The next morning Siwon felt a vibration against his thigh.

Blinking his eyes open slowly, all he could see was a sunny haze, as his eyes were still incredibly blurry.

He his lips and was met with the feeling of an incredibly raw throat, making it painful to even swallow.

Last night, after picking himself up off the ground, he had made it only to the living room couch before he collapsed again. Figuring this was a good a place as any to sleep, he had made it his bed.

But now, it was a new day. Yesterday had been a complete nightmare, bringing him to a low that he never thought was possible for him to reach. His head was aching beyond belief, and for a moment, he thought the throbbing had spread to his thigh, which was still vibrating.

With a sigh of embarrassment, he finally reached down into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

He saw Kyuhyun and Daerim’s faces smiling at him when he looked down at the screen, letting him know that his husband was on the other line. Hitting the receive call button, he brought the phone to his ear as he rested his head along the back of the couch.

“Hello?” he asked, almost frightened by how deep his voice sounded.

“Wonnie?” asked Kyuhyun a little apprehensive as well.

“Yeah, baby, I’m here,” said Siwon trying his best to make his voice sound not as rough.

“Are you alright? I called you four times and you’re only now just answering,” said Kyuhyun with a gentle tone. He still wasn’t sure of what state Siwon was in.

“I was sleeping,” said Siwon rubbing his eyes as he let out a yawn.

“Oh, well I’m sorry to wake you,” said Kyuhyun apologetically.

“Don’t be,” said Siwon trying to awaken himself more. But it was then he remembered where Kyuhyun was. “Wait. What’s going on? Is everything alright with Daerim-ah?”
 

“She’s back to being perfectly healthy. Her fever went down late last night and she has no other symptoms, so they're letting me take her home,” said Kyuhyun with a noticeable smile.

Siwon felt a wave of relief wash over his entire body at these words, something he didn’t realize that he had been waiting for until now.

“Really?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, Wonnie, she’s okay. Just like I told you. She’s back to smiling and everything. She even misses you,” said Kyuhyun.

“Oh come on Kyu, how can you tell?” asked Siwon with a soft chuckle.

Kyuhyun smiled at hearing Siwon’s laugh again.

“She keeps looking for you in all of the male doctors that come over to her. I can see her face light up when she thinks they're you, but then she’s disappointed every time she hears their voices. It’s cute and sad all at once,” said Kyuhyun with a giggle.

Again, Siwon smiled at these words. Deep down a part of him had thought that maybe Daerim would have rejected him once she saw him again. He hoped with all of his heart that what Kyuhyun was saying was true.

“So the thing is Wonnie, that I kind of left my car at the studio,” said Kyuhyun slowly.

“What? Why?” asked Siwon, slightly amused.

“Well, when you called me there, I was away from my bag. By the time I realized that I didn’t have my keys, I was already outside, so I just took a taxi, remember?”

“Right,” said Siwon closing his eyes in recollection.

“So, whenever you’re able to come and get us we can come home,” said Kyuhyun as he reached over and Daerim’s hair making her coo.

Hearing that familiar sound come from her, made Siwon feel a bit lighter inside, and he sat up on the edge of the couch.

“Can you just give me, maybe twenty minutes babe, and then I’ll be on my way?” asked Siwon looking down at himself.

He was still in his jeans and t-shirt from yesterday.

“It’s no problem, just call me when you get here,” said Kyuhyun.

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” said Siwon standing up.

“Alright, I love you Wonnie.”

“I love you too Kyu, give Daerim-ah her morning kiss for me,” said Siwon with a small smile.

“I will.”

Siwon let out a small laugh as he heard Kyuhyun give Daerim a loud kiss making her giggle in response.

“She says thank you Wonnie appa,” said Kyuhyun sitting back down. “But that she wants the real thing when you get here.”

“I’ll do my best to not keep her waiting,” he smiled. “Goodbye baby.”

“Bye Wonnie,” chirped Kyuhyun.

When Siwon hung up his call with Kyuhyun he raced into their bathroom. Turning on the shower head, he pulled his shirt off and kicked off his jeans before stepping under the warm stream.

