a band of cousins

My cousins and I were at my grandparents house when the phone rang. Our parents were on a cruise and they were coming back today. I was still up waiting for them.

I was waiting in my grandparents' bed. I was only two and very worried about my parents. I crawled off the bed and ran to get the phone. I brought it to Nana.

"Thank you Meggie," she said as she answered it.

Papa helped me up onto the bed. I snuggled in next to him.

"hello...yes this is she...yes...okay...thank you," she said before she hung up. Her voice was getting softer and sadder as the phone call went on.

"Who was that Nana?" She ignored my question. She got up and practically ran to her closet. She pulled out a sweater and started putting it on.

"Carol? What happened?" Papa asked as he got out of bed too and grabbed a sweatshirt.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I climbed down from the bed.

"Honey go wake your cousins. Tell then to get their shoes and coats on quickly," she said. I had never heard her like this so I ran into the room my cousins were sleeping in. I couldn't reach the light switch so I jumped, just barely hitting it. I ran to my oldest cousin and started shaking him.

"Get up," I said loudly.

"What's wrong Meggie," he groaned.

"Nana and Papa said to put our shoes and coats on now," I said close to tears. Jake sat up and started yelling at everyone else to get up. He must have realized it was important because I was crying about it.

He helped me put my shoes and coat on before he put his on. Everyone else was quickly putting their stuff on, with the help of Jake.

Nana and Papa appeared in the doorway. Papa had the car keys and they rushed us out the door. The van wasn't big enough for all of us so we had to squish. Nana and Papa sat in the front. Anna and Ellie double buckled, Abbi and Taylor double buckled, and so did Mara and Brady. Sydney and I double buckled in the back with Jake next to us. We started driving quickly. Nana turned around and looked at us.

"I'm sorry for rushing you out of the house this early in the morning. The hospital called. Your parents were in an accident and are in the hospital right now," she said gently. I could tell she was trying to be strong for us.

We were all shocked. We drove to the hospital in silence. We got the room number and started walking there. Papa carried me there but as soon as I saw the room number I squirmed out of his arms. I ran to look at my mommy and daddy. I was already crying like, well like the baby I am.

I looked over at daddy and cried harder. His legs were both twisted in strange angles. His face was bloody and bruised. His arm was stained red from a huge gash in it. My mommy didn't look much better. She had a huge gash on her forehead. Her hair was dark red from the blood she lost. Her one arm was twisted in a bad angle and her foot was pointing the wrong way.

I stood there and cried for a moment. I wasn't able to move until they opened their eyes and saw their only daughter. They smiled at me but I didn't have the strength to smile back.

"Meggie," mommy said quietly. She reached for my hand with her good arm. Daddy took my other hand.

"Sweetheart," he started.

"We love you," they said at the same time.

"I love you too," I sniffled. "Be strong like a big girl," mommy said.

"We will never truly leave you," she said softly. I knew what was coming. I didn't want them to go.

"You're going to grow up to be an amazing woman," daddy said.

"Goodbye Meggie," they said. "We love yo-" They never finished.

There was a long beep cutting through the silence. I knew what it meant. Their hands became dead weight in my hands. They were gone from this world. I cried harder than I ever thought was possible.

​Less than a week later all my aunt's and uncles were dead. That is more than a two year old can handle.

Notes