Mended Hearts

by Sarah Markel

  Looking to his cousins and seeing that they were not going to answer, Zane replied “Jaxon said that he liked Kelly's boobs and he was going to find a way to touch them. When I told him to knock it off, he called me a fag, and I hit him. We started punching each other and Anya screamed, which is when Kelly came out to break us up.” Looking down at his hands, he continued. “I'm sorry I hit him, but I didn’t like him talking about Kelly like that. It's disrespectful. I didn’t hit him for calling me that nasty word, I hit him because he was talking bad about Kelly.” Swelling with pride, Kelly went over and hugged the boy. “Thank you for defending me, Zane.” She whispered in his ear. After Kelly went back to finish the dishes, Alex excused Zane to his room, informing him that he was still in trouble for fighting and would be spending the rest of the night in his room. Looking to Kelly as he left the room, he said "It was worth it.” With that, he did as he was told and went upstairs.

  Turning back to Raider and Tommy, Alex excused them both to the living room with the girls, warning them that next time they were asked a question they were to answer it. Facing Jaxon, Alex spoke calmly, “Jaxon Blue Baxter, until your parents get here in the morning, you are on restriction. No TV, no games, no fun. You will go to bed when the girls do, and until then you may sit right here and think about what you said. Why in the world would you call your cousin such a nasty word? Do you even know what that word means?” She asked. Shaking his head no, the boy appeared to be holding back tears. “Well, son, I will get you a dictionary and you can learn about it. And the next time you make a comment like that about anyone's girlfriend, you better hope that no one tells your mother what you said.” Alex finished. “Honey, don't you think you were a little hard on Jaxon tonight?” Kelly asked several hours later, as the two women prepared for bed. “Maybe a little, but that was nothing compared to what Angie would have done if we had waited and told her. I don't know if you know this or not, but Angie is dead set on raising her boys to be respectful towards women, and if she found out what Jaxon said, she would probably have his mouth sewn shut.” Alex replied once she was situated in bed. Crawling in next to Alex, Kelly laid her head on the other woman's shoulder and replied, “I don't think we should tell Steve and Angie that he hit me. It was an accident, and even though he was a defiant little brat today, I think we should just let it go. He's already been punished, so there's no reason to keep it going.” Sighing, Alex said "That's your call, babe. But you know Angie will want to know what happened, and she will end up finding out anyways.” Nodding, Kelly kissed Alex goodnight and cuddled close.

  Chapter 39

  The next morning, after Angie and Steve had picked up the six children, Alex and Kelly headed to work. Kelly sat quietly in the passenger seat, remembering the look of repressed rage on her best friends face when Angie asked about her lip. Before telling her, Kelly had made Angie and Steve both promise that the boy would not be punished anymore, as she and Alex had already done so. After she had explained the whole event, Angie seemed to be doing her best not to lose her cool each time she looked at her son. Pulling the woman aside, Kelly had asked her why she was so mad. “I can live with the fact that he accidentally hit you, shit happens, especially when someone is mad. But to call Zane a fag? That is despicable! We have prided ourselves on the fact that our kids were being raised in a home of tolerance and kindness, and he pulls a stunt like that? Jaxon is damn lucky you made me promise not to punish him again.” Angie had replied menacingly.

  “Babe? Is everything alright?” Alex asked, bringing Kelly back to the present. Smiling, Kelly nodded and patted Alex's knee. “I'm fine, Honey. I was just thinking about how mad Angie was this morning.” She replied. Alex chuckled, “Aww she'll be fine, Love. She will get over it soon enough. She has a hard time staying mad at her kids. So, what are you going to tell people when they ask about your lip?” She finished. Kelly shrugged, still not sure herself, “I guess the truth.” She said as they pulled into Alex's parking spot. After kissing each other one last time, the two women entered the building and went to their respective offices. “Oh my God! Dr. Taylor, what happened to your mouth?” Jack shrieked. Smiling at her assistant, Kelly replied, “I got between a fist and my son.” Jack appeared confused, “You have a son?” He asked. Suddenly realizing what she had said, Kelly tried to cover "Well, he might as well be.” She said, walking into her office to avoid any more questions.

