The Nanny

Chapter 13

~4 weeks later~

Veronica sits on the couch, watching the kids run around in a circle. She messages her temples. The kids are screaming and laughing and her head is killing her. "Ella, Ben, my loves can you not scream please. My head hurts" she says.

"Sorry" Ella giggles.

"Ronnie can you help me? I can't reach Teddy" Ben says. He stands on his tiptoes, trying to reach his stuffed animal on the shelf.

"Who put him there?" Ella asks and walks next to her brother.

"Daddy" Ben groans "Ronnie help me!"

"I'm coming" she sighs but as she gets up her knees wobble. Everything around her goes black for a second. She falls to the floor.

"Ronnie!" Ben gasps as he runs to her. "Are you okay?"

"I—I don't know"

Ella runs upstairs to Archie. She pushes the door to his office open and breathes heavily.
"Daddy!" she yells "daddy, Ronnie doesn't feel good! She fell. You need to come, quick!"

Without asking questions Archie closes his laptop and gets up. Ella takes his hand and pulls him to the living room. Archie's heart stops for a second when he sees Veronica sitting on the floor. Her face is pale. Ben stands next to her and plays with her hair.

"Ronnie what happened?" Archie asks and sits down on the floor next to her. He places his hand on her forehead.

"I'm not feeling so well" she mumbles.

"I think you have a fever. What else hurts?"

"My head, my stomach and I'm just so super tired"

"Mhm okay, let's go to your doctor's office"

"No it's okay" she mumbles

"Ronnie I'm not asking"

"I— you don't need to come with me. I'll ask Cheryl to pick me up and go with me. You can stay here with the kids. Don't worry it's probably just a cold or something"

Archie sighs "okay fine but I'll stay here with you guys until your friend is here and maybe we should get you off the floor" he says with a little smile on his face. Veronica nods. Archie takes her hands and pulls her on her feet. He wraps his arm around her waist to steady her before he carefully sets her down on the couch.
Immediately the kids climb on it too and sit next to her. One on the right and the other one on the left.

Ben takes her hand and runs the fingers of his other hand over her knuckles. "Do you want a glass of water?"

Veronica doesn't say anything but she nods. Ben looks up to his father. Archie smiles. He ruffles his son's hair before he walks into the kitchen to get Veronica some water. As he walks back she places her phone on the coffee table and leans back. "Cheryl will be here in 10" she mumbles.

"Okay good"

Ella gets up. She takes her father's hand and walks back to the couch with him. "Sit" she smiles and points next to Veronica. "I want to sit in your lap"