Chapter 9

Molly wrapped Moaning Myrtle in her pink blanket. She was absolutely sure that pink was not a color Myrtle would enjoy but mommy refused to buy a black one so they both had to settle. She rocked the doll gently in her arms and sang quietly in her tiny little voice, "Rock a bye baby on the tree top."

She walked over to the small rocker Aunt Addie had bought her and sat. "It's okay Myrtle, I'll take care of you. I know you are scared because mommy is going to die but we have to be strong." She started to choke back tears, "If mommy sees us crying then she'll be sad and we don't want her to be sad. We want her to remember being happy when she goes to sleep forever." She sighed deeply as the tear slid down her cheek. "Mommy is resting and Aunt Addie is cleaning the kitchen so I guess it's just you and me for a little while."

She got up and walked over to her book shelf and looked around in awe at all the books her Aunt had bought her. They could never have bought all of those books when she lived with her daddy. Her daddy… she wondered what had happened to him. He tried to hurt me, she thought, as she grabbed the photo album from the shelf. She sat on her bed and propped Myrtle next to her. She opened the cover and looked down at the pictures of her as a baby. Her mommy and daddy looked happy then. She paused for a moment and looked down at Myrtle, "Do you think that maybe I cried too much and that's why daddy didn't love me any more?" She shook the thought away and closed the book. Her heart felt so sad and even though she tried her best not to cry, the tears kept coming. She heard a knock on her door. She quickly used the blanket to wipe her face.

Addison walked into Molly's room with a tray. Her heart broke into a million pieces when she saw her nieces face. It was blotchy and she could see her little eyelashes were still wet from tears. She set the tray on the table next to the bed and sat next to Molly. "Hey there kiddo, I'm not even going to ask if you are okay because we both know that you are having a rough time but I would like to give you a hug if that's okay."

Molly looked up at her aunt. She crawled into her lap and wrapped her arms around Addison's neck. Her bottom lip quivered, "I don't want my mommy to die Aunt Addie."

Addison pulled Molly close and rocked her gently. "I don't want your mommy to die either sweet pea. I love her and I love you with my whole heart."

They held on to each other for a few minutes, silently weeping the tears that had been held back the last few weeks. Molly sniffled, "When my mommy dies, are you going to make me go away?"

Addison softly gasped and looked down at her niece. She really did think that she was going to be sent away. "Of course not sweetie, I would never do that to you. You are going to live with me. Your mom and I already discussed it. Is that okay with you?"

Molly nodded, "If I make you mad will you give me to someone else?"

Addison shook her head in disbelief. Why would she think something like that? "I would never give you to someone else or make you go away Molly. What made you think of that?"

"I made my daddy mad and then he had to go away."

"Is that what you think? You think that because you made your daddy mad that he went away?"

Molly shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe God is mad at me and so that's why everyone is going away."

Addison lifted Molly's chin to meet her eyes. The four year old hesitantly looked back at her and it was at that moment that Addison saw it. It was like looking into a mirror through a child's eyes. She had heard that a person's eyes could tell a story if you look closely enough and this little girl was telling hers. Behind the beautiful green eyes, there was a deep sadness that was hidden behind a closed door. This door stayed closed at all times because there were people who needed to be cared for. Putting others ahead made it easier to escape the harsh reality of their own feelings. She saw herself in Molly's eyes.

"Listen to me baby; what is happening to your mommy is not your fault. What happened to your daddy was not your fault either." She had to pause for a minute because the look of anguish on Molly's face damn near killed her, "Your daddy had to go away because he got into trouble. He still loves you very much and nothing you did made him angry. Sometimes adults get mad and don't know how to control their anger. Your daddy didn't know how to control his anger so that's why he would yell so much. It was never your fault okay?" She paused to wipe away yet another tear that managed to escape, "Your mommy is sick because God needs a special angel up there in heaven to help him with a secret mission. Your mommy is very special because she was chosen. God wouldn't want you to think any of this is your fault. He loves you and he is proud of what a wonderful little girl you turned out to be."

Molly sniffled and smiled weakly, "I love you Aunt Addie."

"I love you too baby." She pulled Molly close again and continued to rock her gently. This little girl had already stolen her heart from the moment they met and through this moment she finally started to realize what it was like to be a parent.