Important news at the end of the chapter even though by the title of this chapter, you all probably already know what's coming.
Photo #39: Kiss the Pain Away
Eadlyn knows that by the time Osten was born, her parents have given up on their parenting styles. Osten was the more adventurous child in the way that he wasn't afraid of getting into trouble. In fact, he liked doing dangerous acts around the palace. He loved that sense of thrill and excitement.
The palace was Osten's playground, and sometimes that should've tightened the reins his parents had for him.
The next picture shows Osten who just finished crying, sitting on the bottom stair step. He wipes his eyes as he sticks his leg out with his pant leg rolled up just above the knee, revealing a cut of some sorts. Eadlyn feels her heart swell as she looks at that photo. What makes her smile is that Osten's hurt leg is resting on his mom's thighs as she kneels in front of him, looking down at the red mark with utter love and tenderness - as if she had the powers to heal it herself.
-o-
"Osten!" A nanny yells from across the palace, her scream echoing in the empty hall.
Osten scurries off at top-speed, away from nanny-number-he-lost-count-after-five. He runs down a hallway and makes a quick turn around the corner and forgot about the lengthy carpet on the floor. Osten trips on the corner and falls, sliding across said carpet and tearing his pants. Osten rolls along the floor, feeling fine except for a burning sensation on one of his knees.
"Osten!" America exclaims, running over to him.
She picks him up and carries him, walking as fast as she can and constantly doting on him. Osten cries a little from the pain.
"Mommy, my knee hurts," Osten says, sniffling.
"Hush, baby, mommy's here."
America seats Osten on the nearby staircase as she calls for Maxon to help her. Osten tears up as America begins to roll up his pant leg slowly and carefully. Osten tenses up at the sight of a red carpet burn that he got hints of from the tear in his pants. He looks away as America preps his injured leg on her kneeling one.
"Don't worry, my baby, it'll be okay..." America whispers.
Maxon comes running over and hands America a small first aid kit. The two of them have working nurses and doctors in the palace but they prefer to help their kids with the small bodily problems. Maxon passes America the kit as he stands behind her with his camera.
"Osten, look over here," Maxon says encouragingly, pointing the camera at his youngest son.
From the lens, he sees Osten wiping his tears as he looks at his father. America gives Maxon a face which wants to know what he's doing. Osten doesn't smile and America wrinkles her face in pure confusion.
"What are you doing?" America asks him.
"Nobody cries on camera," Maxon explains to her, focusing the camera on Osten again. "C'mon, Osten, smile!"
Osten doesn't smile but stops crying which is progress. America focuses back on Osten and tends his little wound. Maxon does snap a picture but nobody but him knows.
"What have I told you repeatedly?" Maxon asks Osten as America disinfects his carpet burn.
"No running indoors..." Osten mutters, tensing up more when the cold disinfectant touches his cut. "...the palace isn't a jungle."
America puts a bandaid on Osten's leg and pats it down gently so it won't peel away any time soon. She smiles brightly as Osten warily looks down at his knee. His eyes twinkle a little at the sight of the bandaid designed with firetrucks.
"There you go, my baby," America says, rolling down his pant leg.
America encourages Osten to move his leg but her little boy shakes his head rapidly. She snickers a little to herself. America leans forwards and places a small, gentle kiss on Osten's knee. She then slowly removes his leg from on top of hers. America stands up and holds her hands out for Osten to take, wiggling her fingers. Osten grasps onto her hands and she pulls him up on his feet.
Osten looks down at his knee and realizes that he's a hundred percent fine. He lights up and begins to run off.
"No," Maxon says, swooping Osten up into his arms and spinning him around. His smaller legs continue to move. Maxon turns Osten to face him. "No more running inside."
Osten nods and Maxon puts him back down. Osten walks to the end of the hall, turns a corner, and chooses to run once again. Maxon sighs with a small eye roll.
"Either Osten is getting heavy or I'm simply getting old," Maxon huffs to America, attempting to stretch out his back from when he picked up Osten. "I believe the latter is right."
America laughs as she wraps her arms around her royal husbandness.
"Just tug your ear whenever you're feeling back pain," America whispers to him. "I'll kiss it better."
That's the best placebo in the book - kissing the pain away.
Go check out my Maxmerica one-shot, Kiss the Pain Away.
My mother did the thing where she would put a camera in front of my face to stop me from crying. God bless her soul. This goes out to her.
Stay Tuned - another kind-of self-promotion chapter but there is still an actual plot.
