Lily Ashford

I'm Lily. Once upon a time I had dreams of being a model, but now I love nothing more than being the mother of the most amazing little girl in the world, Tessa Luna.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

The movie started and Trenton doing his best to keep up, he let his mind wander a bit as he felt the weight of Tessa on his chest and the warmth of Lily rolling over him from her spot next to them. God, it could have been like this since day one. If he’d been given a proper chance—not Lily’s fault in the least bit honestly—and if he’d been less of well, a complete cliche rock star, they would have had this the entire time. There’d only be the excuse of his career in the way when he missed things but he’d have been around for a hell of a lot more than he had. Letting himself imagine them as a solid family unit and not just the best friend mother and daughter with the sometimes around father…it hurt. In a good way.

Trying to phase back into the movie, it was a bit later that Lily’s voice reached the ears trying to learn more of the soundtrack. His lips curled upwards but he didn’t answer right away nor even look away from the screen yet. Olaf was on the screen and Trenton was learning he didn’t want to miss a second of the snowman. Finally, he tilted his head slightly, moving his gaze away from the screen and resting his blue eyes onto Lily careful not to nudge Tessa at all. “You’re a better mother.” He replied just as quietly, the look in his eyes and the smile tugging at his lips soft. A far contrast from the normal hardness when speaking to Lily.

[lilyashfordd]

Lily couldn't do anything but grin when Trent told her that she was a good mother. Sure, she'd always thought she was, considering that she based her parenting abilities off of how happy Tessa seemed with her life, but to actually hear Trent say it was an entirely different story, especially considering she figured that he thought she was pretty much the worst person in the world. Maybe he still did - she wouldn't blame him for it. They could both have some shitty moments, that much was for sure. 

There wasn't really much that Lily could think to say, because thank you didn't quite seem like enough - so instead she opted for grinning ridiculously and probably staring for a little bit too long - but who would blame her? Her inner teenager was flailing from both getting along with Trent once again and sharing a bed with him, even though this time around it was completely innocent.

"I think we should try to figure out a way for you to be around more," Lily said suddenly, glad that Tessa was beginning to drift back to sleep so she didn't unintentionally excite the little girl and get her hopes up for something that might not happen. "I mean... yeah, she'd definitely love Skyping with you more often, but I think she'd much rather see you in person. Some of the other guys have kids, how do they manage it?" she asked him, truly wondering just how they did find time for it all. There had to be a way somehow or another, right?

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

When she smirked back at him instead of clobbering him to the floor, his grin only grew. Maybe she didn’t have to always be public enemy number one—especially if she actually had a sense of humor or at least the good will to recognize, accept, and return a joking banter. Only grinning cheekily at her reply back, Trenton found himself both wishing and hoping that things would stay this way or at least they would have more moments like this in the future and less fighting. Not only was it a relief not to have to exhaust himself with so much anger and resentment both directed towards a person as well as directed back at him tenfold, but it was a better environment for Tessa if both of them got along with out the hostile air between them. 

When Tessa asked if he’d watch the blasted movie with her right then, he wanted to quickly point out that there was no way they’d be able to watch the film until they got home to save himself from having to watch it but with a heavy sigh that he masked from probably daughter but not mother while pressing a kiss to the tyke’s forehead, he rolled off his small section of the bed and with a quick promise that he’d be right back, left the room and headed back through the hospital and out the doors. Making his way to the rental, he grabbed his bag and retraced his footsteps, doing his best to quickly return to the room even if he ontied the looks he was getting. People were realizing he was there and it was only a matter of time before someone connected the dots and looked at the patient lists and relaized Lily was too, with their daughter being a patient and leaking it. And when it was leaked…well, it’d be a media shitstorm outside. Back in the room, he rolled his eyes at Lily as he kicked the door shut with his heel, one of the nurses from a completely different ward having followed him a little too closely meeting the door nearly face to face when he did. Dropping his bag, he dug through it and pulled out his iPad, powering it on as he wiggled back onto the bed. On second though, he carefully lifted Tessa and rearranged himself and laid her on top of him, careful to not pull out her IV’s as well as leave room for Lily to have a bit more space as well. “We’ll watch it now.” He answered Tessa finally, opening the Apple store and searching for the movie. Purchasing it, he peeked over at Lily, the clear sign of dear lord help me in his gaze as the movie downloaded. 

[lilyashfordd]

It felt nice to actually be able to joke around with Trent, even at a time like this when their baby girl wasn't doing too well between them. It was far better for them this way, that was for sure, and it was certainly nice to not feel like she had to be frigid towards him the entire time. She could get used to it, and she was sure that Tessa could too - the little girl would probably be very happy to have their parents getting along instead of at each other's throats and needing to be in separate rooms when Trent came to see her. 

Lily couldn't help but laugh softly when Trent laughed before getting up. She didn't know exactly what he was doing, but she knew that with a sigh like that, he'd be figuring out a way to let Tessa watch Frozen. He'd be able to pull some strings if he had to, that was for sure. After he left the room, Lily made sure to entertain Tessa for a few minutes so she wouldn't get too upset by him leaving, especially if he'd be coming right back in just a couple of minutes. Most of her entertaining consisted of talking to Tessa about just how happy she was that her Daddy was there to be with her until she felt better, and it only became more clear how much she loved Trent and wanted to see him more often. Maybe Lily could talk to him while he was there about being able to see her more. It had to be possible, some of his other band mates had kids and got to see them.

It wasn't long at all before Trent was back with his iPad, and Lily was glad that he'd apparently had the sense to grab it, unlike herself. "Yay!" Tessa grinned, gladly settling down on Trent's chest, and Lily was able to stretch out a bit, smirking at Trent as he looked at her. He was lucky, he'd only be seeing it for the first time - Lily had seen it about a million times by now and was pretty sure she could have reenacted the entire movie if Trent hadn't gotten the iPad. Despite hating hospitals, with Trent there now and Tessa completely occupied and happy, it was easy for Lily to relax a bit. Maybe if she was lucky, she could fall asleep for a few minutes or so and at least get a bit of rest. "You're a good dad," Lily said quietly, not wanting to disturb Tessa from the movie.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

"You haven’t seen or smelled me after I get off stage. Haven’t seen me all sweaty and gross…" He’d been joking at first, a laugh even accompanying his words as they spoke but they died off slowly, his lips going from laughter to a tilted smirk. "Well…at least not after I get off stage." Trenton added on, knowing that if she got the clearly obvious yet hidden to the small child between them innuendo, she’d most likely clobber him off the small space he had on the hospital bed. But..he didn’t regret what he’d just joked about and he didn’t care if she did clobber him. Aside from the hard face and mean words that often was what made Trenton up when around Lily, he loved to joke, loved to laugh and have a good time and he was tired of fighting so much so…joking it was. No matter how crude and inappropriate it might be. 

