Turning the Corner

Crystal had brought measles home from school, Chris had got the chicken pox from a girl in his swimming class at the Y...her Mother had called all the parents when her spots showed so that one they were sure of. Cassie had got the Flu from John...and with the number of severe flu runs they'd had lately, there was no telling where or from whom Johnny had picked it up. The problem was that all of them were contagious and neither twin had gone through either measles and chicken pox. On the plus side, Chris only got mild cases of the flu and the pox, mostly what he had going on was Measles, and while his twin had moderate cases of both Measles and Pox, the flu was a strain she'd already had so it didn't bother her. Cassie didn't contract either pox or Measles, she had gotten the free vaccine shots at school so she was protected from those two, but the flu knocked her down hard, moving from moderate to severe quickly.

She decided that since John had it too, she was bunking with John. John's case was just as miserable, but not as bad. His fever was a lot lower and it made it easier on Roy who was mostly stuck with dealing with the twins, taking a few days off to do that. She tucked in tightly against John's left side in her parents' big bed and stayed there unless she needed the toilet.

John kept a close watch on the still climbing fever, and when it hit 102.5F he took the rest of her vitals and found a spiking BP. "Yep, thought so. Always dothings the hard way, don't you Baby Girl?" He sighed, then bundled her up and picked up the landline to call it in, suspecting one of the more aggressive strains.

He took her out to the living room to wait, but she was groggy and not paying attention when he handed Roy her vitals as he passed him. "C shift is on the way, their getting dispatch to send transport. Probably going to admit her for a couple days to run ivs, we need a little help to get the temp down., so since I have it too, I'll stay with her. I don't think she'd let Charlie or Pete treat her anyway, still thinks rude things about the chef's skillset. How're the twins doing?"

"Just about past their's." Roy replied, chuckling at the reminder of Cassie's persistant claim that Chef Charlie wanted to cook her. "She still gives him a wide berth." He laughed quietly, running a damp cloth over Cassie's hot face.

"Told them to cut the light show and come in quiet, no need to scare the other two. I'll deal with her and let Joe or Mike deal with me. Still staying in pediatrics with her."

Roy was running her vitals again when John let Charlie in, then reached over and pulled the thermometer out of her mouth, checked it, then handed it to Pete. "Flu, and I've got it too."

"Half a degree higher since you called. Poor kid. You coming?"

"Just in case she wakes up enough to go stubborn on you two...again." He answered, making Peter snort as Charlie called the hospital under the twin's curious double stare.

"How come the cousins are here, Daddy?"

"Your sister has a nasty fever that the household set of normal means isn't helping, so since it's getting too high ,too fast...John let your cousins know we need to use our work set of normal means. Only they're in charge of those means right now. So, they had to come, since Daddy can't just go get the squad when it's not my turn."

"Those are a lot of spots."

"Yep, Chris has Measles, Crystal has Measles and Chicken Pox, at the same time. Cassie had her Measles and Pox shots, but not her flu shot and John was due his. We were planning on doing that next. Cassie and John got the flu before we managed it. I've had all my shots, so guess who is playing 24 hour nurse?"

Charlie chuckled as John let the transport in with the gurney, five minutes later Peter and John had left with Cassie because Peter scared her less than Charlie did.

Three hours later, John had stretched out next to her on her free side in her room in the children's ward, eyes on her drip checking the rate before cuddling her against his side. He'd been give a couple shots, but his wasn't anywhere near as bad as her's. She wheezed through the night and at some point Dix came in with a cath. He sighed and nodded. "You better do it. I can't back away from her that far mentally, not any more...and Roy never had a prayer. I think I'm a parent now."

Dixie got the cath in and checked a few things. "Joe thinks she'll be in for three or four days, so you just stay there with that very tough, heart-stealing little girl and let us deal with it, John. You're ill too."

"Nearly over mine, but I'll take the exuse to cuddle her for a day or so before relieving Roy with the twins. He hasn't got to cuddle her at all in days. The higher it goes the more she's going to be calling for him anyway."

"Mommy?" She crawled half on top of John who turned Squad Red when Dixie's eyebrow went up. but still answered.

