Scared Angel

9. Hospital visit

Penelope's pov:

         I wake up to a tugging sensation on my chest radiating heat making it hard to breath. I look down and see that the heat was coming from my little one. Ellie is hot to the touch and whining while sucking, she notices I'm awake and unlatches to cry. She is letting me know she feels bad  "oh poor baby" I coo. "I know you don't feel good huh?"
         Ellie doesn't understand me but cries more in discomfort. I go get a fever thermometer from the bathroom with her attached to the front of my body. I rub the thermometer across her head while Ellie continues her cries. It registers her temp, Reading 102.5, I groan knowing it's time to go to the hospital to be better safe than sorry.  I change her into a clean diaper I had nearby in a cabinet of her things. I grab my phone checking the time, 3:34am wonderful.
       I put a shirt on hastily and then throw shoes on before I grab my bag. In this time Eleanor is in so much distress, she is flailing her limbs about while screaming loudly. "M...m...aaaaaa....mm...mmm" I here my baby babble clumsily before she lets out a loud shriek crying hard. "What is it my pretty baby?" I ask when I pick her up. She touches my face with both hands "mmmm....mmmmmmaaaaaammmm.....aaaaa" she sputters out between cries causing me to gasp. I believe she might be trying so hard to say mama. "mama? I'm mama" I say happily with tears as I take Elle to her room. "Ma...ma" she finally says still crying but satisfied with herself she lays her head on my chest. Now that she's claimed me, I put her in a onesie much to her dismay as well as some leggings; she tried to fight me shaking her head and flailing her body but inevitably I won the battle due to us going into public. I get her diaper bag and some socks on her feet before I pick her up and make quick work to get to the car. I strap her into her car seat and get into the drivers seat before driving to the nearest hospital. She screams the entire way, I try to talk to her and sing but she doesn't calm. "Ma...maaaaaaa" she wails. "I know my baby, mommy is here." I try to soothe to no avail.
      It takes eight minutes for me to arrive at the hospital, eight long excruciatingly loud minutes. Hearing my baby scream for me when I can't hold her makes my eyes well up with tears but I have to be strong.
Once I park I make my way around to my sweet baby and lift her into my arms I feel her grip my shirt immediately "m...mama" she sobs. Grabbing our bags before walking into the emergency room I walk to the front counters. I explain her state as well as her special case, the lady at the counter handed me a clipboard with paperwork. "Are you her legal guardian?" The lady asks me. "Well not exactly but she has no one else and I care for her." I say causing her to nod, "you should look into becoming her legal guardian, due to her special case she will need one."
      I take the paperwork and fill it out all while holding the still wailing child; she's stretching my shirt with her tight hold and it's now wet with tears and slobber as she is beginning to suck on my shirt in between cries. Once finished I bring the paperwork back to the desk and they call our name before I even have a chance to sit. A nurse comes to get us and bring us back to a hospital room.
       Ellie has moved onto sucking on my neck and it's that moment I realize I forgot her paci, frog, and blankie great! With Ellie's first word and my worries of her fever I left all comfort items behind aside from the ones attached to me, I roll my eyes at my forgetfulness.
      Once in the room I sit onto the hospital bed with Ellie against my chest still sucking my neck, surely causing a hickey mark but since she's calm I don't move her.
I explain to the nurse her symptoms and they say they'll need to take some blood. I sigh knowing without her comfort items this is going to be dreadful. "Do you have any pacis? I know she's not an infant but her headspace is quite young and I forgot hers." I basically beg the nurse who nods "I'll see what I can do."
It's twenty minutes before the nurse from before comes in with the lab cart. I don't notice at first but another nurse is trailing behind her. "I um have a little at home, and I bought this paci for him but has plenty your babygirl needs it more." the woman hands me the paci with a bear attached to it. "Oh my goodness thank you!" I smile as my baby latches on and is very entranced by the stuffy attachment. It's that moment the other nurse comes up and prepares the needle. I hold Eleanor close as she's still and playing with the tuft of hair on the bears head. The other nurse runs out of the room when the nurse cleans her arm and finds a vein "one...two...three, small pinch" the nurse injects the needle into Elle's vein causing an ear piercing shriek. Her paci has fallen and she tries to pull away but I keep her still. "You're doing so good my darling baby girl" I coo as she thrashes around, it's no use. She just looks at me helplessly while she tries to get away, as if to ask why I'm not helping her.
