I have MOST of chapter 3 written, it just keeps going and going. So I'll probably split it into 2 chapters or so.
Last time I posted without saying anything because I thought you could add stuff in, but I don't know how (if you can). Anyways, I have to give the BIGGEST thanks to my wonderful beta
bk-1205
Thank you, I don't know if I'd be able to write without you. And thank you for the ideas. =D
DISCLAMER: I own nothing. Plain and simple.
Now, onward, to battle and.....chapter 2.
"Margaret, sweetie, it's time to get up for school." Susan rapped on the door with her knuckles.
"Nuh, I don't want to. I don't feel well."
Susan walked over to Margaret's bed to pull the covers down only to have them yanked back up around Margaret's head. "Is this another excuse so you don't have to go to school?"
"Noooo, I really don't feel well."
Once again Susan pulled down the covers. Only this time Margaret didn't pull them back up. She placed her palm on Margaret's forehead and then the back of her hand against her cheeks. Judging from the body heat radiating off Margaret, Susan guessed she was a little warm and could be running a fever.
"Come on, lets go downstairs to get a drink of water and then I'll check your temperature just to make sure."
Susan left the room and looked back through the doorway. Margaret was slowly walking away from the bed. Her feet were dragging and her tangled hair fell in front her face. Usually she was excited to go to school and learn more, but today she really did seem sick.
Soon they were both downstairs and Margaret was taking her temperature while her mother was making pancakes with scrambled eggs.
Beep, beep, beep! The thermometer signaled that it was done checking Margaret's temperature when her dad came downstairs. He took the spatula from Susan so she could read it while he finished cooking.
"Hmm." Susan looked back at Aaron. "She has a temperature of 101.3. I can't take another day off work but she can't go to school today."
Aaron anxiously replied, "That's fine. It's coming up on the end of the year. So I'll just take one of my 'sick' days and stay here with her. It'll give us some time to spend together." He looked down at Margaret, who seemed to be falling asleep standing up, and asked her, "How would you like it if daddy stayed home with you? We can play games and won't have to worry about mommy yelling at us for being too loud."
Margaret mumbled but they both took that as a sign it would be okay. She walked over to the couch and pulled the throw blanket over her and rested her head on the purple pillow before falling asleep again.
Finally, Aaron finished cooking breakfast. After giving Margaret some medicine, as well as some orange juice, Susan walked back over to grab her daughter's plate of breakfast. Usually, she wouldn't let Margaret eat on the couch, but she didn't think Margaret would make it to the table. So, she made an exception.
Surprisingly, Margaret only put a little bit of syrup on her pancakes. Which confirmed what the thermometer already said, she was indeed sick.
Eventually, everyone was done eating and Susan had to go to work, where she would finished editting her manuscripts. When she left, Margaret was about to fall asleep again when Aaron sat next to her.
"Hey, munchkin, is the medicine working yet?" His reply was a shake from her head 'no'. "Well then, hmm, since you don't have to go to school and I don't have to go to work, we can go back to sleep. Do you want to sleep with daddy on his bed upstairs?" She nodded her head. "Okay, come on, let's get you upstairs."
He picked her up under her arms and lifted her into the air. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. Her head leaned on his shoulder while she fell asleep on the way up the steps.
Later in the morning Margaret woke up with more energy. She was still a little drowsy, but she actually felt like getting up. "Daddy? Daddy, wake up. I want to do something."
"Mmm? Is that you munchkin?" He opened one eye and then the other. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. I want to go to the movies." She smiled and showed her white teeth. "Then I want to go to McDonalds and get a toy."
"I don't think going to the movies is the best idea since you aren't feeling well because we don't want other people to get sick. But we can go to the drive-thru at McDonalds."
"YAY!" She started bouncing on the water bed. Before heading to the door to go to her room and change.
"Wait," Aaron waited until he had Margaret's full attention. "As long as you promise me you won't tell mommy that we are going while you are sick. She won't like that. Okay?"
