Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"But she's my baby." Julia sobbed against her son's chest, her fingers clutching his tunic tightly as she tried to find some hope in the situation.

She had fought so hard to bring Heather and Ashelin into the world healthy and happy. She had almost lost her life for the both of them, but now it seemed that fate was going to be cruel and punish her for something she she didn't understand.

 

[KieranSoares]

"She'll always be your baby, Ma. She just needs a little help now and one day she'll be no different from anyone else," Ciaran murmured, bringing to sit her on a bench in the hallway.

 

[heartofcourage]

"This wasn't suppose to happen to us." Julia whispered as Ciaran struggled to calm her down and cheer her up about the situation. "I thought that Rho would be the worst thing to happen to us. Now this...it isn't fair."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't know what to tell you, Ma," Ciaran murmured, laying his head against her own. "But she's going to be okay, and so will you. It isn't your fault, love."

 

[heartofcourage]

Once she had cried out her sorrow, Julia struggled to pull herself together. When she felt she was ready, she stood with Ciaran's help and retrieved Heather's blanket that Kitty had recently made for her. When she returned to Brogan's side, she saw Heather snuggled up against her Da's broad shoulder, listening to him tell her a fairy tale in his deep rumbling voice. Julia wrapped her blanket around the both of them and kissed Heather's cheek.

"Mama..." She murmured softly, patting Julia's cheek with her little hand.

"Sweet Heather." Julia whispered against her daughter's skin, pressing another kiss against her cheek.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan welcomed Julia to his side, knowing he needed her more than ever and she probably needed him too. Ciaran was in the doorway, watching over them with deep concern as he saw their clear heartbreak unfold. Brogan felt tremendously weak, and Julia was in no state to support him like she usually did.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia was soon settled against Brogan's side, her hand against Heather's back as the little girl dozed on her father's chest. Julia couldn't even put to words the heartache that she felt and she knew that Brogan was probably feeling the same. Their little girl, the one that they had fought so hard to protect, was suffering from something that they couldn't make better.

"She's no different from Ashelin." Julia said softly. "We have to remember that."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know, love," Brogan murmured, but she could hear his voice crack as he couldn't hold back a few tears anymore. "I jus' feel like such a failure... lettin' 'er get sick like tha'." He could protect his little girls from almost anything except what attacked them on the inside.

 

[heartofcourage]

"It was nothing we could have stopped, love." Julia said, shedding tears along with him as they talked about what had happened. "Ashelin got it too but Heather suffered more. It's just the way that life is."

Heather shifted against her father's shoulder, her fingers curling in his hair as she held her stuffed cat under her other arm. Her green eyes opened sleepily for a moment before they closed again.

"Da..." She whispered, the tone she used telling him that she wanted another story.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan had to take a moment to steady his voice before he could continue, telling Heather a story that Kitty had once told to him when he was young. By the time she fell asleep, Brogan's voice was wavering terribly and he had to stop.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia leaned her forehead against Brogan's as his voice wavered. She knew his pain. She felt the tears start to fall as well, silent sobs racking her form yet again as she mourned with her husband. In time they would heal and move on with their lives, but in that moment, the future seemed very, very dark.

 

[KieranSoares]

Eventually Valentina managed to get the two to come out and get something to eat. She'd already sat the other children down and talked to them about it, so they tried not to bother their parents or cause any more worry or trouble.

 

[heartofcourage]

Life felt as if it were going in slow motioned during the next few hours as Heather continued to heal from her illness and the Ghis were left to figure out what their new reality was. Julia was exhausted, so afraid of leaving Heather alone. She was scared that her girl might pass away, slipping from her hands in spite of the fact that Valentina and Vincenzo both promised that the worst was over. She and Brogan took turns holding Heather, tending to her needs as best as they could.

Julia made her way down the hall to the nursery that evening, intent on rocking Heather as she slumbered. She was not prepared to hear the laughter of two children coming from within. Opening the door, she saw Ashelin laughing at her grandmother's antics, Heather laughing from her Gran's arms in pure joy at the attention that she was receiving.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kitty had both girls in a little game of tossing a ball back and forth, but she'd make the ball 'disappear' and 'reappear' out of strange places. Vincenzo was there with her, watching and just chuckling along every now and then. When the door opened, Kitty smiled to Julia. "Hello, darling."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I came to tuck them in." Julia said softly as Kitty seemed to be entertaining the girls just fine with Vincenzo by her side.

"Mama!" Heather declared brightly as she heard Julia's voice, her little hands instantly raising to be picked up.

"Hello, Sweet Heather." Julia murmured as she picked up her daughter and kissed her cheek. "Have you girls been behaving for Gran and Papa?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"They've been angels," Vincenzo said with an adoring smile. "And Ashelin's been so helpful to her sister."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're a good sister, Ash." Julia said as she kissed the cheek of her youngest daughter, smiling as she beamed up at her with the praise that she was given. "But, it's time for bed now. We can play with Gran tomorrow."

 

[KieranSoares]

Vincenzo rose to help Julia put the girls to bed, tucking them in together as always. After Kitty had gone to get ready for bed herself, Vincenzo turned to Julia. "How are you, cara mia? Holding up?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"As much as I possibly can." Julia said softly as she made sure that Heather was tucked in with her stuffed cat and Ashelin had her stuffed dog. "I never would have thought that this kind of thing would happen to us. I'm not sure what I should feel about it. It make me sad...angry...frightened."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know, mi amore," Vincenzo hugged her close once she was done. "It's very difficult to accept, and it's hard to understand why. But Heather will make the most of it if we never treat her any differently."

 

[heartofcourage]

Brogan cried like I haven't seen him do in years." She murmured as Vincenzo held her tightly, assuring her that everything would work out alright.

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's because he knows what it's like, and he's afraid for Heather, that she'll feel useless like him or be scared of the world she can't see like him."

 

[heartofcourage]

"She's too young for this." Julia whispered, feeling the tears that filled her eyes spill down her cheeks. "Why did this have to happen to my baby girl?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"It can happen to anyone, cara mia... Even with the best healers and doctors in the world, it still could've happened."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Brogan's going to need help with this. I don't know if I'm strong enough to give him the support that he needs." Julia admitted.