  Across the lobby, Alex sat at her desk with her door open, having heard Kelly's response. Oh wow, she called Zane her son. She thought to herself. Reaching into her pocket, Alex fingered the gold band she had bought the day before, when she had gone to meet the caterer. She had bought the ring as a symbol of her affection for Kelly, having it engraved with thin-lined butterflies. Now, after hearing Kelly's Freudian slip, she knew it was not too soon to propose to her. The ringing of her office phone jolted Alex out of her thoughts. “Serenity Home, this is Alex Walker. May I help you?” She answered.

  While Alex handled her usual barrage of morning phone calls, Kelly sat at her desk, reviewing resident files and scheduling appointments for those who needed it. Once she finished with scheduling, she moved on to medication reports, verifying that each resident's medications were current and accounted for. Shortly after one o'clock, Alex tapped on Kelly's door, making her jump. “Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was wondering if you were hungry. I'm clear until three, so I thought maybe we could go get some lunch?” Alex asked. Looking around at her file strewn desk, Kelly's stomach decided for her, protesting loudly in favor of food. Chuckling, Kelly replied, “Lunch sounds great.” Together the two women headed out to Alex's SUV and drove into town. The pair stopped at a corner deli and ordered some sandwiches. While they ate, Alex asked "Do you think there is a minimum length of time between first date and marriage proposal?” Confused by the question, Kelly wasn't sure what to say. “Well that was a random question.” She replied.

  Taking a moment to think about it, she finally replied, “I don't think there is. I think that when someone is absolutely certain they want to spend their lives with someone else, the length of time they have been together shouldn't matter. I don't think people should get married after one date, but I don't see why there has to be a time frame for it.” Smiling, Alex pulled the ring from her pocket. Taking Kelly's hand and slipping the ring on her finger, Alex said, “In that case, I want you to wear this ring. It's not a proposal, it’s a suggestion. If at any time, you want to end our relationship, I want you to just say 'no', and take off the ring. Otherwise, wear it and see how it feels. If wearing the ring bothers you, then take it off. If not, leave it on and we will go from there.” Smiling like a fool, Kelly leaned in and kissed Alex softly. “Too bad it wasn't a proposal, because I would have said yes.” She said, smirking at Alex.

  After they had finished their lunch, the two women headed back to work to finish their day. On the way home that evening, Alex called Angie to ask if Zane and Dej could stay the night. “We have to be at the park at about eight so everything is set up when Marie and Wes get there at ten with the food and the cakes.” She explained. When Angie agreed, Alex thanked her and hung up. Reaching over to lace her fingers with Kelly's, Alex smiled. “Looks like we have the night to ourselves.” She said with a smirk. Laughing Kelly replied playfully, “Oh no. Alone? Whatever shall we do with ourselves?” When the women arrived home, Kelly went upstairs to shower and change, while Alex went into the kitchen to start dinner. Once clean and changed, Kelly joined her lover in the kitchen, taking a seat at the island. “Do we really have to be at the park that early?” She asked. Nodding, Alex handed Kelly a plate of dinner rolls to set on the table. “What time does the party start again?” Kelly asked. “Eleven,” Alex replied as she set the platter containing their pork chops, mashed potatoes, and salad on the table. “The guests should start arriving around ten thirty, and Angie and Steve are going to bring the kids at eleven. Zane and Dej still don't know about the party.” She finished, portioning out their dinner ont
o the plates.

