Less Than Graceful: Chapter 1
Grace was bored, and when she got bored, she did things that could get her in trouble. It was fairly quiet in the hospital room and the silence was deafening to the little girl. Stella was down the hall talking on the phone, and Grace was thoughtfully fingering a blue crayon.
When the police had come in, Grace had been sitting on the dining room table coloring. In all the commotion, she'd just stuffed the crayon into her pants pocket. Sitting in the hospital room singing her herself, Grace was glad that she had the crayon. There was an entire white wall that was just begging for some pretty blue pictures.
Stella stood outside the door, frustrated beyond belief. They'd been there for hours and Child Services still hadn't shown up. Grace had been very cooperative but hadn't managed to give them anything of importance. What worried her the most was that Grace still hadn't been told that her mom was dead, and she kept asking questions.
Still, Stella couldn't help smiling when Grace's childish singing floated through the door. The smile faded when she walked into the room. "Grace!" she yelped.
Grace turned and smiled innocently. "Like my picture?" she asked sweetly. There was a Grace-sized stick person with curly hair holding hands with an arm that didn't yet have a body. "That's me," Grace explained. "That was gunna be Mac only I'm not tall enough."
Stella regained movement in her limbs and took the crayon out of the little girl's hand. "Don't ever color on the walls," she said sternly.
Grace's lower lip jutted out. "Are you goina tell my momma?" she asked fearfully.
Stella sank into a chair. She really didn't want to be the one to tell Grace that her mom was dead, but every time she mentioned her mom in the cheerful little voice, Stella's heart broke a little. "Sweetie, come here," Stella beckoned. Grace very happily climbed into Stella's lap. "Do you remember what you told Mac about your dad?" Stella asked.
Grace nodded. "He died," she said in a slightly saddened tone. "Momma said he's an angel now."
Stella hadn't been sure how to tell her, but she'd just been given an out. She swallowed thickly and wrapped her arms around Grace. "Well, your momma went to be with him."
Grace pulled away and stared up at Stella. "What?" she asked.
Stella almost burst into tears at the confused, hurt look on the little girl's heart-shaped face. "Your mom passed away," Stella said softly.
Grace was still confused. "I don't know what that means," she said.
Stella bit her lip. "You know how your daddy...umm, died?" Grace nodded. "It--your mom...did too."
Grace's eyes got impossibly big. "She left me?" she asked brokenly.
Stella shook her head. "No!" Then, softer, "Baby, your mom loved you, but something people get called to be...angels...before they want to. It's okay to be sad about it."
Grace had no qualms about being sad. She buried her face in the crook of Stella's neck and sobbed.
Mac was standing at the door watching the two females. He turned away when a tear trailed down Stella's cheek. His cheeks had a pink tint and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. It wasn't the CSI's job to tell a child that their mother was dead.
TBC...Well, I thought I'd hurry up and get this chapter posted. I've had it written since just after the first one was, but I never got around to posting it...the next chap should be up soon.