"But we're a family," a soft-spoken sobbing little girl muffles through her tears. The longer the tears trickle down the little girl's cheeks, the more her eyes begin to well-up also. And her heart aches.
"Leah, can you tell us what's wrong?" the little girl's mother inquires.
Stifled by her tears, sniffs, and hiccups, the little girl burbles, "I don't want her to leave," bursting into tears once again.
Now she too can't stop the tears from streaming down her face. She embraces the little girl in her arms, lifts her, and strokes the little girl's tear-stained cheeks against her shoulder hoping comfort will come. The two--child and woman--cling to each other for a time, bound together--not by blood, but a bond as dear as family.