He could feel the mild ache dissipate from his tired muscles as the water ran down on him. As much as he could, he forced all of the self-loathing and worry down the drain together with the soapy water.

Forcing himself out from the soothing cocoon of the stall, he stepped out and dried himself off. After brushing his teeth and washing his face he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. There were bags under his eyes, something he couldn’t do much about at this point. But he could do something about the day old stubble he was sporting. Although Kyuhyun sometimes enjoyed it, today he decided he wanted to look his best.

So after a quick, but careful shave and a handful of product along with the comb he ran through his hair, he walked out of the bathroom.

Stepping towards their closet, he pulled on a pair of black briefs and then stood before his clothes.

In an effort to save time and because he remembered the simple clothes that Kyuhyun had been wearing all night, he decided on just another pair of jeans, light wash this time,  and a clean white tee.

After getting dressed, he walked by Daerim’s room and paused. He realized that she would still only be in a diaper and the t-shirt he had brought her in. So he walked inside to find something for her to wear.

Picking out a soft lavender eyelet dress that Kyuhyun had just bought her, he quickly grabbed the other things he thought she would need, along with a few extra items and then he finally left the apartment.

When he reached the hospital, he called Kyuhyun. Since she had already been discharged, he was able to walk right out with her, and they met him out front.

Kyuhyun had her cradled to his chest as he walked out into the sunny warm spring air. Feeling her hide her face from the brightness, he shielded her eyes from the bright sun as he moved forward.

When they walked over to Siwon, he was leaned against the car with his arms crossed.

“Look aegi-yah,” whispered Kyuhyun into Daerim’s ear. “Wonnie appa is here.”

He turned his body slightly and pulled his hand away so that Daerim could see Siwon as they approached him.

When they finally stood before him, Daerim’s eyes lit up once again, seeing the dark hair she knew all too well.

“There he is aegi-yah. See, he came back to take us home so we could all be together,” said Kyuhyun with a smile as Siwon arms fell to his sides.

The uncertainty he felt made him feel slightly weary. As he caught Daerim’s eyes he was flooded with an onset of both joy and sadness. But seeing her back in Kyuhyun’s arms and free from any remnants of the hospital made him so unbelievably happy, he would almost be fine if she never let him hold her again.

“Hello baby girl,” he said softly.

When Daerim heard him speak, she started smiling, knowing at last it was finally him.

Siwon felt his heart swell when he saw that smile. He silently thanked G-d that she was happy to see him, and that there was no coldness between them. That smile meant everything to him.

As Kyuhyun handed her over to him he realized this was the first time in days that she had let him hold her without fussing, something he now realized must have all been due to her illness.

Holding her up in the air, he brought her down slowly, which made her smile, so he could press his lips against her soft cheek.

After pulling away, he brought her down to cradle in his arms, watching as she patted his chest and then his face with her small hand eagerly.

His two dimples suddenly appeared, as she felt his face with the palm of her plump hand. He tenderly grasped the small hand between his fingers and kissed it before kissing her cheek once again.

Hearing her coo and babble happily made him feel so incredibly pleased, it was almost difficult for him to remember the sadness that had claimed him so heavily just hours before.

“See…I told you she missed her Wonnie appa. How could she not?” asked Kyuhyun with a smile as he watched them with loving eyes.

“For a moment there, I really was worried,” said Siwon as he still gazed down at his daughter’s face, mesmerized just as if it were the first time.

“Well, how do you feel now Wonnie?” asked Kyuhyun rubbing Siwon’s arm soothingly.

“Good. Really good,” said Siwon after a long sigh and then a smile as he looked over at Kyuhyun’s face.

Kyuhyun returned his smile with a nod as he reached out and the back of Siwon’s neck. “Then let’s take our baby home.”

                                                ~~~

After dressing Daerim in the back of the car, they secured her car seat, and then drove away from St. Mary’s hospital hoping not to return any time soon.

As they pulled onto the highway, Kyuhyun frowned, noticing they were going in the opposite direction from his studio. He knew that Siwon had to perfectly aware of this, so he shook his head, knowing his husband had to be up to something.

“Wonnie?” asked Kyuhyun with a soft laugh as he looked out the window.

