The winter went on for the small family and the house was cold more often than not. Lily didn't fare too well in the freezing weather and was often sick. Arthur new just how to get her feeling better, though he had started to slack on his medical homework and focus more on the book he was working on. The computer quickly became his favorite thing because now he had the motivation to write. Because of his dedication to the book, he was about halfway done with the first draft.
Lily had no idea who Vash actually was. Her eyes showed no hint of remembering him and Vash was fine with that. He felt that he was nothing but a disappointment to her. He couldn't even hold onto her when their mother had died. What kind of brother was he? So, he continued on pretending to be her fake brother when really, it was tearing him apart inside to know she's never realize who he was.
One day, while Arthur was once again working on his novel, the phone rang. Sighing, he saved the file and stood up, going into the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hello?" he asked as he picked up.
"Hello, Mr. Kirkland? We have Lily down in the nurse office at the moment. She has a high temperature and I am wondering if you could maybe come pick her up. She really isn't well enough to go back to class, but if you're busy, we can keep her here until school is over."
"Oh, no, of course I can pick her up." Arthur said, already grabbing his coat. "I will be down there in a little bit." The school nurse thanked him and he hung up, pulling on his scarf, hat, and gloves. He was worried about Lily's fever, but because this happened so often, he was prepared.
He got down to the school and came into the nurse's office. Lily was laying down on the small bed and Arthur smiled gently as he came ov\er. "Hello, love," he said softly, stroking her hair. She looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "Tired? Come, we can go home and you can take a nap. When you wake up, I'll make you some soup and you'll feel better then." She nodded, though the idea of Arthur cooking didn't make her feel much better.
Arthur signed her out at the front desk and wrapped her up in her coat, gloves, and scarf. She did feel rather warm, but that was nothing some medicine and a nap wouldn't fix. Lily laid her head on his shoulder as they walked, the cold keeping her from falling asleep right then.
About a block from home, Lily started to cough. At first, it was small and soft, but soon it became more violent. Arthur had to stop walking so he could rub and pat her back for a good few moments before she finally calmed down. He looked at her worriedly as she leaned against him, now completely exhausted from the coughing fit.
"Love, we're not going home quite yet," Arthur decided. "I'm going to take you to the college clinic first and then we can go home. Lily nodded in response, not having the energy to argue even if she didn't like the idea.
"M-My throat hurts," she whimpered and Arthur shushed her.
"Shh, don't talk," he said softly. "I know it hurts. Just try to rest. We'll be home soon." Finally, he got to the college campus and went to the infirmary. A fellow medical student was there and smiled as Arthur came in. She was in his year and had always been friendly. They weren't exactly best friends, but he did strike her up for a chat every now and then.
"This must be your daughter." She smiled, having heard about her, but had never seen her before. However, her smile slowly turned into a worried frown when she saw Arthur lay her down on a bed. "What's wrong?"
"She has a high fever and a violent cough," Arthur explained, brushing the hair from Lily's face. "Can you give her a checkup? I just want to make sure it's nothing serious." The other woman nodded and started to run some tests, mostly revolving around Lily's lungs. Arthur held Lily's hand for comfort until she slipped off to sleep and then went to help.
About a half hour later, the checkup was finished and the two adults sat on the edge of the bed talking with Lily still asleep. The other student handed Arthur a sheet from her clipboard. "Take her home and put her to bed. Maybe put a cool cloth over her head. If there's any more violent coughing, take her to the hospital. How often does she usually get sick?"
"Often," Arthur sighed. "I told you how Alfred found her. She's been sickly since then, probably because she'd spent so much time out in the cold air."
The woman nodded. "Then I'd watch for asthma or a lung infection. Her lungs seem a bit weak. Her heart too."
Arthur nodded and thanked the woman for her help. He put on Lily's coat and picked her up as she slept on. It was cold outside, so he was sure to hurry home. Once they arrived back at the small apartment, Arthur changed Lily into warm PJs and tucked her into bed. Alfred was at the office and Peter was still at school, so it was just Arthur and Lily in the house now. He shut the blinds in Lily and Peter's room and left the door open just a crack should Lily need anything before he went back to the computer to continue writing.
About an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Arthur glanced at the clock in the right hand corner of the computer screen and found that it was only a little after noon, far too early for either Peter or Alfred to be home. He saved his file and went to the door to find a teenaged boy standing there, his breath coming out in puffs and his cheeks rosy from the chilly winter air.
"Uhm…" Arthur said, blinking in surprise. They rarely got visitors, and when they did it was usually someone they knew. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" The boy had to take a steady breath before he could speak.
