One Wild Night

Chapter 947: I Don’t Like Her!

The only sounds around them were the soft murmur of the river nearby mingled with the sound of birds chirping in the trees, creating a serene atmosphere. The smell of fresh grass and the sweet scent of blooming flowers filled the air as the family settled into their spot and spread out a checkered picnic blanket.

Jamal was bursting with energy, darting around the blanket as he eagerly awaited the moment when they would open the picnic basket while Aaron watched Jamal with amusement.

"Slow down, buddy," Aaron chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Jamal's curly hair. "We've got all afternoon."

Candace sat beside Aaron, arranging the food they had brought. She glanced at Jamal, her face glowing with maternal pride as he finally plopped down beside her, a broad grin stretched across his face.

Candace understood he was so excited because he had never been out on a picnic before, and the same went for her and Andy.

Candace was happy that she was finally able to give Jamal a normal life thanks to her father.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Jamal declared, his eyes darting between the sandwiches, fruit, and treats Candace was setting out.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Just don't eat too much too quickly," Candace warned playfully. "We don't want you bouncing off the walls more than you already are."

Andy, who was busy unpacking the cooler, smiled as she watched her family. She had always been the fun aunt, the one Jamal could count on for an adventure, and she was especially glad to be here today. This picnic was a much-needed experience for all of them.

As they settled into their meal, Aaron began to tell them stories from his childhood. Aaron's voice was soothing, full of nostalgia and warmth, and Jamal listened with rapt attention, his sandwich forgotten in his hand as he hung on to every word.

Andy, meanwhile, had her phone in her lap, her thoughts drifting to Dawn. She remembered how excited Jamal had been during the drive and how much he was looking forward to hearing from Dawn.

She decided that now would be a perfect time for another chat. Glancing over at Candace, who was now engaged in a lively conversation with Aaron, Andy smiled to herself and quickly sent a text to Kimberly to see if they could video call.

As they finished their lunch, Andy's phone buzzed. "Hey, Jamal," she called out, getting his attention. "Do you want to talk to Dawn now?"

Jamal's eyes lit up like fireworks. He quickly scrambled over to Andy, nearly knocking over the basket in his excitement. "Yes! Yes, please, Aunt Andy!" he exclaimed, bouncing on his toes.

Andy chuckled and patted the spot next to her, motioning for Jamal to sit down. She tapped on the screen, waiting for Kimberly to pick up. After a few rings, the video call connected, and Kimberly's face appeared on the screen. She looked a little frazzled but smiled warmly when she saw Andy and Jamal.

"Hi, Andy! Hi, Jamal!" Kimberly greeted them, her voice a little breathless. The camera wobbled slightly as she adjusted it.

"Hi, Kimberly! How's everything going?" Andy asked, glancing at Jamal, who was nearly vibrating with excitement.

"We're fine," Kimberly said, but there was a note of weariness in her voice. "Actually, I'm glad you called. Dawn's been having a bit of a tough day."

Jamal's smile faltered as he leaned closer to the screen. "What's wrong? Where's Dawn?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Kimberly turned the phone, and the screen shifted to show Dawn seated on a chair, her face red and tear-streaked, with a bandage wrapped around her right knee. She was trying her best to stop crying, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Dawn!" Jamal gasped, his heart sinking at the sight of Dawn in tears. "Why are you crying?"

Dawn looked up, her bright hazel eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She sniffled and gave a small, tremulous smile when she saw Jamal. "Hi, Jamal," she whispered, her voice wavering. "I... I got hurt."

Jamal's face scrunched up with worry. "What happened? Did you fall?"

Dawn nodded, her hair bouncing slightly as she shifted in her seat. "I fell and hurt my knee. It really hurt," she explained, her voice small.

"Oh no!" Jamal's eyes widened as he leaned closer to the screen, his voice full of sympathy. "Can I see it?"

Dawn hesitated for a moment, then glanced up at Kimberly, who gave her an encouraging nod. Slowly, Dawn lifted the edge of her dress to reveal her knee. The bandage had a spot of red seeping through, and beneath it, the wound was still raw and fresh, the skin jagged and pink.

