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She nearly cringed at his name. “He hasn’t returned yet.”
”It’s been nearly eight months!” he exclaimed as she came into the room, dropping the bags on the floor, and taking a small glass figurine out of Kayla’s small hand, and placing it back on the coffee table. Elizabeth sat herself down as she lifted Kayla, who started whining and crying again.
“I know,” she said quietly.
Kayla had settled down where she sat in Elizabeth’s lap, resting her head on Elizabeth’s chest, her thumb in her mouth, and her other hand wrapped in Elizabeth’s hair, which had grown back to it’s former, longer self.
“When’s he coming back?” Ryan asked.
“Elizabeth!” came the cry of Ariel. She barged in, waking Derek in the process, who, when he opened his eyes, say Ryan and Ariel, and went straight to his mother, holding onto her arm.
Ariel gave Elizabeth a brief hug before rounding on the children.
“Kayla! My sweet!” She said lifting her after removing Elizabeth’s hair from her clutches. Kayla just stared at her as she was lifted, and hugged, and kissed. The stare saying, “Who are you?”
Derek wasn’t too keen on saying hello. He managed to push himself behind the chair his mother sat in, and hid there before Elizabeth got up, and brought him out.
“Don’t be afraid, Derek,” Elizabeth cooed. “This is your grandma.”
Ariel extended a hand. “Come with me. Grandma’s going to get you some candy.”
Hesitantly, Derek took her hand, and glanced back as Ariel took both of them off to the kitchens.
“Not now, Ryan,” Elizabeth uttered before Donovan came in.
“I saw Will, and knew you were here,” he said smiling.
“Of course I’d be here. Who else would bring them?”
”Maybe Jo-“ Donovan began, but was cut off by a stern look from Ryan.
“No, John didn’t come.” Elizabeth left the room in search of her children. She guessed Will was with her father, so that’s whom she tracked down first. She found him on the fourth floor in his office. Will was sitting on the desk with his legs dangling over the edge, and Michael sitting behind it, immersed in paperwork of some sort.
“Mommy!” Will called out when she stepped in. Elizabeth leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.
“What are you doing on the desk?”
“Grandpa put me up here.”
”And why did he do that?” She asked, her question directed at Will, but her eyes on her fathers’ eyes.
“So I could keep a look out for Uncle Donovan,” he said, clearly amused by this game of lookout.
“What are you doing, dad?” She asked, walking into the room and sitting in a chair in front of the desk, Will’s feet resting on either one of her legs.
“Who said I was doing anything?” He replied looking guilty, or trying to weasel his way out of the act he was caught in.
“Were you doing Donovan’s paperwork?”
“Now why would I do that?” he asked nervously.
”Dad, if you miss being Leader so badly, run next term!”
“No way. Being Leader messed me up for raising my kids. Now I just want to sit back, relax, and watch my grandchildren grow up.”
”And do Donovan’s paper work,” Elizabeth pointed out.
“Oh all right,” Michael admitted. “It was needed by this morning. Some crackpot claims he found a cure for the common cold. I was just denying him access to practicing on people. Don’t tell Donovan, he’ll feel as if I’m trying to take over.”
”Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”
Will swung his legs away from Elizabeth and jumped down from the desk and ran to the door.
“Look Grandpa! He’s here!” he said running over and wrapping his short arms around Donovan’s waist. Next to his leg was a teary eyed little girl Elizabeth believed to be named June. She had Heathers red hair, and Donovan’s dark eyes. Not a freckle disturbed the flawlessness of her pale skin. She was dressed in what appeared to be a party dress in pink and white.
“Well, go say hello to your Aunt Elizabeth,” Donovan urged, pushing the girl into the room. “June, go on.”
Elizabeth stood up and went to where Donovan stood with June and Will.
“Hi June,” Elizabeth said, smiling. She knelt down so she can look at June eye to eye.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Why are you crying?” Elizabeth asked.
“Because mommy wouldn’t let me-“ but the rest of her words were drowned by her cries, and the fact she buried her face into the seat of Donovan’s pants. Will had retreated back to the desk to sit with his grandpa.
“Heather wouldn’t let June go shopping with her,” Donovan said, gently pulling June to his side.
“Like I would with all of that hullabaloo!” Heather suddenly said from up the hall. “People are starting their Christmas shopping already. It’s like a zoo out there.”
Heather appeared at the door, Donovan and June consuming her attention at the moment.
“And whose wagon is that in the entrance hall? It isn’t Ron’s, is it?”
”Elizabeth’s.”
”Is she here?”
”Yes, she is,” Elizabeth answered,
“ELIZBAETH!” Heather shrieked, once she turned her attention to who was in the room.
