They say bad news comes in three's, and on this particular Thursday, Santana had already had two bouts of that.
It had all started earlier on in the evening when she had asked Mila what she planned on taking in for show and tell tomorrow. Mila and her classmates were allowed to bring something personal into school on the second to last Friday of every month, and it was something that Mila always loved, but on this occasion, she had sheepishly admitted to Santana that she wasn't allowed to bring anything in this week because she had received two demerits in a week.
It wasn't like Mila to misbehave at school so Santana was not only angry with her daughter, but disappointed.
Now Brittany was on the phone delivering the second bout of bad news.
"I'm really sorry babe. I'm so disappointed. I've been missing you all week but knowing that I'd be seeing you tomorrow evening was getting me through. I tried everything but these reshuffles are just making it impossible to get out of. They need me there".
Santana sighed. Hearing that she wasn't going to be seeing her girlfriend this weekend as planned and now had to wait until Wednesday, almost a week away, wasn't the news she wanted to hear right now. Especially after the day she'd had. She was so proud of Brittany for the work she did and how important she was, but at times like this she resented it, for the way last minute changes could crop up that Brittany would have to adhere to.
"Fuck, this is all I wanted to hear today!" Santana groaned.
"San" Brittany hummed sympathetically "Don't get too upset. Wednesday will be here before we know it, and I promise I'll make it up to you".
"I know" Santana sighed "I know, I'm sorry Brit. I'm not trying to take it out on you. I've just had a bad day, that's all".
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Mila got two demerits at school this week. You know her Brit, and that's just not like her. What with the fight with Lily, and now this, I'm just really worried about her behaviour."
"What did she get the demerits for? Did you find out?"
"Oh, I practically had to drag it out of her. When I told her that if she didn't tell me I'd be speaking to her teacher in the morning, she finally confessed" Santana let out another sigh "Apparently she was answering back to the teacher"
Santana was alarmed when Brittany let out a slight chuckle.
"Brit, it's not funny" she groaned.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry it's just…answering back to the teacher? That reminds me of an 11-year-old girl that I knew very well at school".
"And who would that be?" Santana rolled her eyes, knowing exactly where Brittany was going with this.
An 11-year-old Santana Lopez was in class, as she tried to once again explain to her best friend Brittany how to work out algebra equations, with all the patience of a saint.
"See Brit-Brit, this one here is 8B+5=29, so all you gotta do is work out what B is, okay?"
"Santana Lopez, stop talking to Brittany and get on with your own worksheet please!" Mr Martin warned sternly.
Brittany looked down and swallowed, and Santana noticed her uncertainty.
"Did you forget how to work out B, Brit?"
Brittany nodded, cheeks reddening slightly, until Santana reached out and squeezed her hand comfortingly.
"It's okay, I will help you. See all you gotta do is flip it around okay? See how there's a + sign? We gotta change that to work out B, so what's the opposite of adding something?"
"Subtract?" Brittany asked hesitantly.
"That's right Brit-Brit! You got it. So, 29-5 is…?"
"24?"
"Perfect! Now we just gotta see how many times 8 fits into 3 to work out what B is, because remember when the letter is next to the number like that, it means they multiply together".
"Santana, I am not going to ask you again to stop talking. If you carry on, I'm going to be forced to move you." said Mr Martin, a firm expression covering his face.
Santana simply glared at him, and as soon as he turned his attention from her and onto another student, she focused back on Brittany. There was no way she was going to just leave Brittany to struggle with this. Brittany needed her help.
"So, count on your fingers Brit if you need to, how many times does 8 fit into 24?"
She waited patiently for Brittany to finish counting, admiring the adorable manner in which Brittany stuck out her tongue to concentrate.
"3 times?" Brittany asked, voice wavering with uncertainty again.
"That's it! That's your answer. So, B=3" Santana chimed enthusiastically, as she leaned over to write the answer on Brittany's worksheet "See Brit-Brit, you can do it! You can do anything you put your mind to".
Just as Brittany was about to thank her best friend who appeared to beaming with pride, they were interrupted by the bellowing voice of Mr Martin.
"Right, Santana Lopez! Twice I have warned you now to stop talking to Brittany, and both times you have ignored me. Clearly you can't be trusted to sit beside each other. I'd like you to go over there and sit next to Nathaniel please".
Santana suddenly felt the rage inside her at the thought of not being able to sit next to Brittany. Especially when Brittany often needed her.
"No chance!" she shouted back "I'm not moving next to him. No way".
"Well, it's either that or the principal's office I'm afraid, you've had your chances".
Santana ignored the worried look on Brittany's face and the hand that tried to calm her as she carried on shouting.