"My name is Vash Zwingli," he said. "I'm Lily's older sibling." Arthur's eyes widened for a moment and Vash thought that Arthur could tell that he was really her older brother. However, Arthur figured that Lily would have said something before if this boy was truly her brother. Besides, Zwingli sounded a bit odd, and because Arthur didn't know what Lily's last name had been before he and Alfred adopted her, he didn't think that this Vash was her real brother.
"Oh, for the Brother Sister Program at school?" Arthur asked and Vash found himself nodding. "Whatever are you doing here?"
"I heard that Lily went home sick and I wanted to be sure that she was alright." Vash found himself just a little embarrassed at that. Arthur smiled a bit.
"She's fine. Her fever is a little high, though, but it's coming down. She might not be in school for the rest of the week, so if that affects the number of hours you need, I can sign that you were here and give you some hours for stopping by," Arthur offered. Parents of the little siblings had to sign that the older siblings were putting in after school hours with their assigned charge and Arthur figured that was why Vash was here. But then something struck him. "It's not a half day. Shouldn't you still be in school right now?"
Vash hesitated before nodding. "I skipped lunch and the rest of my classes. I don't care about the hours. I just wanted to make sure Lily was okay. I'll go now." He turned to leave, but Arthur touched his shoulder.
"Come in. She's still asleep, but I was actually going to wake her in a bit anyway for lunch. She'll be happy to hear she has a visitor." Arthur smile at him and Vash looked a bit surprised for a moment before nodding and following. Arthur found it a bit odd that he didn't smile back, but didn't question it.
"Would you like something to drink, lad?" Arthur asked as they entered the kitchen. Vash shook his head. Arthur smiled to himself, now able to see that while this boy was a bit stoic, he did care about Lily. What type of parent wouldn't like another kid who cared about their child?
Arthur went into the kids' room, leaving Vash outside in the hall. Lily was curled up under the blankets on her side. Arthur sat down on the edge of the bed and gently stroked her hair to wake her up. Lily shifted, starting to stir. She opened her eyes and looked up at him sleepily.
"Hello, love," Arthur smiled, kissing her forehead softly. "Hmm, you're still a bit warm. Well, it's lunch time if you're hungry." She shook her head and buried herself into the pillow. Arthur chuckled and rubbed her back. "Well, I do want you to have a little something. How about some hot chocolate?" Lily whined in protest, just wanting to sleep, and Arthur clicked his tongue. "Now, please try to be polite when you have a visitor."
This made Lily curious and she looked up at him, sitting up slightly. "I-I have a visitor? Who?" Arthur smiled and motioned for Vash to come in. He did so and Lily's face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree. "Vash!"
Arthur smiled at her. "Vash came all the way from school just to see you, to be polite. I'll go make something for you."
"Mr. Alfred said that you're not supposed to make food." Lily said and Arthur huffed, his face reddening.
"I don't know what it is with that man! I can cook just fine!" Lily made a face and Arthur sighed. "I'll just stick to making hot chocolate, then." Lily smiled as Arthur left the room, partly thankful that he wasn't going to actually cook and partly excited that Vash had come to see her.
"You always seem sickly," the boy finally said. "Why is that?"
Lily smiled a bit and rested against the fluffed up pillows. "Mr. Arthur said that it's because I was on the street so long. Me and Peter had to live on the street or else we'd be separated. We were fine in the summer, but then it got colder and I got real sick. But it's okay! Mr. Alfred found us and Mr. Arthur always makes me better!"
Vash looked at her for a moment seeing how happy she was. This family really was the best thing for her. Looking around the tiny apartment, he could tell that they didn't have much, but they had each other and that was enough to keep them happy.
"Yes, well… Get better. And healthier. You need to be stronger or else you'll never get to school and you need an eductation. That's the only way you'll make it in this world." Lily giggled.
"Okay, Vash. But why did you come all the way here just to see me?" she asked.
"Because you need someone to tell you that you have to get healthier," he replied shortly. She giggled again and Vash's lips curved upwards. It couldn't be counted as a smile, but it was close and Lily smiled brightly at him, glad she was making him happy.
"Okay! I'm gonna try to get bet—" She took a harsh breath and then started to cough. Vash didn't hesitate before he started to pat her back. However, this did not seem to help in the least and she started to cough harder and more violently. On the corner of her finger, Vash saw something red and pulled her hand from her mouth. It looked like she had dipped her palm in red paint, it was so coated with blood.
"Mr. Kirkland!" Vash shouted, standing and trying to get Lily's coughs under control. She coughed hard and bits of red speckled the white comforter. Arthur came running in, worried about the panick in Vash's voice and when he saw the blood specks, he gasped.
