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rainbowfic2012-08-26 11:09 pm
bookblather) wrote in rainbowfic2012-08-26 11:09 pm
Lawn Green 7: Take Care
Author: Kat
Title: Take Care
Story: In the Heart
Colors: Lawn green 7 (beach ball).
Supplies and Materials: Canvas, seed beads (Lars is there but barely), stain (“There’s one thing worse than having a family. Not having one.” - Hanne Holm), chalk (like a bowl of Fruit Loops).
Word Count: 668
Rating: PG.
Summary: Christine reconciles taking care of her siblings with being responsible for them.
Warnings: None. Well, a nosebleed.
Notes: Meme fill forisana; the day after Vacation.
Mort still had a fever the next morning, so Christine took the rest of her siblings-- no, Chrissy went with the rest of her siblings down to the hotel's outdoor pool. By themselves they'd make it crowded; with the people already there the pool seemed overflowing.
Anna had put on a bathing suit, but that was her only concession to the outing. Once they actually got there, she surveyed the area, snorted, and curled up beneath a giant umbrella, disappearing into The Silver Chair. Teddy, after a similar survey, shrugged, dove into the deep end, and started swimming laps. The twins, in matching neon-pink bathing suits, produced a similarly neon beach ball from somewhere and proceeded to bat it around the shallow end, laughing like loons when it careened off Lars's head. Chrissy tensed when Lars yelled, ready to intervene, then made herself relax-- that wasn't her job anymore, she wasn't their parent, she didn't have to do this.
And wasn't that a weird feeling? She sat on the side of the pool and dangled her feet in the water, watching Lars chase the twins and Teddy cut smoothly through the water, neatly avoiding the chase scene and the other swimmers. She'd been responsible for them for so long, almost the twins' whole life. Now she was just supposed to give it up, be a kid again?
It didn't work that way. She sort of wished it did, especially after the look in her mother's eyes the day before, but it didn't.
So, what now?
She dodged absently as the beach ball sailed over her head. A moment later, Eliot scrambled out of the pool and went after it. Chrissy restrained herself from shouting at him to walk.
It was just so hard not to take care of them. They were her siblings and she loved them. Did she really need to just drop everything now that her mom was better?
Eliot ran past her, beach ball under his arm, and cannonballed into the deep end, yelling what he probably thought was a war cry. The beach ball squirted out of his hands and hit Elisa in the face.
"Ow," she said, and then, when her nose started bleeding, "Ow!"
Chrissy sighed, slid into the water and swam over to her sister. "Tilt your head back," she ordered, and towed Elisa over to the side, then boosted her out of the water to minimize biohazards. "Pinch the bridge. Can you breathe?"
"No," Elisa said, resentfully. "Id's bleedig."
"I can see that," she said. "Eliot, go get some ice from the machine, okay? How bad does it hurt?" If Elisa was being cranky she was probably okay. If she was seriously hurt she'd just be crying.
Elisa thought about it for a moment, then said, "Lots," just when Eliot came back. He handed the ice to Chrissy and looked intensely guilty.
As well he should, Chrissy thought, but didn't say anything. She wrapped the ice in a towel and pressed it against Elisa's face. "Here, keep that there."
"Id's cold!" Elisa objected, but she brought her free hand up anyway.
"I'm sorry," Eliot said, looking down. "I didn't mean to hit you in the face."
Elisa stuck her tongue out at him, an interesting expression since she was looking upwards. Chrissy sighed.
"Eliot," she began, and stopped. She wasn't their mom. She was their sister. Maybe if she just kept telling herself that... she was their sister. Taking care of them, that felt fine, that felt like being a sister. But yelling at them, that felt like being a mom, and she didn't have to do that anymore.
Huh. So that was it.
She'd been quiet too long-- Eliot's wary look had morphed into confusion. "Chrissy...?"
"Eliot," she started again, "you get to explain this to Mom."
"Oh, Chrissy!" he wailed. Teddy, leaning on the side of the pool, laughed and went back to laps.
Yeah. She could do this.
She lifted the towel to check on Elisa's nose.
