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The day of Catherine's surgery, Aurora woke up really early. She had moved back with Jackson, at his new apartment. Some nights they slept in the same bed, some nights it was a little bit more hard, so she was crashing on the couch. She was trying to not show any emotions, because in that moment he just needed her there and she was right there. She had truly paused everything, and a part of her was glad. They had a long way to go to fix what had been broken, but for the time being, Jackson's mom was the priority.
Aurora had fed Audree for the morning, who was sitting quietly at her baby chair looking at her mom making breakfast. The waffles were being prepared in the waffle griddle, as she was making the omelette at the fry. The table was set with fresh orange juice and croissants. "You should always remember to eat breakfast, breakfast is really important." Aurora spoke to her daughter, who was more interested in playing with the empty bowl of the yogurt she was fed earlier. "Oh, you're a little messy today, aren't you?" She took the bowl away from her and turned to the sink to wash it up.
"Dada!" The toddler said and Aurora turned her head seeing Jackson there kissing his daughter head.
"Good morning," Aurora smiled at the sight in front of her. Jackson looked at her before taking a surprising glance around the room. "Well, I thought that you'll need all the strength you can get for today." She said as she moved around putting the omelette and the waffles in plates before placing them on the table. "So there's omelette and waffles, obviously. And there's croissant and I can make toast with butter and honey if you're not up for any of it."
Jackson titled his head, a small smile on his face, and even though his whole heart was aching for what was happening to his mother, seeing Aurora right there in front of him, trying everything to be present, just made it a little easier. He headed her way, stopping right in front of her, trapping her between him and the counter. "Thank you" he whispered before giving her a sweet kiss. Their daughter making a noise pulled them apart, making them laugh at her. "Okay, we're all yours." Jackson told her and took a seat close to Audree.
Aurora sat opposite of them, just enjoying seeing them together. They started eating and making small talk, just to forget everything else for few minutes. "Do you know what your daughter was trying to do when I went to check on her?"
"What?"
"She was climbing up her crib." She told him.
"Oh, someone's ready for her first bed. Next thing you know she'll be sneaking in people on the house." Jackson said mortified. Even the thought of his daughter all grown up gave him a heart attack.
"Oh, I am so giving her her first condom!" Aurora laughed at Jackson's face.
They soon fell into a peaceful silence. Aurora took in a breath before reaching for Jackson's hand across the table. "It'll be okay." She squeezed his hand and Jackson interlocked their fingers, needing her comfort.
