Author's Note: I need a beta for this story. Anyone who wants to volunteer, you can either do it in your review, or in an email to me. My address is smilerickybritney@yahoo.com This chapter is short, but I was very busy thins week. I promise a longer one for next time. I love ur reviews, but I'd like some more.
Thank you HuntressMinerva (luv ur name), and ashkickerchick (is that right?) for reviewing after every single chapter. Keep it up. lol.
Lu ya'll!
She slowly got out of bed and went downstairs. Danny was reading on the living room couch and her parents were talking quietly in the kitchen. She stepped in and the conversation stopped. Rafe rushed to her, picked her up, and set her on his knee.
"Daddy, Mama, I saw Danny."
Confusion. "Why shouldn't you? He's right in the living room."
"No. I saw Daniel. He told me to tell you that he loves you both." She reached for a cookie.
Her parents exchanged glances. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" Her mom asked.
"I wasn't dreaming. It was him. He was so nice. He told me he watches over me and Danny and that he loves the way I talk to him. He said that I was the only one who isn't afraid to really talk to him."
"But Danny's dead."
She nodded, munching on the cookie.
"You couldn't have seen him."
"He was an angel."
"Not a ghost?"
She shook her head.
"How do you know?" Her father's look was skeptical.
"He told me." She said simply. Then she got up and left through the back door, wiping her hands on her overalls.
Her parents stared at each other for a long moment. Evelyn smiled softly and looked out the window were her daughter was talking to the gravestone.
Ron untied the gauze on her palms. It itched. She picked a few sunflowers and took them to Danny's grave. Her daisy, from the morning, was withering. She lay, staring at the dirt and the shriveled daisy.
"Please show yourself to Danny. And Mama and Daddy, if you can. They miss you so much. And they don't believe me. They think I dreamed meeting you. Tell me something only you and they know so that I can prove I saw you. Please?"
She stared at the dirt, waiting. She caressed it with her hand. Nothing. She dropped the flowers angrily and stood. As she brushed the dirt off her overalls, she could have sworn that she heard a voice whisper in her ear.
"Parachutes, tell Evelyn parachutes." When she turned, there was no one there. Ron rushed inside to the kitchen, where her parents were still whispering.
"Parachutes, Mama." She said triumphantly.
Evelyn paled. The color left her face. She had never told anyone, not even Rafe. Escpecially not Rafe. He sat there, looking confusedly from his wife to his daughter.
"What?"
"Parachutes. Danny told me to tell Mama. But what does it mean?" She looked from her father to her mother.
Evelyn choked. "Nothing."
"Come on Ev. What does that mean?"
"I'll tell you later."
"Why not now?"
"It's not exactly rated G material." She said, nodding meaningfully in Ron's direction.
Rafe's face froze. "Okay." Even after that many years, that particular subject was quite touchy.
"Angel, can you go tell Danny to take you out for a walk? Tell him we said to do it, okay?" Rafe directed, eyes not leaving Evelyn's pale face. Ron ran out of the room.
"What does it mean, Evelyn?" His voice carried a note of hurt.
"Well . . . it's . . . it was . . . the night I got pregnant. She saw him. Not another soul knows." Evelyn stared into Rafe's eyes, looking for a hint of . . . anything. He remained quite frozen.
"Oh." He left. Leaving Evelyn alone to her tears. It still hurt. She had picked Danny over him. It . . .It wasn't fair! They had been together first!
He wiped his tears and went out to look for his kids. Mine and Danny's, he reminded himself bitterly.
Ron awoke the next morning, feeling horrible. Sweat poured around her hairline. Her head hurt and her palms itched. She moved to scratch them.
"Ewwwww!" She whispered. Her left hand was covered in pus soaked gauze. She carefully unwrapped it and stared at her palm.
"Mama!" It was red and pus was leaking from the tiny but deep wounds.
"Happy Birthday, Ronnie! What?" Evelyn burst into her daughter's room.
"Look Mama. It hurts." Evelyn examined the hand.
"What did you touch last night?"
"Um, dirt?" she looked sheepishly at her mom. Evelyn frowned.
"You just can't keep out of trouble, can you? It's infected." Her hand moved to Ron's forehead. "You have a fever too! I'll be back up with the thermometer. Just stay still and don't touch your hand."
She returned four minutes later, equipped with medicine and a thermometer. Ron stayed still while her mom took her temperature.
"Rafe!" Evelyn yelled when she saw the numbers.
"What?" He walked into the room.
"Can you go down to the kitchen and get me a bowl of cold water, with half a cup of vinegar in it, and a clean handkerchief?" she asked, half expecting him to refuse.
"Sure. But what's wrong?" He asked curiously.
"She's burning. Her hand got infected."
"Are you okay angel?"
She nodded feverishly, even though it wasn't true.
"Some birthday this is!" She muttered and tried to keep her tears in. But they flowed over her lashes and down her cheeks. Her mother wiped them softly.
"It'll be okay, I promise." Evelyn whispered, her heart breaking in half. Poor kid. Sick on her birthday.
Why does everything always happen to us?
Ron slept for most of the day, under Evelyn or Rafe's vigil. She only awoke for lunch, a big bowl of chicken soup, and to go to the bathroom. Her temperature didn't falter, remaining at a steady 103.1. By nighttime, Evelyn was worried. She had tried everything she knew to get the fever down. Ron's forehead lay a kerchief soaked with cold water and vinegar, her tummy was full of medicine and her hand carefully wiped with alcohol and slathered with ointment that stung horribly.
But no results.
