Status: COMPLETE AS OF 12/28/2013
Where I Belong
I Have Questions. I Need Answers
Three Weeks Later ~
“Keeyana, come on. Time to go to bed.” Ellie reached her arms out for 3-year-old, Keeyana, who was recently given the malaria vaccination and was slowly battling to become better. Ellie worked with the younger children and she didn’t mind it. She enjoyed spending time with the recovering malaria victims. Ellie smiled as she watched the other volunteers round up children for bed. The sun was slowly setting which meant time for sleep and a new day to wait for.
“Miss. Ellie, I’m not sleepy,” Keeyana cried out, as she sat on the ground. Ellie shook her head. “Come on baby, you need to sleep. We’ll play again tomorrow.” The young girl nodded her head and walked into Ellie’s open arms. The brunette carried her and walked into one of the many hospital rooms. Other volunteers brought more children in the room and as they ran into their beds, Ellie gently placed Keeyana in hers.
“Goodnight Keeyana,” whispered Ellie, placing the blanket over the young girl. She smiled and sat up, kissing Ellie on the cheek. “Goodnight Ellie. I love you.”
Ellie, heartbroken inside, managed to keep a smile on her face. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the little girl. “I love you too sweetie. See you tomorrow.”
As Keeyana drifted off into sleep, Ellie looked away and as tear fell from her face, one volunteer walked up to Ellie and placed her hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. Everything’s going to be fin.”
“No it’s not. This beautiful, little girl probably might not make it through the night and you’re telling me that everything’s going to be fine?”
“I thought she got the vaccination?”
She nodded. “Oh she did, but the doctors are saying that she got the bad shot. One in a million vaccinations Keeyana had to get the one that wouldn’t cure her! You know how much that hurts to hear?”
That night, Ellie sat outside the hospital hut and looked up at the stars. Her physical state wasn’t at its best; she hadn’t showered for 3 days and her feet were aching badly. As soon as she arrived in Uganda, she was appointed to care for the children and nothing else.
Ellie looked down at the book she had gotten from the Royal library. She still wasn't quite finished with it since she was constantly appointed to different duties. Her current spot in the story was how Marina couldn't forgive Declan. She had been hurt so many times in the past, she wasn't sure if giving him a second chance would be worth it.
She had gone two weeks without getting in contact with Harry and she was proud of that. However, there was a part of her that wished he was right by her side, holding her hand.
The worst part about taking care of the children was watching a few of them die every day. There were so many kids that needed the vaccination and if the doctors ran out or couldn’t give it to them, they would be left to die. So far, Ellie had cared for 8 children and she watched two pass in front of her eyes.
A tear fell from her eye. She closed her eyes and rested her head back on the walls of the hut. She thought of the kids and all of them being malaria free, that was her dream, and she remembered Will and Kate… and lastly Harry.
Every night before she went to bed, the ginger prince always ended up in the back of her mind. She knew he was always going to be there but at that moment, she needed to forget about him since their relationship complications didn’t compare to the pain Ellie had to go through in Uganda.
“Miss. Ellie, Miss. Ellie, wake up!”
The high-pitched, squeaky voice woke her up in an instant. Ellie jumped up in her bunk and turned to look at the beaming little girl who was tugging on her blanket. “Get up, it’s breakfast time!” Ellie nodded and felt her eyes beginning to tear up. She watched Keeyana run off with the other children and the brunette sat in her bunk and tilted her head back, saying, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
As the day progressed, Ellie worked with the doctors and a few nurses in the vaccination tent. She helped the kids recover and she reassured them, telling them that everything was going to be fine. As soon as she was beginning to feel content, a nurse pulled her to the side and said to her, “Ellie, your grandma is on the phone. She says it’s urgent…” and she felt her heart drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After hours explaining to the children as to why she had to leave, she couldn’t go without hugging each and every one of them. Her eyes were nearly swollen once she reached her final child, Keeyana. The little girl looked up at Ellie with her big, dark brown eyes and wept. “I-I’ll miss you Miss. Ellie….”
