Floating to Falling

Chapter 1

Two weeks after he left

I'm awoken by mother screaming, howls of pure despair, screams of sorrow. She's sobbing, I hear her banging furiously on the walls, wailing. Dodie crawls next to me in bed, shaking with terror, hot tears pouring down her innocent face. She squeezes my hand, sniffling into my shoulder, I feel her cold, frail body pressed against me and she buries her head into my chest. I kiss her forehead and tell her everything will be okay, I start to get up and she tugs my hand, begging me to stay. I tell her to stay in my bed, and promise I'll be back. She wraps my purple linen blanket around her tightly, clutching to an old, ragged stuffed dog given to her by our dad. She's a strong little girl, and listens to me. Mother has had a lot of fits like this since father left, it's been two weeks and he still hasn't come back. But it's never been this bad. I slowly approach her bedroom door, biting my thumb nail I quickly knock, silence. I hear her crying and mumbling something to herself. I knock louder, and try the doorknob, it's locked. She never locks doors. Now I start to panic, I run back into my bedroom, rummaging through my jewelry box looking for the key that opens every door in the house. Dodie peers at me, her concerned eyes rimmed with tears. I give her a weak smile and lie, telling her everything is okay once more. I scramble back to mothers bedroom, and try knocking one more time. "Mama!?" I shout, my voice cracking with worry. When she doesn't answer I hastily unlock the door, and scamper in. Mother is curled in a ball on the carpet at the end of her bed. Her body is draped with white sheets stained with blood. I hesitate before I quietly approach her. I kneel next to her, her eyes are squeezed shut and she's shaking in pain. There's blood everywhere, and I don't know what to do, I don't know why. "Mama?" I ask, now beginning to cry myself. She doesn't answer, she's clutching her stomach, her face writhed in agony. The dark liquid is seeping through the sheets, her hands are covered in it, she tries to say something but it comes out as a whimper. I see Dodie's silhouette I'm the doorframe, her tiny, distraught body highlighted by the dim hallway light. "Dodie..." I utter, my voice shaking. "Go next door and get Ms.Henderson, tell her to call an ambulance." Dodie let's out a small squeak of apprehension, but hurries out. I stay next to mama, now rocking back and fourth sobbing again, she's squeezing her stomach, "this wasn't supposed to happen" she cries "this can't happen, please God please" she begs, her voice weak. When the ambulance gets here, they take mama to the hospital. Dodie and I stay with Ms.Henderson for the next couple of days. She goes on about what a tragedy this all is, with mama losing her husband and a baby. I don't know what she's talking about though, papa will come back, I know he will. He can't be gone forever, he loved us too much. In fact, he'd tell me that he loved me more than there are stars in the sky, and I heard him say the same thing to mama before kissin' her for a long time on the lips. It was gross. And mama wasn't pregnant! If she was I would've known! When we ask what happened to mama she just slowly shakes her head, telling us that sometimes bad things happen to good people. Telling us that life is just unfair.