Love In Contract | Taekook

Chapter 26

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JUNGKOOK'S POV

"How's it going?" I grimace as I prop my phone on the bathroom counter and rip off my T-shirt. "Have you ever seen someone projectile vomit before? I don't even know how that much vomit can come out of a child her size." Jimin wrinkles his nose on the other side of the FaceTime call. "The poor baby."
"I'm the one who got puked on. I'm the poor baby." I pull on a clean
shirt-the second one I've had to change into today, and re-twist my hair into a bun on top of my head. "She just keeps crying, saying her stomach hurts. I feel so bad."
"I think you should call Kim. He'd want to know that his daughter is
sick."
"He won't be able to concentrate at the game if he knows she's sick.
Hell, knowing him, he'll charter a plane and fly it himself to come home." He nods, and I know he understands because Yoongi would be the same way. "At least you have Annie there to help you."
"That woman is a literal angel. I don't know what I'd do without her."
An hour after Taehyung left for Denver this morning, Harin spiked a
fever and started throwing up. It's scary seeing her like this, but Annie
swears it's normal for kids to get the stomach bug and that everything will be over by tomorrow.

"The kid has been clinging to me all day. The only time I've been able to do anything is when she falls asleep. I know she needs the comfort of her
father, but I'm doing the best I can until tomorrow when he returns."
"You're doing more than enough just being there for her," Jimin says.
"I'm really proud of you, babe."
I swipe my phone off the counter. "All right, I have to get back out there. I'll call you later."
"Let me know if you need me to drop off anything to you."
"I will. Thanks."

I head back out into the living room and find Harin still asleep on the
couch. Good, she needs to rest. I'm about to drop down into the recliner and take a nap myself when the sound of heaving echoes from the bathroom in the hallway. No, no, no.

I bolt into the hallway and crack open the bathroom door to find Annie
hunched over the toilet. "Shit, Annie. Not you too." She wipes her mouth with a wad of toilet paper and reaches up to pull the handle and flush. "You better get out of here before you catch it too." As tempting as that thought is..."I can't leave you like this with a sick kid. Come on." I lean over and
help her to her feet. Her skin is hot to the touch. "Get on the recliner, and
I'll bring out a garbage pail for you."
She's so weak, she doesn't even argue with me.

I spend the afternoon making sure Harin and Annie drink enough fluids, checking their temperatures, and cleaning out their puke buckets.
One of the mommy blogs I searched up said this should only be a twenty-
four-hour bug, and that all I can do is make sure the they both stay hydrated.

When Harin wakes up from another nap, she crawls over to me and lays her head against my chest. "I miss Daddy." "I know, kid." I rub soothing circles on her back. "We can watch him on TV soon. You can give him some good luck vibes through the screen." "Okay." Her little voice sounds so sad, it breaks my heart. "Do you love him?" My body stills at her question. "Who?" I ask, to buy me more time. "My dad. Do you love him?" "I care about him very much." I pause, knowing that's not exactly
answering her question. "Why do you ask?"

She lifts her head up to look at me, with her rosy cheeks from the fever
and her curls a matted, sweaty mess. "Because if you love him, and he loves you, then maybe you can be my momma." Oh. I glance at Annie but she's no help, passed out on the couch. None of the mommy blogs prepared me for this.

"I, well..." I pause, trying to think of the right words to say as unease
twists my gut. "Do you want a mom? Have you been sad that you don't
have one?" She shrugs. "All of my friends have moms, so I think I'd like to have one. And you take care of me like their moms do." "Friends take care of each other too, you know."
"Yeah." She lays her head back down. "But I like you living with us."
Affection squeezes my heart. "It was very nice of your father to give me
a place to stay while my apartment is getting worked on."