Status: Live
Holding Hands Won't Be Enough
Chapter 74: Robot Sewing
After arriving at the venue, Sonja insisted her make-up artist put ‘finishing touches’ as she called in on Millie before she has her make up done, which she was appreciate of, because she felt like she looked like shit. When the artist had finished she swiftly took the armchair in the corner of the dressing room to check her messages - Ville had called her with updates almost every fifteen minutes to keep her sane - upon seeing the latest message that Oscar was perfectly fine and being bandaged up now, her whole body relaxed and she got more comfortable in the chair.
————
————
“Millie, Millie…” her body shook, “Millie, wake up.” she lifted her head and inhaled, Sonja was laughing, now fully made up and her hair looking beautiful, “you dozed off for a little bit.” she chuckled, Millie rolled her hand in circles, her wrist stiff from leaning her head on it, “You have visitors.”
“Mummy!” Oscar hollered flying past his aunt and jumping straight at her. “I have robot sewing!” he laughed, trying to pull himself up.
“What?” she asked confused, grabbing him under his arms and lifting him up onto her lap.
“Robot sewing!” he beamed proudly, pointing at his head. She pushed his now dry hair back and inspected his head to see three tidy stitches hidden under small medical bandaids.
“Robot sewing.” she said dryly, looking up at her older sister bemused.
“Just as weird as you were at that age.” she noted with a laugh.
“Does it hurt?” she asked him, stroking her thumb close to the stitches. He shook his head, she kissed it firmly. “My big strong boy!” she congratulated as she tickled him excitedly for a moment before scooping him up and cuddling him into her, glad he was unhurt and back with her.
“Mummy?” he asked.
“Pikkuinen?”
“Can Daddy stay and play with me more? I got a dinosaur.” her heart sank for a moment, it was a hard pill to swallow as a parent having the child she had cared for for three years ask for his other parent - but she knew it was something she was going to have to get used to. She sighed and looked at Sonja, who seemed sheepish.
“What?” Sonja winced and raised her finger to Millie before talking.
“Don’t get mad.”
“What?”
“I invited Ville to stay for the wedding.”
“Wh-“ she went to argue and then realised it was her wedding, she could do as she pleased.
“I figured he could keep Oscar entertained so you can have fun for once.” she smiled.
“Sonja…”
“That and Jussi will need a buddy.”
“You asked Jussi to stay too?” Millie laughed.
“Well,” she shrugged, “he’s been really helping out with the girls all day-“
“I’ll bet he has.”
“-it would have been rude not to.”
“Where are they?”
“Outside.”
“Do Mum and Dad know?”
“Dad suggested I asked Ville to stay.”
“What?” she asked in disbelief.
“He saw how Ville was with Oscar earlier and had a pang of fatherly camaraderie, I think. He was kind of insistent on it.”
“Why would h-“
“Hey!” she interrupted, “My wedding day! Hi! Hello.” she laughed, “Can we do this later, you know, after you’ve helped me into my dress and I’ve done the whole walk down the aisle bit - the day kind of centres around it.” Millie laughed and shook her head.
“I’m sorry.” Sonja walked over and kissed her cheek whilst squeezing the other one.
“Don’t be, sissy. You’re my angel.” she said sincerely and sweetly. ”Now, go give my nephew back to his reprobate father so I can squeeze all this-“ she said motioning to her body, before pointing at her dress, “-into that.”
————
————
“You think Millie will be into you staying for the wedding?”
“About as into it as she was in calling me for help last night, I’d imagine.” Ville laughed nervously. Jussi placed a reassuring hand on his friends shoulder as he exhaled an engulfing cloud of smoke. “She was exhausted earlier, I’ve never seen her such a wreck.”
“She was up all night dude, she wouldn’t take a break or eat, she just kept working.”
“Sonja should have said something…” he sighed.
“She did. Millie just wasn’t having any of it. She barely spoke, she’s been the same all day.”
“There!” a little voice sounded from behind them. They turned to see Millie walking towards them carrying Oscar on her hip. Ville’s heart doubled in his chest, as it always did when he saw her, but today it was different.
