NaNo Second Week - another section part whatever why didn't I start numbering these?
Maggie stirred. She opened her eyes. It was dark. Her sleep schedule was whacked. She supposed she didn’t care. But she did. She wanted normal again. Normal like when Miriam really was a tiny little thing, and Sam didn’t have those creases of concern on his forehead, and she had enough energy to paint the living room yellow.
The aforementioned small figure stirred by her arm. Still small for her age, but perfect. Maggie hoped she didn’t wake her daughter. She just wanted to be still for a bit and look at her.
Maggie despaired at the world she was leaving her daughter. The slaughter that the Tower was doing to matter and to nature will have far, far reaching consequences. Long into Miriam’s own daughters’ and their daughters’ lives, and who knows how long that will be until the sky was just as blue as it was before.
She looked into Miriam’s hair. At the roots, there was the slightest hint of a dark blonde. It was darker than the hair at the tips, but not the white that was there above the bit of dark blonde. It sort of looked like Miriam’s hair was striped at the base. She smiled.
That did it. Miriam shifted and opened her eyes to find her mother’s staring down into them. Miriam blinked.
“Hi mom,” she said sleepily. Warm, warm she was, Maggie thought. Comforting. It made Maggie realized how cold she had been, being so ill. The little mite was a regular heating blanket.
“Hi sweetie,” replied her mother.
Miriam rubbed at her eyes. “Okay. Okay, news.”
Maggie sighed lightly. “Now?”
“Just one thing, mom, promise. Uncle Edwin is coming tomorrow to re-program your nanites to get their act together and get you well.”
Maggie closed her eyes. “Oh, Okay. Good. I’m glad. I am glad. I’m… even surprised. But glad.” Her face fell into repose, relaxed.
Miriam smiled, readjusted their blankets, snuggled in, and prepared to continue to keep her mother warm. Then she closed her own eyes to sleep again.
Edwin came shortly before lunch. Everyone was there. Sam and Miriam, of course. Jory and Amanda. Thomas and Madeline. Even Mom and Dad.
“Is this a party?, “Edwin said. He didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t know why it would be just Sam, his niece and brother. Not Martha and Calley, too, their parents. He sighed, smiled. “Yeah, that was dumb.”
Thomas smiled. “No, no, not dumb. Sorry we were staring at you.” And they were, too, Thomas thought. Waiting for him like the Return of Christ. Or, more accurately and less blasphemously, Return of the King. The one in the book, where he could heal.
Miriam and Amanda looked at each other and smiled. By unconscious yet deliberate decision, they leap at their uncle.
“Whoa what!” Edwin threw his arms up, swinging he bag up to his face. His brother, sensing the attack, was already there to grab the case out of his hands.
Martha and Calley covered their faces with to hide their laughter.
“UMF!” Edwin muttered. He was currently the middle of a carpet and Miriam/Amanda sandwich. The girls giggled.
“Ya know, Uncle Edwin, if you were to visit more often,” Miriam started, reasonability, you would one, be prepared for these, moments,”
“And,” continued Amanda, “better able to either, two, avoid them, or three, counteract them,”
“Or four, turn them to your advantage” finished Miriam.
Somehow that sage advice did not include the benefit of actually crawling of their slightly groaning and squished uncle.
Sam cleared his throat theatrically. He walked over to the jumble, expertly grabbed a girl in each hand, curled his arms under their respective stomachs, and leaned over to stage whisper towards Edwin’s ear.
“You can get up, now. I’ve got the beasties.”
Edwin snorted into the carpet. Jory took the couple steps to his former lover and offered a hand up. “Hi Edwin.”
Edwin grabbed the hand gladly, replying, “Hi Jory. I see Amanda is well.”
Jory beamed, “Yep. Still is.”
Edwin brushed off his pants, uselessly. He reached out his hand to his brother. Thomas handed over his bag. Edwin nodded once and walked to Maggie’s room.
