She laughs and giggles and plays. I push her to and fro on the lifeless wooden plank suspended by furry ropes that seemed to croak every moment. I stand so contently, cherishing that she is happy and healthy and pristine. I was indulged; in the happiness of having her here and being able to have fun and enjoy her fragile life.
She turns her head like a fox and smiles, and then jumps off the swing at its farthest point away from me. She lands on her white stubby baby legs and stands to her feet. A gust of howling wind comes and knocks her over like a large dog trampling a small baby. Falling over slowly (or as it seemed), I dash to her side as fast as my legs would allow.
She sits upon her bottom and props herself up with her arms and says, “Brother, I'm okay!” her little giggle assures me, but I see a startling sight.
A bruise was present, as islands in water, it was a dark red in contrast to the white skin. I move my arms around to message her and wrap my arm around to help her to her feet. She grabs my hand and we walk inside to our mother.
I knock on the table to express what had happened to my mother, she looks quickly and sets down the pot and drying cloth.
She speaks quickly at my sister, “My dear, what have you done now?”
I move my hands rapidly through the air like birds flapping in all direction; 'She fell off her swing.'
Mother walks over and guides my sister to the bench and sets atop of the wood. My sister's feet dangled above the tile, rocking back and forth. Mum washes her hands in the sink, dries them, and takes the syringes out of the Cabinet. Extracting the fluid from the vile, I was waiting for that face my sister makes with the needle.
Slowly, ever slowly, the needle made its way into her arm that had been blackened in internal bleeding. The needle contains a viscous fluid the causes the blood to clot and stop bleeding. The needle pierces her skin and her eyes and nose and brows contour around her face, scrunching up like the small child she is. Her legs instantly stop moving and the curl beneath the wooden bench. I walk over to comfort her after the needle slides out. I grab her hand and we walk over to the couch so she could relax while the medicine does what it needs to do.
'That was not so bad, was it?', I mouth the words to her as she peers upward at me.
“No, I guess not!” she speaks with her slight pain showing through her bright smile.
She climbs the leather chair and plants in bottom in the cushion. I pick her up by her healthy arm and I sit; placing her on my legs she giggles again.
“So, I was thinking,” my mother comes to us and begins to tell us an unusual announcement, “You two are always cooped up in here like birds. So, as soon as I get the okay from the doctor, I’ll be dragging you two with me on a nature picnic on the mountain!”
Danielle shrieks with excitement. Constrained by her hemophilia, and other medical disorders, she is never really aloud to even go outside. Along with my permanent phonic disorder, I can only sit and smile at her. Year after year, her diseases get worse and mine get no better; as it seems we discover a new disorder every time we go to the doctor. I remember the first moment when she cut herself and she would not stop bleeding, it felt like an eternity before it stopped. I could never consolidate her.
She grabbed my hand a bounced up and down in excitement. Her smile forced me to smile too, I began hugging her tightly.
“Mommy's going to take us camping!” she jumps down from my lap and runs to my mother.
She smiles and hugs back. “Not camping, just a picnic in the mountains.”
***
the sun barely peeking through the mountains to see if it's a day to have sun, I walk through the hallway to Danielle's room to wake her for the doctors visit. I creek open her door to allow the light to crawl around her room like little rabbits. I see clothes and toys and food and small bracelets scattered across the room, on the bed, and on the furniture. I the centre, I find her laying on a backpack filled nearly until the seams burst. I tiptoe over to her resting spot and tap her shoulder.
She jolts her head and looks at me; her pale face and weary face trying to become functional. The little speech she can interpret and speak is slurred and discombobulated. I grab her now dark peach arm and assist her to her bed. As she stands, the red, rose-like colour flows back into her body.
'Are you okay?', I sign slowly to make sure she can see.
'Yes', she signs back, rubbing her squinted eyes with her other hand.
I place my arms into her underarms and lift her on my shoulder such as a baby. I transport her to my mother's room to wake her also. She turns her head to see into the dark-lit hallway. My feet step and the floor croaks like a frog. I reach out my arm, silently, and twist the door knob. Then, I see my mum sitting on her bench reading a magazine.
“Is it that time already?” she asks. I nod.
“We going to the doctor today?” Danielle asks in return.
She smiles and nods, “Yes, honey, we are going to a Hematologist today. To check on that bruise of yours.”
***
The trees fly past our windows; I sit and stare, looking for the wild animals running across the road in front of our car. Rabbits run throughout the trees to my left and the grassy plains to my right. Foxes hunt behind the bushes and birds flying above us in small flocks. I turn my head and my attention to Danielle.
She snores like a baby bear, and her head slumped on her shoulder rest in her seat. Her hand still holding the bag she packed earlier, along with feet suspended my the net on the back of my mothers seat.
My mother suddenly speaks and disrupts my focus on my sister, “We're almost there; there is this place I went to as a kid that I think you two would like. There's a wonderful tree, the grass is lovely and maintained by some people. And a beautiful river.”
