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Felicity sighed as she looked at her children. Itchy red blisters covered their bodies. Mia wasn’t even supposed to get chicken pox. She had the vaccine. Though she was three and due for her booster next year, Felicity knew Mia could still get a milder case of the illness. William on the other hand had a full blown case of the chicken pox. Someone at school had given it to him and apparently Samantha had never gotten him vaccinated. The three and fifteen year old sat on the couch in their cabin, looking guilty. Well, William looked guilty. Mia had no idea what was going on. She just knew she was itchy and her skin kind of hurt.
“You two are on quarantine until further notice.”
“Okay,” William said in a dejected tone.
“What is quarter teen?” Mia blinked her big blue eyes up at Felicity.
“It means you are sick and have to stay in your room so you don’t get daddy sick.”
“Oh.” She pouted. “I’s in trouble?”
“No you’re not in trouble. You’re sick. You don’t want daddy to be itchy and owy too do you?” She planned on keeping her daughter company, of course.
She thought about it for a long moment. “No.”
Speaking of Oliver, he walked through the door, holding bags from the farmer’s market.
“You,” Felicity held up her hand. “Stop right there.”
Oliver halted.
“William take your sister to her room and you go to yours.”
William scooped up Mia and made her fly up the stairs, eliciting giggles all the way up to her room. Felicity crossed her arms and looked at Oliver. He wilted under her gaze.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No. We just got back from the doctor’s office. Chicken pox confirmed.”
“Crap.”
“They are quarantined and you need to keep your distance.”
He pouted. It wasn’t a guess where Mia got it from. “But.”
“You have not had chicken pox. I have. I need to take care of the kids and you need to stay healthy.”
“But.”
“Oliver.”
His shoulders slumped and carried the bags to the kitchen. “This isn’t fair.”
“No one said it was fair.”
“I already miss them. I shouldn’t have left so early. I haven’t seen them since last night.” He put the bags on the counter and gently kicked the corner of the lower cupboards. “I just had to go for my morning run while you all were asleep.”
“You love your morning runs.”
“Then I had to go to the farmer’s market. I barely got a kiss goodbye from you.” He kicked the corner again. It was a gentle kick. A tiny pouting tantrum.
“But you love the farmer’s market.” She put her hand on his arm. “Baby, you did everything you always do. You didn’t know they were going to turn up sick. They only had a few little spots yesterday. You didn’t know they were going to wake up with more.”
“I should have known.”
“Oliver.”
He sighed and turned toward her. “I just want to take care of my kids.”
“You have to trust me to take care of our kids.”
Oliver looked into her eyes and nodded slowly. “I do trust you. I love you all so much. I don’t want to feel useless.”
“You’re not useless.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” She leaned up and pecked his lips.
Felicity leaned against the kitchen counter where Oliver worked away, cooking soup for the kids. It was day three of chicken pox quarantine. William and Mia were both currently in his room. The last time she checked he was reading books to her. He was being a real champ and spending more time with his sister, so Felicity could spend time with Oliver. She appreciated it a lot. She didn’t want Oliver to get lonely during this whole fiasco.
Felicity watched her husband with a different appreciation. He stood there in his grey sweats and a loose t-shirt. It might not have hugged his muscles, but it was a different kind of sexy. The messy hair and i-know-exactly-what-is-hiding-under-those-sweats kind of sexy. She bit her lip as her eyes moved over him. He lifted his hand and scratched his neck before stirring the soup. She watched his hands work with the vegetables as he tossed them into the pot. He sprinkled in salt and then scratched at his back.
Felicity frowned. “Are you scratching?”
Oliver froze mid-scratch. “No.”
“Come here.”
Oliver jumped away from her. “No.”
“You have chicken pox don’t you?”
“No.” He dove away from her as she stepped closer.
“Oliver Jonas Queen.”
He hung his head low.
Felicity walked over to him and lifted up his shirt. Hidden beneath the tee were itchy red blisters. Just a few. He was in the beginning stages of the illness. She glared at him and released his shirt.
“Have you been sneaking in to see the kids?”
“Yes.” He took a step back toward his soup.
“You’re terrible.”
“I missed them!”
Felicity sighed. “I know, but chicken pox is harder as an adult.”
“You know I was going to get it anyway… they’ve probably had it for awhile.”
“True.” She leaned on the counter next to him. “But I can’t help wanting to protect you.”
He met her gaze and smile. “I thought that was my job.”
“You’re retired.”
“Doesn’t mean I stop worrying about you.” He bent down and stole a kiss.
She grinned. Warmth spread from the kiss all the way down to her toes. She couldn’t really stay mad at him. She was worried about his health, of course, but she would spend the next several weeks taking care of him and the kids like it was her job. It kind of was. At least taking care of the kids was. Oliver was an adult. She was taking care of him because she wanted to.
“William!” Oliver called. “Bring your sister down for lunch!”
“Are we unbanned from the house?” he yelled back.
“Yes!” Felicity answered.
William came down, carrying Mia like a bag of potatoes over his shoulder. She giggled and squealed until he set her down in her booster seat at the table. Oliver set a little bowl and her plastic spoon down in front of her. He sat down beside her, so he could help her if she needed it. Felicity sat across from him with her own bowl of soup while William sat beside her.
“So why are we unbanned?” William asked before slurping up a spoonful of lentil soup.
“Your father has chicken pox.”
“Ouch.”
“I know.”
Oliver glared at them.
Felicity smirked and took a bite of her own soup.
Mia held her spoon awkwardly and lifted it to her mouth. She slurped up her soup. “Mmm!” Soup dribbled down her chin and Oliver quickly wiped it away.
“Did daddy do a good job?” he asked.
“Yes!”
About an hour later, Mia was down for a nap and William was playing video games in his room. Oliver was forcefully taking an oatmeal bath. Felicity sat on the edge of the tub, trying not to giggle as her husband sat in the large tub. He narrowed his eyes at her and splashed her with the oatmeal infested water.
“You could come in here with me.”
“I could, but I’m not going to.”
“Why not?”
“What if Mia wakes up?”
“William can get her.”
“William can’t take care of her all the time.” She poked his nose.
Oliver wiggled his nose at her. “He doesn’t, but he’s a good babysitter.”
Felicity smiled and leaned in to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her into the water. She screamed and flailed as she hit the water. Her yellow sundress was now soaked with oatmeal water. Her husband was laughing like the jerk he was. She smacked him in the arm as she straddled his lap. He leaned his head back still laughing.
“You’re such an ass.”
“Is everyone okay? I heard screaming….” William came running in. He froze as soon as he saw Felicity straddling Oliver in the tub. She covered his body, shielding them both from embarrassment. “I don’t even want to know.” He turned right around.
Felicity giggled and pressed her forehead into Oliver’s shoulder. “We’re going to scar him for life.”
“I’m just sitting in the bathtub, you’re the one straddling me.”
She smacked him again. “Shut up.”
Oliver sighed. “I am starting to feel kind of awful…”
She leaned up and kissed his jawline. “Head hurt? Body ache?”
“Yeah.”
“We need to get you to bed.”
“Will you join me until Mia wakes up.”
“I will.”
“You’re the best.”
She giggled. “I know.”