The Boudreaux Sisters
Chapter 4: Us Against the World

Chapter 4: Us Against the World

The next morning, Jackie was awakened out of his sleep by Dr. Aggie himself. Jackie raised up from the blue sofa and felt instantly refreshed and rejuvenated. It was as if he hadn’t walked all of those miles from West Baton Rouge to Tremé within the past 24 hours. Jackie stood up on his feet and quickly realized that his feet were no longer sore or in pain. He thought back to the night before. He remembered Eva Marie rubbing some type of cream on his feet while they talked.

Damn, that cream she used last night definitely hit the spot, Jackie thought to himself. He was so surprised at how much his feet weren’t bothering him so much that he reached down to take one of his socks off. Nothing. Not a scratch or bruise or boil in sight. It was as if his feet were not his. Brand new. Jackie blinked hard just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Nope. His feet were fully healed. Jackie was amazed by this. Suddenly, he heard the scruffy, deep voice of Dr. Aggie as he sat down in the same rocking chair from yesterday.

“Good morning, son. How’d you sleep?” asked Dr. Aggie.

Jackie was in the middle of looking at his left foot when he responded back to Dr. Aggie.

“Good, sir. Real good.”

Dr. Aggie nodded his head in agreement and took a sip of his coffee. Then, he motioned with his hand to Jackie as if to offer him some. Jackie shook his head no.

“No, thank you, sir. Coffee and I have never got along.” Jackie chuckled and rubbed his belly. Dr. Aggie laughed right along with him and said, “Well, it is an acquired taste, especially if you like it dark, like myself.”

Jackie smiled and nodded his head. “This is true, sir. This is true.”

“I found you a pair of pants to put on and a shirt. I know I’m a big man but, at least you won’t be wearing the same thing you’ve been wearing for Lord knows how long.” said Dr. Aggie, as he reached over his left side and grabbed a bundle of clothes off of the table and passed it to Jackie. Jackie grabbed the clothes from him and humbly said, “Thank you, sir.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and put those clothes on? When you come back out, you can help me set up the shop for the day and we can talk. Yeah?” stated Dr. Aggie. Jackie nodded his head in agreement once again and walked to the bathroom to change.

As Dr. Aggie and Jackie began to set up the shop for the day, they also had a deep conversation. Dr. Aggie inquired about Jackie’s past and Jackie gave him the rundown. From his tough beginnings growing up with a single mom who battled on again, off again depression to him finding her lifeless body after coming home from school one day.

Dr. Aggie shook his head at the mention of this and grunted.

“Mmm, tragic.”

Jackie proceeded to continue telling him all about his trouble with the law, how he ended up in prison this past time and how he made a promise to himself that when he was released, he would do better. Dr. Aggie smiled and nodded in agreement at this, as he listened to Jackie. By the time they were finished talking, they both could smell the strong scent of fresh, hot breakfast food in the air. Suddenly, Mama Red hollered out, “Breakfast is ready! Y’all come eat!”

As they both raised up from their seats and proceeded to walk towards the kitchen, Dr. Aggie laid a hand on Jackie’s shoulder and said, “Son, I know you’ve had a tough time, especially with how you grew up. It’s a wonder to me that you’re still here, in the living sense. You know, Louisiana ain’t always been the safest place. But I want you to know, just like I said the night before… This place…? The Healing Pointe? It is a safe space, alright?”

Jackie nodded his head, “Yes sir. I appreciate that.” Dr. Aggie smiled and said, “Also… I know that you said you were looking for honest work. If you’d like, I could help you find a job in the city, somewhere. You know, I’m from here, born and raised. There may be a couple of folks I can talk to. A couple of folks that owe me a favor or two, huh?” Dr. Aggie smiled at Jackie and patted him on the back, lovingly. Jackie beamed back.

“Alright, sir. I’ll hold you to that.”

Dr. Aggie gave Jackie a slap on the back and said, “Alright. Let’s go see what these girls whipped up, huh?”

After chowing down on some scrambled cheese eggs, cajun sausage and hot cakes, Jackie’s stomach was about to burst. He was so full. He had also downed two full cups of orange juice and grabbed the pitcher on the table to pour him some more. During breakfast, Dr. Aggie and Jackie were making conversation with Eva Marie and Mama Red, entailing them about everything they had talked about before coming to eat. Of course, Eva Marie knew the majority of the things that they had talked about, so she kept quiet and smiled. For the most part. When Dr. Aggie mentioned helping Jackie look for a job, Mama Red’s head suddenly popped up.