Jamal winced, his stomach twisting at the sight. "That looks like it really hurt," he said softly. "But you're really bra

Dawn."

Dawn's lips trembled as she tried to smile. "It does hurt," she admitted, her voice barely audible. "But I'm trying not to cry."

"You're doing great," Jamal reassured her, his voice gentle and kind. "You know, one time, I fell off my bike and scraped my elbow. It hurt a lot, but my mom said it would get better soon.

And it did!"

Dawn's eyes brightened a little. "Really?" she asked, sniffling again.

"Yeah! And you know what? When it healed, the scar looked like a J! It was pretty cool. Want to see?" Jamal said, trying to make her feel better.

Dawn bobbed her head and watched as Jamal turned so that he could show her his elbow. "See? Can you see it?" Jamal asked and she bobbed her head.

"Mine looks like a W," she said, her voice still a bit shaky but lighter than before as she showed him the wound again.

"W for wonderful!" Jamal declared, grinning from ear to ear. "And soon it will be all better, just like my elbow."

Kimberly, who had been listening to their conversation, smiled warmly at Jamal's words. "Thank you, Jamal. I think that's just what Dawn needed to hear."

Dawn nodded, a small smile finally breaking through her tears. "Thanks, Jamal," she

whispered.

Jamal's face lit up with joy. "Anytime, Dawn! And guess what? When your knee is all better, we will both have cool scars!"

Dawn giggled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yes."

"But yours will be prettier because you're beautiful," Jamal said and Dawn giggled again, looking away shyly, her earlier sadness forgotten.

Kimberly watched the exchange with a tender smile, her heart warming at the sight of her daughter's smile returning. "I hope this doesn't scar at all," Kimberly muttered making Andy

laugh softly.

"I think it's time to get that knee treated properly now," Kimberly said gently, brushing a strand of hair from Dawn's forehead. "But we'll call you again soon, okay?" "Okay," Jamal agreed, though he didn't want the call to end, "Promise not to cry again?" Jamal asked earnestly, holding up his pinky finger to the screen as if making a solemn vow. Dawn mimicked the gesture, her tiny pinky finger held up to the screen. "Pinky promise," she said with a shy smile.

"Pinky promise," Jamal echoed, his heart swelling with affection for his friend. "Feel better

soon, Dawn!"

"Thanks, Jamal. Bye, Aunt Andy. Bye, Jamal," Dawn said softly, waving at the screen before Kimberly ended the call.

As the screen went dark, Jamal let out a small sigh, but there was a contented smile on his face. He turned to Andy, his eyes shining. "I'm glad we talked to her."

Andy wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a side hug. "Me too, kiddo. You did a great

job cheering her up."

Jamal beamed up at her, his heart full. "I just want her to be happy," he said earnestly.

"And she is," Candace chimed in, having listened to the whole interaction with pride. "You're

a good friend, Jamal."

Aaron nodded in agreement, his eyes twinkling with approval. "That you are, Jamal. That you

are."

Away from there, the moment the call ended, Kimberly looked at Ryan's late housekeeper's six-year-old daughter, Genevieve, with a stern expression, "Why did you do that to Dawn?" Genevieve merely looked at Kimberly without saying a word, and Kimberly took a deep breath

to calm herself.

"Why did you push her?" she asked again since she had witnessed the whole scene from the balcony and she didn't see or hear Dawn say anything to warrant being pushed so roughly to

the point that she got hurt.

"What is going on?" Ryan asked as he joined them, and when he saw the bandage on Dawn's

knee, he went to her immediately.

"What happened to you, princess?" He asked as he crouched down in front of Dawn, and Genevieve watched him with a mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes.

"She was playing with Genevieve outside, and Genevieve pushed her down. I saw it myself," Kimberly said and Ryan frowned as he turned to look at Genevieve.

"Why did you do that?" Ryan asked her with displeasure.

Genevieve remained silent, her small lips pressed tightly together as she looked down at the

ground.

