It was Thursday morning and Rachel ran through to her mom's bedroom. She needed to check she was still there. Shelby woke up when she felt someone else in the room with her. She looked over at her 9 year old daughter and smiled.
"Well done for sleeping by yourself baby" Shelby said "You did so well."
Rachel nodded. Shelby opened her arms and allowed the girl to climb into bed with her.
"I am so proud of you" Shelby said kissing the girl.
"What are you going to do today?" Rachel asked.
"Well, it's thanks giving" Shelby explained and Rachel nodded.
"I know that but what do we do?" Rachel asked confused. She couldn't remember celebrating thanks giving with her parents. It has been nearly 4 years since her dad became ill and since then she didn't celebrate anything.
"Well, we'll have lunch and it will be very big with all the family there and then we all go around the table and speak about what we are thankful for. After we have eaten we play board games" Shelby explained.
"Like what?" Rachel asked confused.
"Dominos, monopoly" Shelby explained and Rachel nodded. She hadn't heard of them games though.
"Then at night, we all go down to the bottom of the garden and we get the campfire going" Shelby explained and Rachel nodded. She liked the sound of that.
"Shall we get up now?" Shelby asked and Rachel huffed.
"Carry me please" Rachel said and Shelby sighed.
"Okay but just this once" Shelby said and Rachel smiled. Rachel lifted her arms up and her mother put her arms under the girl's armpits and picked her up. Shelby moved her hands to support her daughter's butt and kissed her on the head.
"You said one more time yesterday" Rachel whispered snuggling into her mother.
"I mean it this time" Shelby said and Rachel laughed. She knew that she had her mother wrapped around her little finger.
"Get some cereal and then out of my kitchen" Elizabeth demanded.
"Sure" Shelby said grabbing food and then going into the living room still with the food and Rachel.
They quickly ate before heading back up the stairs to get ready.
"Right, I need you to jump in the shower and then you can get changed into a dress that we bought in New York" Shelby explained and Rachel nodded.
Shelby tidied up while Rachel had a shower.
"I'm away to have a shower, just pick what dress you want to wear and get ready" Shelby said.
"I don't know what dress to wear" Rachel mumbled standing in only a towel.
"Let's pick one then" Shelby said opening the wardrobe.
"I like this one" Shelby said holding the black and white lace dressed.
"I do too" Rachel said.
"I'll help you get it on" Shelby said. Rachel nodded and found herself some panties and a crop top before turning back to face her mother.
"Mom, am I fat or skinny?" Rachel asked.
"You are just a skinny malinky" Shelby said.
"I love you mom" Rachel said leaning into Shelby.
"I love you too baby" Shelby said. "Right, I really need to have a shower"
Rachel nodded.
"Yeah, go on. You are smelly" Rachel said and Shelby laughed.
"Oi cheeky" Shelby said swatting the girl gently. Shelby didn't expect the reaction she received. Rachel was terrified. She kept her hands on her behind to guard it and ran out the room.
"I'm sorry, Rae" Shelby shouted. Shelby sighed. She knew she needed to give the girl time so decided to have a shower.
Meanwhile down the stairs, Sarah and Emily had just arrived. Emily ran up the stairs to find her cousin. She froze when she saw her cousin crying.
"Where is Auntie Shelby?" Emily asked.
"She is in the shower" Sarah said.
"Well, Rachel is crying" Emily said. Sarah and Elizabeth exchanged glances before Sarah headed up the stairs.
"Hey sweetie" Sarah said as she opened the door. "What's up?"
Rachel just looked at her auntie.
"Come here" Sarah said as she sat at the other end of the bed and opened her arms. Rachel crawled into her aunt's opened arms.
"What's going on baby, tell Auntie Sarah" Sarah asked stroking the girl's hair and trying to calm her down.
"My momma hit me" Rachel cried and Sarah was shocked.
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
"She hit my bottom when I told her she was smelly" Rachel said and then it clicked that Shelby hadn't hit the girl, she had given her a small swat.
"No baby, she was only telling you to stop being cheeky" Sarah explained "She was just playing. Did it hurt?"
"A little" Rachel said.
"You see, she didn't mean to hurt you" Sarah explained.
"But it did" The girl said pouting.
"Baby it was just a warning" Sarah explained but the girl just shrugged. She didn't fully understand.
"Listen sweetie, your mom will never hurt you. She loves you a lot Rachel but for her to be your mom she has to be able to give you into trouble. She just gave you a little swat, she was just playing but in the future you will do something that is a bit naughty. Everyone does something naughty in their life and your mama might be mad at first but she will always love you" Sarah explained holding the girl in her arms.
