Work Text:
Hannah had been up since before the sun rose with charlie. She had tried not to wake alex, but when her baby girl came into her room, waking her up. At first all she wanted to do was roll over and tap alex to deal with it.
But alex had been stressed and working a whole lot more. So she opened her eyes and mumbled out something along the lines of “what’s going on?” She thought charlie just had a bad dream. Or had just wanted to lay with her parents. But when charlie had sniffled and said “i threw up” before punctuating it by throwing up on the carpet at her feet. Hannah knew it was worse.
So she picked charlie up as fast as possible. Tilting her to the side and carrying her to the bathroom, depositing her on the sink as she finished her episode. Crying her eyes out.
“It’s okay dear” hannah said. Bringing her hands to charlies arms and running them along it. “It’s just a little bug, you’re fine.”
Charlie hiccups, “i made a mess.” She cries. Hannahs heart feels heavy. It reminds her of a different time. But she says her next words the same way her older siblings would have too. “That’s okay. I’ll clean it up” she promises. “You can go lay down on the couch so momma can change your blankets, okay?”
Charlie nods, wiping her face on the back of her hand, hannah quickly grabs some tissues, using those to clean up her daughters hand. Before picking her up again. Carrying her down the stairs in the darkness, the only light coming from the bathroom at the top of the stairs.
She places her on the couch, wrapping alex’s throw blanket around her. Charlie was shivering before. But the blanket broughther warmth. So she rested her eyes, remaining sitting up on the couch.
Hannah grabbed a bundle of chemicals and got to work. Took the sheets of her babies bed. Throwing them down to the washer, putting off turning it on until the morning. On her way back to the bedroom, she stopped in the linen closet. Grabbing some new sheets. They weren’t charlie’s favourite. Not the star themed ones. But they were water themed, like a pirate. So she supposed that they would have to do for the time.
She then got to cleaning the carpet. Being as silent as a mouse.. she wasn’t all that quiet. But alex was exhausted, and didn’t so much as stir.
Then she went downstairs to her daughter after washing her hands. Having grabbed the thermometer from the cabinet as she went.
“Can momma check your temperature before you go back to bed?” Hannah asked, charlie nodded her head lightly, though when she opened her eyes hannah could tell her baby was exhausted. Nonetheless, she let hannah use the thermometer. She waited until it was done, carefully reading the screen.
101 degrees… which wasn’t good. Well— no. It was fine. Little kids always ran a little hot. And charlie was no exception. She reminded herself of her brother. How he always ran hot, like a walking heater. Of course, they weren’t biologically related at all. But nonetheless charlie was the same. Which meant she was fine.
Or thats what hannah told herself. Humming a song under her breath as she carried charlie up the stairs. ‘Long may you roar, at your dinosaurs’ she sings quietly. Placing her daughter back into her bed. ‘You’re a just ruler. Covered in mud,’ charlie was already asleep. So hannah finished Wrapping her blankets around her. Grabbing her little bear and putting it in her arms. ‘You look ridiculous, and you have no idea’ she kisses charlies forehead. Before trying to fall back asleep.
She made it back to her room. But tossed for half an hour before deciding to sit in charlies room. Thinking of her childhood. The baby that got sick. The one that never woke back up after that night.
She watched charlies chest rise and fall until the morning. She hears alex wake up to her phone ringing. And five minutes later alex comes into charlies room.
“Work?” Hannah asks, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah, sorry babe. I’ll be home in time for dinner. Or i’ll try my best too, okay? You know it’s been pretty bad recently.”
“I know honey, it’s okay. You be safe.” she turns, giving her wife a kiss. Alex rests her hand on hannahs shoulder. “I love you” alex tells her, resting for a moment longer before leaving the room.
—-
It was ten in the morning when Joaquins phone rang. Hannah was calling him. So of course he answered immediately.
“I think charlies dying.” Hannah sobbed through the phone. “I’m really freaking out.” He could hear her pacing around her kitchen. The sound of the tv on and charlie periodically coughing up a storm.