Even though he believed her when she said it was solely for Tessa’s benefit, he couldn’t help but feel his heart warm up a bit again at the mental image of mother and daughter watching him, listening to him together. Maybe…missing him together. Doing his best to get that last idea out of his head, knowing Lily would miss him like someone would miss a hole in their head, he tuned his attention back into Lily talking to Tessa. If he showed any loathing of Frozen and it’s takeover o fthe world, he hid it perfectly as he nodded. “Only if I get to be Olaf.” He readily agreed to the request, knowing a bit about the franchise and it’s characters from a bandmate’s two daughters, the man constantly gripping and groaning about it. He’d have to watch the movie before Tessa was released, maybe buy the cd or just look up the songs, get himself acquainted with it better. Oh, the things a father would do for his daughter.

[lilyashfordd]

Lily couldn't help but smirk right back in return to Trent. The meaning behind what he said was all too obvious, and even though she kind of wanted to smack him for even alluding to it, she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh I haven't, have I?" she said, primarily meaning that she had, in fact, seen him 'all sweaty and gross' and, unbeknownst to him, had even seen it live while he was on stage once. Of course, back during her obsession Lily had gone to one of Trent's concerts and had the same delusions as any other girl that went to any other concert that if she happened to look hot enough, she could have caught his eye and been invited to some crazy backstage party or back to his tour bus afterwards. Younger Lily would absolutely kill to be in her position right now. And again, the fact that Lily had actually been to one of his concerts was another secret that she'd keep for as long as she lived, because she can only imagine how he'd tease her for it if he found out. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to get rid of the entire box of posters and memorabilia, especially if Trent was sticking around for a bit. She really didn't need him to stumble upon it somehow or another.

Thankfully, Tessa was now content that her father would not only be staying with them for a bit, but would also sing her lullabies and songs from Frozen. In her little mind, it was the greatest thing in the world, and that was clear by the grin on her face and the look in her eyes as she looked up at Trent. "Daddy, watch Frozen now?" she asked, not realizing that the television on the wall across from the bed would only have a handful of channels, none of which would have Frozen on. If Lily had been able to think more clearly this morning, she would have brought their iPad to keep Tessa occupied in the boring hospital, but her mind had been far too concentrated on just getting her to the hospital. If, God forbid, there was another situation like this, maybe Lily would be able to think more quickly, but for now she was set on hoping that they wouldn't be in this situation again.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

"We’ll alternate." Trenton was quick to offer out. "Some nights I’ll sleep on the air mattress and you sleep in your room and other nights we’ll switch and you sleep on the air mattress and I’ll crash in your room—unless you don’t want me in there in which case I’m perfectly fine with the couch." He made haste to amend himself, figuring the last place Lily ever wanted him was her bedroom even if she wasn’t in there with him. He let her think he had believed her, putting a look of mock hurt on his face, a hand over his heart when she said they were pirated before a laugh broke the illusion and he shook his head. "I’m sure you made sure to get as illegal copies as you could get your hands on to ensure you were in no way tied to me at all. You know, I never did consider just sending you a copy when it came out or advanced copies for Tessa but then again, I didn’t really know you let her listen or that her attention was held by it." It did touch him a bit that Lily allowed Tess to listen to his music—although some of it wasn’t exactly suited for children’s ears but he was sure she knew which ones to not play for her or at least he knew she wouldn’t let her hear them once she could actually understand the words—and that his daughter actually liked listening to him. It made him want to do better, try harder. Make her proud. Tessa that is, not Lily….right?

Trent was grateful when Lily answered for him and the look he shot her let her know that before he returned his gaze back onto their daughter between them. “But Daddy promises he’ll be around a lot more. And I’ll call you more, and we can Skype every night if you want.” Trenton knew that was a heavy promise to make but one he was willing to uphold, no matter how long or exhaustive a day was, he’d keep that promise if Tessa wanted, knowing it would be hardest on the nights he had shows, knowing the tyke would long be in bed before the set was complete. Maybe he’d see about implementing an intermission and use that quick rest period to Skype with her.

[lilyashfordd]

Lily nodded, glad that they could actually come to an agreement and work out a compromise that would work well for both of them. "That sounds perfect," she said with a smile. "I don't mind you sleeping in my bed. I mean, it's not like you're a dirty hobo or a complete stranger," Lily said. No, Trent wasn't a complete stranger, but it wasn't like she honestly knew him all that well - well, other than when she obsessed over him and knew every little detail of his life, but that was different. It wasn't like he'd ever told her any of it, because there was never a reason to. "I'm not a horrible person. Some nights she wants to see you or talk to you and it's the only thing that'll settle her down. Sure, it's partially for my own benefit of not hearing her cry constantly, but it's more for her," she said with a bit of a shrug. It made Tessa happy, and that was all she really ever wanted. 

Tessa pouted, not too happy with the answer that she got. She would much rather having her father be there with her more often than he was. It wasn't as much of an issue when she was younger because it wasn't like she really knew how long he was gone for or that she didn't see him often, but now she was getting older and it was more noticeable. "Maybe Daddy could sing you real lullabies before you go to sleep," Lily said, hoping that she wasn't asking too much of him but knowing that it was something that Tessa would enjoy. Tessa's face lit up with an idea. "Can Daddy sing Frozen?" she asked, loving the songs from her favorite movie.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

Trenton wasn’t accustomed to the sound of Lily laughing, the sound semi foreign to his ears but yet it brought a small smile to his face. He believed her when she said she wouldn’t have offered if it would have been too big of an issue, Lily never being one to pull any punches at least when Trenton was on the receiving end of them.  ”I’m not going to boot you out of your bed. I’ll crash on the couch or hell, maybe I’ll buy a sleeping bag or something and crash in Tessa’s room sometimes. This body can use a bit of wear and tear after becoming so used to hundred stars hotels I roughed it before, I can rough it again.” His smile grew at the idea of all the time he’d get to spend with his baby girl, the idea of being able to sing her to sleep or read her a book at night warming his heart. It took him a second but he peeked over at her, his smile slipping into a grin. “Oh, let me guess…those cds were purchased just for her entertainment?” He asked, his eyes sparkling as he teased her. 

His heart ached when Tessa whined, even more when she said she was sick. “I know baby, I know.” His voice velvety soft, Trenton kissed the top of her head, brushing her hair back slightly. “Daddy can’t.” He answered, her puppy eyes killing him and making him want to do as she asked, anything she asked if it meant she smiled instead of looking so miserable. “You have to keep it in to get all better so you can come home with Mommy and Daddy. I know it’s no fun but you just have to do it.” Trenton didn’t notice how he lumped him and Lily together in the sentence. “We’ll all go home as soon as you are better enough and we won’t need anymore dumb things poking into you, okay?” He promised, his eyes studying her worriedly. Lily might have said Tessa was practically in the clear but that didn’t stop him from worrying she’d suddenly get worse.