Elizabeth laughed as they hugged, and then Heather commented on how much Will had grown.
“He’s certainly a big boy!”
“Yes he is,” Elizabeth agreed, looking at him where he sat by Michael.
“Where are the rest of them?” Heather asked.
“Mother took them. Off to spoil them.”
”Here on your own? John had to stay home?”
Elizabeth paused. “Yes. He stayed to look after things.”
“Where’s Ron?” Heather asked Donovan.
“Not sure,” he replied.
June left the adults, and went walking up the hall. When she reached the stairs, a big blue ball came bouncing to a stop at her feet. She looked up, and laughed as Ron came running down the stairs. Ron had rust-colored hair, mass amount of freckles on his face, and was a bit taller then June. He was wearing blue overalls with a red-striped shirt underneath.
“Oh there he is!” Heather exclaimed, jogging over to him, and bending down to speak with him. Just then, Ariel appeared with Kayla and Derek. Both of them holding peppermint Candy-Canes, and sucking on them happily. In Ariel’s dress pocket, the tops of three more were poking out slightly. Ariel paused, and gave one to June and Ron, before arriving at Michael’s office. Derek went running in to see what his brother was doing, and Kayla wanted down.
“Having fun?” Elizabeth asked.
“Of course I am,” she replied, putting Kayla down. She immediately crawled to a corner, sat down, and continued sucking on the Candy-Cane. “Will you be staying?”
”Yes, I believe so.”
”So, where’s John?”
Elizabeth was getting upset at everyone asking that question.
“Did he come back yet?”
Elizabeth ignored her mother.
“He didn’t?” Ariel gasped.
Donovan and Michael both stared at Ariel and Elizabeth.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” she said quietly to her mother, her eyes avoiding her mothers face.
“Elizabeth, you should have told us! We could have helped with the children, or sent money. When were you planning on telling us? This is completely irresponsible of you!”
“Come now Ariel,” Michael said. “Elizabeth is grown up. She doesn’t have to tell us anything. It’s her business, and until she wants our help, or advice, we should bud out.”
“Aren’t you full of wisdom all of a sudden,” Ariel said coolly to Michael.
Michael sighed as Elizabeth fled the room, taking Kayla with her. “All I’m saying is when she’s ready to tell us, she will.”
The dog was creeping ever closer. She hadn’t been back for half an hour and already her parents were arguing over her. And until she admits she failed, they would continue to fight.
“I should of just stayed in Minel,” she said out loud, once she was in front of her bedroom door. Kayla gurgled happily in response, and Elizabeth smiled.
“You don’t care what goes on. You just want your treats.”
Once inside, she placed Kayla on the floor, where she sat to finish her Candy-Cane. When Elizabeth looked up, she saw the room was basically the way it was the last time she was here. Papers littered the table, clothes hung over chairs and lay in bunches on the floor. The only things that changed were the bed sheets, and the curtains. She guessed they didn’t want to disturb anything John and her left. Elizabeth closed the door, and then took away the last, small bits of the Candy-Cane from Kayla.
“Don’t cry,” she pleaded. “We’re going to get you washed, and then it’s nap time.”
Elizabeth picked her up, and brought her to the bathroom. It was also changed, with fresh towels, new soaps, and a clean bathmat. She wet a facecloth, and wiped Kayla’s sticky fingers and mouth with Kayla struggling to get away. When Elizabeth finished, she hung the cloth over the side of the tub and took her to the bed where she lay her down.
“Sleep now, my sweet. I’m going to go get Derek.”
She waited until Kayla’s eyes started closing before quietly leaving. She walked down the hall and down the stairs to find Ron, June, Derek, and Will all playing by the stairs with the big blue ball.
“Derek,” she called. “Nap time.”
“No!” Derek shrieked.
“Yes, now come on.”
“No!”
Elizabeth sighed. Once she was standing amongst the children, she took Derek’s hand. Derek proceeded to scream and kick, and try to pull his arm away from her so violently Elizabeth had to let go in fear of dislocating his shoulder. He flung himself onto the floor where he started to cry, and pound his tiny fists on his legs and floor.
“Derek, stop! You’re going to hurt yourself!” Elizabeth cried, bending over and picking him up. He started to kick again, but Elizabeth just hurried up the steps, trying to hold onto him.
“Derek, stop this, or we’re going home!”
That was a lie. But it did make him stop kicking.
Once in her room, she put Derek next to Kayla. He was hiccupping for a few minutes before he finally dozed off. With both of them sleeping, she could go see what else had changed in the estate.
She left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She was almost at the stairs when someone called her from behind. When she turned around, she was almost shocked to see who it was, but smiled.
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