“Receiving a Gift from Above”

It was a beautiful day in June.  Megan and Julie were sitting in the hospital waiting room, waiting for their new little sister to be born.  Danny was with them too.

          As Megan paced the waiting room for the tenth time, Danny gazed up from his game and asked,  “Are you planning on wearing a whole in the floor, Meg?”

          Megan glared at him and sat down across from her cousin.  She knew he knew she hated to be called Meg.  Her name was Megan.  Nothing more, nothing less.  She loved her name just fine, but any variaition just didn’t sound right to her.  She had one special name and that was from her best friend in the whole world.  Her name was Firefly and she was a pegasus pony who lived in Ponyland, which was over the Rainbow. 

Firefly called Megan her sweet girl and Megan liked that special name very much.  It made her feel good whenever Firefly used it. 

          Danny gave Megan a reproachful look.

“What?”  He asked.

          “You know perfectly well, what!”  Megan hissed sternly.  “You know I don’t like it when anyone calls me Meg.”  Megan said the last word as if it tasted bad.

          Danny chuckled, but he only earned another glare from Megan.

          “Julie calls you Meg.”  He countered.

          “I do not!”  Julie cried indignently.  “I call Megan by her name and it’s not Meg!  Don’t call my sister that again!”

          “Okay little one, calm down, all right?”  Megan advised gently, using her own special name for her younger sister.

          Julie nodded and sat back down in Megan’s lap.

          After Julie was occupied by her book once again, Megan turned back to Danny.

“There you have it.  Julie DOES NOT call me Meg.  Julie NEVER. . . . . She knows I don’t like that variation of my name.  In fact all variations of my name are out of the question.  It’s just Megan.  Megan Julia Hartson.  Nothing more, nothing less.”

          Danny stifled a giggle.

          “Okay, Miss Shakespeare!”

          Megan blushed and glared at her cousin.  Sometimes Danny could be so impossible.  She did like Shakespeare and her favorite play happened to be “King Lear”, but she never liked any of his other plays except for “The Merchant of Venece”.  Other than that, she was stricktly a broadway type of kid.      

          As Megan was about to change the subject and suggest they play the memory game, Aunt Abby came into the waiting room.  She was smiling.

          Megan jumped up at once.

          “Is everything okay?”  Megan asked.

          Aunt Abby nodded.

          “Yes.  Everything’s fine.”

          “Can we see her?”  Megan asked.

          Julie nodded and smiled.

“Yeah, can we see her, Auntie Abby, please?”

Abby smiled at her two nieces and nodded.

Danny glared at Megan.

          “How do you know it’s a girl?”  He asked.  “It could be a boy.”

          Abby smirked.

          “It’s a girl.” 

          Megan’s smile brightened.

          “Can we see her?”  She repeated.  “Please, Aunt Abby?”

          Aunt Abby nodded.

          “Yes.  But only one of you can come back at a time.  Why doesn’t Dr. Larson take you back,”  Aunt Abby pointed to Megan,  “and Danny and Julie and I will wait.”

          Megan smiled at this idea and Danny glared.  He hated being last for everything.

          Julie also frowned at this.

“But I wanna see the baby too!”  She whined.

“Shh, hush now little one,”  Megan said, picking Julie up and giving her a kiss on her cheek.  “You’ll see her soon.  Now be good for Aunt Abby, okay?”

Julie nodded and gave Megan a hug before sitting with Aunt Abby again.

“Come on, sweetie. Let’s go see your new little sister.”

          Megan followed Dr. Larson into the maturnity ward and into the room where her mother and new little sister were. 

When Lisa Hartson saw her eldest daughter, she gently placed her new little sister into her arms.  She smiled, but Megan could tell something was wrong.  Not with her little sister, but her mother.

          “Can I name her? “ Megan asked.  She didn’t expect her mother to say yes, but Lisa nodded.

          “Sure you can.  You’re going to be the one taking care of her after all.”

          Megan nodded and felt a little uneasy about what her mother had just said.  She didn’t mind taking care of her new little sister.  She loved her so much already, but there was something about how Lisa had said it that made Megan feel uneasy.  Not what she had said.

          Megan sat down in a chair as Dr. Larson placed the newborn baby girl into Megan’s arms.

          “Hi there little one,”  Megan said gently.  “Hi there.  I’m Megan.  I’m your big sister.  And you have another big sister named Julie who is waiting to see you outside, yes you do.”  Megan then bent down and gave her new little sister a kiss on her cheek.  “I love you so much.  Yes I do.  I love you so much.  I’m going to show you wonderful things as you grow yes I am.”  Megan then started to sing softly.  This seemed to calm the baby down and she fell asleep instantly.

