Untouchable

Chapter 30

Alyssa’s Dreaming – If Leon Had Lived

Leon sat cuddling his tiny son, tiny little Alex, blond tufts of hair sticking up wildly as his curious pale blue eyes wandered the room. Alyssa’s brown hair was scraped back into a messy bun as she cooed over her son. Ruth sat on the sofa, cuddling her own one-year-old girl, Isla, who just kept rocking back and forward, wanting to get hold of her 2-month-old cousin to play with, lacking the understanding that Alex was too little to play with. Within Alex’s eyes there were visible flecks of grey coming out, his mother’s eyes coming forward rather than his father’s brown ones. Leon gently pecked Alyssa’s cheek as Alex dozed off on him. Alyssa stroked her son’s little blond head as he began to breathe slowly and deeply.

                “He’s so adorable.” Evie whispered, picking little Isla off Ruth’s lap and began helping the toddler to toddle around the room. Isla was slow, but getting there, slowly developing the ability to walk around places, though fell over often.

                “I can’t believe Isla’s a year old.” Alyssa giggled quietly, picking her son off her fiancé’s lap and placing Alex in the carrycot. In this world, Ruth and Noah had never fallen out, and the two years of silence had been their relationship, getting married the day that they would have otherwise met, that bright day in May. It was September, and Isla’s first birthday that day, her blonde hair getting down to her ears, fine, and straight, and soft. She was well behaved, as was Alex. Evie was about to go to university, Alyssa had finished her bachelors in Computer Science to have her baby, not knowing until graduation she was pregnant. But Leon had a job, finishing his apprentice in accounting and earing enough to rent out their small flat while Ruth and Noah spread out within their four-bed home, saying if things ever got too tight that the small family could live with them if they paid a little rent when they could.

                “Dada!” Isla said, standing up, grabbing on to her Dad’s jeans. He picked her up and tickled her belly. She screamed in delight.

                “Mamma, Dada!” Isla said before going off on one in baby language.

                “Yeah, Isla, yeah.” Ruth giggled as Isla wobbled across her parent’s laps, grabbing onto everything as she toddled. Ruth cuddled her daughter tight, never wanting to let go of her little girl. Leon looked at his watch and sighed.

                “I need to go for another check-up. Back later guys; make sure my little man stays good.” Leon said as he stood up before kneeling down and kissing his sleeping son. He walked from the house and got in his ancient car before driving to the hospital for another check-up on leukaemia; he’d never been certified a cure, still in remission as he’d suffered right into his mid-teens, on a tonne of drugs, yet he still had somehow managed to produce Alex. Alyssa and Leon always had admitted that having kids could be hard, but they knew if it didn’t happen they’d both be happy to adopt of IVF, luckily, neither were needed, though both knew Alex could be the only child they ever had, making him even more precious to them, and the whole family.

                “I should probably go and start packing; leaving next week and all.” Evie laughed to herself a little as she stood up. Ruth and Alyssa nodded,

                “What time do Mum and Dad get home?” Alyssa asked,

                “About now-ish probably.” Evie said as she looked at her watch. “You want to come see them?”

                “May as well. Want to come too, Ru?”

                “Sure. Let me get Lady Muck’s stuff together and we’ll head over. Don’t wait up for us; Isla takes ages to get sorted sometimes.” Ruth smiled at her sisters. Noah nodded in agreement. “We were heading there for dinner anyway.”

                “See you guys in a bit then!” Evie said as she pulled her trainers on before heading out of the front door.

                “Noah, you alright to help shift some of Alex’s stuff since your brother pinched the car?” Alyssa asked.

                “Sure thing.” Noah beamed as Ruth placed Isla in her playpen and went to sort her daughter’s things out.

                “Noah! Can you get Isla in her party gear please? Mum would never forgive me if we don’t take her in the party dress she gave us!” Ruth shouted down the stairs, throwing a little baby pink dress and tiny shoes down, along with a clean nappy and white tights. “I’m taking a change of clothes for her anyway! Is her onsie alright?”

                “Go for it, Ruth!” Noah shouted back, chuckling as he picked his daughter up and changed her from her dungarees.

                “No, Dada!” Isla protested, waving her legs in the air as Noah put her on the changing mat. “No!” She struggled as the dress was pulled over her head. She was just like her mother when she was young; hated dresses. She was a Daddy’s girl, simply because she resembled her mother so well other than her father’s hazel eyes and blonde hair, which he imagined, like her mothers’ would turn brown as she grew older.

                Finally, Isla was dressed, and the family left in the autumn, chilly, sunshine as the wintery winds blew in off the sea. Isla was grumping in her pram as they headed towards Ruth’s parents’ house, Isla screaming about being dressing not only in pink, but in a dress. Ruth could sympathise; she still hated pink, though she didn’t mind dresses too much now. The second Melissa opened the door to her house after Alyssa rang the doorbell; Isla was bouncing in her pram, nattering,

                “Nana! Nana! Nana! Nana!” She demanded, raising her hands, wanting to be picked up. Melissa, of course, did, and cuddled her favourite, and only, granddaughter.

                “Hello, cherub.” Melissa cooed. Isla giggled her babyish, adorable giggle. Alyssa carried Alex, still asleep in the carrycot, into the house. Ruth folded the pram up and took everything inside…

Alyssa woke up.