PANDEMIC

twenty-one

one month later.

Luke.

"Why is it no better?" Sophia sobbed on the phone to me.

She wanted to come home.
She wanted to see us.
She wanted to go outside.

Shit, she didn't just want it, she needed it.

"There isn't a vaccine yet, my love and people aren't taking the mask mandate serious-" "dad." She cried out, pulling at her shirt towards the top of her chest, telling me she was going to push herself into an asthma attack.

"Soph, listen to me." I spoke calmly.

I knew what I was going to have to do, at this point, I don't think it was okay for me to continue my job if it left my daughter like this.

"I'm going to temporarily resign, I have to work four more days and then I'll resign and self quarantine for fourteen days and then I'll come be in the hotel with you." I told her, still hearing her cries.

"I know, princess" I spoke calmly, wanting nothing but for her to stop crying.

Ashton entered my room, instantly dropping his mood.

He sat beside me.

"Soph, talk to us." Ashton spoke, I knew he'd be able to get her to talk about her emotions more, he's good at making her open up.

"I miss you" she cried, her state worse than I have ever seen it before, and just yesterday she was sending me Snapchat videos of her doing gymnastics in her hotel room, laughing her ass off at herself.

"And Meghan and Joel won't even talk to me anymore, they're mad because I can't go do anything with them" she cried.

Fucking selfish, this made me furious, but I didn't show it at all.

"And I haven't gotten a hug in so long" she cried out, making tears even come into my eyes.

"Soph, can we take five deep breaths and then keep talking?" He asked.

I watched her sit down, taking in a deep breath and releasing it, her crying stopping as she continued this five times.

"Okay princess" ash spoke quietly.

"What else?" He asked after she didn't speak for a moment.

"I'm hungry." She spoke quietly- and Ashton laughed lightly, making the smallest smile come onto her face.

"What do you have to eat?" I asked, knowing Harry just went shopping for her, put Lysol on everything and left it outside her door.

She glanced over there, shrugging.

"I want Olive Garden, or Chick-fil-A" she spoke, making Ashton and I look to each other.

"Baby, it's best if you eat what's -" "Meghan literally went to a party last week and she's not sick- I can't even get Olive Garden?" She whined.

We didn't even know what to say.

How were we supposed to justify that?

It's not fair and it's not going to be fair.

"I love you Sophia." I told her calmly.

"I love you too" she spoke.

I changed the subject.

"What do you want for your birthday? It's coming up."  I asked knowing it was in six days.

"How are you going to be able to give me anything?" She asked

"I'll Lysol it-" "all I want is to spend my birthday with you guys."

"I'll see what we can figure out" I sighed, knowing it wouldn't be what she wanted.

Soon we hung up to where she could fix herself some food and I looked to Ashton.

"We need to get her talking to her therapist."