Shattered

Chapter 10

Willow fell asleep in the car, so at the last minute, I decided to turn around to go to the 'abandoned' store where Connor and I met Harmony. Carefully, I take Willow out of the car and into the store. Her eyes opened for a split moment before she fell back to sleep. I walk inside to find the building to be warm and cozy. A perfect environment for Willow to rest for now. Certainly better than the car. Seconds later, Harmony walks out with a curious glance around the shop before she spots us. “Oh! Brooke, I didn’t kn-”

She stops dead in her tracks when she sees me holding a finger to my lips. Her eyes turn to Willow being cradled in my arms. I watch as her face melts into awe as she gets a closer look at my precious daughter. “She’s so cute!” Harmony gushes. I smile and nod. Harmony springs back as if suddenly remembering something and waves her arm towards herself. “Follow me. I know a place where she can rest peacefully.” I follow her to the back where she reveals a separate room with a couch inside. “I’ll go see if any spare blankets are lying around.” Harmony scampers away in search of a blanket for Willow as I gently place her on the couch. Her eyes flutter open for a moment and she turns to me. “Mommy?”

“Yes, baby?” She yawns as I straighten out her legs. “Where are we?” I help her slip her jacket off so she doesn’t overheat while lying down. “I’m seeing a friend just real quick, then we’ll go home, okay?” She tiredly nods as her eyes slowly close back shut. She looked like her head was about to fall off from her shoulders with how it tilts to the side. It was honestly cute how sleepy she looked. "Okay, go back to sleep." Her head softly hits the couch cushion and she's knocked out again. "She must've had a long day." I stand back up again and Harmony hands me a blanket she found. I unravel it and throw it over Willow's tiny figure. "You really love her." I follow Harmony out of the room, quietly closing the door behind me so Willow can rest in peace. "She can be quite the handful but she's a beautiful light in my life." I chuckle as we sit down. "I guess a lot of mothers would say that though." Harmony nods, leaning back in her chair. "Maybe, but it's known that a mother's love can be very strong. I just wish it was more common."

I face Harmony to see her features have suddenly darkened. I've never seen this side of her, and I questioned in my mind if she was perhaps talking about her own life. "Yeah, it's sad that it isn't the same for a lot of kids or even families. Some parents have their valid and understandable reasons, others may be better left unknown." I hear her scoff and I can't help but feel like she's holding something back. Something that probably feels like a burden to her. "Something happened, didn't it?" She faces me with a shocked and confused expression. "Between you and your mom, right?" Her lips press together in a thin line and she frowns again.

I sigh, remembering when I was just a teenager, finding out about my pregnancy. "I almost didn't have Willow, you know." Harmony sharply turns to me with a shocked expression. "What? Why? You look so happy right now." I smile and nod. "Yes, but imagine being just a teenager and finding out you're now pregnant."Harmony's mouth forms into an O of realization. "I was afraid but I knew the situation was out of my hand. After my parents found out from Emma, later that night when we had control again, they talked to me and comforted me. I asked what I should do but they told me it didn't matter. If I wanted to keep the baby, there's a chance Emma won't so it wouldn't matter. Same the other way. If I didn't, she could."

"Did you know what to do anyway?" I shrug, frowning. "I didn't choose. I didn't want to. It wouldn't have mattered. All I felt was confused about the whole situation. In the end, Emma's parents had convinced her to keep her." I sit up straight, not realizing I had slumped over. "I felt relieved though. I remember that much."