The Butterfly Weeds [Taylor Swift Adoption Story]

MALLOW

Mallow flowers are used to promote protection and spiritual healing. They have been used as a herbal medication throughout history treating pains, aches, and other various health problems. The flower can boost your immune system, making it a popular symbol for protection.

Earlier the Same Day
September 2nd; 2023
Taylor Swift's Point of View
I'm sitting back on the couch while holding August in my lap. He grabs onto his feet and babbles. I bring him into me and kiss him on the head. Ivy left about an hour ago so it's still just August, Joe, and I. Joe is keeping his distance from August. He doesn't know what to make of him still. The only thing he tends to do consistently is warm up bottles for him. I think he wants to be deemed useful like he's doing his part but as little as possible. He doesn't wanna get yelled at by me that he doesn't do anything to help around. Joe just seems to be hating this life more and more by the day. I don't know how to fix it.

"Hey, Joe?" I ask from the living room.

"Uh, yeah?" He comes walking in from the kitchen.

"Can you get me a plate of strawberries? I'm starving."

"Can't you do it yourself?" The tone. It's careless. It's meant to strike. It's meant to hurt me.

"Yeah...but look how cozy August and I are." I smile while slightly holding him up."

"Ugh. Fine." He scoffs.

He walks over to the fridge and comes back momentarily with a bowl of strawberries. He hands them to me and walks away. He doesn't want to speak to me. Instead of going back to the kitchen he goes into the bedroom and closes the door. Am I that unbearable to be around? I sigh and take a bite of a strawberry. August looks up at tries to grab the strawberry.

"Oh, do you want one? I don't know if you can. Well, I can...but I need to ask Ivy first." I take out my phone and start to text Ivy but August slaps my phone out of my hand.

"Dammit. Okay, you can have some. Just, don't tell your mom. We have a good thing going on." I take one of the strawberries and hand it to him which he immediately takes. He puts the strawberry partially in his mouth and sucks on it.

"Okay, we're good. It's going smoothly. Totally cool." I grab another strawberry of my own and snack as August sucks on his. I look down at his arm and see a couple of hives starting to form.

"Wait, not cool. Totally not cool. AUGUST WE HAD A DEAL!" I immediately take the strawberry from him and when I look at his face, it's red and beginning to swell with more hives.

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE ALLERGIC TO STRAWBERRIES!" I see more hives on his arms and I start to go into an extreme panic when he begins to cough. He starts to cry and is taking big gasps of air.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!! JOE!" I scream. Joe comes walking in like it's nothing but his eyes open wide once he sees August.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?" He yells at me.

"CAR! HOSPITAL!" I don't know what else to say because I'm in too much of a panic to make a coherent sentence. I get up while holding August and the two of us book it to the car. I hold August close to my chest as he cries. I try to soothe him but I know nothing is going to work.

"We had one job. Our job was to not kill the child. We needed to watch the child and have it be in one piece." Joe yells.

"I didn't know he was allergic!" I defend.