Keep Me Together

Seven year old Elenia sat on the floor in the kitchen drawing a picture while she was waiting for her mother to finish dinner. She grinned and rushed to the front door when she heard it open and close; it was her father coming home from work. He hung up his gun belt after removing the ammunition.

“Hey Princess,” he smiled lovingly as he picked her up in a hug.
“Hey daddy.” She said and pecked his cheek.
“Where’s your mama?” He asked her and placed her on her feet again.
“She is making baghetti,” Elenia had always called spaghetti baghetti.
“You have to call it spaghetti Leni,” Her mother called from the kitchen.

Elenia rolled her eyes at her father and he chuckled. He held her hand as they walked into the kitchen. She went back to her drawing and looked away from her parents as her father gazed into her mother’s eye with so much love before he bent down and placed a kiss on the fabric that covered her gigantic stomach. She bit her lip and continued on the drawing of two princesses holding hands.

“Leni, go wash your hands and come eat,” her mother said softly and placed the casseroles on the dining table.
“I’m not hungry mama,”
“Leni, listen to your mama and come eat,” her father said a little sterner.
Elenia sighed in frustration and walked as slowly she could to the bathroom and washed her hands slowly before she went to the table and ate little off her food.

“Can we visit grandma later?” Elenia loved her grandmother because she always got sweets from her.
“Of course, but then you’ll have to eat all your food,” her dad said.
Elenia ate her spaghetti faster and made her parents smile.

Her mother suddenly dropped her fork and Elenia gazed at her with confusion. Her father put a hand on her stomach at once.
“Elia, are you okay?” he asked her concerned.
Elenia flinched when her mother screamed out in pain. She got scared when tears ran down her cheeks. Elenia hadn’t seen her mother since… Elenia closed her eyes and held back her own tears.
“I think he want to come out,” her mother said in a strained voice.

Elenia’s father was on his feet at once and went to get the hospital bag before he helped her mother on her feet and towards the front door. He finally remembered Elenia and rushed back to her and took her small hands and kissed them.
“Leni, listen to me. You’r mother has to go to the hospital and you have to wait here for Seth. He’ll bring you to the hospital later, okay?”
She knew what was happening and she hated it. She slowly nodded her head and her father went back to the door. He locked it after they walked outside.

Elenia’s eyes were brimming with tears as she pushed herself away from the table, went to pick up her drawing and walked to the back door. She easily unlocked it and walked outside. It was a cold day in May but she didn’t walk back inside for her jacket. She walked to the beach even though she feared it and sat down on a log at the sand. She stared at her drawing as the tears ran silently from her eyes.

“It’s just me,” she said to the wind. “I drew you a drawing. It is of us. The dress you loved so much, remember?” she stood from the log and walked closer to the water, but not further than where the waves washed over the sand. She slowly put the drawing down and let the waves wash it away and out in the dark water. “I miss you Livvy.”

“Elenia!” she heard his familiar voice before she saw him. and spotted him running down the beach when she turned around.
She wanted to stop her tears before he reached her but she didn’t manage to.
He knelt in front of her to get on the same level as her and put his big hands on both sides of her face. “Leni, you’re freezing!” he said and pulled her closer to his chest.
Elenia started shaking and kept crying. “I don’t want a new… I don’t want mama to have a new baby,” she cried softly into his chest as he stroked her long dark hair.

“Promise you won’t run away like that again, you scared me,” he said and held her.
“I don’t want to Seth. I don’t want a brother, I want Livvy,” she said and ignored his plead.
“I know. I’m sorry Leni,” he pulled away from her and wiped away her tears. “Come on; let’s get you changed before we go to the hospital.”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital!” she raised her weak voice and tried to get away from his grip.

“Leni, listen to me. I know you miss her, but you have to go and see your new brother, you are his big sister as well. I’m sure you’re going to love him,” Seth stood up on his feet again and took her hand.
“No, I won’t,” she whispered and looked over her shoulders at the crashing waves and felt a shiver run through her body.

^^^

Seth almost had to drag her through the corridors as Elenia tried to run away from him. They found the room and knocked on the door before entering. They saw Elenia’s mother lying on the hospital bed looking sweaty and tired and her father sitting next to her with a baby wrapped in a blue blanket in his arms.

Elenia stood with her arms crossed as her father walked over to her with the baby.
“Do you want to hold you brother?” he asked her with a smile.
Elenia shook her head furiously and walked over to Seth where he sat in one of the chairs and climbed into his lap.
Her mother frowned without her seeing before asking her what she wanted her brother to be named.
“Baby-poop,” she answered childishly.
“Elenia!” her mother scolded from the bed.

Elenia turned her head and hid her face in Seth’s chest again so no one could see her tears.