Closure: Baby 46

Okay, the pictures in this post are kinda crappy, so try not to focus on those so much. (I've never been good at taking them) Try to focus on the story itself. I worked hard on it and I hope you love it as much as I do! In fact, they're SO crappy, I skipped taking some. So, for some of the post there's NO pictures at all. Also, when Paisley has her son, if I say "her" instead of "him" or something, it's because she originally had a girl and I had to go through and change it to "him" and I might not have gotten all of them.

After that phone call from Caitlin, I laid on my bed, looking out the window, in my own little world. I'm not exactly sure how much time passed since I learned Anna-Leigh had died to when Jesse finally coaxed me back to reality, but Skye said it was about two weeks. Great. Skye came over, bathed me and clothed me. It was time for her funeral.

It was all a blur. People expressed their condolences to me. I listened as Anna-Leigh's parents sobbed, ignoring the people saying how sorry they were that their daughter was gone. Caitlin tried to put on a happy face for me, but her mascara was running down her cheeks and she often excused herself to go to the bathroom. To cry. I yearned to follow her and cry with her, but I had no energy or motivation to leave my seat in the corner. People knew to not bother me, to just let me be.
Jesse tried to distance himself from me, but he often came around to check on me. When I had starved myself long enough, I headed over to the buffet table and lazily plopped some turkey on a plate and poured myself some lemonade. It only crossed my mind for a brief second how weird it is that they picked that food for Anna's funeral.

When I had my food, I slipped under a table and sat there, absently plopping food into my mouth. I fell asleep at some point and when I finally awoke, I was in my bed. My cheeks were tear stained. I had been crying in my sleep. I managed to push myself up and look around until my arms gave out and I was once again lying on my back. Jesse, Skye, my parents, Chase, Cassie and Macy, even Caitlin came by to check on me. They tried to get me to come back to the real world, but I couldn't. Not yet.

I overheard my dad and Jesse talking one day outside my room.
"So, where are all the kids, Jess?" my dad asked.
"My mom and I aged them up. We didn't think it was right to have them here without their mother... whole..."
"So they're gone?"
I didn't hear a reply from Jesse, but I'm assuming he nodded.

Months passed without me bathing, eating a full meal, or even talking. At some point I heard Jesse say it had been two months since Anna-Leigh had died, leaving me to mourn for almost the same amount of time. Everybody seemed so cheery and helpful. It wasn't right. Was I really the only one still sad that she's gone?
Every day I tried to get myself to speak. To say anything at all. But I couldn't do it. Jesse laid with me all day on occasion, talking to me and giving me updates about my family.
"Your mother and father celebrated their 28th anniversary."
"Chase celebrated his 19th birthday. He's a young adult."
"Caitlin moved to France to pursue a career in art. We don't think she'll be coming back any time soon."
"Cassie and Macy are expecting a baby."
Not even the last one phased me. How could I sit on my bed while my family lives their lives? While Chase went to college, Cassie had a baby, and Caitlin moved to another continent? But I didn't care. I just wanted to be left alone.

I sat in the same position on my bed, staring into space. Skye often visited, mainly to force feed me. She didn't bother with my hygiene, though, except once. Once or twice she would visit me pregnant. Even in my depressed haze, I took the time to think about how she's progressing through her challenge and I was sitting there like a vegetable.

Finally, something in my head snapped and I couldn't sit there any longer. And where I went next was the biggest mistake I have ever made.
I looked him up in the phone book. He was living back in Sunset Valley. Good for me at the moment. I gently knocked on the door. When no one answered, I knocked harder. Finally, I had to ring the doorbell. I was disgusting, I smelled and my stomach was rumbling harder than ever, but I needed to get this done. I needed to see him. To confirm everything.

He finally opened the door. James. James Brown. I leaned in and hugged him. Gah, ridiculous, was all that ran through my mind. How big of an idiot was I? Did I honestly just visit the man who broke my heart? Multiple times? 
He sniffed my hair. "You smell," was all he could conjure up.
My hatred I felt for him washed back over me. A tsunami of James Brown and what he did to me.
I pulled away, balled my fist up and swung, his face my target. In seconds he was on the floor. I bet he wishes he wouldn't have broken the heart of a kung fu master right then.
He sat on the ground, unmoving. When I turned around to leave, he jumped back up and grabbed my wrist.

"Wait," he said. I glared at him and punched him again.
"That one's from Skye."
That time he didn't fall to the ground, probably expecting his face to be my punching bag a second time.
When he composed himself once more, he backed away, protecting his face. "I deserved that."
"You're damn right you did!" I screamed. I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. His family was there. Kids were there. Oh. My. Freaking. Gosh. I just punched him, and his kids watched.

"Paisley, please! I'm sorry!" he said desperately.
I glared at him once more and ran out the door. He probably thought I was the biggest mess. He would be right. (ignore the fact that one second they were inside and the next they were outside, just PRETEND she was inside the whole time)
When I finally got home, I hopped into the shower, ate some food, and cut and braided my hair.
Who would've thought that the person to bring me out of my extreme depression would be James Brown? And all I had to do was punch his face and knock him on the ground.

