Hold Me Now
by: Seven of Nine


From the glass alabaster she poured out the depths of her soul.



Alexia shut the door. The doctor had just left, and he had told her something that she never wished to hear. When she was twelve, a man in his forties named Nicky took her in and raised her a prostitute. Now, seven years later, she had found out that she was ten weeks pregnant. This was her second pregnancy, but Nicky made her have an abortion against her will the first time.

Anger burned fiercely inside her. Ever since Nicky took her in she had been ripping out pieces of her heart and giving it to men who only wanted her for her looks. She had chestnut colored hair and violet eyes, one of the finest girls in Albany. But Alexia wished that she was ugly and homeless, for anything would be better than living in this house where men paid much to see her. And what did she get out of it? A few bruises, no money and another piece of her heart ripped out.

As she shut the door, she leaned against it and sniffled. I can’t bear to live here another day, she pondered. But where could she go? Her parents had died, and she lived with her uncle, who had abandoned her at twelve. There was no place she could go, and if she escaped, Nicky would hunt her down like a dog does a rabbit.

I don’t care if he does hunt me down, Alexia told herself, I’m leaving this place. She ran to her bed and pulled out a little sack. She put a dress, blouse and skirt in the sack and opened her window. She didn’t see Arthur, Nicky’s guard, anywhere.

Sure that the coast was clear, Alexia grabbed the drainpipe that was only a foot away from her window and swung on it. She slid down the pipe until she got to the ground. When she was on the ground, she broke into a run. She didn’t know where she was headed, but she knew exactly where she wanted to go, and that was New York City.

* * *

O foot of Christ would you wait if her harlotries known?


Kloppman put his newspaper down. The newsies were probably all asleep by then, and he was about to turn in himself. A crash of thunder shook the lodging house, but Kloppman didn’t care. He was just about to blow out the candle when the door was flung aside and a thin, frail girl stood in the doorway.

Kloppman was surprised to see a girl there at that time of night. Before he could say anything, the girl dropped her sack, ran towards him, threw herself onto the ground in front of his feet and sobbed.

“Please mister, give me a place to stay!” she sobbed.

Kloppman leaned down and touched the girl gently. She was soaking wet, and trembling hard.

“Don’t worry, child. I have one room where you can stay.” Kloppman said gently.

The girl looked up and sniffled. “Thank you so much sir!” she exclaimed.

She got up and grabbed her bag. Kloppman led her to the spare room that he kept for the newsies when they were sick or hurt. Inside, there was a small bed and nightstand.

“You can have this room.” Kloppman told the girl. “Now, what’s yer name?”

“Alexia.” The girl answered.

“You can stay here for as long as you want, Alexia. But, I hafta warn you; this is the newsies’ lodging house. They will be a little noisy in the morning, if you don’t mind.”

“Anything’s fine with me, as long as I’m away from that freak Nicky.”

“Who’s Nicky?”

Alexia sat down on the bed and looked at her feet. “I’m running away from him. I came from Albany, and when he realizes I’m gone he’s gonna hunt me down till he can find me.”

Kloppman sat down next to her. “Why?”

Alexia let out a heavy sigh. “I used to work for him, but I didn’t get anything out of it except for a torn heart and bruises. Nicky got to keep all the money for himself.”

Kloppman was shocked. This girl seemed nice, not a bit like a harlot. But, when he looked into her eyes he saw that she was deathly afraid, and Kloppman had a soft heart.

“You can still stay, and I won’t let anyone by the name of Nicky come near you.”

Alexia looked up and smiled. “Thank you so much, mister-”

“Kloppman.”

“Thank you, Kloppman.”

Kloppman nodded and left the room. Alexia hated men, but for Kloppman she’d make an exception. She had only just met him and he treated her like his granddaughter. Alexia yawned, for she hadn’t rested all day; and she lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep.

* * *

Falls a tear to darken the dirt. Of humblest offerings to forgive the hurt.


“Everybody up! Carry yer banners! Sell da papers!” Kloppman shouted.

Cleopatra moaned and rolled over on her bunk. She didn’t want to get up, but she had to work. She stuck her hand under her pillow and pulled out her Bible. She had just bought it, and every day she’d open it up and read one verse to start her morning. She opened it up to the book of Proverbs, chapter 31. This was one of Cleopatra’s favorite chapters, but she still read it anyway.

