Above All This Bustle

Six months had passed since the day May carried Mary Sue from St. Agnes'. The little girl adjusted quickly to her new home, secure in the fact that May would always be there. The stark white guest room now sported pale blue walls with a border of soft white clouds. The plush white carpet had been replaced by one just as soft but a fine shade of dark blue. The bedding was a shade of star speckled baby blue on one side and a field of pale yellow with tiny blue dots on the other. Willie the Panda sat on the pillows during the day waiting to be snuggled closely by a dark haired little girl throughout the night.

Small figurines of Dorothy and her three companions set atop the chest of drawers and a large framed lobby poster of the movie covered one wall. A small desk took up the far corner, its drawers filled with markers, crayons and any other item a little girl needed to doodle on rainy afternoons. It also held everything she needed for completing homework assignments.

The bare wall under the windows now sported three book shelves filled with tomes on several levels. Dr. Seuss books leaned against Harry Potter while the Velveteen Rabbit remained on top right next to I'll Love You Forever, Skye's favorites. The little girl never went to sleep without a story and May was happy to oblige no matter how tired she was or what the day had wrought.

Skye had helped pick out the new design for the bathroom, complete with a set of small steps that rolled out from under the sink. Most of the design was under the sea, with fish and seahorses. The tub was still much to large for the tiny girl to get in and out but May was always there to help even though she had the contractors add a step that ran the length of the big basin.

For now the little girl was called Skye as a nickname but May had promised when the adoption was final she could choose to keep the name as her own. Until then she'd have to use her given name at her new school. She'd started there in September, enrolled in a special class to help with her reading difficulties. The teachers were understanding and patient. After diagnosing the little girl as dyslexic, the program became easier and by the end of October she was much more confident in her ability.

Although the Sisters at St Agnes had done their best to keep up with immunizations and health visits for their charges, Skye's records were incomplete. She was not happy with her new pediatrician's suggestion that they follow up on booster shots and missed inoculations. The nurse explained that almost all of them had to be injected into a large muscle and Skye's pencil thin arms and legs left only one other target. The little girl put up a brave front but ended up holding on tightly to May for every injection.

The doctor's main concern was with the child's size. At eight years of age Skye stood about the same height and weight as a five year old, in the 5th percentile. After several tests that were as exasperating for May as for the little girl, the doctor determined the child's small stature might be related to the extreme emotional stress and lack of nurturing and affection she had withstood for most of her life. The pediatrician explained to May that, although extremely rare, Skye could be suffering from psychosocial dwarfism which when caught early enough could be reversed with the child's need for attention and affection. May breathed a sigh of relief knowing Skye would never again lack either and made it a point to shower her little one with more affection that she thought she'd ever be able to give. May never saw herself as a mother but could not help the love she felt for this little girl. So on a course of healthy foods, plenty of outdoor exercise and much needed affection the doctor would keep a close eye on the child's development.

That was not to say that Momma May did not have rules and consequences for breaking them. Skye had boundaries and knew what it meant to cross them. May was pretty much no nonsense when it came to that. She had simple chores like putting all of the flatware into the dishwasher after every meal, making her bed every morning, finish all of her homework and helping to put away groceries. The little girl enjoyed helping with the laundry and preparing meals as well. She'd crossed the line only twice in the six month period.

She'd argued with May over the fact she hadn't come directly home from school, needing the time to play with a few friends at the park. Despite May's attempt to explain how she had worried her and needed to come directly home before choosing to spend time with friends, Skye insisted she was old enough to make her own choice then stomped one little foot and exclaimed that May could not tell her what to do. Her second skip over the boundary was when she hid in one of the school lavatories to avoid a oral reading test. May was called from work and two hours later the janitor located the little girl in one of the lavatory's storage closets where she had picked a lock and fallen asleep in a large crate of toilet tissue. Both adventures earned her a dose of Nainai's method of teaching little girl's to mind their mothers.

So on this snowy night in late November, Skye stood at the glass doors looking out at the frantically swirling flakes.

"I don't think there's gonna be any school tomorrow." She smiled as she turned and scuffed her stocking feet across the parlor rug on her way to the kitchen. "Can I come to work with you?" The little girl smiled as she rested her chin on her arms across the kitchen table.

"Hmmm," May answered as she sipped a cup of hot tea. She tapped one finger against the side of the delicate cup. "I'm sure Mrs. Gibbons will be home all day and she loves having you visit."

Mrs. Gibbons turned out to be an excellent neighbor, despite that oversized cat that somehow ended up in May's condo more often than not. She lived across the hall and until five months ago when Skye woke in the middle of the night with a fever of one hundred and three, Melinda had only seen the woman in passing.