I applied my makeup, brushed my teeth, and pulled on a nice dress. I was going to visit Anna-Leigh.

When I got there, I couldn't keep myself from crying. I fell to the ground, sobbing. I hugged her tombstone like it was her, and if I were to let go I would never see my best friend again. I sat there for who knows how long, until I decided it was time. I opened my mouth, and after that I had no control over what I said.
"Anna-Leigh. You are--were-- one of the most amazing people in the world. I wish I could see you one more time. To just say goodbye. Just... don't be dead. Please," I barely whispered.
I stayed there. I stayed until the sun was gone and the moon took it's place. I was planning on staying even longer, but soon I started hearing my name.

"Paisley!" the distant voice called. "Paisley!"
It grew louder and louder until it was being whispered into my ear.
"Paisley," Jesse said sweetly. "It's time to go home."
But I didn't want to go home. I wanted to stay here forever. This was where I belonged. With my best friend.
When I wouldn't budge, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the car. "I know you had to come here," he said as he buckled my seat-belt. "But you could've told me where you were going. I've been searching all over town for you all day. I was worried sick."
I knew I was supposed to feel bad, but I didn't. Because right then I felt a sense of closure, and it made me feel whole again. Of course, there will be an empty space inside of me that will never be filled, but at least I knew why it was there.

When we arrived at the house, I pulled myself out of the car without the help of my boyfriend. It was time. Time for me to come back. I walked inside and took a deep breath. The house was empty. The only people who lived here were Jesse and I. And it needed to change.
I remembered Skye had a challenge father named Albino Rabbit. I looked him up, but before I could call him,  my phone began to ring. "Hello?" I asked cautiously. I wasn't sure who could be calling. Chase went with his girlfriend to France, Skye was back in her home of Cherwood, my parents were in Twinbrook for some medical seminar, Caitlin lived in Europe and Jesse was in the next room.
"Hello Paisley!" my sister's cheery voice echoed through my mind as I tried to process her joy.
"Hi Cass," I said gloomily. Just because I had a sense of closure didn't mean I was happy. At all. "What do you need?"
"I just had my baby! Can you come and visit!?"
I was taken aback. I had completely forgotten that my own sister was pregnant.
Suddenly I was happy once more. I knew it was a temporary happiness, so I tried to take it all in. "Boy or girl!?" I nearly screamed.
"Girl!" she exclaimed.
"What's her name, dang you!"
The line was silent for a moment. "We named her Anna."
A small smile crept on my face. "That's... nice. Really, it is. But you stole it."
"What do you mean I stole it?"
"I was planning on naming my future daughter that. Like, the one I'll have when I'm married to Jesse."
She laughed. "First come first served!"
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes!"

I grabbed my purse and hopped into my car. On the way there, I nearly had a heart-attack; a man with blonde hair jumped in front of my car. I hit him and he went flying.

"What the--" I yelled as I came skidding to a halt. I flung my door open and sprinted over to the man.
"Hey Paisley, long time no see," he said, rolling over onto his back so I could see his face.
"J-Jack?" I stuttered. "Why the hell did you jump in front of my car?" I demanded.
He grinned. Not a heart warming grin like he used to give me, but a cold hearted, wicked grin. "I needed to stop you some how."
"And you thought jumping in front of my car would be a good idea!? Why didn't you just go to my house?"
"That was kind of hard, considering you moved and I had no idea what your address was. How about you come to my house?"
I hesitated. Was it a good idea? There was a new craziness in his eyes that made me shiver. But I agreed. I thought maybe we would have a rational, adult conversation.

I was wrong. When we got to his house, he locked all the doors and closed all the blinds, followed by the turning off of the lights. He took a step towards me, I took a step back. We repeated this process until there was nowhere else I could go. I was in a corner and he was in front of me. There was nowhere I could run to get away from him now.
The look in his eyes got worse and worse until it looked like he was about to do something extremely bad. And he was. He took out a gun that I couldn't believe I hadn't seen. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth. He lifted his gun into the air and brought it down on my head. Everything turned black.

When I woke up again, I was tied up in the same corner and had duct tape over my mouth. Screaming was no use, and escaping was not an option. I was completely and utterly at Jack's mercy. And I had a feeling he wasn't in a very merciful mood today.
I tried to speak, but it came out as mouthfuls of random sounds. I needed to know one thing before I died: Why was he doing this?
It was like he read my mind, because he started talking. "You broke up with me, Paisley, and you had no right to do that."
I couldn't help but be annoyed. He was about to kill me over a stupid breakup? We were dating for a month!
"I loved you and wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. One day, when I'm about to propose to you, you break up with me, walk away, move houses and I never see you again. The doctors say "my brain couldn't handle it." That I'm "mentally unstable." I'm fine!"
And that's why he was about to kill me? He was fine?
I managed to get the words "I'm sorry" out, but didn't try to say anything else. He would never listen to me. And the duct tape wasn't a helpful factor. I was going to die, and there was nothing I could do to change that.
It wasn't until that moment that I realized he was polishing his gun. "I'm almost ready, my dear Paisley, there's nothing to worry about. I'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible." The crazy in his voice scared me more than the gun in his hand. What happened to the Jack I used to know? The one that bought me flowers and jewelry and said he loved me? What happened to the one who was sane?
This was not Jack Moore. At least, not fully him. This was a mentally unstable, heartbroken, killing Jack Moore. And I was his victim.
After he was finished with his gun, he walked over to me and put his gun to my temple. I looked up at him, my eyes pleading. Tears ran down my face as he put his finger on the trigger.
This is it, I thought. This is the moment I'm going to die. I closed my eyes and waited. I opened my eyes a bit to see what was happening. He was about to pull the trigger, I could tell. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and I saw a man tackle Jack to the ground.
I was safe, and I wasn't afraid to pass out. The last thing I remember was Jesse running over to me, crying, and grabbing me in his arms. Sobbing things I couldn't quite make out. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a police officer cuffing Jack and shoving him out the door.
I didn't care at the moment, because I was safe. And then the world went black.