I mouth words, but none sound is heard. I realize this and close my mouth quickly, looking around for embarrassment.
“And there is it! Just around this corner!” she speaks excitedly, “Wake your sister.”
I rock her shoulder back and forth and her eyes shoot open in alert. She sits up and looks around to see her surroundings.
'Are we there yet?', she signs to me. I nod, smiling and giving her a chocolate bar I had stored in my pocket. 'Thank you.'
The car turns a sharp left and behind a tree I see another enormous tree, with majestic branches crawling around the ground and parallel to the ground along with a small stream strolling behind it. Small, cute animals roam around chewing on the grass and relaxing under the shade of the tree.
Danielle asks to my mum, “Are we going there?”
“Yes, I used to go there when I was your age; I loved it.”
Within seconds, we pull up to the tree and walk around the location. Beautiful clouds roam the sky and the sun dips behind these flying masses. Slowly, they fly across the sky, Danielle, as well as I, are mesmerized by the vivid detail of the vapour and the great contrasting colours of grey, white, and blue. She giggles in excitement.
My mum turns around in her chair with her cell phone, trying to get a picture of us. “Cheese!” We both looks and we smiles and she takes a picture. “Come on!”
Danielle unbuckles herself from the car seat and hops down from the chair. Mum takes the basket and the blanket from the back and walks to right beside the stream. I took the blanket and whipped it through the air and set it slowly on the ground.
Foxes peer through the tall grass and the bushes and the trees. Rabbits run around in circles and the birds circle around in many directions in the sky. I stand and stare, observing. Before my eyes, they all seem to go away, except the birds. I disregard the outside noises and focus on Danielle.
Running around so happily, doing cartwheels and rolling in the grass. She runs up to me and grabs my leg, pulling at my slacks. I try to take a few steps with her clinging to my leg, then I simply just fall on the grass. She rolls and rolls on her side around the grass. I roll to my front and stand and chase her.
A fox dashes through in between my legs and grabs a piece of food my mum had set out on the blanket. Then another; and another. They run around and back into the trees. More difficultly, I disregard the animals again.
We run over to the large branches standing from the tree. I pick her up and set her on the floating log, I then sit on it also.
More rabbits dash around and around and around through the grass. Two foxes dash beneath our feet to chase them. I turn my head to see one behind us that had jumped. All I was quick enough to see was the glowing red fur and a wide open jaw. My eyes stay open, my body frozen. The paws rip through Danielle's white flowery shirt. Satin blood instantly stains the shirt and drizzles from her back. The paws cling into the flesh of my sister and climbs.
Danielle falls onto the ground, screaming; her voice cuts in and out from breathing, but the scream still ripped into me. My mind collects on the situation and I try to move, but my muscles are still stuck. The Canine animal shut it's jaw around her shoulder, ripping through the shirt and into her skin. Back and forth, to and fro; the fox shakes its head digging deeper into her body. I jump to my feet and wobble to the fox. My fingers interlock and I hit the animal away from her; I hear a whimper and a cry and the fox crawls away with broken bones.
I try to speak to my sister, but nothing but a wispy airy sound radiates from my throat. I tap her other shoulder to make her awake. I hear nothing. I swell up in tears and I look to my mum; mum was on the phone crying, trying to get help. I look back and see blood flowing out from her body like a river. My hands shake in discontent, not knowing what to do. I remove my shirt and tear in into two pieces. One piece in press on her back and the liquidity red fluid stains the white shirt instantly. I rip one one my sleeves and wrap around her body, trying to make a weak bandage. She coughs and groans; I swell up in tears again, knowing she's still there.
'She just keeps bleeding,' I thought to myself. 'Stop! Just stop!'
My mum walks over, crying.
“I can't get a hold of anyone up here,” She says, “I have to go into town and get help!”
I nod and continue to wrap her body with the bloody clothes. I look at my hands, covered in blood, and an idea sparks in mind. I dash to the blanket and pull in over to Danielle. I grab my hands on the edge of the fabric and pull with all my might, hoping that is might tear. Nothing. I pull again. Nothing. Again I pull, harder and harder; nothing. I place it on the floor and stomp my foot on one side and pull with my hands. Rip. I tear the blanket in half and place on Danielle's red slippery back. I place the other half on her shoulder. I roll her over into fabrics; over and over again. I fold over the fabrics, over, and over around her shoulder.
She groans and turns her head towards me.
“It hurts,” she cries; her face covered in her own watery blood, “I'm hurting!”
I try to whisper something, but again, nothing came out, 'No, why can't I do anything? What's wrong?!'
I grab her hand and hold it to my cheek. 'No, don't go.' I hear sirens in the far off distance. 'Come faster.' Her breathing begins to shallow dangerously. 'Stop bleeding.' Her breathing stops and the sirens become louder.