Helena sprawled over her toddler bed.
All right, that had been the worst experience in her life. That evil man had put a strange tube in her butt and had tortured her for almost an hour.
And later, her mom had sit her on the toilet for a whole other hour.
That was the worst.
Humiliating
She would never eat those candies.
An she never would talk to her mom again.
She heard her walking in. It was all her fault, she had taken her to see that evil man.
"Hi Helena, how do you feel?" Selina asked, looking at her worriedly. She had been scared, luckily Helena had thrown up almost all of the vitamins and the doctor had purged her stomach. Of course she hadn't liked it but had been for her own health. The little girl had given a big tantrum and she'd had a hard time trying to keep her still.
Helena turned her head away. She didn't want to see her mother.
"Are you angry?" Selina placed a sippy cup full of milk on the night table next to Helena's bed. "I'm angry with you, too. You kicked the doctor so hard that you split his lip and scratched both of us all over. You're too strong to be just two years old. That was not funny. Want milk?"
Helena turned just long enough to take the cup then turned her head again to the other side. She put in her mouth.
"Wow, wow, what a bad mood…" Selina smiled. "You didn't like the doctor wasshing your stomach? Maybe this'll teach you a lesson and you won't do this again. It's not good to eat all those vitamins. I told you so many times but you don't listen."
The kid grumbled.
"All right, all right. I'll leave you alone." The blonde turned on the night lamp and switched off the ceiling light, without trying to give her a goodbye kiss. Knowing her moods, Helena surely would reject her. "Good night, honey."
Helena waved her hand, signaling her to go away. She never wanted to see her again in her entire life.
Selina went to her bedroom and brushed her hair in front of the vanity's mirror, preparing to go to bed. Helena was so capricious; but she had learned to manage her after a few tantrums. It was raining.
She slid into bed and switched off the lamp. She was tired. She heard thunder in the distance and smiled; Helena's bad mood and the anger she had against her mother would end soon. Maybe sooner than she thought.
She shut her eyes.
A roll of thunder.
Uh oh. That was not good. She raised her head.
A bright light filled the room. She covered her face with her blankets and hugged the sippy cup of milk.
She was pissed with her mother. No way she was going to look for her. She sucked her milk bottle and closed her eyes. It was just a matter time and the storm would go.
Another roll of thunder.
She curled into a ball and covered her ears.
Dammit, she hated storms.
But she could do it. She could endure the hateful thunders. Her mother had been bad with her. She hated her. No one mother that loved her children would let a strange man put that damn tube in her butt.
A flash of lightning lit the room. A hard noise shook the glass of the windows. She jumped like a scared cat.
Oh Damn. To the hell with pride.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
Selina was falling asleep when she heard her daughter's scream. She removed her blankets and put on her robe immediately. She had been expecting it.
"Mooom!"
Selina walked inside Helena's room and smiled. Helena was curled in a ball under the covers. She sat next to the bed. "What happened now, Hel?"
Helena slid out of the covers and hugged her mother's waist.
"Are you scare again, honey? Come here." she moved her arms and took her in her arms. Helena almost jumped over her neck. "Ouch… you're rude. Don't worry, it's just thunder." She rubbed her back and Helena buried her face in her neck. She didn't want to hear the thunder, she hated it.
"It's just a storm, sweetheart. It can't hurt you. It's a natural phenomenon, with electricity." Selina explained, trying to calm her, "Thunder is the sound of the shockwave caused when lightning instantly heats the air. It makes the sound that is called "thunder."
Helena snuggled against her mother. Who cared about the "scientistific" definition of that? She hated it. Period. Another loud roll of thunder was heard. The little girl tightened her grip on her mom. She hated it! Selina winced.
"Helena, your nails! Be careful!" She took the little hands wrapped around her neck with her own hand and bought them to her mouth; she kissed the little knuckles. Blue eyes fixed on scared little cat ones. She smiled gently, she loved those eyes, they was always an indication of what Helena was feeling. "I'm with you. Thunder can't hurt you."
Helena gazed toward the window and closed her eyes shut, burying her face in her mother's neck as another flash lit the room. If it made her happy, she could keep talking. It didn't matter to her. She just wanted the storm to be over.
"Storms are natural, and part of our life, Helena."
A bright light.
Thunder.
Helena jumped in place and hugged her mother again. To the hell with that "nature" thing.
Selina laughed lightly;. "Hel, you're too nervous. Calm down, everything is okay. Mommy's with you." She leaned down holding her and talking softly, "I'm with you. Look at me."
Afraid, the little girl opened her eyes. Selina loved her cat eyes, she looked so cute. "I'm here with you," she repeated. "Do you think I would let someone hurt you? Never… I'll kill who ever would try to touch you."
Helena trembled when she heard another loud thunder. Selina laughed and hugged her. "Don't worry, don't worry honey. I'm here."
She always had been afraid of thunder. Well, of loud noises. She was a quiet girl, maybe a little stubborn because she had been so spoiled But Helena always was gentle and loving. Once, at the park, she had found a little bird that had fallen from its nest. Selina had sat with her and explained that it was a little baby and had fallen from its house. Helena had pointed at the tree. Selina had climbed the big tree to put the little bird back in his nest again. When she had come back down, Helena had kept her eyes on the top of the tree. She had looked at it for almost an hour, while her mother sat next to her, reading a book.
Helena snuggled against her. Selina began to humming softly brushing her daughter's hair.
The next thunder was heard further away.
