Kelsey Robbins

10

The next morning, Kelsey felt a little bit more alive as she sat up in her bed. She felt like she got a proper amount of sleep, her throat wasn't as raw anymore and the congestion was seeming to start to let up.

"Kels? You up?" Wallace asked, softly knocking on her door.

"Yeah," She replied as she yawned and stretched her stiff body.

"You hungry?" He asked, poking his head in the door.

"You'll make me eat anyway," She shrugged, with a little snicker.

"Yep, you're right," he nodded, leaving for a second and returning with a plate of toast and scrambled eggs.

"Thank you," She smiled a little, slowly eating as she watched random episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

——————

"Kelsey, you going to school?" Donna asked, seeing her daughter appear at the bottom of the steps.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better and I think I'm allowed to go back now," she shrugged, getting a bowl of cereal to scarf down before the bus arrived.

"Slow down before you choke," Donna chuckled, happy to see Kelsey back to more of her normal self.

"I gotta get going," Wallace announced, coming out to the kitchen where his family was eating. "You going to school Kels?"

"Yeah, I feel good," she smiled, finishing as the bus pulled up. "I'll see you guys later,"

"Bye honey," Donna smiled, watching her head out to the yellow bus.

——————

Donna came home around 4 with Terrance, knowing Kelsey was already home.

"Hey, Kels we're home!" She called as she opened the door from the garage. "Kelsey?... Kels-" she sighed in relief as she saw her oldest daughter, sound asleep on the couch. She knew she was probably still recovering from the flu and was happy she even went to school. She chuckled a bit, fixing the blanket before texting her husband.

Donna: Someone's sleepy. Came home and she was out on the couch.

Wallace: probably still recovering. She made it through school though, so getting there.

She smiled and set her phone down, letting Terrence color in the dining room while Kelsey slept.

By the time dinner was ready, Kelsey was awake and coloring at the table with her little brother. Donna gave both of them a plate of grilled cheese, tomato soup, and crackers. They went over the day's events while they ate before Kelsey went up to her room for her homework. She pulled out her chemistry and was having the worst time catching up after being sick.

She smiled a little as she pulled out her phone and found the contact she needed,

Wallace AKA Stepdad

Before she pressed the green button to call, she went in and changed the name to what she now called him.

Dad🚒❤️

After changing that, she pressed the button, putting her phone to her ear and hoping he wasn't on a call.

"Hey Kels," He answered, bringing a smile to the teenager's face.

"Are you any good at chem?"

"I know a little. Need help on homework?" He asked, sitting at his desk.

"Uhh yeah, this is so confusing and I missed the day it was taught. Not sure how my teacher expects me to pull it off," She sighed, glancing at the jumbled numbers and combinations in front of her.

"Turn on the FaceTime and let me look," he said, sitting up in his chair as Kelsey pressed the button.

Wallace took a look at it and ended up finding Violet to help. Once he found her, they both helped Kelsey work through the problems and finish her homework.

"Thanks, Dad," she smiled, now sitting on her bed after her homework was done. They exchanged goodbyes and hung up, leaving the teenager to unwind and watch some TV.

Donna came up a little later to check in on her, knowing she had been doing homework.

"Kels," She asked as she knocked, opening the door slowly as she got no response. "Honey you ok-" She started to ask, but saw Kelsey asleep against her headboard. "Hey, lay down babe," Donna said, gently shaking her and helping her as she laid down.

As soon as Kelsey was settled in her bed, she went back to the toddler's room to do his nighttime routine with him.

——————

Kelsey woke up with a start after a nightmare had taken over her sleep. She grabbed her phone almost immediately, seeing that it was only 3:27 in the morning. She wanted to call and make sure everything was okay but didn't want to bother him if he was on a call. She tried falling asleep again but had no luck so she just watched TV downstairs.

Around 8:40 AM, she sighed in relief as she saw the blue Tahoe park outside the house. The dream she'd had was just that, a dream.

"Hey, Kelsey. You're up early," Wallace commented as he entered the house.

"Couldn't go back to sleep after I woke up," she shrugged, at least it wasn't a complete lie.

"How long have you been up?"

"Half hour," Kelsey shrugged again. Okay, that was a lie.

"What should we make for breakfast?" He asked, getting an immediate smile out of Kelsey.

"Eggs, bacon, and pancakes," Kelsey grinned, following him to the kitchen.

"You get started on the pancakes?" He asked, getting a nod as Kelsey got the mix down. He smiled as he started the eggs and bacon, loving the bonding time.

"How was work?" Kelsey asked, breaking the silence as she mixed the pancake batter.

"Pretty good. Quiet all night, the way we like it," Wallace chuckled, looking over at her blank face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just kinda tired still," She covered, starting to drop the batter on the hot pan.

"You'd tell mom or me if you weren't?"

Kelsey nodded, watching the pancakes bubble as they baked on one side.

Wallace knew something was going on, even though they'd only been getting close for about a week. He made note of it to talk to Donna later and see if she'd mentioned anything to her. For now, he'd enjoy the bonding time with his daughter as they made breakfast in the kitchen.