The Canadian man smiled at his sister when he sat down by her hospital bed, almost trying to be brave even though he was certain she couldn't see him. He hated to admit it but she looked like hell. There were patches of skin that were missing from her skidding along the rode, her arm was in a cast, the doctors had shoved a feeding tube down her throat to keep her alive… she didn't look like the Amelia he knew. She didn't look like the sister he loved.

Comforted in the fact that she would at least be alright from all of this—a coma for a nation was more like a long sleep where they healed from all of their wounds. She would be alright. Matthew reached out and took her hand, surprised at how cold she felt, holding it tight in his own as a few tears began to stream down his face—his own mind going back to when they were little. Speaking softly, almost as if he didn't want to wake her from this slumber. "Do you remember the time I broke your doll Amelia…?"


Matthew nearly cried then and there when the cornhusk doll crumbled in his hands. He hadn't meant to break his sister's favorite toy but when he grabbed the doll too hard it seemed to disintagrate in his hands. Lip trembling and eyes watering up at the thought of his new sister getting mad at him for this. He had just moved into the house a few weeks ago and they were doing so well, they were becoming such great friends. The physically five-year-old boy scrambled for what to do, definitely crying when his sister walked into the room. "Amelia-! I'm sorry I didn't mean too! She just broke when I grabbed her!"

Staring at the small pile of cornhusks in her brothers hands she walked up to it slowly, taking what she could without letting most of the remains flutter to the floor in a pale tannish yellow pile. "Miss Elizabeth…" biting her lip—she could remember making the doll herself many years before. Any anger that welled up inside of her chest disappeared when she looked at her brother, seeing him already crying over this. He seemed so upset over breaking something that wasn't even his. She didn't really understand it. Was he afraid of getting in trouble? She was almost certain Arthur wouldn't yell at him for this—it was an accident after all. Though she couldn't be certain, she had broken a vase on accident once and he had certainly yelled at her for that. Amelia shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. Matthew and her had decided that she was the big sister (this was decided solely on the fact that she was taller than the boy) so she was supposed to make sure he was happy and didn't cry right? "It's alright… please don't cry…" letting her doll's remains flutter the ground as she dropped everything to hug him tightly, rubbing his back like Arthur did to her when she was upset. She really didn't know what to do to make him feel better and that it was alright, eventually settling on kissing his cheek and holding his hand in an attempt to comfort him.

Several weeks passed until their first birthday together, snow settling down on the house on the wintery New Years Eve Arthur had proclaimed as their birthday. Matthew had been particularly reclusive, holing up in his room to work on a surprise he refused to tell Amelia about. Holding behind his back was the fruit of all of his efforts, a patchwork rabbit doll. The thing was made of different fabrics he had managed to scrounge up from the neighbor women, none matching in the slightest. It was horribly lopsided—one button eye large than the other, one ear crooked and almost twice as large as its partner. It was not a pretty rabbit, but he hoped that she liked it all the same—his small fingers hurt from sewing, red pinpricks on his thumbs from where the needle had pierced his skin. Matthew handed her the doll after she had given him a drawing of the two of them, watching nervously as she stared at it. "Do you… do you like it Amelia?"

The girl nodded slowly, taking the soft thing from him and holding it in her arms. She didn't see the lopsided ears and eyes. She didn't see the mismatched fabric or the stitching made very much apparent by the bright yellow thread on the predominantly blue colored rabbit. Amelia saw the hours of effort he put into it, even in her child mind she could see that. Hugging her brother tightly she kissed his cheek multiple times, smiling at him as she let go to squeeze the rabbit in her arms. "I love him Mattie! He's beautiful~!" giggling a bit as she looked at him "What's his name? I want to name him after you!" staring at the doll for a bit, sticking her tongue out as she thought. She couldn't name him Matthew—that would just be silly. There couldn't be two Mattie's! They wouldn't be able to keep things straight in the house. Looking up at her brother in concentration, remembering that his middle name was James. Was Mr. James a good name? It seemed a bit formal for her tastes. "Oh! I got it! I'll call him Mr. Jamie!" bouncing up and down in excitement as her brother stared at her a bit confused as how she got Mr. Jamie from Matthew. Laughing the girl hugged her brother again; blonde curls fluttering as she knocked him over and onto the ground, Arthur's warnings to be more careful sounding out from the other room.


Matthew giggled softly through his tears, holding onto her hand tightly. "Remember that? I still can't believe you made him last for a whole century before your kids tore him apart… and I made you a new one didn't I? I've made you a few new Mr. Jamie's. I'm sorry they're all so ugly…" wiping his tears away on his sleeve. "You should wake up soon okay? You've been out for a few days now and we miss you… I know you'll be okay but we still miss you…"