"A little over a year." She offered. Though in Africa it was hard for her to keep track since the season's never changed
where she'd been. "I work near him." She gave the vague information because it was probably more than Cassie had
had before and she wasn't sure how interested the other woman really was in her. Saying she was a doctor would
come across - wrong. You were supposed to be unthreatening entering a new family. She started toward the kitchen,
and Hector, because she wasn't going to have this entire conversation by herself. "His team stopped by my camp one
day and stayed for a while. He challenged me to a game of basketball." She looked over at the woman next to her with
a smile.
"I think I'd be scared to death if his team stopped anywhere near by where I was." Cassie said. She might be the only
one in the family that even vaguely understood what it was Hector and his team did. She could only imagine how
fearsome they could look on the job, with the camouflage, the weapons, the flak vests....
"We're all a bunch of big teddy bears." Hector said as they entered the kitchen. He had detached his temporary leg
weights and gotten them in chairs not attached to his body and was opening cans of soda for them. For everyone but
he and Andi, it was late enough for soda.
"You're certainly scruffy enough." Andi's smile softened and went teasing as she cupped Hector's cheek gently with
her hand. Not sure if she was allowed to kiss him in front of his family or not but the touch would do. Then she slipped
past to stand in front of the ice box, resting her hands on her hips.
She had been truly horrified by what Hector considered 'staples' when it came to food the one time she'd actually
come down. But she was very good at making something out of nothing. And, as much as Cassie was the sister, she
was also the visitor and there were several reasons Andi felt she needed to be the one doing the cooking this
'morning'.
"You Americans and your funny food." She commented. "Now - what would hungry people eat at this hour of the day?"
She threw a look over her shoulder at the two tiny sets of eyes watching raptly over the backs of kitchen chairs. She
could relax around the children the way she couldn't for Hector's sister. There were no complications there. They'd like
her or they wouldn't and she'd know without a doubt either way. She tapped her lips. "I could make fried grasshopper
legs." She thought out loud. Heard the snickers. "Or honey coated ants." Sounds of protest and wiggling from the
chairs. She wondered wryly if soda had been a good idea. "Oh I know. I'll cook mouse toe soup." That finally earned
the vocal protests and she turned toward the children to ask: "Well, what do you people eat?"
"Ice cream!" was the immediate answer and there were enthusiastic nods from the sister.
"Really?" Andi lifted her eyebrows and glanced at the adults. "And here I was thinking pancakes."
"You can't have pancakes for lunch." Josh protested. Sliding out of his seat to move closer to the woman he'd
discovered. She had a funny way of saying things and she'd been sleeping in Uncle Hector's bed the way Uncle Hector
sometimes let them crawl into bed with him when it was stormy. He wondered if she got scared in storms too. Andi sank
down onto her haunches and blinked at him.
"No?" She asked seriously. "But what if we put some jam on them and roll them up? Would they still be pancakes or
would they be sandwiches?"
He imitated her, going down onto his heels in front of her, face serious as he thought about it.
"Would they have peanut butter in them?" He needed to know and she gave it some thought while his sister watched
intently from her perch on the chair.
"I was actually thinking perhaps we could put whipping cream in them instead of peanut butter."
"What's 'whipping cream'?"
Andi was tempted to shoot Hector a look but was busy in a serious discussion and instead she made a finger motion.
"Redi-whip." She explained. Hating the fact she'd just equaled whipping cream and foam in a can to each other but the
light went on in Josh's eyes and his voice went excited.
"Can you do that?"
"Well." Andi paused. "I did see a can of something that looked like it in the ice box. If that's something one could have
for lunch." Josh gave it some thought and then asked seriously:
"Have you really eaten ants?"
Andi gave him a smile.
"Oh yes." She agreed. "Almost as big as my little finger. They're very crunchy."
Josh nodded as if that settled something between them and looked up at his mother. Grinning.
"Can we have pancake sandwiches for lunch, mom? Can we? Please?"
"No gumbo?" Cassie asked as Hector yawned and got up to pour some coffee.
"Soaking." He said, gesturing to the back porch with his cup before he filled it and dumped in the sugar.
She shrugged at her son. "I'm not cooking." She said, meaning Andi was free to. "So how long you been home?"
"How did you even know I was home?" Hector countered.
"Your neighbor ratted you out, saw you collecting the mail yesterday. Tried to call..." but Hector had turned off the
ringers and hadn't bothered to check the machine. But he at least had the sense to duck his head a bit at that, though
his eyes were laughing. "So we thought we'd pay a visit." Though the neighbor either hadn't said anything about Andi
or didn't know she was here. "So. A year. 365 days."
"Twelve months, fifty two weeks...." Hector finished with a grin. "Give me a few, I'll calculate the hours."
"I told you not to go outside without a shirt on." Andi commented mildly as Josh helped her find all the ingredients she
needed. Very used to listening to more than one conversation at a time and more than content to play with the
children while Hector and his sister talked. Guessing that, if she hadn't already, Cassie was putting together her
brother's lengthy absence and the amount of time he'd known Andi. If she was going to guess, she'd also guess that
the neighbor that had called Cassie wasn't the one with the dog. She'd guess female, possibly with a single daughter.
