“Morning, girls…where’s James?”

“He’s with Sunny”

“Why aren’t you dressed for work, Mom?”

“Because I’m not going into the office today”

“You’re not?”

Taeyeon joins her daughters at the table and takes a banana from the fruit bowl. “Mm-mm. I’m going to drive you to school, and pick you up. And I’m going to make us dinner”

Bella and Sophia cringe as they look at one another.

“Alright!” Taeyeon defends, through a mouthful of banana.

“Maybe you should ask Sunny to help you cook, Mom, she actually knows what she’s doing when she’s in a kitchen”

Taeyeon shakes her head at the lack of faith from her children. She throws the banana peel away, glaring at them as they giggle, and goes to find Jamie so they can leave for school.

The door is closed, so she knocks. Hears footsteps running toward the door.

“Morning, Taeyeon” Jamie greets with a smile.

Taeyeon bends down and kisses the top of his head. “Morning. Have you eaten?”

“Yeah. Mama said I have to eat in here until we go back to our house”

“Did she, now”

Jamie nods and runs back around the bed to collect his backpack. “I’m all ready to go”

“Mum in the bathroom?”

“Yeah, she’s taking a bath for her doctor appointment”

Taeyeon furrows her brow. “Is that today?” she mumbles to herself, whipping her phone out of her pocket to check her calendar. Silently answers herself. “Go and get in the car, I’ll be right there”

“Ok”

Taeyeon knocks on the bathroom door. “You alright in there?”

“Fine” she hears Sunny call back.

“I’ll only be a few minutes; just going to drop them off and then I’m coming right back. I gave Emma the day off”

“Take your time; Yul’s going to take me to my appointment”

Taeyeon sighs and opens the door.

Sunny looks up and smirks. “Well, hello, come right in”

“Sorry but…” Taeyeon pauses as she’s momentarily distracted by Sunny’s body beneath the not-so-bubble-filled tub. Clears . “…what’s all this about the boy needing to eat in your room, and Yul taking you to your appointment?”

“I’m just trying to relieve you of a few burdens…”

“James is not a burden…nor are you, so please let me take care of you both”

“But the girls…”

“The girls are fine, Sunny. You need to trust me when it comes to them - said so yourself”

“You’re right” Sunny nods. “And I do trust you”

“Alright then…I’ll be back in a tick, and then you and I will be off”

Another nod. Taeyeon nods back and goes to leave the bathroom.

“Taeyeon…?”

“Yes?”

“I can’t get up by myself; I’ve been trying for ten minutes”

“God, Sunny” Taeyeon grabs a towel and leans over to scoop her up from behind. “Am I hurting you?”

“No, I’m alright”

She helps her out of the tub and wraps the towel around her wet body. Sunny takes off the plastic bag that protected her cast from the water.

“Thanks”

“You’re lucky I was here, I think”

Sunny tosses the plastic bag somewhere in the vicinity of the bin. She presses the towel to her body, not trying very hard to cover her .

“You’re my hero, Kim Taeyeon” she says dryly.

“Said with so much feeling”

Sunny grins. And Taeyeon has to tell her feet to move back, one at a time, as she slowly leaves a grinning, half- Sunny behind in the bathroom.

...

...

“You’re hell-bent on embarrassing me, aren’t you”

Taeyeon pushes the wheelchair into the elevator and presses the correct floor number. “You look adorable” Taeyeon teases, pressing on the end of her nose.

“You’ll pay for this”

Taeyeon just looks up at the numbers as they illuminate, suppressing a laugh.

...

...

She stands by the window with her arms crossed as the doctor examines a topless Sunny.

“How are you getting around, Sunny?” the doctor asks, pressing against her ribs.

“I was up for quite a while last night and felt really good, and this morning I was able to get into the tub by myself”

Taeyeon raises an eyebrow at her when she omits the end of the story. The doctor nods and puts the ear-buds of his stethoscope in his ears. Sunny’s tongue darts out in reply to Taeyeon’s eyebrow. The doctor presses the cold metal onto Sunny’s pregnant belly. Both women anxiously wait for him to say something.

After Sunny is poked and prodded and sapped of three vials of blood by anurse, the doctor rolls a stool to the edge of the exam table, while Taeyeon helps Sunny slip her oversized sweater back on.

“Well, Sunny, I hate to say it, but you’ve proved me wrong”

Sunny breathes a sigh of relief. Taeyeon releases her bottom lip from its tooth-prison.

“You’re recovering much faster than I predicted”

“And the babies…?”

“In good health”

Sunny smiles brightly.

