: : Summary : : A continuation after Christina�s death. How will the family live life without her, will Rick and Evelyn�s marriage servive? Read and ReviewA continuation after Christina�s death. How will the family live life without her, will Rick and Evelyn�s marriage servive? Read and Review
A week had passed since Jonathan had taken Alex to Egypt, and since Rick had left. To hid from the pain, Evelyn had throw herself into her work. All day she spent at the museum, scheduling new exhibits to be put up, or scheduling meetings with the staff. Only when she was bone tired, and barely able to stand, did she allow herself to go to the big empty house, and when she would get home she would fall asleep, most of the time with her cloths on.
~*~
For Rick being away from the two people he loved most, was worse than the fighting. He had stayed in his room at the Plaza for a week, ordering room service, and not doing much other than to eat and sleep.
It was on a Sunday morning that something woke him, and he looked at the clock and sighed. �Come on, back to sleep,� he said to himself, and tried, but it was no use. Giving up, and realising that he wouldn�t get anymore sleep, Rick got up and decided to take a shower, the first one he had taken in a week. That refreshed him, and after he changed into some clean tan slacks, and a white button down, as well as put on his leather boots, Rick decided a drive would be good for him.
Now in his car, his mind was racing with thoughts and memories. The last time he and Evelyn had gone out on a date of any sort, was a few days before Christina fell ill, and he remembered with vivid clarity how his wife had spoken of their son�s dreams. Before Christina had gotten sick, Alex had dreamed that she was crying, only he couldn�t find her, and her doll, the one she never parted with was the only thing he could find. As Rick thought of that, he sighed. Alex had experienced a premonition, and Rick wondered if they would have acknowledged that, would Christina�s life have been saved. His thoughts came to the present as he found himself at the Cemetery. For long moments he sat in his car, then with a heavy sigh, he got out, and walked inside.
It only took two minutes to find her, and once he had Rick knelt down and placed his hand on his babies Grave Marker. It was small, made out of the finest marble, and on each side were two Angels, two Angels who were children, and between them was written
Christina Omorose O�Connell
May 14 1927 to August 21 1929.
Below that was written:
Our Little Angel,
may you get your wings
and be the angel you always wished to be.
Rick felt the tears forming in his eyes, and didn�t hold them back. As he stood there he began to remember her life, and sat down next to her headstone, letting the memories come.
~~~~~~
Well past one in the morning, while the rest of the world slept, Rick O�Connell was awake. Since Christina�s birth three weeks ago, he had gotten used to his night time walks with her. The doctor called her extreme fussiness at night colic, and both Rick and Evelyn had found the only way to help her be comfortable was to walk with her and hold her. As the clock struck one, Rick yawned, and felt his daughter shift against his shoulder.
�Shh,� he said lifted her a bit higher on his shoulder. He felt her sigh, then relax, and that brought a smile to his face. The time he shared with her at night was his time, and even though he felt like a zombie he wouldn�t trade it not for all the world.
~~~~~~~
It was a startled �oh� which caught Rick�s attention, and he looked up at Aunt Maggie, and then stood.
�I didn�t mean to disturb you. Jonathan told me to come each day and put fresh flowers on her grave,� Maggie said. Maggie Carnahan was Howard�s only sister, and Jonathan and Evie�s only aunt.
�Don�t be sorry, I�m glad some one looks after her,� he said and they both hugged sharing a cry, something he had needed to cleanse his soul. When they parted, Rick gave her his handkerchief and took the wild daisies, Christina�s favorite flowers, and put them on her grave.
�I�ve been to the museum to see Evelyn,� Maggie said suddenly. Rick faced her then, hearing the worry in her voice. �Oh Rick she is pale, and she has put on this act that nothing is wrong. Did she ever cry for Christina?� Maggie asked all at once.
When Christina had died in Evelyn�s arms, was the only tears Rick had seen her cry. Even during her funeral service Evelyn had stood strong, and Rick began to realize what was happening with her. �No Maggie she hasn�t. I know this sounds selfish but I need more time alone, but I promise you when I�m ready, and whether or not Evelyn is ready, I will make her face this,� he said with renewed determination. After another hug, Rick left to go back to his hotel.
~*~
For Alex being in Cairo was a new adventure, and for the first few days he had met new friends and enjoyned himself immensely. Jonathan had not a drop of booze since the night Alex came to his room, the night he had seen Evelyn smack Rick, and made sure his nephew got enough to eat, and got enough rest.
It was around the fourth day of their stay that Jonathan noticed his nephew moping after they had gotten back from the market.
