Chapter 29 - Gen 2 - Tapestry

Just a note - I'm sorry this is a very long chapter.  I would normally have split it into two but I wanted it all kept together.  I am not happy with the bruises that I used in this chapter either but they were the best I could find :( 

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I lie on the hospital stretcher quietly watching the lights flashing by on the ceiling above me as two nurses wheel it slowly down the long hospital corridor.

Mosaic disturbs my thoughts by asking me yet again if I am okay.  I just turn my head in his direction and smile at him.  Mosaic and Parsley are now walking silently by the side of the stretcher grinning at me which kind of amuses me a little.  I have to be abducted and missing for nine months for my brother and cousin to show me that they actually care about me.

I just lie there numbly watching them, worrying more about what lies ahead of me and River.

Mosaic and Parsley were the first people that me and River set eyes on as they were getting us out of the ambulance.  Coincidentally they had just been walking into the hospital to visit Slate apparently, when Mosaic spotted me being helped out of the back of the vehicle and put onto a stretcher.

I am not sure how Mosaic recognized me but he did, I hardly recognized myself once Jazz had finished with me.  Mosaic totally freaked out.  I was a little amused when they brought River out of the back of the ambulance after me, Mosaic's face was a picture.  I'm not really sure he was expecting River to be with me. I thought they would end up having to put Mosaic on a stretcher the state he was getting himself into.  Parsley was a lot calmer he stood back quietly just crying.

I'm not sure Mosaic and Parsley being around was part of Dads plan it was just a happy coincidence and perfect timing on their part to be in the right place at the right time.  As soon as they took me and River into A&E Ice pounced on us hysterically while Mosaic ran off to find Dad.  Parsley remained in A&E with us and just stood there quietly watching, he looked almost like he was in pain.  It didn't occur to me at the time that this must be awkward and painful for him knowing that his Mother played a part in it ... all of it as far as everyone is concerned other than the few of us who really know the truth.

I never thought that I would be so happy to see this place again.  I've missed everything about home and am so relieved as well as excited that it's nearly all over, mine and River's lives can now start to get back to some sort of normality ... as long as everything goes to plan!!

I ache from head to foot ... now covered in cuts and bruises I feel like I've had a right good kicking - I'm going to get Jazz back for this!  I laugh in my head wandering what he actually did to us to get us into this state, I'm just glad that I was sedated and out of it so I didn't have to feel any of what he had to do to me.

The nurses who are pushing me down the corridor are being followed by two police officers in uniform.  The bed is being pushed quite slowly, too slow for my liking!!  I am being gawked at by everyone we pass, there is a lot of pointing and whispering going on which is making me feel really uncomfortable.  I wish they would hurry up and get me to a room, away from all the staring, I'm beginning to feel like a goldfish in a bowl.

I'm not looking forward to what is coming emotionally, even though I'm going to be very happy to see everyone.  I've already had Mosaic falling to pieces on me as well as Dad and Ice crying all over me.  Emotionally I haven't felt this messed up for a long time and I'm worried it might trigger an outburst.

The clean up was the worst part!!  We were black, we looked worse than the homeless tramps after Jazz had finished having us rolling around in muck down in the sewers.  I was really glad to get out of the smelly horrible clothes that we had been dressed in, but being bed bathed by my Dad and Aunt was not one of the best experiences of my life!!  River was really not amused when Ice and another nurse who he knows started on him, but he had to be cleaned up thoroughly before they could take him into theatre to remove the knife from his shoulder.  Dad and Ice kind of took over in A&E even though it is neither of their departments. I was actually surprised that Slate didn't appear, he must be at work if Mosaic and Parsley were here to visit him. 

The nurses finally push my stretcher into quite a large side room at the end of the corridor and help me off the stretcher and onto one of the two beds in the room. I see that the police officers remain outside in the corridor like they are guarding the door.  I really hope one of their jobs is not going to be arresting River.  I noticed A&E suddenly started swarming with police officers after our arrival. I was amazed by how quickly Gravel appeared with Dad and another guy who I've never seen before, it was like Gravel might have already been in the hospital.  The strange guy hung around for a while and spoke to Dad and Gravel then disappeared again - I don't have a clue who he might be.

I try to take my mind off the worst that could happen today, River being arrested.  I laugh out loud thinking about Dad ... I'm wandering where he has got all these acting skills from suddenly.  He played a blinder in A&E, playing the distraught Father - like he seriously hasn't seen me or know where I've been and what has been happening to me for the last nine months ... when in reality he saw me only yesterday. I just hope my acting skills are going to be as good!!

"Are you okay Tap?"  Mosaic asks frowning which makes me laugh again - how many more times is he going to ask me that question!!

I lie on the bed staring at Parsley and Mosaic.  I'm only just really noticing for the first time how much they have grown and changed, the last time that I saw them they were both teenagers.  I laugh at the pair of them as they just stand there staring at me like I am at them.

"You two have changed a little!!"  I smile at them

"So have you, it's mad seeing you without a hat on!!"  I laugh, isn't it funny how that is the first thing everyone is saying to me, Cosmic and Ice said it and so did Forrest when he popped his head in to see how we were. I might just start wearing a hat again just to shut them up.

"Had no choice, I kind of lost it!"  I notice Parsley and Mosaic exchange a look.  "Who was the new long haired guy with Gravel and Dad down in A&E"  I ask because he has been bugging me, it is not often new people spring up in this town.

"Oh that's Granite, he's Gravels brother."  I didn't even know Gravel had a brother!!  "You WAIT till you see what Dad got you for your birthday ... you are going to LOVE it!!"  he says quickly like he is trying to change the subject.  "Prelude now officially hates you!"   they both start laughing.  I already know he is talking about my Iconic Jam guitar but I can't tell them that I know.

"What is it?"  I ask

"Not telling ... it's a surprise ... you will have to wait and see!!"  he smirks at Parsley.  I ask what he got for his birthday  "He brought me and Fudge a house but it is part wedding present too, I don't live at home anymore."  he smiles at me.

I am shocked thinking they might be married, it wouldn't surprise me if they had got married and I hadn't been told.  So I ask him.   

"No not yet, all the weddings have been put on hold until you and River came home."  he smiles at me.  Now that really does surprise me!!

"So I guess Daddies little princess has also got her own little castle.  Where is she anyway?"  Mosaic and Parsley exchange a look before they both burst up laughing.

"Don't worry - you haven't been left out - you've got your own little playpen as you will see when you get home!!" Mosaic and Parsley both start laughing again.  I frown at him and ask him what he's on about.  "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, he wants to surprise you but I've told him you are probably going to kick off ... he's been messing down in the basement, you've got your own space down there now."

"He better NOT have touched my bedroom or anything in it!!"

"No we managed to talk him into not touching your bedroom!!"  he starts laughing  "You've got your own apartment down there - you'll see when you get home, he's planning to keep you locked up at home forever I think!!"  I roll my eyes at him.  "So when he tells you act surprised, he'll kill me for telling you!!"

