Chapter 17
Epilogue
Chapter Description: Will finds his family.
“Habbee... habbee fortha...joo-why?”
“That's it, sweetheart! Can you try saying it all together?”
“...habbeeforthajoowhy! Habbee fortha joo-why!”
“Happy Fourth of July to you too, Will!” The beaming middle-aged woman declared as she bounced the padded tush of the chortling, kicking toddler on her knee. “Do you wanna go find Liam and say it for him?”
“YEAH!” The burbling baby boy declared, dashing off as soon as she set his tiny bare feet on the tickly grass of the apartment complex's common lawn. Grace watched him head off in his frantic waddle until he disappeared into the fray of running screaming laughing children. Since there were plenty of parents overseeing the chaos – chatting and laughing and enjoying mediocre barbecue drowned in ketchup as they watched their kids – she felt free to finally relax for a moment, sighing as she deflated into her plastic lawn chair.
“You doing okay?” Jane asked from the seat beside her, lowering her sunglasses to give the older woman a worried look. “I can take care of the boys if you'd like to go inside and rest for a bit.”
“That's all right Jane, thank you.” Grace reassured her with a tired smile. “I just need a five minute break from dealing with a two-year-old.”
“I'm just surprised that he willingly left your side given how attached he's been to you today. It seemed like he'd been getting a little less clingy lately.”
“He has, but there's still days where he won't let go of me for anything.” Grace fell silent for a moment as she wistfully watched her son search the party for his beloved big brother. “Can't blame him given...well, everything.”
“All he wanted was to see you again.” Jane said quietly, not needing any of her new neighbors to overhear the details of her former home. “So much so that I think grown-up Will would be happy with the way things turned out.”
“He seems happy now.” Grace shrugged as she fiddled with the medallion of St. Christopher attached to her necklace. “That's good enough for me.”
The pair fell silent, allowing the summer sounds of sizzling grills and children at play to wash over them. In truth, Grace hadn't known most of the people at the party until Jane came along – showing up at her apartment one evening harried and pale and with two children in tow. The shy second-grader had been a stranger to Grace, but the baby snoozing in Jane's embrace – the one who, upon waking, could not be calmed until he was in mommy's arms – was incredibly, impossibly familiar. And as the shock wore off in the days that followed, the middle-aged woman realized that the lonely existence she had led before being reunited with her son wasn't what was best for him and his big brother.
She began reaching out to the other families whose children she had seen playing in what little green space the complex offered, making new friends who by and large were delighted to help her put together the Fourth of July bash she had in mind. All the adults in attendance contributed something, whether it be food, fireworks or a willingness to man a crummy grill for hours on end. The final result was a loose, lively gathering that reminded Grace of the guests that had crammed her duplex and its yard to capacity on an Independence Day some twenty years prior. What tied the events together was that Grace on both occasions went through the trouble solely to make Will smile – it was fine if everyone else enjoyed themselves, but what really warmed the woman's heart was seeing how happy her efforts had made her son.
“If you could keep him like this forever, would you?”
Grace raised her eyebrows as she turned to Jane, caught off guard by what she'd said to pierce the silence and by the solemn look on her face.
“I don’t know.” Jane said with a shake of her head. “I've just been thinking a lot lately about where we came from – about how things work there. I don't know how it all got started, but I imagine that it began when a parent realized that there was nothing they could do to keep their child from growing up. It's not right, but...I think I understand the impulse better now that I'm away from there than I ever did before.”
“...yes. I absolutely would.” Grace said after a moment, meeting Jane's eyes when the younger woman turned to her in surprise. “And that's exactly why it shouldn't be up to me.”
Jane nodded sagely in agreement, suddenly feeling very morose despite the cheery atmosphere. Two months later, and the huge collection of folders which they had liberated from Abby’s office were still sitting in the trunk of her car – gathering dust. When they’d first arrived, they had been the furthest thing from her mindIt’s not as though Jane could’ve pursued the matter as soon as she found Grace given that it’d taken weeks to do so, her energy drained by the effort of not only finding Will’s mom – as there was nothing even hinting at her address in his file – but of caring for him and Liam in motel rooms of wildly varying quality and keeping them entertained throughout the interminable road trip. And as the days passed and Jane grew accustomed to the rhythm of her new life, it became less and less urgent that she contact a lawyer, talk to the police, or really do anything to bring Viridia’s conspiracy to light. When all was said and done, she’d hardly been able to bring herself to even look at the precious documents – their mere existence serving as a perpetual reminder of her unfinished business.
