Arrowheart

Chapter 7

It's a Saturday morning, and I am chilling in the kitchen, making breakfast for my daughter, when I get a call from Moira.

M: Good morning, Elizabeth
E: Good morning, Moira
M: I am hosting a brunch tomorrow for the Bowens and was wondering if you and Hannah would like to join us
E: We would love to join you, Moira
M: Wonderful. I will let Oliver know. Say hi to Hannah for me
E: Of course, talk to you soon

She hangs up first, and I bring Hannah's food to the table.

Hannah: "Mommy, who was that?"

Elizabeth: "It was Lili. She says she loves you very much. She invited us to brunch tomorrow."

Hannah: "Yay, we get to see Lili!"

Elizabeth: "Yup, and we will see Daddy tonight for dinner. Go ahead and eat while I get ready before we go to the park and see Aunt Thea."

Hannah: "Okay, Mommy."

I kiss her head before I go into my room to get ready. As I finish up, Hannah comes in, and I help her get ready too.

As we are about to leave the house, I get a call from my brother.

T: Hey, sis, I will be sponsoring a benefit for CNRI and was hoping you would come.
E: Don't you mean, 'I'm sponsoring a benefit for CNRI to impress Laurel.'
T: I really want to impress her, and CNRI just lost their only major donor, so I thought this could help her see the real me. So, please?
E: I'll be there. When is it?
T: Tomorrow at 7 pm.
E: Okay, I bet you have a lot of preparations to do.
T: Yes, and I am on my way there right now. You're the best, sis.

We go to the park and meet Thea there.

Hannah: "Auntie Thea!"

Hannah runs to her, hugging her legs immediately, making Thea laugh as she picks her up.

Thea: "Hey, Hannah Banana."

I walk over to them.

Elizabeth: "Hey, Speedy."

Thea: "Hey, Lizzy. Ready for some fun?"

Elizabeth: "Yup."

We walk around the park, stopping for Hannah to play on the playground and the lake. Later that same day, Oliver meets up with Hannah and me at the park after Thea leaves.

Oliver: "Liz, sorry I'm late. I got distracted with the new business."

Hannah: "Daddy!"

She runs into his arms as he bends down to catch her and picks her up in a hug.

Oliver: "Hey, princess. Have you been good for Mommy?"

Hannah: "Uh huh."

Elizabeth: "You are forgiven. So where are you taking us?"

Oliver: "Have you ever heard of a place called Big Belly Burger?"

Elizabeth: "No,"

Oliver: "Well, you have now. Let's get going."

He puts Hannah down, and we both hold her hand as we walk to this burger place he mentioned.

~Flashback~
~Hannah is one year old~

I pick up my daughter, whose giggle makes the room light up, and everything in the world feels right. I smile as I cradle her in my arms.

Elizabeth: "You are my world, my darling
What a wonderful world I see
You are the song I'm singing
You're my beautiful Melody."

Just as I finish singing that verse, there's a knock at the door, and I turn to see my brother with a smile.

Tommy: "Hey, sis, are you ready to go?"

Elizabeth: "I don't know. I don't want to leave her side. After what happened at the hospital, I never want her out of sight."

Tommy: "I figured you would say something like that, so I got a surprise for you."

He pulls out a tablet and a box.

Tommy: "This tablet is hooked up to some cameras that will monitor the house for you, so you can check in on Hannah while you're away. Also, I brought someone with me."

Elizabeth: "Oh really, and just who would that be?"

I follow him into the living room, where Moira and Walter await us.

Elizabeth: "Moira, what are you doing here?"

Moira: "I am here to watch my grandchild for you. I know how stressful it is to be away from your child for the first time. Especially after what happened with Liam. But you do need to have some time away to relax."

Elizabeth: "Alright, you win. But please call me if anything, and I mean anything, happens."

Moira: "I promise."

Tommy: "Let's get going. I have the whole night planned out."

Elizabeth: "Okay."

I kiss Hannah's cheek and then pass her to Moira, who gently starts rocking her.

Elizabeth: "Okay, just remember she is allergic to kiwis, and she hates Barney, the purple dinosaur."

Moira: "I know, Elizabeth. I'll take care of her."

Tommy: "Let's go, sis."

He leads me out of the house, and I almost cry at the thought of possibly never seeing her again, thinking about all of the ways I could die tonight or she could be kidnapped. Tommy breaks me out of my thoughts as he parks the car.

Tommy: "Here we are."

Elizabeth: "The karaoke bar?"

Tommy: "Yup. Let's go. They are waiting for us."

Elizabeth: "Who?"

He shoots me a smile before getting out of the car. I follow him inside and find Stephanie and Laurel waiting for us.

Elizabeth: "What are you two doing here?"

Stephanie: "We are here to help you release some steam."

Laurel: "Not my idea."

Tommy: "The two of you need this."

Tommy and Stephanie drag us off to a room for the night. They managed to get Laurel and me drunk and singing the whole night.

~End Flashback~

I had just finished preparing for brunch and knocked on Hannah's door.

Elizabeth: "Hannah, are you ready to go?"

Hannah: "Not yet, Mommy; I can't pick an outfit!"

Elizabeth: "Do you want my help?"

Hannah: "No, I wanna do it myself."

Elizabeth: "Can I make a suggestion?"

Hannah: "Okay."

Elizabeth: "Why not try eenie-meenie-miny-moe to pick which outfit?"

Hannah: "Okay, I'll try that."

A few minutes later, she comes out in her selected outfit.

Hannah: "I'm ready, Mommy."

Elizabeth: "Alright, let's get going. You picked an adorable outfit, sweetie."