"M...ama?" my baby let's out with her sobs, I wipe her tears with my thumb as I still am holding the squirming baby. The nurse finally removed the needle after getting 3 vials of blood. She puts a hello kitty bandaid on her arm followed by a bandage with pink bunnies on it. "Look at these little bunnies protecting your boo boo, you did so good my little one" I praise putting the paci she dropped when the needle entered her vein back between her lips.  I see the door open when my baby has started to calm her squirms but has moved to bury herself as far into me as she possibly could. I look up to see the nurse from before walk in with a teddy bear in hand, "this is a gift from me to your little princess." She says handing my Ellie the bear and ruffling her hair before walking out with the other nurse.
"Wow someone got extra special love hm?!" I coo and rub her back. She's gripping her new teddy tightly in her arms and she looks up at me sucking her paci when she spits it out and cries. "Oh darling what is it? You where just feeling better" I coo and pull her closer smooshing her face into my chest. She bites my boob making me yelp "no ma'am we do not bite" I scold waving my finger in her face." She looks at me sideways and pulls my shirt "mamamama" she grunts out while bouncing up and down, getting the idea I pull my shirt up and help her latch. "We don't bite just cause we want milkies" I sigh as she starts to relieve the all too familiar feeling of a full breast of milk. She nurses for 30 minutes before the door opens, not giving up the boob she just looks up at me as I cover her the best I can with my shirt. "Oh uh sorry about that ma'am" the doctor says while opening a near by cabinet and handing me a folded blanket "I can give you privacy if you'd like" he offers. Once I have the blanket covering us I respond. "No it's no problem" he turns and sits on his stool.
"The tests have come back, the rash on her stomach is caused by scarlet fever, she should be fine after antibiotics, she also has strep throat, and an ear infection. I will be giving her a prescription of penicillin, she'll need to take the pill 4 times a day do you think she can swallow a pill?" The doctor asks and I shake my head knowing she couldn't.
"Okay we will prescribe liquid, she will need to take it twice daily for 10 days and if her symptoms persist come back asap. You can give her childrens over the counter Tylenol or Motrin, and make sure to keep her hydrated." I nod and he leaves after making sure we have no more questions.
I get our things and carry Elle to the car, I place ellie into her care seat making her whine. "Maaaaaama" she screams over and over. I'm grateful she's learning and that her first word was mama but her being sick is definitely causing her to use her new ability constantly.
It's light outside and I'm hungry now so After picking up Ellie's  prescription i drive to McDonald's. I get myself a McGriddle and hash browns before ordering a cup of apple and cinnamon oatmeal for Ellie. I look back at the baby that's emitting soft sounds before driving off, and see she's sucking her new paci sleepily whining and rubbing her eyes while hugging her new bear.
Once home I get her into her high chair and feed her the oatmeal which she hungrily accepted all of while bouncing in her seat despite being sick the girl still loves her food. I eat my own meal before I carry her to the changing table to get the baby into a new diaper. I leave her leggings off much to her relief, I sit in the rocking chair and lift my shirt. Before my shirt hits the floor she's attached to my breast, I chuckle at the impatience and rub her back humming the song carry on my wayward son until her eyes finally droop closed. I put her frog paci in her mouth to sleep in and cover her eyes with her blankie. In her sleep she grip the blanket, I smile at the love she has for the soft cloth and grab the monitor before I leave the room and make it to my own, crashing onto my bed. All the exhaustion hits me at once and I fall asleep fast.
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My sleep is short lived when only 2 hours later the monitor erupts in sounds all coming from my small girl. I groan from tiredness and sit up walking to Elle's room, "mamas here babygirl" i coo while lifting the girl up and laying her on the changing table. Once her diaper is off I see her reasons for screams, her diaper is all but overflowing. I get her mostly clean before I get a new diaper and cream on her and tape her up.