          Dr. Larson smiled down at Megan and the interaction between her and the new little one.  She knew Megan was going to be a terrific big sister.  As Dr. Larson glanced up to see what Lisa was up to, she found that she was gone!  Dr. Larson silently, but quickly hurried out of the room so that she could find Megan’s mother.  She told her friend, Lucy, where she was going and Lucy agreed to keep an eye on the girls until Arielle got back.

          Megan settled herself down in the chair and held her new little sister in her arms.  It wasn’t until she heard it, did she look up.  someone or something was tapping on the window.  She smiled when she saw it was Firefly.  She opened the window and Firefly soared in.

“You can only stay a few minutes,”  Megan told her best friend of six months.  “Otherwise the doctors might find out.”

“Don’t worry, my sweet girl,“  Firefly said, nuzzling Megan gently.  ‘I only have fifteen or twenty-minutes to spare anyway.  I would stay longer, but Medley needs my help with a party or something.”

Megan nodded and showed Firefly the newborn baby girl in her arms.

Firefly breathed in awe.

“She’s so cute!”  Firefly said in a loud whisper.  “What is your mother going to name her?”

Megan shrugged.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to name her.”

Firefly nodded and then gave Megan a confused look.

“You?”

Megan nodded.

“Yup.  Mom doesn’t want anything to do with the cute little one.  I’m not sure why.  I have a bad feeling about this though, but I’m not saying anything yet.  First, I want to think of a name for this little one.”  She thought hard but nothing came to her.  She sighed as Firefly nuzzled her again.

“Don’t worry, sweetie.  You’ll think of the right one when the time comes.”  She smiled and said, “So are you going to bring this little one to Ponyland soon?”

Megan smiled.

“Uh-huh.  When she gets a little older.”

Firefly nodded and gave the baby a small nuzzle.  She then nuzzled Megan and said good-bye before flying out of the window and back to Ponyland.

After Megan shut the window, she smiled down at her new little sister.

“Well, sweetie, that was Firefly.  She loves you already as do I.  I promise, I’ll take you to Ponyland soon.  When you’re a little bit older.  And then you can meet Fizzy and Medley and Ember and Twilight and Wind Whistler and Locket and Heart Throb and Galaxy and. . . . .”  Megan’s voice trailed off as a yawn escaped her lips.  She settled back in the armchair and cradled her little sister close.  She started to hum a song and ended up falling asleep.

That’s how Dr. Larson found them an hour later.  She smiled at the sight, but then tucked the little one back in her crib.  She didn’t bother waking Megan up.  she didn’t have the heart too.  She draped a blanket over the young girl and gave her shoulder a gentle pat.

“Sweet dreams, sweetie.”  With that, she left the room.

The next day, Julie finally was able to meet her new little sister..  She loved her from the moment she laid her green eyes on her, but she had a question for Megan.

“Why are you going to name her?  I thought Mommy and Daddy are going to do that.”

Megan smiled gently down at her little sister and patted her shoulder.

“Well because Mom doesn’t want to take care of her.  She gave her to me to take care of.”

“So you’re her Mommy now?”  Julie asked, still a little confused by the whole thing.

Megan nodded.

“I guess so, little one.”

Julie nodded as she sat down in the chair beside her new little sister’s crib and patted her shoulder gently.  Julie really did love her new little sister very much.

Two days passed and Lisa showed no interest at all in her new daughter.  She let Megan take care of her and although Megan didn’t mind one bit, she still was a little curious to find out why her mother was acting this way. 

It wasn’t until the third day did Megan finally come up with the perfect name for her baby sister.  She was watching “Annie” and holding the baby close.  She bent down and gave her a kiss.  About five minutes after the movie started, the baby girl started to cry and Megan started to rock her back and forth and started singing “There’s Always Another Rainbow”.  After she was done, the baby started to fuss again.  Megan started to sing to her again and then she started rubbing her shoulder gently.

          “Aw, shh, shh hush now, sweetie.  It’s okay, honey.  Your big sister’s here.  Megan has you, sweetie.  It’s okay.”  As Megan continued to soothe her sister, the name came out of her mouth two minutes later.  She gave her little sister a kiss and then started rocking her again.  “Shh, shh, it’s okay, Molly.  It’s okay.  Megan has you.  You’re all right, sweetie.  That’s a girl.  You’re okay.  It’s all right, Molly.”  As Megan said her little sister’s name for the second time, she smiled.  It sounded perfect.