"I'm staying right here in my seat in case I need to help Brittany. That's all I was trying to do; I was trying to help her. It's not like we were talking about fun things".
"Well, if Brittany needs any help, she can put up her hand like everybody else does. Now move please Santana, or it's a demerit and a trip to Mrs Lane's office".
Santana grabbed her things in fury.
"Well maybe if you weren't such a terrible teacher, Brittany wouldn't need any help in the first place!"
"Right, that's a demerit and up to Mrs Lane for you".
But Santana was already on her way out the door. If she had to get a demerit and explain to Mrs Lane why she was talking, then so be it, but she wasn't going to sit next to anybody else in the class apart from Brittany.
"I know Brit, I get it. We share the same genes, so I shouldn't be so surprised that she's got a little attitude, but you know how hard I've tried to make sure she didn't turn out like that".
"Baby come on. We've talked about this. I've told you before that it's not a bad thing if she does turn out like you, you're being way too hard on yourself" Brittany soothed "And for what it's worth, I think you're being a little too hard on her. So, she's answering back a little bit at school? But she's still a good kid San. She's in fifth grade, her last year of elementary school. She's probably just trying to push the boundaries a bit, that's all. Most kids do it".
"She really has you wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she?"
"Hey, listen, if I thought for one second that Mila was really acting out and that she was going down a path that was going to be bad for her, I'd be right there beside you lecturing her. But I really don't think it's that deep San. And I know you, and I know that you worry about her and how she's turning out far too much, so it's my job to rationalise you and balance all of that out. If you come down too heavy on her, she's only going to rebel more, and you can trust me on that because I've had first-hand experience of seeing one Lopez lady doing that already".
Santana could almost picture the way Brittany would be raising her eyebrows right now. She let out another sigh, but this time she was smiling. Brittany was right, and she always did manage to calm her down. She knew deep down that she was right.
"Besides" Brittany added "Do you remember when you brought Mila to New York for the first time? She was only a baby still, like 18 months old, and I held her to the window, and I was showing her all the sights of New York. I had thought you were sleeping, but apparently you heard every word. I told her way back then that I'd always be another person for her to turn to if she ever had an argument with you, and I promised to always try and see her side of things, while at the same time calming you down and reminding you that you were a teenager yourself once. And okay, she's not a teenager yet, maybe the hormones have started a little earlier than planned. But things might get a little tougher in the next couple of years because as much as we hate it and want to keep her as our tiny baby Moo forever, she's growing up San, and that's going to come with its challenges. But I'm always going to be here to support you and to support her and to calm things down because, what with two fiery Latina's, I think someone needs to".
Santana let out a slight laugh.
"You're right. I know. And I am really grateful that you can always calm me and make sense of things. I just wish you were here in person right now and you could give me a cuddle to put an end to this bad day".
"I know baby, me too. But Wednesday will be here before we know it, and I'll give you as many cuddles and kisses as you want and need".
The next morning, Santana who was feeling in a better mood today, went into Mila's room to wake her for school as she always did.
"Moo?" she coaxed gently "Sweetheart, it's time to get up for school".
And as she did every morning because she quite simply wasn't a morning person, Mila groaned and threw the blankets over her head.
"Come on, at least it's Friday" Santana said, peeling back the blankets to reveal Mila with her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"I don't feel so good Mama, I don't want to go to school today".
Santana frowned and placed the back of her hand against Mila's forehead. She definitely didn't have a fever.
"What do you mean you don't feel good?"
"Just feel sick" Mila shrugged.
"Well, have you actually been sick?"
The little girl shook her head, and Santana looked at her carefully, trying to read her.
"Look Meels, I know that you're not loving the idea of going to school today since you can't bring anything in for show and tell like everybody else, but you know there are consequences when you misbehave. You disrespected your teacher, and now you have to be punished. Faking sick isn't a way to get out of that. So come on, get up please, or else I'll be late for work and you'll be late for school".
"But I'm not faking it Mama, I really do feel sick"
"Mila Grace Lopez, you are going to school today, and that's final".
So, Mila was sent off to school with a frown on her face, with Santana telling her to see how she got on. She knew her daughter, and like herself, she was stubborn. She had her heart set on not going to school today, so Santana knew Mila would probably just complain to the teachers so she could get sent home. She fully expected to receive a call from the school to say Mila wasn't feeling well, and she'd then have to call her mom and ask if she could pick her up since she was at work.