Shelby was standing at the door resting against the door frame. Sarah looked up at her sister and smiled. Shelby walked forward and sat next to them both.
"Sweetie, everything your auntie has just said is true. Don't be afraid to do something wrong. You are only a child. No matter what happens, I will pick you up and help you through it all. I might be mad at first but I will still always love you" Shelby said and Rachel nodded.
She climbed off her auntie's knee and onto her mom's.
"I love you baby, and I was just having a joke with you" Shelby said and Rachel nodded.
"I know that now" Shelby said as she held her girl in her arms. Shelby rubbed the girl's bottom softly.
"Let's head down the stairs" Shelby said looking at her sister. Rachel snuggled closer to her mom.
They walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen.
"Rachel, how about you go and find Emily?" Sarah asked and Rachel nodded.
Rachel went away to find her cousin. She quickly found Emily and they were playing when the door opened.
Emily and Rachel played for a while before the door opened.
"Uncle Michael" Emily shouted and ran up to her uncle and jumped into his arms. Rachel's eyes said fear. She looked around. She had no way to get to her mother without going passed her uncle. She turned around and noticed there was no other way to get out of the room. She ran into the deep wardrobe which was full of toys and blankets and squeezed to the back. She curled up into a ball. Shelby noticed her daughter but couldn't get to her quick enough. She passed Harrison to her sister and ran over to the wardrobe. She had no idea how she was going to reach her daughter.
"Shelb, I'm so sorry" Michael said.
"Don't worry about it Mike, she'll be fine" Shelby said as she crouched down to try to encourage her daughter out.
"Rach, baby it's momma" Shelby said. "Can you come out? I'm too big to get in there with you"
Rachel shook her head but didn't look up.
"Shel, we will go into the living room but call if you need anything" Elizabeth said and Shelby nodded. The rest of the family left leaving only Shelby and Rachel.
"Rae, it's just me and you. Do you think you could come out and speak to me?" Shelby asked softly.
"Momma, I'm scared" Rachel mumbled.
"I know you are baby but please come out. You have nothing to be scared of" Shelby said and Rachel nodded before squeezing out of the wardrobe and flinging herself at her mom.
"Come here" Shelby said as she picked the young girl up and carried her over to the sofa. Rachel burst into tears in her mother's arms.
"Baby calm down, momma has you" Shelby said rocking Rachel. Once Rachel's sobs stopped, Shelby pulled her daughter away gently.
"What scared you?" Shelby asked.
"The man" Rachel cried.
"Oh baby, that is my brother" Shelby explained. "He is very friendly just like papa"
They spoke for a bit longer before Shelby called Michael through.
"Mike this is your niece Rachel. Rachel, this is Uncle Michael" Shelby said as she introduced them.
"Hello Rachel" Michael said and Rachel looked at him. She thought about everything her mom had told her and she flung herself at him. Michael smiled and pulled the girl into his arms.
"Right the food is ready" Elizabeth shouted and then all walked through. Rachel held her mom's hand. She couldn't believe how much food there was her.
"Wow" Rachel said. There was turkey, roast potatoes, mash potatoes, vegetables, cauliflower cheese, sausage stuffing, mac n cheese, gravy, corn on a cob, casserole, salad, rolls, cransberry sauce and lots more.
"Mommy, it's a lot" Rachel said and Shelby smiled.
"Come on, let's sit down" Shelby said. Shelby was sat next to Ellie and Rachel.
"Right, are we ready? I'll start and we will go around to Thomas and so on" Elizabeth said.
"I am thankful for having my whole family here including our newest additions Rachel and Harrison" Elizabeth said. After Elizabeth, both Thomas, Madison and Michael went, then it was Rachel's shot.
"I am thankful for" Rachel said before stopping to think. "Getting my mommy back and getting away from my daddy"
Shelby smiled and grabbed the girl's hand.
"I am thankful for getting my baby girl back and being able to perform on Broadway in wicked" Shelby said. Then it was Ellie's shot.
"I am thankful for having an amazing family and boyfriend" Ellie said and both her parents scoffed. They didn't really like Jackson, they didn't want their baby girl with a boy. It worried them but it just annoyed Ellie. She knew what would annoy them more.
"And I am thankful for being kept safe during cheerleading this year" Ellie said.
This chapter is similar to the original one but I changed some sections. I have also split it into two chapters as it has taken me so long to write. I know that many people aren't keen on Ellie but I wanted her to be an issue that Shelby and Rachel have to overcome. Shelby needs to learn to deal with her sister and her daughter and work out how to separate the roles she plays for both of them. Please review and tell me what you think :)