Trent's Point of View

As I stared at my daughter lying helpless in her hospital bed, I used all the swear words I knew towards the man who did this to her. And trust me, I knew a lot. 

I walked over to her and caressed her forehead. It was bruised from where he hit her with his gun. I leaned over and kissed her where my hand used to be. This was going to be a very slow few days in the hospital. 

The doctor said he wanted to keep her here for a few days. When Paisley was unconscious from being hit in the head, he... did bad things to her. It makes me hate him even more. 

He also caused some brain damage when he hit her. "Not severe," the doctor said. "It shouldn't cause her any problems in the future if we can get it under control, but if not she could die. So we need to keep her here."

It made me feel better that she was going to be fine. A few days in the hospital didn't seem so bad.

Or so I thought. The few days grew into more and more days. Paisley slipped into a coma. The doctor said he has no idea what made it come on. I can take a guess. 

Those "more and more days" turned into two weeks. Three. Four. We were there for two whole months and Jesse didn't leave her side once. He took time off work to be there, and since I was a doctor at the hospital I could come and visit her whenever I wanted to. And I always wanted to.

It tore me apart to see her like that. Her bruises healed and the doctors fixed her damage to her brain, but she still wouldn't wake up. 

No one knew why. A specialist said her body and brain couldn't handle what happened, so she shut down. "Dr. Parker," she said after examining Paisley once more. "She should come back out of her coma soon. She just needs time to recover."

***

Her stomach began to grow. I have never been as mad as I was at Jack. 

"If she doesn't wake up soon, we'll have to do a c-section," her doctor told me one day, near her due date.

When it was a week after her due date, the doctors delivered her baby. It didn't appear that she was going to be awake to do so. 

She had a healthy little boy, Lee. Susan took Lee to Paisley's house because Jesse still refused to leave Paisley's side. 

I, however, decided to stay at the hospital. My best stress reliever is work. And I had a lot of stress.

Susan's Point of View

Lee was a beautiful little baby. He beamed every time I looked at him. Smiled every time I picked him up. Laughed every time I talked. And, fortunately for me, slept every time I sang. But it was soon time to age him up. 

It was sad. All I could see when I looked at my beautiful little grand son was that sick monster that helped create him. I'm glad he did create him, but I wish it would've been someone else. Some other way. Paisley didn't deserve that, and neither does Lee.

***

I gave him all the attention I could muster up. I made him breakfast every morning, lunch every afternoon and dinner every night. To top it off he always got dessert. He was a happy little baby, and it showed. 

I went on walks with him through the town, took him to the park, went to the playground. It was all well and good, but the thing that confused him the most was when I took him to visit his mother. "Mama," he would say. He understood who this woman was. He knew she was his mommy, but he couldn't quite grasp why she was always asleep. I explained it the best I could, but my best wasn't good enough.

"Why mama not wake up?" he would ask me constantly. 

My response would always be, "Because she's really tired." 

To ease his little mind I would take him for ice cream. It was harder on me than it was on Trent for obvious reasons. Trent didn't have to watch what I did. Lee's mother was in a coma and her father refused to leave her side. The only person he had was me. 

Paisley's Point of View

I could hear all of a sudden, but my eyes refused to open. The only thing I could hear was my father and Jesse talking. Are they good friends or something now?

I tried to move. Couldn't. Tried to talk. Couldn't. Tried to scream. Couldn't. 

I was stuck in a state between being awake and being asleep. I could no longer tell what was real and what was my imagination. 

Jesse talked to me like I was awake. I'm pretty sure that was real. My father held my hand and sobbed. That was real too. Cassie brought Anna, her daughter, to come and visit me. That was all real. But there were some things that weren't.

One day, I thought I could see, but I was still in that state between consciousness. It was just fake. But it was scary all the same.

Jesse told me he wanted to break up and that he hated me. Thank the heavens above that was fake. Macy told me Cassie was dead. Fake. My father disappeared. That one... that one I was not sure of. 

I heard them talking. If only they knew I could hear. "I looked all over for him. I couldn't find him anywhere!" my mother said, beginning to sound panicky. 

"He left a note? That's all? He didn't say where he was going? That's not like him!" my sister's voice added.

"What did the note say?" Macy asked. He was trying to soothe a whimpering baby in his arms. 

