"Hailey, you need to take this seriously, before it's too late."

"Mom! Look what I made today in class." Cora broke her reverie by her soft voice.

"What's that? Wow! My girl drew Mommy!". Hailey exhaled with joy pushing her thoughts at the back of her mind.

How could she avoid her six-year-old baby girl when she found her after a long tiring day at work.

"Yes, our art teacher asked us to draw. I got a star when I showed her this," Cora said excitedly setting a lock of her silky golden hair at the back of her ear.

It's on the second look when Hailey noticed there was a small star in red ink, "My Family" was written at the top of the paper.

Hailey felt as if her eyes could be flooded any second. She looked at Cora for a second as her little girl was having her dinner with a smile.

Hailey quickly got up and went to get some milk for her girl before making her sleep.

"Mom, can you get a leave on Thursday? There's a sports day at our school. I told my teacher that my mom is very busy but she insisted to let you know." Cora said pushing her plate away as she finished her meal.

"Sports day, hunnn on Thursday. Ok, I need to talk to my boss baby." Hailey replied placing the glass at the table in front of her.

"It's ok Mom. You don't need to trouble yourself. I don't want to participate in the race but if you come, we have to participate." Cora said with innocence.

"Ok, and why my little lady doesn't want to participate? Hailey inquired curiously putting some oil in her hair.

"I don't like these games, I get tired. Why can't we just play Chess." Cora complained making a pout.

"Because young kids like you should play physical games. It makes your bones strong and helps to grow faster." Hailey replied with a chuckle, "and apart from it, you are just six. Don't you think chess is quite boring for any one of your age?"

"Mom, it's an awesome game. And anyone who has a brain would prefer it over rolling in mud." Cora exhaled, rolling her eyes like an annoyed teenage girl.

"Rolling in mud! Who plays like that?"

"Rax says it's fun. He does the same almost every day in recess at nursery whenever the teacher leaves us for few minutes to play in the garden. He comes down from slide and stamps on the floor then jumps ahead in the heap of dry leaves like this.." Cora stood on her chair and jumped at her mother without any warning.

But Hailey caught her just in time.

"Is it any kind of fun Mom?" Cora encircled her arms around her mother's neck to look into her eyes with narrowed eyes while Hailey held her firmly at her waist, "I find it foolish." Cora finally announced with her judgemental tone.

"Haha ok, you might find it foolish as you are an old soul in small body granny. But normally kids find it fun." Hailey laughed at the reaction of her girl and started to tickle her.

The whole apartment echoed with the laughter of mother and daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After few hours Hailey was looking at her daughter, patting at her small belly, lying by her side.

"You are committing a mistake, Hailey."
"This never gonna work, terminate it!"

The voice echoed again as she felt dizzy.

"My girl... my sunshine..." Hailey pampered Cora's head followed by a peck at her forehead.

"Mom... no!" Cora objected in her sleep and Hailey couldn't help but kiss her cheek tighter and wiped the corner of her eyes.

She laid beside her to sleep but she couldn't as she saw something on her girl's face.

There was a bluish patch near her lips. She tried to rub it a bit but it couldn't be erased.

Hailey took it as a mark of some ink or color and slept hugging Cora.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Cora where's your mother? " Miss Morris questioned Cora as she was sitting quietly at the chair in the corner.

"Teacher my mother can't come as She is very busy this week. Even She couldn't come for dinner on time for the last two days.

"Oh, that's not good dear. Then, how you got your dinner as if I'm not wrong you live with your mother only." Teacher cross-checked Cora at her revelation.

"She used to come in her lunchtime to pick me from school then she cooks our dinner while feeding me and goes back to her work." Cora replied with pride in her voice for her mother, "I told you. My Mom is a very busy and hard-working lady teacher."

"Awww... and she must be a proud mother too. As instead of complaining of her absence you are advocating for her when all of your friends and classmates are enjoying with their parents." Miss Morris patted her head joyfully.

"But I guess your mother loves you a lot." She added as she straighten up her back to stand straight.

"Yes, She loves me a lot. But how do you know that teacher?" Cora said furrowing her eyebrows.

