A Time to Grow

Fevers & Long Nights

Adeline - Age - 10 months

Maks woke to hear Addie fussing through the baby monitor. He looked over at Peta and saw she was still asleep so he shut the monitor off and headed to check on his daughter.

"Hey Addie girl, what's the matter?" Maks said softly as he entered her room.

"Pa pa pa pa." She whimpered reaching out for him.

"Oh no, come here baby." Maks said scooping her up and cuddling her into him. She stopped whimpering but continued to sniffle against him as he walked her around her room trying to soothe her.

"Pa." She murmured against him as she started to drift off. He walked her for a little longer until he felt her breathing even out for a few minutes. When he thought she was out enough he laid her down in her crib and began to cover her up. The second he took a step back her wails filled the room again.

"Hey hey hey, Papa's right here." He said scooping her back up again as he cuddled her into him. He resumed walking around the room figuring that he just hadn't gotten her asleep enough before laying her down. Her fussing continued this time so moved to check her diaper but the second he laid her down her whimpers turned into shrieks.

"Okay, okay, I'm going quick sweetheart." Maks said softly as he changed her diaper at warp speed. He didn't even bother with snapping her sleeper back up. They had blankets he figured. He scooped her back up and cuddled her into him as he swayed gently back and forth.

"What's wrong with my sweet pea?" Peta said as she entered the room. The last round of shrieks had woken her up in alarm and she had gotten up and headed over to the nursery.

"I'm not quite sure." Maks said helplessly as Addie clung to him yet continued whimpering.

"Do you want me to try?" Peta said softly.

"Yeah. Maybe she just wants Momma. The second she's away from me though she screams so just be prepared." Maks warned as he shifted Addie and moved closer to Peta. The second Maks moved her off him her whimpers escalated but Peta scooped her quickly into her chest and began to hum. She calmed some but still continued to softly whimper as she clung to Peta like she had been holding on to Maks.

"Do you think she's sick?" Peta asked looking at Maks helplessly.

"Well I haven't really tried anything other than rocking her and changing her. So I guess she could be sick or hungry. She very rarely wakes up hungry like this anymore. And us holding her doesn't fix it when she's hungry."

"Right. Do you think she feels warm?" Peta asked as she rested her chin against Addie's head. Maks reached over and rested his hand against her cheek.

"Some. Maybe we should take her temperature." Maks said. Peta nodded in agreement and he went to find the thermometer in the basket under her changing table. He appeared and looked at Peta. He needed Addie's forehead to take it and currently half of it was buried against Peta.

"I have to move her huh?" Peta said groaning. Addie had seemed to settle some but still wasn't pleased.

"Sorry pretty girl." Maks replied.

"It's okay. Okay sweet pea, Momma isn't letting you go." Peta said shifting Addie so that she was still nestled backwards against Peta. Her whimpers increased but they weren't as bad as when she was on her own. Maks took the temperature quickly and Peta flipped her back around letting her snuggle back into where she wanted to be.

"101.6." Maks announced.

"Maks! Do you think we need to go the ER?" Peta said alarmed at the height in the temperature.