I NEED critisim! Please! Want to know where I need to improve. I won't get mad. Thanks to HuntressMinerva for telling me about the blood being too graphic. i reread it, and your right. But I wanted to make an impression on the reader; how bloody battles can be (even tiny ones like that) and how wrong it is to involve innocents in them. Criticize me! (LOL)
Thank you HuntressMinerva (luv ur name), and ashkickerchick (is that right?) for reviewing after every single chapter. Keep it up. lol.
Lu ya'll!
She slowly got out of bed and went downstairs. Danny was reading on the living room couch and her parents were talking quietly in the kitchen. She stepped in and the conversation stopped. Rafe rushed to her, picked her up, and set her on his knee.
"Daddy, Mama, I saw Danny."
Confusion. "Why shouldn't you? He's right in the living room."
"No. I saw Daniel. He told me to tell you that he loves you both." She reached for a cookie.
Her parents exchanged glances. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" Her mom asked.
"I wasn't dreaming. It was him. He was so nice. He told me he watches over me and Danny and that he loves the way I talk to him. He said that I was the only one who isn't afraid to really talk to him."
"But Danny's dead."
She nodded, munching on the cookie.
"You couldn't have seen him."
"He was an angel."
"Not a ghost?"
She shook her head.
"How do you know?" Her father's look was skeptical.
"He told me." She said simply. Then she got up and left through the back door, wiping her hands on her overalls.
Her parents stared at each other for a long moment. Evelyn smiled softly and looked out the window were her daughter was talking to the gravestone.
Ron untied the gauze on her palms. It itched. She picked a few sunflowers and took them to Danny's grave. Her daisy, from the morning, was withering. She lay, staring at the dirt and the shriveled daisy.
"Please show yourself to Danny. And Mama and Daddy, if you can. They miss you so much. And they don't believe me. They think I dreamed meeting you. Tell me something only you and they know so that I can prove I saw you. Please?"
She stared at the dirt, waiting. She caressed it with her hand. Nothing. She dropped the flowers angrily and stood. As she brushed the dirt off her overalls, she could have sworn that she heard a voice whisper in her ear.
"Parachutes, tell Evelyn parachutes." When she turned, there was no one there. Ron rushed inside to the kitchen, where her parents were still whispering.
"Parachutes, Mama." She said triumphantly.
Evelyn paled. The color left her face. She had never told anyone, not even Rafe. Escpecially not Rafe. He sat there, looking confusedly from his wife to his daughter.
"What?"
"Parachutes. Danny told me to tell Mama. But what does it mean?" She looked from her father to her mother.
Evelyn choked. "Nothing."
"Come on Ev. What does that mean?"
"I'll tell you later."
"Why not now?"
"It's not exactly rated G material." She said, nodding meaningfully in Ron's direction.
Rafe's face froze. "Okay." Even after that many years, that particular subject was quite touchy.
"Angel, can you go tell Danny to take you out for a walk? Tell him we said to do it, okay?" Rafe directed, eyes not leaving Evelyn's pale face. Ron ran out of the room.
"What does it mean, Evelyn?" His voice carried a note of hurt.
"Well . . . it's . . . it was . . . the night I got pregnant. She saw him. Not another soul knows." Evelyn stared into Rafe's eyes, looking for a hint of . . . anything. He remained quite frozen.
"Oh." He left. Leaving Evelyn alone to her tears. It still hurt. She had picked Danny over him. It . . .It wasn't fair! They had been together first!
He wiped his tears and went out to look for his kids. Mine and Danny's, he reminded himself bitterly.
Ron awoke the next morning, feeling horrible. Sweat poured around her hairline. Her head hurt and her palms itched. She moved to scratch them.
"Ewwwww!" She whispered. Her left hand was covered in pus soaked gauze. She carefully unwrapped it and stared at her palm.
"Mama!" It was red and pus was leaking from the tiny but deep wounds.
"Happy Birthday, Ronnie! What?" Evelyn burst into her daughter's room.
"Look Mama. It hurts." Evelyn examined the hand.
"What did you touch last night?"
"Um, dirt?" she looked sheepishly at her mom. Evelyn frowned.
"You just can't keep out of trouble, can you? It's infected." Her hand moved to Ron's forehead. "You have a fever too! I'll be back up with the thermometer. Just stay still and don't touch your hand."
She returned four minutes later, equipped with medicine and a thermometer. Ron stayed still while her mom took her temperature.
"Rafe!" Evelyn yelled when she saw the numbers.
"What?" He walked into the room.
"Can you go down to the kitchen and get me a bowl of cold water, with half a cup of vinegar in it, and a clean handkerchief?" she asked, half expecting him to refuse.
"Sure. But what's wrong?" He asked curiously.
"She's burning. Her hand got infected."
"Are you okay angel?"
She nodded feverishly, even though it wasn't true.
"Some birthday this is!" She muttered and tried to keep her tears in. But they flowed over her lashes and down her cheeks. Her mother wiped them softly.
"It'll be okay, I promise." Evelyn whispered, her heart breaking in half. Poor kid. Sick on her birthday.
Why does everything always happen to us?
Ron slept for most of the day, under Evelyn or Rafe's vigil. She only awoke for lunch, a big bowl of chicken soup, and to go to the bathroom. Her temperature didn't falter, remaining at a steady 103.1. By nighttime, Evelyn was worried. She had tried everything she knew to get the fever down. Ron's forehead lay a kerchief soaked with cold water and vinegar, her tummy was full of medicine and her hand carefully wiped with alcohol and slathered with ointment that stung horribly.
But no results.
I NEED critisim! Please! Want to know where I need to improve. I won't get mad. Thanks to HuntressMinerva for telling me about the blood being too graphic. i reread it, and your right. But I wanted to make an impression on the reader; how bloody battles can be (even tiny ones like that) and how wrong it is to involve innocents in them. Criticize me! (LOL)