I notice it's not lunch time yet so I get her medicine ready and help her drink it. She gags and looks at me betrayed. "I'm sorry lovebug" I coo before giving her a sippy cup, I've yet to find any soft tips since I haven't been to the store but I put apple juice mixed with water into one of the frog sippies I got for her. She just plays with it at first and tries to slam it to the ground.
It takes some coaxing but she finally realizes this new toy of hers has a delicious drink inside to help rid her mouth of the yucky taste. I turn the tv to baby Einsteins and she crawls to my lap where I'm sitting on her play mat against the table. She lays across me holding her sippy lazily and staring at the tv, I notice she's mostly sucking air so I hold the cup upright for her earning a hum of approval.
We stay like this untill lunch time, Elle is quite restless, being sick is going to make her nap even more than usual but also make it not as relaxing. I just cuddle her while she goes in and out of consciousness for the next 3 hours. When the clock turns one, I shift the girl to her stomach on the mat and go to make us lunch. I make some chicken and noodle soup to try and ease my babies throat and tummy.
         After lunch ellie is back to sleep. I put her in her crib for this nap, she barely ate her soup not really wanting anything but milk. The pharmacist did say that the antibiotics may upset her tummy. She ate a few noodles and spoonfuls of broth which is better than nothing before she pushed the spoon at me causing me to spill warm broth all over myself letting me know she was done. Her grouchy behavior indicates she isn't feeling well. I lift her up and bounce her as I put the food away. She lays her head on my shoulder and I hear her breath through her stuffy nose. I look over and see she's already asleep when I climb the stairs to take her to her room.
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           Soft whimpers wake me from the accidental nap I was having on the couch with Lars. By the time I'm fully awake her cries have turned to sobs, I rush to Eleanor's room to find her sitting straight up in her crib wailing loudly. Her whole face is red and snot and tears are running down her face.
       When Elle sees me she makes grabby hands towards me. This is the first I've seen her do this hand motion to me and I smile at her softly. "Still feel bad princess?" I ask as I lift her up into my arms. She's still burning hot as well as she's soaked her onesie with sweat.
      I carry her to the bathroom and run a bath, I make sure it's not as warm as usual but not cold either. I hope the steam and aroma therapy can clear her sinus and ease her scratchy throat a little. I undress us both and get her diaper off, she has quite the messy diaper confirming my idea that the antibiotics are making her tummy upset. She whines as I get her bum cleaned before I step into the bath, I hear her sigh and lay her head on my chest. I cup water over her back, grateful she's being soothed by the warm water. I feel her latch onto my breast as I continue to cup water over her body.
       Her suckles are slow and she doesn't seem to really care for the milk, just the comfort. We stay like this till the water runs cold causing Elle to whine. I get her lathered in lotion and diapered before she can make another mess, I then get her dressed in sleep pants with the character stitch from Lilo and stitch with a matching shirt.
      I lay onto my bed with the whimpering girl, putting her paci in her mouth causing her whimpers to calm some. Lars jumps up and paws at my leg before laying his head on Ellie's tummy and licking her face. Ellie giggles and puts her hand on his head and leaves it there, I smile at lars' added comfort and cuddle him as well by wrapping my other arm around him as I watch my little ones eyes flutter closed.
          We sleep for a few more hours until I move to make dinner. I bring Ellie to her sleeper and she doesn't move an inch meaning she must still be exhausted. I heat up the leftover chicken noodle soup hoping my baby will eat it this time around.
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              Ellie ate half a bowl of soup, I'm happy to get something into her tummy. She's nursed and is calmly sucking her paci while playing with the ends of my hair. I'm watching her as she looks up at me with sleepy eyes. "Mmm...ama" I hum and nod "I'm mama." I say with a smile, she smiles back and places her hand on my breast; and not even a second later her eyes flutter. I spend the rest of the night reading with my baby in my arms and Lars at my feet.