But to her surprise, the call never came, and at 3pm Santana found herself sitting outside Mila's school as normal. She hoped her daughter would be in a better mood now that school was done for the weekend, but to no avail, the same frown that she had on her face this morning was still firmly planted there. Maybe Brittany was right. Maybe the hormonal teenager stage was coming earlier.
"Hey sweetheart, how was school?" Santana tried, enthusiastically, as she started the car engine back up.
"Horrible. I've been feeling sick all day" she replied, causing Santana to turn to look at her with a frown on her face.
"Why didn't you get the school to phone me if you've been feeling like that all day?"
"I didn't want you to get mad". Mila shrugged.
"Mila" Santana sighed, feeling guilty now "Baby, if you really weren't feeling well, of course I wouldn't be mad at you. But your education is important, so I have to make sure sometimes. You have to admit, your behaviour has been a little off lately, and that might just be because you're growing up and your body is changing which is completely normal. But are you sure there's not something else bothering you?"
"No, I really do feel sick. I just want to stay home all weekend and watch movies".
Santana studied her daughter as if she was trying to work out what was going on inside her mind. It seemed unfair not to just trust her, but she had to make sure that there wasn't something else that Mila just wasn't telling her. Clearly it couldn't be school like she originally thought, because now it was over until Monday and Mila wouldn't be able to keep the front up this long just to save face.
Then an alarm bell went off in her head. Mila had made a point just now of saying how she wanted to stay home all weekend, when in actual fact she was supposed to be with Puck this weekend. All week leading up Mila had been complaining and hinting that she didn't want to go with Puck this weekend, even though it was his turn to have her. She'd have Mila all the time if she could, but the court order they had in place from years back granted Puck at least two weekends a month (that is whenever he stuck to them). Santana wondered if it was Puck letting Mila down for her birthday party, that had caused the sudden reluctance in seeing him.
"Meels, are you sure you're not just saying this as a way to get out of seeing your dad this weekend?" Santana asked softly.
To her surprise, Mila started to cry.
"No! Why can't you just believe that I'm not feeling well" she sobbed.
Concerned for her child, Santana reached out into the back seat and grabbed Mila's hand.
"Okay, okay" she calmed her "It's alright sweetheart, don't cry okay? Listen, how about I call your dad and tell him that you're not feeling well and that you won't be coming this weekend, and then you and I can go home and bring all the blankets downstairs and get cuddled up on the sofa and watch a movie. Does that sound like a good idea? Do you think that will make you feel better?"
"Okay" Mila sniffled, her face red from her tears, as Santana gave her hand one last squeeze before turning around to drive and get them home.
As soon as they were home, Mila had run straight upstairs to get her pyjamas on while Santana made the call to Puck. He was less than pleased, saying it was "an inconvenience" to him that he had to switch his weekends around, but Santana couldn't care less what he thought. It was okay for him to cancel last minute on his daughter's birthday, but when she got sick as kids do, it was "inconvenient".
Santana still wasn't sure if Mila actually was sick or not, as she cuddled up to her on the couch watching Taylor Swift's Miss Americana documentary for the 1000th time, she observed her daughter was definitely quieter than usual. She had cautiously put a bowl by the sofa in case Mila needed to throw up, but so far it hadn't been used, and she kept on feeling her head for a temperature, but she had no sign of one. But whether she was genuinely feeling unwell, or if she was just having an off-day and wanted some attention from her mom, Santana was going to give it to her either way.
By 8pm Mila was fast asleep, which was definitely unlike her, especially on a weekend. Santana carried Mila up to bed, which was a struggle considering how big she was getting, but she managed it without waking her. She hoped a good night's sleep would make her feel better in the morning.
Santana wasn't really sure what to do with herself for the rest of her Friday evening. Brittany was still at work and would be until at least midnight because she was so busy with these last-minute changes and reshuffles. Santana had barely got to speak to her all day, just the odd text here and there, because Brittany had been there since this morning. She was the one person she really wanted to call but couldn't, but instead she called her mom to check that she made it to Cincinnati okay, where she was visiting Pablo and Sarah for the weekend. After hanging up the phone to them, she debated giving Quinn a call, but then she remembered she was surprisingly on another date with Finn tonight, and she made a mental note to ask her tomorrow how all of that was going.
She settled for watching TV instead. There was a new Netflix documentary called "Tiger King" that was trending everywhere, so she decided on that, determined to stay awake so she could speak to Brittany after work. But despite her interest in the show, and her best efforts to stay up for her girlfriend, she found herself dozing off and woke up with a start to a roaring tiger. It wasn't even 10pm yet, and Santana forced her eyes awake, but it was no use and soon she was falling asleep again.