She closed the book and put it back under her pillow. She changed quickly and rushed down the stairs to head for the newspaper factory. When she jumped outside, she heard someone on the other side of the building. As she passed by, she saw some girl leaning down with her face behind a box. Her hands were nowhere near her face, so Cleopatra guessed that the girl was just sick.

She ran to the factory and got fifty papers. She and Bumlets worked together and sold their papers quickly that day, so they headed back to the lodging house. When they arrived, Cleopatra saw the girl that she had seen earlier. She was talking with Kloppman, and she looked a little pale. Kloppman also looked a little concerned.

“Hey Kloppman.” Cleopatra said.

Kloppman turned to her and Bumlets. “Afternoon, guys. I’ll take it there was a good headline?”

“Best in the past few weeks.” Bumlets answered.

Kloppman turned to the girl. “Alexia,” he said, “these two are Cleopatra and Bumlets. Guys, this is Alexia, she’s gonna be staying with us for a while.”

Alexia nodded to them and went to the spare room. When she shut the door, Cleopatra walked up to Kloppman.

“Is she okay? She looks like she’s sick.” She pointed out.

Kloppman sighed. “She ain’t sick, she’s pregnant.”

Cleopatra froze. She didn’t see a ring on Alexia’s finger, so there were only three more conclusions she could come up with. She smiled to try and hide her concern, but it didn’t work out as well as she thought.

“Well, we’s goin’ upstairs. See ya around.” She said.

Cleopatra followed Bumlets up the stairs. No one was up there, so they could talk about anything that they wanted.

“Boy, I feel real sorry fer Alexia.” Bumlets said.

“I know. She doesn’t look pregnant, but she could be underweight and it can’t show right now.” Cleopatra replied.

Bumlets nodded and went off to read. Cleopatra went to her bunk and pulled out her Bible. She continued to read where she had left off that morning, and she could hear something.

“Talk to Alexia.” A quiet voice inside her said.

Cleopatra was puzzled, but then she remembered what Alexia was going through, and maybe it was the right thing for her to do. Picking up her Bible, she walked down the stairs to the spare room. She knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

“Come in.”

Cleopatra opened the door and found Alexia sitting on the bed, pulling the petals off a rose. She looked up and saw Cleopatra standing there.

“Cleopatra, right?” Alexia asked.

Cleopatra nodded. “That’s right.”

She looked at the rose, or what was left of it, in Alexia’s hand. It only had two petals left on it, and she was holding a petal in her hand. She dropped the petal on the ground, and it landed in a pile of other picked petals.

“Are you doing the ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ routine?” Cleopatra asked.

Alexia shook her head. “No. This rose, or what’s left of it, is all that’s left of my heart.”

Cleopatra sat down in a chair that Kloppman had brought in earlier. She clutched the Bible close to her chest, for she felt a little sad about the rose.

“Why do you say that?” Cleopatra asked.

Alexia pulled off another petal, leaving only one left on the scrawny stem. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”

“If you tell me, I could.”

“You wouldn’t like my story, and if I told you, you wouldn’t like me.”

Cleopatra could hear that small voice in her speak again.

“Tell her you want to be her friend.” the voice said.

Cleopatra sighed. She would like Alexia to be her friend, but she didn’t think that it was what Alexia wanted.

“I would like you.” Cleopatra said. “I wanna be yer friend, an’ if we wanna be friends, you can tell me anything.”

Alexia dropped the petal on the floor. “I never said I wanted to be your friend, and once you hear my story you will not want to be my friend.”

“Well, perhaps you would like to talk to Bumlets. He’s-”

Alexia turned pale. “No! I mean, no. I don’t do well around men.”

“Then perhaps I’m the one you can talk to.”

Alexia pulled the last petal off the rose and dropped it on the ground. She held the stem close to her heart and sighed.

“All right.” She said. “I’ll tell you my story. When I was eight my parents died, and my uncle took care of me. Then, he abandoned me, and I fell under Nicky Carlson’s care. He trained me to be a harlot, and for seven years he’d have men pay at least five dollars to enter my room. I finally had too much of it and I ran away. Now, I’m ten weeks pregnant and Kloppman’s been sweet enough to keep me here till my baby comes.”

Cleopatra scratched the back of her head. “You’re right, it is a sad story, but I still want to be your friend.”

Alexia dropped the stem on the pile of rose petals and leaned back. “Look what I’ve done with this rose. I’ve pulled off all the petals, and now there’s nothing left but the stem. As I worked with the men, each man would tear a piece of my heart away and use it in a way that I didn’t like. And what did I get? A few bruises, an occasional black eye, but I never got any money, and I’d always end up with a torn heart.”