"So what about the princess - let me guess he's got you a house right next door to each other and probably next door to his where he can keep his beady eye on you too!!"

No, Coral didn't get one, she burnt her castle down before she even got it!!"  he starts laughing  "Cotton is Daddies little princess now - Coral's halo has slipped off and choked her - she's in Dad's bad books big time and everyone else's for that matter and I doubt you'll like what she's done either!!  He ended up buying her a car instead."

"Why what has she done?"  Mosaic rolls his eyes and says he'll tell me later. 

I'm just about to have a go at him because I am sick of hearing 'I'll tell you later' when the door opens and a nurse walks in and interrupts our conversation when she takes my pulse and temperature.

"How long do you think my brother is going to be in theatre?  I ask her  "River is going to be okay isn't he?!" 

"He will be fine, he's lucky the knife went into his shoulder where it did, inches either side and it could have been fatal!!"  she smiles at me  "I doubt he will be in theater long, he'll be up here before you know it!!  Dr Muffin wants you two kept together."  she stands there smiling at me  "I'm still bowled over that River is actually Dr Muffins son!!"

I lie my head back down on the pillow laughing in my head.  Yeah I guess River is in for a bigger roller coaster ride than I am now we are back!!  Everyone knows him here in this hospital as the geeky quiet mix berry in pathology, now his real identity is out everything is going to change for him in a big way, I doubt everyone will stop pecking his head over the whole situation for a long time.  He also has a lot of people to meet, like our Grandparents, my Mom, our little sister Cotton, other family members who didn't know him before all this happened, as well as the stick he's going to get from the likes of Coral, Mosaic and Parsley for not telling them who he really was, just like he got from Mulberry while we were in Rainbow Valley.  Ocean ... he is still yet to see his son, I know that is going to crack him up and the only thing he's really been dying for since the day he was born.

Poor River, he's had to take the worst and most out of this trip when you think about it ... especially physical pain!!  While I'm just lay here with cuts and bruises, the vampberrys broke his ribs and back, and he's had to have a knife strategically pushed into his shoulder, to make it look like Manderine stabbed him when we made our escape.  Plus he's had to miss the birth of his son which I know emotionally has really knocked him about.  I guess I've gone through hardly anything in comparison - Honey, the babies and being away from home is all I've had to bare.  I bet he regrets the day he walked into the vampberry den and found me in there because it has totally turned his world upside down!!

The door opens and Gravel walks in, he smiles at me and sits down on a chair and starts to pull papers out of a folder that he's carrying and starts to scribble away like he's writing a load of notes down, I know he was talking to River and Dad before they took him into theatre.

I notice Mosaic and Parsley both turn in their chairs to scowl at him in quite a nasty way which I think is a little strange.

"You okay Tap?"  Mosaic asks again and I start laughing at him 

"How many times are you going to ask me?!"  I see Gravel keep glance up at me so I decide to give him something to listen too  "I'm fine, they are just cuts and bruises, Manderine kept giving us a good kicking but only because she had us tied up and we couldn't retaliate ... I'm lucky, it's River who you should feel sorry for he took most of it trying to protect me from the green bitch!!"

"You know we had all given up any hope of you two ever coming home alive!!"  Mosaic is starting to get upset.  I just smile at him, that's how I felt to start with too when we were locked in the cage, but it's been a long time since I've had to think that.   I wander what they must have been going through having to think that for the past nine months!?  "I need to ask you something ... River ... the police think he was involved in the abduction and were helping Manderine and Maizie to hold you."  I laugh in my head as I notice Gravel glance up quickly from his papers and he stops writing - Mosaic has just given me the chance to clear his name a little here.

"Well they are very wrong!!"  I laugh  "I'm sorry Mo but as brothers go - you are not a patch on River!!"  Mosaic just laughs at me  "If it wasn't for River I think Manderine would have finished me off a long time ago ... I would never have got through this without him!!  he smiles at me and looks very relieved "River took most of my beatings, he kept throwing himself in the way, she had it in for me big time!!  She broke River's ribs, he was in agony for ages and that knife - that was meant for me, River stepped in the way to stop her from stabbing me!!"

"How did you get away Tap?"  Mo asks me, I know Gravel is just sat there listening to our conversation but I don't let him know I know he is.  "Did she let you go?"

"No I don't think she ever intended to let us go - she had it in for me especially, she blames me for Storm, Pine and Forrest.  She messed up - she gave River a razor so we could shave our faces - we had to nag her for what felt like weeks, if only you'd seen the state we were in we both looked like hairy monsters!!"  I start laughing in my head.  Our well kept shaved faces and hair had been a big concern of Jazz's we definitely didn't look like we had been held captive for so long even with our dirty clothes, dirty bruised and battered bodies.  This was the best story we could come up with, we just hope they buy it.  "She untied River's hands so he could shave both of our faces.  River managed to sneak one of the blades out of the razor while she wasn't paying attention.  We waited for her to leave us then we used it to cut ourselves free.  We planned to make our escape while she wasn't around, but she came back and caught us, that's when River got stabbed, we managed to fight her off and we legged it.

I can see that Parsley is sitting there getting very upset.

"Tap where was River's Mom?  Where was Maizie, why haven't you mentioned her yet?"  Mosaic asks frowning

"Manderine faded her ages ago, she stabbed her."  They both looked shocked.  I notice Parsley has been looking constantly upset, withdrawn and uneasy and he hasn't even really spoken to me yet.  I see Gravel sat there still listening, he doesn't react like I thought he might, I guess he's waiting to see what else I have to say.

"What's up Parsley?"  I ask the question but I think I already know what is upsetting him

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have come ... I bet you and River must hate me!!"  he says as he starts to cry quite badly.

"Don't talk wet!!  If you are getting upset because the green bitch is your Mother - Don't!!  Maize was River's Mother too remember!!  Although Maizie did try to help us in the end but only once Manderine had turned on her and River."  he just stares at me with tears streaming down his face  "It's not your fault what Manderine has done and I don't hate you!!  If you ask me you've had a lucky escape - you wouldn't have wanted that woman bringing you up, she's an evil twisted cow ... she didn't care that I am supposed to be her nephew or that she might be hurting you and Prelude ... and I definitely think she would have shot you too in the cemetery if you had carried on trying to stop her from taking us."

Suddenly we can hear someone shouting almost hysterically out in the corridor, My Mother.  She is arguing with one of the policemen, it sounds like they won't let her in ... this is ridiculous!!  I try to get out of bed but Mosaic stops me ... this is also ridiculous because other than cuts and bruises there is nothing actually wrong with me.

Gravel jumps up and goes out into the corridor to sort out the racket. As he pulls the door too behind him Mosaic swears at him calling him a berry hole, which I find strange, but I don't get a chance to ask him why.

Suddenly the door flies open and my Mother comes running in closely followed by Mulberry who winks at me.  Parsley and Mosaic have to move out of the way as Mom just throws herself at me and I have the same kind of performance from her as I did from Dad, Mosaic and Ice.  She's crying and squeezing me so tight, going on about how she never thought she would see me again and how much I've grown, in among kissing my face and suffocating me.

