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A young girl knelt beside the white hospital bed of her mother, raven hair covering her eyes and hiding the salty tears that cascaded down her face. She buried her head in her small arms, and a hand reached out to gently tussle the girl’s hair.
“Blackberry, I know it’s going to be hard for you from now on,” Blackberry’s mother said softly, her voice quivering with each word she spoke. “Gomen nasai.”
Blackberry looked up so that she was staring at her okaasan’s pale figure, which had once been so full of life. She began to tremble, shaking her head furiously; all of this was too much for her five year old mind to comprehend.
“I don’t understand…They were just going shopping, but now daddy’s gone…and what’s wrong with mommy?”
Backing away from the bed, she curled up into a fetal position, beginning to rock back and forth, arms wrapped around a raggedy teddy bear that she’d had for as long as she could remember. It had been given as a present from her mother for her fourth birthday, and she had since carried it around everywhere she went. She could hear the sounds of a group talking amongst each other outside, although they were talking in hushed tones so that she was only able to catch a few fragments of their conversation.
“The people who shot them were never caught.”
“Does the girl have any relatives?”
“She’ll have to be put in an orphanage.”
The door creaked open and into the room stepped a woman in a white nurse’s uniform, followed by a tall man wearing a black suit. He wore a sympathetic smile on his kind face, which quickly faded as the girl looked up at the two pleadingly with her soft brown eyes, reaching to clutch the nurse’s hand in her own.
“Where did daddy go?” she whimpered. “Why are mommy’s hands cold?”
Frowning, the nurse kneeled down so that she was at eye level with Blackberry and wrapped her in a comforting hug.
“It’s okay,” she said soothingly, gently stroking the girl’s head.
The voices of two others were still audible, speaking in whispers to one another.
“They were both shot while the store they were in was being robbed.”
“The man’s already dead, and the woman doesn’t have long to live. I’d say a couple hours at most.”
“Where’s daddy?” Blackberry repeated pitifully. What did the people mean her parents were shot? None of it made any sense to her! She just wanted to go back home and watch television, snuggling up in her mother’s lap, while her father wrapped his arms around the two.
The nurse shot a solemn glance at the man, communicating without words that their charge needed to be give some explanation.
“Listen…your parents…they’re going to go away soon, but you’ll be taken care of, I promise.”
The nurse smiled half-heartedly, and Blackberry returned her grin with a nod.
“But will I get to see them again?”
“No, I’m sorry sweetie.”
Blackberry sniffled, the flood of tears finally lessening as she released the nurse, brining a tiny hand up to her eyes to wipe away the tears as they fell.
“But you’ll be with other little boys and girls,” the older woman continued. “Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”
Blackberry nodded, the occasional tear continuing to trickle down her face.
“But I want mommy,” she said slowly as a yawn escaped her mouth.
“Aw, I know you do. But you’re tired aren’t you? Why don’t you get some sleep?”
Gentle arms lifted Blackberry up and placed her in a large, faded red chair besides her mother’s bed. A fleece blanket was wrapped around her, and within a couple of minutes she had fallen asleep, snoring softly, her stuffed bear still tucked under her right arm.