  Smiling, Kelly said "I bought them some gifts. I didn't really know what to get them, so I hope they like them.” Through a mouthful of pork chops, Alex replied "Don't worry babe, the kids aren't materialistic so I'm sure they will enjoy whatever you got. Sunday is going to be fun, though. Each year on the day after their birthday and Christmas, the kids go through their things and put aside the stuff they don't want or use anymore to take to the homeless shelter. And it's not just toys either. Last year, Zane donated all of his clothes and shoes, his coat, backpack, and bedding.” Alex chuckled at the look of disbelief on Kelly's face. “It's true, I swear.” Alex said. “He came downstairs the day after their birthday, with all of his stuff in garbage bags. He had left three pair of shorts, three shirts, one pair of shoes, and his underwear. He said he had too much stuff and he wanted to help other kids. So I took him down, let him donate, then took him to get more clothes. Donating things that we didn’t use or want was Callie's thing. We never threw away anything that wasn’t broken, we donated it all to help others.” She finished. Kelly felt her heart flutter with pride as she looked at Alex. “She sounds like an amazing woman, Alex. And you are just as amazing, wanting to continue with her ideas.” She said softly.

  Blushing, Alex changed the subject, “So have you decided what to do with your house once the case is over?” Kelly shrugged, “I've batted around some ideas, but I haven't decided on anything just yet.” She answered. Oh, I hate lying to her, but I want this to be a surprise. Kelly thought to herself. The truth was, Kelly had decided what to do with the house. She had read an article in the newspaper a few days before about the lack of housing for domestic abuse victims in their area. Since her house had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen, and lots of space for common areas, she had decided to do some research on turning it into a shelter. She had every intention of opening the shelter in honor of Callie and she didn't want to get Alex's hopes up if the plan fell through. Gathering up the plates, Kelly told Alex to go up and take her shower, and she would do the dishes. Nodding, Alex kissed her and headed upstairs. Once the two women had finished with their tasks, they spent the remainder of their evening watching movies. Alex, who had always been a sucker for chick flicks, was happy to find out that Kelly was the same way. The pair cried their way through three movies before heading upstairs to bed. After a few hours of passionate lovemaking, the two women drifted off to sleep, oblivious to the fact that the next day would be the ultimate test of each woman's maternal instincts.

  Chapter 40

  The next morning, Alex and Kelly arrived at the park on time and began decorating. Using pink and blue twisted crepe paper streamers, the two women set about marking the reserved area. Alex decorated the left side of the area in Zane's favorite Pokémon theme, while Kelly did the right side in Frozen. Working together, the pair was able to finish just as the food arrived. Alex helped Marie set up the finger foods and snacks on two of the tables that had been set up down the middle of the party area. While Alex helped Marie, Kelly was busy glaring at Wes Johnson while the two set up the cakes. The man had been making vaguely sexual remarks towards her since he got there. She was saved from slapping the man by Alex who came over just in time to scare Wes off. After making sure the food and treats were set, the two women set up the gift tables, with Zane's on his side and Dej's on hers.

  Once finished, the pair did a final walk through, just as the guests started to arrive. Billy, Chelsea, and Adalyn were the first to arrive. Setting their gifts on the proper tables, Billy gave both women a hug "I can't believe it's that time of year again.” He said, letting the women go. While Billy and Chelsea took Adalyn over to the swings, three people that Alex did not recognize walked up to her. “Are you Alex Walker?” A tall, burly looking man asked. Nodding, Alex asked if she could help them. “No ma'am, we're here to help you. I'm Gavin Jones. This is Helen Carter, and this is Danny Green.” The man introduced, pointing to a tall, skinny woman and a shorter, stockier man. “We work with Steve and he asked if we would do some security work for the party today.” He explained. Alex smiled and shook each person's hand, thanking them for their time and promising them all the food and soda they could handle. When she started to tell them where to go, Helen Carter spoke up, “Steve actually brought us out here last week and showed us the designated area. We already have our sections figured out, ma'am. You just worry about giving your little ones their party. We've all seen what the woman looks like and we will make sure she doesn't crash this event.” The woman said. Kelly watched as the trio took up their posts, with Danny Green taking the left side of the gazebo, Helen Carter taking the right, and Gavin Jones taking the front.

