Reflections of Light

To The Children

"He's so teeny weeny!" Billy giggled, looking at his baby brother in the hospital crib.

Luci chuckled. "You were that size once."

"Nuh uh! I'm big!"

"You're big now." Dec grinned, ruffling his hair.

"I'm bigger." Lila announced definitely. "And I'm older."

"Guess that makes you in charge of this rabble then." Dec teased, gesturing to the assembled children.

"Nuh uh! She's not in charge of me!" Billy objected loudly.

In Luci's arms, the baby girl whined quietly, kicking her legs out of her swaddling, startled by Billy's yelling and bored already with laying still.

Lila's eyes lit up immediately. "Ooh, can I hold her?"

"Not quite yet." Luci said kindly. "She's... delicate."

"But I'll be really careful, I promise!"

Billy pouted, looking at his brother then to Declan. "When's he comin' home? I wanna boy to play wif!"

"Feeling outnumbered, are you?" Dec teased; Billy nodded seriously, making everybody laugh. 

"Soon, Little Man." Dec reassured him. "He'll be coming home soon." 

As if hearing their conversation, the tiny baby flickered open his eyes, looking around at them curiously with his wide baby blues. Billy and Lila, upon seeing the phenomenon, scurried over to his side to look, with smiles of awe, small waves and whispered greetings. Smiling, Declan put his hand inside the crib, watching as the baby curled his small fist around his father's offered finger, making the children coo in delight.

Slowly, Luci approached, crouching slightly and adjusting her daughter in her arms so that the baby could see inside the crib. "Look! It's your brother!"

***
"You know, I don't think I've properly held your daughter yet?" Travis commented.

Dec shrugged casually. "Luci's just a bit protective of her at the moment. Understandably, given the circumstances. And baby needs her rest."

Travis nodded slowly, accepting his answer. "I guess it can't be easy, being born so early. I hope she's doing alright."

"We'll manage." Dec smiled. "So where's your sister likely to go if she's not come back to your house?" He asked, pouring them both a glass of whisky. Travis had been practically camped out there for several days now, in an effort to aid with the search. 

"Your bar. But she's not going to go there either, for obvious reasons." 

"No… But she does know some of the people there, and they might have seen her." Dec suggested. 

"She's most likely run off with her boyfriend, you know." Luci said, rocking the baby gently as she perched on a chair at the opposite end of the room. 

"It's logical." Dec nodded. "We just don't know where he is either." 

"Hell?" Luci offered.

"Yeah, hopefully not; that'd make this much more difficult." Dec said in a way that was probably supposed to sound carefree and jokey, but just came out exhausted.

"He's crazy. They're both crazy."

"She's unwell." Dec corrected. 

"You should lock her back up in the hospital."

"She'll be coming home with me." Travis said. "We're her family, we'll help her. I can't understand how we ever thought sending her away was a good idea. Rachel's been worried sick."

"I feel sorry for Rach, she's not really had a good time of it recently." Sympathised Dec. "You tell her not to fret, I'm handling it." 

"She said that doesn't fill her with confidence." 

"I'm in her bad books, huh?" 

"Ohhh, yes." Travis nodded.

***

"Sit down and listen to the story, please!" Mrs Campbell tried in a firm voice, as Billy clambered all over the sofa, practically running an obstacle course around the living room.

Sitting at her Grandmother's feet, Lila giggled. "He's naughty! I'm doing good listening, aren't I Grandma?"

"Yes, dear, you're being very well behaved." Mrs Campbell said tiredly.

"When do we get to da bit wif da whale?" Billy asked, hanging upside down over the back of the chair.

Mrs Campbell furrowed her brow. "What whale? ... Oh no, sweetie, that's Jonah! We're reading about Moses. You know, the baby in the bullrushes?"

"Mags used to wead me Bible storwies." Billy said matter-of-factly. "I told her dey didn't make sense, an' she said I woz a he-van."

"Well, don't worry, I'm not going to call you a heathen." Mrs Campbell said kindly. "I'll try and help you understand them a bit better."

"I just like the stories." Lila said. "They're fun."

There was the sound of a car on the gravel outside, and Nibs began yipping at the door. Billy was up in a flash, running to the door with Lila following behind at a more sensible pace. "Mummy! Daddy!"

Pulling it open, he found Declan and Luci on the doorstep; holding between them two bundles. Hearts swelling hopefully in their chests, the two children looked up at their parents; Declan's wide grin confirming their belief. "Guess who's home?"

Very swiftly they were all congregated in the living room; a small gathering but a merry one, with the children cooing over their siblings and grandma doting on her new grandchildren, and even Travis getting the opportunity to pull faces at his new nephew, making the child squeal with delight; whilst Dec and Luci beamed with pride.

Tapping his glass to get everyone's attention, Dec raised it high in a toast. "To my children- all my children."

***

"We're going out, Love, if that's alright." Dec said, gesturing to both himself and Travis. "We think we have a lead. Will you be okay?"

"Sure." Luci smiled sleepily, cradling her son in her arms. "I'll be fine."

Dec kissed her cheek sweetly. "Why don't both of you go to bed? You're tired, his sister's in her crib already and he's practically asleep."

Whilst the children did have a nursery, after the scare she'd had with the incidents surrounding their birth, Luci liked to keep them close; and so had it set up so that they had a cot besides her bed; the idea being that the two could snuggle up together whilst she could keep a watchful eye.

With everything that had happened, everything that had been revealed, she was scared out of her mind; and it wasn't helping with her sleeping. The fear was playing on her mind, always.

Another thing that wasn't helping with her sleeping was her son; but she didn't blame him for it. All he wanted after coming home was skin-on-skin contact; he always wanted to be held, to be safely cradled, and refused to be put down.

With his sister sleeping like an angel besides him, he grizzled and whined, refusing to settle. Tiredly, Luci reached over into the crib and plucked him out, cradling him against her chest and rocking him until he quieted.

To be completely honest, she craved this too; there was something so therapeutic about the warmth of his tiny body against hers, a warm wave of motherly bliss washing over her. Unwilling to wake him by returning him to his bed and unwilling to loose this feeling, she closed her eyes and leant back against the pillow to rest; both mother and baby drifting of into a peaceful doze.

I hope this is alright, I didn't really like it much for a while, but I think either it's sorted now or I'm too tired to care anymore XD

Anyway, hopefully you like it! Feedback is always appreciated! :)