Everything Has Changed //Ryan Blaney//

3.0 - Cookies

Sienna

I hadn't noticed the days counting down to Christmas until Eleanor came running to me in the kitchen as I was getting dinner ready. Grabbing around my legs, she asked me about cookies for tonight. I had to give her a confused look because I was not sure what she was meaning.

"Cookies for Santa, Mommy. He'll need milk and cookies when he drops off my presents." She giggled like it was the most obvious thing in the world. To her it most likely was. Smiling down at her, I set the spatula I was using down.

"What kind of cookie do you want to make for him?" I picked her up off the floor and set her on the counter beside me, away from the stove.

"The ones with the snowmen, Mommy. They're the best." Faking a shocked expression because she chose a store-bought cookie over my own, I had not expected that out of her.

"My cookies aren't the best anymore?" I asked her. Ryan made his appearance known then as he made an offhand innuendo about my cookies. Sending him a playful glare, he shot his hands in the air. Mumbles could be heard from him, but I didn't catch what was said.

"But mommy, these have snowmen in them." Eleanor reasoned, pulling my hand so the attention was back on her.

Smiling, I agreed. I couldn't blame her, my cookies didn't hold a candle to those Pillsbury seasonal cookies. Well, almost.

"Okay, baby, dinner first, and then after your bath we'll make cookies. If your dad doesn't eat them all we may take some with us tomorrow when we go."

Eleanor had loved her trip with my parents, they had played in the snow and went snowshoeing to go tubing. She had a blast and was wanting to go back as soon as she could. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be after the start of the year and then it might not be for a while with school.

My trip on the other hand was horrible, I hate the snow so driving in it was the worst thing to me, add in the mountains and I was ready to be back home the minute we crossed over into West Virginia. Ryan had a good time, he and my dad had hung out a lot and then he got on well with Ashton's parents when we were around them so it never was awkward. Until I had to give them the stuff that I couldn't hold onto anymore.

I felt so bad for the decision to part with his stuff and I could tell seeing everything brought up memories for Lena. She never mentioned anything but I could see it on her face. We didn't stay long that day but we did see them the next day whenever we were getting ready to leave.

That wasn't much better than when we came over the first time. I didn't feel good at all when we went through the mountains, and not even medicine was helping the nausea go away. The migraine that came along with it was worse than the time before.

Since we've been back I've not gotten much better with the headaches and tired feeling but I had to put on a smiling face for my daughter. That's why I honestly forgot what day it was.

"I'll preheat the oven so when you get done with dressing her, you won't have to wait long." Ryan peeked his head into Eleanor's room as I had just finished brushing through her hair and putting it up into pigtails. She had on her favorite jammies at the moment, that daddy bought her for the night before Christmas. The pants were red and white striped with green Christmas trees all over them and the shirt had in sparkly writing, 'I've been nice.' She wore them every night this week when she found them.

"Thank you, that'll help out a lot. Eleanor why don't you follow daddy downstairs, Mommy needs to change." And have a moment to myself. She ran down the hall behind Ryan, leaving me to breathe for a moment. Getting up from her bed, I made my way into my bedroom to grab my phone. I searched for it, finding that it had fallen off the bed sheet and onto the floor. Bending over to grab it, I felt my heart rate pick up. Without much of a warning, I fell onto the floor with a thud as I felt lightheaded.