"Babe stop screaming!" Jade covered her girlfriend's mouth. The next house was at least five miles away but the way Leigh-Anne was screaming, she bet the people back home could hear her.
"She's dead! They're dead!! They're dead. I should've come to check on them or call them. They're just lying there. What did I do."
"Baby, Listen. It's not your fault."
"It is! What the fuck! I just spoke to her a few weeks ago." Jade hugged Leigh-Anne when she began to cry. The only family she had was gone.
"They're gone"
"Sissy?"
"Perrie? Come. Come. Are you okay bubba? Come." The five year old began to cry holding her arms out for her sister. Leigh-Anne picked her up, holding her close. She was too in shock to realize that her little sister was breathing. She was just asleep.
"Mama won't wake up"
"I know bubba. Are you okay?" Perrie nodded slowly.
"Do you know when mama went to sleep?"
"A long time ago"
"Has daddy come home?"
"No"
Jade approached the bed lifting the toddler off the deceased woman. She was also just sleeping. Although the children were alive, they weren't too well. The three year old could barely hold her head up.
"Sissy? You okay?" Perrie asked Leigh-Anne when she covered her face with her free hand.
"Yes. I'm okay. I'm going to take you home okay?"
"Uh huh. the baby too?"
"Yes, the baby too" Jade answered for Leigh-Anne. They brought the children out of the house and to the car. As soon as they got out Leigh-Anne put Perrie down. She began to empty the contents of her stomach as she sobbed harshly. This was the most sickening way to find out and to make it worse her little sisters were there cuddling her dead body. Thankfully she wasn't too dead, yet. Just cold, grey and rancid. . . . Dead enough.
Jade sat Jesy down and instructed Perrie to do the same.
"Is sissy icky?" Perrie pointed to Leigh-Anne.
"Yeah, she's not feeling too well." Jade went over to Leigh-Anne, rubbing her back comfortingly.
"I'm s-sorry"
"Don't be sorry baby. Let it out, it's okay"
Jade stood with Leigh-Anne for over half an hour. She was still gagging but nothing was coming up. Her face was turning red as it became harder for her to breathe while retching. Jade got her some water and went to give the girls some water too.
"Are you thirsty Perrie?" She nodded, taking the water. She finished it in seconds asking for more. Jade got another bottle trying to give Jesy some water first. She took a few sips before pushing the bottle away. Jade then gave the rest to Perrie.
"Baby, Are you ready to go?"
"I just want to give. . . Give her a hug and kiss"
"Baby, I don't think that's a good idea."
The woman was not in a hug or kissable state. Yes she still had her skin and stuff but she seemed to be approaching the bloating stage.
"I just want some of her stuff"
"Okay. That's okay. Like a t-shirt or a picture?"
"Yes"
"Do you want me to get it?" Leigh-Anne nodded.
"Where is it?
"And the small pink blanket. . ." Jade hugged Leigh-Anne when she began crying again.
"Come with me." Jade walked Leigh-Anne back into the home.
"Try to get what you need from down here. I'll get your blanket." Jade walked up the stairs looking back when Leigh-Anne pulled on her arm.
Jade held her hand going upstairs. Leigh-Anne put her weight down stopping Jade.
"I don't want to. I can't!!"
Jade pulled the woman's door closed so Leigh-Anne could pass and go to her own room. She grabbed her little blanket but as she looked around she began picking up almost everything.
"Baby, baby. You can't take everything."
"She brought this stuff for me. I can't just throw it away."
"Leigh-Anne"
"I need it. I have to have it. I have to!"
"Listen. We can get everything figured out when we get home. For now we need to get the little ones safe. They aren't well."
"What's wrong with them?" Jade ignored her question not knowing the answer.
"Take what you really want. The rest we can come back for. Okay?"
"Promise?"
"I promise baby.Lets take your blanket." Leigh-Anne gave it to Jade. She's had the tiny pink blanket from birth. It was a comfort item for her. Especially at a time like this.
"I don't know what else to take!"
