One Last Time

Chapter 5

She's not afraid to try again.

She's just afraid of getting hurt for the same reason.

- unknown

Lana

We left the school after an hour when we got this sorted. The two other children who made Amelia upset were told off to never do what they did ever again. Amelia's kindergarten teacher, Anna dismissed Amelia for another couple of days as she has been sick. It's advised that once a person has been sick, they should be on sick leave for at least two days to recover entirely. If Amelia was sick, she needed my full attention so that meant that I wasn't going to go into work for a few days. I've informed dad and he told me that it was going to be fine and that Dr Paul was going to be my replacement for the days that I'm going to be absent for.

We got home in the next fifteen minutes and immediately, Amelia threw up again.
"Mommy, can we still go to the movies?" She asked as I took her temperature with a thermometer.

"Sweetie, you're not well." I said, "How about we watch a movie at home?" I suggested, "We can still watch your favourite, Home Alone. Along with that, we can have ice cream and hot chocolate?" I began to undress her and dress her in a more suitable attire for the evening as she was still very sick.

"B-but we don't have the movie..."

"Don't worry darling, I'll ask Stephan to bring it."

Her eyes widened while a huge smile spread across her face,
"Stevie will be here too?" Excitement poured out of her tiny flushed-out face,

"Yes sweetie, he will be joining us!" I claim as I pulled her sweatshirt down her torso.

I called Stephan and informed him of the situation. He must've been waiting for me at the office and I've apologised a number of times but he insists that it's alright and not to worry about it. I got the lounge ready, and tried my best to make it seem more cinematic so Amelia felt as though we were at a cinema. She was still frowning upon the fact that she couldn't go but I promised her we will go next week, once she is well enough. I was done getting everything ready when Amelia finally walked down the little set of stairs and the door suddenly rang.

"Amelia baby, I've got everything ready. You sit here while I answer the door, Okay?" I said,

"Alright mommy." She replied as she climbed onto the couch that was covered in blankets.

I left the lounge and walked to the door to answer it. Once I opened the door, my jaws dropped to the floor. Stephan was here with handful of gifts while he held the movie that we were going to watch tonight. His beaming and rapturous face appeared as I examined him holding a lot of gifts and toys, presumably for Amelia.

"Stephan, what in the world...?" I bring my hands up to my head in disbelief and was completely bewildered, as I question him. I let him though the door as I move out the way and just sigh. "Stephan honestly, was this necessary at all?" I question him, he was seriously taking things too far. This was extremely inappropriate for a redundant event. Amelia was only sick, nothing else.

"Relax Lana, Amelia is still a child and it takes a lot to take her mind of things like this." He stated. Earlier, on the phone call I informed him of Amelia's revelation about her father and Stephan was immediately struck by it. How I wished I never told him!

It had struck me too because Amelia rarely spoke about her father, she knew that I talked about him infrequently, actually I never did speak about him. I always tell Amelia how amazing her father was to me up until he left me, of course I hadn't told her that he left me. I tell her that he was very busy with work and that he is in another state and will visit us one day, just not right now. That's an excuse for now, and I knew very well that I couldn't hold that excuse for any longer now because my Lia was growing up.