Fragile

Harriet

Disclaimer: this was written in the point of view of a five year old, which is a lot more challenging that it sounds. I did my best to make it sound as if a child were reciting it, but had some difficulty. Hopefully it isn't too bad! (I also changed her name to Harriet because that's what Jackson and April named her in the season premiere)

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Mommy and daddy fought a lot about me. They made me plug my ears and sing ABC really loud so that their mean words didn't mush up my brain. That's what happened, according to mommy. Now they had something else to yell about: me running and how I shouldn't have been born. That made me feel like crying. I bit my tongue and plugged my ears and hummed ABC instead of singing. I heard the muffles of their voices before daddy picked me up and walked out of the door.

"Jackson Avery, where the hell do you think you're going with my child?"

My eyes widened so much I think they almost fell out onto the ground and rolled out the door.

"Mommy, you said a naughty word!"

She was too mad to notice. Daddy looked at her and said something before slamming the door and taking me to the car.

"To the hospital April. Drop a dime in the swear jar."

Then we zoomed away in the car. I told myself all the things I knew in my head.

In Brazil, Rio is pronounced "Hio."
The national animal of Scotland is a unicorn.
Neil Armstong's boots are still floating around in space.

They helped me stay quiet when mommy and daddy were having mad feelings. Before I knew it, daddy was carrying me in the emergency doors.
My friend (and Doctor, she was good at being lots of things) Callie came and looked me over quickly.

"What's wrong with her?" She asked daddy.

He shook his head. "We're sleeping here tonight. Spare or on call?"

"There's a spare room up in peds. I'll get it ready."

We went up the elevator and onto my favourite floor. Monkeys and lions and fire trucks were on the computers and walls. Callie let us sleep in an empty room that had yellow walls and a frog painting.

"Poodle?" Daddy asked me.

I nodded my head. "Oodles of poodles in this room."

We played poodle every time I came up to peds. However many times I had stayed in the same room was how many poodles I said. Except I had been in this room so many times I lost count of poodles. Maybe 10, or 20, or even a kazillion! But poodle wasn't as fun without mommy. wanted her to tuck me in. I wanted to go back home.