“What’s going on?” He asked. Already getting ready. Putting on his shoes and a coat.
“She has a fever of 103.5” hannah tells him. “When i was a kid of the babies got sick once and then they died. I don’t want charlie to die.” She tells him.
“She’ll be fine” Joaquin assures. “I’ll be there in less than a minute hannah. Everything will be fine.”
—-
Hannah steps back into the living room. Hearing her brother at the front door. She goes to let him in. He slips by her quickly.
“Sunny!” Charlie calls out to him. She gets up from the couch, keeping her blanket wrapped around her. It drags on the floor as she runs up to her uncle. And he picks her up.
“Hey dear!” He greets, she kisses his cheek as he lifts her in his arms. “Your madre told me you weren’t feeling well.”
She shakes her head. “I threw up” she tells him. Then coughs. She of course, doesn’t cover her mouth. And barely turns away from Joaquin. “Oh well that’s unfortunate dear.” He tells her, his face looking somber. “But i brought you something if you want to try it.”
She nods her head, and he shifts her into one arm so he could reach into his bag. Pulling out an icepop. “It’s cherry. Like your favourite.” He tells her. Pulling the plastic wrapping off the top and handing it to her. She immediately puts it in her mouth. Munching away at it.
The red dye covers her face, it gets on the tip of her nose but she seems to be able to keep it down just fine. Which calms hannahs heart enough to leave joa and charlie alone. Going to the bathroom to grab the medications they had. She passed over a few bottles. They were for her and alex. Prescription medications and the like. Eventually she came across the childrens advil. She eyed the measuring cup before pulling out her phone again. This time dialling her sister.
“Hey bannana!” Her sister answered, voice chipper through the phone.
“Hey kay, how’s your trip going?” She asked. And hannah knew her tone would give the fact that something was going on away. But she didn’t really care all that much at that moment.
“It’s been good. Is something up han? You sound upset.” Kara’s voice is worried. Hannah knows that if she needed it, kara would be there in less than a minute. Despite being on the other side of the country at the moment.
“Charlie’s sick. That’s what i was calling about actually. How much Advil should i give her?” Hannah asks her sister. Because despite the bottle having dosing and information on it. She still trusted her sister more than herself.
Kara hums in understanding. Hannah can hear joel on kara’s end. Asking her a question. And her responding with “give me a minute, hannah needs my help.”
“Okay. So charlie is five, and do you remember how much she weighs?”
Hannah has to go and find it. But eventually she does. She can hear kara writing something down. The sound of her looking something up on her old computer before eventually replying “give her 10 Mililetres of that. Okay? And then keep an eye on her. Is she keeping things down? Do you need me to come home?”
Hannah shakes her head, then remembers it’s a phone call and speaks “no. I called joaquin. And if it gets worse i’ll call bailey too.” She tells her sister, because yes. Hannah had anxiety. But kara had earned this trip a million times over. And hannah would not ruin it if she could prevent it. “Enjoy your vacation kara, seriously.”
Her sister laughs at that “okay hannah. But call me if you need anything at all. I don’t mind coming home early, i promise.”
“I know. Love you” hannah tells her.
“Love you too sis, see you in a few days.” Kara responds. Hannah hangs up the phone, pouring out some of the liquid medication into the measuring cup. She reaches the correct line and stares at it for a moment.
The purple liquid looked gross. And it reminded hannah of how much she hated taking things like it. She gave it a cautious sniff. But truly it smelt just as horrible as she recalled. The grape stench was overwhelming to her. Nonetheless she brought it back out to the living room.
“Hey charlie, wanna try some medicine?” Charlie pouted. Shaking her head. “I bet it’s gross.” Charlie whined.
“No honey, it’s supposed to make you feel better. It’s grape flavoured, why don’t you try it? Okay? And if it’s bad you won’t have to take it again.”
Charlie sniffles in joa’s hold. “But what if i throw it up” she asks. Joa bounces her in his arms as he speaks “that’s okay. Your madre threw up on me all the time. It’s no big deal dear.”
