I was seven years old when our next door neighbors had their first baby. They named her Eden and she was your typical bouncy baby girl but maybe a little on the light side at just under five pounds.
By the time she was three she'd been in and out of doctor's offices with growth problems and eventually she was diagnosed with a variation of Turner Syndrome. For the most part it meant that Eden would be a smaller person but it also manifested with a severe scoliosis. Meaning her back was twisting.
The treatment was a very restrictive back brace that she'd wear through to adulthood and the once bouncy baby became quiet and withdrawn as the pain inflicted by the brace affected her personality. She could never get comfortable and was always lacking sleep and her parents were at their wits end. Their beautiful baby girl was tearing their marriage apart.
One fine Friday Eden's parents needed to take an evening off so they left her in the care of my family. We had a decent enough time with the little girl but as the night wore on she was getting tired. I was reclining on the couch and Eden crawled up on me, laid herself down on me with her belly against mine and where she was finally comfortable she slipped into a deep sleep.
I knew how important this was and I put aside my own selfish concerns to let the girl sleep.
By the time her parents arrived after 10pm both Eden and I were fast asleep. My mother told me that Eden's mother cried at seeing her daughter sleeping peacefully and it was decided to leave the two of us until the morning.
In due time Eden was taking naps with me almost daily. It wasn't uncommon for her to stay overnight on the couch with me so she could sleep. Her parent's marriage situation improved and they had a second baby girl who was perfect in every way.
Over the years I saw Eden as 'my' girl and when I left for the Marines my eleven year old girl cried. But with her back being in better shape due to the brace treatment she didn't need me as much as before. Or so I thought.
It was eight years before I returned to civilian life and came home to stay. It's not like I didn't get leave every now and again but with the war it was hard to get leave and make the trip home. As fortune would have it I made it home in time for a very cold and snowy Thanksgiving holiday.
As a result of the Turner Syndrome my Eden was quite the elf. She was very small but with the obvious fullness of a woman. She had an air of calm about her that I found captivating in an entirely new way. Her back problem and the subsequent treatments had blessedly left her with perfect posture and she was also quite elegant and regal in her appearance.
It was a bit of a shock to me when I realized that I was kind of smitten with my long time friend.
We didn't have much time to talk in the midst of preparations for the upcoming holiday. Still, we saw each other often enough and smiles and hugs were exchanged almost constantly.
Our families came together for what my military mind saw as a joint operation; Thanksgiving dinner. It was a happy and warm dinner and all through the evening I would look in Eden's direction and see her looking back at me.
Due to unexpected guests it was decided at the last minute that I'd be staying over at Eden's house for the night. I'd sleep on their couch recliner for the night. I'd slept in worse situations so this was really no hardship for me.
After doing my usual bathroom duties at home I went over to Eden's house for the night. I got into my usual night time outfit of a t-shirt and boxers, grabbed a blanket, reclined, and turned on the TV to catch up with the culture. I'd just gotten my toes warm when I heard the sound of light footsteps on the stairs.
"Hey." said Eden. She was wearing a flannel sleepshirt and her legs and feet were bare. I found myself pushing away a sudden flood of improper thoughts.
I smiled at her. "Hey, yourself. Whatcha' doin' up so late?"
She fidgeted as she looked at me. "Can't sleep. My fucking back hurts."
There was a question in how she spoke to me.
"You need me to hold you so you can sleep?"
