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be patient, everything doesn't have to work itself out today
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March 12, 2018: 12.46am.
Jade tiptoed through the corridor of the hotel, before coming to a stop in front of Jesy, Leigh Anne and Perrie's room where they had been babysitting Laila for the evening. She couldn't hear any noise from inside the room which she considered a positive as she knocked gently on the door.
Leigh Anne answered it quickly opening it wide to let her into the suite.
"Hey, is she alright?" Jade whispered, seeing Perrie and Jesy sat watching a movie on the couch.
"Yeah, she's asleep," Jesy explains standing up to show Jade into the bedroom where Laila was sprawled across the bed fast asleep one thumb in her mouth and the other hand holding the bunny and blanket tightly.
"Ah, my sweet girl!" Jade enthused standing at the side of the bed and lifting the tiny six year old into her arms where she stirred slightly but quickly resettled into her arms. "Good girl, shh,"
"She was okay though?" Jade asks headed towards the door.
"A few tears but we can talk in the morning, she needs to get back in bed," Jesy reassures, closing the door after Jade who quickly unlocked the door to their own smaller room.
"Thanks Jess, see you in the morning," Jade whispered as they both shut their own hotel room doors. "Lets get you to bed, baby," Jade mumbled into Laila's dark curly hair placing her down on one side of the bed while she untucked the sheets from the other and rolled her gently across as she made a satisfied content mumble in her sleep.
With Laila tucked up in bed, Jade went into the bathroom to undress, take off her makeup and get ready for bed herself. She had a lovely evening with Jed, and wished it had been longer. He had bought her presents and they had enjoyed an early Valentines day meal. Neither could wait until they both had coordinating schedules and could see each other again, but she had missed her little girl!
It took less then twenty minutes for Jade to change and she was tired by now and grateful to climb into the warm bed, where she quickly fell asleep.
March 12, 2018: 7.29am.
"Jade! You're here! I missed you!" Laila had just woken up rolled over and found she was in a different place to where she fell asleep and Jade was in the adjacent bed! Tripping over her own feet with the speed she was trying to move at, Laila threw herself at the still sleeping Jade squealing excitedly.
"Woah! Yes, I'm here baby! I promised you I'd come back!" Jade said waking up suddenly and accepting the six year old into a big hug.
"Yeah, you really did!" Laila giggled hysterically.
"Yeah, you silly thing! Did you have fun with the girls?" Jade asked. Laila just shrugged her shoulders, she didn't think last night would class as 'fun'. "Were you a good girl for me?" Jade smiles holding her tightly.
"Umm- mmm-" Laila mumbled quietly looking at the floor before suddenly bursting into floods of tears.
"Laila!? What's going on?" Jade asked quickly.
"I-I no mean to do it!" she hiccups.
"Do what? Laila, did something happen?" Jade whispered gently.
"'orry! Accident!" Laila cries a whole bunch of gibberish attempting to push Jade away.
"No, no. Don't push me," Jade scolds lightly. "Tell me what's going on? Why are you so upset..."
"No cross! No time out!" Laila cries.
"Stop, you need to talk to me. What's happened?" Jade tries again.
Jade continues to hold her for a few minutes but when it becomes clear that she isn't calming down any time soon, nor telling her what is going on. Jade stands up slides on the hotel's slippers and goes next door to the other girls room. She knows that something must of happened last night to make Laila this distraught this early in the morning and with Laila not talking, she's got to go to the others. Jade knows that they will be awake thankfully as they were leaving at 9.30am for a radio interview and had been there when they set their alarms for 7.30, Jade didn't need a phone alarm as she practically had a human one that very rarely slept past half past seven!
As Jade knocked lightly on the room opposite her own, Laila began to wriggle and kick to get out of her arms. She did not want to go in there! She didn't want Jade to find out what happened last night and be cross with her!
"Laila, stop it right now," Jade scolded lightly, "If you keep this up I'm going to have put you in the corner to calm down," she warned as Perrie still dressed in her pajamas with half a face of makeup on opened the door.
"Hey! How was your date?" she asked as soon as she saw Jade before stopping in her tracks seeing Laila. "What's the matter?" she changed.
"I don't know. She won't talk to me and I think it's about last night. Did something happen?" Jade asked concerned.
"Oh... come in, I'll get Jess and Leigh to explain," Perrie decides letting the two into the room before disappearing into one of the bedrooms to get the other girls.
Jade sat down on the one of the couches Laila placed across her lap and the other three joined them in the little living room.
"Hey Laila, is this all about what happened last night?" Jesy asked calmly.
"No tell! No trouble!" Laila begged pushing herself away from Jade and staring at the floor.
"Laila, I've got to tell her what happened if it's making you this upset," Jesy explained, "But Jade's not going to get cross, are you Jade?"
"No, of course not. I'm not cross," Jade comforted, and when Laila made no attempt to respond Jesy carried on.
