I smile down at Vick from my place on the couch. It's only about twelve o'clock, but he's been running around the Hawthorne's small house for nearly an hour now, and neither Gale nor I could figure out how to calm him down. Rory had run out of energy and was curled up on my left, Gale on my right. When he runs out of energy only a few minutes later, he curls up on Gale's lap, and we're met with silence.
Gale's mother was at an appointment, her next child is due in a few days, and they've asked her to stay overnight so they can keep an eye on her. Gale and I were asked to keep an eye on the boys, since his dad was in the mines.
"Do you think it's a girl or a boy?" I turn my head to look at Gale when he speaks and my breathing stutters when I realize how close he's actually sitting.
It takes me a few seconds of stuttering before I can come up with a reasonable answer, and he smiles at my reaction, "Well, considering the last three have been boys, I'm betting on a boy." I could barely catch my breath, his eyes were so beautiful from this close.
He smirked and tilted his head a little closer before whispering, "Well then I'm going to guess it's a girl."
He knows exactly what he's doing! I thought to myself as I tried not to lean my head closer to connect our lips. We had only kissed one other time, just last week, and Gale had gone straight home afterwards, complaining about a stomach ache. What was he going to do if he got a stomach ache this time?
I noticed his face moving closer again, and I stopped him only a few inches away, my voice was shaking, "Gale," I trailed off and glanced down at his brothers, who were sound asleep. He nodded and carried Vick to the small bed that the three of the boys shared. I carried Rory as well to tuck them in before kissing their foreheads.
Gale was waiting in the living room, and as I sat next to him he placed his arm behind my back, turning my body to face him and laying my legs across his lap, smoothing out the white skirt I was wearing. I laid my hand on his chest before speaking.
"What are we doing, Gale?" His eyes were soft but calculating as he placed his other hand on my cheek, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. I let my eyes fall shut as I lean my head further against his palm.
He's quiet when he replies, "I'm not sure. But what's life without adventure?" I smile at the memory of our first exchange of friendship and open my eyes again. He leans forward, closing the distance between us.
We're both shy- we've only kissed once before and that was my first kiss, I'm pretty sure it was Gale's as well- but his lips feel soft on mine.
We barely have time to pull apart when we hear the front door open, and I move a reasonable distance away from Gale, looking up at the door. I expected to see Gale's father, but I was surprised when I saw my own parents instead. They hadn't visited me since my birthday in the spring last year.
My parents looked out of place in the old house, and they stood by the doorway as if they were waiting for me to approach them.
"What are you doing here?" I ask as I reluctantly stand from my place on the couch. When I approach them, my mother places a hand on my shoulder, as if it's a touch of intimacy.
"Who's this boy?" My father asks, straightening up his shoulders and looking unapprovingly at Gale. Gale stands as well and approaches my father, holding out his hand for my father to shake. My father reluctantly accepts his hand.
"My name's Gale. Val and I are in the same class and my mother asked her to help me watch my brothers while she's giving birth." My father looks back and forth between Gale and I with an expression of disapproval before talking again.
"Valeria, your mother and I would like to speak with you, alone." I roll my eyes at how rude he is being, but head for the doorway before turning to Gale.
"I'll be back in a little while, before the boys wake up." Gale simply nods and turns to the cupboards, probably preparing food for when the boys' nap was over.
I lead my parents to Delphi's small house next door, and close the door behind them after they walk in. I wait for them to talk first, which takes them a few minutes. My father speaks first. "Your mother and I have been thinking for a while, and we would like you to move back to town with us," my eyes narrow as he continues talking, "your brothers have begun walking now and we believe they would enjoy having someone closer to their age to play with." My mother nods when he's finished talking.
I glare at them for a few moments before I speak, "I have no intention of going back with you." My father tries to cut me off but I continue speaking angrily, "You both dumped me on my aunt's doorstep four years ago. She had no clue how to take care of a child, but she did better than either one of you ever did. I don't consider either of you my parents, and why would I consider the twins my brothers when I've never even met them? I'm perfectly happy here with Delphi, the woman who actually raised me. I'm not going back." My father's eyes are furious and my mother looks confused at my angry tone. My father is the next one to speak.
"And what do you think you're going to do here, Valeria? Marry that coal miner's son and live in one of these old little shacks for the rest of your life? This place is disgusting, I won't allow our family's reputation in this district to be tarnished." He grabs my arm but I push him away easily.
"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you all but threw me at Delphi's doorstep! Now get out, I don't care what you have to say anymore." As I finish my last sentence, I hear a familiar sound and my face pales.
It's the sirens that blare through the town when there's been a mining accident. I rush past my parents and through the door back to Gale's house and find him readying Vick and Rory quickly. I help put on Vick's small shoes, and carry him out the door behind Gale. No one talks as we make our way to the mines, Gale and I are both too terrified that someone we love was hurt in the mines tonight, and the boys are still half asleep from their naps.
By the time we reach the mines, the ropes have already been set up where the families are to stand. There's a chalkboard at the front where a table is set up, and it has a list of all the miner's names written on it. Once they know if someone is alive, they will circle the name and announce their condition. If the person is confirmed dead, the name is crossed off with red chalk. I prayed silently that there were few dead, even though I was sure the accident was devastating.
My aunt works in one of the top levels of the mines, so I don't expect her to be terribly injured. When I hear her name called, I rush to find her at the small medical tent. She's having a cut cleaned and it only takes a few moments before she's able to wrap her arms around me.
"You're not gettin' rid of me yet, kid." I chuckle before I lead her to the crowd where Gale is still waiting with his brothers. There's been no sign of his father. I grab his hand, and Delphi rubs his back gently. I can see his eyes welling with tears, but his face shows no expression.
We stand there for hours before they begin bringing the deceased up in the lift, and by that time I was holding Gale in my arms as tears streamed down his cheeks, whispering in his ear that it would be alright, even though I knew it wouldn't be.
When they finally called out his name, Vick and Rory began crying as well. Delphi offered to bring the boys to our house tonight so Gale and I could visit his mother to give her the news, and Gale remains silent when I give Delphi instructions for their bed time rituals. When we finally arrive at the hospital to tell Hazelle what had happened, she begins sobbing uncontrollably. I hold her in my arms because Gale is sitting in the chair with a blank expression on his face, and I know this is a lot for him to take in.
Hazelle starts gasping for breath, and a doctor enters the room talking about how the baby is in distress and needs to be delivered immediately. I stand back while the doctors do their work, thinking about all the things that have happened tonight, and how Hazelle's beautiful baby is being delivered into a world with no father.
It turns out Gale was right, that night his first and only sister Posy was born, and though terrible things had happened, Hazelle and Gale awed over her as if nothing could take their happiness away anymore, and I wish things could have stayed that way forever.
Okay, I am SO sorry I made you guys wait for this chapter. I've been working between this fic and a new one that I've gotten pretty far into, on top of my classes and my laptop has decided to not work properly 4/5 times I try to use it so life is great! As usual, let me know what you think! I'm going to ask for at least 1 review before I upload the next chapter, just so I know that there's people actually following it that want me to keep it going! Thanks everyone! -Ivy