          Just then, Dr. Larson came in.  she smiled when she saw Molly in Megan’s arms.

          “Did you think of a name for her yet?”  Dr. Larson asked kindly.

          Megan nodded.

          “Yup.”

          Dr. Larson looked at the older of the two sisters curiously.

          “What did you name her?”

          “Molly.”  Megan said, smiling down at her baby sister.  “Her name is Molly.”

          Dr. Larson smiled at this.

          “Molly’s a very pretty name.  What about her middle name?”

          Megan thought about this.  this one wasn’t going to be as easy.  She would have to think about it for a little while.  She frowned and gazed up at Dr. Larson.

          “I’m not sure about that yet.  I have to think about it.”  Megan replied.

          Dr. Larson nodded.

          “That’s okay.  I’m sure it will come to you when you least expect it.”  She patted Megan’s shoulder gently and then started to take Molly away from Megan so that she could do an examination on her.

          Molly didn’t like this and started to cry.  Hard.

          “Shh, shh,”  Megan soothed, rushing to her sister’s side.  She allowed Dr. Larson to hold her, but she put a comforting arm on Molly’s shoulder.  “Shh, shh, hush now, sweetie.  It’s okay, Molly.  It’s all right. Megan’s here, honey.  You’re okay.  It’s all right.  Everything’s okay.  Megan’s here.  Shh, that’s my girl.  It’s okay.”  Megan then started to sing”There’s Always Another Rainbow” and sure enough that calmed Molly down long enough for Dr. Larson to do the examination.  Once the examination was over, Dr. Larson gave Molly back to Megan.  Megan took her baby sister carefully in her lap and started to sing her to sleep.  It worked and in a matter of ten minutes, Molly was in dreamland once again.

Megan held her for a little while after she had fallen asleep.  She loved Molly so much and she was determined to teach her how to be a sweet and nice person.  She knew her little sister was going to be special.

That night, Megan was just finishing eating dinner that Aunt Abby had brought when Molly smiled at her for the first time.  She looked up at Megan and actually smiled at her!

          Megan was so happy and she grinned right back.  She then bent down and started to tickle Molly gently, making her baby sister squeal with giggles.

          “Aw, now that’s the sound I wanted to hear.  That’s the sound I wanted to hear!”  Megan said laughing herself.  “That’s my little sunshine.  Aw, I love you so much, Molly.”  Megan then picked Molly up and cradled her close.  “Ya know, that’s just the perfect special name for you.  My little sunshine.  That’s what you’ll always be.  I love you so much, Molly Hartson.  I love you so much.  I will always love you, my little sunshine.”  Megan gave Molly another kiss before tucking her in for the night.  “How about you, little one?  Do you like that special name?”

          Molly gurgled and smiled up at Megan.

          “I’m glad,”  Megan said, grinning from ear to ear.  “Because you will always be my little sunshine.  I love you so much.”

About two days later, Megan finally came up with Molly’s middle name.  It came out of her mouth out of nowhere, just like her first name had.  She was trying to get Molly to sleep after Dr. Larson had performed a LP on her to check for a certain disease.  It had come out negative, thank God, but Molly was in tears afterwards.

          “Shh, shh, hush now, my little sunshine.  It’s okay, sweetie.  Megan has you.  You’re safe and sound in my arms where you belong.  It’s okay, Moll.  It’s all right now.  I know, sweetie, I know.  It’s all right, honey.  Megan has you.  Shh.  That’s my little sunshine.  That’s my little sunshine.”  Megan started to sing “There’s Always Another Rainbow”, which calmed Molly down, but not by much.  She was just really tired and in a lot of pain.

          Megan sighed as she picked Molly up and started walking around the room with her, trying to help her feel better. “Aw, what am I going to do with you, Molly Shaianne Hartson, hmmm?”  Megan was smiling even though she was feeling a little tired.  It was then that she realized what she had just said.  “Molly Shaianne Hartson.  That’s perfect.  Just like you.”  Megan then kissed Molly on the cheek and tucked her in for a nap.  As Megan watched her baby sister sleep, Dr. Larson came into check on them.

          “Did Molly calm down?” Dr. Larson asked in concern.

          Megan nodded.

          “Yup.  She’s off to dreamland now.  I finally came up with her middle name.”

          Dr. Larson smiled at Megan.

          “You did?”

          Megan nodded.

