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The soft melodious hum of Emily’s voice pulls JJ towards the stairs the second she pulls the front door shut behind her. She leaves her boots near the bottom step, her socked feet padding softly against the landing. When she pushes the door to Iris’s room open further, she stops in her tracks. Her breath catches in her throat at the sight of Emily with Iris in her arms, swaying softly from side to side.
Barely audible, Emily’s voice sounds in a sweet lullaby. It’s not a song JJ’s heard before. French, she notes absentmindedly as she takes in the vision of her wife and daughter. Iris’s head is cushioned on Emily’s shoulder, eyes closed and face flushed red. She had woken up with a fever that morning, the latest victim of whatever bug was going around daycare. Emily had stayed behind at home to take care of her whilst JJ headed off to work. They had kept in contact about Iris’s condition through brief texting conversations in stolen moments throughout the day, all the way up until JJ got in the car to get back home.
Emily turns in her slow dance, tired but loving eyes meeting JJ’s. Her voice never wavers as she continues her lullaby to Iris. The deep rasp of her voice tells JJ she’s been at this for a while. It is only confirmed when the song trails off, and Iris immediately makes a pitiful sound, prompting Emily to start again from the beginning.
“Need me to take her?” JJ’s voice is barely louder than a whisper, not wanting to disturb the calm Emily has created for their daughter.
Emily offers her a smile, but shakes her head once. She’s okay, for now.
JJ finally pushes her feet back into motion, drifting close to the two people she cherishes most in this world. After a day away, being back here brings a peace with it JJ never knows she’s missing until it washes over her again and she is reminded that this is where she belongs.
Without interfering with Emily’s soothing motions, she brushes the back of her fingers across Iris’s forehead. The heat it radiates is less alarming than the early morning, thank god, but it’s clear she’s still suffering a fever. JJ presses a kiss to Iris’s forehead in the wake of her touch, her heart clenching when Iris’s eyelids flutter open and a set of bleary, glassy brown eyes look up at her.
“Hi baby,” JJ whispers. She brushes some hair away from Iris’s face. “Go to sleep, okay? Mama has got you.”
Emily’s movement and soft lullaby soon pull Iris back to a fitful state of rest. Eventually, the exhaustion of a day of sickness gets to her, and she conks out entirely, her little body growing heavier in Emily’s arms. This time, when Emily’s song trails off, and they wait with bated breath, Iris doesn’t rouse.
Emily exhales quietly, and JJ watches the relief settle over her, shoulders dropping ever so slightly. She holds Iris for another few minutes, before passing her into JJ’s waiting arms. JJ takes comfort in the weight of her daughter in her arms before gently transferring Iris to her crib. Deeply asleep, Iris’s face still scrunches with discomfort until JJ traces a line down the bridge of her nose and she relaxes.
Emily quietly pads around the room, double-checking the curtains and the baby monitor, before standing besides JJ, wrapping an arm around her waist. JJ straightens up, leaning into Emily’s side as they spend a few minutes watching Iris’s chest rise and fall with every steady breath.
Eventually, they each kiss Iris’s feverish forehead, whispering their goodnight’s before leaving the nursery, carefully closing the door. JJ follows Emily downstairs, where they settle the screen showing a still peacefully sleeping Iris atop the kitchen island.
JJ wraps herself around Emily from behind, resting her chin on Emily’s shoulder. “How are you holding up?”
Instead of replying, Emily turns in JJ’s arms, her hands coming up to frame JJ’s face and pull her in for a sweet kiss. When she pulls back, she rests her forehead against JJ’s. “I missed you,” she murmurs into the space between them. JJ can read the exhaustion in the lines on her face, a different kind of tiredness from the one she feels herself.
“I missed you, too.”
They take a second to bask in each other’s presence, reconnecting, drawing comfort from the closeness. Emily sighs, the warm air ghosting across JJ’s skin. Iris’s illness has taken its toll on her, and they’re not out of the woods quite yet. It’s likely they have a short night ahead of them.
“How about you go take a shower?” JJ says. It’s a small piece of self-care she can offer Emily right now. “I’ll keep an eye on Iris and take care of dinner.”
“Are you sure?”
“Let me take care of you, honey.” JJ gives Emily a gentle smile.
“Alright,” Emily allows. She still doesn’t move from JJ’s embrace.
“Go on,” JJ encourages. She kisses the tip of Emily’s nose, eliciting a tired smile, cheeks dimpling, before JJ drops her arms and turns to rummage through the fridge, seeing what will make for an easy dinner tonight.
Emily’s hand brushes against the small of JJ’s back as she passes by her to head upstairs. By the time JJ has gathered a decent collection of ingredients, she hears the shower start. Without much thought, she goes through the motions of cooking— washing, cutting, turning on the stove.
When the veggies are sizzling in the pan, JJ takes a step back and leans against the kitchen island, covering her mouth as she yawns. Habitually, her eyes track towards the baby monitor, and she’s relieved to find Iris is still asleep. Here’s to hoping it’ll do her some good, and she’ll be more like herself tomorrow. The house is too quiet without Iris’s excited babbling.
The memory of Emily singing to soothe their daughter to sleep isn't leaving her mind anytime soon, though.