“Oh, I know the perfect job for you, Jackie! There’s a construction company up on North Broad Street. I can’t remember the name of them but, I know Eva Marie and I were shopping over there a couple of days ago and they had a ‘Now Hiring’ sign sitting out on the lot. It was just as big as can be. Maybe you could take a trip over there and see if they’re still looking for some help?” said Mama Red.

“Yes mam! Thank you for that! I’ll head over there right away!”, exclaimed Jackie. He finished his third cup of orange juice, asked Mama Red for the directions and left the store to head to the construction site.

It took Jackie a while before he made it back to The Healing Pointe. Although Mama Red gave him the directions before he left, he still forgot how to get there and had to stop a couple of people in town and ask them exactly where to go. Jackie finally made it to the construction site and had a pretty lengthy conversation with his soon to be boss, Mr. Childs. Jackie’s conversation with Mr. Childs turned into a full on interview and before he knew it, he was walking out with a smile on his face. Jackie was so happy to hear the words, “You’re hired.” Those two words had Jackie feeling like a kid in the candy store. Jackie was so excited about this that he ran all the way from North Broad Street back to The Healing Point, ecstatic to share the news. Jackie made it back to the shop right before Eva Marie was about to turn their “Open” sign that hung in the window to “Closed”. Jackie rushed into the shop and almost bumped into Eva Marie.

“Whoaaaa! Slow down, mon ami. You’re here,” chuckled Eva Marie, as she closed the door behind him.

“Sorry about that, love,” said Jackie, while raising up his hands. Eva Marie smiled at Jackie. He smiled back. Then, Jackie walked over to Mama Red, who was standing in the entryway of the kitchen, by the stove. She was stirring up a mixture in a big, black pot and looked at Jackie, as he approached her.

“Mama Red, Mama Red, Mama Red! I am so glad to see you!” Jackie laughed and exclaimed at the same time. “That construction site you told me about earlier? Boss man hired me on the spot!”

Mama Red stopped stirring the pot and immediately opened her arms to hug Jackie.

“Oh mon Dieu! Congratulations, Jacques!” exclaimed Mama Red. They both embraced each other.

“Boss man said I can start as early as next Monday! I’m so happy. This is the first time I’ve ever had a legitimate job.” said Jackie, as he dropped the embrace with Mama Red.

Mama Red wiped away a tear that was falling out of her eye and said, “Très bien, Jacques. Très bien. This is only just the beginning.”

As the years passed by, The Healing Pointe became more fruitful and beneficial to the Boudreauxs, as a family business. Dr. Aggie and Mama Red continued to make their popular bonne magie products to help the small community of Tremé, while Eva Marie continued to practice and become successful in fortune telling. Jackie had become an architect after working at the construction site, which was now the new local clinic in Tremé. Five years had passed him by and as he walked towards the time clock to leave work for the day, he began to think to himself.

I never thought I’d see the day where I’d say that I was a working man, Jackie chuckled as he walked to his car. Not only was Jackie a working man but he and Eva Marie had also become a couple. What started out as him just stumbling along the streets of Tremé, after being fresh out of prison turned into a blessing for him. He also did everything he said he wanted to do. Five years passed by and Jackie hadn’t been in any trouble with the law, he had a full time job, a beautiful Creole woman in his life and a family to call his own.

As Jackie pulled into the complex where he and Eva Marie shared a studio apartment together, he proceeded to turn off the ignition, take a deep breath and say a silent prayer to God.

“Thank you, God.”

Jackie had never been to church a day in his life yet, somehow, he knew there was a higher power that was responsible for the blessings he’d been receiving over the years. He’d never fully prayed before but, somehow, just saying thank you out loud was always enough for him.

Jackie and Eva Marie began dating after he’d been at his construction job for over a year. At the time, Jackie considered himself homeless, even though Mama Red and Dr. Aggie let him sleep in the spare room of The Healing Pointe, with no questions asked. It was Eva Marie who wanted more for him, especially after she had grown smitten with him over time. By the following year, Eva Marie had saved up enough money to get her own place and she and Jackie had gotten serious about each other. So serious to the point, Eva Marie asked Jackie to move in with her.

