Chapter 28 – The family's gathered
"Mommy, I don't like hospitals. They're scary." Summer walked with Ava down the corridor at the hospital. It had only been a day since she was there the last time. To return to hospitals was never a good sign, if you didn't work there.
"I know honey, but its okay. I want you to meet somebody and you're a big girl. You'll be with daddy or me the whole time, okay?" she knew that the kids could get frightened by the hospital or Francesca though she wanted them to meet her.
"Who are we going to see mommy?" her question was so simple, yet the answer was so hard to say. Summer had never told her children about her mother; it had never been an issue.
"My mother." Ava looked puzzled; she'd never thought that her mother had an own mother.
"She's your grandmother."
"But I already have one."
"I know but you have two grandfathers. You're supposed to have two of them."
"Summer! Ava!" Seth came up to them with Casey; they'd been in the gift shop and bought flowers and apparently some toy for Casey.
"I hope tulips are working."
"They're perfect Seth." Summer gave him a kiss on his cheek and took the flowers.
"We're ready?" Seth said and put his arm that wasn't holding Casey round Summer's waist.
"Yeah. Let's go." They all made their way to the room; room 533 in the end of the corridor.
"Is this the room?" Ava said and tucked on her mother's skirt. Summer put her right hand on Ava's shoulders, nodded and they entered.
Summer went first. They were expected, she'd called before and Francesca wanted to see them. She still hadn't figured out what to do about work and she hadn't told her mother.
"Hey there." Summer said as she fully got into the room and saw the bed where Francesca was sitting; she always was.
"Hello Summer!" Francesca smiled and Summer waved for the rest of them to come inside. Francesca kept smiling as Seth walked in with Casey in his arms and Ava hiding behind his legs.
"Ava, come here sweetie." Summer gave Ava a smile and held a hand out for her. She slowly and carefully made her way to her mother, not looking at the person lying in the bed. Summer took Ava's small hand into her own and they sat down in the chair next to the bed, Ava in Summer's lap.
"Ava, this is my mother; Francesca. You want to introduce yourself?" Ava shyly stretched her hand towards Francesca and looked at her for the first time. She was met by a huge smile and that made her feel more secure.
"Hi, my name is Ava; Ava Summer Jacqueline Cohen. Nice to meet you." The two of them shook hands, Ava's tiny and Francesca's thin one.
"It's nice to meet you too. You have a beautiful name Ava." Francesca kept smiling. She loved to smile and for the first time in years she was actually able to smile; she was happier than she'd been in a long time.
"And this, is Casey." Summer said and motioned for Seth to come closer with him. Seth walked with the little boy in his arms. Casey was a shy boy when he wasn't around known people and now he had his head buried in Seth's neck.
"Casey Benjamin Drew Cohen." Ava said and giggled as she sat in Summer's knee. She had tights, green skirt and a lovely jacket over her shirt. She had very neat clothes, but she always had. Summer grinned too and tucked some of Ava's dark hair behind her ear. She had a headband to hold her hair back from her face.
"Hello Casey! You want to see a cool thing?" Francesca seemed to be good with children; but Summer knew that. She'd always adored her mother, until she left that will say.
"Come here Casey, let's have a look." Seth dragged another chair towards the bed and sat down with Casey.
"I want to see too." Ava seemed very interested, she always enjoyed new things and when something was about to happen, she was always near. Francesca showed how the tubes worked and she told them how it helped. She also showed them some other buttons and thing that was round her bed.
The kids seemed more comfortable and after a while Ava asked if Francesca could tell a story about when Summer was a little girl. Of course she couldn't say no, but the fact that she'd left when Summer was six made them all get tense, or nervous. They'd put that behind them, tried to think pass it, though it brought memories back.
Seth when he'd comforted Summer as she was devastated, seeing how much her mother had hurt his wife. Summer, remembering how hard it had been to move on; just her and her father. And Francesca, getting the terrible feeling back from when she closed the door to the Roberts house.
They all shook their memories off though and Francesca began with the story. She told one about when Summer was five instead.
A little while after the story was finished a nurse came into the room and told them that Francesca needed to rest.
"Well, it was very nice to meet you all."
"It was nice meeting you too." Ava said and blushed as Summer replaced the chairs.
"I'll see you soon okay?" Summer bent down a little unsure, but hugged her. It wasn't an awkward hug as you would have thought. It was very emotional and warm; full of caring. As Summer pulled away Francesca had tears in her eyes; she'd never thought she'd get another chance with Summer. She's thought that she'd lost her when she left.
"I'll see you… mom."
To be continued…
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