[ussbansheec] "Heart to Heart"
- From: "Moria McEntire" <bansheec@xxxxxxx>
- To: <ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 21:04:07 -0400
"Heart to Heart"
Steven, Miranda, Lindsey, and Evy Hale
As the cream and white Bay tore through the back pastures it's rider laughed
and giggled loudly. She knew she wasn't allow to ride Moonlight bareback
alone, away from the meadow, and this fast, but Miranda couldn't help it.
She needed the release of it, the way it felt as if all her cares and
worries were left behind them in a cloud of turned up dirt clots made by the
thunder of hooves. She held tightly to the horse's mane as she pushed her
just a little more.
Stevie's eyes fixed on the branch directly above his head. He gauged the
distance, swung himself toward it and caught it deftly. "WHOOT!" he crowed
as he stared out over the whole meadow. "King of the castle!"
With her heart pounding in her chest, Miranda decided to slow Moonlight down
gradually. By the time she and the Bay trotted into the meadow they were
both sweat covered and breathing heavily. The Bay snorted at the sudden
shout of the perky fowl in the tree and it made Miranda laugh. She walked
the Bay over to where her brother's voice had come from and looked up.
"Couldn't find a taller one?"
"Tallest I ever climbed," the sandy haired boy called back, his eyes shining
in pride. "Taller ones get a spanking, you know that."
Miranda huffed and stuck her tongue out at her brother. Then she smirked.
"Never stopped me." She taunted.
"And how many nights you go to bed sore?" he teased from above her.
She couldn't help but laugh as she rubbed Moonlight's neck. The horse needed
to be rubbed down and she knew she couldn't stand here much longer before
her friend got pissy with her. "Not as many as there should have been."
"Bet it's less than me and Sammy," he laughed as he started dropping down
the branches and finally landed firmly on the ground. "I'm still playing it
safe from the last time she blew a gasket. Ride me home?"
Moonlight huffed but made no protest as Miranda helped the boy up. "I've got
seven years on you and nine on Sammy, I've a pretty fair head start. Just
keep in mind who's really the tree queen around here young mister Hale."
"You can be a queen so long as I'm the king," he laughed. "And Evy's the
princess. Y'all know she's got the whole spoiled brat thing goin' already."
"She's the baby, Stevie, she's suppose to be spoiled." She gently urged
Moonlight towards the stables. "Plus she's four, she's testing her limits.
You did the same thing. You were forever trying to stick everything from
Daddy's comm badge to the cat's tail in electrical sockets."
"I did?" he blinked, blushing a little. "Surprised I didn't get
electrified. Evy doesn't do that, she just throws things. Mostly at me or
Sammy. Problem is," he mused, "Momma gets upset when we throw them back."
Miranda snorted. "That's cause Momma has battle wounds. I clocked her in the
head with a toy bird Mister Nat gave me when I was two."
"Then how come she always takes Evy's side when it's us who've got the
battle scars?" he pouted.
"Did you miss the part where I said she was the baby?" The girl asked as
they stopped in front of the stables. She helped her brother down before
sliding off the horse's back. With no reins to hold she simply had to trust
that Moonlight would follow her inside. "Wanna get some of the baby carrots
from the tack closet?" She asked as she gathered her grooming tools. "You
know it'll get easier. It has so far."
The boy shrugged as he disappeared to get the carrots then reappeared and
offered one to the horse. "Don't you think she's gotten angrier? It's like
she's always mad all the time. I like when the Macs come over coz she goes
all gooey over the cousins and it's like she was before."
She hated to admit it but he was right. The ear ring blow up last summer had
soothed some things between her and her mother, but it felt like things were
reaching another boiling point. Miranda shrugged as she brushed her horse
out. "Maybe it's just to much or something."
"D'you think it's because she should've stopped with the twins?" he asked
softly, watching the horse munch its way through another carrot. "Like
maybe it's my fault for being an accident and Sammy and Evy?"
"No!" Miranda replied shocked, starting Moonlight who let her know she
didn't appreciate that by trying to stomp her foot. The girl moved just in
time. "Stevie, none of y'all were accidents!" None of them were. "Momma and
Daddy wanted a large family." Once her mother had given up everything else.
"Yeah," he sighed as he kicked at a piece of straw. "Then how come she's
so angry all the time? How come I can't do anything right any more?"
It was hard not to say join the club, but it wasn't her place to add to the
mess. She was the oldest, it was her place to care for the little ones, to
be the buffer, to smooth over hurt feelings and wipe away angry tears.
