The Missing Sloan

21

Eden was lying in bed she couldnt sleep her brain just wouldnt switch off, she had been in New York for 4 days now and this was the 4th night she couldnt sleep. Kathleen had told her to be ready for no sleep and she could give her something but Eden was against that, she was resdy for sleepless nights, ready for whatever her brain felt like revisiting.

Eden suddebly felt a weight on her bed, like soemone had sat down to join her. Eden woke up ready to see mama but thats not who was there.

"Did you miss me" Charlene smiled from the end of Eden's bed.
"No you cant be here. Im fine im better" Eden firmly spoke sitting up.
"You really think therapy with kathleen and antipsychotics will get rid of me. Your stuck with me Kiddo" Charlene laughed.
"One can be hopefully" Eden joked as she threw herself back into bed pulling the duvet over her head, the duvet was then pulled down from Edens head to reveal her mum hovering over her smiling in a slight seriel killer like way.

"Arghh mum" Eden shouted on slight shock.
"You knew i was here"

"One can hope that you would let me sleep" Eden begged as she watched Charlene get of her bed and walk round her room taking in the room.

"So this is the room you stayed in when you were here"
"Yep" Eden shortly answered turning over to try and go back to sleep.

Charlene walked over to the desk ghat was covered in photos, she picked up the only photo of her with her 2 children.
"You kept this"

"Yeah, mama wanted me to keep it" Eden explained.

"Do you remember this day?" Charlene asked hopeful waving the picture at Eden.

"Umm no sorry" Eden didnt remember what ever caused that to be taken but then she seemed to be under 1 in that picture.

Charlene turned the picture back round looking at the smiling young faces of her children and remembering the day.

"You were probably a year nearly 2. Mark and Derek had just finished Middle school, we had gone to the school for their graduation the shephards were having a end of school party. You and I werent going to go but Mark begged me to bring you. The house was busy with everyone from Marks year. I mever thought i would see a group of 8th grade boys spend the whole afternoon with a nearly two year old but they did they were getting you to say words laughing at how you pronounced them, chasing you round the garden. You kept stealing Marks graduation hat it was far too big for you but you looked very cute in it, if mark took it back you would just take it back. Mark really wanted a photo of you in his hat, he then wanted one of all three of us, he put his hat back on, you left it alone and just as the photo was taken you reach across and we got this amazing photo" Charlene smiled at the only family photo, of her daughter with the biggest cheekiest smile as she pulled her cap of his head.

Charlene placed the photo back in its place, another photo caught her eye a picture of all 5 shephards hugging Eden all wearing the smile of love and joy.

"They always loved you like family"

"They are my family they are always there for me" Eden told her mum softly as she moved to the end of her bed leaning on the wooden panel.

"You look so happy" charlene sadly said, her daughter had never worn this smile while she was in her company.
"Ahh to get that picture all of the 5 shephards tickled me" Eden explained the photo seeing the slight sadness in her mum.

"You were always so ticklish but your laugh it was so infectious" Charlene told her daughter as she placed the picture back down her attention landed on the photo behind, Eden in the middle of Derek and mark with their arms wrapped around them.

"They look so proud of you. The three of you were so inseparable, where ever they were you were always running behind shouting for them to wait for you. Mark never got annoyed with you not leaving him and his best friend alone he embraced it and so did Derek he was use to that with his sisters"

Eden walked to her mums side to see the photo that she was holding and smiled at it.

"That was taken at their farewell party. All of their friends were there and all of Dereks family but Mark spent the whole party with me. I guess he knew that was our last day together. " Eden told the memory behind the photo.

"Kiddo, im so sorry that i kept Mark from you, i am the reason he broke his promises"
"I know he told me"
"I shouldnt have done it I was being self fish i was using you as away to keep my baby boy around. I should have known he would have stayed away"

"Mum its fine. He and I are abck together now it all worked out"
"Im so glad the two of you found each other again"

"Mum why are you here?" Eden asked sitting back on her bed.

"I have left you twice now and both times i have never given you a proper goodbye so im here to say goodbye" Charlene explained her reappearance, Eden didnt reply she just smiled as her mum sat down next to her on her bed placing a picture in her lap.
"I know i have never been the mum that you so truly deserved. I wanted to be that mum so badly but Mark looked after you so well, you were always so happy when you were with him or when you were here that i didnt feel you needed me and it meant that i could party as much as i liked. I so wish i could redo all of it as i would be there for you every day. I would be the mum that you deserve. Im so glad you have your mama, your dad, Mark and the shephards showing you love and affection i never did. Im so proud to be your mum Eden. Good bye sweet girl" Charlene spoke words she had wanted to say the whole time she was alive but never knew how to she was glad that Eden finally heard them, she tucked a piece of stray hair behind Eden's ear who smiled at the notion but when she looked back up her mum was gone, she wasnt cross she knew that time needed to come and she was glad that it had, that she got to speak to her and to hear what she had to say.

Eden didnt think that she was being loud talking to her mum, she wanted to be quiet not waking mama not wanting to worry her but she had.

Mama had heard most of the conversarion well what Eden had to say she didnt want to just burst in, honestly she didnt know how to handle this she was learning just like Eden, so she waited till it had gone silent as she softly opened the door to find Eden sitting on her bed looking at her picture with a few tears staining her cheeks.

She didnt say anything when she walked into the room she just sat down next to Eden wrapping her arm around the girl wanting her to know that she was there.

"Mum was here" Eden softly spoke eyes still glued to the picture in her hands.
"She was" mama answered not wanting Eden to think that she was listening or to scare her so she lied to help.
"Yeah she came to say goodbye. The first time she has said goodbye"
"Do you feel better now you have said goodbye?" Mama asked
"Yes actually i do" Eden smiled.

"I love this photo" Mama said placing her hand on the delicate frame taking Edens thoughts away from her mums appearance and on to what she had placed in her lap.
"Yeah so do I, both of them" Eden smiled as she placed her thumb on the small photo of her and her mum at her kindgarten graduation that had been pushed in to the framed photo of her on her college graduation with her dad standing next to her proud as punch of his daughter, his facial expression was the exact same as Charlene's on her daughters kindgarten graduation.