"Laila was a little bit upset last night when you left and when we gave her a bit of space to calm down, she snuck off and took Perrie's phone, which made her even more upset when she couldn't unlock it. So we took it off her and she had a bit of a meltdown on the floor in the bedroom, and kicked a little bit and she hit me and my nose was bleeding, but it's okay now and we had a cuddle and it's doesn't matter anymore," Jesy explained gently not wanting to upset Laila any further.
"Oh right, okay," Jade nods.
"B-but I s-said sorry!" Laila sobs sliding off the couch on to the floor hiding herself behind the coffee table.
"You did! And we had a cuddle to make it feel better!" Jesy said as Jade stood up and joined Laila on the floor.
"Laila..." Jade said sadly sitting as close to her as she could get, "Come and sit back up here and have a cuddle," she suggested.
"No! I'm sorry J-jesy!" she cries not really listening to what Jade was saying.
"Okay, okay," Jade decides lifting Laila up despite her kicking and holding her firmly to her chest while she cried and running her fingers through her hair. "Calm down, and we'll have a chat," she explains as Jesy joins them on the couch and Perrie and Leigh Anne carry on getting ready. At least half of them had to be ready by the time the car was picking them up!
"You're not in trouble, darling. What happened last night happened last night and it had nothing to do with me. Jesy and the girls dealt with it," Jade said calmly. "It has nothing to do with me, as long as Jesy is okay, and you are okay. Alright?"
"I did say sorry!" Laila hiccuped.
"I know you did! And I'm really proud of you for saying sorry! We're going to talk about calming down and tantrums later, but for now we need to go and get dressed!" Jade joked laughing as she threw and caught Laila who squealed before saying a quick goodbye to Jesy and going back to their own room to get dressed.
March 12, 2018: 11.28am.
The four girls along with Laila, were sat in the back of a cab on their way to the venue for the evening performance and Jade was determined to have the conversation about last night with the six year old while she couldn't get away.
"Hey Laila?" Jade asked looking at the six year old sat in her car seat between Jesy and Perrie opposite Jade.
"Yeah?" Laila said tilting her head as she looked up from her coloring book.
"Can we have a chat about last night?"
"Why?" Laila queried fiddling with one of the coloring pencils.
"Because I wanted to know why you got so upset?" Jade asked.
"'Cos you left me," Laila pointed out obviously.
"But I was coming back you knew that, and the girls were looking after you," Jade explained.
"I don't know..." she answered randomly.
"But next time you're going to be a good girl, right? And no tantrums?" Jade checked.
"No leave again!"
"Well not right now, no. But maybe at some point later..."
"Not soon..." Laila muttered under her breath, making Jade pull a face looking at the other girls as they chose to ignore the other comment knowing that they were nearly at the venue and didn't want to arrive with Laila in 'tantrum mode'!
March 12, 2018: 6.26pm.
The four girls had just done a bit of a 'meet and greet' with some fans that had won tickets and they were currently on their way back to the dressing room where Laila was with bags full of cards and gifts as well as two rather large stuffed animals that a lovely fan had brought for Laila. It wasn't the first time that Laila had been given gifts, since Jade announced on her social media that Laila was coming to live with her for a while nearly every show had resulted in some kind of gift for the six year old. Some of the toys they would donate to local hospitals or charities but there were a few that Laila couldn't bear to part with and Jade knew that she wasn't going to want to be separated from the two stuffed bears!
"Hey Laila!" Perrie cheered opening the door of the dressing room.
"You came back!" Laila squealed throwing herself at Jade who followed Perrie in.
"I know, we always come back. I've told you this!" Jade giggled lifting the little girl up and giving her a hug before placing her back down. "Were you a good girl for Mary?" Obviously Jade had to leave Laila almost everyday for a show or an interview and the girls costume designer, Mary had also taken on the role of key babysitter which with Laila who cries every time Jade had to leave her was quite a tricky job!
"Yeah, I'm always a good girl,"
"Sure, okay," Jade nods laughing, as one of their dancers helped bring in the last of the gifts.
"Woah! Look at them!" Laila enthuses seeing the two stuffed animals dropped on the floor by the door.
"I know! They're mine!" Jesy says throwing herself on top of the bears.
"Wow! Can I share them with you?" Laila asked innocently.
"They're not really mine, silly! One of our fans bought them for you!" Jesy said as Laila climbed on top of the bear as well.
"I love them!" Laila said pressing her face into the fur.
"I know you do! They're very nice!" Jade said, "But come on now, do you want to come with us to make up?" she asked, Laila loved coming to make up! Jade wouldn't let her play with it or wear it but sometimes the girls makeup artists, Adam & Heidi would let her help them or give her a little bit of lip gloss to wear and it always made her feel special and like a 'big girl!'
"Can I take my bear?"
"Do you have to?" Jade said reluctantly, not particularly wanting to drag a five foot stuffed animal through the corridors.
"Yeah?..." Laila muttered pleadingly.
"Go on then, but only this one time..." Jade agreed as Laila struggled to pick up the toy and Perrie laughing next to her filming on her phone.