Taeyeon smoothes out the wrinkles on the bedspread, tugging the ends tightly and fluffing the pillows before stepping back to survey her work. She bites her lip and looks around the room, making sure everything is in its right place; a place that Sunny can reach without straining. Once satisfied, she leaves the room to find the kids and go over the ‘rules’ one last time.

Taeyeon finds them in the living room. Sophia drawing, Bella reading, Jamie building with his Legos that Taeyeon brought from Sunny’s house.

“Meeting, everyone”

“Not again…” Jamie whines.

Without lifting her head up from her book, Bella eyes Taeyeon and kindly adds, “Mother, we know we can’t breathe too hard on Sunny, ok?”

Sophia looks over the top of her tall sketch pad. “We know what you expect of us Mom, and we’ll be helpful. Promise”

Taeyeon can’t ask for more than that, so she leaves them to their activities and decides to try and get some work done before Sunny arrives.

...

...

...

“She’s here, Mom…Sunny’s here!”

Taeyeon drops the pen she’s been clicking in and out for the past half hour and walks briskly down the stairs to the front door. The EMT’s are just opening the back of the ambulance when she gets there, and Taeyeon has to shoo the kids out of the way so they can wheel Sunny in on the gurney.

“Don’t even try it” Sunny warns Taeyeon, when she produces a camera and points it at her.

“But don’t you want to remember this moment forever?” Taeyeon taunts.

Sunny scowls at her as she rolls by, and Taeyeon grins and captures the memory in digital form to cherish always.

...

...

...

“Do you like your bed, Mama? Taeyeon bought it special, just for you” Jamie tells her, as he climbs onto the double-size adjustable bed while Taeyeon and the girls put away Sunny’s things from the hospital.

“You can pay me back, if you like” Taeyeon says quickly, when she sees the look on Sunny’s face, “but it was a necessary purchase”

“I’m still too mortified to be angry” Sunny sighs, laying her head back. “Being treated like an invalid…you could’ve brought me in your car, you know”

“It’s over now; no use in whining about it” Taeyeon shuts a drawer with her hip and keeps a close eye on Jamie, who is being tempted by the bed remote.

“We bought a baby monitor for your room, Sunny” Sophia picks up the white speaker and shows it to her. “It’s connected to Mom’s room and the kitchen. In case you need anything, we can hear you. It was my idea” she proudly informs. Bella rolls her eyes.

“And it was a good one” Taeyeon praises, rubbing her daughter’s shoulders, “but I think we ought to let Sunny get some rest…”

“Oh no, please stay. I’ve missed all of us being together. Stay and talk a while” Sunny requests, “…please?”

Taeyeon can’t deny her sad face and pouting lips, so she sits in a chair in the corner while Bella and Sophia carefully climb onto the bed and make themselves comfortable next to Jamie. And the kids talk to her about everything and nothing all at once.

...

...

...

“You alright in here?”

Sunny looks up from what she’s working on and smiles. “I’m a bit lonely, but it’s comforting to hear all of your voices out there”

Taeyeon pushes the door open. “You’re supposed to be resting” she says, and begins to take away the papers Sunny has in her lap.

“I need to finish…”

“You need to sleep”

Sunny yawns. “But I’m not tired”

“Obviously” Taeyeon smirks, and uses the remote to lower the bed.

“Well this isn’t fair at all” Sunny complains as her body slowly becomes horizontal.

“Who told you your stay here would be fair?”

Sunny fights back a smile.

“We’re going to fix dinner and then we’ll all be back in here to bother you again, alright?”

“Sounds perfect” Sunny sighs, turning carefully onto her good side but not all the way.

Taeyeon starts to walk out of the room when Sunny calls her name. She turns around in the doorway.

“Mm?”

“Thanks” Sunny says quietly, “for everything. I know this isn’t your ideal…”

“You’re welcome” Taeyeon cuts her off. “Get some rest, now”

Sunny’s cheek moves up and down against the pillow as she nods, and Taeyeon smiles at her once more before closing the door behind her.

...

...

...

“So I think I got everything on the list”

Taeyeon takes the cloth shopping bags from her friend and sets them on the counter.

“Thanks for helping out, Jessica”

“No problem” Jessica pulls out a chair from the table and sits down, crossing her legs and folding her arms as Taeyeon pulls things from the bags.

“…What?” Taeyeon asks with an attitude.

“Oh, I don’t know…let’s see…you asked Sunny to move in with you?”

