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Moving On in Ja-Ja

"Pull it back slowly keeping your eye right on the center. Make sure you have a nice rolling hold on it with your thumb and pointer finger. Yup, exactly. Now when you think you got a good judge on your trajectory do a quick flip forward...Nice!"

"But I only got a twenty!"

"Do you see my dart? I've got a six. We're playing to three hundred. Who's closer?"

Cole grinned. "Me."

Brian laughed. He placed his hand on the pool table beside him, ignoring the crutch he was supposed to be using to help him balance with the walking cast that was housing his shot foot. "You got it. Now move aside. It's my turn."

Cole hopped up on the pool table. He caught me leaning in the doorway and his smile widened.

"I'm learning how to play darts."

"I see that." I blew him a kiss. "Beat Brian's butt, okay?"

Brian had just let go of the dart. He turned around, his mouth dropping open. "Hey!" Cole laughed. "No problem." He pointed towards the dart stuck in the wall. I grinned.

"Sorry," I said sweetly. Before Brian could respond, I ducked back into the hall.

I found Tibby staring out the back window at the large yard. She clung to my hand as I wrapped my arms around her. I pressed my head gently on top of hers.

"How they doing back there?"

"Good. They gotted the trees almost down and a big machine knocked down the scary place."

We both watched as several guys fed a tree into the wood chipper. The obscene amount of land that had been gained by tearing the trees down seemed to stretch on forever.

"He can't hurt anyone anymore, right mommy?"

"Right."

Tibby wiggled and I lifted my head so she could look at me.

"I don't love my daddy," she said, looking so sad that I wanted to cry. I undid her messy ponytail and started to create a smooth one in its place.

"It's okay," I said gently. I swiftly did her hair and sank down on the ground. She copied me. "Honey, it's complicated but sometimes people can make a baby but they don't make good mommies and daddies. That man helped me make you and I wouldn't trade you for the world, but he just didn't know how to be a good daddy. Does that make sense?"

"Kinda," she said. She picked at her brand new bright pink sneakers complete with neon green laces. "But you're a good mommy," she said. I smiled.

"I couldn't have a better little girl to be a mommy to."

Tibby returned my smile. She yanked the laces and began to attempt the rabbit ear method Brian had begun to teach her. "Mommy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think someone might want to be my daddy someday?"

She made a sloppy knot, but nevertheless it was a knot. She looked up at me with pride over her accomplishment and hope...hope that I'd answer the question with what she wanted to hear. I couldn't disappoint.

"Yes, baby, I know so."

Before Tibby could ask another question, a question I thought I already knew, the sound of the front doorbell being pressed rang through the house. I scooped Tibby up.

"I've got a surprise for yo-oou!" I sang.

"A surprise?!" she squealed.

"A big surprise," I laughed.

"I want it! I want it! I--"

"Hi ma'am. Where do you want the cage?"

"Just bring it in right here. We'll take him from there."

The delivery guy was dressed all in yellow, making him look kind of like a giant banana. Under different circumstances, I'm sure Tibby would have noticed to, but the sight of Hoover in his giant cage erased all thoughts of the fruit.

"HOOVEY!" Tibby squealed. "HOOVEY'S IN BAMA!"

"Georgia," I corrected.

"HOOVEY'S IN JA-JA!"

The guy about busted his forehead vein dragging in the cage. By the time he got it to the spot I had pointed to, he was dripping sweat. He didn't smile until I slipped him a twenty.

"Have a g'day," he panted. I closed the door behind him and turned around. Tibby was already opening the cage.

"HOO-HAHAHAHA!"

The sedation from the flight had evidently worn completely off. Hoover knocked Tibby on her butt, his large tongue bathing her face in sloppy doggy kisses. She wrapped her arms around his giant neck, her face wrinkling in glee.

"Tib, let's go surprise Cole," I said. I grabbed Hoover by the collar and yanked. His front paws slapped the air, his eyes bugging out.

"Silly, Hoovey," Tibby giggled. She scrambled to her feet. "C'mon!"

In any other house, the commotion in the front would have sent everyone running. But this wasn't like any other house. Tibby ran ahead of me, the layout of the place already mapped out in her little, always learning, always growing mind. She stopped by the door and waved me forward. Brian had turned on an old-fashioned jukebox and the music was blaring as we walked into the, for lack of a better word, playroom.

"Dangit!" Cole yelled over the music. Brian plucked his dart out of the bulls-eye. When he turned and saw me trying to keep Hoover at bay, he grinned. Hoover, in response, barked.

The bark was all that was needed to turn Cole's scowl into a look of pure excitement. He whirled around and his eyes flashed relief and happiness.

"Hoover!"

He had his arms around the dog in a second. Tibby smacked the poor guy in her enthusiasm. Hoover barked again. Brian slowly hobbled over to the jukebox and flipped it off.

"Welcome home, big guy," he said. He looked at me as he said it. I reached down and scratched behind the big guy's ear. It was a big statement for someone who was still reeling from everything. It was a big chance. Then again, so was taking a bullet through your foot while protecting a family that wasn't yours.

"Yeah buddy," I said softly.

"Welcome home."