May was not one to panic, but a kid that hot was something that brought terror to any mother. She considered calling the base, the doctor there would know nothing about kids but fever was fever. Doing that would mean she'd have to reveal the fact that she now had a child and she just was not ready to take that step…not yet. At three a.m. she bundled the little girl in a blanket and headed for garage intent on visiting the nearest emergency department. She closed her door and locked it then turned toward the elevator, meeting Mrs. Gibbons as she exited.

If she hadn't been carrying her very sick child, May probably would have wondered what a woman Mrs. Gibbon's age was doing at that hour, but as it was she really didn't care.

"Is everything alright, May?" The woman asked, genuinely concerned.

"It's Skye…she's…she's got a fever and I…" May stammered for one of the very few times in her life.

"Oh dear, you'll never get up town, there's an accident on the bridge. Traffic is backed up for miles. It took hours for my driver to go around town to get me home." The woman tsked.

May had no opportunity to react as the older woman took charge. She sent her back into her home and followed giving directions as they walked. "Get that blanket off of her and everything else as well." The woman ordered as she headed for the bathroom and turned on the water in the tub. A few minutes later she had May lower Skye into a tepid bath and disappeared. May almost fell into the water herself wondering what to do next, but Mrs. Gibbons reappeared with a bottle of red liquid. She explained it was fever reducer, child strength, but her own doctor had prescribed it for her for some silly reason. Skye took it with no problem once May redressed her and tucked her back into bed. The next morning they visited their pediatrician, suggested by Mrs. Gibbons, for the first time. All the drama was caused by an ear infection and cleared with a round of antibiotics.

It turned out Mrs. Gibbons had been a pediatric nurse until her retirement fifteen years ago. She hadn't lost her touch. From that day on the woman checked on Skye and May almost everyday. When school started in the Fall she offered to keep the little girl after class until May returned from work. Apparently, Mrs. Gibbons knew May's crazy schedule.

"Ya know, May…" Skye used her best puppy dog eyes with a bit of a head tilt. "Mrs. Gibbons is kinda old. She might need a rest from a kid like me."

May set down her cup and smiled. "Mrs. Gibbons can hold her own and I have every confidence that she can more than handle my wild child." She tapped the end of Skye's nose just as the little girl's shoulders dropped in defeat.

"But what if it snows so much that everything gets all stuck and you can't come home?" Skye asked with baited breath. "What if you can't come back for days and days?"

May leaned forward and placed her chin on her hand. "First," she held up one finger. "There will never come a time that I cannot come home to you and on the infinitesimal chance that it snows that much you will be safe, warm and well fed with Mrs. Gibbons who has more than enough room to keep you as a very well behaved guest until I get here." She closed the short distance between them and placed a quick kiss on the little girl's head before standing and taking her cup and saucer to the sink.

"But…" Skye started again, stopped by May's mom glance. Her mouth snapped shut as she drew a deep breath through her nose. "I just really wanna see yer work." The little girl mumbled to her chest.

May moved back to the table and leaned down to rest on her elbows. "My office is no place for a little girl." She said softly to her little one's pout. "And I am pretty sure my boss would frown on having one visit…" May pouted then quickly added, "Even for a little while," before Skye could make the statement.

"But what if there was nobuddy and I was all alone and…" Skye let out in one breath as May stood and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hmmm, guess you'd be stuck with me," she smiled. "I would just stay here with you and work would have to do without for a day."

"But…"

May held up one finger, stopping the little girl. "I think it is time you took your little butt and put it in the tub." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder toward the bathroom.

"If there's no school tomorrrrrrrr," Skye broke into laughter as May whisked her up and tossed her over her shoulder then headed for the bathroom.

xx

"Mrs. Gibbons has a Christmas tree bigger den the frigerator." Skye announced as May lathered the shampoo on the little girl's head. "She has a story fer all the stuff hangin' on it. One looks just like Muffy!" The little exclaimed as she turned toward May with one eye squeezed shut. May smiled as she wiped the suds away with a damp cloth. "One looks like a hammer but she says it's a gravel."

"Gavel," May corrected. "Mrs. Gibbons' husband was a judge."

Skye nodded as May tilted her back and poured clear water over her hair to rinse the shampoo away.

"She even gots seashells." The little girl sputtered as she sat back up and rubbed the water from her eyes.

"Has, Skye," May corrected as she stood. "She has seashells."

"Yeah," Skye nodded as she pulled a soap crayon from the dish on the tiled wall. "They gots all sparkly stuff on 'em and little pearls, but Mrs. Gibbons says they ain't real."

May smiled and shook her head. Skye's grammar was atrocious, but she was working on it. "Isn't real, Skye."

"They isn't real." The little girl amended her statement.

"Ar…" May started then chuckled softly and let it go. "Five minutes and then out, got it?" She warned her little one.

