Bright Eyes

Madeline wondered where time had gone. Isobel and Christian had just celebrated their tenth birthday just a few months ago. Maddie wondered what on earth had happened to her two little children. Time was flying by so fast, and it seemed as though nothing was changing and yet everything was. She would never be able to forget the day that she'd told Jonathan she would be bearing a child of his. She certainly would never forget the joy she'd seen in his face. Madeline knew that Jonathan loved Isobel and Christian as his own, but the truth was that they weren't. Jonathan couldn't look at them, and find himself in those features.

Madeline remembered the day that Jake had been born, remembered watching Jon hold his son for the very first time, and she witnessed the wonder on his face. She remembered Izzy and Chris taking to their little brother like he was fully theirs, instead of sharing only a common mother. She remembered the scrapes and mishaps of her children, cleaning their knees when they fell and scraped them, drying their tears when they hurt. She also remembered the years flying, the birthdays, and the parties.

Today was another memory to hold on to, another cause to remember. A little over a year and a half ago, Madeline had confided to Jonathan that she was carrying another of his children. They'd been thrilled about the new addition to their family, and had prepared the children for the new arrival. Christian, who always took his role as big brother quite seriously, had simply nodded and taken in the information, his brown eyes already seeming to calculate how to watch out for this new sister. Isobel had been thrilled, she was old enough now to contemplate dressing her new little sister, and treating her like a living doll. Jake had merely inserted his finger into his mouth, little brow furrowed in the thought that he was no longer the baby.

That had been a year ago, and the family had since expanded and adjusted to little Ainsley. All of the mishaps that come with a new baby at home were over and done with. The Stewart family was now celebrating her first birthday. Isobel was decorating the house. Her cheerful blue eyes sparkling as she pranced about pinning up paper chains all over the place. Christian was sitting on the floor, entertaining Jake, the two of them playing Go-fish repeatedly. Jonathan was in the kitchen, whipping up a cake for the little girl's birthday. Madeline herself held Ainsley, stroking her soft brown hair, and peering into her big brown eyes.

The little girl in question went through the entire affair without a sound. Her family sang to her, and the little girl watched them in silence. She ate her cake, messily, in silence; when she wanted to be cleaned, she merely looked at her father and lifted her hands to be cleaned. Ainsley didn't utter a sound, just watching her family with those big expressive eyes. She was a quiet baby, but that was just how her family loved her.