[lilyashfordd]

"That's actually exactly what I was planning on doing - setting up a makeshift bed in her nursery or pulling her crib in to my room for the night to make sure she was still doing alright," Lily said, kissing the top of their daughter's head. It was actually amusing, the two of them having the same idea, and it made her wonder for a moment if maybe parenting with him would really be that terrible. But then again, there was the whole issue of them practically being at each other's throats that always seemed to happen. They were doing well so far, but Lily didn't want to jinx it. Truthfully, if Trent wasn't going to be around, then Lily would just have Tess sleep in the bed with her, but now it just didn't seem right. She couldn't hog Tessa all the time, at least not until Trent left again, whenever that would be. "Who said they were purchased? I pirated them all just to make sure you'd never get a single penny from me," Lily teased, the smile on her face giving her away. "Well what else was I supposed to do when a very cranky toddler wants to hear her dad's voice? Putting on a CD and letting it play is much easier than playing YouTube video after YouTube video," she said. It wasn't entirely a lie, because it was easier to just pop in a CD, but that certainly didn't excuse all of the CDs that she had of Trent's older music that Lily would make sure that he never, ever found out about. 

Of course Tessa wasn't happy that she had to keep the IV in, but it was only a matter of moments before she became caught up in something else that Trent had said that had piqued her interest far, far more. "Daddy come home?" the toddler asked with a grin. "Live with us?" she asked. Lily swore she could feel her heart breaking, but she could understand how Tessa could think that. It was, after all, something that she'd clearly love. "Daddy will stay for a little bit, but he'll have to go back to work. But before you know it, he'll be back again. Either way, you still have time with him," Lily answered for Trent, not wanting him to be put in the position of Tessa being angry at him for telling her no.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[lilyashfordd]

"Yeah, I’m thinking some fruit smoothies, Pedialyte, V8 would be okay at the very least," Lily nodded in agreement. Trent had his doubts about himself, and Lily had her doubts about him as well, but there were moments like this where he really proved that he tried to be a good dad. "Oh, yeah, that’s perfectly fine with me," Lily nodded with a small smile. "Tessa would really love that. You can stay with us until we do start going at each other’s throats, at least," she said with a bit of a shrug. The couch was comfortable enough, one of them could manage sleeping on it for a couple of days. "Well I’m not always Momzilla because you don’t always suck. Just most of the time,” she teased with a grin.

Lily found herself conflicted as to whether she should feel bad for Trent for not being around, or not. Of course she’d heard what a dick his manager can apparently be, but if Tessa was that important to him, he would find a way to be around for her, wouldn’t he? In a way, she wished he’d either just be around more or stay gone, because she knew for herself it was better that her dad just never bothered with her. But of course, Tessa doted on Trent, and at this point she’d be a mess if her father stopped coming around - like she is during every break between the times they see each other. But still, she didn’t say anything, because now wasn’t the time or the place. it wasn’t worth pissing him off when they were getting along, and right now they had to make sure Tess was okay. “No, I’m alright,” Lily said. her stomach was in far too many knots to even think about eating, and one of the nurses had brought her a coffee earlier, so she was doing okay.

In between them, Tessa began to cough and stir from her sleep. “Shh, it’s alright Princess,” Lily said, trying to soothe the little girl by kissing the top of her head. When the coughing had subsided, Tessa sleepily curled up against her mother but was awake. “Look who’s here, Tess,” she said, and it was a moment before Tessa looked up and spotted Trent. “Dada!” she exclaimed with a grin before snuggling closer to her father.

[k-ingofrock]

Trent mulled over the offer to stay with them—up until the point one of them decided to try murdering the other that is—for a moment before nodding slowly. “I..I’d like that if you’re sure you don’t mind. I can crash on the couch and help you with Tessa. Plus, I can spend some time with her without having to worry about keeping to a schedule and won’t have to leave just as we start having fun.” Trent’s face split into a grin when she teased him before fixing her with a mock glare. “I’ll have you know that I suck all of the time but I’ve just learned how to hide it.” He joked in return before laughing. This was something he could get used to…just maybe not while laying in a hospital bed with their sick child between them.

She’d passed on his offer and Trenton hadn’t seen much reason to go grab something for himself without making it clear he had just been looking for a momentary out. Laying there with his gazed fixated on the ceiling again, he felt the small tyke next to him begin moving and heard her coughs reach his ears and instantly sprang back to life, sitting up a bit more and moving his eyes back down. He felt another tug at his heart when he saw her instantly snuggle up to her mother, his presence not only going unnoticed for now but being foreign enough for her to not have known to look for it. He kept quiet when Lily tried getting her to notice him and held his breath while he waited before letting out a laugh when she finally spotted him and snuggled in close to him. “Hi, baby.’ He greeted in return before leaning down and kissing the top of her head, rubbing his hand gently over her head afterwards as Tessa got comfy against his side. “How’s Daddy’s big girl feeling?”

[lilyashfordd]

Lily found herself half surprised that Trent had agreed to stay over for a bit. Not because she was against the idea, but mostly because she figured that would be the last thing he ever wanted to do. But still, it made sense - they were both Tessa's parents, and they should be able to get along, especially if Tessa's sick. "Trust me, I wouldn't have offered if I minded," she said with a small laugh, and it was absolutely true. A few months ago, Lily probably wouldn't have offered at all, unless Tessa was, God forbid, really really sick. It's debatable whether she'd even tell him they were at the hospital, but she was happy that this hadn't happened months ago so that she did call him. He needed to be here for it, and Tess needed him. "We'll figure out the sleeping arrangement. We can switch off, depending on who got the worst night of sleep the night before," she laughed. "I know that Tess will definitely love to have you around more than for just a few hours, and she'd definitely love some live lullabies from her daddy, instead of just listening to CDs," Lily said, realizing all too late that she'd admitted that she had some of Trent's CDs - but at least she didn't mention the fact that she had just about every single song he'd ever put out. That was a secret she'd probably take to the grave. "Oh trust me, you're not that good at hiding it," she grinned, rolling her eyes a bit.