          “What is it?”  Dr. Larson asked.

          “Shaianne.  Molly Shaianne Hartson.”

          Dr. Larson smiled.

          “That’s perfect.”  Dr. Larson said.

          Megan nodded and smiled as she sat down to watch her little sunshine sleep. . . .. .

Exactly one year later, Megan was spending the night at her Aunt Abby’s house as was her younger sister, Julie, who was four and their new little sister, Molly, who was just sixteen months old.  The girls had been living with Aunt Abby since their mother, Lisa had abandoned them a year ago.  Abby was trying to get custody of them, but the court system was being rather difficult about it.  Abby loved her three nieces with all her heart and she wanted to see them happy and healthy.

          Megan sighed in frustration as she tried to calm her youngest sister down.  Molly was teething and had a small fever, so Megan had her hands full.  Thank goodness Aunt Abby was there to help her. 

Julie, who was just four years old, was sitting in the living room, reading.  She liked looking at picture books and she wanted Megan to read to her, but she knew that Megan had to take care of their little sister first.

          As Danny walked passed Megan, he grabbed Molly’s stuffed golden retriever, Brandon, out of her hand.

          Molly started to cry.

          Megan glared at Danny and gave him the silent signal to quit while he was ahead. 

Danny glared at Megan, but gave Molly back what was hers and left the room.

          Megan sighed and went to see if she could calm her little sunshine down.

          “Shh, shh, hush now, my little sunshine.  SHh, shh, hush now, sweetie.  Megan has you now.  You’re safe and sound where you belong.  Safe and sound in my arms.  It’s okay, honey.  It’s all right.  Shh, sweetie.  Aw, up you come, Moll.”  She picked Molly up and cradled her close.  As Megan walked around the room with her baby sister in her arms, Molly reached out and touched the Rainbow of Light.

          Megan knew what that meant and she was sorry she couldn’t give her baby sister what she was asking for.

          “I’m sorry, sweetie.  I know who you want to see, but not right now.  We’ll see her tomorrow.  I promise.  It’s all right.  SHh, shh, hush now, honey.  You’re okay.”

          Just then, Molly, feeling ignored, even though Megan was holding her and talking to her, blurted out something that made Megan’s jaw about hit the ground and caused Julie to ask something that Megan wasn’t ready to answer.

          “Firefy!”

          Megan’s jaw about hit the ground.  Molly knew how to say Mama and Megan’s name, but that was about it.  She knew little words like cat and dog and cup, but she was still learning.  She wasn’t saying full sentences yet, but Megan knew that would come in time.

          Before Megan could praise Molly for what she had said, Molly said Firefly’s name again and started to cry again.  she then threw up from being upset, which made her cry harder.

          “Shh, shh, hush now, my little sunshine.  SHh, it’s okay, Molly.  It’s all right.  I know, honey, Megan knows.  I know you want to see Firefly, but we can’t right now.  I’m sorry, sweetheart.”  Megan cleaned Molly up and started to rock her while singing “There’s Always Another Rainbow”.  As Megan was getting Molly back to sleep, Julie asked,  “Megan, can you take me to Ponyland please?”

          Before Megan could answer, Molly started to cry again and say she wanted Firefly.  Of course she just kept saying “Firefy!  Want Firefy!”  But Megan knew what it meant all  the same.  She didn’t have to say it properly yet.

          Megan sighed.  She really didn’t want to answer that question right about now.  It was true that Megan was planning on taking Julie to Ponyland soon, but not right now.

“Megan!”  Julie said, feeling ignored.

“Little one. . . .”  Megan said warningly, using her special name for her younger sister.  “I’m not in the mood right now, okay?  Just relax for now and after I get Molly tucked in, I’ll tuck you in.”

Julie nodded and glared at her older sister.

“I’m not tired,”  Julie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Megan sighed.

“It’s way passed your bedtime anyway.”

Julie nodded, but didn’t answer.  She really did want to have cuddle time with Megan, but she didn’t want to go to bed.

Just then, Molly cried,  “Want Firefy!  Want Firefy!”

          “I promise we’ll see Firefly tomorrow,”  Megan said.  She gave Molly a kiss on her cheek and hugged her close.  “Shh, hush now, my little sunshine.  It’s okay.  It’s all right.  We’ll all see Firefly tomorrow.”

Julie beamed at this.

“You mean you’ll take me to Ponyland to see Medley?”  Julie really loved Medley.  She had known Medley for six months now and she really loved her a lot.  She was her best pony friend.

Megan smiled.

