Here's some more 'medicine' for you, bear2710 !
Sick Day
Jay woke up hearing the pitter-patter of little feet along the corridor.
As he opened his own eyes, he found two pairs of eyes, one blue and one brown, expectantly looking back at him from the doorframe.
"Daddy!" Abigail, the four-year old owner of the blue orbs, yelled and jumped into her parents' bed, immediately followed by her two-year old brother Robert.
"Good morning, you two." Jay hugged his children. "Are you feeling better?"
Both kids had been down with a throat infection last week. Luckily, it looked like they were back to their usual (adorable, noisy and exhausting) selves now. "Ssh, we don't want to wake up mummy." He told them.
His wife had never been a morning person, this was something Jay had learned the hard way very early in their relationship. And she had been absolutely wrecked last night, after taking care of two sick children.
"No, she isn't." Nya mumbled sleepily.
Jay smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart." He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek - which felt a bit warmer than usual. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Not really." Nya replied in a hoarse voice. "My throat is sore, and I have a bit of a headache..."
Jay groaned inwardly, this was exactly how it had started for the other two as well.
"Do you need anything?" He asked her worriedly.
"Not right now." She said. "Just a bit more sleep, please."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of those two monkeys. It's my turn today anyway, you had them all week." He then turned to their children. "Alright, let's play a game: Who can get dressed and walk downstairs not the fastest but the quietest. And then, we're gonna make breakfast for mummy, okay?"
"Whoohoo." - "Yay."Abby and Robbie cheered as quietly as they could (which was not very quiet at all), before they climbed out the bed and ran back to their room.
"Thanks." Nya smiled weakly. "I love you."
"Love you too." Jay smiled back. "Just try to get better soon."
"Believe me, I am trying."
When Jay had gotten out of the bed and into a plain t-shirt and a pair of joggers, Abby and Robbie were already impatiently waiting for him on the corridor.
"C'mon, daddy." The girl grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "I got the clothes and helped Robbie, I am a biiig girl, right?"
"Well done, Abs." Jay said, noticing that her shirt was inside out and the boy's pants had been put on the wrong way. "You are a big girl. And who's gonna help me now in the kitchen?"
"Me, me." Robbie excitedly bounced up and down.
"I gonna help daddy." Abigail told her little brother. "An' you can help me."
About one hour and one devastated kitchen later, Jay quietly walked back up the stairs bedroom, carrying a tray in his hands. Even from outside the room, he could hear Nya coughing.
"Scrambled eggs and toast." He announced, seeing (or hearing) that she was awake. "Well, more like crunchy eggs. Abby insisted on cracking them, so there's quite a few pieces of shell in there."
"Thanks, honey." Nya sat up in the bed. "And thanks for letting me sleep."
"That's nothing new for me on a Saturday morning." Jay teased her, carefully putting the tray on her lap. "But you do need to rest. And some paracetamol." He pointed at a little box on the tray.
"What are the kids doing?" Nya asked, trying a small bit of the eggs.
"Watching some telly, we've already had our breakfast." He told her. "Oh, I've called my mum, she and dad are gonna take them for the weekend. Your parents already have Mattie and Ava; apparently Kai and Skylor are both out as well."
"That's just the way it goes." Nya smirked. "Remember when Abby brought home that stomach bug from playgroup and you started throwing up during training? Everyone in the team got sick..."
"Of course I remember." Jay stated. "I'd really love to forget about it but Kai keeps reminding me, to make sure I won't."
"That's my brother..." Nya remarked. She took two tablets with some water. "Please tell Abby these are the best scrambled eggs I've ever had. They're definitely calcium-rich... unfortunately, I am not very hungry."
"At least try to have some tea." Her husband sat down next to her, gently running his hand through her sticky black hair.
Nya rolled her eyes. "Yes, mum." But she followed his advice nonetheless.
"I'm gonna pack a few things for Abby and Rob, my parents should be here to pick them up soon." Jay remarked, standing up.
"Okay, thanks." Nya said. "I'll try to get up now as well and come downstairs, to kiss them goodbye. I probably have the same stuff they had, so the kids should be immune. Unlike you..."
"Does that mean I won't get a kiss?" Jay pouted playfully.
Despite her piercing headache, Nya had to laugh at her husband's antics, resulting in another coughing fit.
"Well, I sure hope you are not going with them, leaving me here alone." She finally managed to bring out.
"Don't worry, I will never leave you." He said, his blue eyes locking with hers. "I love you, Nya."
"I love you too, Jay." Nya replied. "But I still won't kiss you now. You are just too unbearable when you are sick."