Taeyeon shushes her. “Not quite”

“But she’s here, and you’re taking care of her”

Taeyeon shrugs quickly as she puts away a container of tapioca pudding. “She’s my friend and she needs my help”

“Right…”

“She couldn’t stay at hers, alone, with James”

“Of course not”

“And the girls love having her here”

“Naturally”

Taeyeon glares at Jessica.

“Yesterday you were freaking out because she wanted to talk about your future together, so don’t give me any bull over the fact that I’m questioning the choice you’ve made”

Taeyeon slams a cupboard door shut. “Helping Sunny has nothing to do with our future. This isn’t forever. She’s moving out as soon as she can function on her own, alright?”

“Who are you trying to convince?”

Taeyeon takes a frustrated breath.

“Listen, Taeyeon…I’m happy she’s here, because I know ultimately it’s going to show you that this is exactly where she belongs. But I just…I know you, and I don’t want it to blow up in your face when things get serious”

Taeyeon sits at the table with her friend. “I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. But I know what I’m doing and why I’m doing it…ok?”

Jessica nods. “Ok”

...

...

...

“Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”

Sophia sniffles and wipes her eyes as Sunny closes the book. Bella rolls over onto her back and stares at the guestroom ceiling.

“Again, Mama” Jamie whispers.

Sunny picks up his hand with her good one and kisses it. “It’s very late; all of you should’ve been in bed hours ago”

“Mom said we could stay up, you know, since technically it’s still summer vacation”

“Please, Mama?”

A sharp clearing of a throat captures all their attentions and four heads turn toward the doorway.

“You’ve been in here long enough” Taeyeon says as she waves the kids toward the door.

They all look at Sunny for support in their effort to stay up, but she merely purses her lips and shrugs her good shoulder.

“Go on, then. Say goodnight and upstairs we go” Taeyeon tells them.

Several whines and sighs later, Sunny is being kissed goodnight on the cheek.

“Thanks for the story, Sunny” Sophia says as she leaves the room.

Bella hops off the bed. “Night, Sunny”

“Goodnight, girls” Sunny calls after them.

Jamie lingers in the bed, and with big brown eyes he silently asks his mother a question. Sunny his long hair and looks over at Taeyeon.

“I’m feeling rather lonely, Taeyeon. Do you think Jamie can stay with me…just for tonight?”

Jamie peeks over his mother’s elevated body at Taeyeon.

“Just for tonight” she says as seriously as she can. “But you still need to clean your teeth, James, so up you go”

“Ok!”

He dashes out of the room and his quick, tiny footsteps against the hardwood floors can be heard all the way across the house.

“Where’ve you been hiding all night?” Sunny asks.

Taeyeon walks in the room, eyebrow quirked. “I haven’t been hiding at all”

“Really? Well we managed to finish the story you started for them”

Taeyeon laughs. “All part of my plan”

She walks over and collects the tray of Sunny’s dirty dinner dishes.

“So I’m the patsy, am I?”

“More like…the back-up” Taeyeon nods with a smirk. “Honestly though, it was rather nice to be able to work for three hours without interruption. I’m working on an important case and the quiet was very welcome”

Sunny frowns with guilt. “I’m sorry”

Taeyeon turns around with the tray. “For what…?”

“For being an extra burden that you clearly don’t need right now”

“Did I not just tell you that your presence helped me tonight?”

Sunny shakes her head and nods at the same time.

“Then believe it. And know that I expect you to entertain them for the rest of the week until this case is over and done with”

She gets Sunny to smile, and that’s all she needs to see.

“Need anything before I go?”

“No, I’m alright, thanks”

“Monitor’s there if you need me during the night. And you’ll have a speedy messenger sleeping by your side, as well”

Sunny smiles. “Yeah”

They hear Jamie running back toward the guestroom, and Taeyeon steps out of the doorway.

“Slowly James…” she reminds him when he comes bounding into the room, ready to jump on the bed.

He stops short and climbs in gently, burrowing into his mother’s good side.

Taeyeon’s brow furrows for a split-second when she feels her heart do a fluttery flip at the sight of the two of them…the four of them cuddled in bed. She has to bite her lip as she bids them goodnight, and turns around, tray in hand, walking down the hallway in a contentedly confused state of mind.

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Hi guys! Thanks for sticking with this story. i think the chapters will be short like this from now on (most likely). But that may mean I'll get them up faster, right? Hope you all like it :)