Pov y/n

With a satisfied smile, I send the email and lean back in my desk chair.

I was able to finish this project quicker than expected.

Originally, I thought it would take me the whole work day but it didn't, its's now 11 am and I am done.

I stretch and get up to go to the kitchen and grab a granola bar. Brooke flashes me a quick smile when I walk past her. While being in the kitchen, I think about starting another project today.

I could but I don't have to, since it wasn't expected that I'd finish this one so early today.

But if I don't have a new project, the next few hours would be boring.

I stroll back into my office and look out of the window while eating my snack. My thoughts drift off to the weekend tomorrow.

It's my weekend with Rose again and I made some plans for us to visit a children's museum where she can interact with different things while learning. I'm pretty sure she would enjoy that.

Just as I'm sitting down again, my cell phone rings and I frown a little when I see the unknown number but still pick up.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Hello, this is Miss Andrews. Rose got sick and needs to be picked up." She informs me and I am confused for a few seconds until I understand that it's the secretary of Rose's school.

But why is she calling me?

I mean, I for sure will pick her up and everything but I assumed they'd call her dad for this.

"Of course, I'll be right there." I reply and she thanks me before ending the call.

I quickly call my boss to inform him about my situation and that my daughter is sick and needs to be picked up at school.

He says I can go and have the rest of the day off since I already finished my work for today.

I thank him and hurry to get my things together and inform Brooke that I'm leaving now. She wishes for Rose to get better soon and I thank her before heading out.

I practically run to the subway and to Scarlett's house to get the car because I won't take Rose on a subway ride when she's sick. For her own sake and for the other people.

Worry builds up inside me as I think about Rose being sick and I just hope it's nothing too bad and she doesn't feel like shit.

When I arrive, I hurry through the hallway to the secretaries' office. She looks up at me.

"I'm here to pick up Rose." I tell her and she scans me, raising her eyebrows.

"You're not Miss Johansson." She observes and I have to hold back an eyeroll, tapping my foot nervously on the ground because I wanna get to Rose.

"No, I'm not, I'm y/n y/l/n, you called me." I tell her a little impatient.

"Rose told me to call her mama and not her dad, I assumed Scarlett would come and pick her up." The woman says and I groan internally, not in the mood to explain this whole situation to her.

"That's me, I'm mama. I'm Miss Johansson's girlfriend." I choose the short version when she doesn't seem to react any further. A tight-lipped smile forms on her face.

"Of course, let me just call a parent of Rose and get their okay." She says and I press my lips together.

"Can I please go to see Rose while you do so?" I try my best to stay polite and after another scan, the woman nods, pointing towards the door.

"Just down the hall to the left, the third door is the nurse's room." She tells me and I quickly thank her before heading out, seeing how she's getting up, probably to get the number of Rose's dad or Scarlett. But I don't care, my only priority is Rose right now.

I reach the door and knock, waiting for someone to call me in. When I'm allowed to step in, I open the door and enter the room.

A nurse is sitting on a chair, talking to Rose who is laying on a little bed. She's a bit pale and seems tired and my worry grows as I step closer.

Rose's eyes grow a little bigger when she sees me and she stretches her arms out for me, making grabby hands.

"Mama." She whines a little and the nurse lets me pass her and go to Rose. I carefully pick her up and place her on my lap, sitting down on the bed.

"Hey, little dolphin, are you not feeling well?" I ask and brush over her hair before feeling her forehead and cheeks. She doesn't seem to have a fever, which is good.

Rose shakes her head and cuddles further into me.

"My throat hurts and I have to cough and my nose is running." She mumbles and I hum and hold her close, rocking us from side to side a little.

"Oh no, my poor baby." I coo and she nods. I look at the nurse and she smiles friendly at me.

"I checked her temperature and it doesn't seem like she has the flu, at least not at the moment. It's probably a cold that tires her out a bit more." She tells me and I nod.

"Okay, thank you. Is there anything I could give her if she needs it or it gets worse?" I ask and the nurse thinks about it for a second before nodding.