Someone that had been buddying up to the sister, or sisters, for years now. It was a thought that made her smile and
she decided to stick with the theory even if it had possibly been a different situation entirely. But not if the mothers on
the street were any kind of wise.
"Why does Uncle Hector need a shirt?" Josh wanted to know, climbing up on the counter to get the flour.
"Oh, he doesn't." Andi answered. "He just tends to draw attention when he's running around without one."
"Why?" Josh wanted to know and Andi lifted him down with an arm around his waist and set his feet back on the
ground.
"Because he's rather nice looking." Andi answered without batting an eye. 'Absently' pulling a chair over to the counter
that happened to have the younger girl in it. "Now if you want to help me measure things you can climb up on - oh
heavens! what's this? I think there's a mouse in the chair!"
Both of the children giggled and Andi leaned down to bring her nose level with the little sister's.
"I've been looking for a little pair of mouse paws for my soup." She clarified and the eyes level with hers went huge and
there was a giggle.
"That's not a mouse, that's my sister." Josh stated and Andi nodded.
"Oh. Well. In that case, I could use a tiny pair of hands to help stir our pancake mix. But only very special people are
magic enough to stir pancake mix appropriately." The little girl shifted hopefully, big eyes wide. "Magic people have
magic names." Andi continued seriously. "So I was hoping I would find someone with a magic name. A name like..." she
paused thoughtfully and the little girl in front of her got positively wiggly but still didn't say anything. "Marcella." Andi
decided and the little girl's entire face lit.
"My name's Marcella!" She squeaked and Andi laughed quietly.
"Then, Marcella, will you be magic for me and help us make pancakes? You can stir while your brother measures."
"His name's Josh." Marcella informed her and Andi smiled.
"That's a very strong name. A man named Joshua helped a lot of people find their home in the Bible. I think someone
named Josh might have magic in him too then."
Very seriously, Marcella leaned forward so her face was near Andi's ear. "Do you like Uncle Hector?" The little girl
asked in a child's whisper. Josh had edged his way over and leaned in. Andi's lips shifted upward and she imitated the
move and answered back in the same whisper.
"Oh yes. Very much. In fact, I love your Uncle Hector."
Both sets of little eyes went wide. And then there were grins and giggles and covert looks at the other adults in the
room now that the children had a 'secret'. Andi straightened up calmly and started rolling up the sleeves of Hector's
shirt that she was wearing.
"Now - pancakes?" She suggested and the response was enthusiastic.
Cassie and Hector chuckled at the children's antics, then Cassie cut right down to it. That's what she was good at.
Cutting through to the bottom line. Whereas Hector was good at avoidance. Sometimes too good, for such a hard
headed determined personality.
“How long have you been home?" She asked again.
"Two days." Hector said with a shrug as he leaned against a wall and drank his coffee. Cassie's expression was very
clear on what she thought of that idea. Which wasn't very highly at all.
"Two days. And when were you going to tell anyone?"
Another infuriating shrug. "We were sleeping." He said. "Flying half way around the world like that makes a body tired."
"We were worried." Cassie said. "One day, I get a nice little telegram saying you were all shot up." She poked the new
scar for good measure, and was satisfied with his deep wince at the prod. "Guess I should be happy you decided to
write to me after that." Though the letter had been short and full of admonishments for her not to worry, and obviously
if he was writing he was fine. Hector took a deep breath.
"Don't start. I was fine. I am fine. And now you know." He said. Not even his family was immune to the wall he could
bring down on a moment's notice. Not even Cassie, something that annoyed her to no end.
"So are you well rested now?"
"As well as I can be for being shaken out of bed because you're like a damn cat with curiosity."
"Dee is holding up Tyler's christening for you." She pointed out. "And I don't know how she's going to go over." She
said, gesturing subtly toward Andi, which just made her brother's eyes darken.
"What, exactly, do you mean by that?" He asked quietly.
"We've never had to share you before."
"Funny, I have to share all y'all with your husbands and boyfriends, and kids and in laws. Sounds pretty selfish to me."
Hector shot back.
"Completely." Cassie agreed. "Doesn't change the fact."
"Well, you will all just have to learn to deal." Hector said firmly.
"Nice attitude." Cassie said, making a face. "Why don't you try to sell her and her being here to us?"
"I shouldn't have to." Hector said. "I'm here, she's here with me. And if you love me, you'll love her."
There. The battle lines had been clearly drawn in the sand as Cassie looked up at her brother, then softened.
"Think I'll sit at the kids table at the next gathering." She said, shaking her head. "I knew there was someone, but I
don't know anything about her. Other than she's tall, British, and eats ants."
"She's a doctor." Hector allowed. "Works at the Red Cross camp where my men and I crashed one time. Things just...I
don't know...developed."
"Like film?" Cassie asked with amusement. Having her brother in a position of discomfiture was actually quite amusing.
"Yeah. Like a Polaroid." Hector said, chuckling. Cassie reached up and took her older brother's face in her hands and
looked at him closely. As if he were a slide under a microscope.
"I get it." She said, nodding. "You look thin." She said, changing the subject.
"No I don't and don't start. The military feeds me fine."
Her brother did still look a bit tired. Though maybe it was because he was just waking up. But he was content. So for
the moment, that was enough. At least until she got Andi alone to interrogate her.