Closer 2

106.

Where was baba? Dada? Elise wasn't sure she remembered what they looked like anymore. The only faces she remembered were uncle, auntie and Sharkie and maybe the scary man with a orange face on TV. She didn't like the scary man, and it didn't seem like auntie did either.

The food auntie made was so strange compared to what baba and dada made. A lot of the time it had this weird yellow round thing auntie had told her it was called a "tato" or something like that. She didn't really like those either, though they usually came with the baby trees, so they were alright.

"You ready?" she heard uncle ask auntie in the other room. She had been left by the TV with some show she didn't understand, but that luckily didn't have the scary man in it. It would be much more fun to see what uncle and auntie were up to, though, so she got to her feet and began her journey across the living room.

Halfway across, she realized she had left Sharkie by the tv. Better not leave him on his own, in case the scary man came on. Not that Sharkie was scared, because Sharkie wasn't scared of anything, but in case she needed someone to protect her.

She went back and picked up Sharkie carefully by the tail and brought him along dragging by the floor. Sharkie was a big shark and should be able to walk on his own now, in her opinion.

"'Ay?" she asked quietly into the kitchen, not understanding why they weren't there when that was where they had been when she took her eyes off them last. Where were everyone?

"I'll go grab her, then," uncle said from a different room, and Elise knew they were talking about her. She ran towards the room with the door, full of giggles. She wasn't really paying attention to exactly where she was running either, because the next thing she knew uncle had picked her up, holding her up so high she could almost touch the ceiling!

"There you are, princess! You ready to go see baba and dada?" Ray asked her with a big smile, and at this point she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Baba!!! Dada!!!" she shrieked, kicking her legs and flailing her arms. She didn't even notice that Sharkie fell to the floor with a soft thump. Yes, she was ready to go see baba and dada! More than ready!

"Let's go put some shoes on, then," uncle Ray chuckled, kissing her cheek and bringing her out to the front door. Auntie May followed behind, and had picked up Sharkie. Elise reached her arms out towards Sharkie, because that's what she knew would make sure she got Sharkie in her arms again.

"Let's get some clothes on and then you can have Sharkie," auntie Maya said softly, but Elise didn't understand what all those words meant.

"'Ar'ie!" she demanded, whining as she reached towards her best friend, kicking her legs again to get uncle Ray to agree. Thankfully he did, taking Sharkie from auntie and giving him to her. Elise didn't pay attention to what they said after, but uncle Ray got her shoes on for her and auntie May helped her zip her jacket so it was probably okay.

The car ride took forever, though, and being in the car was quite unpleasant in the first place. Sharkie fell on the seat next to her, just out of reach, because the car was shaking so much. To top it all off, she could even look out the window because the car was all weird. It was so frustrating, she just couldn't help to cry a little.

"It's okay, babygirl, we'll be at the hospital in ten minutes," auntie May informed her, but that was only more frustrating. What did even ten minutes mean? Usually when someone said that, it meant that it would be a long time until something happened. Like at least a few laps across the living room at home kind of long.

Eventually, though, she must have fallen asleep or something, because she was jolted awake when the car stopped shaking and making noise.

"Let's go see baba and dada, hm?" uncle said softly while unbuckling her.

Yes!! That was why they were in the car! She was so excited!

"BabaDadaBabaDadaBabaDada!" she shrieked with excitement, almost jumping out of the car seat herself. This was the best day ever!