"Lily!" He called and rushed over, stroking her hair and rubbing her back as Vash had tried to do. His shirt got a bit of blood on it, but soon she stopped and slumped against him. "Love?" Arthur asked in a quiet voice, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead. Lily looked up at him, her eyes glazed and her face pale. She opened her mouth so speak, but Arthur put a finger to her lips. "Shh, don't talk. Just sleep. You'll be okay." She barely heard him as she passed out against him.
"She's burning up," Arthur reported, looking up at Vash. "Do me a favor and get her school bag. Empty out her books and put in her stuffed cat and her little blanket. I don't have a good feeling about this." He picked her up, wrapping her in the blankets. "I'm going to call Alfred and take her to the hospital, so hurry."
Vash nodded, feeling a rush of panic, and did as he was told. He packed a few things into the bag while Alfred called Alfred at work and was quickly ready to leave. "Come on, Lad!" Arthur called and the two ran out the door, jogging to the hospital with Lily in Arthur's arms.
A few hours later, Arthur was waiting alone in the hospital's waiting room, twiddling his fingers nervously. He had no idea what was going on with Lily. All he knew what that she was very sick and he couldn't be there with her. Vash had to go home so his parents wouldn't realize he had cut school. Alfred had to work and Arthur understood. If Alfred left in the middle of the day, even for his family, it could cost him his job. It stunk the way his bosses were so corrupt and mean, but there was nothing they could do since that job was their only current source of income.
Finally, the electric door slid open and Alfred followed by Peter rushed in. "How is she?" Alfred asked. Arthur stood and Alfred wrapped his arms around his husband. While it didn't relieve the stress, it certainly helped Arthur to feel his husbands warm arms around him.
"I don't know. She's been in there about two hours," Arthur sighed, sounding stressed and worried. "They haven't told me anything."
"I'm gonna go see her!" Peter said, starting off to the doors that led back into the main part of the hospital but Arthur grabbed him back.
"We can't see her yet," Arthur said, tugging his sleeve. "I don't know when we can, but we can't now." Peter pouted and Arthur brushed a hand through the boy's hair. The family sat down in the waiting room chairs. Alfred had his arm around Arthur to try to keep him calm because he knew how worried he was. They were all worried about Lily and, because of the lack of news on her condition, also extremely nervous.
Finally, a doctor came out dressed in a white coat and made his way over to the family. Arthur opened his mouth, but the doctor spoke first before he could be assaulted with questions. "She is going to be alright," He said and could see the family relax considerably. "However, she is rather ill and will need to remain here a few days. Her fever is high and she is having trouble breathing, so oxygen tubes have been placed under her nose to help regulate her airways. We believe she does have asthma and might have a small case of pneumonia, but the pneumonia is nothing we can't fix."
Arthur nodded thankfully. "Can we see her?" he asked, praying the answer would be yes. To his happiness, the doctor nodded.
"You may, but we can only allow family at this time."
"We're her parents," Arthur said, pointing to himself and Alfred. "And Peter is her older brother." Though they weren't really related, Arthur felt that Peter deserved to see Lily after being so worried over her. Besides, what harm could it possibly do? The two were extremely close as it was.
The doctor nodded and the family followed him to a private room where Lily lay fast asleep. She had an IV in her hand and tubes under her nose to help her breathe. Her chest rose and fell evenly and she did not seem to be in pain at all.
Arthur came forward immediately and stroked her hair as he took her hand. He placed a kiss on her forehead and she mumbled in her sleep. "Shh, love. I'm here," Arthur said softly and the doctor left the room so they could be alone. Alfred and Peter stepped forward and stood by the bed.
"She's pale! Why is she so pale?" Peter asked with a panicked voice and Arthur shushed him.
"Peter, hush," Arthur said softly, but sternly. "She's sleeping, so let her rest. You heard the doctor. She's sick, so she's going to be rather pale. I don't like it any more than you do; it's rather nerve-wracking." Peter pouted and Arthur gave him a look that told the boy he had better be quiet.
Suddenly, the bed shifted and Lily's eyes fluttered open. Arthur looked over at her and gently touched her cheek. Lily looked up at Arthur and reached up to him, her eyes glazed with fever and sleepiness. "D-Daddy," she murmured. This confused Arthur and Alfred.
"Princess?" Alfred asked softly. "Hey, you're okay. We're right here." She turned to look for the voice, her vision blurry and distorted. "P-Papa?"
Alfred didn't know if she was confused or delirious, but he decided to go with it. "Yes, kiddo. We're here." Her hands were still in the air, trying to grab onto something. Alfred gently took them in one of his hands and kissed them. "We're right here, kiddo. You're just fine."