Of course, Dr. Aggie wasn’t too happy about this; he was old school. He felt that Eva Marie and Jackie needed to be married before they started paying bills and sharing space with one another. Mama Red, on the other hand, felt indifferent. She and Dr. Aggie were dating for at least a year or so before he went and purchased the home they were currently staying in. She was proud of her baby and Jackie, she felt as if they both were growing up. Together and as individuals. Eventually, Dr. Aggie was able to put his emotions to the side and be happy for his only daughter, as well. He knew she was happy and he knew Jackie was a man that had turned over a new leaf. Life was calm, for a while.

Until one day, Eva Marie fell sick. It was while she was working in The Healing Pointe, when she suddenly felt nauseous and asked Mama Red if she could be excused for the day. Mama Red gave her daughter the next couple of days off, as she could clearly see that Eva Marie wasn’t feeling well. The next morning, after Jackie left out for work, she proceeded to get herself ready to walk to the local clinic. Eva Marie assumed that she had eaten something bad, a mild stomach virus, maybe. But the nurse came back and told her other news. Eva Marie was pregnant, two months along.

Eva Marie began to experience a multitude of feelings: fear, shock and excitement. All at the same time. Fear because she was scared of what her parents would think or say, especially her father. She thought back to a couple of years ago, when she and Jackie had moved into their studio apartment in Bayou St. John, which was only a twenty-five minute ride from Tremé but Dr. Aggie argued something serious about it.

“How could ya’ll move in with each other when y’all barely know each other? That doesn’t make sense to me!”, yelled Dr. Aggie.

“It won’t make sense to you, daddy because you’re not me and I’m not you!”, cried Eva Marie.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” questioned Dr. Aggie.

“It means that I’m a grown woman who’s in love with a man! I’m not a little girl anymore!” yelled Eva Marie.

Eva Marie thought back to the argument she had with her father the night before her and Jackie moved into their apartment. It felt good to finally stand up to her daddy and she knew she would always feel that way. But deep down, all she wanted was for her daddy to see her, as a woman.

“You know, you’ll always be mon petit ange roux. I love you and if you’re happy, I’m happy.” Dr. Aggie whispered this in Eva Marie’s ear, the next morning. Her and Jackie were packing up their moving van and saying their goodbyes.

Eva Marie always told herself she’d never forget that. Her father wouldn’t apologize for his actions or his words but, he would always love her. And that’s all she could honestly be grateful for.

Eva Marie was walking back to the apartment while having this random flashback of when her and Jackie moved into their home. Suddenly, the shock and excitement kicked in.

“I can’t believe I’m really pregnant.”, Eva Marie said out loud to herself. She chuckled to herself as she approached her apartment door and unlocked it. Eva Marie quickly took off her coat and shoes and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the light and stood in the full length mirror that was next to the bathtub. She lifted her shirt to get a good look at her belly. Excitement kicked in as she stared at her body and laughed to herself again. Eva Marie began to picture herself as a mother. She never even thought about having kids. She knew she loved them, adored them, really. But to have her own child on the way? She couldn’t wait until Jackie got home from work so she could tell him the news.

Jackie worked 9-5, Monday through Friday. For some reason though, it always took him a while to make it home on Fridays. But Jackie finally made it home. He unlocked the door and walked in. He instantly smelled dinner in the air. Jackie threw his keys on the kitchen counter and walked over to the stove. Another thing he was grateful for was Eva Marie’s cooking. She definitely took after her mother when it came to that skill. Jackie could see there were baked chicken wings in the oven and some rice and cabbage sitting on the stove, steam coming off of each pot. Jackie licked his lips as he began to anticipate the amazing meal.

Then, Eva Marie walked out of their bathroom, fresh out the shower. She had a towel wrapped around her body and another one, wrapped around her hair. She took the towel off of her hair, revealing her long, red natural curls and smiled at Jackie.

“Hey, mon amour. I didn’t hear you come in.” Eva Marie walked over to Jackie and proceeded to kiss him and then walk back into their bathroom. She spoke to Jackie with the door open.

“If you’re hungry, you can go ahead and eat.”

Jackie clapped his hands together loudly and excitedly said, “Don’t mind if I do!”

Jackie proceeded to fix his plate and sat down at the dinner table to eat.

