A/N: Hey! Thanks for all the reviews. I do have one thing to say, though-if
you don't like this story, then please, by all means, send A bad review. I
have no problem with that and it's good to have feed back. Please DON'T,
however, send numerous horrible reviews for each chapter. It clutters my e-
mail box and degrades my confidence. Also, if you send a bad review, I'd
appreciate it if you could tell me what you didn't like, so I can change
it. Thank you. Anyway, here's chapter 5.
Lucy Kinkirk smiled as her daughter pulled herself up using to sofa she wobbled as she held on to it for dear life. Kevin laughed.
"Should we help her?" He asked. Lucy shook her head.
"Nah. Baby's love this stuff." She said. They looked up just in time to see Maggie drop her hands to her sides. To their amazement, she didn't fall. A huge smile spread across her face before she tumbled to the ground. Again, she stood, using the sofa. She turned toward her mom and dad and put her hands down again, this time taking one step toward them before falling down. With determination, she got up again. She held her arms out to her parents and took one step-then two-three-and four. She fell down in a fit of giggles. Lucy and Kevin smiled widely at one another.
"Her first steps!" Lucy cried. "Quick! Go get the video camera. Maybe she'll do it again!" Kevin got up and ran to the kitchen. He grabbed the camera and ran back to his wife. He switched the camera on and pointed at their one-year-old daughter. She looked at the camera with dancing blue eyes and all she did was laugh. She smiled and reached for the camera, crawling over and putting her face close against the lens. Lucy laughed and picked the baby up, carrying her back over to the sofa.
"Maggs, stand up!" She said. Maggie just looked at her. Lucy lifted the baby's arms to the side of the sofa. When she let go, Maggie stood for a moment and fell. She crawled over to her mother again. Kevin sighed and shut of the video camera.
"Guess she's tired." He said. Lucy smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"Maybe so. Let's call Matt and Sarah and see if they want to meet up at the park. The girls could play and we'll have time to chat." Lucy suggested.
"Well, you can, but I need to get some stuff done in my office today. Why don't you just see if Sarah and Ella want to go with out Matt?"
"Are you sure?" Lucy asked. Kevin smiled at her.
"Positive. I need the time alone to work anyway. Have fun." He said. Lucy smiled and grabbed the phone. Ten minutes later, she had Maggie in her stroller and she left the house.
She pushed the stroller down the street to the park. When she got there, she saw Sarah lying on a blanket in the grass. She pushed the stroller over and sat down next to Sarah on the blanket. Lucy lifted Maggie out of her stroller and held her in her lap.
"Where's Ella?" She asked her sister-in-law.
"Over there on the swings." She answered. "Ella! Come here sweetie!" She called. Ella looked up and ran over to where her mother was sitting.
"What?" She asked abruptly.
"Aunt Lucy and Maggie are here." She said.
"I can see that." Snapped Ella.
"Hey! Watch the attitude, Missy!" Sarah told her daughter.
"Well I was on the swings and I had just gotten high enough and now you made me come over just to tell me bout a dumb baby!" She said angrily.
"Eleanor Marie Camden!" Sarah said, taken aback by her daughter's rudeness. "Maggie is your cousin, and most certainly not a dumb baby! You apologize right now."
"Sorry." She said shortly Maggie. Sarah looked at the little girl trying to keep her anger down.
"Would you please take Maggie to play with you?" She asked.
"Mom!" Ella said with exasperation.
"Ella! You're being exceptionally rude! You'll do what you're told." Sarah said, raising her voice.
"Fine." She huffed. Common, Maggie." She said, picking the baby up around the waist and carrying her to the sand. She put her down and Ella crawled happily behind her cousin as she walked back to the swings. Sarah turned towards Lucy with an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm sorry." She told her. "She didn't really mean to call Maggie stupid." Lucy shook her head.
"Don't worry about it." She said. "I know she didn't mean it."
"She's been so moody since we told her about the baby." She said, putting her hand over her barely swollen stomach. "We thought that she'd be excited, but she just got mad when she realized she'd have to share our attention."
"Oh." Lucy said, surprised. "I know that when Mary was first born Matt got really moody for awhile, but I've never heard of being mad at the pregnancy! Ella's an individual, I'll give her that. When did you tell her?"
"She found out last weekend after you all left. I don't think she got it when we made the announcement at dinner, so Matt and I explained it in easier terms."