“Beautiful.” he couldn’t help himself to say in a breath. He ran his hand over his mouth as if to stop the words from sounding after he had said them and looked away, but not for too long.
“Thank you, for today….” she smiled sincerely, albeit coyly.
“It’s my boy.” he shrugged.
“He is.” she nodded. “So Son told me your staying for the wedding?”
“Well, she asked me to, but-“
“Oscar asked for you to stay too.” she interrupted, “Apparently he has a new dinosaur?”
“Yeah, Victor the Velociraptor. Right buddy?”
“Victor!!” he growled, holding the red toy out to his father.
“Is Jonna okay with you staying?” she asked tentatively. He hadn’t even thought of her today.
“Yeah, totally fine.” he lied immediately. She nodded.
“Good, that’s good.” she smiled, “It’ll be good for Oscar to have a Valo here, rather than every crazy Altoiinen under one roof.” she laughed. He realised then why she seemed so nervous - outside of the panic this morning, they hadn’t spoken since they were outside the cafe smoking and she offered for him to take Oscar on Christmas night. “Would you mind taking him now? I have to help Son into her dress and then, you know, follow her up a bloody aisle…” she laughed nervously, handing Oscar over.
“Of course not.”
“Jussi knows where to sit.” she moved closer and kissed Oscar’s head, “Be good for Daddy and uncle Jussi.”
“I will.”
“I’ll see you guys soon.” she said turning on her heel, “Get beers or something whilst you wait!” she turned around to say before scurrying off.
“The last time we spoke she said I could take Oscar for Christmas, she was considerate and conscientious of Jonna’s plans, now she’s asking if Jonna minds? And not talking to me like we always talk? She seems nervous and skittish around me Jus…”
“Jyrki told me once that sad people always try and make others happy,” he said simply, “because they know how terrible it is to feel worthless.” Ville looked at his friend as he spoke truthfully, “The last time either of you were around anything pertaining to an actual wedding,” he said, motioning at everything going on around them, “it was your own…” he took a long draw of his cigarette, realising only now for himself why she had been acting so tensely, “And now she’s socked with your engagement party and her sister’s wedding within weeks of each other? I’m surprised she can even say Jonna’s name without crying dude.”
————
————
“Millie, Millie…” her body shook, “Millie, wake up.” she lifted her head and inhaled, Sonja was laughing, now fully made up and her hair looking beautiful, “you dozed off for a little bit.” she chuckled, Millie rolled her hand in circles, her wrist stiff from leaning her head on it, “You have visitors.”
“Mummy!” Oscar hollered flying past his aunt and jumping straight at her. “I have robot sewing!” he laughed, trying to pull himself up.
“What?” she asked confused, grabbing him under his arms and lifting him up onto her lap.
“Robot sewing!” he beamed proudly, pointing at his head. She pushed his now dry hair back and inspected his head to see three tidy stitches hidden under small medical bandaids.
“Robot sewing.” she said dryly, looking up at her older sister bemused.
“Just as weird as you were at that age.” she noted with a laugh.
“Does it hurt?” she asked him, stroking her thumb close to the stitches. He shook his head, she kissed it firmly. “My big strong boy!” she congratulated as she tickled him excitedly for a moment before scooping him up and cuddling him into her, glad he was unhurt and back with her.
“Mummy?” he asked.
“Pikkuinen?”
“Can Daddy stay and play with me more? I got a dinosaur.” her heart sank for a moment, it was a hard pill to swallow as a parent having the child she had cared for for three years ask for his other parent - but she knew it was something she was going to have to get used to. She sighed and looked at Sonja, who seemed sheepish.
“What?” Sonja winced and raised her finger to Millie before talking.
“Don’t get mad.”
“What?”
“I invited Ville to stay for the wedding.”
“Wh-“ she went to argue and then realised it was her wedding, she could do as she pleased.
“I figured he could keep Oscar entertained so you can have fun for once.” she smiled.