I'm already crying as I'm hugging Mom and hoping I don't get this kind of performance off everyone or I'm going to be an emotional wreck and I'm likely to have an outburst ... I am yet to have my medication today.  Dad said I had to leave it because they would give it me at the hospital thinking I haven't had any medication while I've supposedly been held captive.

"Mo, can you and Parsley go and help Bay with Slate - he's just been told and he's in a bit of a state!!"  Mulberry says to them, I guess he is trying to get rid of them, things might not be so easy if they are also here when the police start to question me and River, especially Parsley there are things he really shouldn't have to listen too.

They both leave the room quietly but they both glare at Gravel nastily as they walk past him.  I wander what is going on?  I wander what Slate has been told to upset him.  Bayleaf and Slates names being mentioned together - now that amuses me, but I doubt it will amuse Storm!!  I actually wander where Storm is, I would have expected him to have been here with me.

Mulberry distracts me from my thoughts and makes me laugh, he wipes the tears off my face and says while winking at me "Since when do you do crying without kicking off?"  he says as he hugs me.  He is repeating the exact same words to me as he had said when we had been in the hospital with Grape Orchid ... which makes me wander how the old man is and Crystal, I wander what is happening with her ... but I can't ask about either of them ... I am not supposed to know either of them, or Winter, I don't know how I'm ever going to pull this off without slipping up!!

"What is up with Slate?"  I ask him

"Nothing for you to worry about Tap!!"  he says which makes me roll my eyes at him.  I've been back for five minutes and already I'm hearing those seven words that I hate the most  'Nothing for you to worry about Tap'  I swear I'm going to get that written on my head stone!!  "We will fill you in on all the gossip later!"  here we go again - they are never going to stop treating me like an idiot are they!!  Of course later usually never comes! 

Mulberry sits holding my hand, he's had strict instructions to stick by me until River gets here.  He's to squeeze my hand to warn me to think carefully and he's here to fend the police questions away from me as much as possible.  Storm was also suppose to be here to help but I don't get why he isn't!!  They don't believe that I can pull this off .. they think I'm going to be the one who ruins their well thought out lies ... the lies about how Manderine has been treating us badly, how she's been holding me, River and Maizie tied up and captive, how she's faded Maizie, and how we've escaped.  Everything is being pinned on Manderine and we especially need the police to believe River is totally innocent in all this. They are convinced I'm going to be the one to say the wrong thing or forget what I am supposed to be saying ... if either me or River make any mistakes from here we are all going to get locked up.

A nurse walks into the room with a tray of food ... oh heck, I really haven't been looking forward to this part at all, I've been told that I have to attack this food and eat like I'm starving ... which for me is not easy, I'm not too good with food at the best of times.  We haven't actually eaten since yesterday morning on purpose to help with the act, River might be starving but I can go for days without eating, so it hasn't really helped me.

I have an audience, especially the policeman, so I have no choice, especially with the way he is watching me.  I look at the food on the tray for a second ... a glass of something, probably milk ... soup and bread I can do, its the fish and potato I really am not going to enjoy.  I think about how Crystal used to eat and start attacking the food.

I bite into the bread and it sticks in my throat so I dip it in the soup and stuff it in my mouth.  I hear my Mom and Mulberry laughing at me, they are used to force feeding me or watching me pick and play with food, so what they are watching me do here must be very amusing to them.

I just pick up the soup like Crystal would have done and start drinking it from the bowl.  It's a bit hot so I put the bowl down and leave it till after I've eaten the revolting fish ... I hate fish ... but today I have no choise but to eat it, starving people can not be picky.  I don't even bother to use the fork and pick the fish up with my fingers and half of it falls back on the plate as I stuff it in my mouth and start chewing it.  Big mistake ... as soon as the taste of the fish hits my taste buds I want to puke, chewing is not such a good idea so I just swallow it.  My Mother and Mulberry are still laughing, I hear Mom telling Gravel about my eating habits and how I don't like fish.  Well played Mom, now he's going to believe I really am starving!!

"You need to slow down, you will make yourself sick!!"  the nurse puts her hand on my arm to slow me down - oh I am going to be sick alright after eating this don't you worry!!  I shake my head and pick up the rest of the fish and stuff it in my mouth and swallow it in pieces, not chewing it this time so I can't taste it so much.  When the revolting fish has gone I attack the potato with the fork which I don't mind, then I drink the rest of the soup.  I know this is going down way too fast and I'm already feeling bloated and sick.  I pick up the glass and start drinking it, I expected it to be just plain milk but its actually vanilla milk shake.  I giggle in my head as I drink it fast like Crystal used to do letting the milkshake run over the top of the glass and down my face.  I put the glass down when it's empty.

"I'm still hungry!!"  I say to the nurse, Mulberry starts howling with laughter ... he actually does know exactly what I've just had to do.

"I'm sorry you will have to wait a while before you have anything else to eat, your stomach will have shrunk while you've not been eating properly, too much food all at once and you will over load it."  she says to me ... which Dad said they'd say  ... that they wouldn't let me have anymore food yet so don't worry about asking for more.

I lie back, I can still taste the fish in my mouth and I do now feel sick and start heaving.  I jump off the bed planning to go to the toilet ... and up it comes, all I can do is lean over and throw up all over the floor.  Mom and Mulberry have to jump quickly out of the way as they are splattered with it ... Mulberry isn't laughing any more, but I am in my head, that will teach him for laughing at me.

 "I'll go and fetch someone to clean that up and have a word with the doctor we might have to put him on a drip if he can't keep his food down"  she says to my Mom.  Oh great!!

"Have they not been feeding you?"  Gravel asks as he steps up to the bed.  I see Mulberry cutting him evil eyes as he squeezes my hand, I notice he had said THEY ... is he trying to catch me out already?

"Not regularly, sometimes Manderine used to leave me and River for what felt like days without food, it was hard to keep track of time because it was always so dark."  I just managed to get out before I have to lean over the bowl that the nurse had given me and throw up for a second time.

"Where is Dad?"  I ask Mom as she starts cleaning the vomit and milkshake off my face and neck like I'm a baby.  I try to make her quit fussing, but she continues to wipe my face and treat my like a child as she talks to me.  She tells me he's gone into theatre with River, and Winter has gone in with them too.  Mulberry squeezes my hand suddenly ... Winter ... I don't know who Winter is as far as they are concerned.  "Who is Winter?"  I ask her.

"Oh of course you wouldn't know ... she was dating River secretly when they were in Apple Hill because she's blue  ... she turned up on our doorstep looking for him a few months back ... your brother is in for one hell of a shock when he wakes up from his operation!!"  she starts laughing  "In fact, you are both in for quite a shock."

"Lilly!!"  Mulberry snaps at my Mother which confuses me ... I know what shock River is in for - Ocean they think he doesn't know about him, but, what shock am I in for - unless she is talking about my guitar.  "Leave the gossip till later!!  The boy needs to get settled before you start springing nasty surprises on him"  he snaps again.  Mom suddenly looks awkward and I'm wandering what is nasty about the surprise?!