"Five minutes," Skye nodded as she knelt then sat back on her legs and began drawing a green triangle on the tile with her soap crayon.

May shook her head and turned toward the little girl's bedroom. She picked up discarded clothing and dropped it into the wicker hamper near the door. Pulling out fresh undergarments and PJ's she thought about how long it had been since the smallest hint of Christmas had graced her apartment. She didn't even own a sprig of holly.

She'd thought about it a few times in the past few weeks, especially after she and Skye had shared Thanksgiving dinner with Mrs. Gibbons. The woman was overjoyed to have someone sit at her enormous dinning room table and use all of her fine china. May had cringed every time Skye lifted that crystal glass to sip her sparkling grape juice. The fact was she held her breath until all of the dishes were safely placed in the dishwasher and Skye was back in their own apartment.

As a child, Melinda had celebrated Christmas with her father. Her mother was either away on a mission or just too busy to join them. Baba had always gone all out, decorating every room. Even the bathroom had a Santa toilet seat cover and special towels. The tree usually took up a third of the living room and held more ornaments then little Mellie thought possible. On Christmas Eve they hung stockings and walked around the small town admiring the decorations other families had used to adorn their homes. Baba always read The Night Before Christmas and in the morning there were mountains of presents.

It had been so long since she thought about it and so long since she'd even spoken to her father on Christmas day. She made a mental note to call him. Skye would have a week off from school and maybe it was time she met her grandfather…but not before they celebrated their first Christmas together.

Ten minutes later Skye was tucked into bed with May seated at the edge of the mattress. The new mom tucked the covers up under her little girl's chin and smiled at her grip on the fuzzy little panda. For a moment she just took in the glow of the child who had come to her pallid with dark circles under both eyes. Skye had grown almost two inches since she'd come to live with May, convincing the doctor that they had indeed caught the little girl's growth issues in time.

"You er lookin' at me funny." Skye giggled.

May widened her eyes and smiled back. "That's cuz you're a funny lookin' kid."

Skye crossed her eyes and hung out her tongue then broke into even more giggles.

"Ham," May scoffed, then tucked the blankets once again. She let out a soft breath as the little girl settled down, folding her hands over her chest. "You know we have to see Dr. Collins on Thursday." She nodded.

"Noooooo," Skye whined as she squirmed down and under the blankets. "No more shots." She grumbled from beneath her bedding.

May pulled back the blankets and tugged the little girl back up onto the pillow. "I promise this is the last time until you are much older."

May's heart went out to the poor kid. Although the Sisters of St. Agnes tried their best, some kids just slipped through the cracks and Skye was one of those. Although, seeing the child's reaction at each pediatrician's office visit May was pretty certain that Skye might have found those cracks and slipped into them willingly. The little girl was sadly behind in required immunizations and boosters. Apparently since St. Agnes also ran their own school, this was missed there as well. However, Skye's new school's nurse was quick to point out she'd need to catch up or withdraw until she did. Dr. Collins started doing that on their first visit and assured the school he would keep his new little patient on schedule. Skye dreaded every visit that came with at least two pokes and the last time it was four. The nurse frowned when she eyed the skinny little child, informing May that all inoculations had to be given in a large muscle and Skye's pencil thin arms and legs just didn't meet muster. Unfortunately the little girl sat on her only large muscle and put up quite a fight at having it used as a target. May solved the problem with a death grip hug that held the little girl still but did nothing to quash the screaming she managed throughout the ordeal. Skye spiked a fever that same night and spent the next day in bed, sleeping most of the day away with a doting Mrs. Gibbons administering a liquid fever reducer at regular intervals. She assured May it was normal and in forty eight hours the child was back to normal.

"I hate shots!" Skye sniffled, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I know, kid, but these are the last and you are all caught up." May consoled her, brushing stray hairs from her brow. "I thought after we're done, we might shop around for a Christmas tree."

The little girl's mood switched gears in a snap. "Really? A big one like Mrs. Gibbons gots?" She gasped as she sat up with a bounce.

"Has," May nodded.

Skye stared for a moment then slipped back down with a look of guilt. "It don't gotta be big. We just had a little one at St. Agnes, it was okay. We maked all the ormints."

"I'm sure you did." May smiled, hating that Skye had not had a Christmas like she had shared with her Baba as a child. "But, here," she pointed to the floor, "in this house, our house, we are going to have the biggest, best tree you have ever seen." May poked the little girl's tummy.

"With lights and sparkly stuff and special ormints? Mrs. Gibbons gots one from China! It's real pretty. She let me hold it." Skye nodded quickly. "I was real careful." She added.

"It takes a long time to collect all those ornaments, Skye." May smiled. "But we can start and you can pick out the special ones you like."

"You too?" Skye asked around a yawn as she rubbed one eye.

