It was one small moment after another in succession, each of them just slightly removed from what she was accustomed and thus that much harder to process. Only the accepted strangeness of her childhood protected Reinette from becoming lost in them.
There was the ice cream, tumbling and her natural instinct was to catch it somehow. She was too slow and her fingers just crazed the sweet, sticky stop before it fell at her feet. Hers joined it.
Her eyes looked up to see Jack running. And though slower than him she still understood what was about to happen.
Not to the child.
But to Jack.
For some reason there was no doubt in Reinette's mind that he would be there. That he would make it. For all their stops and starts, arguments and separations? The past year? She had no doubt Jack would protect the boy.
Reinette moved to lift her skirts to run and follow only to find they were not there. Her fingers grasped at air even as her feet moved. She was close enough to feel the air and heat created by the collision and Reinette put herself between the car and the child. He was already on his feet, obviously unharmed and doing his best not to cry.
"It will be all right."
That was for them both.
She looked him over briskly, and then her eyes moved towards Jack with far more concern.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-05-11 02:45 am (UTC)There was the ice cream, tumbling and her natural instinct was to catch it somehow. She was too slow and her fingers just crazed the sweet, sticky stop before it fell at her feet. Hers joined it.
Her eyes looked up to see Jack running. And though slower than him she still understood what was about to happen.
Not to the child.
But to Jack.
For some reason there was no doubt in Reinette's mind that he would be there. That he would make it. For all their stops and starts, arguments and separations? The past year? She had no doubt Jack would protect the boy.
Reinette moved to lift her skirts to run and follow only to find they were not there. Her fingers grasped at air even as her feet moved. She was close enough to feel the air and heat created by the collision and Reinette put herself between the car and the child. He was already on his feet, obviously unharmed and doing his best not to cry.
"It will be all right."
That was for them both.
She looked him over briskly, and then her eyes moved towards Jack with far more concern.