Cleopatra got up and walked over to Alexia. She took her hand and squeezed it.

“I’m glad you told me this, Alexia. I have a solution to your problems.”

Cleopatra handed her the black Bible and placed it in Alexia’s hands. Alexia dropped it onto the mattress.

“Oh, come off it, Cleopatra. I stopped reading the Bible a long time ago. And by the way, what kind of a stupid name is Cleopatra? It’s driving me crazy.”

Cleopatra blushed. “It’s not my real name; as a newsie, we go by our nicknames. My nickname is Cleopatra.”

Alexia looked at her. “Well, what’s your real name?”

Cleopatra looked at her feet. “The last time I told someone, he told me he loved me and left me with a broken heart.”

“Then we’re almost even. So, what is your real name?”

“Eleanor.”

“How does Ellie work for you?”

“You can call me whatever you want.”

“Okay, Ellie. So, where’d you get the name Cleopatra?”

“My best friend, Marty, said that I reminded her of an Egyptian goddess.”

“Okay. So, what happened that day?”

“A young man named Spot Conlon came up to me and told me he loved me. I didn’t love him, but he wouldn’t believe me when I told him. I ran away and I could hear him crying out. The next day he found me with Bumlets and lost his temper. I had to stop him and tell him how I really felt.”

“That’s nothing compared to what I had to go through.”

“I know.”

They were quiet for a while, then Cleopatra picked up her Bible again and placed it on Alexia’s lap.

“Listen, this really helped me when I went through that with Spot, and I think it’ll work for you too.” She told her.

Alexia sighed and put the book on the nightstand. “Thanks.”

Cleopatra nodded. “If you want anyone ta talk to, I’m right upstairs, and I’ll be happy to talk with you.”

Alexia exhaled. “Okay.”

Cleopatra smiled, then she left the room.

* * *

She is strong enough to stand in your love, I can hear her say…


Alexia totally ignored the book on the nightstand. It was getting late, and she was bored out of her mind. She decided to walk around the building since all she could do was sit down all day. She opened the door and looked out. She could hear conversations from the room above her. Kloppman wasn’t there, so she left the building and took a deep breath.

It felt good to breathe outside of that stuffy lodging house, but she came out to stretch her legs, not admire her surroundings. She turned the corner and saw Cleopatra with Bumlets, and they were kissing. At first, Alexia was surprised, then she felt sad and envious. In seven years, she had at least thousands of kisses, but they were all in lust, not in love.

Seeing how happy Cleopatra was made her envious because she was getting a kiss out of love, and not like the ones that she had received. She forgot about her tired legs and ran back into the building. Still no one was there, so she rushed through the room to her room. She closed the door behind her, then she threw herself onto the bed and sobbed.

Here she was, penniless, tired, and pregnant. She felt like her life was over. She had almost no talents except for her imagination. When she was locked up in that house in Albany, she dreamed of many nights escaping that house and settling down with a man and having their own family. Now, her dreams seemed shattered, just like her heart. She continued to cry when she heard the door open. She stopped and saw Cleopatra standing there.

“Alexia? Are you okay?” she asked.

Alexia wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s not fair.” She said.

“What’s not fair?” Cleopatra inquired.

She sat down on the bed and looked at Alexia. Something was pulling at her, and it was tearing her apart. Alexia gulped when she had an answer to Cleopatra’s question.

“I saw you out there with that boy.” She blurted out.

Cleopatra seemed confused. “What’s wrong with that?”

“What’s wrong? There’s nothing wrong except the fact that no man’s ever kissed me like that. They’d kiss me without love. Look at yourself. You’ve got a man who loves you.”

Alexia broke down in tears again. Cleopatra didn’t know what to do. She looked away from Alexia and saw her Bible on the nightstand. She reached over and grabbed it. She put it next to Alexia.

“I don’t know what I can tell you, but this book can.” she said gently.

Cleopatra quietly stood up and left the room. When Alexia finally pulled her face out of the blankets she noticed that Cleopatra was gone. She didn’t know what to do, but when she saw that black book with gold printing on the cover, she felt as if she needed to read it. Without hesitation, she took the book and began to read.

