Love Before Birth | Book One

Chapter Eleven | A Time Skip

A few years later passed. Mirabelle and Stephanie were sitting on Mirabelle's porch, chatting and enjoying their cups of green tea. In Cerise's old nursery, which was now just her room, Cerise and Brenden were sitting down on her fluffy, white carpet. Cerise's reddish brown hair was in in two low pigtails and she was wearing a purple shirt and matching skirt with socks. Brenden was wearing a green shirt and blue pants with green socks, his hair dirty blonde in a Caesar cut but covered with a white beanie. "What do you wanna do, Cece?" Brenden asked, moving his feet back in forth in a horizontal motion. Cerise playfully rolled her eyes, riding on her rocking horse. "How am I supposed to know? Ben, why are you always askin' me what I wanna do? Let's do somethin' you wanna this time," Cerise protested. Brenden smiled and tapped his chin, pretending to think thoughtfully.

"How bout' we go out into the world?" Ben asked. Cerise's face seemed to light up and she nodded. The two three year olds had been referring to outside as 'the world' for as long as they could remember. They both raced through out Cerise's door, through the hallway and kitchen, and out the back door to the porch. "Mama? Mama? Can we pretty please, with Dora on top, go into the world?" Cerise plead. Mirabelle put down her cup of tea and looked at the children with a puzzled face.

"What, the world?" Mirabelle said as Stephanie laughed. "They mean outside, into the field." Stephanie said. A look of realization spread on Mirabelle's face. "Oh, that's right, that's what they call it. Well, you can go if Auntie Stephanie approves." The two children's faces looked eagerly at Stephanie, who was laughing again. "Of course you can, be careful, though." She said. Cerise and Brenden beamed. "Race ya!" Brenden called and began out the door and towards the field, Cerise following from behind.

They both ran until they reached the part of the field that was covered by tall grass and flowers. Cerise tilted back, her fall broken by the soft, green grass and Brenden did the same. Brenden pointed at the sky, grinning. "Look! That cloud looks like a marshmallow!" He exclaimed. Cerise giggled. "Silly, they all look like marshmallows." She said. He shrugged, "Yeah, but that one looks extra marshmallowy." They both burst out laughing, making 'grass angels.' Then, they stood up and started running around, Cerise chasing down a blue butterfly and Brenden chasing down an orange one.

Suddenly, Cerise tripped on a twig and fell face first into the grass. She picked herself up in a push-up motion and began to cry. Brenden rushed to her side, a worried look on his face. "Cece! Are you okay, Cece?" He asked. Her face was soaked with tears and she was crying too much to speak, so she shook her head 'no.' He helped her sit down in the grass and offered her his beanie to wipe her tears. "It's okay, don't cry," He said softly. Her crying slowed and she showed a slight smile. "Come on." He gave her his hand to help her stand up but when she got on her left foot, she winced. "Ow!" She exclaimed.

So, instead, he went by her left side and put her arm around his, letting her lean on him so she could use him as her left leg. A bigger smile spread on her face and, together, they limped to the Alston house. Once they went through the screen door of the porch, both mothers put their cups down and rushed over to the children. They realized that only Cerise was hurt and Mirabelle got her First Aid kit, sitting her down on her lap, Brenden close by. "Where does it hurt, Sweetheart?" Mirabelle asked and Cerise pointed to her left leg. She wasn't crying anymore. Mirabelle rolled up her pants' left leg and saw that her leg was scraped, blood running.

"This will sting a little," Mirabelle warned. Brenden saw that Cerise was frightened of the spray that her mom was holding so he went close to her and held her hand. He gave her a smile that showed that he was going to be there for her and she smiled again. Mirabelle quickly cleaned the cut, sprayed the antibacterial spray on her leg and put on a purple Band-Aid. Cerise hadn't even noticed because her focus had been on Brenden. "Better?" Mirabelle asked her and Cerise grinned, nodding. "Can we go back outside?" Cerise asked, now off of her mother's' lap. Mirabelle and Stephanie looked shocked, looking at Cerise and Brenden.

"You really want to go outside?" Stephanie questioned. "After you just got hurt? Maybe you want stay inside until it finishes healing?" The two three year olds looked eager as if Cerise hadn't even gotten scraped or upset. "Yes!" They both said in unison, holding each other's hands and grinning. Mirabelle and Stephanie smiled. "Go on ahead you two," Mirabelle said and the kids went back outside, frolicking and playing games like leap frog.