"Seven kids and a spread this size is a lot to handle, Stevie. It's not that
Momma doesn't want it this way, it's just a lot of stress no matter how much
she likes the ranch and loves us." She hoped. "Plus she misses Daddy, his
promotion didn't bring him home like we all thought it would. She's proud of
you Stevie, and she loves you, I know it's hard to remember that when she's
madder then a rabid hound, but she is, and she does."
"Wish Auntie Anna had been our mom," he sighed as he let the horse have the
last carrot. "I'd like to have the Macs as sibs, wouldn't you?"
"No." She answered firmly. "Aunt Anna is great and all, and I love the Mac
Pac, but I'm very proud of my family. I wouldn't give any of you up as my
brothers and sisters, nor would I trade Momma in even on her worse days."
She nodded as she went back to rubbing down Moonlight. "Besides, the Macs
don't live in paradise either."
"Guess not, I've heard Momma argue with Auntie Anna about how hard she is,"
he sighed again. "She sounds better than Momma at the moment. Anything's
better than Momma."
Miranda frowned as she put Moonlight in her stall. She checked to make sure
she had feed, fresh hay, and fresh water and then close the stall door. When
she turned back to her brother she asked, "How do you think Momma would feel
if she heard you say that?"
He shrugged and pulled a hand through his hair. "She'd get mad and probably
spank me. Or she'd tell me to go to my room and wait for Daddy to come
home. But she'd be sad about it. Coz I'm a mean, nasty kid."
"I think she'd be hurt rather then angry, Stevie." Without realizing it she
ran her fingers thought her own hair, flipping her bangs out of her face.
"Your not a mean, nasty kid, your just a kid. A lot of this stuff doesn't
make any sense to me either. There's still times I feel like I'm just in the
way, that everyone's moved on and there's no time or anything for me." She
shrugged again as she headed out. "I guess it's just how it is in big
families."
Stevie sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling where he'd
hidden one of his plastic soldiers. "Y'know why I like it when the Macs
come over best of all?" he mused as he skuffed the dirt in the stable yard.
"James and Josh help you blow up things?" She teased lightly as they headed
for the house.
He snorted and shook his head. "Vixie plays with me," he said shyly.
Now she was simply confused. "Wanna explain that a little more? Sammy plays
with you, Shell and Carolyn, John's a bit of an ass, but the other Macs play
too." Finally realizing she wasn't sure about what she'd said she added,
"Don't they?"
"Course they do!" he laughed, rolling his eyes. "But Vixie plays different
games, softer ones." He started to blush profusely and huffed as he added
in a quiet voice, "She shows me how to be a doctor like her Mom."
Miranda smiled. "Ain't nothing wrong with that little man. Vix is a softer,
sweeter kinda kid, and being a doctor is a great goal if that's what you
want to do." She smiled at him and then stopped short of going inside when
her teenage mind kicked in. "Wait, you don't, um, like 'play doctor' right,
you just like pretend on like stuff toys right?"
He blinked, totally confused. Wasn't pretending on soft toys playing
doctor? "We bandage them up," he admitted as he blushed brighter, wondering
why it suddenly felt wrong to be doing that. "She tells me their symptoms
and we make up cures from flowers and mud and stuff. The teddies have the
cure and get better just like they do when her mom does it. Isn't that
playing at being a doctor?"
The girl sighed inwardly in relief. Of course he wouldn't be 'playing
doctor' he was ten for pete's sake. She smiled at him and put her arm around
his shoulder. "Yeah little brother, that's playing doctor. You know I think
I have an old toy medkit somewhere. It's yours if you want it."
"Can I!" he grinned as he cuddled his sister. "Want me to show you the
splint I made for Mr. Fibble?"
The light in his eyes made Miranda smiled. "Sure little man! You go get Mr.
Fibble and I'll get that medkit."
With a bright laugh, Stevie set off at a dead run for his bedroom. He
skidded up the stairs and straight into the middle of world war twenty. Evy
had his precious soft toy shark in her hands as she was crying and screaming
at the top of her lungs. The splint had been torn off and bandages were
pooled at the little girl's feet. He took one step toward her as Lindsey
exploded up the stairs.
"What in the world have you done, Steven Hale?" Lindsey yelled, picking up
the crying Evy and hugging her tightly. "Have you been hitting your sister
with your shark again?"
It wasn't really all that hard for Miranda to find her toy medkit.
Everything was well organized in the basement, boxes clearly marked with
names, and placed in certain areas. She found the crate marked "Mirrie's old
toys" and opened it. She dug around finding not only the toy medkit but one
of her favorite dolls. Aside from Peggy-Rose the rabbit, Ireland was her
second best friend growing up. The doll was mostly rag, with red hair, a
gold jeweled crown, and a pretty green dress with shamrocks all over it.