"Bah bah!" Anna chimed in. 

***
After that, I drifted in and out of consciousness. I would hear random conversations that meant nothing to me since I hadn't been awake to hear the beginning, but they still scared me. 

"They found him," was the most reassuring thing I had heard. 

"And?" Chase asked. He was the one voice out of my family that I hadn't heard until then.

"They think he tried to kill himself," my mother replied. 

I started falling back asleep. No, I told myself. You can't fall asleep! Not now! 

But it was no use. I was gone once more.

***

I'm not sure how long I was asleep that time, but it felt like a while. Maybe days? I'm not entirely sure if the conversation I heard was real. I was out of it. I think they gave me some medicine or something.

"What if she doesn't wake up?" Chase asked, nearly crying.

"She will," my mother said in her lecturing tone. "My baby is too young to die."

"But mom," Cassie cut in. "She's been in a coma for six months..."

That's when everything hit me. I knew I was in the hospital but I didn't know why. No one had mentioned the coma. Jack. The gun. Nothing. They tried to pretend like I was asleep. But it appeared that they couldn't ignore what was painfully real anymore. 

There was a long pause. 

"So?" my mother demanded. "She's strong! She had a brain tumor!"

"She's strong, yes," Chase said gently. "But no one can survive the worst. Jack did horrible things to her. Horrible, horrible things, mom. I think it's time we faced the facts and opened our eyes. We may not have Paisley in this world much longer."

My mother began to cry. 

That's when I knew it was real. I might actually die. "GAH!" I managed to get out. The whispering stopped and I could feel their eyes on me. 

***

Jesse ran over to me and grabbed my hands. "Paisley?" he asked quietly. "Are you awake."

Come on, I told myself. Wake up! The world has been going on around you for six months! Say something you weak coward!

"Jesse," I barely whispered. "I--I've..." I didn't have enough energy to talk. That tough love act that was going on in my head was all in my head. I was having problems. And I couldn't talk. 

"You've what?" he prodded. 

"H--have..." Come on! SPIT IT OUT! "I've been a-awake f-for a while now. A-and I've been listening to your c-conversations." 

DON'T STOP NOW! 

"I-is dad okay?" 

***

The hopeful whispering I heard from the corner of the room faded. "Yes." Chase was the first to speak up. "He was in the hospital for a few days. He's seeing a therapist now. But... he's alright."

"Sweetie, can you open your eyes?" Jesse asked me. 

I tried. And tried. And tried. It felt like my eyelids were led. They weighed down and refused to open. "No," was all I could get out. I fell back asleep. 

But this time, I had a dream. A real dream. I knew it was a dream even then, because the star of the dream was Anna-Leigh.

"You really suck," she told me. 

"I know," I replied. I looked down. It was definitely a dream. I was in ridiculous clothes that the old Anna-Leigh would've picked out. "What's with the clothes?" 

"I thought you needed a reminder of... better times..."

What? What was going on? My dreams are never this corny! 

"I know you're confused," she said soothingly. "But this isn't a dream. Well, it is, but I'm actually me." 

I was so confused. Not the dream Paisley, because I quickly realized that the dream Paisley was... the real Paisley. Not making any sense? I understand...

"I needed to get through to you somehow..." she began.

"What the flip are you talking about!? I'm so damn confused right now, Anna! Please explain to me what's going on!"

She looked... ashamed? No, that's not the right word. 

"Nobody ever told you how I died," she stated. 

The realization hit me. No one did. They left me in the dark. For a reason, I was sure. 

She started talking again. "Jack..."

Oh. No. How could I not have known after he kidnapped me? That he was the reason one of the most important people in my life was gone?

"Jack killed me. He put a bomb in my house and... kaboom."

She was talking as if this were a joke. A cruel, sick joke. 

"W-why would he do that?"

She shook her head. "Because. His mind isn't right anymore, Paisley. Or...wasn't."

My eyes widened. He's--

"Dead," she completed my thought. "He killed himself in his cell. He... came back. As his old self for a while. I think it will make you happy to know that he died as the old Jack Moore. The one you knew."

And then the dream faded. I was in my hospital bed. I could hear. I could see. And I could talk. And I was alive. 

I think it's time I show you Chase as a Young Adult. (ignore his vampire qualities. I have the glitch where everyone looks like a vampire in CAS)

I freaking love Chase. He looks just like Trent. Chase is in the athletic career now. Next is Anna.

Isn't she the most freaking adorable baby EVER!? I love her chocolate brown eyes and creamy blonde hair! (oh yeah, I used FOOD to describe this girl!! I'm just epic like that) Oh, and you're probably wondering about Chase's girlfriend.

Her name is Leah Monroe. She is a journalist and lives with Chase in their very own home. 

Everyone!! I am so freaking excited it's not even right!! My mom has reasons (reasons that would be hard to explain in a short note) to pay me annually. She told me that if I still want a laptop, by the end of the school year I'll be able to afford one, if I add in birthday money. So, in about two months I will have a NEW laptop that might actually WORK. It's a bigger deal to me because I've wanted one for about as long as I can remember... Anyway, the biggest factor (besides the fact that I'll have privacy) is Pets and Showtime might actually work. I'm more concerned with Pets, though. Cross your fingers with me that Pets will work on this new computer that has just barely escaped the part of my brain that's fantasy and entered the part that's waiting for it to be in my hands. EEEP! :D Okay, enough rambling about the laptop from the distant future. PLEASE leave me some feedback! It makes my day! 