Eventually she gave in and sloped off to bed around 10, thinking that she'd at least be up early enough to speak to Brittany before she set off for another long day of work tomorrow.
From: Santana
To: Brittany
Hi baby, hope work is going well. I'm really sorry but I'm probably going to be asleep by the time you finish work. I've been trying to stay awake, but I just keep falling asleep, I'm so tired. I'm going to get up early tomorrow though so that I can speak to you before you start. Roll on Wednesday! Sleep well, and please make sure you get a cab home instead of walking. I know it's the city, but it's late! Love you x
No sooner had she sent the text to Brittany, had she found herself back asleep again.
At around 2am, Santana woke up with a start. She had been in a deep sleep from how tired she was, but it must have been her mom instincts that woke her up, because now she was awake, she knew what had woken her up. The sound was very faint, but it was the sound of Mila throwing up. That was when she realised bad news truly did come in threes, because now her daughter really was sick. She leapt out of bed and towards Mila's room, finding her tearful and looking in a very sorry state.
"Mama I'm sorry, I've been sick all over my bed" she wailed.
"It's okay baby, it's okay! Don't worry." Santana rushed towards her, instincts taking over as she pulled Mila's hair off her face and into a ponytail, before grabbing the bowl beside her bed and rubbing her back "Do you feel like you need to be sick some more?"
"I'm not sure" Mila sniffled, but Santana's question was soon answered when Mila suddenly started throwing up again.
"It's okay, Mama's here, just get it all up sweetheart. You'll feel better for it, I promise".
Santana gently rubbed her back and soothed her, until Mila was sure she wasn't going to be sick no more. She then held her hand against her to check for a temperature again, but this time she had one for sure.
"Gosh Mila, you're scalding." Santana gasped, before turning onto autopilot "Come on sweetheart, let's get you out of these clothes and into a really quick shower, you can sleep in with me tonight".
When Mila was clean, showered and in fresh pyjamas, Santana tucked her up in bed with a large glass of water.
"Baby, I just need to take your temperature, okay?"
Mila nodded, still tearful, and Santana placed the device in her ear. She checked three times for accuracy, but each time the reading was the same. Mila had a temperature of 101 F.
"Okay darling drink some more water for me. I'll be right back".
Santana came back moments later with a damp cloth for Mila's head, which she dabbed against her to try and break her fever. She knew from being the daughter of a doctor that fevers were a healthy response to infection, but she also knew if they got too high, they could be dangerous and could cause reactions like seizures.
After more vomiting and tears from Mila, and an increasing feeling of helplessness in Santana, Mila was finally back asleep again. Santana took her temperature again, careful not to wake her, but was alarmed to see that despite the damp cloth pressed against her forehead and the removal of her pyjama shirt, Mila's temperature had in fact gone up, not down. It was now reading at 103 F, if it got to 104 F, she'd have to seek medical attention, something that she really didn't want to have to do.
She bit her lip frantically as a single tear escaped down her face. She was a worrier by nature but situations like this made her panic even more. It was times like this, she really wished her dad was still here, because she'd be straight on the phone to him. Instead, she picked up her cell to call the one person that she knew could always calm her.
"San?" Brittany said into the receiver, voice confused and thick with sleep, but the sound of her voice instantly broke Santana into tears.
"Brit, I'm so sorry for calling you at this time, I know you have to be up early again tomorrow. But Mila got sick and I'm panicking a bit, I just…needed to hear your voice".
On hearing Mila was sick and Santana was crying, Brittany instantly shook all tiredness from her body and sat up in bed.
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. What do you mean Mila got sick? Is she okay?"
"She's been complaining about feeling sick all day. To be honest Brit, at first I thought she was faking it to get out of school after the whole show and tell thing, but about an hour ago I woke up to her throwing up. She's sleeping next to me now, but I don't know how long for because she keeps throwing up still, and she has a really high fever too. It was at 101 and I've had a damp cloth against her to try and cool her down but nothing seems to be working, I checked just now and it's gone up to 103. I'm scared she's going to get so hot she has a seizure or something. At 104 you're supposed to take them to the ER, but I don't know whether to just take her already, just to be safe. I'm sorry, I'm not expecting you to have all the answers or anything, I just wanted to hear your voice that's all. You always manage to calm me down."
"Oh, my poor Moo" Brittany muttered sympathetically "have you given her any medication to try and break the fever?"
"I haven't actually" Santana sighed "why didn't I think of that?"
"Because you're tired and you're stressed, and you were trying other alternatives" Brittany soothed. She always hated it when Santana got too hard on herself.
