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Chapter 9
Katie woke up from the best night of sleep she’d had in a long time. Getting to zone out and build a new LEGO set while the kids happily played with their own fun new toys had been the perfect solution for her anxiety-riddled body and brain. After the kids had gone to bed Auntie had given her a bath and read her a story before tucking her in, then going to enjoy her own relaxing time in the tub. Katie knew all the new stuff was just a band-aid for the bigger problem, but she was thankful nonetheless. She had to focus on the now and the things she could control or she was going to slide back into the dark abyss. And she wasn’t in a hurry to go back there. It was a yucky, yucky place.
Stretching and wrapping her special blanket around her shoulders, she left her room. The house was still dark and eerily quiet as it was pretty early and everyone was still asleep. She went straight to the single-cup coffee maker and put in a pod of hot chocolate before going to the pantry to get the mini marshmallows. She moved on autopilot like she had a million times before, and in less than two minutes she was sitting at the table with the steaming cup in front of her when she looked out into the backyard... and screamed.
The spacious grassy area of the yard had been transformed into an epic playground complete with climber, slide, swings, monkey bars and even a treehouse/playhouse area on the top. There was a large area beneath the climber that now housed Claire and Noah’s sandbox. The entire set was huge and colorful and inviting, and she moved toward it to get a better look. That’s when she saw the giant trampoline beside the playset. It was a Little’s dream yard. She was just about to unlock the door and go outside when she heard a noise behind her.
“Do you like it?” Rose stood leaning against the entrance to the kitchen with a smug smile on her face.
“Like it? Like it? I love it! Oh my goodness, the kids are going to go nuts! Look at it! Did you see it?” Katie knew she was being way too loud, but she didn’t care.
“I saw it.” Rose chuckled. “Daddy, Uncle Keith and I decided since it’s not safe to go to the park, we would bring the park here.”
“How?” Katie’s heart was so full she couldn’t contain the happy tears that were now tracking down her cheeks.
“We ordered it and had it delivered to our place, then last night after you and the kids were in bed I called in the cavalry and they went to work.”
“What’s all the screamin’?” A sleepy-eyed Noah joined them in the kitchen.
“Buddy, look what Auntie, Daddy and Uncle Keith did!” Katie bounced on her toes, her palms plastered against the glass of the door.
“What is it?” Noah shuffled over, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Jumping jellyfish!” Noah exclaimed, matching Katie’s stance. “Mommy, there’s a park at our house!”
“I know, buddy, I know.”
Rose’s phone rang behind them and then Katie heard her Daddy’s voice.
“Good morning.” His voice was thick with sleep, and unable to help herself, she ran over to Rose and snatched the phone from her hand.
“Daddy, how are you so sneaky?”
Rose popped her butt, but it barely registered.
“I had a lot of help. Do you like it, baby?”
“So much, yes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“It could have never happened without Auntie Rose, so I hope you’re showing her the same amount of gratitude.” How he knew she’d been too caught up in the moment she would never know, but she instantly felt guilty.
“Thank you, Auntie,” Katie said as she felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment at her behavior. She never would have survived this shut-in without Rose.
“You’re welcome.” Rose smiled, seemingly amused. “Well, are we going out to play or what?”
“In our jammies? We don’t play outside in our jammies,” Noah scoffed. He was such a little man it made Katie laugh.
“Sure, why not? Just this once.” Rose winked and went over to unlock the top safety latches of the double doors before swinging them wide open.
Taking the phone with her, Katie beelined for the swings, but holding the phone and trying to get going seemed almost impossible. Just when she was about to get frustrated, Rose was behind her giving her a push. Katie giggled in pure delight as the fresh morning air flowed across her skin. She couldn’t wait for the sun to come up fully. They were going to be outside playing all day. She held up the phone to see her Daddy, who looked as if he could fall asleep at any given moment.
“You’re the best Daddy in the world and I love you and I think you might need a nap,” she informed him.
“You know, babygirl, I think you might be right. You guys play and have fun and I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay, bye. I love you.”
“Love you, Daddy!” Noah yelled from the top of the slide before flinging himself down.
“I love you, too,” Jeff said, right before his face disappeared from the screen.