“Yeah, baby?” asked Siwon looking over at him.

“Uh…I’m just curious.”

“Oh, yeah? About what?”

“Where it is that we’re going,” said Kyuhyun turning to look at him with a smile. “You realize my studio is the opposite way, right?”

“Uh-huh,” said Siwon with a grin as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Soooo…do you want to tell me where it is that we’re going?” asked Kyuhyun through laughter as he realized how evasive Siwon was being.

Siwon shook his head.

“Okay,” said Kyuhyun shaking his head as he looked down, trying to hide his non-fading beam.

Soon, though, it became very obvious what Siwon’s intentions were. As he left the highway and began taking smaller streets, Kyuhyun realized he was taking them close to the river.

“Wonnie, why are we here?” asked Kyuhyun as Siwon began parking.

“Well baby, I realized that we’ve already taken Daerim out of the house two times before her 100 days,” said Siwon as he backed into the parking space.

“And I have to hope to G-d that my mother doesn’t find out,” said Kyuhyun putting his hand to his head.

“I’m sure she would be understanding Kyu, given the circumstances. But the thing is, both of those times were under really poor conditions. So I thought maybe for once, we could take Daerim-ah to a nice place, where she can play and feel the fresh air,” he said Siwon as he turned the car off.

Kyuhyun glanced back at Daerim who was busy playing with a toy in her hands, trying to figure out the best angle to gnaw on it from.

“I agree, a little fresh air would be nice, but we’re so unprepared. We don’t have a blanket or a mat, or anything that Daerim needs, or food for her—

“All in the back,” said Siwon motioning towards the trunk of his car.

“Oh, well…okay,” said Kyuhyun as Siwon hopped out of the car to grab the things Kyuhyun had mentioned.

Once Kyuhyun had taken Daerim out of her seat and Siwon had removed the blanket and the bag he had taken from the apartment, the small family walked towards the river view park ahead of them.

Surprisingly there weren’t many families out today, so they were able to find a beautiful quiet spot under a tree.

Setting down the bag, Siwon spread out the blanket that he had brought under the shade, smoothing it out before he kneeled down on it.

Kyuhyun kneeled down beside Siwon before laying Daerim on her back before them.

Both he and Siwon leaned forward, laying on their bellies on either side of her.

Seeing both of her appas this close to her, set Daerim off as she began babbling, shifting between looking at both of them as she went along.

Siwon and Kyuhyun began laughing at how enthusiastic Daerim became as she clasped her hands in front of her chest, talking away. A cool breeze blew over them, ruffling their hair, making Daerim pause in her speech, and her eyes grow wide.

“Do you like that aegi-yah? Does the breeze feel good?” asked Siwon as he leaned down to kiss her shoulder.

With a smile, Kyuhyun leaned his head on his arm as he lay on his side.

He watched Siwon as he played with Daerim, pretending to eat her fingers, talking to her, kissing her soft skin all the while she smiled at him and stared in wide eyed wonderment.

After much time had passed by, Siwon’s eyes finally on Kyuhyun. In the time that he had been playing with Daerim, Kyuhyun had dozed off.

Siwon smiled as he looked back at Daerim.

“Kyu appa fell asleep aegi-yah, should we wake him or let him rest?” he asked as he picked Daerim up and placed her on her stomach, close to Kyuhyun.

Daerim pushed herself up and looked at Kyuhyun’s sleeping face.

Siwon got on his hands and knees behind her and inched her closer and closer until she was able to grab Kyuhyun’s nose.

Scrunching his face, he gently swatted at her fingers before settling back. Daerim now saw it as a game, making her squeal as she grabbed Kyuhyun’s nose again, harder this time.

Kyuhyun cried out this time in pain as Daerim’s small fingernails dug into his skin.

Siwon began laughing as Kyuhyun sat up with a frown rubbing his nose.

“Whyyyy?” he whined looking at Siwon who was still chuckling.

“Sorry Kyu, I couldn’t resist. And apparently neither could Daerim-ah,” he said trying to keep a straight face. “You looked so cute sleeping there, but we didn’t want you to miss out on any of our fun.”

