Mommy Mouse (sequel to City Mouse)

Chapter 14: Telling Leo

AN: If you've never seen the above video, YOU MUST❣️Stop what you're doing and watch it now❣️ If you're not from his neck of the woods, his accent, and his mum's, is a bit difficult to understand, but wow, what an absolute doll and cutie patootie ❣️And he's absolutely HUGE for a five year old, which is how old Leo is, so the comparisons are perfect 🦁 even though Leo's with both parents, and of course they're not in a car. Let your imaginations run wild ❣️

🌺✨🦁✨🐹✨🍼✨🦁✨🐹✨🍼✨🌺

"Mommy, are you okay?" Leo's face showed his distress as he looked at Mouse over the dinner table.

Mouse's nausea, which had been a constant thing for the past three or four weeks, had really ratcheted up over the last couple of days. She was doing her best to power through, but mealtimes were tough, especially since she took her responsibility as cook seriously. She felt very strongly that she needed to "pull her weight" inside the house, to make up for the fact that she wasn't bringing in any money. She knew that Henry didn't care, but she really did.

Today had been touch and go all afternoon, since she was making chili, which required a lot of time, first to soak the beans, then to simmer everything. She also liked to make the cornbread from scratch, since it was so easy, and she felt ridiculous to buy a mix. She had been more or less okay until she watched Leo putting sour cream into his chili. Mouse loved sour cream, but something about the smell of it at this particular moment, coupled with the smell of the sharp, grated cheddar cheese and raw onions she'd put out to garnish the chili because she knew Henry loved them, was overpowering.

"Honey?" Henry leaned over and put a hand on her back.

Mouse took a sip of water, and knew that the battle was lost. She quickly rose from the table, but even that action was too jarring, and she could tell she'd never make it to the bathroom.

"Oh, you guys, I'm so sorry," she murmured, dashing to the kitchen sink with her hand pressed over her mouth. She bent over and turned on the water and garbage disposal, trying to mask the sound of her retching.

Henry was behind her, rubbing her back and making comforting noises, and she could see Leo's small form hovering next to her.

Mouse watched her afternoon tea and toast come back up, and washed them down the drain. When she knew she was through, she swished out her mouth and turned everything off. She gave her men a look of apology as she leaned on the counter.

"You know what? Why don't you guys finish without me, and I'll go take a bath?" She smiled gamely at her young son, who looked so worried. "Then we can talk, okay?"

She looked at Henry. "I'm fine," she said to him. "It's just the smell, you know?"

Henry nodded his understanding, and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"Come on, kiddo, let's finish this great chili mommy made for us," he said to Leo as Mouse headed for the tub.

"But what's wrong with mommy?" she heard Leo ask. "Does she have a cancer? Daddy, does she?"

And she heard Henry's laugh just as she closed the door.

"Daddy, this is, like, the third time she's barfed this week," Leo said as he loaded up his bowl with more cheese. "I didn't want to tattle in front of her, but she did it at the playground when she thought I didn't see, and I know she did it at home once when she thought I couldn't hear." Serious blue eyes regarded Henry as he spooned his food up to his mouth.

"Have you been spying on your mother, young man?" Henry asked, trying to keep the smile off his face.

Leo nodded, completely unembarrassed. "Jonathan said his sister Amy said that's the only way you can find stuff out sometimes," he explained. "And what if mommy's sick, like really sick? What if she does have a cancer somewhere, daddy? Then what?" He held his hands out in a "what would we do?" gesture, eyes huge.