"Yeah, I mean, I've checked for all the obvious things you check for when your kid has a fever this high, she doesn't have any rashes or any other symptoms except the vomiting, so I don't think it's meningitis or anything like that. I don't really know what it is, I just hate seeing her like this and feeling helpless".
Brittany's heart tugged, feeling just as helpless being 600 miles away and not being able to be there for Santana and Mila. Then a thought hit her.
"Actually San, I just remembered, Mila told me on FaceTime the other day that a boy in her class got sick in front of her. She was totally grossed out by it, that's why she was telling me, I think you were making dinner at the time. It's probably just a bout of the stomach flu that's going round her class".
Santana felt slightly relieved. Knowing there was probably a reason why Mila was feeling this sick made her feel a little better, as much as it wasn't nice to see.
"It probably is just that then. I just panic, you know?"
"Of course, and that's completely understandable. She's your baby, you love her. Nobody likes seeing their kids unwell and not being able to do anything about it. And high fevers can be scary and unpredictable. Probably best you get some medicine down her and see if you can lower her temperature a bit".
"Yeah, I'm gonna do that now. Will you stay on the phone with me? Speaking to you is instantly making me feel like, 100 times calmer".
"Course baby".
Santana went off to get the children's Tylenol that she kept in the cupboard but rarely needed to use, because generally Mila was a healthy child. She woke her up to take it and Mila grumbled and complained, with Santana apologising and promising she could go straight back to sleep as soon as she had taken the medicine. She still had her eyes closed as Santana held the water up to her mouth, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light again. Santana curled up on the bed next to her, just watching her and stroking the sweaty hair off her face, with Brittany still on the phone to her.
"How's the fever looking?" Brittany asked tentatively, after around 45 minutes of Mila having the medicine running through her system.
"Let me check" Santana answered, as she held the thermometer to Mila's ear again, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw the reading "Okay it's down to 101 F again, which is not quite as scary. Hopefully it keeps coming down".
"That's great, the medicine must be working then" said Brittany, and try as she might, she couldn't help the yawn that escaped her lips. It made Santana feel really bad for waking her after such a long day, with yet another long day ahead of her tomorrow.
"I really am sorry for calling you at this time of night babe. I just panicked really because Mila hasn't been this sick for years, and usually I'd always call my dad at times like this…"
"Don't apologise" Brittany cut in "I'm your girlfriend. If something is wrong with Mila or if you're upset, I want to hear about it, I don't care what time of night it is. You two will always be my priority".
Santana felt her mouth tug upwards into a smile at that.
"I appreciate it so much Brit, thank you. Mila and I, we just couldn't ask for better than you. It's so late though, and you have another 15-hour day ahead of you tomorrow, I should let you go get some sleep".
"As much as I would love to speak to you all night, I'm going to have to agree with you, I probably should sleep. I know you're probably going to stay awake and watch over Mila all night, but try and get some rest too, okay?"
"I'll try. Will you call me in the morning when you're on your way to work?"
"I was just going to ask you the same thing and tell you to call me in the morning to let me know how she is, but yes, I'll call you then. Moo's going to be fine, San. Give her a big kiss from me".
"I will of course. I love you Brit"
"I love you too Santana, get some rest, and I'll speak to you in the morning".
After hanging up the phone to Brittany and checking Mila's temperature a good few times, Santana did actually try to get some sleep, ignoring the feeling of nausea in the pit of her stomach and hoping it was just the stress of the day making her feel this way, rather than her catching whatever Mila had.
Turns out Santana's hopes were wrong, when at around 6am she woke up throwing up herself. It had been an uneasy night, Mila had woken up various times to be sick, and now Santana worried about how she was going to look after her daughter when she was just as sick herself. But she'd manage it. She'd find the strength from somewhere to ignore her own feeling of unwellness, in order to look after Mila, because that's just what mom's do.
After she cleaned herself up, she climbed back into bed feeling shaky and weak, taking Mila's temperature again for what now felt like the 1000th time. She felt like she'd barely slept, but she was awake now, she didn't really feel like could fall back asleep again. Instead, she just watched over Mila, until 20 minutes later when she found herself violently throwing up again and she had to reach for the bowl by Mila's side because there was no way she was going to make it to the bathroom in time.
This of course woke Mila up, and she looked at Santana in concern. She didn't think she'd ever seen her mom throwing up before, only Aunty Brit when she was pregnant, and she didn't like it because like her mom she was a worrier.
"Mama, you're sick too?" she asked worriedly, and Santana simply nodded for now because naturally she couldn't speak. Mila mirrored what she had seen Santana do with her and rubbed Santana's back with her little hand and moving her hair back.
When Santana had finished, she turned to Mila to answer her question properly.
