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“Daddddy.” Jasey moaned from the couch.
“Coming, baby girl.” Alex called back softly. He was just fixing the poor kid some chicken and star soup, but she had barely let him leave her side for the past week. Jasey had caught chicken pox at school, and had been completely miserable since the rash showed up that Monday. The first three days she was shivering, sneezing, and itching, along with a low grade fever. Alex had been phoning Jack at work everyday, keeping him updated on Jasey. Jack kept his husband calm, joking,
“She takes after you then, ‘Lex.”
Alex did not find that funny. It was true he got sick more often than Jack, and usually worse, but both he and Jack had the chicken pox vaccine, so he should be fine. Which is why he didn’t he didn’t mention the achy feeling he’d had all day to his husband. Alex figured he was just run down. He’d been taking care of Jasey on his own for most of the week, it made sense. While Jasey was feeling much better, and would be allowed back at school in a few days, it had been a rough time on all of them.
Alex was roused from his musing by Jasey, calling him again.
“Daddy, you’re gonna miss the start!”
“Coming, Jase, coming.”
Alex rubbed his sore neck and assembled the soup on a little tray along with a cup of ginger ale. He forced a smile on his face and pretended that this wasn’t the fifth time he’d watched The Little Mermaid in the past two weeks.
Jasey snuggled up to him when he joined her on the couch, eyes tired even though they’d done nothing much more than watch movies all day.
“You ready for the some food?” He asked, setting the tray on the coffee table.
“M’not hungry, daddy.” Jasey mumbled, eyes fixed on the tv.
“I know, baby, but can you eat just a little bit for me?”
She nodded sleepily, head resting on Alex’s stomach. Unwilling to move her, Alex shifted so he was sitting more upright, and started spooning bits of chicken soup into Jasey’s mouth. The fact that she didn’t protest about his actions violating her “big kid” status let Alex know just how wiped out his girl must be feeling. Alex could empathize. He got Jasey to eat most of the soup and sip some ginger ale, but by the time “Kiss the Girl” started playing, he was drifting.
That’s how Jack found them, when he came home from work. Jasey asleep on Alex’s stomach, Alex snoring with his head leaned against the back of the couch.
“Hey, sleepyheads,” he murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to his husband’s forehead. When Jack pulled back, his brow was crinkled.
“Only you, Alex.” He said to himself.
“Babe, wake up.” He shook his husband’s shoulder.
“Mm, yeah, m’up, m’up.”
Alex’s movement jostled Jasey, who woke as well, rubbing her eyes.
“Daddy, I’m sleepy.” She told Jack matter-of-factly, lifting her arms towards him in the universal sign for “pick me up”.
“Okay, baby.” Jack pulled his little girl into his arms. Alex tried to get up as well, but Jack stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Nuh-uh. You stay here. I’m just gonna get Jase ready for bed and I’ll be right back.”
“Jack--”
“No.” Jack pressed his lips together. “We’ll discuss this in a minute.”
Alex looked like he might protest further, but after a moment he sank into the couch and nodded.
Jack darted up the stairs, Jasey on his hip, and went through the motions of bedtime--pjs, teeth brushing, story time, and of course, tucking in. Jasey had been sleeping hard since she'd gotten sick, and she barely made it through Goldiocks and the Three Bears with her eyes open. Usually she insisted Jack read it at least twice, she loved when he did the voices, but when Jack ended a bit before the last few pages, she didn't even notice. Jack kissed her forehead.
"Night, Jase." He whispered, creeping out of her room.
Downstairs, Alex had pulled the throw blanket over himself, and seemed in danger of calling asleep on the couch.
Jack sighed, grabbed the thermometer from the kitchen drawer and ambled back into the living room.
Alex forced his eyelids open when he heard his husband enter the room.
"Why didn't you call me?" Jack asked gently.
he could not for the life of him understand what Alex's aversion was to asking for help, but he had learned that more often than not, Alex wouldn't confess to feeling sick until Jack called him out on it. This time though, with Jasey home as well, Jack couldn't comprehend why Alex hadn't asked for help.
