April 10, 2010
11:00 p.m. Mountain Time
Teddy sat up in her bed quickly. The fifteen year old's heart pounding.
She had a horrible nightmare, about her mother and her family.
She was bleeding all over, her scalp, she had black hair, and she couldn't stop herself.
She was downstairs when her mother walked down with this terrifying man, who had his hand around her neck, she was crying, and her cries got worse when she saw Teddy.
She wanted to help her mother but she couldn't, it was like she was being controlled. She walked up to her mother, and drew her finger down her arm, and her mom cringed, when her skin split at Teddy's touch, and started to bleed badly.
Teddy wanted to scream, but instead she tasted blood in her mouth, and then smiled at her mother, who then passed out.
Then she was in a room with her family, except for Gabe and her father.
Everyone had black hair except her mother, who was crying. They were in the living room, which had the lights off, but it was lit by the bright moon, so things looked only black and white.
She looked at Charlie, who seemed way older then nine months, and then there was another little boy, who looked a lot like her mother, except he had black hair, and his face was all bloody, just like the rest of them.
Again, she couldn't move, and watched in horror as Bob Diddlebock went upstairs, with a screaming Amy, and walked into P.J. and Gabe's room, then came back a few minutes later with Amy, dead, in his arms.
She wanted to cry, but couldn't and watched as he laid Amy down on the ground who had seemed to go colorless, then just like that, she rose up, but she looked way different.
Her curly blonde hair turned flat and straight, and black. Her crystal blue eyes turned grey, her lips turned blue. She sat up and sat down on the couch next to Bob. She kissed him on the cheek and smiled.
"We have a wonderful family, Bob."
Teddy wanted to scream, and just run, but she couldn't.
She looked down at the small unfamiliar boy, beside her, then looked at the older version of Charlie, then at P.J.
Their black eyes were dark, but she could barely see a small hint of fright in them too, and she knew she wasn't the only one, who wasn't herself that night.
Teddy walked up the stairs that morning, small tears running down her face. That dream terrified her, she didn't know what to do.
So many questions were in her mind at that point.
Who was that man carrying mom? Who was that little boy who they called Toby? Why were we all bleeding, why was our hair black, and where the heck was GABE? Those were just few of a million questions she was thinking that morning, she wanted to roll up in a ball and cry, she was so afraid for her mother, she was afraid for her family.
She walked into the kitchen, to see her mother trying to feed Charlie, she couldn't look her eyes, if she did she would break out crying.
"Hey Teddy," Amy's voice was sad, like it usually was, Teddy was used to it, she hadn't seen her mother with a real smile in years, she didn't care anymore, she didn't even know why.
"Hi." she said it very quick, with her head down, Amy could barely hear her fifteen year old daughter. She was so exhausted from waking up in the middle of the night trying to get Charlie to sleep. Bob of course was no help, he walked in right on that thought.
"Bob," Amy said, flat. He turned around. And whipped his head to look at his wife, who's hair was all messed up and she didn't have on makeup yet.
"Huh?" he was dressed and ready for work. He smiled at Amy innocently. That used to make her laugh, but not anymore.
"No. More. Kids." she gave him her evil glare, which made him nervous.
Teddy snickered.
After thinking for a while, she figured out who that little boy was, it was her little brother, who wasn't born yet.
He looked exactly like Amy, he acted like Bob, it was obvious.
During her thoughts, she guessed for him to be about three, and Charlie looked to be about six in her dream.
She knew what that meant. Charlie was three years older than Toby, she, in about two years, would be a big sister herself.
She wasn't sure, it was just a dream though
Amy looked over at Teddy with sad eyes, her daughter wouldn't look up at her.
"Teddy, what is wrong?" she frowned at Teddy, who already had an attitude early in the morning, but she couldn't be mad at her daughter.
"Nothing, you said no more kids after I was born, then came Gabe," she looked up to see her mothers face soften, Amy looked down, and had that face like she was going to cry,
"You said you were done after Gabe, and now your feeding a nine month old baby," Teddy finally looked into her mother's eyes, and saw the hurt she made.
She mentally cursed herself, she knew her mother was sensitive, she knew she shouldn't have said anything.
After about a minute, Amy got up and carried Charlie out of the kitchen. Teddy wanted to smack herself in the face.