“I’ll miss you too sweetie. I love you and I promise to come back.”
Ellie looked out the plane window with her puffy, red eyes and her lips were pouted which felt permanent. She looked down at Uganda once the plane took-off. Eight hours until she reached Cardiff… if only her granddad could hang on until then…
The evening sky soon turned into the dark, starry-lit skies that Ellie admired. She had finally got a decent night sleep and as she counted down the hours, minutes, and seconds of landing, soon the plan had already landed at the airport. She dashed off the plane, out of the terminal, and to the luggage area grabbing her belongings and exiting the building. As she hailed a cab, she rang the hospital asking if he was still good… and he was for the most part.
Once she arrived at the hospital, she collected her bags and ran inside. Tears streaming down her face, she desperately looked for her granddad’s room. Nurses that roamed the halls all turned to stare at the mess she was. After being escorted to his room by a nurse, she looked inside and saw the doctors slowly cover his body with a white blanket.
“No… no… no… this can’t be happening…” she said out loud. “The doctors just told me he was doing fine a few minutes ago!” Her nain turned around, her eyes red as can be, shook her head. “Ellinor… he passed a few seconds ago…”
“No! God, why does this always happen to me?” Ellie cried out. She clenched her fists and pressed her back against the hospital wall and fell down. Her face dug into her knees as she let out every inch of emotion she was feeling. The worst part wasn’t that she hadn’t showered, or her eyes looking terribly messed up, but it was the fact that she was beginning to lose the important things in her life. First, it was her mother, than Harry, nearly Keeyana, and now her taid.
Her gran walked outside of the room and kneeled down to Ellie’s level. “Sweetie, look at me… your taid would have wanted you to go back to Uganda… you don’t know how much he loved bragging about his intelligent and wonderful granddaughter to the local barber.”
Ellie attempted to crack a smile, but failed. “Gran, I shouldn’t have left you two alone in the first place. You both needed me.”
“Love, your taid and I were fine on our own. When we found out that you were coming back, we were ecstatic. We knew you belonged back here but we didn’t want you to have a sense that Wales was your only home. You know that when you were younger your mother would bring you everywhere?” Ellie looked at her nain and shook her head as a reply to her question. “London, Germany, and Prague… are just some of your other homes. You belong here, there… Ellinor, you belong everywhere…”
That night, Ellie decided to hang around the hospital. The doctors had informed they will preserve her granddad’s body until they made plans for a funeral. Ellie watched her nain get into a cab and waved bye as she sat outside on the cement curb. The sky was dark and the star-filled, just how she liked it. She looked up at the moon and shook her head. She asked herself, “What’s going on? Maybe I shouldn’t have come back here… I mean, Washington was perfectly fine. My life would have been a lot simpler. My taid would be alive and I wouldn’t be having that feeling in my heart…”
“What feeling?”
With that mysterious reply, Ellie gasped and turned around. Luckily, there were the hospital lights glowing all over the place. Unfortunately, she still couldn’t make out who the person was. “Who’s there?”
She heard footsteps come closer. “You never let me explain…”
Finally, he appeared under the lamp post dressed in jeans and a plain, white t-shirt. His facial expression was sad and the tone of his voice sounded hurt. As he stepped closer to Ellie, she backed away. “Stop. How did you know I was here?”
“Your gran rang me. She told me you just got off the plan and your granddad passed… I’m sorry about that. He was a great man.”
“He was. I loved him very much.” Ellie said, softly.
Harry sighed and looked at his feet. “Ellie, can we talk? I know I have a lot to explain for and I’m about to get on my knees and tell you how incredibly sorry I am and that I messed up. I shouldn’t have lied to you and I should have been 100% honest with you but if you’re willing to give me a second chance, I promise you… all of my past actions will not be repeated. I swear to you.” He raised his right hand as he continued taking baby steps towards her repeating sternly, “I swear.”
