Whispered Prayers

by Alex Grayson

Her hand moves in mine, and I wrap my fingers around hers, then push her hair back behind her ear. “I love you, Kelsey. I miss hearing your sweet voice so much,” I say tenderly. “Will you let me hear it?” I hold my breath, praying with every fiber of my being that she’ll open her mouth and say something. When she just lies there, her eyes still on mine but giving no indication she’s going to talk, my heart sinks. The bed moves slightly, and before I’m ready to let her go, Kelsey’s rolling to her back, dislodging my hand, then sitting up. Daniel takes her place and bounces to the middle of the bed. I’m not sure how it happened; when we went to sleep last night, he was in the middle of the bed with me and Kelsey on the outsides. I’m hoping it was Kelsey that moved to the middle because she wanted to be by her momma. “Hey, kid.” I grin and ruffle his hair. He giggles, and I throw my arm around his middle and drag him to me. Dipping my head, I growl into his stomach, causing him to burst out into laughter. Hearing the sound loosens the knot in my stomach. When I pull my head back, he leans down and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning, Mama.”