“You still need to take it easy, but as I said yesterday, as long as you’re comfortable, you can move around as you like”

“That’s wonderful news, thank you. And what about this?” Sunny asks, lifting her cast.

“Another three weeks, I’m afraid”

Sunny isn’t bothered by this. “Two out of three isn’t bad”

Taeyeon isn’t quite as convinced. “Are you quite sure she’s able to move about freely, doctor?”

“Quite sure, yes”

The doctor pushes his stool to the corner of the room and picks up Sunny’s chart. “Any more concerns before I go?”

Taeyeon helps Sunny off the table.

“One, actually” Sunny says. She glances at Taeyeon first and then back at the doctor. “What about…?”

Taeyeon finds a poster of the diagram of the ear canal especially interesting at this moment.

The doctor nods and shrugs as he signs off on her chart. “Like I said, as long as there’s no discomfort or pain, you should be fine”

“Thank you, doctor”

“I’ll see you in two weeks”

“Ok, thanks again”

...

...

“Sorry about the mix-up this morning”

“Not a problem. I’m glad Taeyeon decided to take you”

“Yeah, me too”

Yul eyes Sunny suspiciously. “I expected you to sound a little happier about it”

“I am, I am…it’s just…”

“You don’t really want to leave”

“No, I don’t. But I think I have to”

...

...

“So, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Cut the , Taeyeon, this is me”

Taeyeon crosses her arms as a cool, sea breeze blows over. Her feet sink into the sand as she and Jessica walk down the shore.

“There’s something between you two”

“We had a bit of a…well…I opened my mouth before my brain could catch up. Again. But I didn’t mean to…and then she took it the wrong way…”

“What was it this time?”

“I’ll spare you the details”

“Suit yourself” Jessica shrugs, and they walk in silence for a while, the waves crashing against the sand.

“You don’t deserve to know this” Jessica says, breaking the silence.

“What”

“She text Yul earlier and asked her to hire a cleaning woman”

“For…?”

“For her house, Taeyeon. She’s leaving your place”

“What? No, she’d tell me”

“Would she?”

...

...

“…Now we need…four cups of flour”

Taeyeon scoops out the white powder and dumps it into a large mixing bowl.

Sunny makes a well in the center. “And now we pour in the wet mixture”

Taeyeon does as she’s told.

“Good” Sunny smiles, “now we let the machine do the work”

Taeyeon stays at the kitchen counter while Sunny sits at the table with the cookbook.

“You’ve been quiet” Sunny tells her as she keeps her nose in the cookbook.

“Have I? Probably just tired”

“Probably…?” Sunny looks up at her. “What is it?”

“I…Jessica said you…well, are you planning to move out soon?”

“Oh. Yeah, I am. On the weekend”

“Why?”

“Because the doctor said I can take care of myself, you were there”

“But your wrist…how will you care for James?”

“I’ll manage” Sunny smiles.

“But…”

“I think it’s best for all of us, Taeyeon”

Sunny doesn’t flinch, and Taeyeon knows ‘all of us’ means the two of them.

...

...

“Don’t pick at it, sweetheart, just take a bite, I promise you’ll like it”

Jamie grimaces as his mother stabs a piece of cottage pie onto his fork and holds it up to his mouth. Taeyeon and the girls stare at him as he holds his lips shut tightly. He shakes his head, and the fork follows his face as he cranes his neck backward.

“Come on, love, one bite” Sunny coaxes.

His lips twitch and slowly open. Sunny gently puts the fork in and he wipes it clean with his lips. His furrowed brow un-wrinkles and his eyebrows slowly rise up as his chewing quickens.

“Hey, this is yummy!” he nods.

Bella rolls her eyes. “All that, and he likes it”

...

...

“So you’re going to be ok, Sunny?”

“Yes, I’m feeling much better, and the doctor says I can do whatever I fancy as long as I’m not in any pain”

“That’s great! So can we do something fun this weekend?” Sophia asks.

“I’m not sure Jamie and I will have time, sweetheart; we’re going to move back home”

Taeyeon tosses her napkin onto her half-eaten pie.

Sophia’s smile fades. “Why?”

“Because I’m well now, love”

“But I thought you were happy here”

“I want to stay here, Mama” Jamie whines.

“What did Mom do now?” Bella asks, glaring at her mother.

Sunny jumps in. “This was my decision, Bella”

Jamie looks around the table.

“If you’re done, you may be excused” Taeyeon tells them.