“Keeyana, come on. Time to go to bed.” Ellie reached her arms out for 3-year-old, Keeyana, who was recently given the malaria vaccination and was slowly battling to become better. Ellie worked with the younger children and she didn’t mind it. She enjoyed spending time with the recovering malaria victims. Ellie smiled as she watched the other volunteers round up children for bed. The sun was slowly setting which meant time for sleep and a new day to wait for.
“Miss. Ellie, I’m not sleepy,” Keeyana cried out, as she sat on the ground. Ellie shook her head. “Come on baby, you need to sleep. We’ll play again tomorrow.” The young girl nodded her head and walked into Ellie’s open arms. The brunette carried her and walked into one of the many hospital rooms. Other volunteers brought more children in the room and as they ran into their beds, Ellie gently placed Keeyana in hers.
“Goodnight Keeyana,” whispered Ellie, placing the blanket over the young girl. She smiled and sat up, kissing Ellie on the cheek. “Goodnight Ellie. I love you.”
Ellie, heartbroken inside, managed to keep a smile on her face. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the little girl. “I love you too sweetie. See you tomorrow.”
As Keeyana drifted off into sleep, Ellie looked away and as tear fell from her face, one volunteer walked up to Ellie and placed her hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. Everything’s going to be fin.”
“No it’s not. This beautiful, little girl probably might not make it through the night and you’re telling me that everything’s going to be fine?”
“I thought she got the vaccination?”
She nodded. “Oh she did, but the doctors are saying that she got the bad shot. One in a million vaccinations Keeyana had to get the one that wouldn’t cure her! You know how much that hurts to hear?”
That night, Ellie sat outside the hospital hut and looked up at the stars. Her physical state wasn’t at its best; she hadn’t showered for 3 days and her feet were aching badly. As soon as she arrived in Uganda, she was appointed to care for the children and nothing else.
Ellie looked down at the book she had gotten from the Royal library. She still wasn't quite finished with it since she was constantly appointed to different duties. Her current spot in the story was how Marina couldn't forgive Declan. She had been hurt so many times in the past, she wasn't sure if giving him a second chance would be worth it.
She had gone two weeks without getting in contact with Harry and she was proud of that. However, there was a part of her that wished he was right by her side, holding her hand.
The worst part about taking care of the children was watching a few of them die every day. There were so many kids that needed the vaccination and if the doctors ran out or couldn’t give it to them, they would be left to die. So far, Ellie had cared for 8 children and she watched two pass in front of her eyes.
A tear fell from her eye. She closed her eyes and rested her head back on the walls of the hut. She thought of the kids and all of them being malaria free, that was her dream, and she remembered Will and Kate… and lastly Harry.
Every night before she went to bed, the ginger prince always ended up in the back of her mind. She knew he was always going to be there but at that moment, she needed to forget about him since their relationship complications didn’t compare to the pain Ellie had to go through in Uganda.
“Miss. Ellie, Miss. Ellie, wake up!”
The high-pitched, squeaky voice woke her up in an instant. Ellie jumped up in her bunk and turned to look at the beaming little girl who was tugging on her blanket. “Get up, it’s breakfast time!” Ellie nodded and felt her eyes beginning to tear up. She watched Keeyana run off with the other children and the brunette sat in her bunk and tilted her head back, saying, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
As the day progressed, Ellie worked with the doctors and a few nurses in the vaccination tent. She helped the kids recover and she reassured them, telling them that everything was going to be fine. As soon as she was beginning to feel content, a nurse pulled her to the side and said to her, “Ellie, your grandma is on the phone. She says it’s urgent…” and she felt her heart drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After hours explaining to the children as to why she had to leave, she couldn’t go without hugging each and every one of them. Her eyes were nearly swollen once she reached her final child, Keeyana. The little girl looked up at Ellie with her big, dark brown eyes and wept. “I-I’ll miss you Miss. Ellie….”