"Yes baby, it looks like mama got sick too, but don't worry. I'm going to be the one to look after you all day, you don't have to look after me, I'm okay".
And moments later Santana was doing just that, when it was Mila's turn to throw up again. Afterwards, she steadied herself to retrieve two bottles of water from the kitchen, ignoring the way the room span. She hadn't felt this bad in a long time. She urged Mila to drink the water, but she drank too fast and tearfully threw it up again.
"Just small sips sweetheart" Santana soothed her.
"No, I'm not drinking anymore, it makes me sick" Mila wailed.
"You gotta keep drinking Meels, you'll get dehydrated otherwise".
After a bit of a battle to get Mila to drink some more, she was finally back asleep again, and Santana lay back on the bed clutching her stomach and wondering how long she'd have before either one of them was throwing up again. She felt utterly useless right now.
At around 7:30am Brittany called.
"Morning honey, how is she?"
"Not great Brit, she's still throwing up a lot and her temperature is still high" Santana sighed "To make matters worse whatever she has, I've clearly caught too because now I'm also throwing up, and I just feel like crap. How am I supposed to look after her properly when I'm like this?"
"Can your mom come around maybe to help you out?" Brittany asked softly.
"She's in Cincinnati seeing Pab" Santana explained, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the familiar wave of nausea and the bile collecting in her throat. "Brit I gotta go-"
But she couldn't even finish the sentence before she was throwing up again.
At 3pm, Santana and Mila were both dozing on the sofa where they had moved for a change of scenery. Mila was on one end, Santana on the other, and they were both covered in blankets with a bowl each by their side. It had been a long, rough day.
It was only when Santana felt a damp cloth pressed against her head that her eyes fluttered open. To her surprise, Brittany was standing over her with a concerned look on her face. She had to be hallucinating from her fever.
"Brit…" she croaked; voice laced with confusion.
"Shh" Brittany hushed, and it was only when she placed a soft hand against her cheek, that Santana realised she wasn't hallucinating. Brittany really was here. "Yes, it's me. I'm here. I let myself in with the spare key because I didn't want to wake you".
"But Brit, you're supposed to be at work all weekend".
"I know" Brittany supplied simply "But my girlfriend and my goddaughter are sick, and they needed me, so I told them that".
"But your work is important, they're not going to be happy…" Santana worried, but Brittany cut her off.
"Nothing is as important as you and Mila. It's like I told you on the phone. You two are my priority, so just let me look after you, please?"
Worries diminished; Santana was only too happy to oblige. Knowing Brittany was here now to take care of them made her feel instantly better, even if only slightly. Brittany did just that, she pulled out all the supplies she had with her. More Tylenol in case they ran out in both the adult and the child version, water, Gatorade, chicken soup for when they felt like eating something.
She made sure both of them were comfortable, pillows fluffed, light blankets tucked around then and that they were dosed up and had drank enough fluids. Mila was less reluctant to drink the Gatorade than the water, and Brittany was glad about that, because she needed the electrolytes back in her system. Once both girls were sleeping again, she dropped a light kiss on each of their foreheads and disappeared upstairs to change all the bedding and clean the bathroom.
As soon as she heard Mila throwing up again, she sprinted back downstairs to help and she rubbed her back and whispered soothing words, doing the same for Santana when minutes later it was her turn. Then she just sat with them and watched movies; only they weren't really watching them. Santana and Mila were in and out of sleep, and Brittany just spent the whole time watching them cautiously, rather than the movie.
At 7pm Mila woke up and groaned that she was uncomfortable.
"You wanna go get in Mama's bed sweetheart? We could all move up there instead, might be a bit more comfortable?"
Mila nodded meekly, and Brittany scooped her up with ease and carried her upstairs. Once she had tucked her in and settled her, she went back downstairs to get Santana, and made a split-second decision to carry her up too so not to wake her.
She couldn't help but place a kiss between Santana's eyes in a bid to remove her furrowed brow, but she instantly regretted it when Santana's eyes fluttered open.
"What are you doing?" Santana asked.
"I'm carrying you up to bed" said Brittany "Mila is in there already. Shh, go back to sleep".
Her heart pulled a little when Santana's mouth tugged into a slight smile as she fell straight back to sleep. After checking both girls were okay and sleeping soundly, she ran back downstairs to clean up and turn all the lights out, listening out to make sure neither of them were throwing up or needed her.
When she got back upstairs, she was relieved to find that both of them were still sleeping, and she sat at the foot of the bed and just watched them both. Around 40 minutes later she noticed Mila stirring slightly, as she reached out her arm and began waggling it in mid-air.