Ryan's frown deepened as he studied the little girl, trying to understand her behavior. He had always been patient with Genevieve's tantrums, but this was not something he could

overlook.

Kimberly watched the interaction with a mixture of concern and frustration. Ever since Ryan introduced Genevieve to her as his late housekeeper's daughter whom he was raising, she had done her best to take the kid under her wing, but this kind of behavior needed to be addressed.

"I will talk to Genevieve while you clean up Dawn," Ryan told Kimberly before leading Genevieve away.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Ryan looked at Genevieve, "Why did you do that?" Ryan

asked Genevieve with a frown.

"I don't like her! I don't want her in our house," Genevieve cried.

"Do you want to be punished?" Ryan asked, and she shook her head. "Behave yourself and don't ever do that again, else I'm going to send you away from here, do you understand me?" Ryan said and Genevieve nodded, her eyes wide with fear. "One day, all that Dawn has is going to be yours. So, make sure you are best friends with her and know everything she knows, okay?" Ryan said, looking directly into his daughter's eyes. Even though she didn't exactly understand what that meant, she bobbed her head. "Now listen to me, and I will tell you exactly what you're going to say when we get back

there," Ryan said, and Genevieve listened as her father told her word for word what to say and

how to behave.

When Ryan was sure she had gotten it, he led her back to join Kimberly and Dawn, and the moment Genevieve saw Dawn, she broke into a sob.

"I'm sorry."

Seeing this, Kimberly's brows pulled together as she pulled Genevieve to herself, her tone

gentle but firm. "Genny, it's okay to talk to me. I just want to understand why you did that."

Genevieve's bottom lip trembled, and she glanced up, her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't

mean to," she mumbled, her voice barely audible. "She was laughing... and... and I just got so mad."

Kimberly's expression softened slightly as she took Genevieve's hand. "Mad? Why did you get mad, sweetheart?"

Genevieve sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Because... because Dawn gets

to have a mommy and daddy who loves her and plays with her, and I don't...." Her small voice cracked with emotion, and tears spilled down her cheeks. Kimberly's heart clenched at the little girl's confession. She exchanged a glance with Ryan as she pulled Genevieve into her arms, holding her close as she cried softly into her chest. "Oh, sweet girl," Kimberly whispered, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'm so sorry you feel that way. But you don't have to be mad or hurt anyone because of it. Dawn is your friend, and she cares about you. And I care about you too," Kimberly said, her own eyes misting over. Genevieve clung to her, her small body trembling with sobs. Ryan reached out to gently stroke her hair, "We all care about you, Genevieve. We're here for you, okay?"

Dawn, who had been watching quietly from her chair, finally spoke up, her voice soft and full of compassion. "Genny, I'm not mad at you for pushing me." Genevieve turned her tear-streaked face toward Dawn, sniffling. "You're not?" Dawn shook her head, offering a small, tentative smile. "No, I'm not. You're my friend."

Genevieve wiped her nose with her sleeve, looking between Dawn, Ryan, and Kimberly. "I'm

sorry, Dawn," she whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Dawn gave her a reassuring nod. "It's okay."

"Let's be best friends, okay?" Genevieve said and Dawn hesitated for a moment thinking

about Lucy who was her best friend.

"I already have a best friend. But we can be good friends," she said, a smile tugging at the

corners of her lips.

Ryan kissed the top of Dawn's head. "That's my girl. Now, let's get you girls cleaned up and maybe we can all have a little treat together. How does that sound?"

Both girls nodded eagerly, and Kimberly gave Ryan a grateful look, thankful for how he

handled the situation with grace and love.

So far he had shown her that he wasn't as bad as she had thought, and she was thankful that he

was a good father to Dawn. She had made the right decision in marrying him.

*****

Quick Announcement. I'm sorry, every one. Contrary to what I planned, I've been adviced by my editor to start Jamal's story as a stand-alone and fresh story. OWN will be ending at chapter 1000. I'm going to start Jamal's story immediately it ends. I hope you support me and add it up in your library. Thanks.