"Meaning--."
"We just told her that God decided that it was time for Mommy and Daddy to get another baby so he put one in Mommy's stomach. We told her that we still loved her just as much, and that now she would just have a brother or sister, and she seemed excited. All day today though, she's been so odd."
"Hmm." Lucy said. "It'll probably pass. She's most likely just confused."
"Yeah. That's what Matt said." Sarah answered.
"But what about you?" Lucy asked, changing the subject. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, pretty good. No morning sickness, which is nice. I'm almost at five months now. One more week." She said with a smile.
"Ooo! You'll be finding out the gender then, won't you?"
"Oh yeah." Sarah said. They laughed. Lucy was about to speak when a loud yell coming from the playground took their attention.
"STOP IT!" Ella screamed and walked quickly to the blue climber. Maggie crawled after her as fast as she could, not understanding her cousin's anger. When she reached her, Ella leaned down at hit Maggie so hard that she fell down on the ground. "Leave me alone!" She screamed, hitting her again. Maggie lay in the sand screaming, too scared to move.
"Maggie!" Lucy cried, jumping off the blanket and running to her baby. She scooped the screaming baby into her arms and held her close. Sarah closely followed Lucy's footsteps, but she ran for Ella. She grabbed the little girl sharply by the wrist and pulled her down.
"Let go of me!" She cried. When her mother didn't let go, she slapped her across the face.
"Eleanor Marie Camden!" Sarah cried in utter horror at the fit that her daughter was throwing. "You will NOT hit anyone. Not me, not your baby cousin, not anyone!" She yelled. She pulled her daughter off of the playground and back to their blanket, never letting her tight hold on the girls wrist loosen. Lucy was already back at the blanket holding her baby Maggie tight in her arms when the two arrived. Once they were on the blanket, Sarah turned towards her daughter and kneeled. She grabbed the girls chin angrily.
"What do you think that you were doing?" She yelled.
"The stupid dumb baby wouldn't leave me alone so I had to make her go away!"
"By hitting her? That's not the way that you make anyone go away, young lady!" Sarah said.
"So what will you do about it?" Ella said with rudeness well beyond her years. "You can't do anything."
"Oh I most certainly can!" Sarah cried. She turned to her sister in law.
"Lucy, would you be so kind as to take that blanket" She began, pointing to the extra blanket sitting in the back of Ella's stroller, "and hold it up so that it blocks us from the rest of the people in the park?" She asked. Lucy nodded, placed her daughter in her stroller and walked around to Ella's stroller. She got the blanket, unfolded it, and held it up.
"Thank you." Sarah said sweetly. She turned back to her daughter. "Do you want to test me?" She whispered intensely to her daughter. "I WILL spank you right here in the park if I have to." She said.
At this, Ella burst into tears. Sarah's anger turned to concern. She stood her little girl up and pulled her pants back up. Ella threw her arms around her mother's neck, sobbing on her shoulder. Lucy quietly put the blanket back in the stroller and went back to her part of the blanket.
"Why do you want a new baby? Don't you love me?" She sobbed at her mother. Sarah suddenly understood and she hugged her daughter back.
"Ella, we still love you just as much as we always have! Daddy and I just want to ADD to our family by giving you a new brother or sister. We're not replacing you at all!" She said.
"Promise?" She asked, her tears stopping.
"I promise!" Sarah said with a smile. "I love you, Ella!" She said.
"I love you mommy." Ella said.
"Now I think you need to go and have a chat with your Aunt Lucy and Maggie. Ella blushed as she walked to her cousin's stroller. The baby giggled as Ella kissed her on the cheek.
"Sorry that I hurt you, Maggie." She said. She turned to Lucy.
"Sorry." She said. Lucy hugged the little girl.
"It's OK. Just please don't do that again. Maggie has feelings just like you. She likes you a lot, so she likes to be with you. Hitting her isn't the way to ask her to leave you alone. If you want her to leave you alone, come tell me or your mom." She said. Ella nodded.
"OK. Sorry." She said. She walked back over to her mom and sat in her lap. "Let's go play now."
"Mm, I don't think so. You've played enough today." She said.
"But!" Sarah gave her daughter a look. "Ok." She said. Lucy smiled at the two, and looked at her own daughter who was watching her Aunt and cousin with great interest. Maybe Kevin was right. 6 months was plenty of time to wait for Maggie to talk. Plenty of time.