"Why don't we take the teddy she got you."
" Which one, I have loads!"She cried putting her hands in her hair.
"The one that says 'mommy loves you, Leigh'." Jade began helping her look for it.
"It doesn't have batteries. I wanna hear her voice. I think it's too old." Leigh-Anne pressed the paw of the bear that she's had since she was three or four. It was in decent condition too.
"I'll get you some batteries. What else?"
"Can you bring a t-shirt? Just one or two? Please?"
"Yes baby. Go sit with the girls. I'll bring it." Leigh-Anne left while Jade tried to prepare herself to walk in the room again. She stared at the woman's discolored body when she finally mustered up the courage to reenter the room. It was quite disturbing yet she couldn't really look away.
"I'm sorry" She looked through the woman's color coded closet for some t-shirts. She didn't have many so it took her quite a while. She also grabbed a bottle of her perfume. It would probably help. She closed the door and left the home.
Leigh-Anne was sitting on the driveway gravel with her back to the front of the car, her little sisters in her lap.
"Let's get home, babes."
Jade carried Jesy and sat her in the back while Leigh-Anne did the same with Perrie.
"You're not driving." Jade told Leigh-Anne when she sat in the drivers seat.
"Well, You can't drive"
"Yes I can. I have my permit, we're both over twenty one and you have your license. Get in the back and hold the little one."
"Please can I drive? I need to take my mind off of it. Please."
Jade had a bad feeling but decided to let her.
Things were going okay until they got back to the city.
Leigh-Anne screamed, flinching when she turned onto a two way street with a truck driving in the opposite direction. She felt like she was next to die. Like she was in final destination or something.
"Get out." Jade leaned over the center console and put the car in park.
"I got it. I just. . .I just panicked"
"Panicked and nearly killed us all, your hands weren't even on the wheel. Come sit in the back"
"Jade-"
"Come sit in the back" Leigh-Anne waited until there were no cars before getting out and sitting in the back while Jade climbed into the driver's seat.
"I knew I shouldn't have let you drive. I don't know what the hell I was thinking." Jade shook her head driving to their apartment.
They brought the kids up and Leigh-Anne set a bath for them. She could now see their little bodies.
"When's the last time you ate Pezza?" The girl shrugged, she didn't know.
"Are you hungry?"
"No"
"You have to eat something bubba. I'll make you some food when we finish in the bath okay?"
"Okay"
While Leigh-Anne bathed her little sisters, Jade handled the clothes and items from Leigh-Anne's mothers house.
She made sure to wash her blanket separate from the shirts and she only wiped the bear down. She got some batteries out of the kitchen and put them into the bear. She put the Blanket in the dryer before washing the shirts. Once everything was dry she sprayed the perfume on the shirts and folded them up. She brought the items to their bedroom before going to find Leigh-Anne.
"Everything okay? Do you need help?"
"Please"
"Yeah, what can I do"
"Maybe dress her and lay her down. She's not speaking or doing anything and it's freaking me out."
"She still wears pull ups right?" Leigh-Anne nodded. Jade held a towel to her chest and Leigh-Anne placed Jesy in her arms.
"How do you feel bubba?" Leigh-Anne asked Perrie, sitting beside the tub.
"Ummm. My head hurts a little and my belly and my arms and legs. But I'm happy"
"Yeah?"
"Uh huh"
"Why are you happy?"
"Mama let us come with you."
"Do you want to stay with Jade and I or do you want to go with daddy?"
"Sissy and Jadey"
"Okay. I love you bubba"
"I love you too sissy"
Leigh-Anne finished washing her body and began washing her hair. It was only then that she noticed how thin Perrie's hair was. It was falling out in clumps and that worried her. She also said that everything was hurting her so tomorrow she was going to take them to the hospital. She wrapped her in a towel and brought her to their bedroom.
"Come here pez" She told the five year old who ran to get the remote.
"Wanna watch tv please sissy" Leigh-Anne turned the TV on. It was one of Perries favorite things. They didn't have a TV at home. Leigh-Anne would never forget their first reaction to it. She watched TV at her grandparents when younger but her parents didn't have a television in the house when she was little either.