Lily couldn't help but grin at how Tessa interacted with Trent. Sure, she'd seen it before, but it was always with a hint of annoyance and anger towards him ever being around. She could never really appreciate it like this before. Tessa whined when Trent asked her how she was, wrinkling up her nose. "Sick," she said before looking down at the hand with her IV in it. "Daddy take this off?" she asked, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes, knowing fully well that she needed it even though it was annoying her.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

Nodding his head as Lily confirmed that Tess’ had been doing fine with the IV and everything the doctors were doing to get her back to her normal bouncy, healthy self, he frowned up a bit when she mentioned she might not have an appetite. “Well, you’ll—we’ll—have to find something she will eat until it comes back to her. Nothing too junky since we don’t need her thinking she can fake it to get her little paws on treats, of course.” Not even realizing how much like a parent he had sounded, Trent shrugged. “That is if you don’t mind me sticking around town for a bit until she’s a million times better. I figured I can find a nearby hotel or something since who knows how long this whole not strangling each other thing is going to last.” He couldn’t help but joke at the end to try and ease up the feeling in the room a bit, a grin on his face when he glanced over at Lily. A cheeky boyish grin that fell a little more into a genuine, grateful smile. “I guess you aren’t all Momzilla when it comes to me after all.” Hoping it came out as the joke he meant it to be, he offered her another smile smile before looking back down at Tessa.

"I’ve missed too much either way." Trent muttered under his breath, eyes not moving from the sleeping child. When had she gotten so big? "It’s good you didn’t. Tess needs her mom to be strong for her. She’ll always need you just like she’ll always be left wanting me.” Frowning slightly, he looked away from Tess and moved his eyes to the ceiling above them, leaning his head back against the back of the hospital bed. It sucked feeling like he’d gone and done the one thing he’d promised both himself and the newborn baby in his arms the very first time he’d held her, like he’d gone and turned out to be almost exactly like his own shitty father but…at least he made time to go see her when he could. Not often enough, but more than he gave himself credit for. “Are you hungry?” He suddenly blurted out after a bit of silence. “I can run down to the cafeteria or find a vending machine.” Suddenly, the room felt suffocating, as if his past mistakes as a father were wrapping tightly around his neck.

[lilyashfordd]

"Yeah, I'm thinking some fruit smoothies, Pedialyte, V8 would be okay at the very least," Lily nodded in agreement. Trent had his doubts about himself, and Lily had her doubts about him as well, but there were moments like this where he really proved that he tried to be a good dad. "Oh, yeah, that's perfectly fine with me," Lily nodded with a small smile. "Tessa would really love that. You can stay with us until we do start going at each other's throats, at least," she said with a bit of a shrug. The couch was comfortable enough, one of them could manage sleeping on it for a couple of days. "Well I'm not always Momzilla because you don't always suck. Just most of the time," she teased with a grin.

Lily found herself conflicted as to whether she should feel bad for Trent for not being around, or not. Of course she'd heard what a dick his manager can apparently be, but if Tessa was that important to him, he would find a way to be around for her, wouldn't he? In a way, she wished he'd either just be around more or stay gone, because she knew for herself it was better that her dad just never bothered with her. But of course, Tessa doted on Trent, and at this point she'd be a mess if her father stopped coming around - like she is during every break between the times they see each other. But still, she didn't say anything, because now wasn't the time or the place. it wasn't worth pissing him off when they were getting along, and right now they had to make sure Tess was okay. "No, I'm alright," Lily said. her stomach was in far too many knots to even think about eating, and one of the nurses had brought her a coffee earlier, so she was doing okay.

In between them, Tessa began to cough and stir from her sleep. "Shh, it's alright Princess," Lily said, trying to soothe the little girl by kissing the top of her head. When the coughing had subsided, Tessa sleepily curled up against her mother but was awake. "Look who's here, Tess," she said, and it was a moment before Tessa looked up and spotted Trent. "Dada!" she exclaimed with a grin before snuggling closer to her father.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

Trenton listened to Lily, soaking up each word and feeling more of the tension ease out of shoulders, more of the worry melt off his bones when she said it seemed like Tess was doing better. “And has she?” He quickly asked as soon as her words had barely faded. “Been taking well to them?” His eyes—which still housed clear evidence of his worry—went from gazing down at Tessa up to Lily. “Thanks for..you know, keeping me updated. It really made the drive a little more bearable.” His lips twitched upwards into a near smile before he quickly cut his eyes back down to the sleeping form of his baby girl, soothing hair from her face once more.

Weary of the IV, Trenton shucked off his jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair before carefully settling himself down next to Tessa on the bed, his hand covering her small one, frowning slightly at the slightly still fevered feel of her skin. But, Lily had said she had improved and was still improving and he knew he had to take her word for it. She had not only been here when the doctors had been around but she after all was Tessa’s mom and spent way more time with her than Trenton did. Frowning at that thought, once more feeling like an absentee parent or as if he was skipping out on his only child’s life, he was grateful when Lily spoke again, looking back to her again. Slowly returning her smile, his eyes yet again shot back down to the child between them. “I’m just glad I could come through for her this time.” He replied quietly before carefully peeking up at Lily. “Why don’t you try and get some rest? I know you must be exhausted and I’m here now so she won’t be alone. I’ll watch over her.”

[lilyashfordd]

Lily felt like she could physically see Trent becoming more relaxed as he realized that their daughter was going to be okay, even though it didn't look good at all seeing the poor little girl with an IV. Trent was just lucky he hadn't been there to see it get put in - Lily nearly passed out from the sight of it, and probably would have if she hadn't forced herself to look away since Ella needed to be taken care of first. "Yeah, she'd been going good with them. She hasn't thrown up again or anything and they said that's a good sign. But she might not have much of an appetite for a couple of days," Lily said, hoping that even if Tessa didn't feel like eating solid food, she could convince her to drink smoothies or milkshakes or just anything. "Of course," Lily said with a small smile. "I wasn't going to keep you in the dark about something as important as this. A little cold is nothing but this... was terrifying," she said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

As Trent laid down on the bed, Lily couldn't help but feel that this was the way things should have been all along. And could have been, if she hadn't spent all of her time and energy being such a bitch to him. She had her reasons, or at least thought she did - but now she regretted just about every moment of it. "Some things you can miss, but some things like this you can't," Lily said with a bit of a shrug. "Resting sounds amazing, but I'm not going to be able to. Hospitals make my skin crawl. I nearly wound up in a hospital bed myself when they put the IV in Tess' arm," Lily admitted.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

Trenton would probably never tell a single soul what he’d felt standing in that doorway, his eyes fixated on the sleeping forms—or at least he suspected they were both asleep—of both his child and the woman who he probably should have gone about everything a lot better with. Who he probably should have respected more, helped out more, and just been less of a prick even when she often helped in pushing him to that level. His daughter and her mother, a happy picture—without him. He was just an occasional visitor in a photo that had no true carved out place for him…and it hurt. Trenton was merely the one who came bounding in out of the blue with an overabundance of presents and unneeded treats to ruin a meal. Standing in that doorway, he wondered if it was too late to photoshop himself more fully in the photo.