A/N: I know this was a little long, sorry if you found it TOO long. I wanted to show that Ella was gaining an understanding of why her mom and dad were having a baby.
Lucy Kinkirk smiled as her daughter pulled herself up using to sofa she wobbled as she held on to it for dear life. Kevin laughed.
"Should we help her?" He asked. Lucy shook her head.
"Nah. Baby's love this stuff." She said. They looked up just in time to see Maggie drop her hands to her sides. To their amazement, she didn't fall. A huge smile spread across her face before she tumbled to the ground. Again, she stood, using the sofa. She turned toward her mom and dad and put her hands down again, this time taking one step toward them before falling down. With determination, she got up again. She held her arms out to her parents and took one step-then two-three-and four. She fell down in a fit of giggles. Lucy and Kevin smiled widely at one another.
"Her first steps!" Lucy cried. "Quick! Go get the video camera. Maybe she'll do it again!" Kevin got up and ran to the kitchen. He grabbed the camera and ran back to his wife. He switched the camera on and pointed at their one-year-old daughter. She looked at the camera with dancing blue eyes and all she did was laugh. She smiled and reached for the camera, crawling over and putting her face close against the lens. Lucy laughed and picked the baby up, carrying her back over to the sofa.
"Maggs, stand up!" She said. Maggie just looked at her. Lucy lifted the baby's arms to the side of the sofa. When she let go, Maggie stood for a moment and fell. She crawled over to her mother again. Kevin sighed and shut of the video camera.
"Guess she's tired." He said. Lucy smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"Maybe so. Let's call Matt and Sarah and see if they want to meet up at the park. The girls could play and we'll have time to chat." Lucy suggested.
"Well, you can, but I need to get some stuff done in my office today. Why don't you just see if Sarah and Ella want to go with out Matt?"
"Are you sure?" Lucy asked. Kevin smiled at her.
"Positive. I need the time alone to work anyway. Have fun." He said. Lucy smiled and grabbed the phone. Ten minutes later, she had Maggie in her stroller and she left the house.
She pushed the stroller down the street to the park. When she got there, she saw Sarah lying on a blanket in the grass. She pushed the stroller over and sat down next to Sarah on the blanket. Lucy lifted Maggie out of her stroller and held her in her lap.
"Where's Ella?" She asked her sister-in-law.
"Over there on the swings." She answered. "Ella! Come here sweetie!" She called. Ella looked up and ran over to where her mother was sitting.
"What?" She asked abruptly.
"Aunt Lucy and Maggie are here." She said.
"I can see that." Snapped Ella.
"Hey! Watch the attitude, Missy!" Sarah told her daughter.
"Well I was on the swings and I had just gotten high enough and now you made me come over just to tell me bout a dumb baby!" She said angrily.
"Eleanor Marie Camden!" Sarah said, taken aback by her daughter's rudeness. "Maggie is your cousin, and most certainly not a dumb baby! You apologize right now."
"Sorry." She said shortly Maggie. Sarah looked at the little girl trying to keep her anger down.
"Would you please take Maggie to play with you?" She asked.
"Mom!" Ella said with exasperation.
"Ella! You're being exceptionally rude! You'll do what you're told." Sarah said, raising her voice.
"Fine." She huffed. Common, Maggie." She said, picking the baby up around the waist and carrying her to the sand. She put her down and Ella crawled happily behind her cousin as she walked back to the swings. Sarah turned towards Lucy with an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm sorry." She told her. "She didn't really mean to call Maggie stupid." Lucy shook her head.
"Don't worry about it." She said. "I know she didn't mean it."
"She's been so moody since we told her about the baby." She said, putting her hand over her barely swollen stomach. "We thought that she'd be excited, but she just got mad when she realized she'd have to share our attention."
"Oh." Lucy said, surprised. "I know that when Mary was first born Matt got really moody for awhile, but I've never heard of being mad at the pregnancy! Ella's an individual, I'll give her that. When did you tell her?"
"She found out last weekend after you all left. I don't think she got it when we made the announcement at dinner, so Matt and I explained it in easier terms."
"Meaning--."
"We just told her that God decided that it was time for Mommy and Daddy to get another baby so he put one in Mommy's stomach. We told her that we still loved her just as much, and that now she would just have a brother or sister, and she seemed excited. All day today though, she's been so odd."
