unbroken (unexpected series)

Chapter 50

"Good girl, what else?"

Sighing, "Trust again, but this time the Catcher needs to have it, in themselves..." I whispered listening to her heartbeat as well as the babys, the slight echo a bit louder now. Wrapping a skinny arm around my shoulder I settled really thinking now, trying to apply what she said to Kieran and I. Resting my hand on top of each other palm up I remembered Kieran dragging his rough finger from my palm to the end of my finger. His heart racing and so much fear in his eyes, 'it didn't hurt.' He whispered which was confusing, of course it wouldn't hurt and I had told him so.

But he thought it would hurt.

He thought he wasn't good and that it was better to stay away from him.

Kieran thought he wasn't normal, and that he wasn't worth it. I thought of the tattoo R43 on his arm, the healed cuts, on his arms, a few on his face, neck, legs and so many that started on his arm, near his shoulder and would curl towards his back. Some raised and bumpy while others just left a mark that was a bit darker than his regular skin tone.

"He - Kieran doesn't trust me and he doesn't trust himself?" I asked pulling away lifting my head to look aunt Julia in the face. Again she had that small sad smile on her face, as she nodded and the wind around us picked up. Nodding to myself I dropped my head down to her slightly curved belly, "hey baby it's okay you can stop with the wind..." my head snapping back up when aunt Julia sobbed above me, her body jerking in the hammock.

"What - what happened - are you okay?" I placed one foot on the patio stopping the rocking and my eyes darting frantically from her belly to her face.

Only she wasn't crying, well there were tears but she had the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face, "You - your - Grant - he - he talks to the ba - baby too," she sobbed happily, bringing her hands up to fan her face, which I wasn't sure why she would need to when my hair blew around my face with the magic wind the baby created whenever she was emotional.

"Should I go get uncle Grant?" I offered pushing the hair from my face as her crying turned to giggles.

"No - no," she shook her head, sighing, small body jerks still occurring but the smile was lighting up her face. Pulling to her for a hug, she squeezed with all her might, which was getting a bit stronger now that she was channeling the babies strength. Julia leaned her head on top of mine, "I know you hold nothing against your uncle and I, but I - Oakley, you have no idea just how you've opened our eyes to just how much you were able to grasp back home. The effort and attention you must have been putting forth - I mean... I loved your uncle regardless of never having this experience... my mom had told me that I didn't know what I was giving up, but I did."

The breeze calmed again as her heart beat stabilized to an easy calm pace, "The thing was, I knew what type of love I would be giving up on if I decided not to continue my relationship with him."

Bringing my leg up, I curled it against my other just listening to Julia, closing my eyes, "A lot of people... they have these standards of what they want which is good... but sometimes you get some of what you wanted and some of what you needed."