A Memorial to Flower

:'(

Today my bird, my best (animal) friend, died. I would just like to do something for her.

Flower... 2007-2012 

I think a little back story is in order. 

A few years ago, I had to go through this procedure, and I was just about ready to tell my mom I didn't want to. So she bribed me with a bird. 

This is an essay I wrote a few months ago about how I got her. You obviously don't have to read it, but I feel that she needs to be remembered in some way...

 A few years ago, my family and I went to Washing State for my brother, Chris's, graduation. We were in the car, and I was watching the birds. "I want a bird," I said, deep in thought.

     My mom told me that wasn't going to happen. I complained the whole trip about wanting a bird.

     When we finally got home, we went to the hospital for something about me. They told me that they could do an invasive medical procedure and then they could help me with something that is too embarrassing to say what it is.

     The doctor said I had to do it right then and I was really scared because I didn't want to do it at all, especially with such short notice. My mom was running out of options to get me to do it because it was really going to hurt so she said that she would get me a bird if I did that surgery.

     I thought about it for a minute, and finally thought, "What is there to lose? I get a bird and they can find out what's wrong with me!"

     After I got the surgery, my mom took me to Pets Mart and I found the one that I wanted within minutes of arriving. He was a gray cockatiel and he was sitting in the corner of the cage. He looked really sad and lonely.

     The bird was really quite and wasn't moving, and that worried my mom, so she decided to ask an employee about him.

     The employee said he was probably sick and he would get the Pets Mart vet to look at him before he sold the bird to us. He also said that he would hold the bird for me and we could come back and get him if he was healthy.

     The next day my mom called Pats Mary and asked about the bird. A different employee said they had sold him. My mom got really mad at them and asked to talk to the manager. When she got a hold of the manager, she basically yelled, "An employee told me that he would get a bird looked at by the vet and he would hold the bird until we came and got him, and now you guys are saying that the bird was sold! Now I have a crying eight year old!"

     It was weird for me because I couldn't remember a time when my mom got that mad at someone.

     The employee also said it was, 'first come, first served,' and that made my mom really mad because we were first, and the employee said that he would hold him for us. It also made my mom angry because I really wanted that bird. I was planning on naming him Sweetie.

     "I hope that person gets fired," I said after all was said and done.

     My mom said that we could go to other placed to find another bird that was perfect for me.

     The next day we went to Pet Co. and I found a bird in the top corner of a cage in the bird room. She was a gray cockatiel and had a white racing stripe on both of her wings. She also had an orange spot on both of her cheeks. Those orange spots were to protect her ear holes.

     She had yellow lines on either side of her beak, and little pink feet. She was perfect!

     She reminded me a lot of Sweetie, but I liked her more. I could tell that she was the bird I wanted to bring home.

     My mom got a text from my other brother, Beau, saying he was hungry and needed dinner, so we had to go without buying the bird. I got sad, but she told me that we would come back later in the day when she had her money with her.

After eating dinner, we went back to Pet Co. to buy her. We went into the bird area of the store, and she was gone.

I was starting to get sad again, and my mom was getting mad that I had already lost one bird, and now this one. "It's already gone?" she exclaimed. But then I saw movement in the top corner of the cage; she was still there.

     My mom asked an employee to get her for us. The employee said that we could pick her up and put her in a box so we could take her home. "Do you want to put her in?" my mom asked. I said I was a little nervous, so she did it for me.

     The cashier checked us out and my mom gave me the box. As we were walking out she whispered, "When I picked her up, she bit me."

     I didn't want to have to bring her back within the first few seconds of buying her, so I said, "Well, maybe she was just scared."

     "Yeah, but she bit me really hard."

     I still didn't want that to mean that she was going to be a bad bird. I told her that maybe she would be better when we got home and after she had calmed down.

     We got into the car and my mom asked me what I wanted to name her. "I have no clue! What doyou think I should name her?" I asked, looking into the box.

     "I don't know, she your bird," she said.

     Later in that same car ride, one of us said something about the skunk, Flower, from Bambi.

     When the name Flower came up, I knew what I wanted to name my bird. "What about Flower?" I asked.

"That's a good name for her," she replied.

      I couldn't be sure that Flower was what I wanted to name her because that would be her name for the rest of her life, so I asked, "Does she look like a Flower?"

     "Yes she does," my mom said.

     When we got home, we showed me brothers. My brother, Chris, said, "Just don't name her anything stupid like 'Princess.'"

     "I wouldn't name her anything like that! I named her Flower!" I exclaimed. I was irritated because why on earth would I name her 'Princess?'

     My dad didn't know anything about the bird because he was away on a business trip in the Cayman Islands.

     "What do you think Dad is going to say when he sees her?" I would ask often.

     "I'm not sure," my mom would reply.

