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Artemis’s eyes were glazed with fever. Jade pressed the cool cloth on to her baby sister’s forehead, trying to remember what Mom would have done in this situation.
The container of medicine lay on the bedside table, but it didn’t seem to be working. Jade bit her lip. Artemis had a temperature of over a hundred and two degrees. If it got any higher, Jade might have to take her to a hospital.
“Mom?” Artemis asked, delirious with the fever. “Mommy?”
“Artemis,” Jade said softly, stroking her sister’s sweat-streaked hair.
“Mom, will you sing for me?” Artemis said, eyes glazed, not seeing Jade.
Jade swallowed the lump in her throat, tears starting to blur her vision. “Artemis…”
“Please Mommy?”
Jade closed her eyes. “Lu la lu lay,” she started singing, pitching her voice to match her memory of Paula singing the lullaby. “Thou little tiny child… bye by lu la lu lay.”
Artemis’s eyes slid shut.
“Ma-ma,” Damian gurgled, reaching for Jade from his booster seat.
Jade froze. Damn.
“Not mama,” she corrected, picking him up. “Jade.”
“Ma-ma!” Damian said stubbornly.
“Jade,” she said firmly. Damian glowered at her, blue eyes wide. Jade stared back determinedly, ignoring the ridiculousness that was having a staring contest with an eighteen-month-old.
“Ma-jud,” Damian finally said, pouting.
Jade rolled her eyes, slipping Damian into the sling she wore just for him. “It’s a start.”
“Terry, stand still!” Jade snapped, the scissors in the air. “I’ll take your ear off at this rate!”
“It itches,” Terry whined, looking lopsided, his hair half-cut as it was.
“And losing an ear would be extremely painful,” Jade said, pressing the scissors against his ear to prove her point. “Now hold still.”
“Yes Mom,” Terry grumbled. They both froze. Jade’s lips drew into a thin line, but resumed attacking Terry’s hair without further comment.
“Hello dear,” the elderly woman’s eyes were kind, as was her whole body language. Cass smiled at her. “I’m Joan Garrick. What’s your name?”
“Cass,” she said, trying to pump her legs like she’d seen the other kids do on the swing sets. She’d never been on one. Jason always preferred the monkey bars and merry-go-round. But she was supposed to be acting like a normal kid, so she figured she should try. The woman laughed kindly at Cass’s failure, moving behind her in order to give a small push.
“How old are you dear?” The lady’s voice was soothing.
“Nine,” Cass said cheerfully, grinning as she managed to gain enough momentum to move back and forth.
“Where’s your mother?” Her expression was concerned.
Mother. Cass ran that word through what she knew. She hadn’t had to use it before. What was a mother…
Her mind supplied an answer. Older female who looks after a younger person. She smiled widely at Mrs. Garrick. “There,” she pointed at Jade, who was sitting on a bench, reading. “There’s my mother.”
Rose looked exhausted, but happy. “Good mission kid,” Jade told her, smiling tiredly.
“That was so sweet!” Rose cheered, placing her sword in the weapons hold. “You know, that one thing you did when you karate chopped that bad guy and then you did the thingy with your sword and it was awesome and you have to teach me how to do that.”
“Maybe later,” Jade said with a laugh, removing her kevlar undervest. “For now, you should go to bed.”
Rose nodded, the adrenaline from the mission starting to fade away, replaced with a sudden decision that her bed was the best place on earth and that she should go visit it immediately.
She peeled off her armor, throwing on sweats and a baggy t-shirt. Jade started removing her blades and weapons holsters from her person, placing them in the various stashes throughout the RV.
Rose hesitated.
Suddenly, small arms were thrown around Jade’s waist, squeezing her in a tight hug. “Love you Mom,” Rose muttered, face buried in the cloth of Jade’s kimono. Jade forced herself to relax. She turned around, pulling Rose into a hug.
She might not be a mother, but she was damn close.
“Love you too kiddo.”
Damian was crying again, loud wails shaking the walls of the RV. Jade cursed Bruce in Vietnamese for leaving early. He’d been gone only half an hour and Damian already missed his father.
“Shhh baby,” she whispered. “Shhh…”
“Jud,” whimpered Damian, snotty and disgusting.
“Shhh Dami,” Jade said softly, rocking him back and forth. “It’s okay, Mommy’s here.”
“Ma,” Damian sniffled.
“That right baby. Mommy’s here. I’ve got you.” She pressed her lips against his forehead. “Bye bye lu lay… thou little tiny child…” Her voice was strong and deep, calming Damian. With a hiccup, he clung to her, tiny fist grabbing ahold of her kimono.
“For to preserve this day,” Jade sang, grateful for the quiet. “This poor, youngling, of whom we do sing… bye bye lu la lu lay…”
“Mama,” Damian muttered. Jade smiled, climbing into her bed, Damian cuddled against her chest.