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“Lacey!” Ellena bolted upright when she realized that she was alone in the bed. She surveyed the room and found it empty. She threw the covers off her legs and raced down the hallway, checking each empty room on her way by. Visions of the three year old wandering outside and out of the yard raced though Ellena’s head as she leapt down the stairs, two at a time, yelling Lacey’s name. She ran past the kitchen door and stopped on the other side. Slowly, she backed up and looked in. Lacey was sitting on the island watching carefully as Kevin measured out ingredients and dumped them into a bowl. She was chattering non-stop asking questions about everything he put on the counter.
“What’s that for?”
“It’s flour.” Kevin replied. “It goes in the pancake batter.”
“Oh.” Lacey said. “Lala puts that in pizza. Can I stir it?”
Kevin set the bowl in front of her and handed her a wooden spoon. “Do you want to crack the eggs?”
Lacey shook her head. “Eggses get gicky on my hands. I don’t like it.”
Kevin noticed a movement at the doorway. He looked up and smiled. “Good morning sleepy. Hungry?”
Ellena, relieved to find Lacey safe and sound, placed her hand over her chest to still her rapidly beating heart.
“We’re makin’ pamcakes!” Lacey chirped. She jumped down form the counter and ran to give Ellena a flour coated hug. Ellena picked her up and squeezed her tight. She then sat her down on a chair at the island and took a seat beside her.
Kevin set a cup of hot coffee in front of her. Ellena wrapped her hands around the mug and breathed in the aroma deeply. “Hmmm…I could get used to this.” She sighed before even realizing what the comment must have sounded like.
Kevin grinned to himself and took more ingredients out of the refrigerator. “Did you sleep well?”
Ellena took a swallow of her coffee and shook her head. “Yes and no.”
Kevin laughed. “Could you be a little more specific?”
“Well, yes – it’s been a while since I fell asleep feeling completely safe. Maybe that’s why I fell asleep so quickly. And no because blue jeans aren’t exactly the most comfortable thing to sleep in.” She rubbed her hands on her denim-clad legs.
Kevin stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. “I’m glad you feel safe here.” He said very seriously. Little did he know that it wasn’t the house that made Ellena feel so safe. It was merely his presence.
After a breakfast of Mickey-Mouse shaped pancakes – what the hell? They were in Orlando – the three went into the back yard. Kevin and Ellena sat next to each other on the patio swing as Lacey ran around on the grass chasing bugs and other crawly things.
Kevin laid his head on Ellena’s lap as they watched Lacey play. “Tell me something.” He started.
“Hmm?” Ellena asked contentedly.
“Has Eric ever hurt you?”
Kevin felt Ellena’s body stiffen. She ran her hand through his hair. “Eric has a…unique way of getting his point across. Sometimes it’s not very…pleasant.” She said hesitantly.
Kevin struggled to keep his temper in check. “Why do you let him treat you like that?”
“He’s Lacey’s father, he’s my brother – I can’t break off all contact.”
“He’s not much of a father or a brother. What keeps you holding on to a relationship that you had with him six years ago?”
Ellena let out a slow breath. “Right before my mother died, she made me promise her that I would keep our family together. ‘Blood is thicker than water, she’d said. Promise me Ellena that you will always stay a family – remember without family, you are incomplete.’ “
Kevin rolled on his back to look up at her. “Do you believe that?”
Ellena closed her eyes and nodded. “My mother died five years ago. Eric was gone. Until Lacey was left with me, I was alone – I had no family and I was nothing. I need Lacey as much as she needs me. She is my family, she is my blood. If I was ever to lose her, I would be nothing again.”
“Don’t ever think that you are nothing.” Kevin said softly.
Ellena leaned over so she could look into his eyes. “I never feel like a nothing when I’m around you.” She whispered her voice thick with emotion. They sat in peaceful silence for a moment.
“You can stay here as long as you want.” Kevin said, hoping she would accept his offer.
Ellena shook her head. “I won’t be as presumptuous as to stay here and play house with you. It’s not as bad as it looks, Kevin. My building is rather safe, you don’t need to worry. I’ve been living there for four years and no one has ever worried about me before.” She leaned over and kissed him gently on the mouth. Both turned their heads to Lacey’s shrieks of delight. She was chasing a butterfly across the grass, hopping and jumping in hopes of a capture. Kevin grinned at the child in his back yard. If one was an outsider looking in, they would appear to be a family. The three of them, a perfect, happy little family.