Hannah shakes her head “charlie, throw up on him. He’s being mean”
Charlie laughs, and joaquin wipes the tears from her face. “Wanna build a fort?” Hannah asks charlie. “Kara says it makes you feel better.” And she might’ve been lying a little bit. But charlies face glows and she nods her head. “Can we build one like the space station? So i can be an astronaut?” She asks excitedly, “yeah of course dear” hannah responds, voice soft.
Charlie kicks her feet in the air until Joaquin puts her down. “Okay! Give me a minute!” She calls running upstairs, leaving her blanket behind.
Hannah shakes her head lightly. Going into the kitchen and pulling the chairs from the table. She carries one in each arm. Joaquin grabs the other two. Bringing four into the living room. She places her two. And joa places his opposite. Leaving them in a cross. She can hear charlie moving upstairs. As she climbs the stairs herself to go to the linen closet. Grabbing sheets and blankets. Charlie comes out of her room.
“Oh hey look! Charlie’s an astronaut!” Hannah tells joa, lightly shoving his arm. Charlie is in her old halloween costume. She stomps her foot on the hallway floor.
“I’m not charlie.” She tells them. “I’m sally ride! The coolest astronaut ever!” She tells them.
“Did ellie tell you about her?” Hannah asks. Charlie shakes her head firmly. “Nuh-uh. I am sally ride momma.”
“You’re right. Sorry. Grab some blankets then Miss sally ride. The fort isn’t gonna build itself.”
“Okay momma!” Charlie grabs some sheets from Hannahs hands. Then she hands more to joa until hannah is sure she has enough.
She runs down the stairs, which has hannah scared. Chiding loudly “slow down!” To calm her racing heart. Imagining her daughter falling down the stairs. But charlie does slow down. If just so to spare her mother more gray hairs forming on her scalp.
Hannah makes it down the stairs after her daughter. Charlie is already throwing sheets over the chairs. Hannah helps her while Joaquin takes the pillows he has in his hands and places them on the floor. Setting them up like a nest for the three.
Charlie finishes putting up all her blankets and climbs in. Then she grabs Joa’s hand and drags him in behind her. “Come on sunny!” She tells him. Her lower lip in a pout. “It’s my spaceship! See!” She sounds excited, bounding animatedly on a pillow.
“Yeah dear, i see. Is your madre welcome in space with us?” He asks as hannah peaks her head in through the ‘door.’ Which is really just a the split between two sheets.
“Hm” charlie hums, pretending to think about it. “Okay! Momma can come.”
“Oh thank you honey” hannah says, climbing in herself. It’s hard to not hit a chair or anything, considering even the smallest of moves would end with her knocking the whole thing over.
Charlie yawns as she lays her head down on a pillow. Hannah and joaquin on opposite sides of her.
“Okay you have to close your eyes to take off.” Charlie decides. “Sunny, you’re in charge of making sure we don’t fall out. Okay?”
“I can do that.” He says. Nodding his head with certainty. “And momma, you have to-“ she’s cut off by another yawn. “You have to make sure we make it to the moon. Okay?”
Hannah brushes the hair out of her daughters face. Caressing the side of her face for a moment. “Okay baby, you just close your eyes then.”
Charlie seems really excited, she closes her eyes as hannah and joa lean into their roles. He wraps her arms around charlie, like a seatbelt. Which causes her to laugh and bury her head into his chest. Hannah quietly talks about the moon, all the fun facts she could recall. She felt like she was making some of them up, trying to remember anything ellie had said about space when she had gone on her deep dives into the internets archives over it.
She quiets when she hears her daughters snores coming from beside her. She looks over, can see joa staring at her too. When he opens his mouth she immediately cuts him off “shut up!” She hisses quietly. Though there is no anger in her voice he reacts the same way he always does. A smile on his face as he pretends to be offended “i didn’t even say anything!” He argues back.
“You were thinking it” she argues back. He stays quiet a moment before he speaks.
“She’s gonna be fine.” He tells hannah. She turns to look at him. “You were worried.” He adds, as if she didn’t already know that.
