This story is in honor of a little girl named Ava Rosemeyer. She tragically passed away after accidentally locking herself in her parents car in the hot sun. She would have been 10 years old yesterday (August 22). This is for you, Ava.

Chapter 1

The day we lost Gracie was the worst day of our lives. I just remember feeling like it wasn't real. It wasn't happening. We were all just so caught up with what we were doing, we didn't realize how long she'd been gone. Her plan was to go to Grandpa's house. That's Troy's dad. He lived right next door. The kids came and went between houses as they pleased. Supposedly, she'd forgotten something over there so I let her go by herself to get it. She wasn't one to go somewhere she wasn't allowed, so I didn't even bother worrying about it. Roughly forty-five minutes later, I went to look for her. I asked Jack if Gracie was still at his house and he said she'd come home about thirty minutes ago.

That sent me into panic mode. When she came home, she always announced her arrival. We checked everywhere. Jack's place, both backyards, both basements, both everything in both houses. She had a battery powered Barbie car in our garage, so we even checked there to see if she'd gotten it out. When we saw that it was still in place, we really panicked. Fortunately, our oldest son Bryce noticed that our van's driver window was slightly cracked. He knew that we never left the windows down.

I ran to that van as quick as possible, and inside the driver seat was our precious Gracie. She seemed asleep. She had a bag of Swedish Fish in her lap and she was slumped down in the seat, her hair completely soaked from sweating. I had the van's keys in my pocket, but I couldn't think to use them to unlock the door. Instead, I took off one of my heels and bashed it against the window.

I know you're supposed to break the window furthest away from the child, but I was in panic mode. I didn't bother unlocking the door. I just lifted little Gracie out of the van and immediately ran inside, Troy hot on my trail, Bryce hot on his, and Jack hot on his. I didn't know what I was going to do. I was scared to death that my baby girl was already dead. I couldn't think. All I knew was that I wanted her to wake up.

Troy was the calm one. He helped me through everything. He was strong while I was weak. I still feel bad for not being stronger. I had him to be strong while I was weak, but he didn't have me to be strong while he was weak. I feel horrible for not being strong enough to be there for him. He's always been the strong one.

I was sixteen years old when I got pregnant with Bryce. Eighteen with Matt. We were young parents, and I was scared shitless. Especially with Bryce.

"What are we gonna do, Troy? I'm a kid, I can't raise one," I sobbed.

"We're going to be fine, okay? We can do this, I promise," Troy said, cupping my face. "We'll get through this."

"How? We're kids. We're in high school, we don't have jobs..."

"We can work at Lava Springs."

"I am not going to be the help at my own country club."

Troy sat next to me, kissing my head. "We'll figure something out. I promise. We just have to keep our heads up and give this baby the best life he or she can have. We'll make sure we're the best teenaged parents there are. We'll give this baby inspiration."

I sniffled and stared at Troy, looking back and forth into those gorgeous blue eyes of his. I laid my head down on his shoulder. "Will we be good parents?"

"We'll be amazing parents. We'll never let anything bad happen to this baby. Ever."

We didn't let anything bad happen to Bryce. But something bad did happen to Gracie. Once she was admitted into the hospital, I couldn't move from that uncomfortable chair by her bedside. I stayed there day and night, holding her hand and whispering to her. I'd get in bed with her and cuddle with her. I stroked her hair. I told her how much I loved her. I told her she'd be okay. She wasn't okay.

The day they told me she was brain dead, I went crazy. I kept telling the doctors she wasn't gone, she was right there.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bolton... Grace is gone," the doctor said.

I only half heard her. I was too busy talking to Gracie.

"Sharpay," Troy said harshly.

I looked up at him. Tears were falling down his face. His eyes were red. I looked at the doctor. She had tears in her own eyes. "What? What's going on?" I asked.

"Grace..." the doctor said.

"What about her? She's sleeping."

"She's gone, Mrs. Bolton... I'm so sorry that we couldn't do anything more."

I stared at her. "She's... She's right here. She's not gone, she's right here."

"Mrs. Bolton, her brain... it's not functioning. She's brain dead. She's gone."

It set in, but I refused to believe it. "...No," I said. "No, she's... she's right here, she's in my arms. She's not gone, she's here," my voice cracked.

"Shar..." Troy whispered. "She's gone, baby... She's not coming back."

I stared at Gracie. The doctor did something to a machine that I didn't care about. Then I realized it was her breathing machine. The doctor took the tube out of her mouth and I held my own breath as my precious Gracie took her very last.

The second it hit me that she was really gone and I heard that flat line, I broke down. Tears poured, my chest heaved, and I felt sick to my stomach. My baby girl was really gone. Dead. Never coming home. I'll never hear her laugh or the pitter patter of her tiny three-year-old feet running down the hall. I'll never hear those sweet 'I wub you's.

That's all that went through my mind. That still goes through my mind. I'm a lot better now than I was back then. I don't dwell on the past anymore. I don't wish my life away. I don't take anything for granted. Instead of grieving over the loss of Gracie, I cherish the short time I had with her.

"Mom!"

Oh. Great. Someone broke something, or someone hit someone else... or someone... did something. God, I never get a break.

"Mom!"

"What!" I shouted, walking out of my office. "What is it? Who did what?"

"No one did anything," Bryce said. "Gracie needs a diaper change, and I'm not touching that. That's not my territory."

"You offered to babysit, Bryce Christopher. Diaper changing is part of babysitting. Go do it."

"Ew, no, please Mom, anything but that. It's different when she's just wet, but she reeks," he said, handing the baby over to me.

"Oh my gosh, I'll do it," Matt said, walking by us and taking Gracie from me. "Man up a little, Bryce. I'm the gay one, remember? Not you. Don't be such a girl."

I raised an eyebrow and smirked as we both watched Matt walk down the hall. At only 12 years old, Matt was very sure with his sexuality. "I guess he told you, then," I said, walking back into my study.

Bryce followed me and closed the door. "Mom."

"Bryce."

"I have a question."

"Which is...?" I asked, sitting at my computer desk.

"Can I go on a date with Christy?"

"Christy..."

"Christy Gray. She's the tall, blonde, and perky one."

I hated that girl with a passion. She was stuck up, obnoxious, and rude. Kind of like I was in high school. But worse. A lot worse.

Letting out a breath, I knew I couldn't keep babying him. He was fourteen years old. He had to have is first date at some point. "...As long as you're home by ten and no later than, then you can go. But you have to text me when you get there and when you're on your way home. That's it."

"No thirty minute check ups?"

"Not this time."

"I love you," Bryce said, hugging me. He looked at the ceiling. "Thank you, Gracie The First."

As he left the room, I leaned back in my chair, looking at the ceiling myself. "Yes... Thank you, Gracie The First."

So, let me know what you think. It'd mean a lot. I don't know Ava personally, but her story has been close to my heart since I learned about her tragic death. If you'd like more information on little Ava, you can go to www-sheyerosemeyerphotography-com/blog/superprince ss/ and read the whole story. Just replace the - with a period and take out the space between the 'e' and the 'ss' in superprincess.