"Sorry ... I forgot!!"  she mumbles and Mulberry gets up and pulls her to one side and they start whispering in the corner of the room.  Oh here we go ... treating me like the idiot child already!!  I notice Mulberry and Gravel exchanging not very nice looks.  Mom comes and sits back down by me while Mulberry stands glaring at Gravel.

"If you weren't the officer in charge of this case I'd bounce you right out of here!!"  Mulberry turns to Gravel and seems angry for some reason  "And don't even think about asking Tapestry anymore questions without Mango being here!!"

"He is actually old enough now to be questioned without a parent present and there are a few questions I will need to ask the boy before Mango jr gets here!"  

"His body might be old enough but mentally he isn't ... he has disabilities remember!!"  Mulberry snaps at him really angrily, they have warned me that they might have to play the disability card to stop him from asking me too many questions, they are scared that I am going to be the one to mess everything up, they are trying to push most of it onto River.  "Cut the boy some slack he's only just got here!!  Shouldn't you be out looking for that green bitch?!  Instead of hanging round here like a bad smell!!"  Mulberry sits down next to me again "And just so you know, his name is River not Mango Jr!!" he snaps nastily ... I don't get why Mulberry is being so nasty to him, surely he shouldn't be trying to rub him up the wrong way!!  Gravel moves away from where he is standing and comes towards the bed.

"Mulberry I'm in charge remember, you know you can always leave, you are only in here because of Lilly's condition, I can always get one of the other family members, Coral for example, to come in and sit with her instead!!"  he snaps at Mulberry who jumps up and starts going for Gravel, for a moment I thought Mulberry intents to hit him.  Berry knows what's going on here!! 

"Mulberry leave it please ... "  Mom jumps in between them angrily stopping Mulberry from hitting Gravel.  "None of us are happy with this ... but it's done now and there is nothing we can do about it and arguing is not going to make it any better!!  Slate is okay now which is the main thing so just drop it Mulberry and let him do his job!!"  my Mom says angrily and she turns to Gravel  "and you stop winding him up, there was no need for you to mention Coral just then to provoke him ... you all need to grow up, you are all acting like children and I'm sick of it!!"  I'm wandering why Gravel mentioning Coral would provoke Mulberry? and what is wrong with Slate? 

Gravel says he is sorry to my Mom almost like he's scared of upsetting her, which again I think is strange.  There must be some serious stuff going on here!!  I become highly amused when Mom tells Gravel to get on with it and Mulberry to sit down and shut up as she sits down herself.  They both suddenly look like naughty boys which makes me laugh.

Gravel calls in one of the police officers from outside who sits down on the chair by the door, the police officer looks like he's going to be taking notes as he takes out a small pad and pen.  Gravel tells me it's just procedure for two of them to witness the conversation.  Oh berry ... I hope I don't stuff this up by saying the wrong thing!!

"I need to know about River's involvement in this ... at any time was he working with Manderine and Maizie in holding you and Honey?"  he asks, I told him that when he first found us he had to pretend that he was while he tried to work out a way to get me and Honey away from them, but it wasn't easy because Manderine was waving a gun around at everyone all the time.

"What do you mean ... when he first found you?"  I told him Maizie and Manderine had taken me and Honey to a house in Apple Hill ... River said it was his Grandmothers old house ... he told me when he checks on his own house in Apple Hill he checks on his Grandmothers occasionally because it's been empty for two years ... he walked in by accident while we were there.

"What happened when he found you ... how did Manderine and Maizie react?"  I told him Manderine held the gun to his head, I thought she was going to fade him, Maizie begged her not too, she tied him up with me and Honey and Maizie and Manderine went into another room and had a huge fight.  River asked me what was going on while they were arguing, he said he'd pretend to help them and try and get us out of there.  He told me he was my brother and I didn't believe him at first I thought he was a bit mental.  So he pretended to hate Dad for abandoning him, and Mom for stealing Dad away from Maizie and leaving him without a Dad, he convinced Manderine he wanted to help her make Mom and Dad suffer as much as she did and she fell for it ... but not for long, because she turned on both River and Maizie and we were too scared to do anything because of the gun.

"So she's been holding you Honey, River and Maizie at gunpoint?"  I tell him yes

"Do you know why Manderine and Maizie took you and Honey?"  I look at Mom for a moment, I'm not really sure she should be listening to this.  "Tapestry?!"

"They planned to take Mom from the funeral, not us, they planned to fade her ... because she wasn't there Manderine grabbed Honey because she needed a hostage to get away, she took me for fun when she realized who I was."  he frowned at me for a moment

"Why would they want your Mom?"  he is now really frowning at me.

"Manderine hates her for being colourless I think, I don't know, she was in prison for trying to fade her already wasn't she ... she wanted to finish what she started."  he asked me about Maizie  "Maizie was helping her because of Dad ... she still loves him and recons Mom stole him from her, I think she thought if Mom is gone she could get him back"  

"Why did she keep you for so long, do you know?"  he asks frowning  

"I don't know maybe you should ask her that!!  I snap at him  "Why didn't you come and find us?!"  I start crying, and he just looks at me for a moment.

"She must have said something that might have given you some idea?"  he frowns at me.  Mulberry snaps at him to stop pushing me with stupid questions. 

"I don't know ... she was enjoying the thought of Mom and Dad suffering because she had me and River, she was always laughing about it ... She also blames me for Storm fading, Pine being brain damaged and Forrest being in prison,  she said she was going to make me suffer like her three boys are suffering ... and she was!!"

"So has Manderine been treating both you and River badly?"  Gravel asks as he's scribbling away on his pad.

"Yes ... She was always beating and kicking us but there was nothing we could do."  I held out my wrists and showed him the rope burns  " It was me mainly she went for and River kept having to get in the way trying to protect me from her.  She broke Rivers ribs.  She played games with us ... she used to taunt us with a knife or hold the gun to one of our heads laughing telling the other one to watch while she blew the others brains out ... then there was all the verbal stuff."

"Like what?"

Manderine kept saying she would make me suffer for Storm, Pine and Forrest and she was constantly teasing me saying my Mom was an abomination and a freak and her one ambition in life is to dance on her grave like she dances on Cosmics and their baby's graves."  I see Mom look up at me and frown.  "She kept teasing River telling him Dad didn't love or want him and neither did Maizie and that's why she dumped him on his Gran.  She constantly wound him up over what she'd done to Maizie.  She kept telling us that the next time Dad is seeing either of us is when we are in our coffins and and all the threats of how she is going to fade all of us.  She said when our parents have buried all their children who she will be fading then she'll get them."

"Where was Maizie while all this was going on?"  he asks me

"Manderine faded Maizie not long after Honey ..."  

Mulberry jumps up cutting my words off suddenly shouting.

"Gravel that's enough ... you said a few questions about River's involvement not this, you know you have already gone WAY TOO FAR!!"  Mulberry is looking really angrily at him. 

