Finally Home

59. Samantha

I stroked Rosie's back as we lay on the bed. She looked at me with sad, tear filled eyes, her bottom lip puffed out as she pouted and tried not to cry.

"You can cry, Rosie posey," I said. "It's okay to be sad."

"I. Want. Mama," she said, her breath hitching as the sorrow overcame her. I pulled her close.

"I know, bug. I do too. We'll see them soon."

"When?" Rosie asked, looking up at me.

I sighed.

"I don't know, bug. But I hope, very soon."

"I. Want. Dada," Rosie pouted.

"Me too," I agreed.

"SaSa no leave?" She asked.

"Never," I said, hugging my sister close as sleep overcame both of us.

Carrie woke me up sometime later by gently shaking my shoulder.

"Sam, you and Rosie should come have some lunch. You probably need to eat."

I turned away from her and quickly checked my levels. They were going low. I wanted them to. They'd have to send me to the hospital. And I would insist on Rosie coming. Then we could take off and head home. To Mom and Dad.

"Rosie? Are you hungry?" Carrie asked Rosie. Rosie looked at me then at Carrie and shook her head.

"Girls, you can't starve yourselves. Come have some lunch."

I kept my back to Carrie and stared at the wall. She sighed and got up, leaving the room.

"If either of you change your minds, come on downstairs and I'll make you something."

I kept my back to her and looked at Rosie who looked up at me. I heard the door close and looked back at Rosie.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her.

"I hungry, SaSa," she said to me.

"Do you want to go downstairs and have something?"

"SaSa eat too?" She asked.

"I have a plan," I said. And told her in simple terms what I thought.

"No, SaSa! No make SaSa sick!" She said.

"It'll be okay, bug. They'll have to take me to the hospital and you would have to have a huge tantrum so they'd have to bring you with. And then, when I'm feeling a bit better, I'll pretend to be resting, and once it's quiet, we leave and go to Mama and Dada."

Rosie looked at me.

"But no make SaSa sick!" She said. "I no like when SaSa sick."

"But we can get out and go home."

"SaSa, no. No be sick,"

"Rosie, do you want to spend another night here?"

"I want Mama and Dada and SaSa," Rosie whimpered.

"If I let my blood sugar go low enough, they have to take me to the hospital. We can get home from there."

Rosie thought.

"No. No SaSa sick."

I didn't know what else to do. I did know I didn't want to spend another night here.

A text message came through my phone. I checked. It was Uncle Josh.

'Your dad told me what happened. We're coming home tonight. Aunt Debby and I are going to help as best as we can.'

'Please, Uncle Josh!' I texted back. 'Please come get Rosie! I can handle this. But she's just a baby!'

'We're coming. We're going to help fix this.'

My eyes blurred with tears.

"Why cry, SaSa?" Rosie asked.

"Because I miss Mama and Dada and Uncle Josh says he's coming to help."

"I want Unca Josh," Rosie said, nuzzling her head into me.

"Me too," I said.

"SaSa?" Rosie asked.

"Yeah bug?" I asked.

"I hungry," she said.

"Okay. You want to go downstairs?"

"You come?"

"I come," I smiled at her.

I was a bit light headed when I got up, but I powered through and picked Rosie up.

I carefully carried her downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Are you girls hungry?" Carrie asked.

I nodded at Rosie.

"Oh, Rosie, are you hungry?" Carrie asked, coming over and trying to take Rosie from my arms. She held tight to me.

"Sam, you look a little pale. Let me make you something, too?"

I glared at her. She pulled out the high chair for Rosie and I put her in the seat. She held onto my sleeve. I sat down beside her, hard in the chair beside her.

Carrie put pasta on a plate for Rosie and heated it up a bit, putting some pasta sauce on it, and a couple of cut up meatballs.

Rosie picked up the fork and took a couple of bites.

"SaSa, noodees," she said, showing me. I smiled at her.

"Samantha," Carrie said. "Let me see your blood sugar. You have an app, right?  You don't look well."

I slammed my hands on the table and stood up.

And then everything went black.