The Splintered Dreams

"Put them away for now, Cordell," Khaat said gently about the pictures. "Someday you'll want them. I spent a lot of years not being able to look at any picture of my uncle. Now those pictures are the most priceless thing I have. Come on. Deal. I bet I can take you at Gin."

Cordell turned to look at her "bet ya think im a right mess" he said sitting back down on her bed opening the packet of cards he turned slightly so he could deal , shuffeling them in siance once more thinking about who it could have been , once shufled he haded them to her gently holding her hand in his he spoke "yah promise me ya'll take care of you and that baby, I mean eating and resting right and not worry what this Rob guy thinks , you di that nd i promise to try and straighten out my mind , some how " he said "we have a deal or what" he looke at her his face seriuse.

"Its a deal," she said softly. "I'm not sure you're as big of a mess as I feel, though," she finally admitted. "Do you know how many times I thought about sneaking off to one of those muggle back alley places to get rid of my baby before she was born? It would nave not taken a lot of time, and would have eliminated a lot of stress between him and me. Except what I think I'm seeing is that he wants her--on his conditions--and not me. And I have let myself just be desperate enough to want to give him whatever he wants in order to try to keep him. How incredibly pitiful is that? My Uncle Remus would have boxed my ears for even thinking that way. Not that he ever boxed my ears even one time, but he surely threatened to more than once when he didn't like my choices. You have absolutely no idea what I wouldn't give to have him back one more time to be able to just make the world go away for awhile. Sometimes I think coming out of exile was a huge mistake. I wanted to make his death count for something. To make sure Remus Lupin didn't die in vain. And all Iv'e done is open myself up to a lot more pain and heartache than I bargained for."

Crdell smiled when she said deal "Khaat you can't be in that much of a mess, ya brought me from a muggle hospital to yours , ya brought me back from near death, ya run a hospital that saves lifes "he chukled again as he looked at her "In my book makes ya stronger than ever and if he don't see that he's the fool not you" he took her hand in his "Khaat that girl ya carrying is lucky to have you as her mother, don't pull ya self down I think this Remus feller wouldn't want ya to, now ya gonna deal so we can play or just look at them" he said placing his fathers wand down in front of her on the bed as he waited looking at her he smiled "I was told somthing once by a good freind, We are all part of the tapestry of life. Weave your threads with the colors of peace, love, and compassion my friend." he smiled to her "its a Lakota Sioux prayer, you know, your name in cherokee is Gihati and abbeys is already cherokee meaning leaf " he could not help but chuckle seeing she already had a name that was delecate as she was he lokked t the bag his fathers wand sat in "sorry guess im just rambaling again".

"Thanks, " Khaat smiled. She shuffled and dealt the cards quickly. "I haven't played gin in a long time. Its not exactly one of my games anymore, I don't think. You'll have a sharp advantage this time. So, did your mom pack everything you think you'll need? Or do you have some other things that you might want? If so, we can send for them fairly soon if you like."

Cordell watched she shufflled the cards he could not help think back to what had happend on his farm , he could not help but chuckle as she said he'd have the advantage "not sure i will haven't played in a long time" he said grinning at her as she dealt out the cards. Looking at his cards he saw two queens a six and a three and an ace , he shook his head and took a card.

Khaat looked at her cards. two nines, a five, a four and a queen, and nothing seemed to work, except maybe the nines. Well, if that wasn't just a mess! She didn't like dealing crap. Maybe Walker had better. She waited for Walker to play his first card on the discard stack. "Hmm," she frowned, "This really might not be my game after all." She laughed.

Looking at his cards he found he picked up a second ace sliding it in he disgrded the three and sat back waiting for her next move , he moved hi last card around waiting but he was going to let her win this round at lest just to make her feel better as she had made him . He looked at the wand still in the velvet bag and sighed he ahd made such a fuss over getting it back now he felt a little foolish.

"I can hear your thoughts spinning a mile a minute," Khaat said, drawing a card. A stinking four. Well, that was useless. She cast it off. "What's eating at you? Too much of your past in that trunk? I do know what that feels like. These used to be Remus's rooms, and I came in here the morning I learned he had been murdered. It seemed like he was everywhere. It was all too much to take in. It took a lot of time. Most of Remus's stuff is still here in the house, because I wouldn't let Daddy get rid of it. But I only have some things of his in here now. I've learned to not need everything. But it did take time."

Cordell looked at her "ow , yeah" he said pickng up a king and plcing it down "I just feel a bit foolish for making such a fuss over my fathers wand, and yeah those pictures she put in were the last we had taken before that day" he said plcing the cards face down on the bed , reeatching out he slipped the wnd from the bag and held it out to her to show her " my father had the badge placed there when i graduated from he acadamy into the rangers, he was an auror and in the rangers like me, he would have liked you Khaat hes much like ya father is now."