Lily’s eyes opened and he battled down his self-pity and moved forward when she motioned him closer. Coming to a rest next to the bed, he reached down and softly rubbed a hand along Tessa’s forehead, frowning slightly at the simmered down heat he still felt there. “Hey.” He returned her greeting in an equally quiet voice. “Sorry it took so long, we were further off than I thought.” Lapsing into a silence, he wasn’t sure what to say, Trenton at a loss for words for one of the very rare few  times in his life. “So…..how is she? Is she getting better, do they want to keep her overnight or longer or….what’s going on?” His words finally rushed out in the form of questions about Tessa, the safest and near only civil subject he knew of when with Lily.

[lilyashfordd]

"It's okay, you're here now and that's what matters," Lily said with a small smile, the worry so much more visible on his face than it had been in his voice on the phone. "She's doing better. Like I said, it's the flu and they're giving her fluids to keep her hydrated. If she takes well to them, hopefully we'll be able to leave tonight," she said, explaining all the information that she really knew. Lily knew that the best place for Tessa to be to get better was in that hospital, but that didn't make her want to leave any less. The mere thought of the hospital made her skin crawl, but there was nothing she could do about it. However, the fact that they were still in the ER and not brought up to the pediatric ward made it seem likely that they could leave by the end of the day.

Scooching over on the bed a bit, Lily made some room for Trenton to sit down on the other side of Tessa. There was no way that Lily would move to be more than a couple of inches from her poor baby girl, and she figured he would feel the same. "Here, you can sit down. Just be careful of the IV line," she offered. "Tessa's going to be so happy to see you when she gets up. She wouldn't stop talking about you coming to see her," Lily said, giving him a smile.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

Trenton couldn’t lie, he’d thought of seeking new management once in a while, even entertained the idea of starting his own label and building up his own management team but these were the very same people who had first brought him into the music world, the same people who had allowed him to venture off into his own act until one day bringing him back into the fold, this time as the lead of the band he had once only been a minor part in besides the heavy amount of a new demographic his youthfulness and good looks had garnered them when the fresh faced kid had first joined up. And while things were no longer completely up to satisfactory standards, Trenton was loyal to a fault. “Yeah, maybe.” He answered, just to give an answer. “Maybe I will talk to a few of the others but…for now I’ll just have to deal .We’ll all have to deal.” It wasn’t implied but he lumped in Lily and Tessa into the we as well, meaning that they’d have to also find a way to deal with the things life handed him to deal with.

Hearing that Lily was terrified only caused Trenton’s stomach to drop more. If Lily, the child’s own mother, had no idea what was wrong with the young girl he knew it was serious. “I’m sure everything will be okay.” Had anything ever sounded like such a false and empty hope before? “I’ll keep my phone on me at all times.” He promised in a farewell before pocketing his phone and beginning the worry filled drive to his baby girl’s side. It wasn’t too long of a trip and the texts from Lily kept his mind at least half at ease but it felt like eons had passed by the time he parked and rushed inside. Having not thought to shoot a text off to Lily alerting her of his arrival, he was stuck asking the woman behind the desk for information on where Tessa was being held and after cutting off the woman’s garbled initial reaction when she recognized him, her repeated his question with more force not caring if the woman leaked to the internet that he’d been rude in anyway before receiving his answer quite coldly and setting off in a rush.

Finally locating the room, he carefully opened the door as quietly as he could in case Tessa, Lily, or both of them, were resting. Spotting them on the bed, he let out a sigh of relief before leaning against the frame, suddenly having a horrible wave crash over him that he was intruding in his own daughter’s life. This was something he’d never dealt with before as a parent, he’d never been the one by her side when she was sick in anyway or just having a bout of a temper. Waiting to see if Lily would notice him, he felt paralyzed to the spot as his eyes took in the sight of his child and her mother.

[lilyashfordd]

"Yeah, I understand," Lily said, but she really didn't understand at all. For someone that was so bothered by how little time he was able to spend with his daughter, it didn't seem to Lily like he was entirely doing too much. Sure, his management was a huge problem, but if he really wanted to be around, wouldn't he say something to them? Lily wanted to say something about how it wasn't fair for Tessa to have to deal with it, but instead she decided to let it go - there were more important things right now, like getting their poor daughter in to the ER to get some help, and at least he'd be there when Tessa really needed him.

Laying in the hospital bed with the toddler, all Lily did was cuddle her baby girl close and try to soothe her while the two chatted as much as the little girl could. Every so often she would get started on a topic, but ultimately Tessa would go back to asking about Trent and when he would get there, which hopefully wouldn't be for too long. Eventually, though, Tessa grew tired of talking and instead focused on the television for a bit before her eyes grew heavy, and Lily felt hers doing the same. There was no way that Lily could sleep though, not when Tessa was still so sick, so she settled for a moment of rest with her eyes closed and her face buried in the top of her daughter's head.

Tessa moved in her sleep, causing Lily to open her eyes and make sure that everything was alright - and it was then that she saw Trent standing in the doorway. With Tessa still fast asleep, Lily simply smiled at him and motioned for him to come in, not wanting to speak too loudly to let their baby rest a bit more. "Hey," she finally said, speaking quietly. "I'm happy you're here."

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

Trent echoed her small laugh with one of his own, the sound only half genuine as he became lost in his own thoughts again. She really was getting older, wasn’t she? With the milestones of a baby long gone and the ones of a toddler whipping by with alarming speed…how much more was he going to miss? How many firsts was he never going to get to experience? Videos of the occasion only half fulfilled his participation in the memory, only gave him a visual and audio representation of yet another moment he had missed. “Skype calls would be great…” He said quietly, fidgeting with the zipper on his bag as he tried drawing himself back to the conversation at hand. “But….hopefully I can find a way to make more time to actually be there in person. It won’t be easy and it probably won’t happen but….” Trailing off, he shrugged even if he was the only one who knew he had. He was willing to at least finally take a stand and make the effort he should have been making all along. “Yeah..hopefully no more running me around.”

Continuing his conversation with Tessa for a bit, Trenton was relieved when someone came back and let him know they had arrived and grabbing his bag, he made a beeline for the door, apologizing to his band mates again and thanking the driver as he jumped down the steps. Going inside the rental place, it was quick work before he was unlocking a car on the lot and tossing his bag in the backseat. Pulling out of the lot just as Lily came back on the line more clearer than Tessa, his face fell into a frown as he drove. “Hopefully….” Trent let slide out slowly from his lips as his worrying only grew. “Who knows with kids though…or I guess you probably know better but maybe it’s easy to get excited yet still not be fully okay? I dunno.” Annoyed with himself for his lack of parental knowledge, he typed in the general area he was headed into the GPS mounted on the dash at a red light, his phone now on speaker. “Listen, you need to get her in there and it’ll probably be easier without having to lug your phone around too so just give her a kiss from me and get her in there. I should be there in a couple hours if I rush. Keep me posted if anything changes in any way, will you?” He wanted to stay on the phone but knew it wasn’t the best idea. Plus, he needed time to properly control everything swirling inside of him before his arrival. 