"Mila? Are you okay sweetheart?" Brittany asked, moving towards her.
"I'm just petting the unicorn" Mila smiled lazily, and at first Brittany thought that Mila was dreaming, until she realised she was in fact hallucinating.
"Everything is so bright and colourful" Mila continued, and Brittany took out the thermometer again to check her temperature. It was back up to 103 F.
"Is she okay?" Santana shot up from her sleep instinctively.
"She's hallucinating that's all. I used to do this all the time as a kid when I had a high fever. Temperature's just a little high again so I'm just gonna try get it down. Don't worry San, I got it" she assured the worried brown eyes.
Brittany managed to bring Mila's temperature down to a much safer 100 F, but just as she was getting her to sleep again, Santana was the one who needed her attention. She was so glad she had come here today to look after them both.
When Santana had finished emptying the contents of her stomach, which by this point was just her own stomach lining, she got tearful.
"I haven't felt this bad in a long time Brit-Brit" she wailed, and Brittany instinctively got behind her on the bed, wrapping her arms around her stomach from behind and rubbing gently, placing firm soft kisses on her temple.
"No don't kiss me Brit" Santana pulled away "I'm all gross. And I don't want you to catch this from me because it's awful".
But Brittany just kept kissing her.
"Santana, I don't care. I don't care that you're all sickly and that you feel gross right now. I don't care if I catch it. I just want to make you feel better, that's all I care about".
She was relieved when she felt Santana relax back into her, and Brittany just kissed her some more, pulling Santana's hand up to her mouth and kissing her there too.
"I really love you, you know" Santana sighed.
"I know" Brittany smiled. "I love you too".
Just at that moment Mila's eyes fluttered opened again.
"Aunty Brit, will you cuddle me?"
"Of course, angel." Brittany smiled. She wondered if Mila had witnessed any of that, which wouldn't have been ideal since they hadn't had chance to tell her yet, but she figured she was way too out of it to realise anything.
Mila sat up on the bed to let Brittany in, who scooted in next to Santana and pulled Mila towards her so that she was resting on her, while Santana cuddled into Brittany from the other side, keeping one hand on Mila and one hand on her girlfriend. Together they all fell asleep cocooned together, hoping that tomorrow would be a new day and that both girls would be feeling better.
It was Mila moving against her that woke Brittany up, and she smiled as she realised she had stayed cuddled up to her all night. She sat up slightly to study her.
"Good morning baby girl, how are you feeling this morning?"
"I feel much better" Mila smiled "I don't feel sick anymore, just very tired. Even though I had a super long sleep".
"That's great sweetheart, I'm so glad. You're bound to be feeling a bit weak from not eating much, but we can try getting something down you today, even if it's just some soup or dry toast. Here, drink this for now" Brittany said, offering her the bottle of water, as she turned to see Santana stretching and waking up as well.
"And here's my other favourite girl. How are you feeling?" Brittany asked.
"Ugh so much better. Like you wouldn't believe. Thanks to you and your expert looking after sick people skills" Santana smiled gratefully "Yesterday was rough huh Meels?"
Mila nodded emphatically.
"I never felt so sick before".
Brittany checked Mila's temperature as she cuddled into Santana, who was more pleased to see her daughter feeling well again rather than her own self.
"Temperature's back in the normal range too" Brittany said to Santana, who sighed out in relief "You scared us for a bit there you know Moo? At one point your fever was so high that you thought you were seeing unicorns; do you remember that?"
Mila laughed alongside Brittany.
"Oh yes! I do remember seeing that unicorn. I saw a lot of things. I also saw a purple cat with rainbow-coloured whiskers and a dolphin with a pink fin. And then I saw you kissing Mama. Being sick is so weird and funny".
Santana's eyes widened at that, and she caught Brittany's eye, before turning to speak to her daughter.
"I'm so glad you're feeling better my angel. Do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to go run you a bath with all of the messy bath bombs that you love so much".
"Yay bath bombs!"
"And while Mama does that, I'm going to fix you both some food downstairs. You both must be starving by now".
"Can we have your special pancake recipe Aunty Brit?" Mila asked excitedly.
"I'm not sure they'll be great for you today Moo, maybe tomorrow. We'll start with something smaller today, just to make sure you don't get sick again" Brittany answered, thinking the sickly-sweet yet delicious pancakes she made would be far too much for her to stomach.
"Why don't you go pick out the bath bombs you want to use, and I'll be through in a second?" Santana asked, and Mila's pout was quickly replaced by joy again as she ran off towards the bathroom.
As soon as she was out of sight, Santana raised her hand to her face and closed her eyes.
