The Hamilton Family

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐢𝐦?

Eliza was in the kitchen, swaying her hips as she hummed to a song she made up on the spot. Their maid had some health issues, so Eliza had to send her home. She didn't mind having to pick up the cleaning, it was a task that helped her clear her mind. It made her feel useful. Eliza snapped back to reality at the sound of thudding down the stairs. Concerned, Eliza picked up her skirts, rushing to the stairs, only to find Philip on the floor. "Philip!" she exclaimed, kneeling in front of him and taking her son into her arms, holding him tightly.

Philip sobbed into his mother's chest, his tiny fist holding tightly onto her shirt. Eliza frowned as she noticed how quickly her little baby was growing up. "Hurts!" Philip exclaimed.

"Shhh, I know, baby," she carefully pulled away, tilting his head to have him look at her. "Can you tell me where it hurts, love?"

Philip pointed towards his chin, where there was a scrape, as well as his elbows. Eliza clicked her tongue, standing.

"Come," she said, leading the way to the bandages, Philip trailing close behind her. Reaching for the cabinets, she took out a roll of gauze, and some disinfectant to put on his wounds. "Now, this'll sting, but it'll feel better in the end, okay? I need you to be a man, and take the pain. Can you do that for me?"

Philip nodded, putting on a brave face. "I-I'll try," he promised, holding his arm out towards her.

Smiling, proud of her brave boy, Eliza softly and tenderly tended to his wound. To her surprise, Philip only signs of discomfort where the small winces he let out. "There," she said, wrapping his wounds in the bandages. "Now, be careful when using the stairs, yes?"

He nodded stiffly, wiping his tears from his face. "Yes, Mama," he replied, his voice still shaky.

She put away the materials, struggling slightly to pick up her rapidly growing son, but she succeeded in the end. She carried him around the house, to the windows, pointing out the birds and plants she saw outside, naming them to her son. Philip calmed down, repeating them after his mother, giggling when he gave them nicknames. He called the Mockingbird "Philip", as he liked to mock his parents. Smiling, Eliza set him down. "Go play outside. Maybe pick some berries from the bushes so I can make dessert," she said. She watched as Philip nodding, running outside like a man on a mission. Philip made a beeline for the bushes, beginning to pick berries.

Sighing softly, Eliza made her way up to her husband's office. Surprisingly, Alexander appeared unbothered, still reading over the paper as if he had heard nothing. "What was all the commotion, Betsey?" he asked, once he had noticed her presence a few moments later.

Eliza let out a soft sigh, sinking into the chair next to him. "That boy...I tell you, we need a railing that he can hold onto! He keeps falling down the stairs," she said.

"Aye..." Alexander agreed. "He has been doing that quite a bit lately..." the couple went quiet, both glancing around Alex's office. It was what was supposed to be a closet, but Alexander made a makeshift window. The room was scarcely decorated, with a crib for him to set Philip in so he could work and watch over his son, chairs for him and his wife to sit in, and an old desk. On the walls were scattered portraits of his wife, his son, and Eliza's family members. A dead plant sat rotting on a shelf. Yes, it wasn't much. But it meant the world to Alexander.

Eliza softly took her husband's hands, having him look at her. "Come spend the day outside!" she insisted. "Philip won't be this young forever!"

Chuckling, Alexander pressed a kiss to her hands. "My darling Betsey, Philip will outlive me. I will be down in just a bit. You have my word."

Eliza huffed, displeased with his response. "Alexander!" she complained.

Alexander stood with a slight "oof" sound falling from his lips. "Alright, my dear, let us go enjoy this day with our pride and joy."

Smiling, Eliza led the way outside, happy that she was able to convince her husband to take a break.

The Hamilton's spent the whole day outside, exploring and playing together. Eliza would often stand to the side, smiling as she watched her husband be the father to their son that he never had. Yeah, she liked that a lot. Something about the way Alex cradled Philip when he held him, as if his body was a barrier between Philip and any harm from the outside world. The way Philip's eyes lit up when he found his father when the two played hide-and-seek. To the way Alexander poked and prodded at bugs, with Philip squealing in delight and fear. Yes, their family was small, but Eliza wouldn't trade the world for anything else.