to other dogs would help.  A sad smile formed on Lucy’s lips and she nodded along.  There had been a time in her life she was focusing on preparing for that life, but then the car accident took that away from her.  “At least it’s just the crawling.  Before you know it she’ll be running circles around you.”

Georgie nodded at Lucy, a warm smile playing on her lips as she took the comics from her hand and headed back to the counter. “So, should I wrap this for present or…how do you want to do it?” Geogie asked curiously as she put the options at hand for Lucy. “Also, do you want to put a reserve on the next issues for them? No strings attached, of course, since we dont know if he will like them or not, but just to be certain and he won’t be needing to wait too long for them if it is the case.”

Lucy’s distractions were pushed away when Georgie spoke again.  “Oh, yeah.  If you could wrap them that would be great.”  It would save Lucy having to do it at some point.  “That might not be a bad idea.  If he’s going to be stuck in the hospital and is enjoying the comics it could be a fun pick me up for him.”  Besides, kids could be very impatient.

“Do you like pink now? Does that mean I will like flowers when I grow up?” Maggie’s face scrunched up at the thought. She was happy enjoying actual flowers in the park and whatnot but having them on her clothes wasn’t her favorite thing in the world; ice cream held that spot, this week. “Yes please,” Maggie nodded, then took a hold of Makoa’s hand intending to guide him when Lucy took them to the clothes. She may not be close to her father, but she had grown accustomed to his presence. “Lead the way Luce,” Makoa chimed in, clearly he wasn’t going to be able to slip away and leave them to it. Honestly, he needed to learn anyway, so why not start with the assistance of someone he was familiar with.

“Maybe?  I’m not sure, Maggie,” she told her softly.  Not all kids changed their taste as they grew up.  As it was, Lucy still didn’t wear pink very often.  It just didn’t suit her.  Her gaze flicked between Maggie and Makoa, smiling at the sight.  Fatherhood suited him and she was glad that he managed to have something good in his life.  Lucy led Makoa and Maggie over to the children’s section of the store, stopping near a rack of little dresses.  She pulled one off the rack and showed it to the girl.  “So you like things like this?” she asked her.  Looking up at Makoa, Lucy smiled.  “So how many outfits do you need to get this little princess?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard things about Tinder and they haven’t been good things. Also blind dates could be fun as long as you trust the person setting it up.” Dating wasn’t something Willa was knowledgeable in. Reid was the first and last person she had consecutive dates with that were successful. She tried once when Owen was small but she practically ran out the door when he made a disgusting comment about her looks.

“I wish I felt normal. Everything that’s going on right now just seems too good to be true and just not normal at all. I honestly kind feel like my life is some movie.” Her fingers rubbed at her temple before letting out a sigh. “I mean he’s a great guy. I’m just worried about messing it up.”

While Lucy was planning on saying something about blind dates but then Willa mentioned her love life feeling like a movie.  “Wait wait,” Lucy said, holding up a hand to stop her friend.  “What do you mean?  Willa are you seeing someone and haven’t told me?  I’m offended,” she teased her.  Lucy’s full attention was on her friend as she held her wine glass in her hand.  “Who is he?  Do I know him?  I’m sure you aren’t going to mess things up though.  I mean...what’s not to love about you?”

“It always is.” he smiled. “But in the meantime, I have to get planning on Game of Thrones centered events. And there’s a lot of great movies coming out this year, too.”

“Oh that sounds fun.  I never really got into Game of Thrones.  Maybe someday I’ll give it more of a try.”  She’d always been working when it was on and then it was such an intense show, she didn’t really enjoy binge watching it either.

“Tell me about it,” he agreed. Quite frankly, this misplaced luggage is more trouble than what it’s worth. “Thank you,” he was grateful to have someone to help him figure out what to buy. Maggie looked to Makoa when Lucy questioned her, he then nodded encouraging her to respond. Lucy wasn’t a random stranger, so it was safe for her to engage with her. "I’m six years old,” Maggie said proudly as she showed the number with her fingers as well. “I like tops like these,” she paused and pulled apart her jacket to show Lucy. “Oh and dresses! But I don’t like the ones with flowers on them.” 

Lucy flashed Makoa a smile and hooked a lock of hair behind her ear.  Refocusing her attention on the little girl, Lucy’s smile only widened.  She loved kids so much and it was especially nice to see happy kids who weren’t stuck in the hospital for one reason or another.  “Six!  Wow you’re certainly a big girl,” she told her.  She assessed the girl’s clothing style and nodded.  “Flowers are certainly not for everyone.  I never liked pink as a kid.  It made me look way too red.”  Laughing, Lucy gestured back towards the kid’s department.  “I think I saw some tops like that over on a rack in the children’s department.  Should we go look?”  In some ways it was weird seeing Makoa again, knowing he had kids.  It was weird that Gabe never mentioned it, but Makoa himself seemed in the dark until recently.  Still...if only the thirteen year old girl inside her could see them now.

“Probably, I mean I definitely don’t know every character or plot line of that show. I would never.” He joked, before he grabbed the clipboard nearest to him and adjusted his pen before he looked back at the woman. “Oh god, personally, I think I’d prefer the gossip girl scenario.” 

Shrugging, he simply laughed. “I mean, I’ve never been that great of an influence. I don’t know why they put me on the kids floor.” Seth chuckled, shaking his head. “C’mon, we need to do something before we become as bored as the children.”

Lucy couldn’t help but laugh.  “See you’ve never been a hopeless romantic eight year old girl.  Most of my childhood was spent doodling hearts around my crush’s name in notebooks and making up epic romance stories in my head.”  Maybe that was just Lucy, but she didn’t know.  It didn’t stop when she was a kid either.  Some of that lasted into her teen years.  Especially doodling in notebooks.

