This is chaos but we'll get through together

Here we go

A few hours later

"Mama!"
Anne quickly pulls on some pyjamas and runs as fast as she could down the hall. She could hear Cathy behind her as she runs into Elizabeth's room and lifts the sobbing toddler out of her bed. She feels Elizabeth cling to her and bury her face in her shoulder.
"Mama scary dream" she whimpers.
"Shh it's okay. It's okay. Mama and catcat are here baby. It's okay" Anne says, rubbing Elizabeth's back and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"No let dada take me"
"Is that what happened in your bad dream sweetie?" Cathy asks gently.
"Uh huh" Elizabeth says quietly and Anne shares a look with Cathy. They both had the same idea. Cathy quickly grabs Bo and Anne stands up cradling Elizabeth in her arms. They go back to their room and lay down with Elizabeth between them. Cathy gives her Bo and Anne watches as Elizabeth yawns and hugs the teddy tight and out of instinct, sings softly to her until she falls asleep.

The next day

Anne could feel a weight on her chest and her face being peppered with kisses. Opening her eyes, she's met with the smiling faces of her two favourite people.
"Mornin mama!" Elizabeth giggles
"Hey sleeping beauty. Half an hour until we get going" Cathy says and Anne sits up, sending a giggling Elizabeth tumbling onto the bed. She and Cathy were dressed already. Elizabeth in a green T-shirt with sparkly stars on it and black shorts with her green converse and Cathy in a blue jumpsuit and black converse.
"Looks like I should get dressed then" Anne says, finding an outfit similar to Elizabeth's and changing in the bathroom, tying her hair into its signature buns. They were doing the last few preparations for the holiday. And shopping for sun cream and travel products as well as the other little necessities. Just 13 days left. Wait...13 days.
"Cathy?" She calls out, stepping out of the bathroom to see Cathy helping Elizabeth with her hair.
"Cathy it's today" she whispers, pointing to her choker discreetly.
"Oh. Oh dear" Cathy whispers, fixing the second bun into Elizabeth's hair.
"Mama?" Elizabeth says quietly, hugging Anne's legs.
"You okay?" Anne says, picking Elizabeth up.
"You no go away?"
"No baby. I'm never going away" Anne says softly.
"No wanna see scary again" Elizabeth mumbles, burying her face in Anne's shoulder.
"Anne?" She looks up to see Mary standing in the doorway, this action causing the girl to start crying and run to hug her.
"I tried to keep her from seeing it. I'm sorry!"
"It's okay. It's okay" Anne says, stroking Mary's curls.
"It's my fault she saw it"
"Hey. It's not your fault. It's his fault" Anne says, kneeling down to dry Mary's eyes. Once she gets both girls calmed down, she walks downstairs with them, Cathy following close behind.
"Anne! Are you doing alright?" Catherine says, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah. Yeah I'm okay. I forgot it was today until I looked at my holiday countdown thing honestly" Anne says causing everyone to laugh.
"If it starts to hurt or go like Kitty's did a few months ago, I'll take lil red so you can get it under control" Anna says, nodding to Elizabeth who still had her face hidden in Anne's shoulder.
"Thanks Anna" Anne says, getting Elizabeth seated in her chair and sitting beside her.
"So we need a lot of nappies" Jane says, looking up from where she was giving Edward a bottle.
"Yeah. There is a town near to the place you guys. We can get all that bulk stuff there if we run out. Let's just chill here for the day and get the last small bits tomorrow" Anna says and everyone nods.
"Sounds like fun. The girls do need a run around outside and I feel safer letting them run around here" Anne says just as it starts raining, earning a groan from both girls.

A few hours later

Kitty was in the kitchen talking to Anne when it happened. Mary was sitting with her mother looking at a bible and Edward and Elizabeth had been put down for naps.
"A..Anne... your...your neck" she says, her eyes going wide as Anne suddenly drops her tea and cries out in pain. Mary's sent to make sure Elizabeth doesn't wake up and come down as the others run in. It hurt like the sword was cutting through all over again. She could feel Cathy holding her and Anna getting her choker off. Then Kitty on her other side, holding her hand.

***

"I wan my mama" Mary had to keep Elizabeth from seeing what was happening.
"Mama is just talking about stuff with the other adults right now Lizzie. I'll get her to come for you when she's done" Mary says, sitting beside her little sister on her bed and hugging her.
"Wan mama!" Elizabeth protests, struggling to get away.
"Just hold on a little longer Lizzie. Just a little longer" she says just as the door opens.
"Catcat! Where mama?" Elizabeth says, starting to cry as Cathy sits down.
"She's resting. She's a little tired right now. I know you wanna see her but you just gotta wait just a little longer because she asked to take a nap" she says and Elizabeth nods, wriggling out of Mary's arms and climbing onto Cathy's lap.
"She's okay. I promise. I know that you're scared" she says softly as Elizabeth looks up at her.

A few hours later

Anne stretches as she wakes up and smiles when she can't feel her neck hurting as badly. It was down to a dull throb now. She'd taken a bath, read for a while, played some games on her phone and then slept for an hour. The door opens a crack and Cathy peeks in.
"Hey babe. How you feeling?"
"A bit better. Where's Lizzie?" Anne says, sitting up.
"She's downstairs with Anna and the others. She's a little upset but she understands that you need to rest for a while" Cathy says, coming in with a tray of snacks. On top of the tray was a picture.
"She asked me to give you this" Cathy says as she sits down and hands Anne the picture. It was a drawing of herself, Cathy and Elizabeth with a message in Cathy's handwriting on it.
"She asked me to write it for her"
"I love you mommy I hope you feel better soon" Anne says, reading the message with a smile on her face. The drawing was beautiful too.
"She's really artistic. Everyone was amazed at how the drawing looked" Cathy says, hanging the picture up on their cork board for her. They eat and chat and Anne starts to miss the feeling of having Elizabeth curled up in her arms.
"I don't like not being able to see her" she says quietly and feels Cathy hug her.
"It's almost her bedtime. Want me to go get her so you can say goodnight?" She says and Anne nods.
"Yes please. I miss my baby" she says and Cathy walks out, coming back with Elizabeth who smiles sleepily at her.
"Mama okay now?"
"Yeah baby I'm okay" Anne says, smiling as Elizabeth is gently placed in her arms. She still remembered the day she was born.

It hurt so bad. Henry was there but he was too distracted to care that she was pushing a baby out of her. The whole process had started early the day before which made it hurt more. Suddenly the pain stops and the air is filled with the sound of a baby crying.
"It's a girl!" A girl. Henry's face falls and he walks out, not giving anyone a second glance. Anne smiles as the baby is cleaned and placed in her arms with her eyes wide open. Green eyes. Just like hers. Soft porcelain skin and tufts of red hair. She had so much hair for a newborn.
"Oh ma'am she's beautiful!" A nurse says as Henry returns with Mary who looked bored and like she couldn't care less.
"Well. Did you think of a name?" Henry grumbles and Anne smiles, looking at the baby in her arms.
"Yeah. Elizabeth. Like both of our mothers" his expression softens a little and he takes Elizabeth from her.
"Oh. Oh my. She is quite beautiful" he was smiling. Then Mary gets to hold her and her eyes widen.
"Oh Anne! She is beautiful. I think I'll like being an older sister" she says with a small smile as she hands Elizabeth back to Anne who smiles and kisses her baby's forehead.

Anne smiles and looks down to see Elizabeth asleep in her arms. Her baby. Nearly three and already what people would say is advanced for her age. She was so proud of her.