Title: Take Care
Story: In the Heart
Colors: Lawn green 7 (beach ball).
Supplies and Materials: Canvas, seed beads (Lars is there but barely), stain (“There’s one thing worse than having a family. Not having one.” - Hanne Holm), chalk (like a bowl of Fruit Loops).
Word Count: 668
Rating: PG.
Summary: Christine reconciles taking care of her siblings with being responsible for them.
Warnings: None. Well, a nosebleed.
Notes: Meme fill for
isana; the day after Vacation.Mort still had a fever the next morning, so Christine took the rest of her siblings-- no, Chrissy went with the rest of her siblings down to the hotel's outdoor pool. By themselves they'd make it crowded; with the people already there the pool seemed overflowing.
Anna had put on a bathing suit, but that was her only concession to the outing. Once they actually got there, she surveyed the area, snorted, and curled up beneath a giant umbrella, disappearing into The Silver Chair. Teddy, after a similar survey, shrugged, dove into the deep end, and started swimming laps. The twins, in matching neon-pink bathing suits, produced a similarly neon beach ball from somewhere and proceeded to bat it around the shallow end, laughing like loons when it careened off Lars's head. Chrissy tensed when Lars yelled, ready to intervene, then made herself relax-- that wasn't her job anymore, she wasn't their parent, she didn't have to do this.
And wasn't that a weird feeling? She sat on the side of the pool and dangled her feet in the water, watching Lars chase the twins and Teddy cut smoothly through the water, neatly avoiding the chase scene and the other swimmers. She'd been responsible for them for so long, almost the twins' whole life. Now she was just supposed to give it up, be a kid again?
It didn't work that way. She sort of wished it did, especially after the look in her mother's eyes the day before, but it didn't.
So, what now?
She dodged absently as the beach ball sailed over her head. A moment later, Eliot scrambled out of the pool and went after it. Chrissy restrained herself from shouting at him to walk.
It was just so hard not to take care of them. They were her siblings and she loved them. Did she really need to just drop everything now that her mom was better?
Eliot ran past her, beach ball under his arm, and cannonballed into the deep end, yelling what he probably thought was a war cry. The beach ball squirted out of his hands and hit Elisa in the face.
"Ow," she said, and then, when her nose started bleeding, "Ow!"
Chrissy sighed, slid into the water and swam over to her sister. "Tilt your head back," she ordered, and towed Elisa over to the side, then boosted her out of the water to minimize biohazards. "Pinch the bridge. Can you breathe?"
"No," Elisa said, resentfully. "Id's bleedig."
"I can see that," she said. "Eliot, go get some ice from the machine, okay? How bad does it hurt?" If Elisa was being cranky she was probably okay. If she was seriously hurt she'd just be crying.
Elisa thought about it for a moment, then said, "Lots," just when Eliot came back. He handed the ice to Chrissy and looked intensely guilty.
As well he should, Chrissy thought, but didn't say anything. She wrapped the ice in a towel and pressed it against Elisa's face. "Here, keep that there."
"Id's cold!" Elisa objected, but she brought her free hand up anyway.
"I'm sorry," Eliot said, looking down. "I didn't mean to hit you in the face."
Elisa stuck her tongue out at him, an interesting expression since she was looking upwards. Chrissy sighed.
"Eliot," she began, and stopped. She wasn't their mom. She was their sister. Maybe if she just kept telling herself that... she was their sister. Taking care of them, that felt fine, that felt like being a sister. But yelling at them, that felt like being a mom, and she didn't have to do that anymore.
Huh. So that was it.
She'd been quiet too long-- Eliot's wary look had morphed into confusion. "Chrissy...?"
"Eliot," she started again, "you get to explain this to Mom."
"Oh, Chrissy!" he wailed. Teddy, leaning on the side of the pool, laughed and went back to laps.
Yeah. She could do this.
She lifted the towel to check on Elisa's nose.
no subject
But then she realizes she doesn't have to yell at them anymore.
Plus, I can see them all together at the pool. Her swishing her feet while the kids frolic and the wheels turn.
Your Lawn Greens have been especially tasty, so thank you extra for posting them.
no subject
Thank you!