PeaceMaker

"Hold Marion," Alice muttered again, trying her best to hold on to the baby with her trembling hands. "Please…"

"Alice…" Kalmin muttered, immediately reaching forward and picking up Marion carefully. He turned around with sheer terror on his face. Alice's face was pale.  "Doctor…" he trembled, "DOCTOR! There's th-theres something wrong with her…"

"What- oh no," the doctor flinched, his eyes widening as he turned back to his bed from his conversation with Mrs. Crowly. His eyes widened in fear and Kalmin followed his gaze to Alice's legs. She had bled out critically, her blood even dripping to the floor below in a pool. 

Kalmin froze, his heart dropping to the floor as he turned back to Alice. "Alice…" he muttered, calling out to his sister with a trembling voice. 

She looked up at him with a smile, her eyes on the baby in his arms. "Can you bring her closer to me please?" she asked, lifting a finger to point at Marion. "I want to hold her again.."

Kalmin flinched, edging closer to Alice. He bent down and leaned over, Marion's little body resting against her mother's chest as Kalmin supported the baby. Alice lifted her hand to touch Marion, her finger brushing against Kalmin's. He flinched. 

It was cold.

He turned back to Alice with a frightened look on his face, his body trembling. "Alice…?"

"She's so beautiful isn't she?" Alice muttered, her finger trailing Marion's little features. "My little star, Marion Adonia."

"Critical blood loss!!" the physician yelled to an assistant nurse and all the servants went in a frenzy again. The doctor walked closer to the nurse and whispered in her ears. "The blood loss is in a bad state… I doubt there's anything we can do at this point… the poor girl…"

Kalmin heard it. He heard the whisper and he was sure she could hear it too, but yet she sat there on the bed petting her baby, muttering Marion. Tears began to fall from his face again and his heart clenched. "Alice… are you?"

"I think she might fall asleep soon…" Alice muttered with a little smile, "my first time seeing my baby sleep… it seems I might sleep too."

Kalmin finished looking up at Alice, panic rising on his face. "No…" he muttered, turning to the doctors, "DO SOMETHING!!! DON'T JUST STAND THERE!!" 

"Kalmin," Alice's voice weakly called out, her cold hand reaching out and touching kalmin lightly on his hand. "It's ok…" she muttered, kissing Marion on the forehead. She turned to Kalmin and locked eyes with him. "Take good care of her Kalmin."

"No...NO!" Kalmin screamed, his tears overflowing as he bent over Alice's body, his chest lightly touching Marion's as she laid on Alice. "Together… together we'll look after her. You're fine. We'll be ok, just... No... please… hold on, I'm sure they-"

Alice smiled as Kalmin's forehead touched hers as he bet over her and Marion. She locked eyes with Kalmin. "You're right. You'll be fine. You and Marion will be fine, right? You'll feed her well, take her on many walks and hug her to sleep for me. Right?"

Kalmin shook his head immediately. "No… we'll do it together. "We- we'll" he turned back to the physician, anger flashing in his eyes. "DO SOMETHING!" 

To this, they finally moved, frantically trying to grab some sheets to press down and stop the blood loss. But he knew from the way they were moving, their slow movements, and the look in their eyes. There was nothing they could do.

He turned back to Alice. "It's ok, they'll do something about this, you'll be perfectly fine. We'll go on walks with her, we'll feed her a lot of good food and we'll sing her to sleep too."

He wasn't going to believe it. She wasn't leaving him. She wasn't leaving him, SHE WASN'T LEAVING HIM!

"Make sure that she goes to school if she can and makes a lot of good friends that won't abandon her or use her," Alice muttered, her hand starting to slide off Marion's body. "I'd hate to be watching over her and see her being bullied."