“Maybe they want you to become that good influence,” Lucy suggested while shrugging.  Absolutely anything was possible and she knew they’d figure it out.  “What do you suggest we do?  Go add to the crazy rumors?  Next thing we’ll know the kids will believe we’re all superheroes with secret identities or something.”

“Honestly, I start thinking about next Halloween the day after. It’s always been one of my favorite things. And now that I get to throw huge parties every year? Hell yeah, I’m gonna plan them out well in advance. Actually, I have to for all the logistics.” Nate laughed.

“That’s a good point,” Lucy agreed.  She always liked Halloween but once she got older it lost a little bit of it’s charm.  Maybe that stemmed from all the stupid Halloween pranks gone wrong she’d seen the results of at the hospital.  “I’m sure you’re going to figure it out and the party will be one to remember.”

“My dogs need friends”, Declan said with a nod. She hadn’t said how old hers was, but socializing was never too soon. “Yeah, I know. Expect for the sleep deprivation. I had no idea what day it is for the first few weeks”, he said. The fact that he didn’t leave the house might have played into that. “I’ve said it was so much easier adopting a toddler like I did with my first daughter, but there’s something unforgettable about all the firsts”, Declan said. There were a lot of firsts with Daisy too still to come, but babies were different. Everything was a first. “It’s Maeve.”

“What kind of dogs do you have?” she asked him curiously.  Smiling a little, she tilted her head.  Really, Lucy didn’t know a whole lot about dogs.  She simply knew the basics, so figuring all of this out would probably be for the best.  “Gosh I can only imagine.  Some of the parents I see at the hospital....I swear they’re like walking zombies,” Lucy joked.  That would have been her too if fate hadn’t had other plans.  “Maeve is such a beautiful name,” she told him.  Hearing he had adopted his first child let Lucy know how good of a person he really was.  After all, it was a big thing and who knew where Lucy herself would have ended up had her parents not adopted her.  “Toddlers have their own challenges though. At least babies tend to sort of stay where you put them.”

The weeks that passed had made it easier for Willa to get out of the house without constant worry about an attack. It was nice to just feel like a normal person for once and just have a girls night in. There was so much she wanted to just get off her chest but at the same time didn’t want to put Lucy in danger. She snorted at the comment about love lives as her own was slowly appearing out of thin air. . “Getting out there huh? Is there a lucky someone in mind?”

She took a sip of her wine as she rests her elbow on the arm of the couch. “Me, normal? I’ll take that as a compliment but there’s some things that may be happening. It’s still in its beginning stages but I haven’t been on a date or anything for like almost 10 years. I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m completely lost.”

Lucy shrugged a little, busying herself with a sip of her wine as the question was posed.  “I don’t know.  A friend was talking about setting me up on a blind date with some guy.  And I ran into my high school crush so that’s always fun,” she scoffed while rolling her eyes.  Her life felt very...strange.  There were a lot of open doors and Lucy had to fine the right way through the right one.

“You’re totally normal.  Way more normal than me.”  At least that was the way Lucy viewed things.  Shifting to fully focus on Willa, Lucy sighed.  “No trust me, I get it.  I guess we’re both in the same boat there.  I haven’t been in a real relationship since Sam,” she said, referencing her college boyfriend.  “And the whole dating world seems to have changed.  All I know is people say don’t join Tinder if you aren’t looking for one night stands, but where else am I supposed to find people to potentially date?”

“Alright wine acquired,” Lucy said as she took the glass and sat down on the couch, curling her legs up underneath her.  “I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking a cheesy romcom is just what the doctor ordered.  I mean...I told myself I’m going to be more open to love and get back out there so maybe it will inspire me?” she joked.  What happened in those movies never happened in real life.  It just simply wasn’t realistic.

Lifting the glass to her lips she looked over at her friend, flashing a smile.  “What about you?  We’ve got wine and Netflix’s infinite choices so we should be set.  But honestly...what’s been going on with you? I feel like I’ve been working so much I’ve cut myself off from the outside world.  Tell me what it’s like among the normal people, Willa.”

As she saw herself looking up at Lucy she gave her a genuine smile, trying her best to not fringe or cringe with the thought that someone from the hospital was here. It was nothing against Lucy she just didn’t want the pity – or the looks or the sympathy. In reality, Tess had no idea what she wanted right now aside of the entire appetizer menu items that she had been staring at the entire time. “Oh please don’t tempt me with that idea. I am here trying to be social and not go back to the sofa that I have managed to take as my hostage,” Isaac had been kind enough to not kick her out of his place or pushed her to actually talk about what was going on, then again who did even have the courage to tell her when she was wrong? The only person that had ever dared to do that was now dead. “I was thinking the jalapenos poppers – as well as the chicken wings with some blu cheese – and the fries god yes fries.” 

Lucy chuckled as she focused on the other woman.  “I get it.  It’s far too easy to get lost in an Netflix void then suddenly you realize you haven’t spoken to another human in two days.”  Maybe that was just her, but it was far too easy for her to disappear into a black hole when she had days off.  At least getting Murphy meant she had to take him for walks everyday.  That got her out of the house at least for a little while.  “They have the best fries,” Lucy agreed.  “All of those choices sound pretty amazing.  Throw in some onion rings and we’ve got the makings of a football party.  Or a heart attack, but there’s nothing wrong with a cheat day.  Besides, we’re sharing so it’s not like we’re overindulging too much.”