IRVINE KINNEAS
"Katrina! You have a baby boy!" Katrina smiled weakly.
"Is he beautiful?" She asked. At times like these, she wished she could see.
"Yes Katrina, he's gorgeous. He even has a little head of hair!" Lydia exclaimed.
"Benjamin, are you here?" Katrina asked. She held out her hands in the air. A silent figure took the hands.
A man's gruff voice came out. "He says, 'What do you want to name him?'"
"Irvine." Katrina said. She smiled. "Irvine Kinneas sounds perfect."
"He agrees." Came the voice again.
"But we can't keep him." Katrina said. "It'll be impossible."
"He disagrees, ma'am."
"Benji, honestly. How can a blind woman and a mute man look after a child?" Katrina asked.
"He says to try."
"We'll keep Lydia with us, but if things get to hard, we'll give him to an. . . an. . . orphanage." Katrina said. Warm arms enclosed Katrina. Benji put his face to her cheek and smiled. He mouthed words that she always knew the feeling to.
"I love you too, Benji."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Irvine looked to the living room. Nope. "Mama!" Irvine cried frustrated. He ran upstairs. "How come you're never downstairs?"
"Not today, Irvine. I can't. I might hurt myself." Katrina was sitting in bed like always. "Tell me what you're wearing today."
Irvine looked down at the trench coat and chaps he wore. He felt the weight of the cowboy hat on his head. "Uhh. jeans and a t-shirt." He said.
Benji walked into the room, put his face to Irvine's and mouthed the same words me said to his wife every day.
"Me too, dad!" Irvine exclaimed. Benji just shook his head. "Oh, sorry." Benji pointed to the trench coat and nodded approvingly.
"He says he likes it." Came the voice of Marc, Benji's speaker, from the doorway.
"Thanks dad, but seriously," He tilted his head towards his mother. "Jeans and a t-shirt aren't too special." Benji's brow knotted into a quizzical look, but then he just nodded as he got the point. "Love you mom."
"Me too, Irvine. Go play."
Irvine trotted down the stairs, making gun noises.
"He says, 'Now he knows where Irvine gets it from.'"
"Yes, well. Benji? I'm afraid."
"He says, 'Of what?'"
"I think I'm dying, Benji." Benji sat on the edge of the bed and shook his head furiously. His mouth moved to form the word 'no' against Katrina's cheek. "Soon."
Benji just left the room, hoping Katrina would understand. He motioned for Irvine to come.
"What is it dad?" Irvine watched as Benji made the hand signals slowly, so Irvine could understand. "A trip? Why?" Benji shook his head and made another hand motion. "Alright."
Benji nodded to Marc, hand signals flew and Marc bounded up the stairs after Irvine. Marc could talk with the boy better. He could also explain the operation. Irvine was a mature kid. He could take it. After all, the boy WAS eight.
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"But why? I don't wanna go! Why forever?"
"Because your mother and father can't look after you. The doctor says that your father might be able to speak after the operation, but there's a chance he'll die too. Your mother is also feeling worse."
"Can't I stay until after the operation, then?" Irvine asked.
"No. You have to go. Lydia knows this woman, Edea. She'll take you in." Marc explained. "It's for the best." Irvine nodded, defeated and left for Edea's orphanage.
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"Dead." Katrina said. Benji was dead? "Dead." Katrina smiled at the nurse taking her pulse. "Will it hurt?"
"It might."
"You know, I have a son who's fourteen now." Katrina said. She was full of pride. He'll save the world someday.
"Do you still want to do this?"
"If he's dead, I want to be."
"Alright, this'll only hurt a second."
Then the world went black on Katrina and Irvine was an orphan for the first time.
Fin Irvine.
"Katrina! You have a baby boy!" Katrina smiled weakly.
"Is he beautiful?" She asked. At times like these, she wished she could see.
"Yes Katrina, he's gorgeous. He even has a little head of hair!" Lydia exclaimed.
"Benjamin, are you here?" Katrina asked. She held out her hands in the air. A silent figure took the hands.
A man's gruff voice came out. "He says, 'What do you want to name him?'"
"Irvine." Katrina said. She smiled. "Irvine Kinneas sounds perfect."
"He agrees." Came the voice again.
"But we can't keep him." Katrina said. "It'll be impossible."
"He disagrees, ma'am."
"Benji, honestly. How can a blind woman and a mute man look after a child?" Katrina asked.
"He says to try."
"We'll keep Lydia with us, but if things get to hard, we'll give him to an. . . an. . . orphanage." Katrina said. Warm arms enclosed Katrina. Benji put his face to her cheek and smiled. He mouthed words that she always knew the feeling to.
"I love you too, Benji."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Irvine looked to the living room. Nope. "Mama!" Irvine cried frustrated. He ran upstairs. "How come you're never downstairs?"
"Not today, Irvine. I can't. I might hurt myself." Katrina was sitting in bed like always. "Tell me what you're wearing today."
Irvine looked down at the trench coat and chaps he wore. He felt the weight of the cowboy hat on his head. "Uhh. jeans and a t-shirt." He said.
Benji walked into the room, put his face to Irvine's and mouthed the same words me said to his wife every day.
"Me too, dad!" Irvine exclaimed. Benji just shook his head. "Oh, sorry." Benji pointed to the trench coat and nodded approvingly.
"He says he likes it." Came the voice of Marc, Benji's speaker, from the doorway.
"Thanks dad, but seriously," He tilted his head towards his mother. "Jeans and a t-shirt aren't too special." Benji's brow knotted into a quizzical look, but then he just nodded as he got the point. "Love you mom."
"Me too, Irvine. Go play."
Irvine trotted down the stairs, making gun noises.
"He says, 'Now he knows where Irvine gets it from.'"
"Yes, well. Benji? I'm afraid."
"He says, 'Of what?'"
"I think I'm dying, Benji." Benji sat on the edge of the bed and shook his head furiously. His mouth moved to form the word 'no' against Katrina's cheek. "Soon."
Benji just left the room, hoping Katrina would understand. He motioned for Irvine to come.
"What is it dad?" Irvine watched as Benji made the hand signals slowly, so Irvine could understand. "A trip? Why?" Benji shook his head and made another hand motion. "Alright."
Benji nodded to Marc, hand signals flew and Marc bounded up the stairs after Irvine. Marc could talk with the boy better. He could also explain the operation. Irvine was a mature kid. He could take it. After all, the boy WAS eight.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"But why? I don't wanna go! Why forever?"
"Because your mother and father can't look after you. The doctor says that your father might be able to speak after the operation, but there's a chance he'll die too. Your mother is also feeling worse."
"Can't I stay until after the operation, then?" Irvine asked.
"No. You have to go. Lydia knows this woman, Edea. She'll take you in." Marc explained. "It's for the best." Irvine nodded, defeated and left for Edea's orphanage.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Dead." Katrina said. Benji was dead? "Dead." Katrina smiled at the nurse taking her pulse. "Will it hurt?"
"It might."
"You know, I have a son who's fourteen now." Katrina said. She was full of pride. He'll save the world someday.
"Do you still want to do this?"
"If he's dead, I want to be."
"Alright, this'll only hurt a second."
Then the world went black on Katrina and Irvine was an orphan for the first time.
Fin Irvine.