"As I can see your mother coming this way only." Miss Morris turned Cora around to show her Hailey walking toward them.

"Mooooom! " Little Cora squealed with joy for the first time since Miss Morris had seen her in school.

She used to take Cora as a different kind of kid, as she hardly talks in class, except for her queries regarding studies.

Whenever Cora was asked to play She denied, whenever she was asked to share her tiffin she denied eating from anyone's tiffin.

Hygiene was her escape from sharing. She always behaved much older than her age. It irritates her teacher at times, but at the end of the day, she was a quick learner, not naughty at all, and always well behaved so she was in the good book of hers as well.

"Mom, you got a leave! Yaaaayyyy!" Cora ran and jumped at her mother squealing in joy.

Hailey caught her in the air like always and kissed her cheek firmly, " yes my baby, how could I miss your first sports day?"

"I thought you will not. I told Teacher the same that you are busy." Cora explained with tears in her eyes hugging her mother.

"I can never be busy for my baby, the honey." Hailey placed a peck at her head while walking toward her teacher with her in her arms.

"Mom come I will show everyone, how pretty my mommy is., You just sit here I'm just coming." Cora offered Hailey her chair and ran away as soon as she landed on the ground from her arms.

"Be careful Cora, don't stumble upon anything ok," Hailey said aloud from behind as Cora sprints away.

"I have never seen Cora that much excited." Said the teacher as Hailey still gazed at her daughter with a gleam of amusement in her eyes. She was seeing her that much excited after long. Like since She accepted that she doesn't have a father.

"I had to. To see her smile, I had to come." Hailey replied wiping the corner of her own eyes as her happiness was ready to pour out from her eyes.

"She said you were busy for the last two days."

"Yes, I... just finished the work in extra shifts to get the holiday.". Hailey explained with a meek smile.

"May I know where do you work?" Miss Morris asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, why not. I am an attendant at the mall nearby." Hailey replied with some hesitation.

"But extra shifts?" Miss Morris questioned again.

"Yes, I worked at the place of my friend, she is working at my shift now, so I can be here without any salary deduction you know." Hailey finally explained.

"Your daughter is so proud of you." Miss Morris said as she saw Cora running back toward them with almost her whole class.

"Look that's my Mom. Isn't She so pretty?" Cora announced with pride as if her mother in blue jeans and off-white top supported by a faded loose shrug was some beauty queen.

"She is." A girl from the kids accepted.

"How does she so slim?" A boy said to others to which Hailey laughed a bit while the blush spread over her cheeks.

"Look Cora's mother has rosy cheeks." Another girl exclaimed with wonder.

"Oh my goodness! Stop babies. I'm not pretty like you all..." Hailey said sitting on her knees to interact with kids while hugging Cora from back and making her stand between kids and herself as if assuring her daughter that her favorite child was Cora only.

After a while, Hailey had to meet their parents too until the announcement was made for their class to participate in musical chairs followed by the race of parents.

The first round of the game was for parents which Hailey won with her agility.

Cora enjoyed the victory of her mother with lots of excitement and joy. She kept cheering her mother with shouts and claps.

The second round of the game was for kids.

"Cora baby you sure that you want to play?" Hailey asked Cora before she could go for the game as she was breathing fast.

"Mom I want to win this game just like you. We will be the winners Mom. We will be the winners." Cora squealed with excitement.

"Ok, Ok my lioness, go ahead and win the game but no fights and be careful ok," Hailey instructed Cora about her safety and kissed her head.

The first round went well and Cora won it.

Another two rounds went well too as Cora kept playing and winning. But Hailey started to get skeptical as She could notice some facial expressions on Cora's face as if she was not feeling well.

"Cora you ok baby?" Hailey shouted as Cora kept playing, she just looked at Hailey and giggled.

Now it was the last round of the game Cora was left with two other kids contesting for the only chair left amid of them.

As the music stopped Cora jumped at the chair and sat but the next second Hailey screamed aloud, "Coraaa!".

She rushed quickly and picked her daughter from the ground.

"Cora, wake up baby! " Hailey started to cry bitterly as Cora was still, faint in her arms.

•••