Heaven Help Us

Goodnight Moon

In the middle of the night, I woke up as I heard bare feet on the floor in the room.

I sat up carefully and glanced at Rain. She was still asleep. I looked around the room, trying to see who was there when I felt a small hand touch my arm.

“Daddy?” Jeph said in a small, tired voice.

I sat up further and turned towards him. “Is everything okay, buddy?”

He coughed a little and I realized that it wasn’t just sleep that was making his voice sound different.

“No, I don’t feel good. Can I sleep in here with Mommy and you?”

“Yeah, of course. Come on,” I helped him climb up onto the bed and he curled up into a ball in between me and Rain. “We’ll check your temperature and everything in the morning, okay?”

“Okay.” He said, slightly hoarse.

I laid back down and he snuggled up next to me. It hit me that he didn’t even bring Batman with him. He must have been feeling really bad.

Rain shifted closer to us and I watched Jeph smile, tired but content.

I woke up a couple of hours later to Jeph climbing quickly over me and running down the hall with his hands clamped over his mouth.

I hurried out of bed and followed him, Rain close on my heels.

As we neared the bathroom he was in and heard the sound of puke hitting water, Rain paused for a moment.

“You get this one, I’m going to go get the medicine.”

I nodded and went into the bathroom.

His small hands were clutching the sides of the toilet and he was really pale, except for his cheeks which were a bright red.

I sat down next to him and he crawled over and curled up in my lap.

I ran my hand through his hair and felt his forehead. Yeah, definitely running a fever.

“My stomach feels icky.” He said quietly.

“I know…Mommy went to get the medicine.”

He nodded into my chest and then went to throw up again. I held his hair out of his face and rubbed his back gently, trying but not knowing how to help.

He wiped his mouth and then climbed into my lap and hugged my stomach.

Not very used to this, I flailed a tiny bit before hugging him back. We sat there for a few moments until Rain came in talking on the phone and holding a box of children’s flu medicine.

“Yeah, he threw up; twice, I think.” She said quietly. She paused for a moment. “Uh, one second – Andy, is he running a fever?”

I felt his forehead again to be sure and then nodded.

“Yeah, he is.” She said into the receiver. “Ah, great, okay. Yep, we’ll get him some water and I’ve got some kid’s flu medicine…Thanks, Jean.” She hung up and set her phone on the counter and then bent down next to us.

She ran her hand through Jeph’s hair, and he mumbled incoherently.

“Hey, Jepha, I-” She looked at me, almost unnoticeably, and then changed her wording. “We need you to take some medicine to help you get better, okay?”

He sat up and she handed him a little cap of an orange fluid. He didn’t even argue, he just drank it and then sipped at the glass of water that she gave him afterwards.

Once he’d gotten through one third of the water, he curled back up into my chest and unconsciously grabbed onto my shirt.

Rain sat down next to me and soothingly brushed her fingers through his hair.

“When our hearts are heavy burdens, we shouldn’t have to bear alone. So goodnight moon, and goodnight you when, you’re all that I think about; all that I dream about. How’d I ever breathe without a goodnight kiss from goodnight you?” She sang softly, leaning her head against my shoulder. “…And dream for me anything, but dream it in color about when all the suns still rising and we don’t care...”

It was soothing, listening to her voice echo softly around the bathroom. Jeph fell asleep fairly quickly and, still singing, she stood up and moved the cup and medicine onto the counter and motioned for me to follow her.

I got up, holding Jeph, and followed her into her bedroom. I set Jeph in the middle of the bed and his hands let go of my shirt.

“The kind of feeling we sing about; sit in our bedroom and read aloud, like a passage from goodnight moon.” She leaned over and gave me a quick kiss and before I knew it, I was asleep as well.

And it felt like home…

---------------------------------------------------

So, Jeph has the flu. Because I felt the need to put my illness onto one of my characters. I'm a nice person. Also, addicted to Goodnight Moon, thanks to a friend of mine.