Closer 2

157.

Elise was kind of relieved when baba and daddy stopped crying and the blue brother started crying. She still had no idea what had happened, but a few minutes later there were a man and a woman in the house who wore funny clothes and said a bunch of words Elise didn't know what meant. They had gotten there in an ambulance, though, which was cool. They had a little ambulance in daycare, so she had a seen one of those before.

"He will probably be fine, sinxe you reacted so quickly and got it out," the woman said while rocking the blue brother. "We would like for him to take him in to get checked out, though, to make sure no parts tore off or anything like that. Just as a safety precaution."

Elise didn't pay attention to them much more, just looked down at her other brother who had also calmed down a bit. She thought it was because she was holding his hand, which made her feel proud of herself.

"Is okay. Gonna be all fine," she told him softly, just like baba or daddy used to tell her when something was scary. She was a big girl now, though, and had learned that a lot of things weren't scary enough to cry about and even if something was scary and she did cry, she could handle it herself. Because she was a big girl.

"Li-Li?"

Elise looked up at baba when he talked to her.

"Do you want baba or daddy to stay home with you and Bee?" he asked just as daddy came back from the bedrooms with some stuff for her brother.

"Uhh.."

She looked from baba to daddy and back. She didn't really know, so she decided to just pick one so nobody would be angry.

"Daddy."

"Okay baby, then I'll be gone until you wake up tomorrow okay? And Ai too," baba told her, and she nodded. It wasn't completely unusual for her to not really see either baba or daddy a whole day while they were busy wuth her brothers, so it didn't worry her. "But maybe auntie will come see you while we're away, okay?"

"Okay," Elise nodded. She hoped so.

"And babygirl? It was so good that you told us, okay? You did so good," baba said, sitting down on his knees next to her and pulling her into a hug. "You're such a clever girl. Baba loves you so much."

Elise hugged him back, not really understanding. She just knew that she
baba was hugging her, and that baba was saying she did good. Two of her favourite things.

"Love you too, baba," Elise said softly into baba's hoodie where she had buried her face.

"Promise to be good for daddy while he's alone with you two, okay? It's important that you help him," baba said, pulling slightly back from the hug and stroking her hair. She nodded, just sucking up the attention.

"Okay," she agreed, sitting back down on her butt when baba stood up.

"I'll see you tomorrow baby," baba said, only giving daddy a kiss on the cheek and them heading out after the weirdly dressed people and the blue brother that she now realized that baba had called Ai. She was pretty sure that meant something in Grandma-language, but she could remember what.