* * *

I’m weak, I’m poor, I’m broken Lord, but I’m yours. Hold me now…hold me now…


The next morning when Cleopatra woke up, she couldn’t find her Bible. Then, she remembered that Alexia had it. She knew that she could last one morning without it, and that Alexia needed it more than she did. As soon as she and Bumlets were finished selling their papers, Cleopatra rushed back to the lodging house to check on Alexia. She knocked on the door and Alexia told her to come in. When she opened the door, she found Alexia sitting Indian-style on her bed, reading her Bible. Cleopatra was glad that Alexia took her advice.

“Oh, hi Ellie.” Alexia said, not taking her eyes off the book.

“Hi Alexia. How’s it comin’ with the book?” Cleopatra asked.

Alexia looked away from the book and smiled. “Last night I couldn’t sleep, then I read this book. It’s helped me a lot.”

“That’s great!” Cleopatra exclaimed.

“Last night when I opened it up, I felt like this was a stupid book, then when I read it, it changed me. Before, I was just a girl filled with anger, hate and guilt, but now, Jesus has changed me. I’m changed forever.”

Cleopatra threw her arms around Alexia. “I told you the book was better than me! It changed my life too!”

Alexia smiled. “From now on, I’m not gonna sell my body for anything. I’m gonna have this baby, then I’m gonna live a different life.”

“Are you gonna keep your baby?”

“Probably.”

“Well, lets go through this book and let’s study some more.”

* * *

Let he without sin, cast the first stone if you will.


Six months passed. Alexia’s faith grew more and more each day. Soon, she had forgotten about Nicky and concentrated on watching her diet because she didn’t want to hurt her child. She grew to be the newsies’ friends, and they all treated her like a big sister. Sometimes when Cleopatra would come downstairs to read with her she’d bring along a friend or two.

Jack was a big help in making sure that no one crowded around her when they wanted to talk to her. Dutchy let his collie, Hunter, who he had just recently brought in, stay with her and watch over her. Grace loaned her some books to keep her from dying over boredom. Once in a while Kloppman would come by and tell her some stories.

Alexia was happy, but she was in for a surprise one morning. Cleopatra had woken up earlier that morning, and it was around three. For some reason, she felt that she needed to go downstairs and check on Alexia. She threw her covers aside and walked quietly down the stairs. She opened the door to Alexia’s room and found her crying.

“Alexia? Are you okay?” she asked.

Alexia shook her head. “I saw their faces.”

Cleopatra looked confused. “Whose faces?”

Alexia sniffled. “The faces of Nicky and the other men who paid to see me. It’s scaring me, Ellie!”

Alexia broke down and sobbed. Cleopatra put her arm around her and tried to calm her down.

“It’s all right, Alexia, it was only a dream.”

“But it seemed so real!”

“Sometimes nightmares can seem real. Just pray about it and go back to sleep.”

Alexia nodded. “Okay.”

“See ya in the morning.” Cleopatra said, then she turned and left the room.

* * *

To say that my bride isn’t worth half the blood that I’ve spilled.


Cleopatra woke up four hours later. She could hear Kloppman coming up the stairs. The door opened, then she heard Kloppman turn around and leave the door open. She heard his footsteps going down the stairs again, and she could hear someone else in the room.

“What do you want?” she heard Kloppman say.

“I want to see Alexia. I’ve heard that she is staying here.” Someone with a deep voice answered.

Cleopatra froze and looked over at Bumlets. He was just waking up, and he seemed to understand what was going on too. Cleopatra set her head on her pillow and listened to the conversation.

“There’s no one here named Alexia.” Kloppman lied. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, the newsies have to wake up now.”

“Don’t try to fool me, old man.” Nicky snapped. “I know she’s here, and if you don’t bring her out I will have to use force.”

Cleopatra shuddered. From what Alexia had told her, Nicky would do as he said. Just as she feared the worst, she heard a door open downstairs. Cleopatra knew it was Alexia.

“What are you doing here?” Alexia exclaimed.

“You know why.” Nicky said coolly.

Cleopatra looked at Bumlets. Bumlets looked at her. Cleopatra looked around. Everyone was waking up now, and with the door open, they would hear what was going on. Jack got off his bunk and spoke softly.

“Everyone get dressed. As soon as that thug leaves we’ll get goin’.” He told them.

Cleopatra did as she was told, but she also listened to the conversation downstairs. God, she prayed, Alexia’s in a pickle right now, and I wanna pray that you’ll be with her and help her get rid of Nicky. When she finished praying, she could hear anger growing in Alexia’s tone.

“I ain’t goin’ back, Nicky!” she snapped.