"Teddy Renee! What is with you today? Go apologize to your mother, now." Bob couldn't believe his good child would say that to Amy. He tried to do the evil voice like his wife did, but it was nowhere near scary.
Teddy looked down at her shirt as she walked out of the kitchen. She walked up the stairs and started to walk into her old room but stopped, as she heard her mom crying.
I didn't know it was that bad, she thought. That's when she really started to feel the guilt.
She walked into the room, to see her mother in the rocking chair facing the window, holding a sleeping Charlie, looking in the neighborhood to see Gabe playing with Jake and two other kids across the street.
Teddy silently walked in, and walked up behind her mother, who's back was facing the door. She thought she was quiet but apparently wasn't, Amy had always had sharp hearing.
She whipped her teared face around and immediatly started wiping them away when she saw her oldest daughter five feet away from her.
"Mom?" Teddy looked worried at her mother, she hadn't seen her mother cry in forever.
Amy stood up with Charlie and laid the baby in her crib.
Amy tried to sneak past her daughter, through the door. But Teddy caught her, and faced her mother, who had small tears streaming her face.
Teddy pulled her mother into a hug, she was taller than her, Amy came to about her nose. Teddy held the back of her mother's head, and felt the soft golden curls against her palm, even without a shower yet.
She looked at Amy after they were done hugging,
"I'm so sorry mama, I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't mean it at all, mom. Gabe and Charlie are great, I don't know what I would do if P.J. was my only other sibling!" she saw her mom's lips curl up a little and pulled her into another hug.
Teddy frowned, when she saw a small scratch, that looked exactly like the trace of her finger in her dreams, on her mother's arm.
Teddy got out of her car in the drive in on the side of her parent's house, she smiled up at the giant house, which had at once held all seven members of the Duncan family.
She locked her car and walked up to the front door and opened it up and smiled at the view.
Bob and Amy were on the couch holding hands watching The Vow, a movie released in 2011 or 2012, she couldn't remember. Amy looked at the door and smiled to see her oldest daughter in the doorway, a real smile, which made Teddy laugh.
"What?" Amy asked, still smiling
"Nothing, I just haven't seen you smile like that in forever!" Teddy walked in and sat on the chair closest to the door.
"I came over here because Spencer's in class and it was lonely in the loft and I was willing to buy you guys lunch! I'll even drive!" Teddy was hoping they said yes, she was hungry.
Amy smiled at Bob, "Sounds good to me!" she got up and turned off the blue ray then walked upstairs to get a sleeping Toby.
"I haven't seen her this happy before!" Teddy whispered to her father.
Bob smiled, "This was what she was like in high school, except more energetic!" They both laughed, and Teddy couldn't even imagine her mother being hyper like that.
Amy walked down, carrying Toby who was still asleep, she didn't want to wake him because he hadn't gotten much sleep lately.
They all smiled at Toby, who looked adorable in his sleep.
Amy handed him to Bob, while she grabbed her purse and then they walked out the door.
They ended up eating at a new Italian resturaunt on eighteenth street in downtown. They laughed at stories from when Teddy was little, she couldn't help but smile, she had never seen her parents that happy before, and she couldn't believe that she missed meeting her real mother and father for sixteen years, all because of a man that she had hated so much for what he did, but he was gone, and she didn't have to worry about him hurting her mother anymore.
That's what she thought.
Toby had no idea what was going on, he fell asleep in his room, and woke up in a high chair in a fancy resturant, what the heck? He was still groggy from his short nap, so he didn't say anything.
"Hey guys! I need to show you our new furniture that we bought when we're done here!" Teddy smiled at her parents, who happily agreed.
xxx
Teddy drove onto Blake Street, which was on the west side of downtown.
She pulled up to the garage door to the Palace Lofts, the nicest and most expensive lofts in town. She slipped her card into the slot, and the door started to open to the indoor parking garage.
She drove her BMW into the west lot, and parked in her spot.
They walked into the large lobby, which included an area with couches two tv's, a hockey table and tennis table, and on the right was a cafe for early risers.
The desk secretary, Amanda welcomed them in.
"Hello, Mrs. Walsh and Mr. and Mrs. Duncan. Hi Toby!" Amanda smiled at them, her ginger hair slightly curled, and her green eyes sparkling. She had a small amount of freckles scattered on the bridge of her nose, and bright red lips.
