Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
MOJAVE
I could tell something was wrong with Rachel the minute she arrived.
Her smile didn’t quite meet her eyes and she looked sad when she thought no one was looking.
I couldn’t stop to check on her right away.
The rain had eased into a drizzle but I didn't want Frankie’s stuff to get wet.
I made a mental note to check on her later.
Whatever it was, I wanted to help. It felt wrong for such a bright and happy woman to look so… defeated.
Cleaning out the storage room for Frankie was harder than I thought it’d be.
I didn’t go in there often, most of the shit stored was from my old military days, but pulling it out and moving it to the living room had a low level of anxiety buzzing under my skin most of the afternoon.
Which was probably why Perry insisted on coming to help out.
Every time he noticed me fidgeting or stressing, he stopped, put a hand on my shoulder, and coached me to breathe.
I kept reminding myself that this was for Frankie.
She needed her own space, and privacy. And I needed to not spend months on the lumpy pull out couch.
It was only temporary, but we both deserved to be comfortable.
I could always put the stuff back in that room after she moved back in with her parents.
The thought made my eye twitch, but I ignored it, focusing on screwing in the bolts on the bed frame we bought.
It was wood, sturdy looking, with a soft headboard in case she bumped her head on it.
Butch suggested it when we called him for advice, mentioning that Ellie rolled in her sleep since she was moved onto a regular kid bed and the soft cushioning was the only reason she didn’t have bruises all the time from smacking her head.
“Ooh! It looks so fluffy!” Frankie shouted, darting into the room. I only just caught her to stop her from launching onto the bed like a flying monkey, setting her on her feet with a frown.
“It’s not done yet.”
“It’s not?” she asked, confused.
I shook my head. I put the thing together myself, but I wasn’t going to be satisfied it was good enough for her until I tested it out myself.
If it could handle my weight, it could handle her, and I wouldn’t constantly be worried about it falling apart in the middle of the night and Frankie getting hurt.
Prez clapped my shoulder, giving Frankie a mock serious look.
“He’s gotta test it first. I did the same thing when my little girl got her big girl bed.
” He gave me a commiserating smirk. “Butch and Rooster both tested the kids’ beds together.
Neither was satisfied until it could handle two grown bikers without even a creak. ”
I rolled my eyes, but it made me feel a little less insane for insisting on testing it myself.
I sat on the edge of the bed, listening for any sounds that weren’t right, then twisted to lay on the mattress, wriggling to test for any creaks.
If Butch thought it was important, then I didn’t have a problem following his lead.
He had a whole brood of kids. He was the expert in the crew. No one else even came close.
Prez wasn’t as familiar with Frankie as I was, so he didn’t see her gearing up to leap like I did. I braced myself, grunting when she landed on me with a squeal, and let out a sigh of relief when the bed didn’t even shift. It’d be fine for now.
“What are we doing in here?” Rachel asked curiously, smiling when she found Frankie wiggling into the spot against my side so we were both on the mattress looking up at the ceiling.
“Testin’ the bed,” Frankie answered. “Prez said Mojave had to check if it’s safe.”
“Is that right?” Rachel asked with a chuckle. “Well, it looks pretty good to me. Is it comfy?”
Frankie wiggled a little more and I moved my arm so she’d have more room, tucking it behind my head and out of the way.
Her face was serious, contemplative, and I braced myself for whatever she was going to say.
She wasn’t the kind of kid to lie to spare feelings. If she hated it, she’d let me know.
With a sharp nod of approval, she finally chirped, “It’s good. Can I jump on it?”
Shrugging, I rolled off the bed to give her space. “Should be fine. If it creaks, you gotta stop.”
With a big grin, she popped to her feet and jumped up and down.
While she played, I started pulling out all the stuff from Rachel’s list that I’d bought that morning from Frankie’s luggage.
New sheets, a comforter, pillows, towels, wash cloths.
Butch’s old lady had chimed in on our call earlier to mention everything needed to be washed first, and I borrowed Killian’s stacked washer/dryer at his place to get it clean before picking Frankie up.
Frankie and I made the bed while Rachel started putting her clothes away in the dresser we picked up. It was a basic white number, nothing fancy, but Rachel kept frowning and I wondered if I’d gotten it wrong. Was it not big enough?
“What’s wrong?” I asked, helping Frankie stuff the big oversized pillow into its case.