[lilyashfordd]

it was obvious that Trent really was stuck in between a rock and a hard place here. Sure, he had told her plenty of times before that it wasn't his fault he couldn't be around, but Lily had never believed him and they usually didn't talk much more than that for her to see that it was true. "They can't keep you from your family, as much as they may want to," she said, but in reality she didn't have much an idea of what they really could or couldn't do. "And I'm definitely not trying to tell you what to do here, because I really don't know what's best, but... if they do still keep you from Tessa, then maybe it would be better to find a new manager and record company, you know?" Lily suggested, biting her lip a bit as she hoped she wasn't sounding too pushy or anything. "I think anyone else would jump at the chance to manage you guys, and I bet the other guys would be happy to be with their families too," she added. But now wasn't really the time to discuss such things, right now they had to focus on their baby girl. Trent was able to come now, and that was all that mattered.

Just as Lily was thinking that maybe Tessa was alright, since she seemed fine when talking to her Daddy, now that Lily was back on the phone with him the poor toddler was back to whining again. "That's the scary thing, I really have no clue this time around... Normally I can handle it, but this... I'm terrified, Trent," Lily said quietly so that hopefully Tessa wouldn't hear, as she was trying to stay strong and positive for her little girl. "Yeah, I have to get her in there... I'll text you as soon as we're in a room and keep you updated, okay? I'll be sure to give her a kiss and make sure that she knows her Daddy is on the way, and we'll see you soon," she said before hanging up the phone and shutting off the car, getting out and quickly getting Tessa out and in to the Emergency Room.

Lily really wasn't fond of hospitals. The last time she'd been in one was when she'd had Tessa, and if she hadn't been even more terrified of something going wrong during labor than she was of hospitals, she would have absolutely had a home birth. Lily had quickly learned that having a child meant making a ton of sacrifices, and she wouldn't change it for anything. Once they had gotten in to the hospital, Lily shed the jacket off of the poor, overheating toddler, trying to keep herself cool and in control of everything as she made her way to the front desk. They didn't have to wait at all after Lily explained what was wrong, and immediately Tessa was taken in the back to a room to be looked at. After a few preliminary tests and a precautionary blood sample later, the ER doctor had determined that Tessa had a rather nasty bout of the flu. With an IV drip in Tessa's tiny hand to give her some fluids and some Tylenol to get her fever down, the toddler was finally calmed down after an hour and a half at the hospital and was calm but sleepy curled up on the bed next to her mom.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

"And I guess…" Trent began trailing off at the end, his free hand rubbing at the back of his neck. "I guess I was bitter because I didn’t get to spend time with her while you got to soak up every little breath she took and all I had was pictures, occasional videos if I was lucky." Trenton knew the two of them would probably never be the best of friends, it in their nature to butt heads but he had a feeling this was at least a step in the right direction for being able to prolong the length of time they stayed civil before snapping at the other. "I think…I think I need to take the reign more often, demand more breaks. I’m not the only one in the band with a family and I’m sure they’d all love time to be with their families or however they spend their free time. I would love more Skype calls. Videos are one thing but getting to talk face to face even if it’s through a computer screen is a whole different thing." He fell quiet for a moment, his hand falling away from his neck before he gave a shrug she couldn’t see. "I don’t think I will. I’d rather dedicate whatever free time I may get in my life to having a hand in raising my daughter—not raising kids that may come after her. She deserves that much from me."

The stress lines and the anger still etched onto his feature completely eased away at the sound of Tessa’s little voice. “Dada home.” He confirmed, it clear in his voice how much just hearing her had lifted his mood. “Mama’s taking you to see the doctor and I may not be there at first but Dada promises he’s coming to see you.” It felt good being able to say that and know he wouldn’t have to call last minute and cancel. “We have to get our sick little princess all better don’t we? Princesses don’t get sick, that’s just icky. Only Loch Tess Monsters get sick and I thought you were a pretty princess Once you’re all better, we’ll go get ice cream, how does that sound? Does Princess Tessa want ice cream?” Still unsure of just how sick she was, the worry was back in the pit of his stomach that this wasn’t just some common cold—he knew Lily could have handled that on her own and most likely had in the past. “Lil?” His voice was soft, concerned. “How bad do y—we think this is?” 

[lilyashfordd]

"Yeah, I think I can understand that. I mean, I can only imagine now bitter I'd be if the roles were reversed..." Lily mused, thinking for a moment just how horrible she would really feel if that were the case. Why hadn't she thought of that before, though, and realized how hard it must have been for Trent as well? She figured that she just assumed he didn't care enough for it to really bother him, but she was seeing now that it wasn't the case at all. "Well now that she's getting older, Skype videos are a lot easier. I mean, before they would've just consisted of her sleeping and it's not like we were able to stand each other to look at each other on a video for too long," she said with a small laugh. That would change now, she would make sure of it. "Tons of celebrities have kids and manage to work, so I think you could too if you could get them to not run you around constantly." Lily always blamed Trent for not being there, but she had heard herself that it was his manager's doing and not his own, and she really needed to cut him some slack. 

Finally Lily had pulled in to the parking lot of the ER, but she waited in the car for a few moments so that Trent could continue to talk to Tessa for a few moments before they'd have to hang up and go inside. She seemed to be doing better now, just from hearing her father's voice. "Dada, ice cweam!" Tessa exclaimed happily, only paying attention to a few choice words in her father's speech such as princess and, of course, ice cream. Their little girl was a fiend for sweets, that was for sure - and Lily was certain that there'd be no way that she'd forget that she was promised some. While Trent was talking, Lily had turned around in her seat to look at Tessa, and it took her a moment to realize that Trent was talking to her again now. "I- I'm not sure..." she said, biting her lip. Right now, Tessa looked happy, but she knew it was only from the excitement of talking to her daddy. "It... can't be that bad, I think. Or else she wouldn't even be able to be this excited, right?" she said, but Lily had no clue at all what to expect, and could only hope that everything would be alright.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

"And the ones who have a problem with it can go ahead and have a problem with it for all I care." Trent answered gruffly as he ran a hand through his short hair again. "I’ve got as much of a right to have a personal life as they do and if they don’t think that then they can go get fu—screwed." He knew he wasn’t on speaker and that only Lily could hear him, but Trenton found himself censoring himself either way knowing that even if he wasn’t directing it towards her, there wasn’t need for any foul language in their current conversation and she didn’t deserve to hear his more colorful choice of words either way. 

