But Loving Him Was Red...

Two Weeks Later

I stood at the window in the living room, watching the snow cascading down from the sky and falling gently on the ground surrounding my Jeep that hasn’t been touched all morning.

I didn’t have class today and Lucia’s come down with a cold, so she’s lying on the couch and I’ve been working on assignments for school.
Sidney was coming over to pick up Lucia to take her for his weekend off without games.

He had plans to go to Philly and take her ice skating, but I was very doubtful she’d want to go.

“Mommy,” Lucia coughed. I slowly looked over my shoulder at her pale complexion and bloodshot eyes lurking from under the covers. “I don’t feel good,” She cried, rubbing her eyes.

“I know sweetie,” I knelt down beside her and passed her the cup of water I got her. I hated to see my little girl sick, she was cranky and all she wanted to do so far was sleep.

I caressed her forehead lightly, still feeling the high fever. If it persisted into the evening, I was going to have to take her out to the doctor.

I’ve given her Children’s Tylenol and nothing seems to be working. I laid my head down on her pillow and listened to her breathing as she slipped back into her cold induced slumber.

She started with a small cough last night, but when she woke up this morning she was pale and could barely talk.

I heard someone knock on the door before it was opened and Sidney stepped inside, kicking his shoes off on the mat. “Hey ladies,” Sid smiled, setting his bag on the ground. “Lucia still sleeping?” He asked, peeking over the couch.

Since the coffeehouse, a couple weeks ago, we haven’t really talked… more or less; we had small talk but nothing really… solid.

Everything I told him was the truth. It wasn’t all his fault.

“No, she’s sick,” I frowned. “She’s got a horrible fever, feel her head,” I motioned for him. He knelt down beside me and put a hand on her forehead. He didn’t like the results by the face he made. “She’s been like this all morning,”

“Hey princess,” Sid cooed when she stirred awake and looked at him. “You sick?” He stroked her cheek with his fingers.

“Uh-huh,” She nodded her head with tears streaming down her face. “I don’t feel good Daddy,”

“I know baby, I know,” He frowned, turning to look at me. “Did you give her anything?”

“Yeah, Tylenol a few hours ago and nothing’s worked,” I sighed. “I don’t know what to do, she had a cold when she was a baby, but it was nothing like this,” I was starting to feel afraid that this was something worse, that she didn’t have a cold.

I looked at him when he put his hand over mine. “She’ll be fine,” He smiled. “Lucia is a trooper; she’s from my side,”

“I hope so,” I whispered. “I don’t want her to be sick,” I felt this overwhelming feeling as my emotions rushed to the surface. I was afraid for Lucia. “What if she is really sick?”

I got up and started packing up Lucia’s over-night bag. “I hope not, my Mom’s having this get-together thingy at their house, and she wants us to be there,” He put his hands on his face. “My Aunt Diana is dying to meet her great-niece,”

I grabbed her stuffed bear, Beans and threw him into the bag with everything else and pulled the zipper. “You can still take her, just be careful and call me if anything happens,” I handed him the bag. “Just keep her bundled up; she doesn’t need to catch pneumonia,”

“You’re coming too,” Sid smiled.

“And I’ve been to Cole Harbor; it is colder than Neptunes balls there,” I sighed, running the stray hairs that fell out of my messy bun I threw up this morning.

I had textbooks and notebooks and my laptop scattered all over the living room.

“You’re coming Emily,” He stepped closer to me. I stopped my rambling and looked at him, unsure of what he was saying. “Mom called me the other night and asked for both you and Lucia to come to this get-together thing. Because I’m doing shit with the playoffs in May, which is the month of Mother’s Day, we move it to November where there are less games and everyone’s basically free. Mom’s holding it this weekend and you are coming,”

“Sidney, I can’t go, I have my Math final to study for,” I motioned to the mess he was almost standing in. “You and Lucia go, you’ll have fun,”

“No Emily, she wants you there,” Sid laughed. “It’s a Mother’s Day celebration, and you are the mother of my daughter, so you have to be there,” I huffed. Sid wasn’t going to let this go, was he? I scratched my eyebrow, unsure if I should really go. “Please Em; my Mom wants to see you,”

“Fine,” I sighed. “When are we leaving? I’ll get us a flight,” I grabbed my laptop and lifted the lid. We'd have to drive into Pittsburgh, and get a flight to Halifax, and we'd be on the plane for well over 5 hours and that's not counting the stop we'd have to make in Chicago. It would be a long day.

I was so unsure about taking Lucia, especially with her being sick. I could just picture the amount we'd have to pay for tickets. I bet it would be over 1000. And it's International, and we are leaving today, they'd find anyway to add to our cost knowing we have to leave today. We'd probably be well over 2000 by the end of the day.

“Oh, we are driving,” Sid laughed. “I am not leaving my Evoque here for the weekend, are you nuts? It’s almost a 70 thousand dollar car, Emily,”

I rolled my eyes. “Sidney, you expect me, and your daughter to last in a car for 22 hours,” I laughed, trying to make light of this. “Seriously? I can’t do that,”

“Yes you can,” Sidney smiled. “We’ve done it before,”

“I hate you,” I smirked.

“That’s nice,” He knelt down beside Lucia. “Now go pack, my Mom is expecting us there tomorrow, so we are leaving today,”

I huffed, dragging myself up the stairs to start packing for myself and Lucia. Why wasn’t Carly going?