Promises Not Kept

35

Charlie Shelby did not like his sister. Or at least not like he expected to. The pink, chubby little thing wrapped in a blanket that Tommy introduced him to was not something he was interested in.

She didn't do anything except sleep and cry. Couldn't even hold her own head up. She cried for no apparent reason and smelled funny when she needed a nappy change. But the one thing that Johanna Shelby did that annoyed Charlie the most, was steal everyone's attention. From the day she was born in late April, Charlie felt like he'd suddenly gone invisible. Everyone always paid attention to the baby. Family came to see the baby, not him.

It was Johanna this and Johanna that.

Charlie was livid. He stuck his tongue out at his baby sister and promptly got a scolding from his father. The little boy argued that she wouldn't even know what he was doing because she was too little and stupid to know anything.

So Tommy sent him to his room for calling his sister stupid.

Leah tried her best to keep Charlie involved but felt stretched thin with a newborn. Whenever she managed to get Johanna to sleep for a bit, she napped as well. That meant there was little time to spend with Charlie.

~~~~~~~~~

One night, Charlie began to cough. Leah came to his room to wish him goodnight. As she kissed his forehead, he coughed pointedly in her direction.

"Oh, poppet, are you okay?" She touched his forehead to feel for a fever.

"M'sick." Charlie pouted.

"You seemed okay at dinner." She said softly and felt his cheeks too. He didn't seem flushed or warm so she wasn't convinced he had a fever. "Are you sure you don't just have a tickle in your throat?"

"No." He crossed his arms over his chest. "M'sick." He repeated.

Tommy entered the bedroom and Charlie coughed again. His father frowned. "What's that coughing about?" He asked.

"He says he's feeling ill," Leah said with a worried look. "Perhaps we should call the doctor."

Tommy caught the glint of triumph in his son's eyes. Ah, so he was fishing for attention. "Uh-huh. Well, don't need to call the doctor. We've still got some of that cough medicine leftover from when he had a cold this winter. Still, have it in my medicine cabinet, I'll grab it."

Charlie's eyes widened at the mention of the thick, dark-colored, nasty tasting syrup. "No!" He suddenly shouted.

Tommy stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you're truly sick, Charles, you'll have to take it."

Leah caught onto what her husband was implying. She was a little disheartened. No matter how hard she tried, it was obvious Charlie was feeling left out. "Maybe see how you feel in the morning." She said softly. "If you're still feeling ill, we'll call the doctor." But she had a feeling that Tommy calling his bluff made the mysterious cough disappear.

The little boy looked positively disgruntled that his scheme had fallen through. "Mumma..."

"Yes, love?" Leah tucked him in and stood up to turn off the nightside lamp.

"Is Johanna gonna live with us forever?" He pulled the covers up to his chin and looked up at her.

She laughed softly. "What do you mean, poppet?"