*2 days later-noon*
“Lyn, I’m not feeling too good.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel like I have a fever.”

“Let me get the thermometer quick.”

“OK.” He stayed on the couch.

Lyndsey ran to the bathroom and got the thermometer.

“Open up.”

“Ahhh..” He opened his mouth and held up his tongue.

“Close.”

She took it out of his mouth when it beeped.

“101.5.” she reported.

“Man...this is no good.”

“Wahhh!” Madi woke up crying.

“Will you go get her?”

“Yeah. She shouldn’t be around you Nick.”

“I know.”

“OK, sit tight.” She went to Madi’s room and saw her standing in her crib. “Hey pumpkin, did you have a nice nap?” she picked her up.

“Dada.”

“Daddy’s not feeling well baby, we have to play outside today OK?”

“No. No side.”

“Wanna play in our room then? Watch some movies and read some books?”

“Wet.”

“OK, we’ll take care of that.” she laid her down on her changing table and took off her clothes. “Sweetie, your legs feel warm. Are you feeling OK?”

“Weg.”

“Yeah, your weg is warm. NICK!”

“Whaaat?” he groaned.

“Does she have a thermometer here? She can’t use ours.”

“Use that ear one in the med kit.”

Lyndsey ran to the bathroom and got the ear thermometer.

“OK Madi, Lyn has to stick this in your ear OK?” Lyndsey turned Madi’s head to the side and held it in place.

“No!”

“Yes sweetie. For me. For Lyn.”

Madi stuck her lip out and moved her head.

“Hey look! It’s Pooh!” she held Pooh in front of her.

“Pooh!” Madi turned her head to look at Pooh.

Lyndsey held her head down lightly and stuck the thermometer in her ear.

“It’s OK sweetie, play with Pooh.” she said, feeling Madi start to squirm.

She took the thermometer out when the light flashed.

“Shit! Come on cutie, we gotta get you dressed.”

“Sit!”

“No Madi, don’t say that. Lyn is bad.” She got her dressed and carried her to the living room. “Nick...”

“Hmm?”

“She’s sick hun.”

“Her too?”

“100.7. Not good for a baby. Do you want me to take her to the doctor? Or do we have some medicine?”

“We don’t have a doctor here for her.”

“Do we have medicine?”

“Not for babies.”

“OK, I’ll go buy some. Can you watch her or do you want me to take her?”

“I’ll watch her. Give her here. Make her a bottle of warm milk.”

She handed Madi to Nick and went into the kitchen to make Madi’s milk.

“Lay with Daddy, Madi.” He laid her next to him on the couch.

“Here ya go sweetie...do you guys need anything else before I go?”

“No.”

Madi put the bottle in her mouth and lazily closed her eyes.

“OK I’ll hurry.” she kissed them both on the forehead.

“Thanks.”

She returned a half hour later, Nick and Madi both asleep, drooling on the couch. She walked in quietly and got their medicine ready before waking them up.

“Nick? Nick... Madi.”

She got no response from either of them. She shook Nick a little. “Nick. Madeline!”

“Hmm. What?” he asked grumpily, not opening his eyes.

“I need to give Madi her medicine. I got some for you too.”

“Then give it to her and let me sleep.”

“I want you to take yours too. Come on Mads.” she picked Madi up.

“I can’t. I’m sleeping, see?”

“I have it right here...water and everything. Now sit up and take it.”

“I’m not taking it Lyn.” Madi started crying and rested her head on Lyndsey’s neck.

“Honey, you can go back to sleep in a minute. Fine Nick. Be sick. But I don’t want to hear you complain about it either.”

“Fine, you won’t hear me complain about it.” he fell back asleep almost before he finished speaking.

“Open up Madi.”

Madi opened her mouth and Lyndsey emptied the medicine dropper into it.

“Yummy! Good?”

She spit it out all over Lyndsey and herself.

“Ock!” she spit more.

“Madi!”

“Ock!”

“Please baby..you have to take this. Want some orange juice?”

“O duce.”

Lyndsey carried her to the kitchen and got her sippy cup of orange juice out of the fridge.

“OK, take this medicine and then we can have orange juice.”

“O duce.” she reached for the cup.

“Medicine. Then orange juice.”

“O duce!” she started crying.

“Medicine, then orange juice. You want to get better right? So you can play with me?”

“O duce.”

“Look at the ceiling Mads!” Lyndsey pointed up.

Madi turned her head up and let her mouth hang open. Lyndsey poured her medicine in her motuh and held her head back.

“Swallow it.” she said as Madi tried to spit it out. “Swallow it. Then orange juice!”

She swallowed it then started screaming.

“Here!” Lyndsey handed her the cup.

“Ock ock ock!!”

”Orange juice Madi!”

“What are you doing to her?” Nick asked from the living room

“Giving her her medicne. Go to sleep.”

“Sounds like you’re killling her!”

“It’s in her. That’s what matters.”

“I can’t sleep with her screaming like that.”

“If you can’t sleep then take your medicine. Do either of you want lunch?”

“Fine. No.” He swallowed the pills that were still by his head. “I’ll be in our room . It’s quieter in there.”

“Thank you pumpkin.” she smiled sarcastically at him.

He walked down the hall and shut the bedroom door.

“Madi, you all better?”

“All ock!”

“Drink some juice baby. Wanna lay on the couch with Lyn?”

Madi tipped her cup upside down and drank her juice. Lyndsey laid down on the couch with Madi next to her.

“No.”

“Here’s Pooh...lay down and get all better.”

“Dada.” she started crying.

“Madi, you can’t lay with Daddy unless you’re VERY quiet.”

“Dada?”

“Dada’s sick just like you. You both have to take medicine for Lyn and sleep lots.” She made her way to the rocking chair and tried to rock Madi.

“No. Dada.” she slipped off Lyndsey’s lap.

“Come back here you!” Lyndsey grabbed her and picked her up. “You can see Dada, but you can’t yell and you can’t jump.”

“Mama.”

“You’ll get to see Mommy tomorrow if you’re better. So you have to take all your medicine and sleep, OK?”

“Seep.”

“Yup, sleep like a good girl.” She walked down the hall.

“Dada?” she laid her head on Lyndsey’s shoulder.

When Lyndsey reached the end of the hallway she turned around to walk back down, rubbing Madi’s back.

“Dada!” she pointed to the bedroom.

“OK OK, but we have to be silent alright?”

Nick got up and opened the door.

“What Madi? I’m right here.”

“Dada.” She held out her arms. “Seep Dada.”

“I don’t feel good and I want to sleep. You want to sleep too?”

“Sorry, I tried to get her to sleep but she wants to sleep with you.”

“Seep, Mama.”

“OK, give her here.” He took her from Lyndsey. “She better sleep.” he mumbled.

“If she doesn’t sleep yell and I’ll come get her.”

“OK. Let’s go sleep baby girl.” He turned his attention to Lyndsey. “I’d kiss you but you might get sick too.”

“Seep.” Madi tugged on his shirt.

“OK, OK.”

“You just get better, we’ll worry about kisses later.”

Nick shut the door and lay on the bed with Madi as Lyndsey went to the living room to call Rayanne while they slept.