Broken Descent (Bruno Mars)

Little Wonder

As soon as Bruno left, Charlotte didn't know what to do. She wandered around for a while. Jaime and Cindia watched her and followed her outside with the rest of the kids. She continued to play but carried a certain demeanor on her face.

"Should we talk to her?" Cindia asked.

Jaime shook her head. "She's fine. Bruno talked to her about this before. We shouldn't make a big deal out of this, because it's not. It's only two weeks."

"She's so out of it though," Cindia said, looking out to the backyard.

"That's just because he's the only one. All the other kids here have two parents so it's a little different for her."

"Maybe one day he'll settle down..."

"Hey," Jaime said. "Even if he doesn't I think he's doing enough of a job that two parents do. I was doubtful for the longest time, but he's doing a great job. I mean, look at her."

They both looked out at the kids, watching Liam and Zadeh starting to argue and fight. Charlotte was off to the side, playing with a couple of her toys. For the first night, everyone gathered since they were already together. Cindia made a large dinner for everyone. She made chicken fingers, french fries, and broccoli. Charlotte started to dig in first, without any hesitation.

"Well," Jaime laughed a little. "She's definitely got pieces of her daddy in her."

The girls laughed a little bit as everyone ate. Toward the end of the meal, Zadeh started throwing his broccoli.

"Food fight!" he yelled, aiming for Liam. The two of them fought back and forth. The other boys joined in shortly after. Charlotte picked her head up to look at the commotion, and then continued eating again.

"Boys!" Urbana yelled. "Boys! Stop!"

"I don't wanna eat broccoli!" Liam complained. "I want more chicken."

"Nope," Cindia shook her head. "You're eating your vegetables. They're good for you."

"No!" Liam yelled getting up and running away. Cindia was about to respond and chase after him, but decided it wasn't worth it.

The rest of the boys copied Liam. Charlotte was the last kid at the table. She looked up, after taking her last bite of broccoli.

"Charlotte," Cindia said. "Do you want more broccoli?"

Charlotte nodded with a smile. "Yes please."

Cindia took Liam's plate and gave Charlotte some of his brocolli.

"I want a girl," Jaime said, smiling. "Why can't I get a girl? This is NOT fair. My kids are never this good."

The rest of them agreed and laughed a little, staring at Charlotte. When she got up to play with her toys, they continued to talk about her.

"Why does Bruno have the sweetest kid? Never could have predicted that. He's lucky."

"Well," Urbana said, "I know you guys don't see them together as much as I do, but part of it's Bruno too. Some of it might be her personality, but a lot of it has to do with him. You guys should give him some credit."

Later that night, Charlotte's demeanor changed again, when the bedtime routine came into play. The routine wasn't the same, and her routine was something she counted on, something she looked forward to. Cindia knelt on the floor, helping Charlotte into her pajamas. Cindia handed Charlotte the macaw, which made her smile a bit. The smile dropped in a matter of minutes and a pout emerged from her face.

Charlotte's voice began to shake and stutter when she got under the sheets.

"Shh..." Cindia whispered. "It's okay."

"Mi....miss...Daddy..." she muttered.

"I know," Cindia said, holding Charlotte's hand. "You'll see him very, very soon."

Charlotte very quietly cried herself to sleep that very first night. The rest of the nights went similarly.

At the same time, Bruno and the band were mid-air, on their way for a TV appearance for the Today Show. The band was asleep, except for Bruno. He was about to call Cindia, to see how things were going, but it was late in L.A. It was late everywhere. He scrolled through all the pictures of Charlotte...of the two of them. He started from the first pictures he ever stored and worked his way up to the present day. The older pictures grounded him. The older pictures were a quick reminder of that tiny, frail, and fragile she was when he first met her, when he first found her. His hand was much bigger than her hand. Her face was tiny. She was a little "peanut."

Phil woke up for a bit, smiling at Bruno. "Hey man. Enjoy your time now. You're free for a little while."

"I don't feel free. I think that's the problem."

"We'll be back before you know it."

There was something very special about the nighttime routine Bruno established with his daughter, and that was exactly what he was missing this first night away from her in a while. She was a little miracle, his little miracle. Although he missed her like crazy, seeing her pictures from when she was a few weeks old, still struggling, brought him back into perspective. This perspective reminded him that he had to work hard for his little wonder. He had to be an example. He had to make her proud, as proud as he was of her.

Bruno tackled each personal question as it came. Nearly every interview tried to pry, but Bruno stood his ground. He was very careful about the details he released.

As Phil predicted, Bruno's promotion for the new album did go by fast. He couldn't wait to come back home. Charlotte jolted a bit after hearing the slamming of a car trunk.

"D...D..." was all she was able to gasp; she was too excited. holding her macaw tight in her arms. She ran as fast as her little legs could take her. Bruno and Eric emerged from the front door. Bruno heard her footsteps getting close; he knelt down, preparing to get mobbed.

As soon as he was within eyesight, she squealed. "Daddy!"

"Charlotte!" Bruno smiled, opening up his arms to embrace her. He never could have imagined she could give such a tight hug.

"I missed you, Daddy," her voice muffled into his shoulder.

"Aww," Bruno said, turning his head toward her. He held his hand firmly on the back of her head. "I missed you too."

Cindia came out to the front entryway of the house too. She and Eric greeted and hugged each other. "Hey!

"Were you a good girl?" Bruno said, looking over at Cindia and winking.

Charlotte nodded her head.

"She was good, Bruno," Cindia said. "Very good. Anytime you need us to watch her, we'd be glad to."

"Well it won't be for a long time," Bruno sighed, planting a ton of kisses on her cheek. Charlotte burst into unstoppable giggles. "At least not for that long...."

The three of them talked for a very short while before Bruno noticed Charlotte was out like a light, her breaths slowed.

"She didn't sleep too well."

Bruno pouted and gently rubbed her back.

"Neither did Bruno, " Eric grinned, patting his shoulder before leaving for Liam's room.

They quickly discussed Christmas plans. It came up very abruptly. They would all meet and spend Christmas night together. Bruno wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with his little girl....his little wonder...and he couldn't wait to see her bright face on Christmas.