In any event, Jane was convinced that the exercise would be pointless. Grace’s stunned incredulity on the night they’d showed up at her door, even with indisputable evidence in the form of her bouncing baby son, demonstrated just how implausible their story was. Even if Jane could somehow convince the authorities that she wasn’t stark raving mad – that the silly accident-prone toddler currently bumbling around the yard with a crinkly diaper poking out of his shorts was really a twenty-six-year-old attorney – she was still beset with qualms. Did she really want hordes of federal agents descending on the little town where she’d grown up like wasps swarming over a fallen ice cream cone? Despite everything, Jane still couldn’t get past the vomit inducing mental image of everyone she had ever known – Mr. Byrd, Mrs. Murphy, Miss McKenzie, Alfred, Rosa, even her mother for all her flaws – being led away in hand cuffs and bundled into squad cars.
In the end, she had simply put the issue out of her mind; busying herself helping out around Grace’s little home, finding a job at the local elementary school, trying to keep the four of them afloat. Besides, who had time to evangelize while keeping up with two rambunctious little kids? The only thing that mattered was that they were safe. The old Will would have scolded her for her timidity, but justice in Viridia would simply have to wait – at the very least until its champion had gotten his head around going to the potty.
Meanwhile, the boy himself finally located his brother – breaking into a stumbling sprint and running madly onto a small cordoned off section of grass where some of the older kids were playing a loose game of soccer. Liam was standing at the ready between two piles of sweaters meant to act as goal posts, holding out a pair of expectant gloved hands.
“Wee-am!” Will enthused, bounding forward and wrapping his little arms tightly against the eight-year-old’s legs. Liam looked down in surprise, immobilized in place by the sudden affectionate assault as the ball flew past his outstretched hands. A mix of jubilant cheers and disappointed groans sounded out, the final goal seeming to put a premature end to the impromptu game.
“Hey, baby bear.” Liam greeted, seemingly unbothered by the loss. He placed the rough fabric of the glove atop his brother’s soft golden hair, pushing a few loose strands from out in front of his shimmering green eyes.
“Habbee fortha joo-why!” The tot announced proudly, throwing out his arms with a dramatic flourish.
Liam smiled as he returned the seasonal greeting. He had just taken his little brother’s hand, planning to go and get another burger, when a meaty finger unexpectedly prodded into his chest. The eight-year-old looked up to see the tall imposing figure of a dark-haired preteen, two lackeys lurking by his side.
“What’s wrong with you?” The boy demanded with a vicious snarl, sounding genuinely enraged.
“Huh?” Liam gaped, completely bewildered as to what he could have possibly done to attract the older boy’s unwanted attention.
“The ball, dumbass!” The boy continued, practically shaking with anger. “It flew right past you! A baby could have saved it!”
“Oh. Sorry ‘bout that Nate.” Liam chirped nonchalantly. “My little brother just wanted to give me a hug.” He ruffled his brother’s hair, prompting the two-year-old to redirect his attention towards the bully – offering the much bigger boy a sweet innocent smile.
Nate wrinkled his nose in disgust. “What are you staring at, pants-pisser?” He spat ferociously.
“Habbee...fortha...?” Will ventured, smile disappearing when the scowls on the faces of Nate and his goons told him that the trio was very much not in the holiday spirit. Those scowls turned to vicious grins as they closed in on the two-year-old as though sensing his weakness, Will stumbling backwards before Liam came to his rescue – steadying his brother on his wobbly legs as he put himself between the baby and the big boys. The toddler clung ferociously to Liam as he joined his brother in meeting the bad-intentioned stares of the bullies, neither faltering in their determination to do so even as the trio mocked their united front.
“Aww, isn't that sweet?” Nate cooed, his friends snickering as he leaned towards the brothers – neither of whom took a step back, though Will whimpered just a little when the big boy got so close. “Do you change his diapers too?”
“...uh, yeah?” Liam cocked his head as though confused that was the best they could come up with. “It's gross but it's no big deal. Don't you guys ever help your parents take care of your little siblings?”