"Lily?" Peter asked and touched her shoulder. "Get better okay? I don't like you bein' so sick." She looked over at Peter and nodded a bit.
"I don't feel good," she whispered out. "I feel yucky and tired and my throat hurts."
"Then sleep," Arthur said softly and tucked the blankets around her better. "Go to sleep and you'll feel a little better when you wake up." He smiled gently and kissed her forehead.
"Don't leave, Daddy," she said with a whine and grasped his sleeve. Her eyes seemed panicked at the idea of him leaving her in the hospital by herself.
"Shh," Arthur said, stroking her hair. "I'm not going anywhere, love. I'll be right here with you." She nodded, accepting the answer, and slipped her eyes closed. Within a minute, she was once again fast asleep. Arthur sighed. "Alfred, take Peter home and get him to bed. I'll stay the night with Lily. You have work in the morning and Peter has school."
"But I wanna stay with Lily! Why do I have to go to school?" Peter asked. "I have to stay and protect her."
"Kiddo," Alfred said, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. "The doctors know what they're doing. You have to go to school because school is in session tomorrow and you're not missing a day when you still need to catch up with the rest of the class. Besides, you can get Lily her homework. I'll take you over to the hospital when I get out of work, okay?"
Peter looked away with a pout, but nodded, knowing that Alfred and Arthur had their feet down on this issue. "Fine." He grumbled and the two adults smiled at him. This was tough on all of them, including Peter. Arthur leaned down and kissed Peter's head.
"Good lad," he said with a smile and Peter wiped the kiss away. "Now, sleep well, alright? Don't you fret about us; we'll be fine." Peter nodded and Arthur looked up in time for Alfred to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Arthur smiled at him. "Night, love."
"Good night, babe. Get some sleep yourself, alright?" Arthur nodded, though they both knew that he would probably be awake all night. Alfred left the room with Peter and the boy took one last look at Lily as Arthur sat down in the chair by the bed.
The next day was long and slow for both Alfred and Peter. Both wanted to be there for Lily and Arthur, but they had things they had to do that day and simply couldn't ignore them. Lily woke up at one that afternoon, confused and a bit frightened because she didn't know where she was at first. Seeing Arthur helped her settle down and he told her fairy tales while she rested. A doctor told him that she was doing a little better, but was still pretty sick. She would have to stay in the hospital for the remainder of the week and she was not pleased to learn that.
"But I gotta go to school!" she whined when the doctor had left the room. "I have to do my school work and my homework and I don't like it here! It's scary!"
Arthur gently stroked her hair. "But, love, staying here will help you get better. You know you're very sick right now. You want to get better, don't you?"
"If I say no, can I go home?" she asked with a sheepish smile and Arthur chuckled. It was then that Alfred and Peter came into the room. Peter was holding s small bouquet of flowers and Alfred was carrying a new stuffed animal—a white dog.
"Peter! Papa!" Lily smiled and Alfred looked at Arthur in confusion at being called 'Papa.' Arthur shrugged and Alfred chuckled as he came further into the room.
"Hey, Princess. Feeling better?" Lily nodded and Alfred handed her the stuffed dog. Her eyes widened with delight and she gasped as she took it, cuddling it close to her chest as she called out a breathless, "Thank you!" Alfred chuckled and kissed her head.
"She'll need to stay the rest of the week," Arthur said with a soft sigh. "Her pneumonia is much better, though. She still has a fever and is very sick, but she's starting to get much better."
"But I don't wanna stay here!" Lily whined again and Alfred chuckled.
"Sorry, sweetie," Alfred said, "But staying here will only help you get better." Lily pouted, mad that both her parents had said pretty much the same thing, and Alfred ruffled her hair to make her giggle. "I'm gonna go grab us something for dinner and bring it back, okay?" He said and turned to leave.
Arthur stood, stretching. "I'll come with you. I need to stretch my legs and I also have to make sure you do not buy us complete and utter crap." Alfred laughed and Arthur smiled at the kids. "You two be good. We'll be right back." The children nodded obediently and Arthur followed Alfred out of the room.
"So…" Alfred said. "'Daddy' and 'Papa?' Where in the world did that come from?"
"It must be the fever." Arthur said. "She always called us 'mister;' never once did she just say out name." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. He was stressed out. This was a lot to deal with.
"Hey, she's getting better," Alfred said with a soft smile. "She might not seem like it, but she's a tough cookie. She'll get better and be home soon."
Arthur smiled just a little and nodded, holding Alfred's hand as they made their way down to the cafeteria. "It's just odd, being called 'daddy.'"