Kalmin shook his head, tears running down his face and seeping into the bed's covers. "No… NO!! Together… together! TOGETHER!! This- You- you can't go like this, you're not going to." He looked up from Alice and after securely placing Marion on Alice, stood up from his position and walked to the physician, grabbing him by the collar. "DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!" he yelled, shaking him by the collar, DO SOMETHING NOW! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! THIS IS ALL-"

His words paused as he turned to a face he spotted out of the corner of his eyes. Justin.

"No… this is all YOUR FAULT! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! THIS!" kalmin screamed as he cried, punching Justin across the face. Justin fell to the floor and he jumped on top of him, throwing repetitive punches at him. "YOU ANIMAL! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! NOW SHE'S LEAVING ME! ALL BECAUS-"

"Kalmin…" Alice called out weakly, her voice declining by the second as she continued to bleed out. " Stop it. You're making Marion cry."

Kalmin immediately stood up and rushed over to Alice, tears falling to the ground and onto the bedsheets as he held Alice's cold hands, from little Marion came a small whine that began to expand into a cry. 

"Kalmin… Look after her well and yourself. Be the family she needs and stay healthy. Get a good job, leave this place with her," Alice muttered, patting his head, "and cry but cry only a little."

Kalmin shook his head, his grip on Alice's hold hand tightening as Marion's cry got louder. "No.. NO!!!" he screamed, but he could feel her getting weaker. Her arm getting limper. 

"Look at me," Alice asked to which Kalmin locked eyes with her. She gave a smile, "such a handsome brother you are… I hope to see you again. Next life. With Marion too."

"NO!!!" Kalmin screamed his voice bellowing in the room as Marion's cries mixed with his. 

Alice looked down at her baby and then back to Kalmin. "My little Marion Adonia," she chuckled, " and my handsome brother Kalmin." she muttered, bracing her last smile. "I love you."

"No…" Kalmin whimpered. Her pulse. He couldn't feel it anymore. He looked down at his sister, her bright eyes dimmed as the smile on her lip remained, her arm still placed protectively over the crying Marion. 

"No… NONONONO!" h wept, his voice crying out in the room, his hand holding on tightly to his sister's hand. It wasn't there… "Why isn't it there?! Where… where is her pulse?! No…. nonono! NO!" He screamed with tears rushing down his face, seeping into the little clothing wrapped around Marion. 

"WAHHHHHHH!" Marion cried, her pretty face rested against her mother's chest, the soft beating she had listened to quietly had faded away. "WAHHHHHHH!"

"NO!!!!! COME BACK! PLEASE!" Kalmin cried. He let go of her hand and watched as it flopped down lifelessly. Her small hand hitting the floor. "No...nonono!" he whimpered, a shudder running through him. He slammed his hand onto the ground. Again. 

"WHY! WHY NOW! WHY YOU?!"

Again.

"PLEASE COME BACK!!! ALICE!! ALICE!!!"

"WAHHHHHHHH!!!"

Again.

"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"PLEASE! PLEASE!" He wept, grabbing her hand. It was cold. His body gave out, his knees crashing to the ground. "Please…" he muttered, his hands trembling. 

"WAHHHHHHHHHH!!" Marion cried.

"No… please... Not you... Alice… please.." he muttered, his trembling hand clenching up into a fist. His head looked up at the ceiling as his tears ran down his cheeks, the sound of Marion's cries filling the room.

"ALICE!!!!" he screamed, desperation shaking his voice. "ALICE! PLEASE! WE CAME…. We came so far together… please…" 

He banged his fist into the ground again and rested his head against the bed edge, his head against Alice's limp hand. It was cold. 

"WAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Please… Alice… ALICE!!!!! A-" he pleaded, "come back to me Alice… come back…"

*

APRIL 25

A banquet of daisies was placed against a large tall tree, luscious green leaves canopying the little stone on which a name was carved into.

Kalmin stood over the little flowers he had laid down, a little smile crossing his face as he bent down, his fingers running over the name carved in stone. "Happy birthday Alice." He sat down on the green grass, a little tear rolling down his cheeks. 

"I miss you."