AN: Yeah, yeah. I know. It's been what? A month now? If this chapter
seems very random, I apologize. I'm a little rusty and I promise
I'll try and do better with updates! Sorry for the delay!
Chapter Thirty Five
It had taken a lot of talking and a lot of tears before JC managed
to patch things up with his youngest daughter. She was not so
willing to forgive her father, but after much explanation, she was
finally willing to do just that. For awhile, all was well within the
Chasez household. It didn't last for long though.
During dinner one evening, Abbi had gotten in a way when Jen asked
her to hold off on her dessert for just a little longer while she
took Jack upstairs to bathe him. The youngest female in the house
threw an all out tantrum, not understanding why once again her
younger brother's needs were put before hers.
JC was trying to calmly explain to Abbi that her brother needed a
bath, but if she could hold on long enough to let him clean up from
dinner, he'd be more than happy to fix her dessert for her. Abbi's
cries of outrage were quickly brought to an end by the sound of her
sister's hand hitting the table.
"Enough!" Julie barked, now out of her seat as she glared at her
sister. "I'm so sick and tired of hearing you whine about how you're
not being treated fairly. Suck it up, and grow up!" She snarled. The
outburst had left not only Abbi, but JC and Jen surprised as all get
out. They'd stopped arguing immediately and no one moved until Julie
shoved her chair back and stomped up the stairs.
It was a few moments before they had recovered, but once they did,
Jen had snapped at Abbi to take herself upstairs and get ready for
bed. There would be no dessert for her that night. It was then that
she turned to her husband.
"I'm going to bathe Jack and get him down," she told JC. "Leave the
dishes, go talk to her. Something's obviously wrong with her," she
told him, basically just stating the obvious. JC was still too
shocked to even utter a word. He'd never seen Julie quite like that
before.
He pushed his chair back and headed up the stairs, knocking on
Julie's door gently. "Baby? Can I come in?" He called softly. Unlike
the response he'd gotten from Abbi a week prior after her tantrum,
he was greeted with a soft `yes'. He pushed the door open and
frowned when he saw her.
"Hey, what's going on?" He asked, walking over to take a seat next
to her on the bed. Julie had been laying on her stomach, her eyes
filled with tears. She sat up to look at her father.
"I get so angry when she acts like that! She should be grateful that
she even has you and Jen," she told him, reaching up to wipe the
tears away angrily.
"I uhh… kind of gathered that," he told her, just trying to make her
smile. "But why, baby? What's the matter? Why are you crying?" JC
asked, reaching out to brush the tears from her cheeks.
"Because you guys are the best parents! I get so angry when she
treats you like that! You know I've been having bad dreams lately?
But I don't think they're dreams. I think they're memories. They're
so vivid and I can remember how my life was before I came to live
with you," she told him, afraid he'd find her incredibly stupid for
her admission.
JC was definitely puzzled. She had only been three when she came to
live with him. And of course she knew a couple of the details, but
he'd spared her all that he'd eventually found out from the social
worker about how pitiful her life had been prior to coming to live
with him and Jen.
"You can't possibly remember stuff, Jules. You were just a baby."
She nodded. "I know that. But they're so real. I remember being left
alone a lot," she told him. "And that's why I get so mad, daddy. She
has you and she has Jen. I don't have a mom, and for a long time, I
didn't even have you," she told him.
He felt his heart break. They'd never really spoken of this before,
as he figured it was something she'd prefer not to discuss. And he
was fine with that. He didn't want to be reminded of those few years
he was deprived of having her in his life.
"I don't… I don't know what to say here, baby. But I don't ever want
you to feel like you don't have a family. I know that I missed out
on some stuff, but you have me now. And you know that Jenny thinks
the same of you as she does Abbi."
Julie nodded. She knew. But it wasn't the same. "I just don't
understand how she can be so ungrateful. You and Jen do everything
in the world for us."
"She's never been in your position, Jules. She can't ever possibly
fathom what you went through. She's not meaning to come across as
ungrateful. She's just feeling a little jealous."
"Well you know what? I'm jealous of her. I'm jealous that she's
never been left alone in a dingy apartment. I'm jealous that she's
always had you in her life. I'm jealous of her because you taught
her how to walk. You taught her how to talk. I'm jealous of her
because she has a mother and I don't."
By the time she'd finished getting all of that out, she was in
tears. They were streaming freely down her cheeks. Not knowing what
to say, JC held his arms open and pulled her into a hug.
"Can I tell you something?" He asked her, pressing a kiss to the top
of her head. "Abbi can't relate to you. She can't possibly know how
you feel. But I can," he told her. "Grandma and grandpa aren't my
real parents. I was five when my mom put me up for adoption," he
told her softly.
She pulled away, looking up at him. "Why didn't you tell me this
before?" She asked him, reaching up to wipe her eyes.
"Honestly? I never thought about it, Jules. It's not something I
dwell on. They might not be blood, but they're my parents. And I had
really hoped you would feel the same way about Jen," he told her.
She nodded. "I do," she told him. "I swear I do, daddy. I love her.
But it's just not the same," she told him.
Letting out a soft sigh, JC pulled away and looked down at her. "I
know it's not. But we all love you," he told her softly. "And I know
that you get angry at Abbi, but just try to remember it isn't her
fault, okay? And from now on, whenever you're feeling like you need
to talk to me about this, come and let me know," he told her. "I
know how hard it is for you to talk about, but I'm here. I can
relate," he told her. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her
forehead.
"You know what? You might not have been there when I was a baby… but
you've done a hell of a job making up for it," she told him, giving
him a small, shaky smile.
"Yeah well… that's what dad's are for. And watch your mouth, young
lady!" He admonished, tossing her a playful wink.
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