Hope's Mommy
By Crazy4Cocopuffs
AN: This is a one-shot story about Mina's daughter, not Mina. This story is in loving memory of my cousin Hope, who died a year ago tomorrow. I love you girl. God bless.
Mina had been alone, seventeen, and pregnant when she met the love of her life. It was a long story, but basically Mina's boyfriend Kevin had left her as soon as he found out she was pregnant and her parents had kicked her out. She was living in a homeless shelter for two weeks before she met Ryan Harper, a social worker who had been assigned to her. They would talk for hours and Mina knew right away that they had a connection.
But it had taken nearly a month for him to ask her out. They had gone to a little restaurant overlooking the ocean and had taken a walk on the beach afterward. They went on more and more dates until finally, four months after their first date and two months before Mina was due to have her baby.
They married a month after that, in a small ceremony with friends and family and moved into Ryan's small house. Ryan had spent that whole month before the wedding putting together a nursery in one of the two spare rooms. When he brought Mina to the house after the honeymoon, she was delighted with what he'd done. Ryan went with Mina to her doctor's appointments and baby shopping.
When the baby finally arrived, at 4 am and after almost twenty hours of labor, the baby boy was named Jared Asher. Just before she fell asleep after the birth, Mina kissed her son's forehead and said, "It's nice to finally see you, Jared. You were definitely worth it."
Jared was soon home and Mina and Ryan developed the habits that joined a family together. In the blink of an eye, Jared was three years old and Mina was anxiously waiting for Ryan to come home from work one day. She had big news. When Ryan walked through the front door, Mina pulled him into the living room, kissed him, and said, "I'm pregnant." Ryan was shocked for a second and then he snapped out of his stupor, hugging Mina and spinning her around.
"That's great!" He said. He was already planning how to decorate the other spare room into a new nursery.
Time seemed to fly and exactly seven months, one week, and three days after Mina told her husband she was pregnant, Hope Ami Harper entered the world. She was a bubbly baby, always smiling and giggling. Jared loved Hope and he instantly acted as her protector. Whenever Hope cried, Jared was the first one there, soothing her until Mina arrived with a bottle or a fresh diaper.
Jared and Hope were inseparable until Jared was six and Hope was three. Jared had gone off to school for the first time. Hope loved her brother and was always there to greet him when he got home. And soon Hope would be a big sister, because Mina discovered that she was once again pregnant.
Hope became a big sister eight months later. Her new sister, Alyssa Serenity, became Hope's main concern. But, unlike Jared had done with her, Hope insisted in being involved with Alyssa. She would change diapers, give Alyssa her bottle, and sing her to sleep at nap time. Mina had even begun to call Alyssa 'Hope's Baby'. Hope always smiled when her mother said that.
Finally Mina had the close family that she'd always wanted. Everything was perfect, until the very first day Hope had attended kindergarten, two years later. The morning had been great for Hope. She'd made friends with a bunch of girls and even a few boys, had drawn pictures for her mom and Alyssa, and had been assigned as the feeder of the class goldfish, Martin, a coveted position in Mrs. Loken's classroom.
Mina had walked Hope to the school bus stop, which was right across the street from their house, that morning but when Hope got home that afternoon, her mother was no where in sight. Hope didn't know that Mina was getting Alyssa ready when Hope's bus had arrived early. Hope was impatient so she decided to cross the street by herself once the bus pulled away from the curb.
As Hope stepped into the street, Mina opened the front door and stepped out. She hadn't seen Hope step into the street and by the time Mina had looked up, Hope was in the path of an oncoming car that didn't seem to see her.
Mina screamed. "Hope! Look out!" and ran for her daughter but it was too late. By the time Mina had reached the street, the car was speeding around the corner and Hope was lying in the street, unconscious.
Neighbors had heard Mina scream and, after seeing the broken girl in the road and her hysterical mother, called for help. An ambulance arrived shortly and rushed little Hope to the emergency room, Mina holding her hand the whole time. Mina was still clinging to Alyssa, who was oddly enough whimpering and not screaming. Once they arrived at the hospital, Hope was rushed into the ER and Mina carried Alyssa into the waiting room, where she called her husband and told him what had happened. Ryan collected Jared from school and was at the hospital within an hour.
They waited for three hours before they heard anything. Alyssa had been sleeping, Mina was crying against Ryan, and Jared was…praying. Even though his parents weren't really into religion, Jared had learned about praying from one of his friends and knew that he would need to pray for Hope.
The doctor came in, his white doctor's coat splattered with blood. He sadly shook his head when Mina and Ryan looked up, saying gently, "I'm sorry. We tried everything, but we couldn't save her."
Mina fainted against Ryan. Ryan was crying loudly, holding his wife and infant daughter. Jared sat in the chair next to his father, staring straight ahead. He was shocked. He was supposed to be the one who protected her, but he had left her alone and now she was never coming back.
The doctor left the family to grieve. Jared climbed into his dad's lap, looking for reassurance, but all he found in his father's eyes was sorrow and pain. The family stayed there for hours, holding each other and crying.
One week later, Hope Ami Harper was buried in the local cemetery. Her grave marker was simple yet chosen with love. Under an inscribed angel, it read:
Hope Ami Harper
Beloved daughter and sister
Our love for you will never be lost
Mina, Ryan, Jared, and Alyssa eventually gained a semi-normal life. As soon as Alyssa was old enough to understand, she was taught of her older sister, the one who would make her teddy bear talk to her and told her stories until she fell asleep everyday. Hope was never forgotten. Mina knew, in her heart, that her little Hope was now an angel in heaven and because she believed that, it was easier for Mina to live her life. She knew that Hope was watching over them. But Mina never had another child.
She sat upon the kind Man's lap, He said "I've called you back to Me, He said "This is your home now, child, He said "My angel, are you not content, He said, "Down there you were a precious bud, "So as you now perch on your cloud, She said, "I miss my family."
In a gown of white and air.
She said, "Why must I stay up here,
While mommy cries down there?"
This is where you dwell."
She said, "I need to go back, please
My daddy's not handling this well."
It is here that you must stay."
She said " But brother prays each night
That I'll come back to play."
Have I truly failed you there?'
She said, "My baby sister wants
To share her teddy bear."
Up here is where you'll bloom.
You were not meant for life on earth,
Outside your mother's womb."
they perch beside your grave,
and bow their heads in thanks and awe
for the lessons that you gave."
He said, "I know it's true.
But you and I will sit right here,
'till they come home to you."