"How'd you get in there." She asked the doll as she rubbed it's black bead
eyes. With both toys in hand she went in search of her brother. "Hey little
man where'd you go!?"
Steven shook his head frantically. "No, Momma, I was outside playin' with
Mirrie. I wanted to show her my splint."
Lindsey's eyes stared hard at her son. "Are you fibbin' me boy?"
His eyes widened and he shook his head even harder. "No, Momma. Honest,
Momma."
Miranda groaned as she heard the voices as she climbed the stairs. "There
you are." She said as brightly as she could as she approached. "I thought
you were going to show me that." She spotted the mess on the floor. "Oh,
Stevie." She bit her lip knowing who'd gotten the toy. Evy was always taking
everyone else's toys. She looked up at her mother, taking note of the
hardness in her eyes, yet said it anyway, "That wasn't nice, Evy."
Evy looked at her sister and started to cry softly, sniffing as she threw
down the stuffed shark.
Without thinking, Steven grabbed his toy and hugged it tightly then
carefully started gathering the rulers and bits of bandage that had been
tied so neatly around Mr. Fibble's tail.
"Were you playin' with Stevie, Miranda?" Lindsey asked as she rocked the
girl in her arms.
"Yes Ma'am." Miranda answered, turning disappointed eyes from her sister to
cast cautious eyes on her mother. "He was out in the back pasture with me,
watchin' me ride Moonlight, then he rode back with me and gave her carrots
while I rubbed her down. We just come in not five minutes ago." If there was
going to be a blow up might as well have it aimed at her.
Lindsey grunted as she carefully put the little girl down. "Go to your
room, Evelyn, I'll be speakin' with you in a moment."
Evy just blinked at her Momma then turned white when angry eyes fixed on
her. She nodded once and ran off.
Hugging his shark, Steven fought back childish tears. "I was climbing
trees."
"Then you should go to your room too, Stevie," Lindsey snapped.
Miranda actually smacked herself in the forehead. What did he go and do that
for? "They were the short trees, Momma. We're allowed to climb those. Ain't
like he tried the ones over near the lake I climb." She gave her brother a
look that told him to shut up, stand there, and look pretty.
"You're old enough to be allowed to make your own mistakes, Miranda Ariel,"
Lindsey replied gruffly. "Did you see him throw the shark?"
"Evy threw the shark." She replied. "Stevie's not done anything. Besides, I
was younger when I climbed those tress." She winked at her brother. "No way
my records getting beat."
"Mirrie," he whispered urgently, "What're you doin'?"
"Yes, Miranda, why are you trying to provoke me?" Lindsey asked with a
sigh.
Miranda shrugged. "I'm a teenager it's in the bylaws."
"Oh go and play with your brother and help him put the splints back on his
silly shark," Lindsey rolled her eyes as she turned back down the stairs.
"I'll talk with Evy later."
With all his shark and stuff in his arms, Stevie grabbed Miranda's hand and
pulled her toward his bedroom. "How did you do that?" he exclaimed. "You
made her not mad anymore."
"I told you, I've got more experience." Miranda smiled at him as she handed
him the medkit. She bit her lip a moment and then added, "I'll be right
back." She dashed down the stairs and found her mother quickly. "Momma,
there's only the three younger ones here with John off being John and the
twins at that sleep over." She paused hoping this didn't get her shot. "Why
don't you take up Mister Nat's offer and head to the pub tonight? I'll watch
the others."
Lindsey stared at her daughter for a minute then smiled and nodded. "You
want to deal with Evy then?"
Miranda nodded. "You need a night out, Momma, it's been a long time since
you've been with other grown ups with out a bunch of kids around. Evy's no
problem." She looked at the doll still in her hand. "She'll play all night
and I can read her bedtime story."
"God you're a good kid, Mirrie," Lindsey said as she hugged her daughter.
"Gotta be your papa's influence."
Miranda hugged her mother tightly. "Na, I'm a Craig through and through."
Kissing the side of her head, Lindsey gave her a small shove. "Go on, only
reason that boy got the splint on in the first place is coz Vixie showed him
how."
"He'll be a doctor one day, Momma, just watch and see." Then she beamed.
"Then you can brag to everyone about your handsome son the doctor." She
didn't say more, though she wanted to. Now wasn't the time. Instead she
dashed back up their stairs and into her brother's room. "So how about pizza
and soda for dinner?"
