🎀🍓

Rose had stayed out for a long time since she treasured snow, today was December 4, and in a few days, was going to be her birthday, and she praised herself by going out on her own for a stroll.

However, she got preoccupied and went to a park and recreated by herself. She may be a teenager, but she missed being a kid herself.

Her emotions were being overcome with devotion and gloom inside her small heart. Out of the blue, she saw the pair from before, they were now disputing, and at that moment, the boy leaned in to make her feel more satisfactory. Rose felt narrowly alone, maybe she did require someone, but who, exactly?

She had no thought whatsoever and looked down to her feet in discomfort. Suddenly, she sneezed, once, and then another sneeze came out, and another one!

And she noticed she was starting to get sick.

 🍵 

Rose got home with a dreadful cold, she sneezed another time, and Mrs Cooper detected her sneezing over and over again. She hovers as she places her hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright, dear?"

"I am, Mrs Cooper, just -- " she sneezes, "sick."

"Oh, dear. Get upstairs to Missy's room, I'll bring you warm soup and some hot chocolate right away!" 

Rose went to Missy's room, and lay down, sneezing over and over again. Mrs Cooper was instantly there, in a tray was warm chicken stew, some sizzling chocolate and additional water if she didn't relish the beverage given to her.

Later on, she stayed in that room for herself to relax and enjoy her alone time, while the others had their dinner at the diner table, without Rose.

"Will she be okay?" Miss asked her mother, unskillful to devour her pasta, hotdogs cut up perfectly as their food, while Rose got some warm soup for her to cool down eventually.

"I frankly don't know, Missy, but we'll have to find out shortly and longer enough," she replied anxiously.

Georgie and their meemaw weren't here, since they were out for a while, it just left it to their family, including Rose, who was ill.

"I was hoping that we, five, would be having a short trip afterwards for tomorrow, but since Rose is sick at the moment, I think we should cancel the trip, unfortunately." Mrs Cooper described.

Missy groans, so did Mr Cooper and Sheldon. Sheldon, himself, was truly looking forward to that trip hereafter, so he could have his time with Rose and his family, however, since Rose was sick, his wish might not happen at all. Then, an idea popped up in his mind instantly.

"Why, if you improve, you and Dad can have the trip on our own, while me and Miss can endure it here," Sheldon explains.

Mr Cooper looks to Sheldon, "You three? Alone?? You do know you guys are too young to be left alone, and personally enough, I don't trust Missy being left with you, at all." he replied.

"Dad, you are aware of how old we are?" Missy asked.

He paused, and drank his beer, "I guess a vacation, alone, wouldn't hurt, right Mary?" he asked his wife.

Mrs Cooper halted picking her food with her utensil and soughed. "Alright, occasional days wouldn't hurt so bad, the kids do need commitments on their own." she pursued her lips and nodded. "Okay, that determines it, we'll be back by Friday, and if anyone had a party that belongs to you two, you two are finished to me," she said rather with a warning voice.

"Yes, ma'am," Sheldon said.

"I warned you two, now help me clean the table before you guys go to bed," she proposed.

🎧

Rose had already slept early, her bowl empty, and cold chocolate was placed on the corner of the shelf. She slept there from the sleeping bag, leaving some space for Missy to sleep on. Rose didn't even think about herself, she cared for Missy than herself, which was thoughtful of Rose.

The next day, their parents left them behind eventually, Sheldon got up early and started to make breakfast instantly. Some warm chicken breast soup, hot beverage and some toasted butter bread.

"What are you making?" Missy emerges from the scenario as she assists herself towards the fridge to grab her orange juice.

"Breakfast, a nice one, honestly," he replied.

"To whom?" she turns, gulping her cold orange juice. "is it for me?" 

Sheldon frowns narrowly, "You'd think I would make breakfast for someone as devilish as you?" he asked her.

Missy shrugged, and Sheldon sighed, "It's for Rose, dummy." he described.

"Oooh, someone's being a gentleman to Ivy~," she said to annoy Sheldon.

"Shut up, Missy. I'm only doing this to make her health better and not spread the virus around the house, you know," he said, a bit truthfully.

"Oh? Here are your two options: One, is it because you cherish her deeply and don't want her to get sick instantly? Two, you don't want to spread the virus and get yourself harmed by it eventually." she said.

"Maybe number one, or both," he murmured.

"Knew it," she chortles as she places the mug from the sink and departs the scene.

Sheldon sighed as he chucked in the butter bread from the toaster, and sat down to wait for it to finish. But, he couldn't think about Rose, would she be alright? I mean, she had been sick hundreds of times before, but this was the first time she had gotten sick in her teenage years, and it was not normal for Sheldon, although they only met, he needed to assist her no matter what -- 

*Ka-ching! *

Sheldon gasped as the bread was served already, he carefully placed it on the plate, went to Missy's room, and gently knocked on the door.

"Ivy? Are you awake?" he asked reasonably.

The things he could only hear were grumbles and groans, he then comes in to see her up already, staring from the window just a while ago.

"Hey, Ivy," he replied.

"Hey," she replied, and he heard her sniff.

"What happened?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sniffing since from her sneeze.

"Did you cry or something?"

"No, I just sneezed, wiping my nose away so that I wouldn't have to sneeze again this time," she said and turned to wait for her breakfast. "Thanks for breakfast, Lee," she thanked him kindly.

"It's no problem," he sat down beside her to comfort her so she wouldn't get herself sicker, "are you feeling a bit better?"

"I guess," she said softly, "I hope I feel better because I would die if I didn't go to the prom sooner," she described.

"Oh, you will, eventually, just be patient about it." he comforted her with a slight grin on his face.

"Thanks, Sheldon, for being here with me," she thanked him again, smiling up at him tenderly, her eyes beaming at his.

"It's fine, I'll let you eat," he said with a smile and exited the room, sat down by the couch and started to read his book.

Eventually, Sheldon and Missy took care of her for a few days, and their parents came back and noticed Rose was already in good health. In a few days, was going to be the initial prom and Rose's birthday. 

... the next chapter is going to be longer and more tempting as you read the story...