He entered the pale green room where his sister lay. Now she looked normal. Normally sick, yes, but normal in her own room, her own light green room with the portrats of flowers and sunlight painted by her own hands decorating the walls. Even after dark, in a darkened room, the room suggested sunlight.
Maggie opened her eyes to her brother. “Hey.” She said simply.
“Hey,” Edwin replied. He walked over to the edge of Maggie’s bed.
There was stirring behind the door that Edwin closed. “You need anything?” called a young female voice.
“Yes, leave me alone with your mother for a bit, eh?” Edwin said.
Shuffle of feet. “Oh. Okay.” Steps walking away.
Maggie looked at her brother quizzically. “Why…?”
“I just want a few moments with my sister, okay?” Edwin told her.
“Oh.”
Edwin lifted what looked like a pocket calculator out of his bag. He started pressing buttons at lightening speed.
“Is that the item?” asked Maggie?
“It is the item,” Edwin replied without looking up.
“Okay,” he said after a moment.” He reached for Maggie’s arm. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
“Yeah, heard that one. Tell another.”
Edwin smirked. “You didn’t scream or anything.”
“You didn’t touch me.”
“Told you it wouldn’t hurt.”
“Yeah. So, how long?”
Edwin looked at the clock. “Ah, twelve hours or so to start to feel better? Then healing. I don’t how how long that will take. But tomorrow for feeling better at least.”
Maggie sighed. ‘Well, good. Pain?”
Edwin strugged. “I don’t know. Maybe like healing a broken bone, or a buise? Tender, achy, until the tissues are healed.”
“Pain meds?”
“Shouldn’t need. Over the counter is side, even prescription won’t interfere with the nanites.
“Okay,” said his sister. “Okay. I’d like to sleep now. Do you have anything that would help? I’ve been sleeping all day but I want to be awake for tomorrow.”
“yeah, sure, hang a mo,” Edwin reached into his bag, brought out a small white pill. “Just enough to ease the transition to REM.”
“Just enough, eh? Okay, lemme have it. Now go visit with the rest of your family.”
Edwin handed Maggie the little pill and her glass of water. “Okay.”
The aforementioned small figure stirred by her arm. Still small for her age, but perfect. Maggie hoped she didn’t wake her daughter. She just wanted to be still for a bit and look at her.
Maggie despaired at the world she was leaving her daughter. The slaughter that the Tower was doing to matter and to nature will have far, far reaching consequences. Long into Miriam’s own daughters’ and their daughters’ lives, and who knows how long that will be until the sky was just as blue as it was before.
She looked into Miriam’s hair. At the roots, there was the slightest hint of a dark blonde. It was darker than the hair at the tips, but not the white that was there above the bit of dark blonde. It sort of looked like Miriam’s hair was striped at the base. She smiled.
That did it. Miriam shifted and opened her eyes to find her mother’s staring down into them. Miriam blinked.
“Hi mom,” she said sleepily. Warm, warm she was, Maggie thought. Comforting. It made Maggie realized how cold she had been, being so ill. The little mite was a regular heating blanket.
“Hi sweetie,” replied her mother.
Miriam rubbed at her eyes. “Okay. Okay, news.”
Maggie sighed lightly. “Now?”
“Just one thing, mom, promise. Uncle Edwin is coming tomorrow to re-program your nanites to get their act together and get you well.”
Maggie closed her eyes. “Oh, Okay. Good. I’m glad. I am glad. I’m… even surprised. But glad.” Her face fell into repose, relaxed.
Miriam smiled, readjusted their blankets, snuggled in, and prepared to continue to keep her mother warm. Then she closed her own eyes to sleep again.
Edwin came shortly before lunch. Everyone was there. Sam and Miriam, of course. Jory and Amanda. Thomas and Madeline. Even Mom and Dad.
“Is this a party?, “Edwin said. He didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t know why it would be just Sam, his niece and brother. Not Martha and Calley, too, their parents. He sighed, smiled. “Yeah, that was dumb.”