     We put her in our front room to play with her. My sister, Corinne, came home and picked her up. She used to have two cockatiels so she knew what she was doing.

     Flower bit down on her finger in the most tender spot there is.

     My sister started shaking her hand, trying to get her off. She was almost in tears by the time she finally flung her off of her finger. "If she ever does that again, we're taking her back!" my mom told me after everyone had calmed down. My mom was really angry, and I think she was in shock over what had just happened. I was almost in tears myself, that was the first day and Flower was already causing problems!

     After that, I was scared to death of her. We still continued to get her out to see if maybe she just needed to warm up to being away from the store. She never bit again, but she would hiss if we came near her.

     I didn't really want her by this point because she was really mean and I was terrified of her. When my dad got home from his business trip, my mom told him what was happening. He told me to get her out and we sat down on the living room floor. My dad doesn't even like animals very much and he's the one that fixed her.

     "You can't be so scared, that's your problem. If you stop being so afraid, she'll be better. Flower just thinks she's the boss, because she can tell you're nervous," he told me.

     So I held her and showed her that I was in charge. She even climbed up my back and tickled me, although I don't think that's what she intended to do. She didn't seem so bad after I wasn't so scared anymore, but I was still a little bit nervous because I thought that she was going to bite me, like she did to Corinne, when I was least expecting it.

     After that, Flower and I were best friends. We played everyday and I did everything with her. It even started bugging my family because she would always be flying around.

     Flower eventually laid some eggs. When birds lay eggs and there's no other bird around, that means that they did it because they love their owners, which means she loves me!

     She was the sweetest bird I had ever met, and she even said when she wanted to get out of her cage by running back and forth on the bottom of her cage. When I would put her on the floor, she would crawl upstairs to my mom and dad's room and would wait there until they came out, or she would go over to our dog's food bowl and eat with them.

     But that all changed after we got our new dog, Rocky. He tries to kill her if I let her out, so I'm not allowed to get her out as much anymore.

     We don't do as much with each other now because I'm so busy with school, and because of Rocky, but we're still good friends!

 Yes, maybe some parts were a little cheesy, but it about sums it up. (it was cheesy to fit my essay standards) 

I'm really going to miss her. 

I love you Flower!! 

Babies 44 and 45- Part Two: She's... Dead?

CRUD! I'm back in the stupid box again. WILL SOMEONE GET ME OT OF HERE?

Lastly is Thomas. He still looks exactly like his dad other than his skin tone. And he still styles his hair weird...
Sorry guys! For important reasons, I had to age Thomas up into a YA... he looks exactly the same... sorry...

After the birthday festivities, Jesse called. "Hello?" I asked, excited to be talking to him.
"Hey Paisley!" he said happily. "I have something... important to ask you. Will you meet me at the waterfall in... fifteen minutes?"
I happily accepted and headed out.

When I saw him, my heart melted, as it usually does. He ran up to me and kissed me. "I'm not sure exactly how to ask this," he hesitated, rubbing the back of his head with one hand like he always does when he's nervous. "So I guess I'll just ask it... Will you move in with me?"
I frowned, did he really just ask what I think he just asked? No. Wait. Did he? Hm...
His voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Paisley, what do you say?"

My mind went into it's thing where it thinks about all the possibilities, good and bad, in about five seconds. "What about the challenge?" I asked. How could he overlook something so... important? Or maybe he didn't, but he still wants to move in with me?
"You can keep doing it. You could just use the sperm bank. What do you think?"
I thought about all the possibilities once more. "Hm..." I began. "What about the kids?"
"What about them?" he asked innocently. "We could raise them as... ours."
I beamed at this idea. Someone to help me raise the kids! Someone who will be able to understand what I go through! (other than my challenge mother friends)

The possibilities ran through my head once more. "What will we tell the kids? Like..."
"How will we tell the kids why they call me their dad but I'm not truly? And why all their siblings have different fathers than them? And how none of their siblings are my children?"
I raised my brow. "Exactly."

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Then of course, I'd love for you to move in with me."
He grinned, flashing his white teeth. "I have something for you. A... late Valentines present."
"What?" I asked, confused. "You gave me a present."
"Yeah, a friggin picture, Paisley. You gave me a car. So... here's your present."

I gaped. A CAR!? And a nice one at that. HOLY FLIP! A CAR!
I kissed him to my hearts content and headed home. When I did, of course, the dang blue haired butt face was waiting for me.
She decided to hang around for a while, which I didn't mind, but it was hard for me to pay attention to her since all I could do was fantasize about when Jesse was going to move in.

Okay... so since it's taken me forever to get this post out, I am going to release it without pictures for the rest of the way... and just a warning... it's ridiculously short... But to make up for it, the next one will be twice as long!! 
Jesse began moving in right away. I offered to repaint my room but he insisted it was fine the way it was. If you say so...

After he had settled in, I went into labor. Ah, perfect. I greeted into the world a boy and a girl, Tara and Aaron!

Life was perfect for the first few weeks. Tara and Aaron were perfect little angels. Nothing could get any better that that. Until I got a call from Caitlin.

