Never feel alone

Chapter 9

Lena

Stef and I tried to forget about what Mike had told her over the weekend, to treat the girls just as we always had. There was no reason not to; we didn't know the whole story yet. But we made arrangements for Bill to meet with us on Monday, so we could get the answers we needed while the kids were out of the house. However, that morning Callie came down to the table alone.

"Is your sister coming down?" I asked her, passing her a bowl of cereal.

She looked up from the juice she was pouring. "I guess so. She was still getting dressed when I left."

"Let me go check on her," I offered. I went up to the girls' room and knocked on the door. "Sophia, hon? Can I come in?"

"Yeah," she said, and I let myself in.

Sophia was sitting on her bed, her pants halfway pulled up, as if she'd started to put them on and just forgot. She seemed distracted and sluggish. "Honey, are you okay?" I asked her with concern.

"I'm fine," she told me. Her round face was flushed, and I knew she wasn't fine at all

Maybe you've had a little too much excitement this weekend?" I put my hand on her forehead and was surprised by how warm she was. "Sweetheart, are you sure you're feeling alright? I think you might have a fever. I'm going to grab the thermometer and check your temperature."

When I returned, she was still sitting in the same position, looking listless. "Open up," I said, sticking the thermometer under her tongue. When it beeped, I read it. "One-hundred and one degrees. Sophia, you're sick. Why don't you get undressed and get back into bed?"

"I'm fine," she protested, giving me a frightened look. "I can go to school."

"Nope," I said, shaking my head. "You need to stay home. Come on, sweetheart. Lay down and I'll bring you some ginger ale and crackers."

"Well... okay," she reluctantly gave in.

I went back downstairs and fixed a tray for her. "Sophia isn't feeling well," I informed the others. "She's going to stay home today. Callie, will you pick up her homework?"

"Of course," she agreed. She watched me suspiciously for a moment. "Are you mad?"

"Why on earth would I be mad?" I asked, turning back to her.

"Because she's sick." She shook her head. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"Kids get sick, love," Stef told her. "We understand that. I don't know how it was in other homes, but if either of you aren't feeling well, you can tell us. We won't get mad."

"Right," I said. "She just needs a day or two of TLC. It's no big deal."

I brought the tray back up to Sophia, and was taken aback by how small and innocent she looked, laying in her bed, her arm wrapped around her stuffed horse. She didn't look like a murderer. She looked like a sick little girl who needed love.

"Here, honey," I said, setting the tray down on the bedside table. "Looks like you get to be queen for the day." I sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair. "Where do you feel sick? Can you tell me?"

"My ear hurts," she said. "And my throat is kind of scratchy."

I patted her hand and tucked her in tighter. "I'll take the day off to take care of you, sweetheart. And if you're still feeling bad later on, we'll take you to the doctor."

"Thanks, Lena," she said softly. "You don't have to fuss over me like this."

"It's my pleasure to fuss over you," I smiled. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll check on you in a bit."