The frown disappeared and Rachel forced another smile, shaking her head. “Nothing. I just realized I need to go to the mall this week.” She gave Frankie an amused look when she groaned in response. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fun, I promise.”
Frankie looked skeptical, but Killian called her from the living room and she darted out of the room before Rachel had to reassure her anymore. Once she was out of earshot, I asked, “Did I miss something?”
“You didn’t miss anything,” she replied.
“I’m just noticing most of Frankie’s clothes are too small or too big.
Some of these shirts probably belong to one of her parents, and the rest is too small for her.
I’ll take her to the mall after school tomorrow and we’ll pick up a few things. She should have clothes her own size.”
“No dresses or skirts,” I relayed, remembering the conversation I had with Frankie. “Frankie told me she hates ‘em. That’s why kids pick on her. They say she dresses like a boy.”
Rachel made a face. “Well, we can buy her comfortable clothes to play in that are still girly if that’s what she wants. If she prefers the clothes from the boys section, that’s okay too. How was pickup today?”
She’d been apologetic about not being able to meet us for pickup, and her coworker had to come with us to pick up Frankie’s things, but she’d been getting the restraining order from her ex. I wasn’t about to complain about that. It was important.
“Good. She’s been playin’ with some kids at recess that she seems to like. The recess time switch you set up is working.”
Rachel’s smile was a little more natural in response to that. “I’m glad. Any reports from the teachers?”
I shook my head. No one had led Frankie outside today, she came out on her own with the rest of the kids, but I took that as a good sign. Any time a teacher escorted her out, there’d been a problem.
“She did ask again about the field trip. I made her dad sign the permission slip, but do I gotta sign it myself now that I’m watchin’ over her?”
Rachel’s lips pursed thoughtfully. “Good question. I’ll ask Arthur at tomorrow’s pickup.
I don’t think you’ll need another, but if you’re going with her, then they might want one with your information on it just for clarity’s sake.
” She offered me a smile. “It’s good that this is happening now.
It means we can take care of it before the deadline and she’ll still get to go. ”
That flicker of sadness swept over her face again, and I kneeled down beside where she was sitting on the ground, emptying the luggage, and offered her a hug. She took it without question, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Bad day?” I asked after a minute.
It took her a second to respond. She let out another long breath before leaning back with a frown.
“Unfortunately, the meeting with Frankie’s parents went about as well as I’d expected it to go.
Her mother was downright resentful, and her father was too exhausted to show much interest in putting in any effort to fix things.
I think it’ll be a long road to reunification with those two.
They aren’t going to make this a simple process. ”
Somehow that didn’t surprise me. Frankie’s parents hadn’t cared when she came home with blood on her shirts from getting into fights, they hadn’t cared when she started following a stranger around, and they hadn’t cared when CPS got involved.
I didn’t think this setup with Frankie would be quick.
She’d be here a while, which was both daunting and reassuring.
At least for a few months, I knew she’d be okay.
And Rachel wouldn’t send her back to her parents until they were ready to do things right.
Once she went back, it’d be to a better environment. At least, that was what I hoped.
“She’s good for now,” I reminded her. “Now that the shit with Battle’s crew is done, I can bring her back to the clubhouse.
She can play with the other kids during the summer, we can keep going to the library, and Butch mentioned something about a lake we can go to.
She’ll be alright while you work with the parents. ”
The smile she gave me was the same smile that won me over in the first place. Sweet and open and so damn soft. I couldn’t help leaning in for a kiss, tasting that softness on her lips, and only made myself pull away from her when Frankie called for me from the other room.
“Mojave! Look at this!”
Rachel’s smile grew, her tone gentle when she said, “Duty calls.”
I grunted in agreement, helping her to her feet. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow. Get her anything else she needs. For now, she’s good.”
After I’d told Perry what I planned to do, taking Frankie in for a little while until her parents got their shit straight, he suggested taking things one day at a time.
Months could feel overwhelming. He wanted me to focus on what Frankie needed day by day.
That felt more achievable to me than an unknown number of months as her guardian.
Rachel said she didn’t think it’d be quick, that Frankie’s parents might fight the process at first. I believed her.
And if I wanted to get through this without freaking Frankie out with another panic attack, then I needed all the tools I could get. Day by day I could do.