"Do you like it, though?" Alfred asked as they got in line. Arthur paused for a moment, thinking.
"You know what? I think I do rather like the sound of it." Arthur smiled. "What about you, 'Papa?'"
Alfred laughed. "It's nice, you know, because I never thought I'd be a dad."
"I never thought so either," Arthur said in a very soft and tender voice, looking away at nothing. "But it's wonderful. I wouldn't trade them for the world. They've really helped us grow closer, I think."
"You really think so?" He asked and Arthur nodded.
"It's nice to have someone who completely depends on us. We have each other, but it's different with kids. They littereally couldn't survive without us." Arthur sighed, looking a bit saddened. "They almost didn't. Any longer out there and both of them would have been goners."
Alfred ordered some food and Arthur did the same. "Yeah," Alfred breathed as they waited for their food to be ready. "They were lucky… We all were lucky."
Arthur smiled up at him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "We were. And we'll get through this." He hesitated before continuing. "Lily has asthma. They're going to give us an inhaler when she's released."
Alfred simply nodded, now looking a bit grim. "Figured. She's always been so sick, I can't imagine she can be so sickly and not have something wrong with her. It must be pretty severe since she was on the streets for so long."
"Yes, but like I said, we'll get through all of this. And like you said; Lily's tough. She doesn't look it, but she is. She's fought this long to stay alive and I know she won't give up." Arthur smiled a bit, mostly to himself. "She's a Kirkland-Jones. And they are pretty stubborn."
A small smile graced Alfred's face and he pecked Arthur's lips. "You're right. We just need to stay strong and everything will be alright in the end." He picked up their bag of food and the couple headed back to Lily's room. As they got nearer, they heard shouting and soon realized it was coming from near Lily's room. Both of them hurried, worried that Lily was hurt.
"… Brother! Can't you see that? I need to see her!" a voice was shouting and a nurse was trying to calm the person down.
"Sir, I have no proof that you are her brother. I can't let you in unless you are directly related to her and can prove it." She said.
"Excuse me." Arthur said, coming up to the two. "What is going on?" He looked at the nurse and then down at the kid she was addressing. "Vash? What are you doing here? I understand you are concerned about Lily, but she's fine really. All this shouting isn't going to help her." Vash glared.
"I'm her brother, I deserve to see her!" He shouted.
"Dude, who the hell are you?" Alfred asked. He had never met Vash before.
"This is Lily's sibling from the school." Arthur said. "Lad, I know you're taking the project seriously, but this is going too far. Please let her be. We'll let you know when you can come see her."
"No, you don't understand!" Vash growled. "I am her brother. Her real brother."
"Kid, seriously." Alfred said, starting to get very annoyed. "Go home." But Arthur looked at Vash a bit more.
"Miss, please let him through," Arthur told the nurse. "He's her brother. Her real brother." The nurse didn't seem pleased, but having the parent of the child say that Vash was Lily's brother was proof enough under hospital code and she couldn't question it. She left and Arthur pulled Vash into a deserted corner. "You have a lot of explaining to do."
Vash sighed and nodded. "I am her brother. Her real brother. Our parents passed away when we were young. Father died before Lily was born and Mother died in a fire. She was led to believe that I died in that fire too and we were separated. I was adopted into a family a year later and never saw her or heard from her again. But she doesn't recognize me. I think she might have had an accident that caused her to forget my face."
Arthur nodded, listening to every word the boy said and Alfred was looking at him with an open mouth. "If you're her brother… Why haven't you told her?" he asked.
"Because she's obviously happier where she is now," Vash responded. "She has a family and a home. She wouldn't want me for a brother. I'd just disappoint her." He sighed and looked away. Arthur frowned.
"Do you have any idea how much she misses you?" he asked. "She talks about you a lot. She doesn't remember your face, but she remembers she had a brother and you owe it to her to tell her who you are. We're not going to do it for you, but know that no little sister on earth would be disappointed with a brother who cares about her so much."
Alfred nodded in agreement. "Dude, she's your sister. Nothing, no matter how many adoptions or years go by, will ever change that."
Vash looked up at the two men and realized that they were right. With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright… I'll tell her. But not now. She's sick, isn't she?"
Arthur nodded. "Now might not be the best time, but you'll have to tell her eventually. When she's out of the hospital, though." Vash nodded and all three of them walked into the hospital room.
It's been a long time, hasn't it? Sorry for the wait! School killed me Dx If you've noticed, I've changed Lily's name. I think that Lily is a sweater and nicer spelling than Lilli. Hope you don't mind!
Anyway, Vash has finally come out to Alfred and Arthur about who he really is. Will he tell Lily, though?
Please review if you can! Thank you for reading!