"If the cough gets too much, you can give her a cough medicine but only if it's necessary, sometimes the cough goes away by itself. Otherwise, some bonbons against the soar throat or tea, that also helps. Let her rest and feed her some fruits for vitamins, then it should be gone soon." She tells me and I make mental notes.

I never took care of a sick child and whenever I'm sick, I just stay in bed a little and cure it out, so I am thankful for the few additional tips. Just as I am thanking the nurse, the secretary comes into the room. She looks at Rose in my arms and then to me.

"It's okay, you can take her with you." She says and I give her a forced smile, hating that there has to be someone confirming that I can take Rose home with me.

I know, it's for safety reasons and to prevent that anyone can take a child with them but it just feels weird to need someone to allow me to take care of my daughter. And even though the moment almost couldn't be worse, but this is the moment where I know for sure I will try my best to adopt Rose as soon as possible.

I reposition my arm around Rose to be able to carry her and pick up her backpack, hanging it over my shoulder before getting up. I say goodbye to the nurse and the secretary and walk out of the school with Rose.

"Are you okay with stopping at the pharmacy on our way back, so I can buy the medicine?" I ask softly and open the car door, putting her backpack in before carefully sitting Rose into her car seat and buckling her up. She looks at me a little tired.

"Don't you have that at home?" She asks a bit confused.

"Sadly no, sweetheart." I say and tug some hair behind her ear.

"Okay, then I guess it's okay." She mumbles, her eyes fluttering close.

I kiss her forehead and close the car door before getting into the driver's seat and driving away from the parking lot of the school, navigating a way to a pharmacy.

Rose is in the back, pretty knocked out but I would never leave her alone in the car, so I unbuckle her and lift her into my arms, placing her on my hip.

She stirs a little but doesn't seem to wake up, just tightening her hold on me, which makes it a little easier for me to carry her.

I walk inside and head to the aisle with children's medicine. There I find the cough medicine and the bonbons for her soar throat.

On my way to the register, I come across the tea section and grab a package of princess tea, which is basically strawberry and raspberry but in a nicer box.

I pay and listen to the lady behind the counter giving me a quick advice for the cough medicine that I appreciate a lot.

Rose is still asleep when I buckle her up again and I feel her forehead to make sure she isn't burning up. Her temperature seems normal and I get into the car as well, heading home now.

I don't wanna say I'm happy Rose woke up on the way back but I am kinda relieved because I don't know if I would have been able to carry her upstairs with her schoolbag and the bag from the pharmacy on top.

She trots upstairs next to me, still a little sleepy. I help her to get out of her shoes and jacket and guide her to her room, where I pick some comfy clothes to wear that she can also sleep in if she needs a nap. I help her to get changed and can tell she regains a little more energy.

"My throat is hurting." She whines and I nod.

"I know, baby. I bought some bonbons that will help a little with that." I offer and she nods, following me to the kitchen to take a look.

"They are cherry flavored." She notices and her eyes grow a little bigger.

"I know you like cherry flavored candy." I tell her and open the bag to hand her one. She thanks me and puts the bonbon into her mouth.

"It's not very sweet." She observes.

"That's because they are not directly candies, they are supposed to help your throat." I explain and Rose takes the answer as it is and continues to eat the bonbon. I smile to myself, it doesn't seem too bad.

"How about, I make you some tea and we get you all cuddled up on the couch?" I offer and Rose nods, asking what kind of tea I bought because she doesn't like 'mommy's yucky tea'.

I chuckle a bit and show her the tea I bought and she gets excited about the princess on the box. While she looks at the packaging, I start boiling water, making myself a tea as well.

"Can you read me the book we started?" She asks and I smile at her, brushing over her hair.

"You mean 'Harry Potter'?" I ask and she nods.

"Of course, sweetheart. You can get the book and get settled on the couch while I make the tea, okay?"

She nods again and goes to grab the book.