"Okay daddy." Then she ran to her room and changed into her purple dress along with white sandals. The white hair ties held up her hair into pigtails. Despite what other kids said, she still wore her hair in pigtails.
Her and her dad decided to wait until noon to get food. So, to pass time, they watched T.V. and played Twister.
When 3 o'clock rolled around, Susan returned home to find both her husband and her daughter asleep on the couch. She walked over and placed the throw blanket on top of both of them.
Margaret must have felt the blanket because she shifted before waking up. She was followed shortly after by her father. "Mommy? How was work?"
"Hey sweetie. Work was the usual. How was your day? Did you do anything fun with daddy?"
"Yeah, we watched T.V. and played Twister. Then we went to McDonald's so I could get a toy."
Aaron simply rolled his eyes when Margaret revealed their secret to her mother.
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Margaret! Happy Birthday to you!" Susan and Aaron clapped when Margaret closed her eyes, made a wish, and blew out her 10 candles.
Aaron slid up behind Margaret and wrapped his arms around her stomach. "Hey munchkin. What did you wish for?"
Margaret's eyes widened before she turned in her seat to look at her dad. "Shhh, I can't tell you that. Otherwise it won't come true. You should know that."
"I'm joking. Do you want cake now?"
"Duh." She rolled her eyes and turned back in her seat.
"Only if you give me a kiss. Right here. And it has to be good." He turned his right cheek to her and pointed.
Margaret turned back around and planted her lips on his cheek. "Muah! Love you daddy."
"That's more like it. Now let's cut some cake."
Margaret's cake was purple with a white trim. It had a small two-inch Belle replica placed in the upper right hand corner. Aaron took a knife and cut into the cake revealing the chocolate cake underneath.
He placed a corner piece onto a white paper plate and handed it to Margaret who, of coarse, dug right in.
When everyone had finished eating the cake and ice cream, Susan directed them over to the living room to open presents so Margaret could get to bed before 9:30.
Margaret got a stuffed dog with floppy ears from her dad and received a purple princess pillow from her mom amongst other things.
Eventually, Susan got Margaret tucked in bed by 10 o'clock before she headed to bed as well.
"MOM! I'm home. And guess what. I did what you said I should do." Margaret walked into the living room to find her mom reading another manuscript. When she entered the room though, Susan looked up.
"Really, and what would that be. I told you to do a lot of things. I'm hoping you mean you cleaned your room."
"No, mom. I didn't clean my room. I'll do that later." She rolled her eyes as if her mother just asked her to stop the earth from turning. It wouldn't happen. "No, I signed up for the school play."
"Really, and what play would that be?"
"Romeo and Juliet. Tomorrow we are auditioning and Mrs. B is going to give us our parts. Although I don't think I'll be Juliet because everyone knows that Sarah is Mrs. B's favorite student. Which I think is absurd because it shouldn't be a popularity contest, it should be on how well the person can perform. But Mrs. B is a tyrant. So chances are that won't happen."
Susan smiled at how grown up her daughter was becoming. She was only 12 but she excelled in all her classes. The students made fun of how she always used big words and they never understood her. But she was proud of her daughter and how Margaret choose to ignore them. Eventually though, she wished Margaret would make friends so she could enjoy the life most teenagers dreamed of. Although, chances were, that wasn't going to happen because Margaret had already created a bubble around herself.
"Mom. Mom? Are you listening?"
"Huh?" Susan shook her head and redirected her attention to Margaret. "What where you saying? Sorry, I spaced."
"Oh, nothing important. I was just going to ask when dad was going to be home. Because I have a wrestling match I need to make even."
"Oh jeez, you and your father. Sometimes I swear you two are five year old brother and sister." She rolled her eyes and continued reading the manuscript she started.
"And sometimes I think you are too grown up to be my mother." They both laughed before Margaret left the room.
