Miracle Child to Save Them All

Happy Birthday

Brooke POV 

There it was again.. That nagging feeling that something just wasn't right. It has gotten so strong lately that it makes me nauseous. I slowly sat up in bed, being sure to not wake my husband, he had to be up for work in 4 hours anyway. I turned to admire him in his sleep, he always looked so young and carefree. We have been married for 7 years now, since I was 19. I expected a fight from my family as I had only known him for 6 months and he was 31 at the time. But, amazingly, my parents were completely fine with it, once I told them. My mother's exact words were “You have always needed an older man, men your age are nowhere near mature enough for you”. As I stared at his sleeping form, watching his chest rise and fall, I couldn’t help but think, again, how not my type he is. Not only was he 12 years my senior, but he shaved his head. Other than Vin Diesel, I have never found bald attractive. To be fair, Chester, my husband, wasn’t bald, he used the smallest guide for the clippers when he shaved his head every single Sunday. It was part of what I called his man-scaping, I teased him a lot but it turned me on to have a man that took care of himself. Everything about him turned me on actually. From the first time I saw him I knew he was the one. He made me believe in love at first site, in all the cliches really. The way this man made me feel was everything. There was electricity when we touched and it killed me to be away from him even just for his work days. I know I sound like a love sick teenager but I’m ok with it, this is my reality and I know he feels the same way. I may never be able to explain it, but I can see it and feel it when I am with him.  

He must be having a bad dream tonight because his brow is furrowed and he is slightly kicking his feet. I put my hand on his forehead while I thought of happy thoughts and he seemed to calm down at my touch.

I crawled out of bed and walked through the house. It wasn't a long walk, we lived in a 2 bedroom duplex in the heart of a small town. I passed our son, Ash’s, room and stopped to put my ear to the door and listen. When I heard nothing but his sound machine I walked the rest of the way down the hall to the living room where I could turn on the backyard lights. I always wondered if it bothered my neighbors when I had our lights on at midnight, but that clearly never stopped me. After a good scan of the yard to be sure nothing was there I turned the light back off and headed back to bed.

What was this nagging feeling? Why wouldn’t it go away? I had a lot to get done before Ash’s 6th birthday party this Saturday and I couldn't be preoccupied with worrying over something that isn't even there. Maybe the party was what I was worried about? Should I cancel? I couldn’t do that. So much of my family would be there, 7 of my 9 brothers and sisters. That will be the most of us in one room since before any of us had graduated from high school. It was just my anxiety, I told myself. All of this was enough to make any one anxious. Family can always bring drama. My family especially. I was the oldest girl with two older brothers, three younger and four younger sisters. With so many of us, there are bound to be issues. There were always at least a few of us at odds with one or more of us. But ever since some of us started having kids, we seem to have chilled out. Other than there being ten of us, and close to 130 first cousins on my mother's side alone, we had a pretty normal childhood. We all went to public school while our parents worked. They never failed to take us on family vacations, throw us birthday parties or get us presents for all the holidays. Thinking back now I always wonder how they did it. 

I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and acute panic disorder not long after Ash was born. One night when he was about 6 months old I woke up at about 10:30PM completely panicked about something that I couldn't explain. After intensive outpatient therapy I have it under control more days than not. Some days the pills they gave me help and some days they seem to make me more anxious. As I crawled in bed I grabbed my klonopin off the nightstand and popped one in my mouth, maybe this will help calm me down long enough to sleep..

I woke to the sounds of Ash playing in his room at about 7:00AM that morning. Chester had left for work so I was alone in bed. I have a 6 year old, was my only thought. I smiled as I climbed out of bed and went to wish him a happy birthday.

He was sitting on the floor of his bedroom surrounded by his dinosaurs and they looked to be at war. He had such a wild imagination. I was thankful for that. Chester and I wanted to give him siblings but it didn't seem to be in the cards for us. I still don’t know how my mother could be so fertile and I’m not. I was actually the only one of my siblings that was attached with children that only had one. 

“Happy Birthday my handsome little man!” I screeched as I scooped Ash up in a huge hug, planting kisses all over his cheeks and top of his head.

Ash giggled and playful swatted at me telling me to stop it. 

“Thank you Mommy! I’m 6 years old now!”

“Actually, you really aren’t 6 for about 30 more minutes.”

“How come? I thought today was when I was born?” He tilted his head giving me that adorable quizzical look only a child can give. I couldn't help but stop and admire how handsome my baby was becoming. He looked so much like his father, the same hazel, blue eyes with big gold flecks, the same dirty blonde hair and olive skin tone. He also had his dad's ears and strong, straight nose. I hoped he would look a little like me as he got older but no such luck. Genetically you think my darker, reddish brown hair, my curls or even my brown eyes would have won out. To be fair, my eyes were more like coffee with a lot of cream in it, then brown. But oh well.. I loved watching my husband with his son, or little clone rather.

“Well today is your birthday. But you weren’t actually born until exactly 7:42AM” I looked up at the clock and saw that it was 7:15AM.

“Does anything special happen at 7:42?”

“Does breakfast count?”

“Pancakes?!” He asked, bouncing up and down.

“On your birthday, you get any breakfast you want!” We set off to the kitchen to make breakfast.

As we walked to the kitchen I sent Chester the usual Good morning text I sent when we got up for the day.

*Good Morning Beautiful! Tell little man Happy Birthday for me and I will call him as soon as I am done with this inspector.*

Chester was a big electrical engineer trying to make the world a better place through solar energy and he had to deal with inspectors often. 

Ash and I made breakfast and laughed as I reminisced on the birthdays he has had so far. He tried to work out details for his party tomorrow from me too but I didn't cave. We were surprising him with a big party at his favorite mini golf park. 

As we sat down at the table to eat I stuck a candle in Ash’s stack of pancakes and checked the clock one more time, 7:41.

“Happy Birthday to you.. Happy Birthday to you..” I began to sing.. But I was cut off by Ash screaming as he fell to the floor. His little body started to shake and convulse. I dropped to the floor and rolled him into the proper position for a seizure, although something told me that that's not what was happening here. I started to panic as I reached for my phone to call 911 and Chester. But as I started to dial Ash reached out and grabbed hold of my hand and a searing pain shot up my back to the base of my skull almost making me black out. I dropped my phone as I fell to the floor. I felt like someone was breaking every single one of my bones and rearranging them. What was happening? I tried to get to Ash to see if he was ok but every movement made the pain worse. I started praying for it to end. The last thing I remember before passing out was the silhouette of a man emerging from the back of our house..