"Mmm hmm," May nodded. "But right now, you need to close your eyes and get some sleep." She leaned forward and kissed the little girl's forehead."

Skye curled over on her side, with Willie the Panda safe in her arms. "You read to me?"

"Absolutely," May smiled as she picked up the book she had set at the bottom of the mattress.

"Don't skip no pages," Skye yawned again. "Cuz I'm not sleepin', just lisnin with my eyes closed."

May stifled a chuckled and gave a slow nod as she opened the book. "I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be."

xx

May smiled as she turned out the light and watched as the soft glow of the night light took over the room. Skye had no fear of the dark, but it made May feel better knowing the little girl was no longer engulfed by darkness.

She padded to the kitchen and stared into the living room, picturing a large evergreen in the far corner. There were no boxes of treasured mementos to drag out of the back of the closet. May hadn't decorated a tree in…well, in a very long time and she was absolutely certain her mother had never done so. She'd told Skye it would take years to amass the number of ornaments and decorations that Mrs. Gibbons owned. She hadn't told her it would cost a fortune as well. Spread out over a few decades that was not hard to swallow, but all at once. Not that she couldn't afford it, but…but…there was another option.

May looked at the clock on the kitchen stove and knew it was three hours earlier in San Bernardino. She smiled to herself and pulled out her phone. She pressed a number she should have called a long time ago and wasn't surprised when it was answered on the first ring.

"Mellie? Is that you? Has something happened?" Baba's voice was concerned but not panicked. He was used to this. He'd lived with it a long time.

"No, Baba, I'm fine. I was just wondering if you still had all of those Christmas treasures we used to put up every year."

Dead silence.

"Baba?"

"Tell me," William May commanded in his soft spoken way.

Melinda hesitated just enough to make her father even more suspicious. She knew, she could hear it in the sound of his breathing. He always knew when she had something to tell him, something she was not sure he would approve of or see eye to eye with her. She drew a deep breath.

"I've done something you will have a hard time believing, Baba." Melinda May smiled despite the feeling of guilt that overwhelmed her. Not that she was ashamed of Skye or her decision to make the little girl her daughter, but she felt horrible for not sharing the news with her father sooner.

"I am listening, Melinda." William's voice was firm, but gentle. He was a fair man and always listened to his daughter but was not hesitant to let her know she had disappointed him or would be punished for her indiscretions.

Melinda smiled at the familiar tone. "Baba, it is something you will enjoy…I hope." She told him then quickly added. "I've made you a grandfather, Yeye." She used the Mandarin term for grandfather.

"Mellie," William breathed. "You have brought a child into this world, please tell me that you have married."

Melinda shook her head. "No, no…Baba, no, I haven't married or given birth." She quickly amended her statement realizing in her haste to tell her father she had said everything wrong.

There was a brief moment of silence. "I am sorry, Mellie, but I do not understand." William sighed.

"I'm sorry Baba. I just wanted to tell you and…I've…I'm adopting a little girl, Baba. She is…you will love her I promise."

Again the silence was deafening and Melinda's heart fell. She knew her mother would admonish her for this wild decision but never expected adversity from her beloved Baba.

"When will this take place?" William asked with no emotion.

"I…she's with me now, Baba. I've had her since…for the last…almost seven months." Melinda stammered.

"I have been a grandfather for more than half a year and you have not told me." The sound of his voice was heartbreaking.

"I am so sorry, Baba. I know, I should have told you sooner, but things were so…" Melinda started to explain.

"Children are not easy, Mellie and require a great deal of your time…"

"I know," she cut him off. "But she needed me so much and…and I needed her…and…"

"I would expect nothing less of you, Mellie. She surely is a special child if she has stolen my daughter's heart. I look forward to meeting this little one of yours."

Melinda wiped the tear from her eye. "Skye, Baba, her name is Skye."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful child, I am sure." William was smiling, she could tell and smiled as well. "I have saved all of your treasures, daughter. I will get them to you as quickly as I can. My granddaughter will have a Christmas just as her mother celebrated. This I promise."

"Thank you, Baba." Melinda whispered softly.

They spoke for more than an hour, Melinda explaining the story of how she met her little wild child and what led them to become a family. William shared news of his health and many successes in his golf game. They spoke of Lian and where she might be this time of year and who had heard from her last and how she was doing and was she still with the Company. As usual Melinda ended the conversation with promises to come to LA and visit, explaining it would not be until Skye had a school break. William agreed, knowing his daughter more than likely would not come. Again he promised to have the Christmas treasures to Melinda within a week and ended their conversation with a heartfelt exchange of 'I love you' and 'see you soon'.

May made a final check on Skye, tucking her cold foot back under the blankets and kissing her forehead once again, then fell into her own bed and slept soundly for the first time in months.