“Yes you are!” Nicky shot at her. “As soon as you have that baby you’re gonna give it to an orphanage and come back to Albany.”

“I told you I ain’t gonna go back! And no, I’m gonna keep this baby an’ there’s nothin’ you can do to stop me!”

“I stopped you the first time you were pregnant!”

Cleopatra couldn’t believe what she had heard. Everyone else in the room seemed shocked with her. Alexia never told me she was pregnant before, she thought. Alexia’s argument was getting more complicated now.

“That’s why I ran away! I wasn’t gonna have you kill this one like you did the last!”

“Whether you like it or not, I’m taking you back with whatever force I have.”

Cleopatra then heard Alexia calling Nicky a hand load of foul names. She covered her ears and prayed that Jesus would strengthen Alexia at that time. When the foul language finally stopped, Cleopatra took her hands off her ears. Alexia seemed to be wrapping it up.

“I’m a changed woman, Nicky. I’m no longer someone who’s gonna sleep with men and give away pieces of my shattered heart. That’s against what I believe now!”

“Your belief is false. There’s no god, and this belief is wrecking your mind. Can’t you see how wonderful your job is?”

“Shut up, Nicky! The devil’s speaking, not you! I’m not going with you and that’s FINAL!”

There was silence. Every newsie stopped what they were doing and listened. Then, they heard a door slam. Cleopatra ran to the door and scampered down the stairs. She found Alexia leaning against the wall, breathing hard.

“Alexia! You did it!” Cleopatra exclaimed.

She hugged Alexia, then she cried out in pain. Cleopatra jerked back and looked at her friend. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and she was gripping the side of her stomach. She slumped to the ground and cried out in pain again. Bumlets and a few more newsies came running down the stairs.

“What’s going on?” Kloppman demanded.

Alexia cried out again. “I don’t know!” she whimpered. “I’ve felt this way since four this morning!”

Kloppman rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. Her skin was moist and clammy, and she cried out again. Kloppman’s eyes popped open when he came to a conclusion.

“Someone get a carriage, fast!” he shouted.

Alexia cried out again. Snitch ran out the door and did what Kloppman told him too.

“What’s wrong with her?” Cleopatra asked Kloppman.

“From what’s goin’ on, I’d say she’s havin’ her baby.”

“What?” Alexia exclaimed, then she gripped her side and cried out again.

“It’s not due for another two weeks!” Cleopatra said.

“Two weeks or no two weeks, this baby’s comin’!” Kloppman said.

The carriage arrived in five minutes and took Alexia away. When she was gone, Kloppman told the newsies to sell their papers. As Cleopatra headed to the newspaper factory, she prayed that Alexia would be okay.

* * *

Point your finger and laugh if you choose. To say my beloved is borrowed and used. She is strong enough to stand in my love, I can hear her say…


It took Cleopatra and Bumlets nine hours to sell all their newspapers. When they were finished, they rushed to the hospital to check on Alexia. Cleopatra ran to the front desk to ask where Alexia was.

“Room 408, maternity ward. She had her baby five minutes ago.” The nurse told them.

Cleopatra sighed with relief. She felt Bumlets’ hand on her shoulder and she followed him to the maternity ward. Cleopatra knocked on the door, and they heard a doctor say it was okay to come in. She opened the door and found a doctor handing Alexia a little bundle. Alexia looked at the baby, then noticed Cleopatra and Bumlets.

“Hi.” She said, her voice hoarse.

Cleopatra smiled and walked over to Alexia. Her baby was so beautiful; it had violet eyes, just like its mother.

“It’s a girl.” Alexia told them.

Cleopatra poked her finger around the baby’s face. Her eyes followed Cleopatra’s finger. She laughed softly.

“Wanna hold her?” Alexia asked.

“Sure.”

Alexia handed Cleopatra the baby. She looked at the baby and just about melted. Bumlets also seemed entranced by the baby.

“She’s beautiful, Alexia.” Bumlets said.

Alexia smiled, then she turned pale. Cleopatra froze. Alexia then started to shake tremendously.

“Alexia?” Cleopatra asked.

The doctor in the room rushed to her side. He checked her out, then called a nurse.

“Get her to another room, she having seizures.”

Cleopatra felt like her legs would give out when she saw Alexia being wheeled away down the hall. When she was gone, she felt a nurse touch her gently.

“I have to take the baby now.” She said.

Cleopatra handed her the baby. The nurse held it gently.

