Chapter Text
She was used to some things.
She was used to either Daddy or Papa standing outside the schol’s gates when her name was called through the speaker at departure time. She was used to Papa’s delicious meals for lunch, or Daddy taking her out to eat everytime Papa travelled.
Once Mrs. Davidson called her name through the speakers, she immediately stood up from the bench in the school’s yard and started walking towards the gates. Once she was there, she started looking for Daddy, because Papa went to Seattle that day.
When she didn’t find him, or even Papa, she spotted her godmother. A smile appeared into her face as she ran over to Auntie Lizzie’s arms.
“Auntie Lizzie! What are you doing here?” she asked as the adult carried her towards her car, where she placed her in the kids seat.
“Just wanted to surprise you! Are you surprised?” her aunt buckled her safety strap before closing the door and climbing onto the driver’s seat.
“Yes, yes!” the seven year old said exited, “But, where are my dads?”
“Oh, Daddy and Papa are together in an important adult thing, so Papa asked me to pick you up from school.”
“Am I going to have lunch at yours, Auntie Lizzie?”
“Yes! And you might even stay to do a pj with your cousins!”
“A pj? But, Auntie Lizzie, it’s Thursday! Daddy wouldn’t like it if I stayed in a school night!” she said preoccupied.
The adult mocked surprise, “Really? But Papa said you could.”
“Aw, Auntie Lizzie: Papa is a silly boy. Papa sometimes says stuff Daddy doesn’t like,” the little girl scrunched up her nose.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine. But for now,” her Aunt parked in her drive way, “why don’t you go inside? Ezra is already there with Uncle Niall, and I will go pick up Natalie from her tutories and we’ll be back in no time.”
“Ok!” the girl excitedly said.
“Yayyyy!” the woman said.
The door next to the little girl opened, and her Unlce Niall appeared with a hugee grin in his face. “Seeeel! Long time no see!” he said as he unbuckled the safety seat and helped her out of the car.
“Uncle Ni! You are just as silly as Papa!” the girl giggled, “I just came over yesterday!”
“Really?” he said amused as he walked with her hand in his into the house.
They waved Auntie Lizzie goodbye from the frontdoor as she drove away.
“Ezraaaa! Come here!” her Uncle said loudly.
The girl waited excitedly. Eventhough her cousins came over the day before, it was always exciting to see them. They always came up with new games or discovered more fun movies together.
Soon enough, her cousin came into sight, and both kids ran into each other’s arms as they shrieked excitedly.
“Okay, okay, okay.” her Uncle said, “now I feel left out.”
“Awww,” both kids said just as they hugged the man’s legs.
“Alrighty! Enough love for the moment,” he said as he crouched down and scooped both kids in one arm each, “I was just telling Ezra that because I have no cooking skills or whatsoever, we’re gonna eat frozen pizza, is that okay, Sel?”
“Yes, Uncle Ni!” the girl said as she was placed down to a stool infront of the kitchen counter, “I love pizza!”
“I love pizza, too, Pa!” the young boy said too.
Soon enough both kids were chanting their love for pizza at the top of their lungs as the man prepared the said food.
After they finished eating, her Aunt and Natalie arrive, both sitting down to eat the pizzas her Uncle proudly heated.
“You know, love? The fact that you defrosted pizzas in the oven doesn’t mean you can cook,” her Aunt said before scooping up some ic cream into her mouth.
“Oi! That hurts, babe, but you know, lemme ask my trusted clients,” her Uncle wiggled his eyebrows, “Kids, whatcha think? I’m a cook?”
“YEEES!!” the three kids exclaimed with ice cream all around their mouths.
“See?” he cackled as she scrunched her nose smiling, just before he took her hand and kissed it. “Love you,” he said.
“Me too,” she smiled back.
Selena stared at them for a moment, and then, in between all the laughs and fun food, she remembered bout her dads, and how neither of them were there.
“Uncle Ni?”
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“Where are Papa and Daddy?”
Both adults visibly froze. Her Aunt turned to him and basically said something with her eyes, before he took both his kids and carried them presumably to the play room, both kids giggling as they dangled from their Dad’s shoulders.
As they dissapeared around the corner, her Aunt scooted closer to her, the adult being standing in the kitchen side of the bare and the kid sitting on a stool and the opposite side.
“Uhm, Sel, I don’t know how to say this, uh-”
“Are they hurt? Did Papa’s plane fell off?” the girl fearfully said.
“What? No! No, Sel, calm down, your Papa is okay.”
“And Daddy?”
“He…he-uhm,” she led out a long exhale, “he was in a car crash.”
“What?” she could feel the tears prickling into her eyes as her bottom lip trembled.
“Oh my…” the woman said as she circled the counter to wrap her arms around the girl.
She started crying, because no, her Daddy was okay, right? He had to be okay. “Whe-where is he?” she hiccuped.
“He is in the hospital, your Papa is with him.”
“But Papa is out.”
“Uhm, no. Well, yes. When the car crash happened, they called him and he took the next flight to come here.”
“Who was with Daddy when Papa wasn’t?”
“I was with him, sweetie.”
“Did you…did you see him?”
“Yeah…”
“How was he?”
“Look, Sel, I’m not going to lie to you, okay?” she crouched down as she took the girl’s face between her hands, “I could’ve lied to you and tell you they were on a date or somethin, but I didn’t, okay? Your Dad’s state right now is very delicate, okay? It was a miracle, okay, a miracle he made it.”
“Is he going to be okay?” the girl said as she started crying again.
“I don’t know, sweetie, I really don’t know. I talked to you Papa as I left the hospital just before I went to get you from school, and he told me to tell you the truth, cause you know we never lie to you, right?”
“Yes, Auntie.”
“Okay,” the woman hugged her close again and then peppered kisses all around her face, “okay. Now, go play with your cousins a lil’ bit before you do your homework, okay? As soon as we get news, we will tell you. And if we are given the green light, we’ll go to the hospital, yes?” she said as she wiped the tears off the girl’s face.
“Okay,” she said as she hugged her Aunt and was helped down to the floor. She started walking towards the stairs, just as she stopped in her tracks and raced towards the woman and hugged her legs, “I love you, Auntie Lizzie.”
“I love you, too, baby,” she crouched down to the girl’s eye level and kissed her cheek, “now go, go!” she smiled with teary eyes.
The girl nodded and finally got to the room where her cousins were playing with some Barbies and toy dinosaurs.