"I was okay this morning." Alex shrugged. "it seemed silly to ask you to come home when I'd already made it through most of the day."
"But you're sick, 'Lex, don't you get why'd I want to know that?" Jack questioned, frustrated.
"I took care of Jasey fine." Alex mumbled.
"And I'd never doubt your ability to take care of our best girl, but you're my husband, stupid, I want to know how you're doing for its' own sake."
Alex groaned. "I wasn't sure it was anything but tiredness, from hanging with Jasey this past week, and by the time I thought--well I've had the chicken pox, Jack, I didn't think anything of it at all at first."
Jack responded by waving the thermometer at Alex, waiting until his husband allowed him to stick it under his tongue. At the beep, Jack let out a dry laugh and said,
"I'd say 103 degree fever is definitely something, 'Lex. Let's go, I'll my mom for Jasey, I'm driving you to urgent care."
Alex shook his head stubbornly.
"I don't want to go tonight. It's late, don't bother your mom. I'll take some tylenol for tonight and we can go tomorrow morning if you're still set on it. It's chicken pox, there's nothing to do but wait anyways." He added glumly.
Jack looked unhappy, but nodded.
"If you feel any warmer, or sicker or anything, you wake me up are we clear?"
Alex mumbled a yes, looking more exhausted than Jack had ever seen him.
"Can we go to bed for now?" he asked.
Jack nodded, and with a burst of affection for his husband, picked Alex up, much like he'd done for Jasey earlier than night, ignoring his huff of surprise.
Alex relaxed and let Jack carry him up the stairs like an overgrown toddler.
"You're crazy, you know that, right?" Alex mumbled when Jack reached their bedroom.
His head was buried in Jack's chest and he breathed in the scent of detergent and cologne and Jack.
"Crazy about you." Jack quipped with a grin, depositing Alex on the bed. He disappeared into the bathroom and returned a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water.
Alex tossed back the pills with a grimace, and then pulled Jack into bed with him, burrowing into his side.
"mcrazyboutyoutoo." He muttered, almost too quietly for Jack to hear. Jack reached over, turned off the light, and smiled.
The doctor prescribed Alex something that would apparently shorten the amount of time he'd be stuck itching, but by day three, Alex was past his breaking point. He lay on the couch, looking more miserable than Jasey had a week earlier. She'd mostly stopped itching, but Jack still rubbed calamine lotion on any red spots. He'd gone through about four bottles of the stuff between her and Alex. Jasey had liked getting to rub pink lotion on Alex's arms and legs, like it was game, but she soon realized that her daddy now felt as icky as she had a little while ago, and spent a lot time snuggled up against Alex until Jack had sent her back to school. When she came up she returned right to her spot at Alex's side, with a scribbled card that read "feel good daddy". Alex beamed.
When Jack went to to grab lotion for Alex, he was struck by how similar he and Jasey looked, curled up on the couch together. Sometimes Jack felt like he had too kids instead of one. It was a good thing he loved them both to the moon and back. Jack joined his family, brandishing the bottle of lotion.
"Ugh, do I really need more?" Alex whined.
"Sorry babe." Jack replied. "Pink's a good look on you." He chuckled.
Alex flashed him the finger above Jasey's head.
Jack returned the favor and used the opportunity to smear a dab of pink lotion on Alex's nose.
"How long do you think I'll look like Rudolph?" Alex asked, sighing.
"Well it's been three days, so I'd say another week and a half." Jack answered honestly.
"Put me out of my misery now!' Alex exclaimed, throwing his hands up.
"Aw come on now babe, it can't be misery if I'm here." Jack teased.
"Yeah, babe!" Jasey chimed in.
Alex and Jack burst out laughing, laughed until their stomach's hurt.
"No," Alex mused to himself, "I guess it can't."