We started reading Harry Potter together a few days back and she loves it. Since she is only seven, I will see if we will also read the following parts after the first one or if we wait until she is a little older.

I make the tea and carry it over to the coffee table where it can cool down a bit. Rose sits on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and looks up at me with adorable eyes.

I sit down next to her and she climbs into my lap and I adjust the blanket around her. She hands me the book and I open it and start to read.

In between she reads some passages as well until she becomes too tired to do so and I take over again.

I hand her the tea once it's cooled down and she sips it and when she sniffles a bit, I give her a tissue to blow her nose. When her tea is empty and I also had a chance to drink mine, she cuddles back into me and since I am now leaning against the armrest, she can comfortably lay on top of me while I read to her.

It doesn't take long and her breathing evens out and I put the bookmark between the pages and put it aside.

One of my hands rests on her back, drawing slow patterns onto it while I drink my tea with the other.

My phone vibrates and I take it, seeing that Scar is calling me. I take the call but before she can say anything, I put a finger over my lips and tilt the phone down to a sleeping Rose. Scarlett nods and speaks a bit quieter.

"I just got the call from her dad. She's sick?" She asks worried and I nod, running my hand through Rose's hair.

"Probably just a cold but it exhausts her a lot." I share and Scar nods, relaxing a bit.

"Okay. I have medicine in the bathroom at home and also bonbons if she has a soar throat." She tells me and I smile softly.

"It's okay, I stopped on the way back and bought medicine and bonbons along with some tea she likes." I let her know and her face softens and her eyes seem to fill up with love.

"I love you." She says and I smile.

"I love you too." I reply.

"Please be careful to not get infected yourself." She says but I look at her apologetically.

"I think it may be too late for that. Besides, Rose is a bit clingy right now and needs cuddles, so I will give that to her. As long as she is feeling better, I am okay with getting sick." I tell Scar and she looks at me softly.

"You are so sweet to her, I don't know how I deserve you." She mumbles and I smile.

"I would do anything for her." I tell her and kiss Rose's head.

We talk a little more about the current situation and Scar promises to send me the receipt for Rose's favorite soup when she's sick.

She has to go again and I promise to keep her updated.

Rose sleeps for another hour and I spend that time reading my own book, letting her cuddle into me.

When she is awake again, we cuddle a bit more before she tells me she is a bit hungry and I take her with me to the kitchen.

She is still clingy and wants to stay by my side, which I find adorable.

I cut up some fruits for her and set her down on a bar stool to eat while looking through the fridge and cabinets to see of I have everything for the soup.

I don't, so I will have to go to the store at some point.

For now, the fruits seem to be enough for Rose though and she asks for another cup of tea, so I make her one.

She coughs a little but it doesn't seem too bad, so I decide to see how it evolves before giving her the medicine. If she'd ask for it, I would give it to her but she doesn't seem to need it right now, so I let it be.

With a new cup of tea, we move back to the sofa. Her energy level seems to have risen a bit and she uses the bathroom before coming back with her coloring book and her crayons.

"Will you draw with me?" She asks and looks at me with big eyes. I kiss her cheek.

"Always." I say and sit down next to her. Rose places the book onto the coffee table and decides on a picture she wants us to color. We spend some time doing that and a thought crosses my mind.

"How was the school able to inform me about you being sick, Rosie?" I ask her because I know the school only has Scarlett's number and the number of Rose's dad. Rose stops to color and looks up at me.

"When they told me someone would pick me up, I told them I want it to be my Mama. You gave me your phone number when Mommy left, remember?" She asks and I nod slowly, my heart melting a little.

"Why did you want it to be me?" I ask her softly, before kissing the top of her head. She shrugs and goes back to coloring.

"It's Mama-weekend, so you would have picked me up anyway. Also, you are better at cuddling and coloring than Dad." She explains and I smile softly, coloring in the fish I started.

"Was it wrong that I asked for you?" She suddenly asks and looks up at me, her eyes showing fear that she made a mistake or that I didn't want her here. I quickly put down my crayon and pull her closer to me, hugging her.