"Yeah…." His voice was quiet, way softer than Lily was probably accustomed to hearing and he let it trail off for a moment. ‘You know, if I could have been there for every diaper change, every nasty pea green spit up that needed to be wiped up, every all nighter screaming session—I would have. I’m sure that’s not something a parent exactly enjoys dealing with but…it’s an experience nonetheless. One I didn’t get with her and I’ll probably never get at all really.” It wasn’t that Trenton had never wanted a family, in fact he’d always wanted a decent size one but after having Tessa and not being able to be as big a part of her life as he wished, he’d forced himself to admit that he had chosen the wrong life path and that it most likely would never lead to a family of his own to come home to at the end of the day. 

Hearing Lily’s voice as she spoke to Tessa, Trent knew she’d made the switch to speaker. “Hi, baby.” His voice was even softer and gentle than it had been with Lily moments prior. “I heard my girl doesn’t feel too good.” His daughter’s childish language that half the time he only understood part of interrupted him and even in her sickened state, he could still hear his happy little girl every now and then. ”Daddy’s coming, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can and I’ll snuggle you so much that I end up sick too and then we can just be sick together and make Mommy take care of us, how does that sound?” Trenton knew he was probably talking too much for her young self to grasp everything but talking to her was calming him down like nothing else could ever do. 

[lilyashfordd]

There wasn't really anything that Lily could say to even begin to relate to how Trent must have felt. She just had no clue what it was like, even though she had always pretended to know exactly how it must be to be one of the most famous men in the world, but it wasn't as easy as that. But once he began talking about how much he wished he could've been there for Tessa through everything, it was really hitting her hard that she'd been far from fair to him.

"It would've been nice to have some help, but I don't hold it against you. I never should have. I was just bitter, and more stressed than I could ever begin to explain, but it doesn't change anything," she said, trying to explain herself a bit even though it seemed like they both were beginning to understand the other. "Don't count yourself out, though. You still have plenty of time to be with Tessa, if you ever have a break. And we can Skype more. And we both know that you'll find a gorgeous girl and have a family of your own," Lily said, feeling like she had to reassure Trent that not all hope was lost and that it wasn't as though he was a bad father, the timing just didn't match up enough.

The moment that Tessa heard her father's voice, Lily saw her face light up considerable from the rear view mirror. "Dada home?" Tessa asked with a squeal, only able to understand that even though she didn't feel well at all, her dad would be coming home - and she would likely be too happy to even realize she was sick, which would be great for them all. And this time, Lily would be able to promise to her that there wouldn't be any fighting or arguing, and everyone would revolve around their baby girl instead.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

"Yeah," Trent answered with a huff as he blew out a stream of air and ran his hand over his short hair. "Everything’s fine." He knew there’d most likely be hell to pay from the label but in this moment, he really couldn’t find it in him to care. There was something wrong with Tessa and her health took a way higher seat than his career so if he got in trouble, so be it. "I’m sure it’ll just be the bigwigs pissed off at me. There’s no way fans will be able to stay mad at me for bailing on a few shows once they find out why, and if they do, fuck ‘em." Zipping up his suitcase after tossing a few things in, he plopped down on the edge of his bed to wait out the drive to the car rental place. "North Shore." He echoed just to confirm. "I think I can remember how to get there, and if not I’ve got my phone to help." Running his hand over his face, he breathed out another heavy breath as he tried calming his racing heart down. Knowing that Tessa was sick and that he hadn’t been there from the first moment she began fussing really hurt, it made him feel like less of a father and he knew that was insane but it was the truth. "I’m..and I’m sorry you have to deal with this and probably so much more on your own all the time." He replied quietly to what she had said about it not being easy for him, a bit of the heaviness lifting off of his shoulders when he realized that maybe know she understood just a bit. "Can…can I talk to her? Even if you just put me on speaker?" Trent asked hearing that she’d calmed down a bit but still wanting to console her the best he could from so many miles away.  

[lilyashfordd]

"If the fans have anything to say about it, you'll be fine," Lily said, knowing just how much his fans really did love him. It was hard not to see, especially when Tessa loved seeing videos of him and there were always comments from rabid fans. Tessa was mentioned occasionally in different interviews and it always spurred on comments about how cute and adorable their little girl was, since paps had been able to snap a few pictures when they'd be out and about. The mention of Tessa also brought around insults towards Lily, the 'washed up model bitch' that didn't let Trent see his daughter. But she didn't let them bother her, because it was clear that they didn't know what went on between the two of them. It was a bit of a surprise to hear Trent apologize for her having to handle everything on her own so often - and it honestly made her think that maybe they'd be on their way to actually acting decent towards each other and getting along. "It's not normally as hard as this is but... thank you. It'd be nice not to have to do it alone all the time but I'm starting to understand just how much none of this is really your choice," she said, checking the rearview mirror to look at Tessa and make sure she was okay, which she seemed to be. "Yeah, of course. I think she'd like that, actually. I'll put you on speaker since I can't reach back there without probably getting in to an accident," Lily said before looking down at the phone for a brief second to hit the speaker button. "Tessa, baby, guess who's on the phone?" she said, letting Trent have the chance to announce himself.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

The miserable sound of his baby girl crying reached Trenton’s ears seconds before Lily’s uneven voice did and he was already heading from his back room on the bus towards the front and her words only spurred him on faster. “Hold on, Lil.” He muttered before moving the phone away so he could talk to the drive. The conversation got a bit heated as his manager who normally slept in one of the bunks on the bus joined in and  tried saying there was no way they were dropping him off at a rental place so he could drive back, no matter what the reason behind it was. Trent’s voice soon grew to be the loudest and he figured Lily was hearing all of everything everyone was saying but he kept his phone away from his ear and mouth so he wouldn’t be yelling in her ear. Arguing that his daughter was more important to him than any stupid show would ever be and fuck any fans that had an issue if he needed to postpone a few of the bands upcoming show and fuck any of the members or anyone else that had an issue with it too, Trenton made it clear that if he was restrained from getting to his daughter, he’d make sure they got exactly what they deserved at their precious shows.

When a few of the other members of the band woke up due to the now near physical fight breaking out in the middle of the bus, a couple of  them worked to get the men separated and calmed a bit before asking what was going on. Surprisingly, they all quickly voted in Trent’s favor and the manager was forced to begrudgingly order the driver to find the nearest rental place before slamming off into the bathroom to make a few calls to the label to let them know that disaster was more than likely ahead and to alert them that they possibly needed to cancel a few upcoming shows or work out the band going on without him. Putting his phone back to his ear as he made his way back into his back bedroom, he shut the sliding panel door and dragged out a suitcase to pack a few things in case he needed to stay a few days. “Sorry about that.” Honestly, he really was. He hadn’t meant for it to blow up into a fight in her ear but that was the reality he faced when he tried asking for time off for any reason and at least now maybe she got that he didn’t voluntarily stay away from Tessa as much as he did. “Which hospital are you taking her to? The one you had her in?” He didn’t know Lily’s area too well but he was sure he could remember the general location of the hospital she had given birth to Tess in. “I have to wait until these idiots find me a rental place but once they do, I’m on my way.”

