(AN: this may be rough, but I wanted to get it out this week since we just had Thanksgiving. Updates will be sporadic but I'm determined to finish this story. I'm just not motivated to write upstead anymore:()
It took a little bit for Ava to fully recover from her illness, although a slight cough lingered, and by that time, it was time for Thanksgiving. The plan was to go and spend a week in Wisconsin with the Halstead family at the cabin, including some of Will and Jay's extended family. The only wild cards were their fear that Ava would get carsick and how she would react to being around so many people for a few days. Ultimately, they came to the decision that if Ava was really struggling, they would come back home early. Now they just had to tell Ava, pack, and shop for food to take so they could contribute to what the family would be doing.
Hailey was still keeping Ava home from school since she was getting tired easily, so she decided to talk to her about all of it when she woke up from her nap a few days before they were set to leave. Ava had been happy all day, doing crafts with Hailey and having a dance party and working on her handwriting, so the older blonde was hopeful the little blonde would react well to the fact that she was going to have to meet new people.
"Mama!" Hailey was packing for herself when Ava started calling for her.
"I'm coming!" Hailey called out and went down the hall to Ava's room.
She went in and smiled at the toddler who was sitting in her bed, still under her weighted swan, sucking her thumb with a grin. "No thumb when you're happy, kiddo," Hailey gently reminded her and Ava removed it from her mouth.
"I took a long nap," Ava grinned, still so happy. She really was finally feeling better for the most part.
"You did! I'm so glad. Let's get you changed then mama needs to tell you something," Hailey said, getting something clean for Ava to put on.
"Is it bad?" Ava asked, worried.
Hailey began getting Ava's wet pull up off as she reassured her that it wasn't anything bad and Ava nodded but seemed a little worried. Once she was changed, she followed Hailey to her room.
"Why you packin, mama?" She asked, climbing onto the bed with her stuffed animals.
"Well, Ava girl, the three of us are going back to the lake in a couple days for Thanksgiving. Does that sound fun?" Hailey asked, hoping Ava would get excited and not be scared about it once she knew all the details.
"Yeah! But, mama, it cowd out. I don't wanna go swimming in the cowd," Ava gave her a very pointed look with a raised eyebrow and Hailey laughed a little. The kid had a point.
"It is cold out, you're right, we won't be swimming. We're going with uncle Will and Natalie and more of Jay and Will's family. It's for thanksgiving, do you remember what that is?" Ava nodded, she'd learned more about it at school and Hailey and Jay had explained it to her the week before she got sick because everyone was talking about it. "We're going to the cabin for Thanksgiving, to see Jay's family and celebrate and have yummy food and maybe hike if it's not too cold. There may even be snow, but I'm not sure," Hailey explained.
"Are they nice?" Ava asked after a few minutes of contemplation.
"They're nice baby, I promise. There will be several other people there with us and uncle Will and Natalie. But Jay says they're nice, and I've met them and they were nice to me," Hailey tried to reassure Ava, and the little girl nodded and slipped her thumb into her mouth.
"I promise you, I'm not going to take you somewhere unsafe, not on purpose," Ava nodded again and reached up to be held. She was unsure but she trusted her mama and Jay, so she figured it should be fine.
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The Meaning of Family
قصص الهواةHailey Upton-Halstead received a call while at work one day that she never thought she'd get. She had a little sister, barely 4 years old, abandoned at Chicago Med, beaten. Her mother had signed custody over to her and fled. Now she had a decision t...