“Fun? Is this fun?” smirked Kyuhyun as he picked up Daerim and turned her towards Siwon’s face.

“Kyu, I’m sorry!” laughed Siwon as he tried to back away.

But Kyuhyun continued to pursue him until he fell over onto his back. As he lay flat, Kyuhyun scooted between his legs and placed Daerim on top of him so that she was hovering right over his face.

Siwon quickly admitted defeat as he let Daerim his nose and his cheeks with her curious fingers.

Kyuhyun  gave a satisfied smiled as he watched Daerim intently gasp onto Siwon, her tiny fingernails showing no mercy on his face.

“Daerim-ah, please, be kind to your appa,” said Siwon wincing underneath her grip.

Daerim let out a small squeal as she squeezed even harder.

“Okay aegi-yah,” said Kyuhyun with a laugh as he pulled Daerim off of Siwon, “I think he’s suffered enough.”

When Siwon was able to finally sit back up he rubbed at his reddened cheek as Daerim clasped her hands together with a smile.

Putting Daerim back on her tummy Kyuhyun leaned forward and Siwon’s cheek before planting a kiss on the reddened spot.

Pleased with his sweet gesture, Siwon s his arm around Kyuhyun’s waist, pulling him down beside him.

Kyuhyun yelped at the sudden change of position, making Daerim giggle again.

“You know, I’m beginning to think the two of you are conspiring against me, just to make our daughter laugh,” he smirked as Siwon returned the kiss on Kyuhyun’s cheek.

“Is that so bad? Wouldn’t you do just about anything to make that face smile?” asked Siwon with his own dimpled grin as they watched Daerim’s still happy face.

“Yes, I suppose I would and probably will,” Kyuhyun as leaned his head on Siwon’s shoulder.

They had only been comfortable for a few moments when Kyuhyun’s stomach began to growl.

“Are you hungry babe?” asked Siwon placed his hand on Kyuhyun’s stomach.

“I didn’t really eat anything all day since I was with Daerim,” he said blushing as he looked down.

“Neither did I, I’m pretty hungry too,” said Siwon trying to make him feel less self-conscious.

“There’s a stand just over there,” said Kyuhyun nodding ahead of them as he stood. “I’ll just go and get us something.”

“W-wait!” said Siwon grabbing onto his arm to stop him.

“What is it Wonnie?” asked Kyuhyun, a little confused at his quick change of demeanor.

“I-I can get it,” he said moving to get up.

“But I’m already standing, and I don’t know what I want. And you always eat the same thing, so it really is better if I go,” reasoned Kyuhyun as he looked at Siwon.

Siwon’s eyes fell on Daerim as she lay there, now bunching up the blanket underneath her small hands.

“Wonnie,” sighed Kyuhyun as he now understood. “She’ll be fine. You can’t avoid being alone with her again forever. I’ll just be a hundred feet that way. Don’t worry.”

Siwon nodded and slowly sat back down.

“I’ll only be a few minutes, but you’ll need to distract Daerim-ah,” said Kyuhyun slowly backing away.

Siwon nodded and picked up Daerim so that she was facing him.

Once he was clear, Kyuhyun walked off quickly in the direction of the food stand.

Still feeling a little weary, Siwon placed Daerim on his shoulder, tilting his head slightly so that they touched, while he rubbed her back.

While over his shoulder, Daerim was able to see the park from an entirely new vantage point, which she enjoyed a lot.

A few yards away was a woman with her furry white puppy. The dog was yapping away as she played with, running back and forth. Daerim followed as best she could, completely intrigued by the puppy.

Reaching her little hand out in the puppy’s direction, she began speaking, trying to touch the puppy the best she could, despite it being so far away.

Siwon smiled when he realized how much she was talking.

“Who are you talking to aegi-yah?” he asked looking over his shoulder.

It was then that he saw the woman and her puppy. To his horror, the puppy was scampering over.

Scrambling to his feet, Siwon stood, holding Daerim up and away from the dog.

“Sorry!” called out the woman apologetically as she jogged over.

Siwon nodded as he moved Daerim to the other side of his body. The puppy circled around his feet, barking every now and then.

