Gracie sat in a makeshift highchair banging a pot with a spoon. She enjoyed helping mommy in the kitchen, if only just as entertainment. Kat was peeling potatoes. Mashed potatoes never went wrong with anyone, especially Gracie who usually ended up wearing most of her meals. Mashed potatoes were great fun to throw for a baby-soon-to-be-toddler. The men had managed to procure some meat from hunting. Kat decided she didn't want to know what it was exactly. But browned in a pan and chopped up it tasted quite a bit like ground beef, if you closed your eyes. Browned meat mixed with corn and a layer of mashed potatoes on top made a sort of shepherd's pie that was filling. And that was what was important. Kat wasn't the best cook out of them all, but she was better than Nikki who somehow managed to burn water. Only Nikki. Kat had a very slight bump showing. She wasn't looking forward to being big as a house once again. Thankfully when she was pregnant with Gracie she had carried most of her weight in the front. From behind you couldn't tell she was pregnant. She hoped this pregnancy was the same. The smell of food drifted out into the halls. Once they were ready to start setting up the table settings Kat called for Nikki and Ingrid on the walkie. Gracie had to put in her two cents by shouting in gibberish then giggling like she had just said the funniest thing in the world. [color=6ecff6]"Let's hope Daddy hasn't killed the punching bag,"[/color] Kat said pressing a kiss to Gracie's head before going to the oven to pull the first of the pans out. The cloth she was using as an oven mitt didn't cover her whole hand and Kat yelped as the edge of her hand came into contact with the hot pan. She nearly dropped the food but thankfully she managed to get it to the counter before looking at her hand. An angry red welt on the heel of her hand stung like a bitch. [color=6ecff6]"I'm not sure who's more dangerous in here, myself or Nikki,"[/color] Kat said through gritted teeth. [color=f49ac2]"Kiki!"[/color] Gracie shouted, giggling. Kat smiled through the pain. [color=6ecff6]"Thank you baby girl."[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rose looked from one to the other. She had missed some of what they said, but got the gist of it. The man was injured and the woman was attempting to help him. They wanted a place to go. Rose shrugged. [color=a187be]"Around here is nothing. Up there a group in a church, but they chased me away with rocks. They not help,"[/color] she informed them. [color=a187be]"Walmart empty,"[/color] she pointed in the direction of it. [color=a187be]"But crazy bastards nearby. Think they maybe cannibals or something."[/color] Her sentence structure was a little off because she signed at the same time, but she could usually get her point across. [color=a187be]"My name Rose,"[/color] she told the woman, who seemed like the nicer of the two. She fingerspelled her name, then did her name sign: the sign for 'r' on both sides of her nose. It was same sign for "flower" just with an 'r' for 'Rose'. Each deaf person had an individual name sign that was just for them. The hearing could have name signs, but only if a deaf person gave you one. [color=a187be]"The man, he's your boyfriend? Husband?"[/color]