[lilyashfordd]

Despite the fact that Lily felt like she was going to crack and break down at any given moment, mostly due to the fact that she felt terrible for not being able to do anything to console poor Tessa as she continued to cry, she nodded when Trent said to give him a moment before remembering that he couldn't see her at the moment. Instead, she squeaked out a small 'alright' as she attempted to do a few of the deep breathing exercises that she had learned at her and Tessa's Mommy and Me yoga classes as she was stuck at yet another red light. However, with Tessa still so miserable behind her, it was impossible to try to calm herself down while her baby girl was certainly the most important thing on her mind right now. As she waited for Trent to get back on the phone, Lily tried talking to Tessa and see if it could help relax her a bit by telling her that she'd be better soon, and that she'd be able to talk to Daddy on the phone, which helped her calm down a bit. Lily wasn't paying attention to what was going on on the other side of the phone, but once she heard yelling she couldn't help but see what was going on.

As if it was really possible for Lily to feel any worse than she already did, the blow of knowing that she had been so, so wrong about Trent and had blamed him for so much more than she deserved certainly didn't make her feel any better. He really did try to be there for his daughter, but it clearly wasn't easy for him at all, which was made obvious as she heard him fighting with who she assumed was the band manager on the other side of the phone. It wasn't his fault at all. By the time he had gotten back on the phone, Tessa's crying had quieted down again as they neared the hospital at long last. "It's alright. Is... everything okay?" she asked, just wanting to make sure even though she'd heard the conversation. She already knew that he was going to come to be with Tessa, and he had gone through so much to make sure of it, so she wasn't too surprised when he said he'd be on his way. "Yeah, we'll be at North Shore Hospital. I- I know it's not easy for you to be able to come but... I really appreciate it, and I know Tessa will be happy to have you with her," Lily said. By now they were just a final block away from the hospital, and Lily couldn't be happier for that fact.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

[k-ingofrock]

Trent had just been climbing into bed, both mentally and physically drained after that night’s show and the clean-up and packing that had to take place before they could get back on the road, when his phone sprung to life. Normally, he’d just ignore it and see who had wanted him and what they’d wanted when he woke up but that particular tone alerted to him to the fact that while he wasn’t sure of the exact time, it was way too late in the night for Lily to try and get in contact with him and it was with knots in his stomach that he scrambled for his phone. There had to be something wrong with Tessa, there was no other reason she’d be getting in touch with him. Wasn’t like they were friends. Reading the text, he let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t good but it wasn’t as terrible as he had been fearing in those few short heartbeats. Typing out a quick reply back, he hit send before finally collapsing into bed. But sleep was no longer an option.

Alright, thanks. Give her a kiss from me.

Sure enough, when his phone next roared back to life—this time the call tone linked to whenever Lily called him instead of texted—he was still wide awake. Fumbling for the phone laying on his chest, he accidentally knocked it aside, the sheets claiming it as victim. “Shit!” Shooting to his feet, he desperately tore through the bedding before his hand closed around it. Sliding to answer, he placed it to his ear hoping he had caught it in time. “How is she?!” He demanded in greeting, his tone slightly winded from both the frantic search and the extreme worry that had now been nestled in his body ever since the text message hours ago. He had never felt so helpless then he did right now, worrying that there was something wrong with his little girl.

[lilyashfordd]

"Come on Trent, answer the damn phone..." Lily murmured as she drove, tapping the steering wheel impatiently as she was stopped at a red light. Behind her, Tessa began to whimper before starting to cry again. "Mama, too hot..." she whined in between tears, and Lily felt horrible knowing that all she could do to sooth her daughter right now was look at her in the rear view mirror and try to talk to her and reassure her that it would be okay. Finally, the light changed to green and Lily continued driving, admittedly quite a bit faster than she normally did, but thankfully it was early enough that there wasn't too much traffic on this Sunday morning.

Finally, after a few more rings that seemed to last forever to Lily, Trenton answered the phone sounding clearly worried about their daughter. "Trent, she- she's not too good. We-we're heading to the hospital now," Lily managed to say, her voice coming out shaky, matching her trembling hands. There was no doubt in Lily's mind that he could hear Tessa crying in the background. "We got back to sleep, she woke up a little bit ago and threw up, she's still hot and she's lethargic and shaking," she explained so that he could know exactly what was going on. But right now, Lily had never felt so helpless in her life, and she only hoped that she could get to the hospital fast so that she could get her daughter the help that she needed, if only she wouldn't get caught behind what seemed like every single red light that was possible, and she quietly cursed under her breath each time it happened.

[lilyashfordd]

Baby Blues ||

Lily knew from the moment she heard Tessa's screams from her nursery at four in the morning that something was very, very wrong with the toddler. Tessa hardly woke up in the middle of the night, and definitely didn't wake up screaming, so naturally Lily bolted awake and rushed to the nursery where she found Tessa wide awake and crying. "Shh, baby, it's okay, Mommy's here, it's alright..." she said as she picked up the little girl, trying to sooth her a bit. Since she was wearing only a tank top, Lily was able to feel Tessa's forehead and face against the crook of her neck, and noticed that the poor child was absolutely hot to the touch, and likely overheating in the warm onesie that she'd worn to bed. Still holding Tessa close, Lily took off her onesie in an attempt to help her cool down a bit and immediately she seemed to calm down, and Lily hoped that was all that she needed. But just in case, Lily brought Tessa back to her own bedroom and laid down next to her as she managed to fall back asleep, sending a quick text message to Trenton to let him know what was going on in her own efforts to be less of a bitch towards him and keep him updated on his daughter's life, saying: Tessa's not doing to well. Woke up searing hot but she seems to be doing better now. We're heading back to bed but I'll keep you updated.

A couple of hours later, Tessa woke up once again but clearly wasn't feeling any better as she promptly got sick. Soothing the little one, Lily one handedly stripped the sheets from the bed and threw them in the washer, but she was far more worried about her daughter than the bedding. Now, Tessa was very grumpy and fidgety, still extremely warm, and Lily had noticed something else wrong with her - every so often Tessa's eyes would drift closed and she'd shake, and that was when she decided that this wasn't something she could try to take care of on her own and had to get her some help. Quickly, Lily put a new set of pajamas on Tessa, and threw a few more sets and other necessities in to the diaper bag before quickly making her way to the car. By now it was eight in the morning, and as she got Tessa buckled in to her car seat, Lily tried to simultaneously thumb a text to Trent to tell him that she was taking Tessa to the hospital, but in all of her fumbling had pressed the call button in the middle of her fumbling. That was easier anyways, and she quickly got herself in the car and started up the car, waiting impatiently for Trent to either pick up or for it to go to his voice mail.