“Dubu! Dubu-ah, come on, we have to leave them alone now,” she said finally grabbing him and picking him up.

Now that the puppy was even closer, Daerim reached out and began babbling more.

“I think your daughter likes puppies,” she laughed as she watched Daerim.

“I think so too,” said Siwon with a small smile as he watched Daerim react.

“He’s really gentle, if you’d let her pet him,” she said shifting Dubu around in her arms.

Siwon hesitated, not liking the idea of Daerim touching any dogs, but seeing the yearning in her eyes, he relented.

“Okay, maybe just his back?”

The woman nodded and turned Dubu so that his face was away from them and Siwon stepped forward, guiding Daerim’s small hand. He gently the soft white fur.

“Do you like the meong meong-i?” he asked as Daerim continued to Dubu.

Daerim leaned her head on Siwon’s shoulder as she began cooing again.

“She’s so precious. How old is she?” said the woman with a smile as Daerim looked up at her.

“Thank you. She just a little over three months,” he said before kissing Daerim’s soft hair.

Just then Dubu barked and squirmed in an attempt to jump down from the woman’s arms.

“Well, I guess I should be going now. Have a good day!” she said with a smile before turning to leave.

“You too,” called Siwon as she put Dubu down and then jogged back over to their blanket.

As Siwon and Daerim sat back down on the blanket, Kyuhyun walked back over.

“How did it go?” he asked as he pulled out the food that he had bought for them.

“Good, we made friends with a puppy, right aegi-yah?” asked Siwon as he turned Daerim around.

“Oh really?” chuckled Kyuhyun. “I can only imagine how well that went.”

“Okay actually, though we might have to get her a dog later in life,” said Siwon with a smirk.

“Or take her to one of her many samchons houses to play with theirs,” said Kyuhyun with a cocked eyebrow.

“That’d work too,” said Siwon with a smile, knowing that while Kyuhyun didn’t mind their hyung’s pets, he never wanted one of his own.

Once Daerim’s bottle was ready, Siwon handed her over to Kyuhyun to feed and then began spreading out all of the things Kyuhyun had purchased for their lunch.

As it began to become late afternoon, the small family decided to finally return home.  After making a small stop at Kyuhyun’s studio to pick up his car, Kyuhyun suggested that Siwon keep Daerim and proceed home so that he could put her down for her nap.

But Siwon was insistent on not pulling off until Kyuhyun was safely in his car. So as he waited for him to go into the building and grab his bag and keys, he sat silently in the car with Daerim.

After a few minutes he glanced in the rear view mirror, assuming that Daerim would now be asleep, but much to his surprise she was wide awake.

“Hey, there aegi-yah, he said with a gentle voice.

Daerim kicked her legs in response to him.

Siwon smiled at how active she was even after a long afternoon at the park.

“Did you have a good day today? I know it started out not so fun, but then we had your first outing at the park and you got to play with a puppy,” he said with a smile as he heard Daerim begin to speak to him.

She went on and on until finally settling back into a quiet state, on one of her fists.

“I love you so much Daerim-ah, I really do,” he said glancing at her face again.

It was quiet for a few moments as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he struggled to say what came out next.

“I know that you’ll probably never remember any of what happened to you in these last two days, but I want you to know that I’m sorry aegi-yah. Everything about yesterday was just…I mean, I was just…scared. I never thought you would need me that much so soon in your life, and I wasn’t ready. I hope you can forgive me. Just know that from this day on,  I will always be ready to help, whenever you need me.”

Daerim cooed, as if responding to his words.

“Does that mean I’m forgiven?” asked Siwon with a small chuckle.

Again Daerim cooed.

“Your Kyu appa and I are gonna try our hardest to make sure that you are always well taken care of. Sometimes we might mess up, but we’ll never give up, so please be patient with us. You're our first little baby, so we only want to give you the best,” he said looking over his shoulder at her.

It was then, he saw Kyuhyun exiting the building and then giving him a smile and a small wave before getting into his own car. Shifting out of park, Siwon began the drive back to their apartment, pleased to know that everything seemed to be right in their world again.