"Hello, Amanda!" they replied
Amanda smiled and walked up to Toby, who was in Amy's arms.
"Oh, Mrs. Duncan, he looks more like you everyday!" she put her hand up, and he gave her a high five.
"Thank you, Amanda!" Amy smiled at her son, who was giggling at Amanda, who was playing peek a boo.
They walked into elevator 4, which led right to their loft, you could only get on it with your key.
Teddy and Spencer lived in the highest loft on the eighth floor, there were only four lofts on that level, and they were bigger than the other's, and more expensive.
Teddy slipped her card in the slot, and the elevator door immediately opened, they stepped in. The doors opened to a huge room, and Amy smiled at the new furniture in the room.
They all walked in, to see the wide archway on the left that led into the large kitchen, and to the right was the hallway with the two rooms and bathroom. The room opened up into the spacious area, with large windows at the end of the room, looking out into the west, to look at the Rocky Mountains in the distance, Amy had always loved that view.
They walked into the large room, lit by the sun from the large, floor to ceiling windows, which had a sliding door at the very left to walk out onto a small balcony.
The leather couches were in an "L" formation, facing a flat screen TV given by Spencer's parents.
They got the money for all their furniture from both of their parents' money that they gave them for their wedding, they still had about nine hundred dollars left.
They were saving it up. Spencer's parents were paying for the loft, while Spencer and Teddy paid for the utilities and water.
Bob and Amy were paying for Teddy's college tuition, they offered to pay for Spencer's, but the Walshs wouldn't let them. If you hadn't noticed they were really rich.
Teddy was in her fourth year to be a Psycologist, and Spencer was going to be an Engineer. Both jobs paid well, and when they were finished with college, and got their jobs, they were planning on buying a big house in the Country Club, on High Street, which was about ten minutes south of downtown.
Teddy had always wanted to have a big family when she got married, because no matter how much she said she hated it, she loved growing up with a lot of siblings. Other than the fights, babysitting, and her brothers being annoying, she couldn't think of a life of being an only child, and having to deal with her two crazy parents by herself.
"Mommy, I tired." Toby looked up at Amy, who could tell he wanted to go to sleep.
"Here, mom. He could sleep in our bed for a while, we could stay here for a little bit while he sleeps." Amy gave Teddy a thankful look, as she picked Toby out of her arms, and started to walk into the hallway, and disappeared into their bedroom.
Amy smiled she didn't really want to go home at that time, Gabe and Charlie were in school, and wouldn't get out for another four hours, so she thought they'd stay with Teddy until Spencer got home. Amy walked to the glass windows, and looked out into the suburbs of Denver, and into the mountains in the distance.
She felt Bob's presence behind her, and a second later felt his fingers intertwine with her's, she leaned up against him, and kept her stare out the window.
"Bob," she whispered
"Yes, sweetheart?" he looked down at his wife, and could smell the faint scent of cocunut shampoo from her hair.
"Our little girl is grown up now." she had an expressionless look on her face, as she seemed to not be able to take her gaze away from the mountains.
She finally tore her gaze away and gave a faint smile up at her husband, as her blue eyes started to shed happy tears, and then she smiled at him.
He leaned down and kissed her.
"I'm so proud of her," he started, as he looked her into her eyes
She gave him her full bright smile, that melted him from the inside out.
"I'm proud of you too." he said quietly. Amy's expression changed to a confused look.
"Why me?" she looked at him,
"For being an amazing mother." he smiled down at her, and kissed the top of her head, and smiled at the soothing fragrance from her hair.
Teddy smiled at Toby, who she finally got to sleep, she looked out the window, to see the entire downtown of Denver, she loved that view.
She walked quietly out of the room and left the door open a crack, and smiled when she saw her parents at the window, she could barely hear their voices, that were just above a whisper.
She smiled as they kissed and she laid her head on his shoulder, and their hands were intertwined.
"I love them." she whispered, she loved her parents so much, for being so strong.
She walked up behind them, and wrapped her arms around them both, who turned around quickly.
"I love you lovebirds so much!" She kissed them both, then walked into the kitchen.
Bob and Amy smiled at each other,
"That's why she's my favorite!" Bob said, and Amy giggled as they both walked into the kitchen to get a drink.
Not to boast, but I love how that ended! What did you guys think?