I look at Mom and see her going, she starts to fall off the chair so I shout her.  Gravel leaps forward trying to catch her, but he wasn't quick enough, she hits the floor with quite a thud.

"DAMN!!  Did she hit her head?? She's switched off, I knew this would happen!!"  Mulberry sounds angry as he rushes over to her. "Mango told you not to push with the questions while Lilly is in the room!!"  he snaps at him nastily.

Mulberry rolls Mom over and checks the red mark on her face and head swearing under his breath, and I know why, hitting her head could be dangerous.  Mulberry swings her up into his arms.  


"I'm going to have to take her down to A&E, she's hit her head"  he starts glaring at Gravel  "Do you see what that evil green bitch has done ... this is just one example of what we've had to suffer at her hands over the years ..."  he says waving my Moms limp body in front of Gravel and I can see he's crying  "I have to look at my wife's face everyday just to see her handy work and you know she'll never stop until she has each and ever one of us - Coral included you heard what Tapestry said!!"  he snaps at Gravel "Its pretty clear River is not the criminal here like we said he wouldn't be  ... you should be out there trying to find that bitch instead of interrogating these boys ... don't you think they have been through enough already!!"

He starts to walk out of the room with Mom then he turns round to face him again  "You claim you want to be a part of this family now, well maybe you should step up and start acting like it, and don't you say one word to that boy while I'm out of the room!!"  

I'd love to know what's going on with those two.  Gravel stands staring at me for a moment then walks over to the door he sends the policeman out and calls somebody in.  Coral comes flying into the room ... My eyes widen as I notice Coral is pregnant.  She comes flying at me like Mom had, which surprises me, since when did my sister care about me!?  So I have to go through another round of suffocation, tight squeezes and face kissing.

"Sis you need to lay off the cakes ... you have gotten FAT!!!"  I laugh at her as I put my hand on the baby bump.  "Where is Slate?"  she pulls a face at me

"There are two girls in there."  she grins at me as she rubs the baby bump.  "Me and Slate broke up!!"  she smiles at me  "I'm with Gravel now ... they are his kids ... we hope!!"

"WHAT!!?"  I can't believe what I'm hearing, I look up at Gravel and he just smiles at me.  Gravel and Coral ... I can't take it in - he's the same age as Dad ... he's Slates Dad!!!  I'm in shock and ask her if she seriously doesn't know who's babies they.  She shakes her head  and looks down as she starts rubbing her bump again telling me that everyone is mad with her and Gravel and that Dad has gone totally ballistic.  I start laughing ... I bet he has!!

Now I think I know what all the atmosphere has been about between Mulberry and Gravel.  The door opens and Mulberry walks back into the room without Mom, he sees Coral sitting with me and he rolls his eyes.

"Coral, make yourself useful for a change, go and help Juni she has got your Mother down in A&E because she's blacked out and hit her head."  he snaps at Coral quite nastily, she starts to protest but doesn't get very far.

"GO NOW Coral ... Don't you even start arguing with me!!"  he shouts at her  "Your Mother's health comes before your love life!!"

"Get off her back Mulberry, if you want someone to shout at, shout at me ... Don't talk to her like that again!!"  Gravel jumps up and shouts at him.

"I'll speak to my niece how I damn well like and until you put a ring on her finger you've got no right to tell me otherwise!!"  he snaps at Gravel again as he sits down by me again.

Oh Boy!!  I'm home!!   It's not often I see Mulberry get so nasty with people, he's usually pretty placid, the only time I've seen him get nasty is with Prelude when he's hammered and he snapped at the old man in the hospital, and of course we've had our run ins over the years when I've been misbehaving but he's usually the calm one, he usually takes most things in his stride, but this obviously has really upset him.

"What the fudge is going on with you lot?"  I ask him

Mulberry starts laughing and says that Coral has gone and outdone anything that I've ever done ... she should be ashamed of herself having an affair with Gravel behind Slates back.  She was sleeping with both of them for six weeks and has gotten herself pregnant and doesn't know if the baby is Slates or Gravels.  She's let an old man take advantage of her and Gravel who is twice her age should know better, especially doing the dirty on his own son, who has now been up in Intensive Care for over 2 months after taking an overdose they have messed his head up that much!!

"Oh Fudge!!"  I stare at Mulberry in shock.  Shit!!  I only just realize that Mosaic and Parsley were not visiting Slate at work like I first thought, they were visiting him as a patient.  "Is Slate okay?"

"Hopefully - its a miracle that he even survived - he took 80 painkillers with three bottles of vodka - he poisoned himself with the alcohol.  Your Dad and Bay found him with minutes to spare and he's been on full life support and out of it for two months.  He's finally woken up today - it seems to be a day for surprises!!"  he laughs sarcastically  "He needs a kidney replacement but he should be fine, but I'm not so sure about his sanity!!"

The door opens and a nurse walks in with my medication, she stands over me and watches me take it then starts checking my blood pressure and temperature again ... why is she even doing this when there is obviously nothing wrong with me other than cuts and bruises.  I just stare at Gravel but I don't have time to think because the door opens again.

My Dad walks into the room ... he smiles at me as he stands holding the door open as they wheel River into the room.  A few nurses busy themselves moving things around and helping to get River off the stretcher and onto the bed next to mine.  I'm surprised he's awake, even though he's a little groggy.

I notice while they are settling River in Dad is having words with Gravel, they both keep looking in my direction occasionally.

"Hey!!"  River smiles at me and holds his hand out to me which I take as I sit down on his bed by him.  I notice he has the same rope burn marks around his wrists that I do ... Jazz really went to town making it look like we have been miss treated.  "You okay Tap?"  I smile at him and he winks at me. 

"I need to know about Manderine."  Gravel says as he stands up close to the end of River's bed  "Any idea about her whereabouts?"

"She might still be there  ... I hit her head pretty hard with a metal pole, I think I might have faded her because she fell and didn't get back up again!!"  I say as rehearsed.  The room is deadly quiet now as everyone is just stood staring at us.  "We didn't stop to check her we just legged it!!"  Gravel starts shooing the three nurses out of the room.

"Where were you Tapestry ... where has she been hiding you?"  Gravel asks once he's closed the door behind them and dragged in one of the policemen who was standing outside the door, both me and River answer at the same time ... in the sewers.

The sewers I think was a genius idea, Jazz says the vampberry's run the sewers, that's how they get from town to town undetected because they don't need to come above ground.  They knew that the police had not searched the sewers because Cosmic apparently has been camped out in Gravels office and in the police station listening to and watching everything that they are doing around the abduction case.  The sewers around Sugar Valley only have Jazz, Maizie and Omri running around in them now because all the other vampberrys have moved out.  So they have set up a few kind of base camps down there in small alcoves, to make it look like that is where we have been living for the past nine months, that me and River rolled around in last night and left our fingerprints all over.  Manderine also took a trip out while she was compelled so there is evidence of her being there too.