“Sonja…”
“That and Jussi will need a buddy.”
“You asked Jussi to stay too?” Millie laughed.
“Well,” she shrugged, “he’s been really helping out with the girls all day-“
“I’ll bet he has.”
“-it would have been rude not to.”
“Where are they?”
“Outside.”
“Do Mum and Dad know?”
“Dad suggested I asked Ville to stay.”
“What?” she asked in disbelief.
“He saw how Ville was with Oscar earlier and had a pang of fatherly camaraderie, I think. He was kind of insistent on it.”
“Why would h-“
“Hey!” she interrupted, “My wedding day! Hi! Hello.” she laughed, “Can we do this later, you know, after you’ve helped me into my dress and I’ve done the whole walk down the aisle bit - the day kind of centres around it.” Millie laughed and shook her head.
“I’m sorry.” Sonja walked over and kissed her cheek whilst squeezing the other one.
“Don’t be, sissy. You’re my angel.” she said sincerely and sweetly. ”Now, go give my nephew back to his reprobate father so I can squeeze all this-“ she said motioning to her body, before pointing at her dress, “-into that.”
————
————
“You think Millie will be into you staying for the wedding?”
“About as into it as she was in calling me for help last night, I’d imagine.” Ville laughed nervously. Jussi placed a reassuring hand on his friends shoulder as he exhaled an engulfing cloud of smoke. “She was exhausted earlier, I’ve never seen her such a wreck.”
“She was up all night dude, she wouldn’t take a break or eat, she just kept working.”
“Sonja should have said something…” he sighed.
“She did. Millie just wasn’t having any of it. She barely spoke, she’s been the same all day.”
“There!” a little voice sounded from behind them. They turned to see Millie walking towards them carrying Oscar on her hip. Ville’s heart doubled in his chest, as it always did when he saw her, but today it was different.
“Beautiful.” he couldn’t help himself to say in a breath. He ran his hand over his mouth as if to stop the words from sounding after he had said them and looked away, but not for too long.
“Thank you, for today….” she smiled sincerely, albeit coyly.
“It’s my boy.” he shrugged.
“He is.” she nodded. “So Son told me your staying for the wedding?”
“Well, she asked me to, but-“
“Oscar asked for you to stay too.” she interrupted, “Apparently he has a new dinosaur?”
“Yeah, Victor the Velociraptor. Right buddy?”
“Victor!!” he growled, holding the red toy out to his father.
“Is Jonna okay with you staying?” she asked tentatively. He hadn’t even thought of her today.
“Yeah, totally fine.” he lied immediately. She nodded.
“Good, that’s good.” she smiled, “It’ll be good for Oscar to have a Valo here, rather than every crazy Altoiinen under one roof.” she laughed. He realised then why she seemed so nervous - outside of the panic this morning, they hadn’t spoken since they were outside the cafe smoking and she offered for him to take Oscar on Christmas night. “Would you mind taking him now? I have to help Son into her dress and then, you know, follow her up a bloody aisle…” she laughed nervously, handing Oscar over.
“Of course not.”
“Jussi knows where to sit.” she moved closer and kissed Oscar’s head, “Be good for Daddy and uncle Jussi.”
“I will.”
“I’ll see you guys soon.” she said turning on her heel, “Get beers or something whilst you wait!” she turned around to say before scurrying off.
“The last time we spoke she said I could take Oscar for Christmas, she was considerate and conscientious of Jonna’s plans, now she’s asking if Jonna minds? And not talking to me like we always talk? She seems nervous and skittish around me Jus…”
“Jyrki told me once that sad people always try and make others happy,” he said simply, “because they know how terrible it is to feel worthless.” Ville looked at his friend as he spoke truthfully, “The last time either of you were around anything pertaining to an actual wedding,” he said, motioning at everything going on around them, “it was your own…” he took a long draw of his cigarette, realising only now for himself why she had been acting so tensely, “And now she’s socked with your engagement party and her sister’s wedding within weeks of each other? I’m surprised she can even say Jonna’s name without crying dude.”