Tina found the trio in the large kitchen. Yorso was cleaning up after dinner, while the other two helped by putting dishes away. As soon as Tina stepped into the living area where they could see her, they stopped and offered her worried smiles. Osopa came around the dividing bar between the rooms to hold her.
“They’re asleep?”
“Out like lights. I’m sorry Zac yelled such awful things at you.” Her apology was for all of them.
Tukui waved the matter off. “He’s a child. He’s frightened to be among those he was taught would do him harm.”
“And he’s lost his parents. Of course he’s going to be upset,” Yorso added.
“How am I supposed to explain to him they’re dead?” Tina fretted.
Osopa’s concern matched hers. “Psychological counselors won’t be here for quite some time. These children need professional support after what they’ve been through.”
“Don’t panic,” Yorso insisted. “We’ll treat them with patience, kindness, and understanding, acknowledging there’ll be a period of adjustment. It might take a while, but they’ll calm down. As for giving them the news—it can wait a few days until they acclimate to the present situation better.”
Tina was relieved that he agreed that they could put off the worst of the news. Making Zac confront his orphaned status would be terrible. She admitted to herself her cowardice in delaying to do so.
Yorso and Tukui completed the kitchen chores and joined Tina and Osopa. The four huddled together, taking a moment to enjoy their closeness.
After a minute, Tina smirked at her Dramok. “It would seem you got everything you were looking for.”
He regarded her with smiling uncertainty. “What do you mean?”
“A Matara and kids. Congratulations on your family.”
That spurred nervous chuckles. Though the men had relaxed a touch, Tina couldn’t keep herself from worrying. This isn’t what they bargained for. Though it was true they’d brought the current situation on themselves, having chosen her as their lifemate, she wondered if they blamed her.
First, they’d had to give up their chosen careers. Now they were responsible for two small children. She studied them, trying to discern if their smiles were forced. “Life just became a lot more complicated.”
“They’re your family. That makes them ours too,” Yorso asserted.
“I’m officially a parent, aren’t I?” Tukui mused.
“We should send Captain—I mean, Admiral Tranis a message. Imagine the look on his face,” Osopa told him.
That cracked Tukui up for real, so much so that he had to cover his mouth for fear of waking the children.
“I don’t get it,” Tina said when he’d recovered.
“I hadn’t exactly impressed my former commanding officer with my ability to take on responsibility. He’d fall over in shock if he could see me now.”
“He noticed the strides you’d made before we transferred. You’ve come even farther since we left the ship. I’ve been meaning to tell you, I’m proud.” Osopa patted his shoulder.
At Tukui’s surprised reaction, Yorso nodded in agreement. “You’re fulfilling all the potential we knew you had. Well done, my Dramok.”
Tina weighed in. “I have no complaints. My siblings are in good hands.”
They were. She was grateful she’d been chosen by her clan. Hopefully, they weren’t regretting it.
Because of the children, the clan agreed the next morning that Tina would adjust her schedule around them. “Don’t worry about your usual tasks,” Yorso said, taking a moment to hold her. “Admiral Jes can’t order you to go on duty since you’re technically a refugee yourself. If you can’t assist me for a while, that’s perfectly fine. The kids come first.”
Tina burrowed against him, indulging in the warmth of his shelter. Changes were already happening. She had to show her clanmates she could handle it, that they had nothing to worry about. “Involving Zac in something might help him assimilate quicker. We might not come to the office though. I’d like to keep him engaged with fun activities.”
“Excellent plan. I’ll see you at dinnertime if you can’t make it. Com if you need me.”
Tukui and Osopa also encouraged her to let them know if she ran into problems before the three men left for work. Worry clung to her like a shroud as she soaked in the sudden quiet of the apartment.
I can make this work. She had to, after all they’d given up for her.
About fifteen minutes after her clan left, Zac and Callie toddled down the hall. The little girl was rubbing her eyes and calling, “Mommy?” It broke Tina’s heart to hear such a plaintive cry. She rushed to pick her sister up, covering her cherubic cheeks with kisses.
“Just big sis, darling girl. Good morning, Zac. How about cheesy scrambled eggs for breakfast?”
“I want to go home.”
Tina offered him a sympathetic smile and began to edge toward the truth. “I know, but it’s safer to stay here. There are bad people outside the protected site, and the explosion sent poisonous gases near your house.”
He frowned, but thankfully, didn’t ask for more information.
Twenty minutes later, Callie was gleefully smearing scrambled egg and melted cheese all over the table and herself. Her happy chortling made Tina laugh too.
“Messes are fun, aren’t they?”
“Mommy doesn’t let her make messes like that.” Zac scowled. At least he’d eaten his eggs and toast.
“Your mommy worked and probably didn’t have a lot of time to clean up. I’m sure she kept Miss Callie’s food art contained.”
“We have bacon with our eggs, not just toast that looks weird.”
“It was homemade bread.” Yorso had done a wonderful job with it, and Zac had eaten two slices despite his complaints. “We can’t run to the store for bread and bacon anymore. Bread has to be baked, and bacon isn’t easy to come by. But there’s something called ronka that we can have, and if it’s sliced thin enough, it’s similar to bacon. You should try it sometime.”
“I want to go home and eat breakfast in my house.”
“Sweetie, there was a big explosion. I hate to tell you right away, but the truth is, your house is gone.”
His lower lip jutted defiantly. “I don’t believe you.”
“It’s hard to accept. It hurts to think about it.” She waited for him to stop dancing around the subject. She’d read the report taken from the daycare personnel that morning. Children Zac’s age had been told about the explosion. He had to realize that if it had taken his house, his parents had likely been killed too.
“You’re a liar.”
Tina winced at the aggressive tone. If Zac had made the deductive leap, he wasn’t ready to confront it.
Patience. He’s hurting. His world has literally fallen apart.
“I wish I were lying. I wish everything was the way you remember it.”
“I want to go home!” He screamed, banging his fists on the table.
Callie started, then laughed before adding her screech. Tina took her to the sink to wash as much egg off her as she could.