"THE SEWERS?!  Fudge!!  One place we never even thought to look!!"  Gravel is stood there wide eyed as he pulls out his phone then stops and asks  "Where here or Apple Hill, which sewers?   

"We don't know ... She kept us blind folded most of the time when she moved us around. She moved us through the sewers between here and Apple Hill I think she only really kept us in two places."  River tells him.  I stay quiet like I've been told too, I am to let River answer most of the questions.

"How did you end up in the woods River?"  Gravel asks  "The guy who phoned the ambulance for you said you came out of the woods."

"The woods is where we came up - we legged it through the sewers once we got away from Manderine.  We climbed the first ladder steps we found - Tapestry managed to remove the cover, I couldn't because of the knife."  River tells him  " we didn't even know we were in Sugar Valley until we got out onto the street.  In the woods you'll find an open grate - we didn't close it we just wanted to get out of there!!  he smiles at Gravel  "When you climb down go right you should find where we were quite easily."

I sit quietly just listening as Gravel seems happy now to direct all his questions at River.  I let my head start to wander and switch off for a while as Gravel continues to question River.  Both of their voices dim to background noise in my head while I start to think about Crystal.  I really would love to know how she is getting on and where she is, I start to worry a little because I know she is not with Mom.  Then my mind wanders on to Slate and what Coral has done with Gravel. 

"Mom too ... she only took us out of the sewers once, that's when she ..."  I heard River say as he brings me back to reality by squeezing my hand tightly and I can see he's starting to cry.  Its kind of strange for me to hear him calling her Mom, he usually only calls her by her name. 

"Maizie ... River where is your Mother?"  he asks. 

"Manderine faded her ..." is all he says quietly

"How?  When?"  Gravel asks and River stays quiet he just lies there crying.  Mulberry sits on the bed and puts his arms around him and River really starts to cry, I would love to know what he is thinking about to make him cry so much because I know it wouldn't be Maizie, he hates her.  I can see Dad standing there awkwardly, as far as Gravel is concerned this is the first time that Dad has seen River so he's had to keep his distance from him.

"Tapestry?"  Gravel says when he can see he's not getting an answer out of River.

"Maizie was tied up like we were but she managed to break loose.  Manderine and Maizie  started fighting but Manderine had a knife, Maize didn't stand a chance.  She stabbed Maizie in the stomach."  I start thinking about Honey and the babies to make myself cry  "We had to sit and watch her fade ... there was nothing we could do ... we were tied up!!"  I tell him, he asks me how long ago and what happened to her body  "I don't know ... I don't even know how long we've been away ... we were out of the sewers then in some sort of empty warehouse building, she took her body out and we didn't see her again ... she moved us back down to the sewers again after that and that's where we've been ever since." 

Gravel looks at my Dad says he needs to make a phone call to get them looking for Maizies and possibly Manderines bodies and he walks out of the room.  I already know they are not going to find either bodies because they are both safely tucked away living quite happily in the vampberry den.  All they are going to find is a metal pole with my finger prints on and a pool of Manderine's blood down in the sewers.

There is only me, River Dad and Mulberry in the room now and I think we all sigh with relief as Gravel closes the door behind him.

"Keep it up boys and we ARE going to get away with this ... Gravel has already told me, River is pretty much in the clear ... we only need to get the hospital to drop the charges and he's all clear, I can talk them into doing that ... I don't know what you said to Gravel earlier Tapestry but whatever it was it worked."   Dad says frowning at me, I start laughing

"I think it was more what he said!!"  I point at Mulberry  "He kind of emotionally nobbled him using Coral and Mom!!"  me and Mulberry start laughing.

 I hold my breath as I see Sunny walk into the room.  Oh Fudge ... I really wasn't looking forward to facing him.  He just stands there for a moment looking at me and he smiles which surprises me ... but it doesn't stop me from feeling nervous.  He goes over to Dad and they start whispering for a while.

Gravel comes back into the room has a quick word with Dad then he leaves the room again.

"Right Gravel is going out to the woods and sewers for a nose, he says there will probably be more questions but he's giving us the space and a few hours to break and sort out all the news - so we need to get this done!!"  Dad says looking at River

I can't help but think that something funny is going on.  Break what news?  Sunny and Mulberry exchange a look and River is off crying again and I don't have a clue why.  I definitely know something is going on when Dad comes over to me and holds his hand out to me, there are two white pills in his hand. TWO!!??   I look up at him and frown.

"What's going on? ... I don't need those!!"  he snaps at me to take them  "No!!  I haven't had an outburst for a long time ... you can't tell me anything that will make me kick off!!"

"Oh I think I can ... please Tap!!"  I look at River and he's off really crying again.

"Take them Tap!!  You are going to need them!!"  I ask him if he knows what's going on  "Yes, he told me when I came out of theatre ... please Tap."  I look at Sunny and I notice he's also crying.  What the fudge is going on now?!  Sunny sees me looking at him and he tells me to take them.  I take them.

"I'll just tell you a few things while those kick in. Crystal in A&E last night ... she kicked off royal style they had to strap her down ... I've got a few nurses with scratched faces today"  he starts laughing but I look horrified   "She is with Affair.  Your Mother and Affair managed to calm her down virtually straight away thankfully!!   She stayed at ours last night but she's gone to Affairs today, she's in her element shes got three colourless toddlers to play with."  he starts really howling  "She's already asked where she can get one of those from because she wants one."  I start laughing  "She wouldn't leave Cotton or Ocean alone last night either I think you might be in trouble Tapestry!!"  This makes River laugh.

The second thing is that ... As far as the rest of the family who are sat out in the corridor are concerned, River knows nothing about Winter and the baby, so that is what Dad is supposed to be doing in here, telling him about them ....  and he also has something to tell me too ... I seriously can't even imagine what he might have to tell me.

"We said Winter turned up on the doorstep looking for River because of the baby ... so don't forget Tap, you have to pretend you don't know Winter or your Granddad Orchid who is now living with us when he's discharged from the hospital which should be pretty soon."  he looks over at River  "As soon as I've told Tapestry and all is calm, Winter can bring Ocean in."

"Told me what Dad?"

I can see he's wringing his hands together he's getting really worked up about something and he can't even look at me.  He looks at Sunny and say's he doesn't know how to do this ... and he cracks up. Sunny shakes his head and starts crying again.

What the hell is wrong with these two?! 

"Will someone just tell me!!"  I snap because the room has gone silent all but everyone sniveling.

River starts to struggle as he tries to get up and cries out in pain so I help him to sit up and swing his legs round so that he can sit on the edge of his bed.  He moans a few times and I can't help but notice how pale and drawn he is looking.  Dad starts fussing and checks his shoulder and the bruises on his chest.

"What's wrong?"  I ask as Dad says he'll get his something for the pain and starts messing over at the side of the room getting a bottle out of a cabinet which he unlocks with keys he has on a chain and starts to fill a seringe.

"Jazz didn't realize he had to be careful of my ribs, he's re broke them."  River says miserably.  "Thankfully he didn't do any damage to my spine, I could have been in real trouble if he had!!"