"Hmm." Lucy said. "It'll probably pass. She's most likely just confused."
"Yeah. That's what Matt said." Sarah answered.
"But what about you?" Lucy asked, changing the subject. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, pretty good. No morning sickness, which is nice. I'm almost at five months now. One more week." She said with a smile.
"Ooo! You'll be finding out the gender then, won't you?"
"Oh yeah." Sarah said. They laughed. Lucy was about to speak when a loud yell coming from the playground took their attention.
"STOP IT!" Ella screamed and walked quickly to the blue climber. Maggie crawled after her as fast as she could, not understanding her cousin's anger. When she reached her, Ella leaned down at hit Maggie so hard that she fell down on the ground. "Leave me alone!" She screamed, hitting her again. Maggie lay in the sand screaming, too scared to move.
"Maggie!" Lucy cried, jumping off the blanket and running to her baby. She scooped the screaming baby into her arms and held her close. Sarah closely followed Lucy's footsteps, but she ran for Ella. She grabbed the little girl sharply by the wrist and pulled her down.
"Let go of me!" She cried. When her mother didn't let go, she slapped her across the face.
"Eleanor Marie Camden!" Sarah cried in utter horror at the fit that her daughter was throwing. "You will NOT hit anyone. Not me, not your baby cousin, not anyone!" She yelled. She pulled her daughter off of the playground and back to their blanket, never letting her tight hold on the girls wrist loosen. Lucy was already back at the blanket holding her baby Maggie tight in her arms when the two arrived. Once they were on the blanket, Sarah turned towards her daughter and kneeled. She grabbed the girls chin angrily.
"What do you think that you were doing?" She yelled.
"The stupid dumb baby wouldn't leave me alone so I had to make her go away!"
"By hitting her? That's not the way that you make anyone go away, young lady!" Sarah said.
"So what will you do about it?" Ella said with rudeness well beyond her years. "You can't do anything."
"Oh I most certainly can!" Sarah cried. She turned to her sister in law.
"Lucy, would you be so kind as to take that blanket" She began, pointing to the extra blanket sitting in the back of Ella's stroller, "and hold it up so that it blocks us from the rest of the people in the park?" She asked. Lucy nodded, placed her daughter in her stroller and walked around to Ella's stroller. She got the blanket, unfolded it, and held it up.
"Thank you." Sarah said sweetly. She turned back to her daughter. "Do you want to test me?" She whispered intensely to her daughter. "I WILL spank you right here in the park if I have to." She said.
At this, Ella burst into tears. Sarah's anger turned to concern. She stood her little girl up and pulled her pants back up. Ella threw her arms around her mother's neck, sobbing on her shoulder. Lucy quietly put the blanket back in the stroller and went back to her part of the blanket.
"Why do you want a new baby? Don't you love me?" She sobbed at her mother. Sarah suddenly understood and she hugged her daughter back.
"Ella, we still love you just as much as we always have! Daddy and I just want to ADD to our family by giving you a new brother or sister. We're not replacing you at all!" She said.
"Promise?" She asked, her tears stopping.
"I promise!" Sarah said with a smile. "I love you, Ella!" She said.
"I love you mommy." Ella said.
"Now I think you need to go and have a chat with your Aunt Lucy and Maggie. Ella blushed as she walked to her cousin's stroller. The baby giggled as Ella kissed her on the cheek.
"Sorry that I hurt you, Maggie." She said. She turned to Lucy.
"Sorry." She said. Lucy hugged the little girl.
"It's OK. Just please don't do that again. Maggie has feelings just like you. She likes you a lot, so she likes to be with you. Hitting her isn't the way to ask her to leave you alone. If you want her to leave you alone, come tell me or your mom." She said. Ella nodded.
"OK. Sorry." She said. She walked back over to her mom and sat in her lap. "Let's go play now."
"Mm, I don't think so. You've played enough today." She said.
"But!" Sarah gave her daughter a look. "Ok." She said. Lucy smiled at the two, and looked at her own daughter who was watching her Aunt and cousin with great interest. Maybe Kevin was right. 6 months was plenty of time to wait for Maggie to talk. Plenty of time.
A/N: I know this was a little long, sorry if you found it TOO long. I wanted to show that Ella was gaining an understanding of why her mom and dad were having a baby.
