You're Mine

chapter 137

Monday, 30th January:

Logan: 13; Layla: 7; Leo: 4; Twins: 1; Eleanor: 2

-

"Good morning, Leo! We are so happy, you're here.", Mrs. Lucardo's face lit up upon seeing the child with their mom. "What do you wanna be called today, Sweetheart?", she questioned softly.

"I don't know.", the four-year-old mumbled, looking up at their mom, who was holding the kid's hand. She locked eyes with the toddler, confused by the answer since the child had wanted to be a girl this morning.

"Earlier you told me it's Leo, she, her, hers today.", Amelia reminded her sandwich kid. "What changed?", she wondered, watching Leo shrug. "So, are these pronouns okay or not?", she wanted to know.

"Yeah.", Leo nodded, still seemingly unsure about her own answer. "Mama, when are you going to pick me up?", she asked with tears in her eyes. She really didn't want to leave her mother's side.

"In one hour, Love.", the neurosurgeon replied. Since Leo was such a sensitive and clingy kid, they had decided on doing it the slow way. Today, she would stay for an hour only and if it worked well, the girl would stay for two hours tomorrow. That was the plan the parents and pre-school teachers had agreed on together.

"Is that a long time?", the mini blonde carefully asked, not yet aware of how clocks worked. "Can we have lunch with daddy again after?", she begged while the first tear rolled down her cheek.

"Yeah, we can.", her mom tried to stay strong, which she never really could once one of her children was crying. "An hour isn't that long, Honey. Now go with Mrs. Lucardo and have a lot of fun.", she said, crouching down in front of her daughter to hug her. "I promise, I'll be right here when you come out of your room. I love you, Leo!"

"I love you too, Mama!", the toddler sniffled, feeling her teacher grasp her hand to slowly pull her away from her parent. Mrs. Lucardo knew how hard this moment was for everyone and that somebody had to take the lead. That somebody was her.

"Hey.", Amelia cried into the phone after taking her husband's call. "How did it go with the twins? Are they fine?", she sobbed. Owen had taken them to daycare for the first time today, since they also couldn't stay with their mother forever.

"Oh Honey.", the redhead sympathized with her. No matter which kid she would have taken to either daycare or pre-school, there was no way his wife wouldn't have cried. "It's only for one hour. You're right there in the car in front of Leo's pre-school.", he gently reminded her. "Luna was gone in no time, which broke my heart a little too hard. And well, Lucas is with Addison right now. He was crying silently but the pain was evident in his eyes, so I just couldn't leave him there. But hey, on the bright side, we have found another person he voluntarily stays with."

"What if she's not okay?", the brunette questioned. "She was even unsure about her pronouns she had picked this morning and I think she's ashamed of wanting to be a girl today, which she shouldn't have to be.", she shared. "I'm glad you didn't leave Lucas there but with Addie. I trust her, you know?", she sniffled.

"Yeah, I know.", Owen confirmed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I do, too.", he informed his wife softly. "Let's just wait for what Leo tells us during lunch. I don't think the other kids will be mean about it. Children are much more open-minded than adults. Now read the book you brought, and we'll see each other very soon. I love you, Ames!"

"I love you, too.", the neurosurgeon let her husband know before he ended the call. She couldn't focus on a book right now with everything that was going through her mind, so she decided to text her friends in Seattle.

Amelia: Just brought Leo to pre-school for the first time. Now, I am flooding my car.

Teddy: Aww, Amelia. You did so good! When will you pick Leo up?

Amelia: In an hour. :(

Megan: That's like...only a few minutes, think about it that way. How much time has passed?

Amelia: Ten minutes, so she only has fifty minutes left...

Teddy: See?

Megan: Right, see?

Maggie: Oh my gosh, they all grow up so fast! Sorry, I had a surgery.

Amelia: Where's Mer?

Teddy: Good question actually. Haven't seen her yet.

Derek: Oh hi, she's home with the kids. But you'll get through it, Amy. Leo likes being around other children. :)

Amelia: Yeah, I guess. It's just...she looked so unsure and then, she cried. Plus, Owen brought the twins to daycare here for the first time. Luna stayed, Lucas is with Addison now.

Megan: And that is the perfect place for each of them to be right this moment. Don't overthink it. Gotta go, bye!

Amelia: Bye, Guys. Miss you. :)

Maggie: Miss you too!

"Mama!", Leo yelled as she spotted her mother in the hallway, where she had left her earlier and promised to be waiting for her. "I want a schnitzel for lunch.", she said, running into her mom's arms meanwhile.

"Okay, you can probably have one.", Amelia grinned. Her kids were the cutest. She held her child as tight as she could. "How was it?", she mouthed, looking at the pre-school teacher, who had taken the toddler to her.

"Good.", Mrs. Lucardo mouthed back. "Will take time.", she added. "But good.", she repeated and nodded as to emphasize the word. "See you tomorrow for a little longer then, Leo.", she smiled at the kid. "Have a nice rest of your day, goodbye."

"Bye.", the mini blonde responded and shyly waved at the woman. "Are we going to have lunch now, Mommy?", she wanted to know, still clinging to her mother. "With schnitzel and fries?"

"Sweetie, it's only 9:30. We are going to drive to mommy's work for now and there you can have some snack. We'll have lunch around 12.", the neurosurgeon pointed out. "And then you can have your schnitzel with fries."