Something Unusual || Jake, Amelia & Penny
amelia-hurricane-shepherd
Jake held Penny’s small hand as she skipped alongside him, “B’urday t’meee, b’urday t’mee...”
The three year old had been singing that song since she’d woken up. Jake couldn’t even be irritated or annoyed by it. He loved it. She could sing that for the rest of her life so long as it meant it would be a long life. It’d been such a close call when Penny was first born. Penny had been perfect... But she got sick when she was about a month old. It caused multiple organ failure. Her liver, pancreas and kidneys weren’t functioning to standard, if at all... Jake was about to completely lose it all..
Just a couple of hours later though, Amelia had gone into labour and given birth to a little boy whose organs she’d chosen to donate... Had Amelia not made that decision, Jake wouldn’t have Penelope Vianne Reilly skipping beside him on her third birthday, singing the same song she’d been for the last five hours. For that reason, since her first birthday, Jake would send a large bouquet of Lisianthuses -for their delicate nature and simplistic beauty- and a thank-you letter to Amelia. Because her son had saved his daughter and he would be eternally grateful.
A few weeks before, he’d rushed out of the office, having to go tend to one of his patients. He’d left his then two year old in Amelia’s care. When he came back, Penny had been completely enamoured with Amelia and wouldn’t stop talking about her and what they’d done that day. Every time Jake walked into the office with Penny, she’d ask for Amelia and Jake would have to make up an excuse. He didn’t want to bother Amelia. But one day he couldn’t help when Penny slipped away and attached herself to Amelia. Jake had promised her that she’d seen her soon.
The night before, Jake had been on the phone with Amelia about something and all of a sudden, Penny ahd gotten up from where she was playing with her baby doll and announced she knew what she wanted for her birthday. Though not in so many words. When Jake asked “what?”, with Amelia still on the line. His daughter said clearly: “’Melia.”
Amelia had agreed and that’s where they were headed now and Penny couldn’t be any more excited as she bounced about. Jake knocked on Amelia’s office door and went in, “Hey, we’re here,” he smiled at her.
Penny squealed and ran to Amelia as fast as her little legs would take her.