Work Text:
Every parent dreads the inevitable stomach virus. At least once every year it travels around a different grade like wildfire. If you're lucky, it’ll hit in a year your child’s not in.
If you're unlucky, like the Bradford-Chen family, it’ll hit every one of your kids, like dominoes.
It started with Oliver. The nurse had called Lucy at work in the middle of the school day, saying little Ollie was throwing up in his office. He also explained there was a bug going around, at which the mother audibly groaned.
“Trust me, I feel the same way.” The nurse gave a half hearted chuckle. “Is there anyone who can pick him up?”
Luckily enough, Tamara had some free time that day, and was happily able to take Ollie home. When Tim and Lucy got home from work, already having gotten a text from Mara saying not to worry about Liam and Annie, she had picked them up, they did not expect the pure chaos they were thrusted into.
“Oh god-” Tim could hear Annie crying from down the hall. The TV was playing Tangled extremely loud. Someone was padding their way down the stairs, revealing to be Tamara carrying a plate.
“Ollie, I asked you to keep the TV down-” She paused when she saw the couple standing in the doorway, McDonalds in their hands for the 6 of them. “Oh thank god.”
They followed the younger girl into the living room, where Ollie was laying across the couch with two blankets thrown over him. “He has a fever that has not gone down since we got here. Annie is crying about the fact she does not want to see throw up, or throw up herself. Yet for some reason, she refuses to leave the bathroom. Liam is upstairs, also with a fever, puking in the toilet. I tried to get him to eat something but as you can tell-“ She gestures to the plate she was putting down on the island. “He was not in the mood.”
“Okay, uhm-” Lucy put the drink tray on the table, her husband putting the bags next to it. “I’ll go try and see if i can calm Annie down, Mara we got you dinner so just, eat I guess, and-”
“I’ll go deal with Liam.”
She clapped her hands together. “Perfect, okay.” She planted a kiss on Tim’s cheek and he hurried up the stairs, Tamara rummaging through the bag and sorting it into what she knew everyone’s individual order was.
Lucy followed the sound of the crying towards the downstairs bathroom, where the door was wide open. “Annabeth? Honey?”
“Mama!” The toddler wailed, running out and wrapping her little arms around her leg.
“Oh, what’s the matter my love?” She bent down, carefully picking the distraught girl up into her arms and wiping a tear off her cheek.
“Ollie ‘n Li are frowing up!” She always had trouble pronouncing her T’s.
“Yeah, Ollie and Liam are sick right now, but can you tell me why that’s making you upset?” She headed back into the living room, grabbing the remote and lowering the movie which was a relief to everyone in the house.
“Frow up is gross, and I don’ want too!” She choked through sobs.
“I know throwing up is scary, but you’re not sick yet right?” The girl nodded, using her fist to rub her eye. “So how about we take a few deep breaths in, okay?” She used her hand to mimic the rising of a chest, as the two girls took a couple breaths in and out. “Are you feeling better now?”
“Yeah,” She murmured, brushing her hair behind her ear.
“Do you want to eat your McDonalds?”
“Donalds!” She exclaimed, her entire mood changed at the thought of her chicken nuggets and chocolate milk. They almost never got fast food in the house, but Tim and Lucy figured that they wouldn’t have time to cook with Ollie being sick, and they needed t0 thank Tamara.
And wow, are they glad they stopped in the drive thru.
“Mama…” A groan came from the couch, where Oliver had managed to bury himself even farther under the blankets. “I’m cold.”
Lucy put Annabeth down on the couch, her food on the coffee table. “Oh honey…” She bent down, kissing her son’s forehead to see his fever situation. “You’re still burning up.”
“If I’m burning up then why am I so cold?” He whined, covering his head underneath the blanket.
She laughed softly. “It’s called the chills honey. Do you think you feel up to eating a little? I don’t want you to be hungry.”
“Did you get french fries?”
“Of course.”
Ollie poked his head out from underneath the blanket. “Can I have french fries?”
Lucy smiled, ruffling his hair. “Sure buddy.” Annie and Tamara were both sitting comfortably on the couch, watching the kingdom dance as they ate. She snuck around to not disturbed them, a little worried her daughter would fall into a meltdown again.
As she was grabbing the french fries and her own veggie burrito bowl from the place down the street, she heard the sound of the stairs creaking beneath the feet of her husband and her oldest.
“Oh my poor baby,” Lucy immediately noticed Liam’s pale face and exhausted demeanor. She pulled him close to her, kissing his forehead. “I’m so sorry,”
“I think if I eat anything else I’ll just throw it back up.” He groaned, leaning into his mother. Liam was only an affectionate type when he was sick, so while she felt awful about his state, the woman was kinda happy he was letting her hug him.
“Okay, but when your nausea goes down you have to eat something, okay bud?” Tim mentioned, grabbing his food from the bag. “You can have saltines or soup.”
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s wise for you to eat a hamburger right now.” Lucy (slightly reluctantly) let go of him as he made his way to the couch.
“The thought of a hamburger right now makes me want to die.” He groaned, his dramatics making the two parents smile.
“Ugh,” Lucy leaned to the side, resting her head on Tim’s shoulder, watching her sister and kids in peace. “Three problems in 5 minutes, I think that’s a record.”
“I don’t think so, remember that time we were watching Jack, Deirdre and Riley?”
“Oh don’t remind me,” She closed her eyes, cringing at the memory of being pregnant and taking care of 5 children, and then going into labor. “That was the most stressful weekend of my life.” She felt Tim’s chest vibrate with laughs.
“Annie stop, that’s mine!” The couple sighed, being whisked back into the realm of parenting.
~*~
Lucy woke up at around four in the morning, with a child pulling at her arm.
How fun.
She was still in the living room, a random Disney film that Disney+ decided to play after the previous one ended echoing through the speakers. Tim was lying beneath her, his arm wrapped around her loosely. Tamara, Oliver and Liam were spread out on different couch cushions, Ollie’s head resting on his aunt's shoulder.
“Mommy,”Annabeth was the one pulling on her arm and whispering, her cheeks bright red.
“What’s the matter my love?” She asked, carefully sitting up as she felt a head rush make her dizzy.
“I don’ feel good.” She shook her head. “I don’ feel good a all.”
“Okay, let’s see.” She got herself off the couch, Tim barely stirring. She took Annie’s hand, too tired to pick her up completely. The two girls made their way to the bathroom, where Lucy took the thermometer out of the cabinet. Please, please don’t be sick.
After a minute or two, the thermometer beeped and she had to tilt it away from the light in order to read the numbers. 102.4
Damn it.
“Oh Annie, you have a fever.” She frowned and brushed the girl's hair out of her face.
“Oh no, I’m sick!” Annabeth gasped tears forming in her eyes, the meltdown from last night coming back into her mother’s mind.
“Hey, remember what we did yesterday?” Lucy took her hands in her own. She never thought in college she’d have to use her grounding techniques when she became a parent. “Deep breaths, in and out.”
“Mommy, I’m scared.” She said through ragged breaths.
“Honey, your fear is completely normal. Okay? Know that.” She took a deep breath in, watching as her daughter did the same thing. “Now two more times.”
They sat on the bathroom floor, Lucy ignoring the growing feeling in her stomach, until Annabeth calmed down. “How about you go lay down with Daddy, alright?”
The young girl turned and left, leaving her mother alone. As soon as she was out of earshot, she closed the door quickly and turned around to throw up in the toilet.
Great.