“How was work?” asked Eva Marie.

Jackie was in the middle of a mouthful of rice and cabbage when he replied back, “Ehhh… Same ’ol, same ’ol. Childs is still talking about retiring soon. Whenever that is.”, Jackie shrugged, as he stood up to walk in the kitchen. He grabbed some hot sauce for his chicken wings out of the cabinet and walked back to his seat at the dinner table.

Eva Marie laughed and said, “Right! Remember when I had that vision of him having a retirement party?”

“Yep! I remember I asked you if that was supposed to have been good or bad. Seeing as how you only see bad visions/memories. Because to me, that is good news,” Jackie chuckled.

“You’re so silly, mon amour! I still can’t tell. We’ll never know until it happens, right?”, Eva Marie said, as she walked out the bathroom, wearing one of Jackie’s old shirts that was too big for her and some slippers.

Eva Marie walked into the kitchen to make herself a plate; not a lot of food considering she didn’t really have an appetite. Then, she walked over to the table and sat across from Jackie.

“How was your day, love? Did you go to the clinic to see if you were ill?” questioned Jackie. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Eva Marie was eating a bite of a chicken wing when she swallowed and said, “Yes.” Then, she started to smile and stare at Jackie.

Jackie looked back at her. Confused, but he smiled and laughed. “What? Of course, you’re not sick if you’re smiling at me. Speak your mind, love. What is it?”

Eva Marie sighed and said, “I’m pregnant.”

Jackie was in the middle of another bite of food when he stopped chewing and swallowed his food. He sat back in his chair and continued to look at Eva Marie.

“Are you serious, baby?” he asked.

Eva Marie smiled even harder and nodded her head yes.

Jackie could feel excitement bubbling inside of him and he instantly smiled and jumped from the table and kneeled down in front of Eva Marie. Eva Marie had been holding the ultrasound picture in her hand for sometime now and she slowly pulled it from under her seat and showed it to Jackie. Jackie’s eyes were filled with tears as he stared at the picture then, he stared at Eva Marie. Suddenly, she looked so beautiful to him. She had always been gorgeous, since the very first day they met. But, in this instance, he could feel himself falling more in love with Eva Marie than he already was before.

Finally, he looked down at her stomach and began to kiss all over it, thanking her and God at the same time. Eva Marie laughed and embraced him, all at once.

That following week, Eva Marie returned back to work. She was still quite nauseated but she felt good enough to at least try to go to work. She could feel the fear growing inside, as she approached The Healing Pointe. She knew her father would feel indifferent about her pregnancy news. Eva Marie had a vision earlier that morning of her father standing outside of The Healing Pointe as her and Jackie drove off in a rush. She didn’t understand what it meant but, from the way her emotions were in the vision, she knew it wasn’t good. In the vision, she could see disappointment on her father’s face as he watched them drive off.

As Eva Marie walked into The Healing Pointe, she told herself to be cool, calm and collected. She also whispered to her baby, “... and you calm down, too. Let mommy work for a couple of hours and then, you can be as sick as you want to be, mon amour.” Eva Marie quickly noticed that her father wasn’t at work, yet, The Healing Pointe was open. It wasn’t busy and she spotted her mother sitting in the main area, with a book to her face.

“Hey mama.” said Eva Marie, as she approached Mama Red and smiled. Mama Red looked up from the book and smiled back.

“Oh mon Dieu! Hi, mon amour! How are you?!” Mama Red exclaimed, as she stood up to hug Eva Marie. Eva Marie hugged her back and instantly felt warm all over from her mother’s embrace. It felt so good to be in her presence. Eva Marie was always fond of her parents but her mother was like her best friend. She loved her and their relationship like no other. Eva Marie breathed in the lavender and herbal smells embedded in her mothers skin and then released from the embrace.

Mama Red placed a bookmark in her book and sat it on the nearby table. Then, she sat back down. She gestured for Eva Marie to sit down and Eva Marie walked over to the blue couch. The one Jackie slept on all those years ago.

Mama Red beamed, showing all of her pretty, straight teeth and said, “Ever since you left work a couple of days ago, I been having dreams about fishes. You know what that means, don’t you, mon amour?”

Eva Marie nodded her head and laughed. “Yes mama, I know. I might as well tell you since you said that.”