"No, sweetie, no. It was not wrong at all. I love having you here and taking care of you. I was just wondering, that's it." I explain and feel her relax a little bit against me, humming in response.

"Okay, good." She mumbles and lets go of me, settling down next to me again.

"Because I like being here better. I wish I could stay with you during the week."

I smile softly and ruffle her hair a little. "Me too, sweetie, me too." I whisper, unsure if she heard it or not. But she doesn't react to it and just continues to color.

Once we are done with that, she seems to feel a little better and asks if we can go out a little because she feels like it. I agree and take a reusable bag with me, so we can buy some groceries while being outside.

She walks next to me and I can tell that the fresh air feels good for her, even though her nose is running and she has to blow it a few times but she doesn't complain.

Inside the store, I sit her in the cart and she points to where she wants to go. I follow her request and let her look at things that look interesting. She also asks for some sweets. We compromise on two different things and she puts them into the cart. I'm surprised when she asks for fruit as well when she leads us through the fruit and vegetable section.

I buy her pretty much every fruit she wants since we still have two days of weekend left and even if she doesn't eat it all, I like it too and can eat it during the week.

I look at the list I made of things I still need for Scarlett's soup and put them into the cart as well before we head out.

Back at my apartment, Rose goes to her room to play with some of her toys while I prepare the ingredients for the soup. I will see if I manage to cook it today or tomorrow but it'll save time if I prepare a bit beforehand. After putting everything into the fridge, I decide that sandwiches will do for dinner.

When I hear a whining sound, I quickly walk into Rose's room. She sits on the ground and looks up at me, a pout on her lips.

"Hey, what's the matter, sweetie?" I ask and she sniffles a bit.

"My throat hurts again and I have to-" She is interrupted by a cough that pretty much proves her point.

"Do you want another tea?" I offer but she shakes her head.

"Can I have one of those bonbons?" She asks and I nod, offering a hand to help her up.

She takes it and I pull her up. I can tell that her energy level sunk again and walk into the kitchen with her were I stored the bonbons.

She gets one and slumps over to the couch, where she cuddles into the pillows.

Her body shakes a little when she coughs and it sounds worse than earlier today, so I head to the bathroom and grab the medicine and something to measure her temperature. She looks up at me and I kneel down in front of her.

"Can I check your temperature?" I ask and she nods and opens her mouth for the thermometer.

I put it in and wait until it beeps and pull it out, seeing that she luckily isn't running a fever. It's probably just the evening, a lot of diseases get worse in the evening, I don't know why.

"Wanna try some cough medicine?" I ask gently and hold up the bottle.

Rose debates but when she has to cough again, she nods and frowns a little, clearly not happy with her state.

I already read the leaflet to make sure I don't to anything wrong. Rose watches as I get a little spoon to drip a few drops of medicine onto. She opens her mouth willingly and takes the medicine but her face scrunches together a little as she swallows.

"That was yucky." She tells me and pouts again.

"I know, baby, but it will help very soon." I coo and offer her a hug that she gladly takes.

I put on her favorite show while preparing a little sandwich for her. She isn't in the mood for a bigger one and I respect that, she's more than capable of listening to her own body.

Since she is sick, I allow her to eat on the couch while watching her show.

After dinner she is getting more and more tired and I carry her to the bathroom, so she can brush her teeth and use the toilet before going to bed. She already falls into a light sleep in my arms, so when I put her down and tug her in, it's no wonder that she's out within seconds.

I clean up the apartment before getting ready for bed myself. Something tells me that she might be up early tomorrow, so I should try to get as much sleep as possible.

And I am right, she wakes me up early in the morning because her nose is running and her throat hurts.

I grab her a tissue and a bonbon before cuddling into bed with her. She falls asleep in my arms again and I am able to fall back asleep as well.

The day is pretty calm and we spend it mostly inside my apartment, either on the couch or my bed because it's bigger than hers.