"See honey? It's moving. You mustn't feel afraid. Maybe…" Selina tried to sit but Helena grumbled. "I'm not going, I'm just… forget it.." she rested again on the pillow and hugged her closer. Helena started to purr.
She liked her purr and closed her eyes to sleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
A year later
Saturday was a lovely sunny day. She finished her work at the library early and went in search of her father. She was looking forward to their usual Saturday meal, in a restaurant near the police station. She smiled at all the policemen she passed. All of them had known her since she was a kid, and all they were very friendly with her.
Her father's office door was open, ahe could see him talking with O'Hara, one of his men. She stopped at the frame, knocked on it. "Hi dad."
He beamed, standing up to give her a kiss. "Hi Babs."
"Still working? Didn't you promise this young lady you would take her out to dinner?" She asked playfully.
"I never forget an appointment with a beautiful woman." He grabbed his coat.
"I'm so glad to heard that."
"O'Hara…" the Commissioner told his officer "I 'm going to dinner. If something happens, I don't exist."
"That means no radio or phone calls." Barbara grinned, putting an arm behind her father's back, "the lady has an appointment with this handsome man."
He winked at O'Hara, "You heard the lady, I gotta go."
O'Hara laughed. "All right. I hope I get a date like yours soon."
"Look elsewhere." Gordon took her daughter's arm and walked out of his office, "this one's all mine. See you."
"See you, boss."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Helena touched the side of her nose.
Yep. It was still there. She was sitting in her room, playing with a puzzle her mother had given her for Christmas. She sneezed but it remained there.
She shook her head.
No.
That didn't work either.
Still there.
Using both hands, she stood up. It was still a bit hard to walk like the big people did. She walked toward the corridor and glanced around; she heard her mother's voice in the living room, talking on the telephone.
Yes, on the phone as usual. She went up to her mother and tugged at her sleeve.
"Give me a second, Mary." Selina told to her friend on the phone and smiled at Helena. "What happened, honey?"
Little blue eyes crossed as she looked down at her own nose. "I have a jellybean in my nose." She said in a small voice.
Selina looked at her, taking her chin, "No you don't, I don't see anything…" she turned back and kept talking on the phone.
Helena poked her nose again and once again pulled at her mother's blouse.
"You don't have anything, Hel…" Selina smiled.
"I do…" she pointed to the exact spot. "Right here…."
Selina touched where Helena was pointing. "Oh damn!" the blonde growled, "Mary, I'll call you back in a few minutes, Helena was trying to eat through her nose.. Bye." She hung up the phone and leaned over her girl. "All right, how did you stick a jellybean up your nose? It's supposed go in your mouth."
"I smelled it…"
"These things just happen to you." Selina tried to push the jellybean down.
Helena pulled back "Hurts…"
Selina took her daughter's arm and brought her closer. "You've got to keep quiet for a minute, okay?" She tried to move the candy down again.
"Hurts…" Helena stepped back.
"Come here."
The little brunette squirmed out of her grasp and ran to her room.
"I've got to push it down to take it out of your nose." The blonde stood up and followed her daughter. "Helena, come here." She looked around Helena's room, hands on her hips. The room seemed be empty until she saw one of her daughter's feet sticking out of the bedspread covering her bed. She was hiding under there. Selina raised an eyebrow.
"Well, where are you?... Helena, you can't remain there with the jellybean in your nose." The blonde stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking. Finally, an idea came to her mind. "If you prefer, we can go see the doctor."
Doctor? No way. She slowly crawled out of her bed. "It hurts, mom."
Catching her under the armpits, Selina raised her. "We need to remove it. I promise it won't hurt you as much. Besides, it's your fault, what were you thinking of, putting the jellybean inside your nose?" She sat both of them on the bed. Taking her daughter's face in her left hand, she gently placed her fingers on Helena's nose and stroked downwards with her right thumb.
"Where did you find the Jelly beans?" The blonde asked. The candy seemed firmly stuck. "I remember hiding it in my room and telling you not to take it."
"I like Jelly beans." The little brunette answered softly.
"You like all candies. I don't want you taking candies again without permission. You're grounded, and no TV today."
"It was just a few candies."
"Doesn't matter. Do you understand no why you have to obey me?"
"I like milk too."
"Milk never got stuck in your nose."
Helena winced. "Hurts, mom…"
"Because milk is a liquid." The candy finally moved down her nose a bit. "All right, don't move Helena…" Selina went toward her drawer and took out her tweezers and looked for a Kleenex. When she turned back Helena had disappeared.
"Helena, where are you?" Selina asked. "Come here!" She looked around "Where are you now?" Sighing she raised the bedspread again and pulled Helena out by the feet. She sat her again on the bed. "I told you not to move."
Helena firmly covered her nose with her hands.
"Helena!" Selina rolled her eyes, "I have to take it out."
The little girl looked in terror at the tweezers on the night table. Selina laughed. "Helena I'm not going to remove the candy with the tweezers. I used them yesterday to fix the lamp. I was looking for a Kleenex."
"Really?" the brunette asked, though her hands still covered her mouth and nose.
"Yes," Selina kneeled in front of her, "Now, I need you to blow your nose as hard as you can, ok?" The kid nodded and did as she was told. After a moment, Selina could finally see the jellybean exiting Helena's nose. She grabbed the end of it and finished pulling it out. It fell into her hand and some blood trickled from the girl's nose. She used the kleenex to tamp it down. "See? I needed the kleenex to clean you. I hope this teaches you not to take candy without permission."
"How about cookies? Can I take cookies?"
Selina rolled her eyes. Helena spent her days thinking of food.