She was in tears and could barely spit out the words, "Paisley! Something bad... has happened..."
"Caitlin? What's wrong!? Are you hurt?" I yelled. I have never seen Caitlin cry. Except once, when her mother died.
It was silent for a moment as she tried to collect herself enough to speak. "Anna-Leigh is dead."

Hey everyone! Didn't expect that, huh? Well... it took a lot of convincing to myself that I should do this... I have my reasons for making her die... although I feel bad... Also, I am SO sorry this post was so short! AH! I just had to get it out. After all, this is a Valentines post and it's March... And yes, I know this is a five second read... I just needed to get it out! GAH! I feel ashamed about how long it took to get this out! 

Will You be My Valentine? Babies 44 and 45 Part One

As I stared down at my new babies, I couldn't help but cringe. I had five babies and zero help. Cinco babies and cero help! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?

I came to a decision. I did have help. She had blue hair and forty some-odd kids.(48) She was also very sarcastic. That's right, Skye! I called her up and made her stay for a while.
"You know I don't want to do this, right? I've already done my time quint wise I'm not going to help you," she said, setting down her luggage. Yeah, right, you don't want to help me, that's why you packed a bunch of stuff.
"Mmm hmm, sure you don't. Even if you really don't I don't give a friggin' crap. You're helping me and that's that. Period. Final. UNDERSTOOD?" I demanded.
Skye looked up at me and smirked. "You've been a mom too long."
I hung my head. "I really have, haven't I?"
She stood up straight and patted my shoulder. "Put that head up kid and turn that frown upside down! We're aging up the quints! Boom! I'm amazing!"
I smiled. How could I refuse such an offer? There would be less poop... maybe... That's all a girl could hope for...

Thomas aged up to be a different colored clone of his father. So, maybe not a clone? But his child nonetheless! I found it funny that Thomas ran around taking care of the quints for me. But there was no need to do that because Skye and I were right there the entire time! It was so funny to watch him running left to right, giving them poopy diapers instead of the bottle. (he got confused and picked up the wrong thing a lot of the time) Eventually I sent him away because he spent more time on his little siblings than on his homework. I'd usually accept that but not this time, oh no, I shall be more strict! (even though in this case I don't want to be)

The quints, oh man the quints! They were a lot less whiny but whiny for all it's worth. Jackie, the blue skinned little cutie is the leader of the pack. Perhaps because she's the unique one and stands out more? I may never know...

Lily and Cory are the two shy ones. They prefer each other's company and do everything together. It's so cute to watch them! They even fight over who loves the other one more! I feel so blessed that if they have to fight at least they fight about something like that! Right?

Tony and Devin are fussy little nuggets. I don't think I like their attitudes very much... They are best friends, too and are constantly throwing things at the other quints. Like blocks. I can't even count how many times I have had to apply a band-aid to a Tevin owie, as it has come to be known. I often have to separate them but on their good days they can get along with the other quints. I can see some schemers in my future, perhaps pranksters? (also, Devin prefers to be in his diaper, and only his diaper. I'm a little worried...)

Valentines day was coming up and I didn't have any idea what I was going to get Jesse. After all he is my... *blush* boyfriend...
So, I did what I usually do: complain to Skye. "Shut up and leave me alone!" she yelled over the crying in the background, shoving a pillow to her ear.
"But I want to make this Valentines day special!"
"And you need a gift to do that?"
"Um... yeah!"

So a few hours and countless insults later, (mainly from Skye to me, of course) I finally found him the perfect gift. A car. Yes, it may seem pretty expensive for me to buy my boyfriend of a few days a car, but I didn't care. I honestly liked Jesse and wanted him to be around forever. Not that I have to buy his affection or anything, but I want him to know I'll do anything for him.

After I got finished cleaning up his car, I got a call from him. "Hello?" I asked, completely entranced in his shiny, black car.
"MY BLOSSOM! MY--"
"Okay you can stop now," I interrupted, knowing just how that usually went. "What do you need, hon?"
"To ask you out on a Valentines date! Perhaps up to the waterfall?"
What was this dude's obsession with the waterfall? Was he born there or something? Okay, bad example, but seriously! It was sweet but I couldn't help but be curious.
"Um... sure! Why the waterfall?"
"Because that's where we spent our first date!"
I smiled. Of course that's why he loved it there so much. That's why I loved it there too...

When Valentines day was only a day away, I began to panic. A car? That's a personal gift, right? No... yes... I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! Skye told me he'll love it, so I tried to calm down. Yes, he'll love it... hopefully...

Finally Valentines day approached and I couldn't have been happier. I somehow finally convinced myself that I got Jesse the right gift. Anyway, at 6 o'clock we went to the bistro and then to the waterfall.
"Thanks so much for that amazing date," I said, sitting down in the grass.
"Well it's not over yet! Not even close!" he exclaimed. He really knew how to make me smile.
He handed me my present. I grinned. Of course once he gave it to me it was my instinct to go at it and rip it open, but I didn't want to look greedy.
"Rip it open like you mean it, Parker!"
I laughed and it was open in a matter of seconds. I smiled wide. It was a picture of me and him. My favorite one. We took it shortly before I gave birth to the quints.