“No way.” One of the goons piped up as he looked scornfully over at the infant sister taking up all of mom and dad's attention. “Babies don't do anything but stink and babble and drool.”
“I mean, sure, babies when they're really little aren't any fun.” Liam shot Will a reassuring grin when the toddler pouted at being tied to the B-word. “But it's still neat spending time with them 'cause they grow up to be these cool tiny people like my super awesome little brother!”
“Yeah!” Will punctuated the point with an extended raspberry, beaming up at Liam in breathless pride when his big brother made the declaration to the annoyed big boys. “Sup-ah aw-thum!”
“This place was so much better when there weren't any babies running around ruining things for everyone.” Nate growled. “I think it's time the three of us showed the two of you who's in charge of things around here.”
“...so, what? You're gonna beat us up?”
“...yeah! F'n A right, we are!” Nate boomed, confidence shaken by the eight-year-old's unimpressed look and again by Liam laughing at the threat. “What's so funny?!”
“Dude, like...everybody's parents are watching us.” Liam gestured to the ring of adults surrounding them, the trio looking up as though just realizing they'd been there all along. “You think you're gonna get away with beating up a little kid and a baby?”
“You're right, Will, sorry about that.” Liam said, taking a moment to sincerely apologize to his brother before turning his attention back to Nate. “Soooo...either you guys are really really dumb or you're trying to get me fight you.”
“How 'bout it, pansy?” Nate challenged the smaller boy, swagger returning to him and his goons now that they were back on familiar ground. “I DARE you to take a swing.”
“I'm sure you do.” Liam rolled his eyes as he took Will by the hand and led him away from the pitch. “C'mon baby bear, let's go see if mommy and Aunt Jane have dessert ready yet.”
“Okay!” An ecstatic Will bounced at Liam's side for a moment before turning back around to address the baffled trio with the biggest, brightest smile any of them had ever seen. “HABBEE FORTHA JOO-WHY!”
“Well said, buddy.” Liam whispered to his delighted baby brother, the trailing insults of the trio not able to harm him so long as he had those bright emerald eyes to keep him strong. Beside himself with glee at his big brother's approval, Will babbled happily until his attention was diverted by the only person on earth he loved more than Liam.
“MOMMY!” Will squealed as he broke away from his brother and toddle-ran towards Grace, who chuckled at her son as he collided inelegantly with her legs. Jane – who was beside her at the time putting the dessert table together – just grinned and rolled her eyes as she put out the last of the red white and blue cookies. “I towd Wee-am an' da big boys habbee fortha!”
“Good job, honey.” Grace praised, finally surrendering to her tiny son’s incessant demands for attention and heaving him up into her arms. She sat him snugly on her hip, letting him wrap his arms affectionately against her shoulder and planting a doting kiss between his curtain of wild blond hair – much to the boy’s delight. She plucked up a cookie from the table, delivering it to Will’s grasping fingers and silencing his breathless giggling, the two-year-old instead busying himself nibbling hungrily at the sweet crumbly shortbread. “I hope that Nate boy wasn’t giving you any trouble.” Grace ventured wryly, offering Liam a concerned frown. “He can be a real terror.”
The eight-year-old gave a derisive snort, snatching up a cookie of his own. “It’s nothing.” He garbled happily through a greedy gobful of the sugary treat. “He’s just some poser.”
“Poh-zuh!” Will imitated with a screech, pointing accusingly across the lawn to where the black-haired boy was moping with his cronies.
“That’s good to hear.” Grace smiled, patting the older boy reassuringly on the shoulder with her free hand. “But don’t talk with your mouth full.”
Liam gave an apologetic nod, but he was grinning from ear to ear. “Sorry.” He chuckled, his teeth still encrusted with crumbs.
“They’re made of tougher stuff than that.” Jane commented, a wistful smile on her face. “They’ve dealt with far worse.”
The eight-year-old nodded enthusiastically at the compliment, but his contented face seemed to portray no recognition of the deeper significance of the remark. Will was even more oblivious, completely ignoring the grown-up’s conversation and staring out in open mouthed wonder at the sensory delight of bright colours, cheery music, and delicious smells wafting over the lawn. Instead, both boys finished up their cookies, Will wriggling from his mother’s arms again and skipping merrily to Liam’s side – the two brothers running off together to play in blissful oblivion.
