hunnyfresh - Letters from War

"But you'll be going on the rink soon."

"But ev'body else isn't wearing it," he pointed out petulantly.

Sure enough, Henry was the only child completely decked out in winter wear for the indoor rink. Pink princess jackets and red and black power rangers jackets were left hanging on hooks as the children wore their snow pants and sweaters. Regina frowned. "I don't want you to get sick, dear."

"I won't," he promised, crossing his heart.

Sighing, she nodded and moved to unzip his jacket, helping his arms free until he was in his knitted sweater and suspended snow pants. He grinned happily and scooted his way off the bench before tugging Regina's hand down in his stead. "Your turn."

She shook her head affectionately before taking a seat and quickly lacing up her old pair of ice skates.

"We're late, Mommy," Henry urged, tugging on her arm. She gave him a rueful look but couldn't scold his excitement despite the fact that they were the first few to finish up.

Cradling Henry in a baby pose after a few unsuccessful wobbles on his bladed boots, Regina walked gracefully in her own guarded skates as she made her way to the small rink booked for the class. Tina, already on the ice and skating backwards at flying speeds, waved to the few students ready to get on the ice before slowing down and hopping off the rink.

"Woah," Henry awed up at his teacher before looking up to his mother. "Can you do that?"

"Not unless I want a broken leg." She set him down on the rubber ground and took his hand to help him steady before nodding at the teacher. "Why do I get the feeling you encouraged all the parents to come out so you didn't have to watch any children as you skated at a discounted rate?"

"I'll have you know that parental bonding is a key step in child development," Tina said pointedly ushering a couple students and their moms and dads out onto the rink before putting her skate guards back on to check on the other students.

Regina stepped onto the freshly zambonied ice and offered her hand to Henry. "Would you like a pylon, dear?"

The boy stuck his tongue out between his teeth as he tested the slipperiness of the ice with a little pressure from his foot, but that was all he needed to instantly lose his balance and slip haphazardly on the ice, grasping onto Regina's arm and leg for dear life.

"Woah, woah, wooaah!" He flailed, gripping Regina just as she held him under his arms to his feet.

"I think you need that pylon now." Regina motioned to the other children slipping and sliding gracelessly as they held onto the top of a pylon the size as they were.

"No," he said determinedly. "I can do it by myself."

She smiled fondly and moved in front of him, crouching low and holding the very tips of his fingers as he took the tiniest baby steps forward.

"Good job, Henry," Tina called as she skated by them, making her rounds to all the students who had finally made it out of the change room and onto the ice.

He was distracted momentarily by his teacher's praise to grin happily and wave. The sudden movement of his arm made his balance falter, and suddenly he was flailing all over again and fell to the ice with a hard thump. It was the shock more than the impact that made his bottom lip jut out and his eyes water.

"Henry!" Regina gasped and quickly knelt to the ground, struggling to lift Henry up to his feet while simultaneously attempting to keep balance.

His lip quivered and his cheeks reddened, and Regina knew what was coming next.

Like a clockwork his mouth opened and a loud wail erupted from the small boy. Tears streamed down his face as he helped Regina lift him by scurrying into her arms. Regina pulled him easily into her arms, but when she stood, walking on skates while holding a bawling three-year old was like running a marathon on ice. She was the sole person going the opposite way as the class of ten and their parents skated clumsily around the rink. She barely remembered to apologized as she kept to the barrier attempting to avoid them and finally made her way to the bleachers.

Henry was still crying as he nursed his wrist. Regina sat him down and took his hands in hers, checking frantically over his body. "Sweetheart, what hurts?"

He pointed to his hand that was reddened by the fall, and Regina cursed herself for not making sure he had worn his gloves and mittens.

"Do you want to go home?"

He shook his head as his whimpers died down, sniffling once before wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"Are you sure? We can sit down for a minute."

He shook his head more insistently this time, hurrying to wipe his eyes as if to prove he was still capable of skating though they still kept watering and his bottom lip was still pouting.

"Henry, I know you're a big boy–"

"I can do it," he said leaving no room for argument. There was no doubt who his mother was in that instant, and the twinge of pride bursting in Regina's chest couldn't be helped.

Frowning for a moment, Regina nodded and helped him to his feet. He held her hand tightly as they approached the rink once more, but this time he held on to the divider wall as he inched his way onto the ice. Most of his classmates had taken up the pylons with a few already expert skaters holding their parent's hand easily as they went around the rink. A couple were sliding along the ice on their knees, keeping to the middle of the rink to avoid anyone's path while Henry stumbled along the wall.

"There you go," Regina encouraged as he passed millimeter after millimeter.

He slipped and fell to his knee but refused Regina's help when she reached down to lift him. Instead, he used the wall as a crutch to lift himself upright, grinning proudly up at his mother when he didn't go stumbling to the ground. Regina moved in front of him, a foot away as she held out her hands to encourage him forward. The sudden image of teaching her nine-month old how to walk came to the forefront of her mind, and she grinned realizing that this was exactly like that. It amazed her how seemingly insignificant moments continued to be her fondest memories.

"Slowly, Henry," she encouraged. "Take your time."

She nearly yelled at him when he removed his hand from the wall, walk-skating forward determinedly, but she refrained as he put one skate in front of the other. He lost his balance but found it again, but the interruption seemed to give him momentum as he all but ran the final few steps forward into Regina's reach.

"I did it!" He cheered happily, his arms tight around Regina's neck.

"You did!" She beamed, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Again?"

By the end of the hour, Henry had made his way around the ice rink all by himself with only a handful of falls under his belt. Regina was just grateful there were no sliced hands given the sharpness of his training skates, but she was thrilled that Henry had learned and improved. She was just helping him off of the ice, joining the procession of parents and children making their way back to the change rooms and to the party room Tina had booked for their lunch when Henry asked, "Can we show Emma I can skate now?"

Regina masked her expressions at the sound of the soldier's name and did her best not to show anything but excitement and support in front of her son. In her worry and paranoia of how things had left off with Emma, she failed to realize that Henry would also be affected should the soldier disappear from his life. It unnerved her and frightened her and excited her all at the same time. "Of course, dear," she finally answered.

"We can go when it snows and then we can build snowmen and snow angels and have hot chocolate and build snow angels and eat snow," he planned excitedly, talking through as Regina lifted him onto the bench and unstrapped his training skates, completely ignoring his mother's surprised face at his last plan. "I'm gonna buy her skates for Christmas and we can go skating."