"I'm right here baby."

"Where's Daddy?"

"He's with the twins." He swore under his breath a moment later when her eyes filled with tears, she shuddered and then started crying. But she didn't ask for him again, clinging hard to John. What broke his heart was when she finally asked him, begged him really, not to leave her like the others had, both sets.

"I'm not going anywhere, Baby Girl...and your Daddy will be here, with the twins, in a little while." He looked up at the charge nurse. "Dix, get two more kid beds ready for the twins. Chris has Measles, Crystal has both that and chicken pox and Cassie's too out of it with fever to understand why we're here and Roy isn't. Between her biologicals and Jo, if he's not here, she's going to keep thinking he changed his mind."

"Yeah, I suppose she would. I'll take care of the rooms and call him. Maybe he'll explain why she calls you Mommy."

"She started it as a mistake...she thought that half of parenthood had to use the female pronoun...and I explained, she promised to come up with a masculine variation for me...but the Chris called her and me in for supper that night, usin Mommy for me...and...Roy laughed...so both of the twins ran with it. So, instead of protesting, I'm waiting for them to get bored, she's been calling me Popa. Unless she's stressed or half-asleep, which is when she makes it clear she only calls me by a male identifier because I asked her to."

"Like now." McCall laughed, "Those two would."

About an hour later, John was keeping the twins company, who were in a double room next to Cassie and Cassie was being rocked. The problem arose when an upset wail rang out of Cassie's room.

"But he promised! Johnny promised! He said he'd stay!"

He was back in her room like a shot. "Hey, I haven't gone anywhere. I was just talking to Chris, next door."

She flat refused to let go of Roy, but wanted him too. But she couldn't really be called 'lucid', not with her fever that high. Not with her mumbling about 'get back in the boat, stupid' or 'It's the one with the black spotted dorsal, at least he's fast, always bites people half in two. Don't even have time to scream when that big bull strikes, or 'Wow, that's a big snake, gonna have to smoke some of it so it doesn't spoil. Can't waste food.' What kind of an idiot let him have a car? He's turning too soon...oh no. Don't hit that...it's...loose.' Why...he's so gentle, didn't smack me for bothering them. What? The chair is moving, he's that feels good. The tall one called it a rocking chair and it feels...good.

Oh no, HOLLER get that bear!

Oh no, I'm gonna be in so much trouble...

He...doesn't mind. He really doesn't mind. How...can they not mind? How did I get so lucky?

It was at that point she burrowed into John's side again, half awake, "Didn't mind, really didn't mind.'

"No, I don't mind at all and neither does your dad." He told her softly, now that they were getting to the to root of it. Yes, the high fever was worrying but so much was coming out. "Come here, there's my girl." He gathered her into his arms for a good cuddle.

"Love you both so much it hurts." She told them, eyes wet and scared. "Can't lose you, not now."

Roy sat down on the bed next to his youngest and his partner. "And you aren't going to." He told her, running his fingers through her hair and crooning soothingly.

"Promise?"

"We promise. It's okay. It's gonna be fine."

John watched her drift off, but suddenly she was absolutely soak in sweat. They gave her a good going over but she remained both asleep and as limp as a wet, loosely stuffed, handmade ragdoll. It took a bit to clean her up, dry her off, change the bedsheets and get clean nightwear on her.

"Fever's broken."

"Chest is clear too."

Roy ducked out for a moment to see if Joe was on the floor yet, he was. Twenty minutes later she got the all clear provided the next set of bloodwork came back okay. He didn't expect problems. "Except for the monkey imiatations. If she isn't hanging on one of you, she's hangin on the other."

"We don't mind, she's turned the corner in more ways than one." John told him softly. "Not just the flu, it's the rest of it too. A lot of that fever was fear and stress, I think. I'd really rather have her happy so I am really looking forward to seeing what sort of kid she is when she's not watching every single thing she says and does...for fear of what we'll do. Clearly, she'll make herself sick with it. I've seen worry make people ill before, but I'd prefer people we care about not have to do that. Especially at this age."

"Got that right." DeSoto agreed softly.

TBC