Thomas smiled. “No, no, not dumb. Sorry we were staring at you.” And they were, too, Thomas thought. Waiting for him like the Return of Christ. Or, more accurately and less blasphemously, Return of the King. The one in the book, where he could heal.
Miriam and Amanda looked at each other and smiled. By unconscious yet deliberate decision, they leap at their uncle.
“Whoa what!” Edwin threw his arms up, swinging he bag up to his face. His brother, sensing the attack, was already there to grab the case out of his hands.
Martha and Calley covered their faces with to hide their laughter.
“UMF!” Edwin muttered. He was currently the middle of a carpet and Miriam/Amanda sandwich. The girls giggled.
“Ya know, Uncle Edwin, if you were to visit more often,” Miriam started, reasonability, you would one, be prepared for these, moments,”
“And,” continued Amanda, “better able to either, two, avoid them, or three, counteract them,”
“Or four, turn them to your advantage” finished Miriam.
Somehow that sage advice did not include the benefit of actually crawling of their slightly groaning and squished uncle.
Sam cleared his throat theatrically. He walked over to the jumble, expertly grabbed a girl in each hand, curled his arms under their respective stomachs, and leaned over to stage whisper towards Edwin’s ear.
“You can get up, now. I’ve got the beasties.”
Edwin snorted into the carpet. Jory took the couple steps to his former lover and offered a hand up. “Hi Edwin.”
Edwin grabbed the hand gladly, replying, “Hi Jory. I see Amanda is well.”
Jory beamed, “Yep. Still is.”
Edwin brushed off his pants, uselessly. He reached out his hand to his brother. Thomas handed over his bag. Edwin nodded once and walked to Maggie’s room.
He entered the pale green room where his sister lay. Now she looked normal. Normally sick, yes, but normal in her own room, her own light green room with the portrats of flowers and sunlight painted by her own hands decorating the walls. Even after dark, in a darkened room, the room suggested sunlight.
Maggie opened her eyes to her brother. “Hey.” She said simply.
“Hey,” Edwin replied. He walked over to the edge of Maggie’s bed.
There was stirring behind the door that Edwin closed. “You need anything?” called a young female voice.
“Yes, leave me alone with your mother for a bit, eh?” Edwin said.
Shuffle of feet. “Oh. Okay.” Steps walking away.
Maggie looked at her brother quizzically. “Why…?”
“I just want a few moments with my sister, okay?” Edwin told her.
“Oh.”
Edwin lifted what looked like a pocket calculator out of his bag. He started pressing buttons at lightening speed.
“Is that the item?” asked Maggie?
“It is the item,” Edwin replied without looking up.
“Okay,” he said after a moment.” He reached for Maggie’s arm. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
“Yeah, heard that one. Tell another.”
Edwin smirked. “You didn’t scream or anything.”
“You didn’t touch me.”
“Told you it wouldn’t hurt.”
“Yeah. So, how long?”
Edwin looked at the clock. “Ah, twelve hours or so to start to feel better? Then healing. I don’t how how long that will take. But tomorrow for feeling better at least.”
Maggie sighed. ‘Well, good. Pain?”
Edwin strugged. “I don’t know. Maybe like healing a broken bone, or a buise? Tender, achy, until the tissues are healed.”
“Pain meds?”
“Shouldn’t need. Over the counter is side, even prescription won’t interfere with the nanites.
“Okay,” said his sister. “Okay. I’d like to sleep now. Do you have anything that would help? I’ve been sleeping all day but I want to be awake for tomorrow.”
“yeah, sure, hang a mo,” Edwin reached into his bag, brought out a small white pill. “Just enough to ease the transition to REM.”
“Just enough, eh? Okay, lemme have it. Now go visit with the rest of your family.”
Edwin handed Maggie the little pill and her glass of water. “Okay.”