Sickies

~~~~~~~~~Liz's POV~~~~~~~~~

Jay and his friends had such a blast at their sleepover two weeks ago and he'd been over the moon since the energy he had was both uplifting to see and tiring to deal with, but was ultimately worth it to see him so happy. However that energy wasn't meant to last forever it would seem as I woke up this morning to Jay's pained cries ringing through the baby monitor.

"Moooommy!!!" my baby shrieked as loud as he could in what sounded like a horse voice, followed by sobs.

Worried I bolted up out of bed and rushed to his nursery, opening the door to a sobbing baby in his crib. "Baby boy, what's wrong?"

"Hurt" he sobbed, whimpering and groaning as I walked over to his crib, dropping the side.

"What hurts, baby?" I asked him, feeling his forehead which was horribly warm.

"Head an th-throat" he coughed out, the sight of my baby in this much pain saddening me.

"It's okay baby, Mommy's here. Shhhh, my little one, everything's gonna be okay" I say as I gently lift him, feeling that his diaper was definitely a little more than wet. "It'll be okay baby, Mommy knows what to do. But first we need to get you changed, okay?"

I walk over to the changing table after I grab Gray, knowing he'd need the comfort of his fuzzy friend. I lay him down, undoing the snaps of his onesie all the way from the crotch down to his feet. I open it up to find that his tummy had definitely gotten upset in the night and set out to get him cleaned up as he whined, using wipes from the new warmer to insure he was at least as comfortable as he could be. After I got him cleaned up and in a fresh diaper I chose to leave him in his onesie and picked him up, grabbing a blanket and wrapping him in it before grabbing his diaper bag and heading out to the car. Once out there I strapped him into his car seat and hopped in to start driving.

"Where....where going?" He asked in a Shakey voice.

"We're going to the doctor sweetie" I tell him, making his eyes shoot open.

"Noooo! I-I can't go to the doctor like this!" He yells, sending him into a coughing fit.

"It's okay, sweetie. Mommy knows a doctor that takes littles. She's the same doctor the daycare uses. No one at her clinic is gonna judge you, okay baby?" I say, trying to put him at ease so he doesn't work himself up and make things worse, which seems to have worked.

Before long we pull into the parking lot of the doctor's office. I hop out and hastily get him out, carrying him inside and up to the check in counter.

"Hello, my name is Elizabeth Jones, my baby is quite sick and I was hoping Dr. Conner could squeeze him in" I say as I rub Jay's back, trying to soothe him as he whimpers.

"Liz?" I hear come from behind the receptionist as I hear footsteps approaching. "What are you doing here?"

"Anna! It's good to see you! Sorry for turning up with no notice, but my little boy is sick and I was hoping you could see him" I said, greeting my friend.

"Of course! Anything for you, hun. Come right on back. I'll get you two into a room and check him out, pronto" she says as the receptionist has me quickly sign him in.

I go through the door to the back, still trying to soothe my crying baby as Anna leads me to an exam room.

"If you'll sit him on the exam table I'll see what's wrong" Anna says, patting the cushioned table.

I try to sit him down but he holds me in an iron grip, not letting me let him go, getting a sympathetic look from my friend.

"Hi there buddy, you must be Jay. Your Mommy's told me a lot about you. I hate that I had to meet you under these awful circumstances" she says, leaning down to his level, getting him to peel off my shoulder enough to look at her. "Oh my, you're even cuter than your mommy said. How about this buddy, you let me look at you and see what's wrong so we can get you feeling better and I'll give you a nice sticker and a sucker for when your better? How does that sound?"

Jay nods and wines, letting me set him on the table. "That's a good little boy" Anna says as she grabs a few things. "So what seems to be the problem?"

"He woke up this morning with a sore throat, a headache, a fever, and a um...very messy diaper" I say, still standing by my baby, rubbing small circles on his back with one hand as I hold his with the other.

"I see, sore throat, headache, fever, and diarrhea. Poor baby" she says looking at him with sympathy as she starts examining him, checking his pulse, heart rate and breathing, as well as his ears and throat. "So his throat is definitely a bit red and irritated. He seems congested as well, so I'll get him some congestion medicine. Now I'll have to take his temperature, which I don't think he's gonna like very much."

Jay looks at her a little confused, before seemingly to understand what she meant, shaking his head and humming disapprovingly, having seemingly gone non-verbal.

"Sweet pea I know, I know, but Dr. Connor needs to check your temperature, hun. Mommy's right here, it'll be okay" I say as I help Anna getting his snaps and damp diaper undone, making him whimper.

"It's okay, buddy, this is only gonna take a second. It'll be over before you know it" she says, pushing the thermometer in, making Jay squirm uncomfortably as he grips my hand tight. After about a minute Anna pulls the thermometer out, checking the reading. "He's got quite the fever. I'll get you some medicine to help with that too. I know that wasn't very pleasant, but you did a good job, Jay."

"Yes, what Anna said, sweetie. You did so well" I said, taping him back up and snapping his onesie shut, pulling him into a big hug with him nuzzling into my shoulder and coughing.

Afterwards Anna brings me the medicine Jay needs, as promised bringing with her a roll of stickers and a cup of lollipops. "Here you go, buddy. Pick whichever ones you like."

Jay contemplates for a moment before taking a blue raspberry sucker and of course opting for a rocket sticker, making him smile a little.

"You're all good to go, Liz. Make sure this little cutie gets plenty of rest. Hopefully next time I get to see him he'll be feeling a lot better" she says, patting Jay's head.

"Oh, what about payment?" I ask, making her chuckle.

"This visit is on me, hun. Don't worry about it" she said with a smile, nodding when I ask if she's sure.

"Okay then. Jay, can you say bye bye to Dr. Conner?" I ask him gently.

"B-buh bye" he says weakly in his cute little toddler voice, causing Anna to aww at him.

"Bye bye, cutie. Get better soon, okay?" she waves at him, getting a little wave back as we walk out of the exam room and back to the car.

Once we're back home I get him changed after another accident and back in his warm, comfy bed. "Okay baby, I know you're not gonna like this, but we gotta give you your medicine, okay?"

He looks up at me and groans. I help him sit up, getting a spoonful of the medicine and holding it up to his mouth, which he stubbornly kept shut.

"Baby, you need to take your medicine. It'll help you feel better" I say, making him shake his head no at me. I think for a moment before coming to a solution. "If you be a good boy and take your medicine you can come to Mommy's room and cuddle with me while you sleep."

Jay ponders for a minute before hesitantly opening his mouth, letting me give him his medicine, getting a sour expression on his face at the taste.

"There we go, bug. That wasn't so bad, was it?" I ask as he nods his head yes, making me chuckle.

I pick him up again, Gray and his galaxy blankie in toe and carry him back to my room, getting comfy in the bed with him cuddled up to me, soon drifting off to sleep. I lay there, rubbing his back gently as I watch TV with the volume on low, letting my baby sleep peacefully.