"She thinks you and I kissing was a hallucination"
"I know. I'm so sorry babe" Brittany offered "I should have thought. I didn't realise she was awake".
"No, no it's not that" said Santana "I mean we were going to tell her the next time you came anyway. I just can't believe she caught us, and she thinks she hallucinated it. We're going to have to tell her today".
Brittany was relieved that Santana was laughing and seeing the funny side of it.
"Yeah, I agree. Shall we tell her over breakfast?"
Santana nodded. Brittany couldn't help but feel nervous about this, especially given the recent reaction of her parents when telling them the news.
As always, Santana could read what was on her mind.
"And Brit, don't be nervous okay? She's going to love this. I promise".
A short time later a freshly showered Santana and a Mila that was all hopped up on glitter bath bombs arrived downstairs and sat at the table. Brittany placed some dry toast in front of them and a large glass of apple juice.
"Okay, let's see how you get on with this" she smiled.
They ate in a silence that was filled with anticipation of what was to come, and Brittany turned the radio on a little just to ease her mind. After they had finished eating, Mila stood up with her plate.
"That was yummy! Thank you, Aunty Brit" and Brittany stifled a laugh because, she knew nothing about dry toast was yummy, but she was glad to see that both Mila and Santana had been able to eat something for the first time in 36 hours.
Santana looked at Brittany, and Brittany nodded, symbolising she was ready.
"Actually sweetheart, can you sit down for a second please? Aunty Brit and I just wanted to talk to you about something".
Mila sat back down and Santana went over to turn off the radio, before switching seats so that she was now sitting next to Brittany and opposite Mila.
"Okay" Mila said uncertainly "Is this about the demerits?"
She sulked into a pout until Santana assured her otherwise.
"No, it's not about that. It's about something you saw last night. You know how you said you saw Aunty Brit kissing me?"
Mila nodded curiously, as Santana reached under the table and squeezed Brittany's hand.
"Well…that wasn't a hallucination sweetheart."
"So, you really did kiss?" Mila asked.
This time it was Brittany's turn to answer.
"I did kiss your mama yes because… I love her, and I love you, and I really just want all of us to be so happy together".
The cogs were clearly turning in Mila's head.
"So…you two are girlfriend and girlfriend now?"
Santana looked at Brittany with a smile before turning back to Mila and nodding.
"Is that okay with you?" she asked her daughter tentatively, while Brittany waited on bated breath for the reaction.
Mila was momentarily silent, before breaking out into a huge grin as she bit her lip, eyes closed in joy. It was a reaction that made Brittany let out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding, and Santana break out into a smile followed by a soft giggle.
"Is that a yes?" Santana asked.
"Yes" Mila chuckled, in almost a whisper, before suddenly she burst into overwhelmed tears. Ever the daughter of Santana Lopez.
"Oh no Mila, what's wrong?" Brittany asked worriedly, and both of them ran around the table to comfort her, one at each side as they bent down next to her chair.
"I'm sorry" Mila laughed through her tears "It's just that I'm so happy right now. I can't believe my birthday wish actually came true".
"Your birthday wish?" Santana asked.
Mila nodded.
"At my party when I blew out the candles, you told me to make a wish like you always do. I wished that now Dani was gone, that Mama would find somebody else to make her happy, but I mostly wished that it would be you Aunty Brit. I love Dani, and I miss her, but I always loved you the most Aunty Brit. When Dani was gone, I thought…I gotta finally wish for this. You always tell me to wish wisely Mama. I wished wise.".
Brittany now felt her own tears come to the surface as she reached out to hug Mila.
"Oh Moo, you don't understand how happy it makes me to hear you say that"
After some more tears, the three of them encircled in a right group hug, Mila pulled back and looked at Santana.
"Does this mean we get to be a real family now?"
"We've always been a family, baby. Us three against the world" Santana said softly, as she used her sleeve to wipe some of Mila's tears "But yes, we're definitely a family. Now more than ever. This is just the start of our happy lives together".
And as Brittany squeezed them in closer to hug them once more, the three of them had the same thought swirling unanimously through their heads.
That this, was everything they ever wanted.
AN:
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
For anyone wants to visualise Mila's reaction to Brittany and Santana being together, picture Brittany's reaction in 5x13 when Santana asks Brittany to move to New York with her and Brittany breaks out into that huge grin. That's how I picture Mila's face being when she finds out. Just so full of happiness.
As always, thank you to anyone taking the time to review, it really spurs me on and motivates me to know you're loving the story. Of course thank you to the silent readers too for sticking with such a long story. I hope you all continue to love the journey!
xx