The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, I'll Give It All

8

A/N: Little bit of angst in this chapter, but it's plot relevant. Fluff will return soon. 

Read and enjoy, maybe? :)

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Normani knew as soon as she and Dinah set an appointment up for the girls with a children's psychologist that something would happen.

Going to a doctor involved leaving the house. Which involved getting into a car.

Normani remembered how disheveled and distressed Ally had been the day the girls arrived, and she remembered Britt mentioning the older girl having a meltdown about getting into the car.

Normani had brought it up the night before, so she and Dinah thought they were prepared.

Keyword: thought.

After breakfast that morning, as Dinah took the girls' bowls to the sink, Normani stated, "Come on, girls. We need to get you dressed."

Ally frowned at the statement. Usually she and Lauren stayed in their pjs for some time after breakfast. "Why?" she hesitantly asked.

"We have somewhere to go," Dinah said from where she stood at the sink. "So we have to get dressed."

Ally wrinkled her nose a bit. "Where do we go?" 

Dinah looked to Normani, silently asking if they should give the real answer.

"Well, we're going to see a doctor," the older woman answered after a moment. 

Ally frowned. "They won't poke with- with the thingies?"

"Needles?" Dinah supplied.

Ally nodded. "Yes! Those. I don't like them. Lauren doesn't either."

Dinah shook her head. "No, they won't. This kind of doctor doesn't do that. I promise."

Ally nodded again, seemingly appeased. She slipped off the kitchen table and waited for Lauren then took her sister's hand and headed for their bedroom as Lauren skipped along happily.

The couple shared a skeptical look.

"That was too easy," Dinah said.

Normani hummed softly. "I bet when she realizes we have to get into a car, that's when it'll happen," she replied.

"Do you think Lauren will react negatively?"

"I could see it going both ways. She could freak out, or she could stay relatively calm. We won't know until we actually get to that point."

Dinah nodded. "Brace yourselves," she murmured softly. "Well, we'll deal with it when we get there. You should probably go help them get dressed though. Lauren tried putting her shirt on upside down after bath time last night."

Normani chuckled and walked out of the kitchen and headed for the girls' bedroom.

"Lolo, no, that's not how you do it," Ally said exasperatedly as the older woman entered the room. She looked up and spotted Normani and then pouted. "Lauren won't let me help her."

"I do," Lauren argued from beside her bed. 

Normani wasn't sure how Lauren did it, but her shirt was tangled up with itself and her arms were crisscrossed through the opposite sleeves. She laughed as she walked over to Lauren. "You were close," she stated even though it was a lie. She carefully helped Lauren get her shirt off and then helped her put it on correctly. "There we go, sweets. Do you think you can get your socks on for me?" she asked as she handed a pair to the girl.

Lauren nodded eagerly and plopped down on the floor to attempt the task. 

"Ally, go use the bathroom while I finish helping Lauren," Normani instructed gently.