�Hey partner, what say you and I build that new model ship,� Jonathan said as Alex sat on the couch looking at his feet. Jonathan frowned when he didn�t get a response. �Alex, will you tell your Uncle whats got you down?� Jonathan asked sitting beside him.
For a moment Alex was silent, then all at once he was crying deep soul wrenching cries, and Jonathan felt helpless. When Alex cried, Rick or Evelyn soothed him. �I want mummy an daddy,� he managed as he rested his head on Jonathan�s lap.
�I know partner, but we need to stay here until they learn not to be mean to one another,� he replied, using words Alex would understand to describe his parents behavior. That only made him cry harder, and Jonathan got an idea. �Why don�t we call them,� he said and as he started to get up.
Before he reached the phone it rang, and Jonathan prayed it was either Rick or Evie. To his relief it was Rick. �Your son needs you,� was the first thing out of Jonathan�s mouth, then he carried Alex to the phone and put him on .
On his end, Rick felt guilty that he wasn�t there to soothe his son�s sorrowful cries. �Hey big guy,� Rick said.
�Want come home, but Uncle John says not till you and mummy are nice again,� Alex said in one big breath. Ordinarily Rick would have been irate that Jonathan was not willing to bring their son home, but considering how things were now, Rick agreed with that. �Shhh, I know how much you miss us buddy. Mummy and I miss you just as much, but we need to help one another, and until we do, your Uncle needs to keep you in Egypt,� Rick said.
Alex dropped the phone and ran out of the kitchen, and Jonathan picked it up. Rick told him to hang in there, that he was going to go home and make Evelyn face a few things, then they were going to get passes, and join them in Egypt. After getting off the phone, Jonathan went to find Alex, praying that things would get better, and soon.
~*~
The fact that she wasn�t eating and getting very little sleep ran down Evelyn�s immuned system, and by the second week, after the fight she and Rick had, she had a terrible cold. Now she lay in bed coughing so hard she thought for sure she would cough up both lungs. When the coughing subised Evelyn tried to sleep but to no avail.
Since she was unable to sleep, she got up and after putting on a robe, Evelyn shuffled out of their room, and started down the hall, deciding to go downstairs and curl up with a good book.
It was when she past by Christina�s room that she found the door cracked, and though she didn�t want to go in, something drew her to do just that. Inside, the room was an ordinary room. Everything of her daughters was gone, as if Christina had never existed. Evelyn moved to the bed and sat down on it starting to shake. �Oh why are you doing this,� Evelyn said, then stood up to leave. As she stood she started to cough, and coughed so hard she bent over clutching at her chest. That caused her to have a dizzy spell, and in one quick instant, Evelyn found herself on the floor. The coughing continued for a moment more, then she was able to get her breath.
From her position on the floor, Evelyn was able to see under the bed, and something under it caught her attention. Evelyn rolled from her back to her side, and reached under the bed pulling out an old dress box. Having not seen the box before Evelyn sat up, and fingered it then opened it, and what she saw inside made her gasp.
Inside the box were several papers, pictures drawn from both Alex and Christina. Evelyn started to go through them, finding one picture of what looked like a person with something on their back. Below the picture was Alex�s print. (Christina got her Wings) it said.
The picture fell from her hands and Evelyn gasped. �No I can�t do this,� she said then looked further in the box and found pictures she thought she had misplaced. All of the pictures in the box were neatly glued to colorful paper, and all of them were pictures she and Rick had taken of Christina and Alex together. Evie put the them back in the box and as she put the lid on it, she noticed for the first time Alex�s writing. (Mine and Christinas Memry Box)
The walls she had built so strong came tumbling down, and Evelyn began to cry, which aggravated her coughing in such a way that she couldn�t catch her breath. She tried as hard as she could to calm herself but the pain of losing her daughter, and the pain of losing her family all came crashing down upon her. Evelyn let out a loud scream and then lay on the hardwood floor and cried for her baby.
~*~
The next day despite being sick, Evelyn was up. She had locked the door to her daughters room ,still determined to forget her, and had managed to build her walls again. As she made some tea, her chest rattled with congestion, and physically Evelyn felt weak and tired.
While she was placing things on the tray, she heard the kitchen door unlocked and looked up as Rick walked in. Quickly she looked away, about to leave when another coughing fit took her. The tray she held in her hands laden with the hot tea and the fresh bread she had heated in the oven shook, and before Rick could get to her, she dropped the tray, the hot tea splashing up on her legs. Evelyn wanted to be strong, and did not want her husband to touch her, only as soon as he lifted her in his arms she began to cry again, then pushed at him wanting him to let her go. �I don�t need you,� she said though her cries.
Rick ignored her because she was burning hot with fever, and because he had decided that it was time to face their loss the way they should have all along, united as husband and wife.