And then I gave him his gift. When he opened the box and found a key, he was confused for a moment, but then he realized what it was. A key to his car. He stared at it for a minute, looked at me, and pulled me up. We sat there, silent for a while as our foreheads rested on the other person's. He looked up and said the words I least expected to hear. "I love you."
I looked at him and smiled. "I love you too." This time when I said it to Jesse, I meant it. It was the first time I had ever really meant that to anyone other than my family. After that we fell asleep on the grass, as we did the last time we were up there. I looked over at him as I fell asleep and one thought crossed my mind: I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man. And I meant it. It wasn't a lie like it was with James and Jack. I really, truly meant it.

In the morning I found myself in my bed, and you know who was next to me? Jesse. His sweet face smiling as he slept. I called one of my single kids, Skye, and asked them to babysit for me the day before in hopes something like this would happen. I gently slipped out of bed and quietly walked downstairs to make Jesse a Valentines day breakfast. French toast. He walked downstairs and smiled at me. "Hey Parker," he said groggily. For some reason I loved it when he called me that.
"Hey Everard." The second I said that I took it back. "Nevermind..."
"You call my mom that, don't you?" he smirked.
I giggled. "Yes. Sometimes. So there's no way I'm going to call you that."
I grabbed the plate of french toast and laid it on the dining table. We proceeded to eat in silence. Not an awkward silence. A nice silence.

I called my child Skye who was watching the quints and Thomas, and asked her to watch the kids for the rest of the week. She agreed, clearly shocked. But when I told her why, she accepted the gigantic challenge. My reasoning being that I wanted to spend it with Jesse.

And you know what we did with this amazing opportunity? We spent a lot of the time doing, you know... what people in love do... you know... ^.^ But the rest of the time we spent it in bed, just enjoying each other's company. "I love you," he would say a lot. I would say it too. I think we just loved saying it to each other. Every night I spent with Jesse I had amazing dreams. And the more he stayed, the better the dreams got. I usually woke up smiling and when I looked up at Jesse smiling down at me, my day became amazing and I had just woken up.

He would grab me and dance with me randomly, to no music and sometimes to no end. He would hum as he spun me around the kitchen, common room, basement, even bathroom, sometimes. He would play the guitar for me, the piano for me, and he would even sing for me.
A lot of the time we would play the piano together. The week turned into two, the two weeks turned into three, and the three weeks turned into four.
The time literally had never gone that slow. And for once I was enjoying every minute of it.

One day we put in a movie and were snuggling, neither of us really paying attention to it since it was pretty stupid. I think we just liked being together.
"Paisley," he began.
I looked up at him, getting pretty tired. "Yeah?" I asked. It was sort of strange because the most talking we did in that past month was, well, we didn't do much. The only things that came out of our mouths to each other were "I love you," and "goodnight."

"I've been thinking."
"About what?"
He smiled, clearly tired, too. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
I grinned like an idiot. "I do too! I mean... not with me... with you."
He laughed. "Will you promise to marry me when you're done with your challenge?"
I smiled. "Of course."
From that moment on everything was perfect. But then Skye dropped the kids off.

I won't lie to you: I was slightly disappointed. I loved my kids to no end but I had loved spending so much time with Jesse. Oh well, at least I can say I got to know him really well.

I soon forgot that though, as Jesse and the kids (and me) decided to spend some quality time together. It all became a bit awkward when Thomas came up to Jesse and started asking him questions.
"Who are you?" asked Thomas
"I'm Jesse. I'm Skye's son, you know her, Ms Buttface as your mother would say. And I'm going to marry your Mom one day."
"Hmmm," said Thomas. "So, what do I call you? I can't call you Father Jesse, it makes you sound like a priest. I'll call you... Daddy Jesse!"
Jesse seemed pretty pleased to be called Daddy Jesse, so I left him to it as I continued playing with the others.
We played around until it was dark, and then it was time to go in, so I sent everyone off to bed and Jesse and I had a bit more alone time. We sat on the sofa together and watched a movie by the fire, and then I fell asleep in his arms.

It was the perfect end to a perfect valentines.

The next day, I went to meet the next challenge water, Valen Tine (real original)

After I got finished with Valen, I went home and fixed myself up. Who says just because I'm a mother of 43 I can't look my best?

After which, I went about upgrading things. Like I haven't done that 100 times before...

Hours later, I slipped into bed, ignoring the crying in the other room. Yes, I know, I may seem like a bad mother but they weren't hungry and they had just pooped so they just needed to cry themselves asleep. When I woke up, I decided to age up the quints and Thomas because I was barely making it through the day with five little toddlers.

Toby and Devin are still my little pranksters, except now they're starting to get full out rebellious. Even though they're rebellious and drive me crazy and their teachers as well, they somehow manage to get good grades... I will never understand these two. 

Lily and Cory are still the best of friends. They tend to shy away from the other three and stick together in the corner playing with their weird dolls. 

Jackie is still the "leader" of the five. The other four look to her for guidance and trust her more than anyone else.
Sorry it took so freaking long to get this post out. I'm ashamed. *hides face* 
Update from my mind: I will be taking pictures of the kids aged up in CAS until they're teens and adults. It's just much easier. So they won't start posing for the shots until they're teens.