“Oh, no need. I already knew. I’ve been pregnant before, you know?” joked Mama Red.

Eva Marie laughed and said, “Yeah, I know.”

Then, silence.

Mama Red could tell Eva Marie was scared and instantly she knew why; Dr. Aggie.

“Where is daddy?” Eva Marie asked her mother.

“He went to some conference in New Orleans for home remedies and medicines. He should be back by dinner time. Maybe later, depending on traffic.” answered Mama Red. She then added, “And don’t you worry about him. I can see the worry and fear in you. He can be mad all he wants to but, he’ll get over it. Trust me.”

Eva Marie sighed. “I had a vision. Earlier this morning. I saw Jackie and I driving off in a rush, away from The Healing Pointe. You and daddy were standing right outside, watching us as we drove away. I could see the hurt and disappointment on daddy’s face. Mama–” Mama Red came over to the blue couch and sat down right next to Eva Marie.

She put both of her hands up and said, “Shhh. That’s it. I don’t want to hear anything else about this vision. You know, I always hated you having those. Ever since you were a little girl.”

Mama Red grabbed Eva Marie into an embrace and held her as Eva Marie cried into her arms.

“Now, calm down, mon amour. This is what we’ll do. I’ll cook dinner here tonight. We’ll close up early to go to the store. You’re going to call Jackie and tell him to come here after work for dinner. We will eat and then, we will tell your father that he has a grandchild on the way. Whether he likes it or not. He can get mad and throw a temper tantrum but that is all he can do.”

Mama Red slightly dropped the embrace to look at Eva Marie. Eva Marie dried up her tears and met the gaze of her mother.

“I will always love you and I will always protect you, mon amour. You know this, yes?” stated Mama Red. Eva Marie nodded her head and said, “Yes.”

Mama Red smiled at her and said, “Good. Now, let’s get ready to prepare this meal, girl!”

Eva Marie and Mama Red closed The Healing Pointe early that night, considering the fact they were having a family dinner and wanted to break the news of Eva Marie’s pregnancy to Dr. Aggie. While Eva Marie left home to go and change, Mama Red got to work in the kitchen. She prepared one of Dr. Aggie’s favorite dishes that he loved for her to cook; crawfish alfredo with cheesy garlic bread on the side. Dr. Aggie arrived at The Healing Pointe around 7 p.m. that evening and was questioning Mama Red why all the fuss over dinner. Mama Red tried her best to keep him from finding out why the sudden family dinner had come about. Even more so, for herself. She wanted Eva Marie and Jackie to be able to break the news, not her.

About thirty minutes after Dr. Aggie had walked in the store, Eva Marie and Jackie were right behind him. They all greeted each other warmly, sat down at the table and began to say thanks over the food. While everyone sat and waited, Mama Red brought the pot of alfredo to the table, along with plates and silverware for everybody. After everyone passed the alfredo around and fixed their plates, they began to eat and talk about how each of their individual days had been. Of course, Mama Red and Eva Marie kept eyeing each other from across the table, excitedly waiting to share the news. Well, Mama Red was excited. Eva Marie, not so much. Deep, deep down, she could feel as if a storm was rising. A storm in The Healing Pointe, for sure.

After everyone finished their food, Mama Red walked into the kitchen and came out with a pan of her classic red velvet cake. As she began to cut everyone a slice, that’s when things began to take a turn for the evening. Dr. Aggie looked at Mama Red, then he began to stare at Eva Marie and Jackie.

“Something’s going on and y’all aren’t telling me what it is. That’s why you made all of this good food and dessert. Y’all tryna butter me up for something, huh?” questioned Dr. Aggie, as he kept switching his stares between Eva Marie, Jackie and Mama Red.

Mama Red quickly exchanged glances with Eva Marie and after she handed the last slice to her, she turned to face Dr. Aggie. Mama Red took a deep breath.

“Actually, mon amour. There is something we need to share with you.” Mama Red stood and crossed her arms over her bosom. She looked at Eva Marie as if to say, spit it out.

Eva Marie reached into her purse and pulled out her ultrasound picture. She slid it down the table to her father, while smiling and stated loud enough for him to hear, “Daddy, Jackie and I are having a baby.”