  Kelly and Alex spent the next forty minutes greeting guests and making small talk while they waited for the guests of honor. Colton Parker was the first to spot them. “There they are!” He exclaimed, pointing to the footbridge. Looking over, Alex chuckled when she saw that both kids were wearing blindfolds and were being led by both Steve and Angie. “I guess they figured out how to keep it a secret.” She said to Kelly, taking the woman's hand. Once the group had reached the gazebo, Kelly and Alex took the two children by the hand and lead them to the center of the area. As Alex used her fingers to do the 3, 2, 1 countdown, the two women pulled off the children's blindfolds while the guests all shouted "Surprise!” Cameras flashed and people cheered at the looks of excitement and shock on the kids' faces. “Aw, mom, this is the best birthday party ever!” Zane shouted, hugging Alex tight. Returning the hug, Alex told her son "I knew you'd like it. Wait until you see the rest.” Looking at his mother with curiosity, the boy asked "What do you mean the rest of it?” Smiling, Alex held up her finger, telling the boy to wait a moment. Turning to Dej, who was currently balanced on Kelly's hip, she asked "Do you like it, Sissy?” With a wide smile, the girl nodded her head, wrapping her arms around Kelly's neck.

  Taking out her phone, Alex punched in some numbers and told the person on the other end to "Send them in.” A few moments later, excited squeals emanated from the crowd. Pointing her children toward the bridge, Alex stood behind her son and waited for his reaction. As Zane and Dej watched the bridge, three large Pokémon, and Anna, Elsa, and Olaf made their way down to the crowd. When the characters reached the center of the gazebo, Zane and Dej both let out screams of delight. While the characters and children went out to mingle with the crowd, Alex took Kelly and pulled her close. “I think we're a hit, babe.” She said, kissing Kelly softly. Smiling at Alex, Kelly agreed. For the next several hours, everyone had fun eating, laughing, and playing party games. When Dej tugged on Kelly's shirt and asked for cake, the woman pulled Alex aside and suggested they do cake and ice cream. Requesting everyone's attention, Alex announced "Okay everyone it’s time to sing.” While the group of friends and family sang Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs, Alex and Kelly led the two children up to two inflatable thrones. Sitting Dej in the pink one and Zane in the blue, the pair handed the children their cake. Once everyone had their cake, Alex gave the children a go ahead nod. The crowd cheered loudly as the two took the ceremonial first bite, and everyone dug into their own. With Kelly's help, Alex took some cake to Gavin, Danny, and Helen. After the cake had been devoured, Alex announced that it was time for presents.

  Once the children had been situated at their gift tables, Alex and Kelly stood off to either side of the children to take pictures. With their backs to the gazebo, neither woman noticed Lilly Corbin storming up the trail that led to the creek. Unable to hear the warning shouted by Gavin, both women whipped around in surprise when they heard the woman scream, “I'll bet you're afraid of me now, bitch!” As she aimed a gun at Alex. Screams erupted from the crowd as parents grabbed their children and ran for safety. Steve, Gavin, Helen, and Danny took up positions around the group, their own guns aimed at Lilly. “Police! Drop your weapon!” Steve demanded. Ignoring the man, Lilly shook with rage as she demanded answers from Kelly. “Why did you choose her over me? What does she have th
at I don't, aside from two snot nosed little brats?” When Kelly didn't answer, Lilly pointed the gun at Dej who was crying in Kelly's arms. “Don't point that at my sister!” Zane screamed, moving toward the pair. Moving her aim to Zane, Lilly sneered, “Are you really going to stop me, little man?” Angrily, Alex screamed at the woman "Don't you dare point that gun at my kids! If you want to shoot someone, shoot me.” Shaking her head and smiling like a maniac, Lilly laughed "Don't tempt me.” While Steve and the other officers continued to yell commands to drop her weapon as they inched closer, Lilly turned her attention back to Kelly. Cradling Dej tightly, she asked "What is it you really want, Lilly?” Changing her aim again to point the gun at Kelly, Lilly replied menacingly "I want you to feel the pain you caused me when you ended it.” With those words, she pulled the trigger.