"If you can get Momma to agree, I'll let you keep Mr. Fibble," Steven
laughed, knowing his mother hated pizza.
She sat on his bed and watched him playing with the shark. "She's going out
for a bit, just us offspring tonight. So since I get to be Momma for a
night, I say pizza and soda."
"Here that, Cornelius?" he said as he turned the shark toward himself and
touched his nose to its. "Mirrie's Momma. That means we get to play
medicine on her, put her arms in splints and tie her to the bed." He
grinned at his sister and bounced off the bed at her, hugging her tightly.
"I couldn't get the splint back on. It keeps falling off."
Miranda cuddled her little brother, knowing in the back of her mind that
even if they were always close, she wouldn't always get to cuddle him once
he was a man. "Show me how to help?"
"Could you hold his tail for me and help me with the knots?" he asked as he
put the shark on her lap and carefully placed the rulers down its length.
She held the toy's tale carefully as if it would feel pain if she didn't.
"Ok, though I warn you the only knots I know go with horse tack." She
laughed.
"I can do them but my fingers keep slipping," he said as he concentrated on
wrapping the bandages around slowly. Once done, he tied the first knot.
"Could you put your finger there?" he pointed to the spot above his thumb.
Miranda put her finger where he needed it. Given the numbers of bruises,
cuts, sprains, and breaks she'd had over the years she was rather impressed.
The splint seemed right to her.
His tongue poked slightly between his two front teeth as he put the final
knot in place and beamed. Picking up the shark, he shook it really hard to
see if the splint would come off. When it didn't, he crowed. "I rock!" he
cheered as he cuddled Mr. Fibble. "We should so go into practice together.
You can be my nurse."
"I'd take you up on the officer if medical bays didn't terrify me and the
sight of blood makes me ill." She chuckled. "That's really well done,
Stevie." She ruffed his hair. "You'll be a great doctor."
The boy kept grinning to himself as he padded over to his bed and took out
the toy medkit. He lifted each tool in turn then smiled sweetly at Miranda.
"Come and be ill for me?"
"Alright, but no tying me to the bed. I gotta be able to get to Evy and
Sammy if they need me." She laid back and for once didn't have a panic
attack at the sight of medical interment. It's why the toy had been put away
in the first place, even the toys made her weary.
Stevie beamed as he started making beep beep noises that he imagined was
what the tricorder sounded like. "Oooo," he said gleefully, "you've got a
really rare and incurable condition. It's called Craigitous. It's lucky I
caught it so soon."
Miranda snorted at the name. "Can you cure it?"
"Well no, that's what incurable means," he rolled his eyes at dumb girls.
"Vixie says it's when something is wrong and won't get better. But I can
treat it."
It was to hard to keep a straight face so she didn't even try. "And what
would the treatment be for Craigitous, Doctor Hale?"
"This," he grinned as he pounced to tickle his sister hard.
Miranda's eyes widened and she squealed in surprise. Then she giggled and
laughed and squirmed as she ticked him back. She had no hopes of winning,
she was to overly ticklish. Finally, when she could hardly breathe she
squeaked, "Uncle! Uncle! You win!"
"WHOOP! I rock," he cheered as he dropped down to sit on the floor and pick
up the shark. "I get to have chocolate and marshmallows on my pizza!"
"Why don't we stick to pepperoni and cheese, and we'll use the replicator to
make a dessert pizza." Miranda gasped, trying to get her breath. She
reached out and ruffled his hair before getting up. "I gotta check on Evy
and Sammy and then I'll order ok? Wanna pick out a vid to watch for after I
get Evy to sleep?"
"You gonna shout at her?" he asked as he stared at the floor.
"I'm just playin' momma, Stevie." Miranda replied from the door. "Ain't my
place to punish or nothing. Momma said she'd deal with Evy and she will."
"I don't want her to be mean to Evy," he whispered softly, his cheeks going
red again.
How to explain this, she thought. "Taking your toy and wrecking the spilt
was wrong, Stevie. Momma's gotta teach Evy not to do that. Yeah sure Momma
gets stressed out and blows off steam in our direction sometimes, but when
we really do do wrong, she's got to be the Momma."
"Evy's just tryin' to get attention," he said softly.
"Yeah I know," Miranda said softly. "We all do that. Momma's just one woman
and we're seven individual kids who all need her."
"I just don't want her mad at Evy is all," he sighed. "She's a monster but
she's my sister."
Miranda smiled, but sighed inwardly. "Stevie, parents get mad. Doesn't mean
they don't love us."
Other related posts:
- » [ussbansheec] "Heart to Heart"