"I put it on, now come let me put some body butter on you. Your skin is so dry bubba. Does this hurt?"
"No. Just wanna watch TV!"
"Hey, don't shout at me. That's not nice Perrie" Perrie's eyes began to water and Leigh-Anne apologized right away hugging her little sister.
"Everything okay in here?" Jade asked holding the three year old in her arms.
"Yeah, why does she have a binky?"
"To help her sleep, leave her. She's just a baby" Leigh-Anne shrugged it off.
"I'm going to take them to the h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l tomorrow"
"The park!?"
"No bubba. Let's go eat some lunch."
"Wanna go to the parkkk" Perrie whined.
"I'll take you to the park as soon you're all better"
"I'm all better" Perrie smiled hugging Jade.
"Be careful pez" Leigh-Anne noticed that she was stumbling around.
"Any suggestions for lunch little ones?" Jade asked and Jesy rubbed her eyes frustratedly before laying on the floor and going to sleep. She was ridiculously tired.
They settled with baked chicken, sautéed spinach and mash.
"I don't want that" Perrie whined pushing the plate away when Jade put it in front of her.
"Perrie"
"But sissy. . ."
"No buts. Eat your food please"
"I want chicken nuggets"
"No. You need real food."
"I don't want this" She pointed to the spinach.
"Stop it, this is how you eat with mama. You don't have chicken nuggets at home. Eat your food" It was true. Their mother gave them 'real' food since little. No instant or oven food. Always fresh and everything from scratch.
Perrie began to cry forking a small amount of potatoes in her mouth.
"Don't be so harsh baby. When they're here we let them eat junk, that's why she wants it. She's just a kid Leigh-Anne"
"I know. I just want her to eat. They haven't eaten in god knows how long. Sissy is sorry bubba. Come sit with me" Perrie sat in Leigh-Anne's lap picking at her food.
"Can you give it a try? If you really don't like it I'll let you pick something else okay?"
"Yes!"
"You have to be honest. Don't say it's gross just because you want chicken nuggets." Perrie huffed, Leigh-Anne scooped a little bit of everything feeding it to Perrie.
"Its good right?" Jade asked holding Jesy while she ate by herself.
"Uh huh" Perrie nodded. To be fair it was actually good.
"TV sissy?"
"We can watch a little TV before bed."
-
The four laid in the bed together. Jade and Leigh-Anne on the ends and Jesy and Perrie in the middle.
"Do you think they know?" Leigh-Anne asked with her eyes closed.
"I'm not sure baby. I think they know that she's gone but not you know."
"That's what I imagine a heart attack feels like. I genuinely couldn't breathe. Why didn't I know? If you wouldn't have said anything who knows when I would've went?"
"Baby, you can't blame yourself for everything. You have your little sisters. They're alive, think about them. Think about the good"
"I'm trying. It's hard. I need my mom. You know that" Jade held her hand out of Leigh-Anne. She was very close with her mother.
"Hold my hand bub. Don't cry" Leigh-Anne held her hand out and Jade kissed the back of it. She rested their interlocked hands over the little ones.
"I'm not ready to be a mom, Jade"
"You don't have to be. You're not replacing her, Just stepping up. You can always look into other options"
"I'm not giving them away"
"Okay, well I'm here. I want you to know that I'm right here for you, for them. I love you and I love these kids. I'm ready."
"You don't have to. They're not your kids Jade. You're still young. Don't you want to live your life?"
"I do, with you. Leigh-Anne I really want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want this. Seeing you take care of them is so precious. You really love them and I love you. Like I said, I'm ready."
"I love you. Honestly."
"I love you too. Goodnight baby" Jade kissed her hand once more before closing her eyes. Leigh-Anne did the same.
"Babe?"
"Yeah, Leigh"
"Do you think we're going to go to Jail?"
"No, it's your home and your siblings. Nothing we did was illegal. Stop worrying and get some sleep."