A Collection of Stories

The Girl Who Signed

I moved in with Daniel permanently, not wanting to waste any time. We weren’t back to normal; but what would be normal again? So much happened to us that I finally understood that what we had now was our new normal. What mattered most was that I finally had my Daniel back, and there was no way in hell I was going to let him slip through my fingers again. We moved back into the bedroom but never went further than kissing; I really didn’t want to push what we have.

I had tried contacting mom and Landon every day, hoping one of them would pick up. Neither of them did, which practically killed me. Daniel always assured me they’d pick up eventually, but it had been almost five months since I last talked to them. I called mom as soon as I woke up, it was the middle of April, my favorite month of the year. It was almost her birthday and it worried me that she wasn’t picking up. I waited anxiously, pacing around the kitchen as I waited to hear her voice. Almost seconds later, I heard the same robotic voice of her ringtone. I sighed and left the same message I've been leaving for the past few weeks. I hung up and slumped against the counter, closing my eyes and putting my face in my hands.

The same horrible thought popped into my head; what if mom killed herself? I couldn’t handle losing both my parents within a year of each other; it was just too much. Daniel walked over to me and kissed my forehead as he put down his wet dishtowel.

“She’ll call when she’s ready, sweetheart.” He murmured, wrapping his arms around my waist. I rested my head in the middle of his abdomen as I slipped my arms around his waist.

“What—What if she killed herself Danny?” I whispered into his shirt. He tightened his arms around me, kissing my hair softly. I knotted my fingers in the back of his shirt, looking at him for an answer. He just held me, biting his lip. “Daniel, do you know something?” I whispered.

He shook his head, running his fingers through my hair. “No sweetheart, I don’t. I’m just thinking.” He mumbled. “I’ll stop by after work and see if she’s home. If she is, I’ll check in on her, if she’s not, I’ll leave her a note.” He said. I nodded as I looked up at him.  He kissed my forehead, then in between my eyebrows, the tip of my nose and finally my lips.

I kissed him back as I rested my hands on his forearms. Daniel held me against his chest, one hand plastered to the small of my back and the other was cupping my neck. He walked me backwards until I fell into the couch and Daniel tumbled on top of me. I giggled and wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling myself closer to him. He pulled back and looked at me, almost memorizing my face. I blushed and tucked my head under his chin, breathing in his sweet scent. Daniel kissed my hair softly, cradling me to him as if I was a child. I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat as we lay on the couch together.

“I love you, Daniel.” I whispered into his ear as I ran my fingers through his hair. He held me closer, burying his face in my hair.

“I love you too, Madeline.” He whispered. Something was bothering him. He had been like this for a while now, pretty much unresponsive to anything but my voice. I tightened my arms around him as I kissed his forehead.

“Daniel, what’s the matter?” I whispered, sliding one hand to his cheek so I could cradle it. He leaned into my hand and closed his eyes.

He stayed quiet for a good while, possibly thinking about something. He opened his eyes and looked at me, his eyes so green, I could see every of green in his eyes. “What did the baby look like?” He whispered, his slender fingers brushing my stomach. He had missed so much; I thought losing our little one would be easier for him. I guess I was wrong.

I took a deep breath as I nuzzled the top of his head. I couldn’t think of any words to describe my little one. He was perfect; I loved my baby just as much as I loved Daniel. I reached in my back pocket and grabbed a battered picture out of it. It was the first and last sonogram I had of my baby. I just wish I had found out its gender before it died.

I looked at Daniel, running my fingers through his hair as I showed him the picture. “That’s our baby, Danny. The most perfect thing in the world that I will ever carry,” I whispered to him. He started crying once he saw the baby’s face; it was the first time I ever saw Daniel cry. He pressed his face into my stomach and cried silently, his shoulders shaking with the sobs he wanted to let out. I held him close, attempting to comfort him. He looked up at me as his tears slowly stopped. I wrapped my arms around Daniel as I rocked him gently.

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, resting his face next to mine. “I don’t deserve you, Maddie.” He whispered, kissing my cheek. “You are my angel, my little piece of heaven that I can’t live without.” He added in a murmur. I tightened my arms around him, pressing my lips to his jaw.

“I love you, Daniel.” I whispered, burying my face in his neck. “Never forget that.” I whispered. He nodded slightly and kissed my jaw, sitting up so I was resting in his lap. He smiled faintly at me, threading his fingers through my hair.

“I will always remember,” He whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead. “You’re my family.” I smiled and nuzzled his cheek. He was my family too; he will always be my family. I closed my eyes as he held me close, rocking me gently; I wished we could stay like this forever. Forever was the last few minutes. The phone rang loudly, making me sigh and get up from my very comfortable position. I grabbed the phone and pressed talk button, listening to the person on the other end.

“Is this Madeline Lawrence?” A man said. I told the man that I was her. “This is Detective Morrison; I’m calling about your mother, Katherine Lawrence.” My heart jumped in my chest.

“What about her?” I asked, every possibility running through my head.

“I’m sorry Miss, but your mother committed suicide the other night. We’re taking her body to the precinct. If you would like, would you please come down to identify her body?” He asked. My body was numb, my mother killed herself. I told him I would come by tomorrow and hung up immediately. I dropped the phone and crumpled to the ground; burying my face in my hands. I had lost everything, my parents are gone.

Just moments later Daniel came up and wrapped his arms around me, rocking me to stop the tears. I pressed my face into his chest and cried harder; I just couldn’t stop the tears. The pain I felt, it was indescribable; there is no way for me to put how I feel into words. Daniel must have understood what was going on because he never said a word, he just held me. I just felt like dying, but I’d never tell Daniel that; I didn’t want him worrying.

Daniel picked me up and rocked me slowly, attempting to calm me down. I didn’t know if that was possible. I hid my face in the crook of his neck, letting my tears soak into his skin instead of his shirt. He put one hand on my neck and the other supported me. I pulled back after a little while, feeling weak and dehydrated. I clung to Daniel’s neck as he carried me into the bedroom. He went to lay me down, but I knotted my fingers in his shirt and shook my head. I didn’t want him to leave me alone tonight. He kissed my forehead gently and untangled my fingers from the fabric of his shirt. He laid me on my side and then proceeded to lie next to me, wrapping an arm around my back and pulling me against his body. I quickly wrapped my arms around him and refused to let go.

“I’ll always be your family,” He whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead. I stifled a sob and hugged him close, burying my face in his neck. I babbled ‘I love you’ and nonsense against his skin, just needing to say something. He just held me, rocking me gently until I calmed down.