I feel like crying for him, I can see he's in the same sort of pain as he had to suffer in the last few days before we hit Rainbow Valley.  He's got to go through it again with his ribs and shoulder and I'm sat here with just bruises.  Dad moves me to the other side of him so he can inject what I presume are painkillers into his arm.

"I think I need to get you down for a scan and xray before we do anything else, I really don't like those bruises River!!"

"NO!!  Let's get this done first,  I want to see my son!!"  he snaps at Dad  "Then you can do what you want with me, I'm sick of waiting!!"

Dad and River just stare at each other for a moment.  I can see Dad is starting to cry again.  River puts his arm around me and Dad sits down on the chair by the bed just wringing his hands together ... I'm seriously getting scared now ... what is so bad to warrant this performance ...

"For Berry's sake River can you just tell me!!"  I frown at him "It's not Mom is it?"  I ask ... what else can it be

"No your Mom is fine she is awake already, she's up in neurology, we are keeping her in for a few days just as a precaution."  Dad says ... okay so if it isn't Mom what is it

"So what is it then?  Just tell me River!!"  I snap at him ... I see him take a very deep breath.

"There is really no easy way to say this Tap ... so I'm going to just say it ... Honey didn't fade in the vampberry den like you thought ... she faded three weeks ago in childbirth."

I just sit there stunned staring into space, not sure I really heard that right at all.

"WHAT!!?" tears are already streaming down my face

"When we came down to you two, she hardly had a pulse, she was taking her last breath so Jazz bit her, he turned her to keep her alive.  It bought her some time so that Maizie could take her to Dad, she sucked all the venom out to stop her from turning into a vampberry and Dad gave her the blood she needed."  I'm sitting there shaking my head ... I'm not hearing this - I don't want to hear it!! "She lived and we though she would be here when you got home ... but she faded three weeks ago when the babies were born."

My head is starting to hurt .. I put my hands on my head and start rocking ... River tells me to take deep breaths ... my head is swimming I can't take this in.

When the babies were born ... is he having me on?!

"Babies!!  No this can't be right ... They made me watch as he drained her, the vampberry faded her!!  He said he'd faded her!!  When Storm stopped him from draining me, he dropped me and I fell next to her, I felt her she was cold the vampberry faded her!!  I start rambling like an idiot because I can't believe what he's telling me.

"No Tap he didn't fade her, when Jazz got to her she was still alive, but only just."  he rubs my back as he smiles at me.  "She has been alive for these past nine months, up until three weeks ago when the baby's were born."

"No!!  If she was alive why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't tell you Honey was still alive because we thought we wouldn't be able to keep you away from home especially if you knew what was happening to her."  Dad says  "Her pregnancy made her very ill, we didn't know if she was going to make it or the babies. Mentally you wouldn't have coped with it and the worst did happen like we feared when the babies were born."

"Babies!"  I shout "Stop keep saying the babies were born!!"  I'm holding my head because it is really hurting now ... I know I'm going

"They were Tap, a girl and a boy.  They came a month early ... "  River says as he touches my arm and I shake his hand off me and tell him to get off me  "The boy faded with Honey ... but there is a little girl downstairs in the baby unit with your name on her cot."

I'm just sitting there still holding my head and rocking ... I can't take it in ... I just stay silent while my brain tries to take in every bit of what he's told me.

I don't know what hurts the most, that Honey lived and they never told me.  That she has for me faded all over again, this time she really has gone.  The baby fading - that I don't even want to think about or I'm going to lose it again!!  All those hours that I've grieved for them already and now I have to do it all over again, that yet again they've kept secrets from me, but this one tops them all!!

FUDGE!!  I've got a baby!!!  This suddenly snaps my head back.
  
"NO!!!  THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!!"  I jump up off the bed.  Dad also jumps up and tries to put his arm around me and that did it - will he never learn that he just needs to leave me alone!!

"GET OFF ME  ... I HATE YOU ... IT'S ALWAYS YOU HIDING THINGS FROM ME TREATING ME LIKE THE IDIOT CHILD ... THINKING YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR ME ... WELL YOU DON'T ... I'M NEVER GOING TO FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!!"

 Like an idiot he tries to put his arms around me again, I push him away from me quite forcefully

"DON'T EVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN!!  I HATE YOU!!"

I can feel myself going ... I need to get out of the room and away from him so I bolt.

When I swing the door open I freeze because I'm greeted by a sea of silent grim faces, they are all staring at me when I step out into the corridor.  All faces I know from our three families just silently stare back at me and by the look on their faces I think they all know don't they!! ... I stop for a moment and stare at them listening to the eerie silence.  My eyes fall on a toddler who is sat on my Grandmothers lap who distracts me for a moment.  I presume it is Cotton, she is now a toddler and she is sat on my Grandmothers lap just staring at me blankly because she doesn't know me, like I don't know her.

I think I would have ran out of the hospital and just kept on running until I was exhausted like I always used to, but seeing Cotton snapped my head to thinking about the baby downstairs and now I'm curious.

I run off down the corridor.  I hear a few of them start calling after me including my Dad.  I ignore them as I start to run faster away from them all.  I can also hear someone running after me but I don't look back to see who it is ... if it's my Dad I'm likely to totally lose it.

I nearly knock a few people flying as I run down the corridor and stairs almost blindly because of the tears in my eyes.   I don't stop running until I reach the baby unit.  I lean my head against the glass while I try to catch my breath and look at all the cots through the window, there are quite a few babies in there how am I supposed to know which one it is.

I see a nurse sitting at a desk looking through some paperwork so I make my way to the doors and go into the baby unit to ask.  The nurse looks up at me as I walk up to the desk and when it comes to it I don't even know what to say to her, so I just stand there like a dumb idiot.

I don't even know what colour the baby is and I don't know how to ask ... I just stand there not even sure I am really ready for this - I still haven't got my head around this baby existing.

"Are you okay?  You look a little lost!!"  she says to me frowning.  I panic, spin round and go to run out but am halted when I bump straight into Sunny who is stood right behind me.  He puts his arms round me and holds onto me tightly and I can't help but just stand there crying.  "Is everything okay Sunny?"  the nurse says as I hear her chair legs scrape across the floor.

"Yes, this is Mango's son.  We just need a minute."  he says

"Awwww, so this is Tapestry."  she says  "You are just in time she is due a feed right about now if one of you want to do it."  the nurse says looking at me.

"Yes her Dad can do it ... he needs the practice!!"  Sunny laughs.  He just called ME her Dad ... I'm seriously going to wake up in a minutes aren't I!!   The nurse smiles at me and Sunny let's go of me as I watch her go over to one of the cots and picks up the baby bringing it over to us and she hands it to me.

I thought the baby might be tiny and on machines, like the pictures I've seen of me, but she's not.  She looks just like a normal baby.  I just stare down at the baby in my arms not knowing what to think or feel.  I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes.  I am not even sure if this is real!!

"Why is she in here?"  I ask wandering why if she looks perfectly normal, why Dad didn't take her home.