“I’ll miss you too sweetie. I love you and I promise to come back.”
Ellie looked out the plane window with her puffy, red eyes and her lips were pouted which felt permanent. She looked down at Uganda once the plane took-off. Eight hours until she reached Cardiff… if only her granddad could hang on until then…
The evening sky soon turned into the dark, starry-lit skies that Ellie admired. She had finally got a decent night sleep and as she counted down the hours, minutes, and seconds of landing, soon the plan had already landed at the airport. She dashed off the plane, out of the terminal, and to the luggage area grabbing her belongings and exiting the building. As she hailed a cab, she rang the hospital asking if he was still good… and he was for the most part.
Once she arrived at the hospital, she collected her bags and ran inside. Tears streaming down her face, she desperately looked for her granddad’s room. Nurses that roamed the halls all turned to stare at the mess she was. After being escorted to his room by a nurse, she looked inside and saw the doctors slowly cover his body with a white blanket.
“No… no… no… this can’t be happening…” she said out loud. “The doctors just told me he was doing fine a few minutes ago!” Her nain turned around, her eyes red as can be, shook her head. “Ellinor… he passed a few seconds ago…”
“No! God, why does this always happen to me?” Ellie cried out. She clenched her fists and pressed her back against the hospital wall and fell down. Her face dug into her knees as she let out every inch of emotion she was feeling. The worst part wasn’t that she hadn’t showered, or her eyes looking terribly messed up, but it was the fact that she was beginning to lose the important things in her life. First, it was her mother, than Harry, nearly Keeyana, and now her taid.
Her gran walked outside of the room and kneeled down to Ellie’s level. “Sweetie, look at me… your taid would have wanted you to go back to Uganda… you don’t know how much he loved bragging about his intelligent and wonderful granddaughter to the local barber.”
Ellie attempted to crack a smile, but failed. “Gran, I shouldn’t have left you two alone in the first place. You both needed me.”
“Love, your taid and I were fine on our own. When we found out that you were coming back, we were ecstatic. We knew you belonged back here but we didn’t want you to have a sense that Wales was your only home. You know that when you were younger your mother would bring you everywhere?” Ellie looked at her nain and shook her head as a reply to her question. “London, Germany, and Prague… are just some of your other homes. You belong here, there… Ellinor, you belong everywhere…”
That night, Ellie decided to hang around the hospital. The doctors had informed they will preserve her granddad’s body until they made plans for a funeral. Ellie watched her nain get into a cab and waved bye as she sat outside on the cement curb. The sky was dark and the star-filled, just how she liked it. She looked up at the moon and shook her head. She asked herself, “What’s going on? Maybe I shouldn’t have come back here… I mean, Washington was perfectly fine. My life would have been a lot simpler. My taid would be alive and I wouldn’t be having that feeling in my heart…”
“What feeling?”
With that mysterious reply, Ellie gasped and turned around. Luckily, there were the hospital lights glowing all over the place. Unfortunately, she still couldn’t make out who the person was. “Who’s there?”
She heard footsteps come closer. “You never let me explain…”
Finally, he appeared under the lamp post dressed in jeans and a plain, white t-shirt. His facial expression was sad and the tone of his voice sounded hurt. As he stepped closer to Ellie, she backed away. “Stop. How did you know I was here?”
“Your gran rang me. She told me you just got off the plan and your granddad passed… I’m sorry about that. He was a great man.”
“He was. I loved him very much.” Ellie said, softly.
Harry sighed and looked at his feet. “Ellie, can we talk? I know I have a lot to explain for and I’m about to get on my knees and tell you how incredibly sorry I am and that I messed up. I shouldn’t have lied to you and I should have been 100% honest with you but if you’re willing to give me a second chance, I promise you… all of my past actions will not be repeated. I swear to you.” He raised his right hand as he continued taking baby steps towards her repeating sternly, “I swear.”
♠ ♠ ♠
:)