“I think you should leave, Alexia’s gonna be fine.”

Cleopatra hoped and prayed that the nurse was right.

* * *

I’m weak, I’m poor, I’m broken Lord, but I’m yours. Hold me now…Hold me now…


Alexia had been shaking uncontrollably for eleven hours straight. The doctors were working around the clock trying to determine what was wrong with her. All she could think of was her baby. Pain was shooting like electricity through her body. Her head throbbed, and she couldn’t stop shaking.

In the room, she could see the doctor trying to get her to stop shaking when she saw a light. She looked closer at the light and saw what looked like a handsome young man, shining with the light.

“Hello Alexia.” He said.

His voice was soft and gentle. Alexia knew her time was short. With her last few breaths, she called the doctor. The doctor rushed to her side.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Tell…Ellie…to…take…care…of…my…baby.” She stuttered.

When she finished talking, she stopped shaking. Pain was shooting through her body faster and more harshly, but she saw the young man reaching out to her.

“It’s time for you to come home, Alexia.” He said.

Alexia reached out and took his hand. The pain stopped, and she followed him into the light.

* * *

When I’m weak, and I’m poor, and I’m broken Lord, but I am yours. Hold me now…Hold me now…


“Who’s Ellie?” the doctor asked Alexia.

Alexia suddenly stopped shaking. Her pupils were dilating, but she was looking straight forward. She reached out as if to grab something.

“Doctor,” the nurse said, “something’s goin’ on.”

“I know.” The doctor replied.

He turned back to Alexia. She was still looking forward with her hand outstretched in front of her. Her lips slowly curved into a smile, then her eyes rolled back into her head and her arm dropped limply off the side of the bed. Her chest raised up once, then, it stopped.

“Doctor, we’re losing her!” the nurse announced.

The doctor cursed under his breath. He got on the bed, placed his hands on her heart and tried to get her heart going. He tried for ten minutes, but nothing happened. The nurse came by and looked at him with compassion.

“She’s gone.”

The doctor sighed and got off the cot. Alexia looked so happy even though she would never breathe again.

“This is one patient I’ll never forget.”

* * *

When I am weak, and I’m poor, and I’m broken Lord, but I’m yours. Hold me now…Hold me now…


Bumlets gently shook Cleopatra. She gasped and lurched up. Bumlets covered her mouth with his hand.

“It’s okay, Cleopatra. It’s just me.”

Cleopatra nodded. It was still dark, but Bumlets was fully dressed, and no one else was awake.

“Hurry up and get dressed, Cleopatra. We’s goin’ ta see Alexia.” He told her.

“At this hour?”

“We won’t be able to see her if we wait.”

Cleopatra got out of bed and threw her clothes on quickly. Then, she and Bumlets quietly ran out of the lodging house and headed for the hospital. When they arrived, they headed straight for the maternity ward to see Alexia’s baby. Cleopatra saw her and pointed her out to Bumlets. They stood there; admiring the baby until a doctor came and interrupted them.

“Are you Ellie?” he asked Cleopatra.

“That’s me.” she answered. “How’s Alexia?”

The doctor sighed. “She fought all night, but a half an hour ago she had enough.”

Cleopatra was struck dumb.

“Alexia…”

“I’m sorry.”

Cleopatra froze. Alexia, her special friend, was now in heaven. She was sad, yet happy for her friend. She threw her arms around Bumlets and let her tears fall.

“Alexia said that she wanted you to take care of her child.” The doctor continued.

Cleopatra sniffled and nodded. “I’ll do that.”

The doctor nodded and walked away. Bumlets hugged Cleopatra and looked at Alexia’s baby.

“Since she’s yer kid now, what’re ya gonna name ‘er?” he asked.

Cleopatra wiped her eyes and looked at the baby. She looked some much like her mother. Cleopatra wanted to name her after her mother, but she came up with one that seemed to suit her.

“How ‘bout Alexis?”

Bumlets smiled. “She’s all yers, you can name ‘er anything ya want.”

Cleopatra nodded. “Then that’s what I’ll name ‘er. I’m gonna hafta write my ma an’ have ‘er take care a Alexis fer a while.”

“Hey, it’s almost morning. Kloppman’s probably gettin’ ready ta wake everyone up.”

Cleopatra looked at Alexis just once more before she agreed. She decided that when she had a husband or was old enough to take care of her she would tell her Alexia’s story, and how wise she was when she read her Bible.


Hold Me Now- words and music by Jennifer Knapp