I Wasn't Expecting That • {r. m. l}

7.0

Time doesn't take long
Three kids up and gone
I wasn't expecting that

(16 years later)

Ella

I was just stood in the small bedroom that had held so many memories. The bed that had once been a cot, so many years ago. The bookcase which instead of The Gruffalo now held Little Women, Thirteen Reasons Why and even Fifty Shades of Grey. The dark wooden floor which had been put down ten years before after numerous hot chocolate and milk stains had became too much on the fluffy, cream carpet. The walls, which had went from light blue walls with rather terrifying paintings of Dr Seuss characters that me and Rocky had painted, to bright pink walls and posters of Hannah Montanna, to the same pink that had been covered as much as possible with boybands and teenage heartthrobs, to the cream it was at that moment. But it was still different; the frames that held pictures of our family on holidays and at family events, the Polaroids that had been hanging on a line with clothes legs of her with her friends, peace signs and funny faces. All of her memories. All of our memories.

-
I stood looking over the walls of the crib, high for protection, so the little baby wouldn't be able to roll out and hurt herself. She was the youngest child and the last one. After Rosie and the twins, we were pretty sure that four was enough for us.

We had came home from the hospital that night, my parents had been watching Rosie, Jake and James for us. Rocky was calming them down while I put her in the crib, we needed to see how they would act with her.

"Mummy! Mummy!" I heard them shouting me as they ran into the room, Rocky following behind them. Rosie was the first one to run over to the cot, she put her head against the wooden bars of it and leaned her head as close as it could possibly be. I think she was really exited to not be the only girl.

"This is Katelyn." She asked me, I nodded stuck in the amazement of my children and how amazing they all were. "She's small."

"Of course she small." Rocky said quietly, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "She's just been born."

"Katewil." Jake whispered toddling to stand next to Rosie, almost tripping over. I giggled when he couldn't pronounce her name.

"You guys all have to be careful around her, okay." Rocky spoke kindly but there was a warning undertone. He was really protective over his family.

"Yeah."

"Daddy?"

"Hmm."

"How are babies made?" I burst out laughing as Rocky's face went white as a sheet.

-

Katelyn had just started crawling, Jake was playing with her happily on the floor of her bedroom as I put away some of her clothes with the previously ringing phone on my ear.

"Hello." I answered happily as I watched Katelyn poke Jake in the stomach.

"Ella." I instantly recognised my dads voice and I instantly paled sensing that something was wrong and his weak and hurt tone.

"Dad. What's wrong?" I asked quickly. A loud cry came through the phone and I dropped the clothes in my hand, my hand flying over my mouth. Jake looked up in alarm, Katelyn didn't see any difference.

"Sweetie, your mum...she's gone-" I didn't hear how or when it any of the details because the phone fell from my hand and tears fell from my eyes splashing on the floor. Loud sobs began to escape me and I fell to the floor. She was gone, my mother, just gone, forever.