sweetness

I so enjoy reading about the growing relationship between Jamie and his grandchildren.  Especially Jemmy.

Page 626 - A Breath of Snow and Ashes


While Bree is working on digging a trench near the river to bring water to the houses, Jamie stops by and helps out.  Because it's muddy work Jamie has taken his shirt off which, of course, exposes his scarred back.  The grandsons, Jemmy and Germain - show up to "help."  (These two are such a dynamic little duo!)

Jemmy notices his Grandda's back and questions what happened.  Bree simply tells him that some bad people hurt Jamie at one time.  Conversation doesn't linger on this subject but is sent in the direction of silkies and Scotland.

On the way back to the houses, Jemmy is riding piggy-back on Jamie.

Jemmy sighed in exhausted bliss, legs wrapped round Jamie's middle, arms about his neck, and leaned his sun-reddened cheek against the scarred back.  Then he thought of something, for he raised his head and kissed his grandfather with a loud smacking noise, between the shoulder blades.

Her father jerked, nearly dropping Jem, and making a high-pitched noise that made her laugh.

"Is that make it better?"  Jem inquired seriously, pulling himself up and trying to look over Jamie's shoulder into his face.

"Oh.  Aye, lad," his grandfather assured him, face twitching.  "Much better." 

Now, there were some gnats, midges and mosquitos flying around at the time that could possibly cause some twitching, but in this case I think something deeper touched Jamie than the buzzing insects.

There have been many situations in this series that have been hard to read - Jamie's time at Wentworth prison, Roger's hanging, Claire's kidnapping and the resulting abuses and rapes, but one of the most heartwrenching situations to read, for me, was Jamie's twenty years in Voyager - alone, without Claire, without his family.  He got on well enough, but there was a loneliness that carried throughout those passages.

Even though I'm a little saddened that Jamie did not have the chance to raise his own children, I can not help but smile at the family man Jamie has become - such a natural.  :)