H A I L H Y D R A || J. B. Barnes

o n e

"Jamie! Come here, darling. I'm leaving and I want to say goodbye!" Winifred called to her small daughter. It was sewing night for Mrs. Barnes and the other women on the block.

"Coming, mom!" Jamie replied, sprinting down the stairs to bid her mother farewell. She was only 8 but boy could she run.

"Muah! Don't have too much fun!" Jamie exclaimed, hugging and giving her mom a kiss on the cheek. Her mom was a beautiful woman. Long black hair, pale skin, and a bright smile. Jamie was the spitting image of her mother.

Winifred laughed and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh, don't you worry. I won't." The older woman bent down and kissed her son and then she was off out the door. She would be back by dinner.

Or at least she was supposed to be.

It was supper, George had been stuck with the task of cooking. Not that it was unusual for Winifred to run late but this was cutting close.

As the kids played in the living room, the front door of their house burst open, a frantic police officer was there.

George spun around in a flash, a confused look on his face. "Are you George?" The officer questioned hurriedly.

"Yes, why?" Mr. Barnes asked, jogging to the door.

"It's your wife, Winifred. A man mugged her and stabbed her. She's at the hospital now. Please, come with me," the officer explained quickly. George's handsome face paled. He ran his hands through his hair.

"But my kids? What about them?" The father asked. Both Jamie and James were attentive to the situation, having heard the conversation. They were standing a few paces behind their father.

"I'll have another officer come to look after them. Let's go," the man confirmed, running back out the door.

George quickly turned to his children. "Alright, I need to go take care of mom. Jamie, you're a big girl, keep an eye on James while we're gone. I love you both," he said to them, giving each a kiss on the forehead. The man then ran toward the door and slammed it shut, following the officer to the hospital.

The two children stood in silence for a couple of unbearable moments. Jamie could hear her heart beating. She was afraid.

But after all, it was their mother. She was always there for them, there when they scraped a knee or fell. Winifred would pick them back up and remind them of how much she loved them. She would be ok.

So, spirits lightened by the thought and what George had told her, Jamie got to work. She turned off the stove and gave James supper. Jamie cleaned the dishes and put everything away.

After all of that, she sat with her brother in the living room for hours. Both were still silent but in a comforting way. They had each other's backs no matter what.

Eventually, Becky and James found their way to sleep. It was way past their bedtime and they couldn't wait for their parents anymore, they'd just have to see them in the morning.

***

When Jamie woke she was in her own bed. She didn't remember getting there.

As quickly as she could, she got dressed and sprinted downstairs, looking for her father.

And she found him. Sitting at the kitchen table with a bottle in his hand. His other shaking hand was on his forehead.