Page 203 of Keep This Promise
“You have no taste, Holden. And no one asked you. What did I teach you about injecting your opinion when no one asked for it?”
I’m instantly ten years old again. “Keep your mouth closed if you can’t be kind,” I repeat in the same voice I did at that age.
“That’s right.”
“You know I’m an adult, right?”
She shakes her head. “Yes, well, you’re my nephew, and I love you, but you still need a good reminder of the rules in this home.”
“Forgive me?” I ask, knowing she already has.
“Of course, you sweet boy. I could never stay mad at you.”
I turn to Sophie. “I have a face women love.”
Sophie laughs. “I think the saying is a face only a mother could love.”
“That too.” I wink, trying to inject the humor back into our night. “Now, we should get Eden home and in bed. Where is she?”
“In the living room.”
We find her curled up on the couch, her thumb resting on her lips as if she’s not sure if she wants to suck on it. I’m rooted to the floor for just a second, looking at her. Sometimes, I can’t quite process that I have a child. A little girl who I didn’t know existed and missed so many moments with. So many things in my life have changed in such a short time that none of it actually feels real.
I have a daughter.
I say this to myself daily because it’s not like I had nine months to prepare for fatherhood.
“Holden?” Sophie says from over my shoulder. “Are you all right?”
I nod. “I just didn’t want to wake her.”
I bend down, scooping Eden into my arms. She’s so small and immediately nestles against my chest. I shift her a bit and feel wetness under her legs.
“She had another accident,” I tell Sophie.
“This is happening a lot.”
I quietly count how many times Sophie has mentioned Eden having an accident, and the higher the number gets, the more worried I become. This doesn’t seem normal. When I lift her up to feel her forehead, she lets out a deep sigh and the smell hits me. Fear like I’ve never known before floods through my veins.
“We have to get her to the hospital.”
Sophie’s eyes widen. “What? Why?”
“Sophie, has Eden been drinking more than normal? Around when the bedwetting started up again?”
“Yes, and that’s why she is having accidents.”
Frequent urination, increased thirst, and the smell. The smell of syrup and fruit. I remember it. I remember my sister giving me a kiss before she went to sleep that night. She never woke up again.
“We need to go. Mama James, we’ll be back to get her things.”
“Holden, what is it?” my aunt asks, tears filling her eyes.
“I think this is diabetes, and if I’m right . . .” I can’t think it. I can’t finish the sentence. “We have to go.”
Her hand flies to her mouth, and a tear falls.
“Holden, what do you mean you think it’s diabetes?” Sophie moves closer, her hands resting on Eden’s chest.
