Where is Your Heart At?

Chapter 1: Summer Cold

Authors Notes: Read 'I'll remember' before you read this one. You won't understand anything until you do.

Trigger Warning: Throwing up

Where is Your Heart At?

Chapter 1

Summer Cold

Gadget and Penny loved their afternoon walks together. Or rather Penny would toddler along next to Gadget a little, and he'll pick her up and carry her when she gets tired.

These days Gadget took on light jobs, and nothing too heavy. Whatever got him home soon enough to get Penny to bed by 8pm. Most times he had a babysitter. Other time Mrs. Quimby watched her. Penny loved being over there.

Today he was off and glad for it. He was able to spend more time with Penny, and go to the park like always on Sundays. Penny looked around at the flowers in the trees. The street they lived on was Cherry Tree Lane. It wasn't called that for nothing. There were cherry trees everywhere there. The peddles danced around in the wind too making it look like it was snowing.

"Snow?" The soft word came from the two year old. Gadget looked down at the toddler and smiled.

"No, it's just flowers see." he picked her up and let her see the flowers in the low hanging branches. She giggled as she ran her fingers over them. "Pretty huh?" He asked her. Penny giggled and nodded. The poor girl threw her arms in the air and brushed her hands over the flowers. A lot of the petals fell down onto Gadget's hat. He chuckled ducking back through and kept on toward the grocery store not too far from where they were.

Penny leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. Normally this meant it was almost nap time. No nap yet, not if he could help it. It wasn't nap time. If she napped too early it meant she fell asleep too early and he wouldn't get enough sleep the following day. He scooped her up and deposited her into a grocery cart as they went through the doors.

The room was luckily cool and not too hot. Outside it had begun to get hot. Early June was that way.

Gadget looked down at Penny as she pointed at something on the shelf. There was a cereal box with a familiar cartoon character on it. Penny had watched it a lot lately and it was pretty popular among the children lately too.

He reached out for the box only to hear the rumble overhead.

"Uh oh...sounds like there's going to be a bit of a storm. Hopefully we'll be out of here and back home before it hits." they only needed a few things anyways. Just enough for dinner and breakfast the next morning.

Gadget looked down at Penny as she curled up in the cart. She didn't like storms, even when she was a baby she hated them.

"Alright sweetheart let's get you back home." Gadget paid for the few items he had gotten and started back toward home. Spaghetti was on the menu and he was starving.

Although halfway home he ended up having to tuck Penny into his jacket and turn for home. His feet beat against the pavement splashing water all over himself and his niece. Both were soaked and cold by the time they got back home.

Gadget kicked off his sneakers and jacket. Letting his soggy hat hit the floor as he walked over to the small changing area that Penny had. Technically she could go to the bathroom on her own and the changing table was mostly just to help her get dressed now.

"Alright my little number 1 Gadget fan." He chuckled as he pulled on some dry clothing for her before escaping into the bathroom to do the same for himself after putting her on her play mat. He looked up having seen her Uncle go into the bathroom before she ran her fingers through her hair. She hated wet hair when it was cold. He had set her down in front of the AC which was blowing onto her. The air was now humid as the summer night heat took back over after the storm.

Gadget left the bathroom and picked up their groceries and fit the cereal on top of the fridge and the milk went inside. Grabbing the hamburger and spaghetti noodles he went over to the two eye stove and began to make dinner.

Penny did love her pasta. If her uncle was lucky he'd be able to stuff her full tonight.

"Alright, beautiful! Here comes dinner." He put the plate on the coffee table, it was what they picked up from a flea market. It wasn't a dinner table as he couldn't afford that just yet saving up for a down payment on a house was costly.

Penny crawled over to the coffee table and sat down in her usual spot where there was a soft purple pillow with a unicorn on it.

"Peddi!" Her word for Spaghetti. It was a little too hard for her to say yet. But she was getting there.

Just as Gadget had predicted she had begun to eat to her heart's content.

Washing the little girl's hands and face afterwards and also putting a new shirt on her seeing as two year olds are not very good with aiming noodles. She finally curled up in her tiny futon and began to sleep.

Gadget cleaned the dishes and climbed into bed as well.

"Unka...Unka!" There was a soft noise before he opened his eyes. The room was dark save for the tiny night light near the bathroom door. Just in case Penny woke up in the middle of the night and had to go. He turned to see Penny standing there holding the hem of her shirt like she got into trouble.

"Penny? Did you have an accident?" Gadget asked, looking on at her. It happened a few times, her futon had a waterproof layer on it just in case. There was of course trial and error with potty training.

"Mm mm..." She shook her head no. "Dun feel good." She cupped her hands in front of her face and promptly threw up onto the floor.

Gadget jumped up as fast as possible and held a trash can in front of her even though most of it ended up on the floor.

After this occurred Gadget picked up the now crying toddler and walked her into the bathroom just in case it happened again.

"Here...stay here just in case. Throw up in the toilet if you need to again." He lifted the lid and picked up the mop and gloves.

Penny felt bad, not only did she make a mess that her Uncle had to clean up, but she felt like she had just eaten the whole pot of spaghetti.

Oh no, she felt that lump again. She leaned over the toilet and promptly released the contents of her stomach again. This wasn't good, she felt so bad. She jumped feeling a cold hand on her hot forehead. This wasn't good, Gadget didn't like this at all.

Picking up his niece into a blanket he ran outside calling for a taxi.

(0)

~Bang Bang Bang~

Dr. Ren Anthem looked up at the clock that illuminated the side of the wall. 3:18am...Who the hell?

She got up and walked into the living room and glared at the video feed for the front of the building. Her anger melted as she watched Gadget holding a wailing Penny. Why were they there?

She hurriedly opened the front door and looked with amazement at the panicked look on the man's face.

"Penny's sick, and I don't know what to do. No doctors offices are open and I can not afford an ER visit. Please Dr. Anthem...help her."