We Were Gods: Oleander: Book One

Patchwork

"Maman! Maman!" The boy ran into the room, tears in his eyes.

"Oh, mon chou chou." His mother cooed as chubby hands grabbed her blue apron. "What's wrong, my sweet?" She chuckled as he began to mumble a mile a minute into her apron. "I can't hear you dear." She reminded him.

Large tear-filled brown eyes stared up at her after wiping his tears and snot into her apron. "I fell." He whispered, his front tooth wiggling as he spoke.

"You fell?" She asked, feigning alarm. "Oh no!" She crouched down to maintain eye contact with her son. She smiled at him lovingly as she brushed his brown hair from his face. "Well did you get hurt here?" She asked, kissing his nose.

"Non."

"Here?" She kissed his hand.

"Non." He started to laugh, causing her to smile even wider. "I gotted my knee, maman." He explained with his fingers in his mouth. She scooped him up and placed him on the counter. He watched as she set the cookie batter beside him and walked away to go gather a washcloth and Band-Aid.

A laugh escaped her lips as she walked back into the kitchen, shaking her head. "Did you eat all the cookie batter, mon chou chou?" She asked as she walked back over to the counter. A toothy grin passed over the young boy's lips. "Well, you're going to have to help me make more, mister." She poked his nose and started cleaning the scrape on his knee.

The child watched carefully as his mother cleaned him up, finally reaching out a hand to run sausage fingers through her hair. "Why do you gots gris hair maman?"

Tired blue eyes looked up into brown ones, a small smile passing over her thin lips, "Well, grey hair shows wisdom. It's like the rings on a tree. We all get them, baby." He continued to run his fingers through her hair, carefully thinking over her words.

"I also hurted my elbow."

"We'll just have to get you patched up, eh?"

Mother had always been my best friend and my rock. The world blurs and swirls as she is taken to the hospital. Nothing feels real. My daughter stays rooted in my arms with wide eyes. She is strong and unafraid even though I am crumbling on the inside. She is so young but she understands that something is wrong. She has always been a mature little girl. She is the one that is currently keeping me rooted to the world as we await news.

"Bless it all!" Oleander yelled, taking in deep breaths. He tried to remain calm, but the blood pouring from his body was doing nothing to comfort him.

"Oleander!" Patricia exclaimed, opening the sliding glass door and running out to her son. The moment he saw his mother, the young teen broke down in tears.

"I got hurt." He gasped through sobs.

Motherly hands examined his leg, concern showing over her wrinkled face. "Oh, mon chou chou, I told you not to jump from the roof." She let out a sigh. Oleander reached out to wrap his arms around her. "It looks broken... Or at least you make it sound that way if you're in that much pain." She ran her hand over the back of his head, her other hand rubbing his back.

"It really hurts." He choked out.

"Your father'll be home soon. We should go to the hospital to get you checked out." A paper-thin frown overtook her lips, a frown that she would never show her son as worry washed through her.

"We don't have the money for that!" Oleander pulled away from her, guilt and more tears washed over him.

"That's what parents are for, my sweet. It is not your place to worry about that sort of thing. We always find a way." She continued to rub his back, loving eyes focused on his gritting teeth.