“When i was little. I watched a baby die. He wasn’t a year old but he got sick. And seeing charlie sick? All i could think of was him. but i knew that if i called you. You would fix it.” She says with certainty. “That when— no, if anything bad happened you would fix it.”
Joaquin sits up. Careful not to wake charlie. “I’ll always protect you.” He tells her. “I’m glad you called me.”
“Always.” She informs him.
“Besides, medicines gotten better since i was a kid.” Hannah snorts muttering “yeah its only been decades.” Though joaquin ignores it, only giving her a pointed look. “So charlie’s going to be fine.”
Hannah can feel her face getting hot, a burning feeling that comes when she feels like she’s about to cry. “I was so scared.” She tells her brother. “I stayed up all night just waiting for her to stop breathing. To see her die in my arms. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I couldn’t cry because it would wake her up, but i couldn’t stop myself from thinking it.”
Joa reaches over, placing a hand on hers. Stopping her train of thoughts. “Let me watch over her.” He tells his sister. “I’ll make sure she stays breathing. You get some sleep.” He sees hannah going to speak so he adds “if anything happens at all, i promise i’ll wake you up. You’re no help to your wife or your child when you’re all worked up.” Hannah nods her head.
“Thank you Joa.” She says, laying down beside her daughter.
“It’s no problem dear, that’s what older brothers are for.” He responds.
——
Alex comes home long after dark. Hannah hadn’t been answering her texts but she wasn’t worried, because joaquin had texted her in the middle of the day saying he was over, and hannah was asleep, she stopped along her drive home to pick up some takeout from hannahs favourite place.
A small family owned restaurant. Her thoughts trailed to her families own coffee shop. Would charlie one day want to work in it as well? Would the business pass down to her the same way it would’ve to Alex if Alyssa hadn’t agreed to take it.
The living room was a mess when she unlocked the door and turned the knob. Basking the dark room in the light from the porch. The tv was on, though it had long since gone to it’s screensavers. Illuminated by the time and some photographs taken from the internet.
There was a fortress of blankets and sheets spread all over the floor. Alex put the bags of food down carefully, closing the door behind her and stepping out of her shoes. Her socked feet silent on the carpet as she entered the living room.
Charlie was sandwiched between joa and hannah. All three of them were fast asleep. A cautious hand to charlie’s forehead brought with it a significantly cooler temperature. It seemed her sickness was already pretty much better.
Charlie was drooling as she rested her head on her mothers chest. A small spot forming on hannahs shirt. Though she wouldn’t have minded at all. Joaquin had an arm wrapped around charlie in his sleep. It rose and fell each time she breathed. Alex felt herself hesitating.
On one hand, she knew the two adults would be in a lot of pain if she left them to sleep on the floor all night. However she knew if she woke them up to move them, it was very likely none of them would fall asleep. And alex couldn’t carry one without waking up another, they were much too intertwined.
So she grabbed a pillow from the floor and placed it underneath her wifes head. Then made sure joa had one too.
For good measure she took a blanket from the pile and draped it over the three. Moving a few sheets to create better airflow.
She had no doubt in her mind that hannah would probably get sick from whatever charlie had. Joa too. Chances are it would run through the entire family and they’d all end up with it eventually. With how close they all were it was truly inevitable. Lexi found that she didn’t really care too much.
Truth be told, this family she had found herself entangled in was one of her best decisions. Despite the hardships and struggles they faced. They always solved it together. Somehow they managed to come back smarter and above every single thing that wanted to destroy them.
Alex climbed up the stairs, going into her bedroom and into the bed. Her brain drifting as she changed into pyjamas. Trying to come up with last minute plans for her anniversary tomorrow. She told hannah not to worry about it, mostly because she hadn’t expected to be home for it.
But she finished what she was working on, and thanks to the help of her coworkers she was able to assure that she wouldn’t be going into work the next day. Which led her to being able to surprise her wife.
She fell asleep with planning on her mind. Ideas flowing through that she hoped to recall long enough in the morning to write down when she awoke.