Dr. Aggie was in the middle of taking a bite out of his dessert when he picked up the ultrasound picture and stared at Eva Marie and Jackie. He slowly put his fork down on his plate. Eva Marie continued to smile until she could see the disappointment on her father’s face. Jackie was smiling along with her until he noticed Dr. Aggie wasn’t smiling and he dropped his head low and continued to stuff his face with cake.

What started out as a nice family dinner turned into a family brawl inside of The Healing Pointe. Dr. Aggie, Mama Red and Eva Marie argued back and forth as Dr. Aggie began yelling about how irresponsible Eva Marie and Jackie were and how they should’ve gotten married before having a baby. With Mama Red taking up for her, Eva Marie barely had to say anything. While Jackie continued to eat at least 2 more pieces of cake. Finally, Jackie had enough. He stood up from the table, grabbed Eva Marie’s hand and stared Dr. Aggie directly in his eyes.

“Listen, doc. I love Eva Marie. Now, I hear you, loud and clear, when you say we should’ve gotten married before we had a baby together but, Eva Marie and I don’t care about all of that.”

Mama Red put her hand over her chest and took a gasp of breath, surprised to hear that statement coming from Jackie. She even looked at Eva Marie to confirm if this was true or not. Why would her own daughter who was raised in a two parent household, with both parents being married and in love, want to be something different? Eva Marie looked back at her mother to confirm these feelings. Just because her mother and father are married doesn’t mean she wants or wanted the same thing. Her and Jackie have always been open with each other about how they felt for one another. Marriage was something that they talked about, sure. But was it something that they both wanted? No. They just wanted to be together and in love.

That’s exactly what Jackie told Dr. Aggie and Mama Red, as Eva Marie stood by his side, holding his hand. Dr. Aggie got extremely upset by this and stood up out of his seat to stand and stare at Jackie, face to face. Eva Marie could feel that things were going to get any worse if Dr. Aggie kept going with his attitude and the way he and Jackie were going back and forth. Finally, Eva Marie got up the courage to grab onto Jackie’s hand tightly and say, “Let’s go.”

As Jackie and Eva Marie began to walk out of The Healing Pointe to their car, she suddenly felt the vision that she had earlier that morning come back to her. She turned back to look at her parents and could see them standing outside of The Healing Pointe as Jackie turned around to have the final word.

“You know, I don’t understand why you just can’t be happy for us, doc. We’ve been together for years and not once have you ever seen me mistreat your daughter. But maybe it’s best if we keep our distance. That way, all of us will be happy.” Before Eva Marie got into the car, she turned around and ran back to hug and kiss her mother goodbye.

“I love you, mama.” Eva Marie whispered into her mother’s ear. Before she let go, she could feel her father’s eyes on her. She looked up and they both stared at each other. Dr. Aggie looked at Eva Marie and turned his head slightly to the left, as if to dismiss her. Eva Marie let go of her mother and walked to the passenger’s side of her and Jackie’s car.

Jackie proceeded to get into the driver’s seat and shut the car door. He turned on the ignition and began to drive away rapidly from The Healing Pointe.

Later that night, Eva Marie and Jackie laid in bed together. Eva Marie curled up under Jackie’s arm while that same arm was wrapped around Eva Marie’s petite body. Eva Marie put her arm around Jackie’s waist and said, “Thank you for defending me tonight. I don’t think I would’ve ever stood up to my daddy like that. Ever. I love him, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes, he can be so mean.”

Jackie took a deep breath and kissed Eva Marie on her forehead.

“I’ll always defend you, baby. I wouldn’t be your man if I didn’t do that. Doc means well, I know he does. We just have to give him time.”

“Yeah but, how much time, though? I’m two months pregnant, Jackie. I don’t want our baby to grow up without knowing their grandfather and how legendary of a man he is and will be.” questioned Eva Marie.

“I hate to say this, baby, but, it’ll have to be as long as it takes. He’ll come around. Hopefully soon. But until then, we have to keep our distance. Mama Red will always be welcome to our home and to our baby. But your daddy? We’re just going to have to give him his space. And in the meantime, continue to do what we always do.” expressed Jackie. “It’s us against the world, baby.”

Eva Marie took a deep breath and yawned while she slowly closed her eyes.

“Us against the world.”, she repeated after Jackie as she drifted off to sleep. She and Jackie both fell into a deep slumber, hoping and wishing for the day to come when they could all be a big, happy family again.

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