It's All Part of the Story

July 2016

"Hey, what's Taylor's favourite colour?" Tracey calls out when she hears Karlie return from her early morning run and slam the front door.

"What?" Karlie asks, pulling her earphones from her ears and pivoting away from her path towards the kitchen to go talk to her mom in the living room. "Why?"

"I want to knit her a scarf," Tracey explains, holding up her hands to show the knitting needles held there.

"Purple," Karlie answers in between gulps of her water.

"And what about her head?"

"What about her head?"

"How big is her head?"

"Why do you need to know how big her head is?"

"For the beanie that goes with the scarf."

"I have no idea, you can measure her when she wakes up," Karlie says shaking her head as she pushes off the doorframe.

"Well then come here with your head," Tracey says, motioning Karlie over and Karlie looks longingly at the kitchen before sighing and dropping onto the couch and letting her mother measure her head.

"Are you gonna knit me a beanie too?" Karlie asks.

"Sure," Tracey says with a smile. "I'll make a whole family set."

Karlie can't help the small smile that flits across her face at the words but it quickly falls away, and Tracey notices.

"Everything ok, mouse?" Tracey asks, finishing her row of stitches and leaning forward to drop her needles and wool on the coffee table.

Karlie glances behind her before sliding down and dropping her head in Tracey's lap.

"She's hurting mom and I don't know how to fix it," Karlie says plainly and if Tracey had any doubt about how in tune Karlie and Taylor are with each other's emotions, it's gone now. "She's not sleeping, she's barely eating, her anxiety is through the roof."

"I don't think this is something that you can fix Karlie," Tracey says, raking her fingers through her daughter's hair soothingly.

"What?" Karlie asks, surprised by the answer and looking up at her mother with a frown.

"You can't fix this sweetheart. You're just going to have to ride it out, it will all blow over soon." Karlie's quiet as she processes the words and Tracey can see doubt creep into her daughter's eyes, can see how Karlie's not sure what to do with her mother's advice.

"I can't just do nothing, mom," Karlie finally whispers, voice cracking and her eyes filling with unshed tears. "But I don't know how to help."

"Keep doing what you're doing," Tracey replies in a soft voice. "All you can do is make sure she knows you love her and just be there for her."

Karlie reaches up to wipe at her eyes but doesn't answer.

"That's it?" Karlie asks in a small voice.

"I'm afraid so honey," Tracey says as she leans down and presses her lips against Karlie's forehead.

Karlie sniffles and Tracey pulls away, reaching out to wipe at Karlie's cheek.

"Thank you mom," Karlie whispers after a long silence.

"You're always welcome," Tracey says with a reassuring smile, leaning down to quickly kiss Karlie's forehead. "I love you, my little mouse."