“I’m done; you’ve ruined my appetite”

“Now listen…” Sunny says sternly, capturing all the children’s attention. Jamie looks at her with big, round eyes, recognizing the tone of her voice. “Your mum has been nothing but wonderful to the both of us, and I’m very grateful to her. She has asked us to stay, but while I was in the hospital, she and I agreed that I would stay only until I was better, and now I am”

Sophia sighs and leans her elbow on the table. Bella crosses her arms and sinks back into her chair. Jamie picks at his pie.

...

...

“Was school better today?” Taeyeon asks her daughter.

“Eh, pretty much the same, but I guess I don’t care as much that they’re s; I just ignored them”

Taeyeon kisses Bella’s forehead. “I’m proud of you for holding your head high”

“Oh, Mom” Bella shakes her head. Taeyeon kisses her again and pulls the cover over her chest. “I’m sorry, Mom”

“For what, darling…?”

“For being rude to you at dinner”

“Thank you, I accept your apology. But perhaps it was a bit deserved”

“Nah, you’re a good woman, like Sunny said”

“Well thanks, that means a lot coming from you”

“Just…you love Sunny, so tell her and stop worrying about everything else”

“It’s that simple, is it?”

“Yeah, it really is”

Taeyeon gives her one last kiss and turns out the light.

...

...

“All snug in, James?”

“Mm-hmm”

Taeyeon kneels down by his bed and smiles at him.

“If I ask Ma nicely, do you think she’ll let me stay here?”

“It’s worth a try” Taeyeon nods.

Jamie sighs. “I’m going to miss you, Taeyeon”

“We’ll see each other lots” Taeyeon tells him, trying to stay strong as he takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes.

“Maybe you could come live at our house!”

Taeyeon his short hair for a few moments. “Goodnight, James, I love you”

Jamie yawns and turns over. “I love you, too”

...

...

“What advice do you have for me?”

“Why, did Bella give you advice?”

“She said I need to pour my heart out”

“That’s good advice, but only if you really mean it”

“I see” Taeyeon repeats her actions with her youngest daughter; kissing her forehead and tucking her in bed.

“Would you mean it, if you told her?”

“Of course I would; it’s not something to be said lightly”

Sophia smiles and reminds Taeyeon of Tiffany.

“Sunny really hurt you, and you still love her. That’s true love. When you forgive someone for breaking your heart, all the pain just floats away” Sophia raises her arms and wiggles her fingers as she says it.

“You sound as though you’ve experienced this”

“Because I have”

“Oh? Who broke your heart?” Taeyeon smiles as she waits for the answer, thinking Sophia may have had some schoolgirl crush that she never told her about.

Sophia looks away for a moment, and then regretful brown eyes look directly into black ones. “You did”.

...

...

She’d had a good cry with her youngest after the revelation, and then retreated to her own bedroom to think about her life, to cry privately.

“Warm enough?”

She finds Sunny on the deck, sitting on the outdoor sofa, wrapped in a blanket

“Mm. Would you like to join me?” Sunny holds open one end of the blanket, and Taeyeon sits down, cuddling close. “You were gone a long time, everything ok?”

“Yes, they’re all asleep”

Sunny smiles. “I miss being able to tuck Jamie in, but I don’t want to push myself too hard just yet, and I think the staircase would be a bit much. Soon, though. I’ll be glad to get home”

“Sunny…”

“We agreed, Taeyeon…”

“But things are different now”

“Are they?”

“I…I think so”

“How are they different? You still only let me in so far before you push me away again”

Taeyeon looks away, sighing. She stares out over the water, watching the moonlight on the rippling water. “I’m leaving for Seoul tomorrow night” she quietly tells Sunny.

“What?”

“I’m leaving…”

“I heard you” Sunny shifts away from Taeyeon. “So you’re leaving because of me; you’re running away”

“No, I…there’s business I need to attend to. That’s all”

“Business” Sunny repeats, disbelievingly.

Taeyeon nods unconvincingly as she feels brown eyes boring into her.

“Right, well…”

Taeyeon cuts her off. “Before I make arrangements for the girls, though, I’d like to know if you want to keep them while I’m gone. Emma will help, of course”

“How long will you be gone?”

Taeyeon bites her lip. “Not sure”

“Taeyeon…”

“Sunny, I can’t explain what this is about – not right now. But please understand that I’m not running away, that I’m doing this for…” Black eyes find brown.

“For…?”

“I’m…it’s just something I have to do. For work” Taeyeon adds, looking away.

“Well, whatever the reason, I want the girls”

Taeyeon smiles gratefully. “Thanks”

....

....

....

....

Hi guys!

I've decided that this fic will be completed soon. Not very soon tho lol

Thanks always for your supports and all comments :)