"She was a little early and struggled with her breathing and feeding at first, but she is perfectly fine now."  she starts laughing  "She's not been half as much trouble as you was!!"  I frown at her  "I was working here when you was born and half her size - you gave us a right run around especially with your feeding!! but vanilla did the trick"

"Vanilla?"  I frown at her

"Yeah, stone cold milk with a few drops of vanilla flavouring was the only way you would take it - otherwise you would just spit it out - you ask your Dad."  she smiles at me  "And it seems your daughter has now got the taste for vanilla.  She wouldn't take her bottles at first until your Dad reminded us about trying vanilla, now she's not too happy with plain milk."

"How long will she have to stay here?"

"Like I told both Granddads this morning, the Doctor will be letting her go home later."  she smiles at me as another nurse hands me a warm bottle.  Oh Fudge!!

I don't have a clue what I'm doing, I've never fed a baby before.  I tip the bottle up and she opens her mouth as soon as it touches her lips and she starts drinking the milk.

Sunny is standing quietly next to me and I ask him what colour she is.

"She's all yellow and she has your colourless eyes"  he smiles at me  "and she needs a name"  Oh fudge!!  We stand quietly for a while just watching her drinking the milk.

"Don't be too hard on your Dad ... it has been far from easy!!"  I look at him  "Trust me you would never have coped with what happened!!  We barely did - you would have lost your head completely!!  He really did do the best thing for you!!"  he puts his hand on my shoulder and reminds me that I can not be mad with Dad in front of anyone especially Gravel because he might get suspicious and it will give the game away.
 
"How can you say that he did the best thing for me?  I should have been here with Honey!!  I thought she and the babies faded nine months ago!!"  The tears are rolling down my face again   "Why did she fade ... why did the other baby fade?" 

Sunny doesn't say anything because the doctor and nurse come over to us, they take the baby away for a short time because he says he's doing his rounds and needs to check her over.  Sunny doesn't say anything until they are well out of earshot.

"It appears that she had the same heart defect that Strawberry has.  Honey's has never been picked up on because she's never had any health problems unlike Strawberry ... she only started having problems because of being pregnant, that's when your Dad spotted she had the same medical problem as her sister ... it was nobody's fault she faded!!  It could have happened at any time."  Sunny is now crying, fudge, I did my grieving for her nine months ago, this must be very raw for him ... only three weeks ago his daughter faded.

  

"Honey didn't have a very good pregnancy at all, she was ill for most of it ... She had heart failure ... it all happened suddenly, a few hours after they were born, without any warning she just went ... we thought she was going to be okay.  The boy he was stillborn ... he had already faded ..."

"Why did he fade?"

"I'm not sure, sometimes it just happens, you'll have to ask your Dad."  he tries to wipe the tears off his face as we see the doctor coming back over to us.

The doctor brings the baby back over to me and says that she is fit to go home, he says he'll get her discharge papers sorted out.  I've been told I'm being kept in over night as a precaution, which is a joke but I have to toe the line for River's sake.  I can't even deal with the fact that the baby is here yet without having to sort out taking her home.  I am glad that Sunny is here because he deals with it, he explains the situation to the doctor and asks if she can be moved upstairs to my room or if she has to stay down here until I'm discharged.

I'm not really listening to the conversation while Sunny is talking to the doctor, I just stare down at the baby who is lying there staring up at me, fudge ... How am I supposed to look after a baby?!  I can tell straight away that she has my eyes as they are shining like colourless eyes do.  I am still not sure I can really take this in ... she is my baby ... how the fudge did this happen!?

"I don't see why she can't be moved upstairs if it's just for one night, but I'll just page Dr Muffin, to check on what is going on upstairs and see what he thinks ... we need to make sure there is nothing infection up there that she could catch."  the doctor says as he walks off over to the desk and picks up the phone.

While we are waiting to see what Dad and the doctor decides me and Sunny stand talking about baby names, I'm really going to need some help in this department because being colourblind, I don't even know what colour most things are, there is no need for me to know.  So Sunny stands reeling off a list of things that are yellow.  I think she should have a yellow name seeing as she is all yellow.

"Just please don't call my Granddaughter Banana!!"  he says then starts laughing.

Suddenly the door slams open and Strawberry comes rushing in.

"Oh please tell me you are joking!!  Look at what the cat has dragged in just when I thought we were shot of you!!"  I hear her snap.

I stare at Strawberry stood there her arms folded and she's scowling at me.  I laugh a little in my head if there is one person I can always rely on to openly hate me with a passion and that is Strawberry, she definitely is not happy to see me back!!  Now I feel like I'm home.   

"That idiot can not look after that baby and I'm not letting it happen!!  Dad!!  You can't let him take her ... you know I want her!!"  Sunny rolls his eyes and he looks angrily at Strawberry. I'm a little surprised by what Strawberry has just said.

"Straw please don't start this again!!  Tapestry is her Dad, you have no rights ...."

"Honey was my twin sister, she would have wanted me to look after her!!  Not that idiot!!"  she starts shouting at Sunny  "He can't even look after himself for berry's sake!!  You said I could take her!!"

"Yes we agreed you and Parsley could take her if Tapestry didn't come home ... but he is here now ... it is his child so you really need to drop this now Straw!!"  Sunny snaps at Strawberry, I'm a little surprised that Sunny is actually on my side for a change ... why does she want my baby?"

"Give her to me Tap, you know you can't look after her ... let me take her!!"  she comes over to me holding her arms out like she thinks I'm stupid enough to just hand her over!  "Me and Parsley will take good care of her!!"  She's glaring at me as she tries to take the baby off me.  "Give her to me!!"  she yells at me as I move away from her.

"NO!!!  Wind your neck in bitch ... she is my baby and you are NOT having her!!"  I turn my back to her ... I really can't believe she's doing this!!

"Go home Straw!!"  Sunny shouts at her  "Tapestry is taking HIS baby and there is nothing you can do about it ... you know he will have plenty of help ... she is going to be just fine!!"  she stands there arms folded again and she looks really angry  "GO HOME STRAW ... before I really lose my temper!!"  Sunny grabs her arms, spins her round and pushes her in the back towards the door and away from us.

"You haven't heard the last of this!!"  she looks back at me  "I'm having that baby!!  She needs protecting from you!!"  she says and storms of out of the baby unit.

I just stare after Strawberry wide eyed.  The door slams violently shut after she has barged through it in temper still yelling about taking my baby.

I know she has never liked me, but this is ridiculous!!

The door slamming shut loudly makes the baby in my arms jump with fright then she starts screaming.

I just stare down at the baby her mouth is wide open, her arms are waving about and she's screaming her lungs out.  I didn't realize babies were so loud!!  I don't have the slightest idea of what to do with her, I'm now scared of dropping her as she is wriggling around in my arms while she cry's.

"Sunny help, how do you stop babies from crying!!"  I try to ask him over the noise.

He just stands there howling with laughter at me.

Hell!!  Who's bright idea was it to make me a Dad?




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