“Yup.  But you have to get ready for bed like a good girl and go right to sleep, okay?  Will you do that for me, little one?”

Julie nodded.

“Aw, that’s my girl.”  Megan smiled as she patted Julie’s shoulder lovingly.  She really did love her little one very much.  Julie and Molly meant so much to her.  Megan was determined more than ever to keep her little sisters with her and as happy and as safe as they could be. Even if that meant taking them to Ponyland for good.  Megan was ready to do this if the court system wasn’t going to let Aunt Abby adopt them.

Early the next morning, Firefly came down to the house, followed by Medley.  They were being extremely quiet.  They didn’t want to wake anyone up. 

Megan took Molly and climbed on Firefly while Julie threw her arms around Medley’s neck for a hug.  She had really missed her over the last few weeks.

“Aw, how are you, my sweet little bluebird?”  Medley asked, using her special name for Julie as she nuzzled her gently.

Julie grinned.

“Fine.  Can we take a flight when we get home, please?”

Medley smiled and nodded.

“We sure can.”

          Firefly smiled as she nuzzled Megan and then Molly and Julie.

“How’s my Jules doing today?”

Julie smiled.

“Good!”

“Aw, that’s good.”  Firefly then turned her attention to Megan and Molly.  “And how are my sweet girl and my precious peanut today?”  Firefly asked, nuzzling them both gently as Megan patted her mane.

Megan shrugged as she held onto Molly protectively so that she wouldn’t fall off.

“We’re all right.  My little sunshine missed you.  She said your name last night.”

Firefly’s jaw was about on the ground!

Megan almost giggled.

“Actually, she said Firefy, but it’s close enough.”

“You’ve got that right,”  Firefly said, smiling gently at her precious peanut.

Megan frowned as she dismounted from Firefly and prepared to take Molly back into the house.

“Unfortunately, Molly came down with a fever a few hours ago and Aunt Abby wants to look after her.  I’ll bring her next time, I promise.”

Firefly nodded.  She could feel the heat radiating off Molly when she had nuzzled her.  She nuzzled her precious peanut again before Megan took her back into the house. 

As Megan set Molly in Aunt Abby’s arms, Molly started to cry.

“Firefy!!  Want Firefy!!”

“Shh, shh, hush now, my little sunshine,”  Megan said.  “Hush now, sweetie.  It’s okay, honey.  I’ll take you with me next time.  I promise.  I love you, sweetie.  Be a good girl for Aunt Abby.”  Megan then gave Molly a kiss and patted her shoulder before going back outside and jumping on Firefly’s back once again.

“Is Molly going to be okay?”  Firefly asked.

Megan nodded.

“Yup.  She’s going to be fine.  I think I’ll bring her to Ponyland as one of her presents for her second birthday.  It’s not that far away.”

Firefly smiled.

“That’s a great idea!!”  With that, she took off towards the Rainbow and Ponyland.  She knew her sweet girl needed a break and she was going to take her home for one.

Medley felt the same way about Julie.  She knew the two girls were going through a hard time and she loved Megan and Julie and Molly very much.  She wanted to see all three girls happy and safe.  Firefly felt the same way.

          When they got back to Ponyland, Firefly took Megan for a flight while Medley took Julie on one.

          “So how are things going?”  Firefly asked, nuzzling Megan gently.

          Megan sighed.

          “Okay.  We’re living with Aunt Abby now, so everything’s all right.  The girls like it and I feel safer knowing that they’re safe when I come here alone.”

          Firefly nodded.

          “Everything’s going to be okay, I promise,”  Firefly then did her double inside out loop, earning a giggle from Megan.  Firefly loved it when her sweet girl was happy and she loved hearing her laugh.

          When they returned ot Dream Castle, Megan had a snack with Julie and the little ponies and then she went on another flight with Firefly before Firefly and Medley took her and Julie back home.

Later that night, Megan smield as she watched Molly slep.  She really loved her a lot and she was convinced that Molly was agift from above.  All children and baby ponies were gifts from God, but Megan was sure that Molly was going to be a special little girl as she got older.

          “Sweet dreams, my little sunshine,”  Megan said, giving Molly a kiss. “Megan loves you so much.  I’ll see you in the morning.”  With that, Megan went to get ready for bed herself.  It had been a long day. Fun, but long.  And Megan wanted to be ready for the next one.  She knew it was going to be a nice one.  After all, there was always another Rainbow around the bend and if you looked hard enough, you could find a Rainbow anywhere.

THE END