I Fall Apart

Lin

A/N: In case you don't follow Lin on Twitter, there's a podcast with him and Vanessa!  I finally know was Vanessa sounds like!  It's a really cute podcast - It's called Simple Pleasures with Yotam Ottolenghi.

Sebastian was certainly glad to have his big sister back. The first few days Nora was home, he was practically her shadow. He had a lot to catch her up on, as well. Nora barely got a word in as he told her about playing with his friends and going to Target with Abuelo. Nora was always patient with him. I never worried about Sebastian when Nora was with him.

I wasn't surprised when I went to Nora's room one morning to get her moving and I found Sebastian in bed with her. I doubt Nora had gotten a very good night sleep. Sebastian had slept with Vanessa and me plenty of times and I usually ended up with a foot in my face. I walked in and gently scooped Sebastian up in my arms.

"Nora," I called her, causing her to groan. "Time for school."

I carried Sebastian to the bathroom and set him down on his stool in front of the toilet. I helped him pull down his pants so he could sleepily use the bathroom. He started stretching and yawning, causing him to make a mess.

"Sebby, you've gotta keep that thing aimed," I told him. "Otherwise Mommy will get mad."

I quickly cleaned it up while Sebastian washed his hands and began to brush his teeth. When he had finished I told him to go the kitchen and I'd be there in a minute. I poked my head in Nora's room to make sure she was up. She'd since pulled the covers over her head.

"Nora..." I called her.

"Five more minutes," she begged.

"You didn't stay up all night texting Aaron, did you?"

"Of course not," she told me, but I didn't believe her. "My stomach hurts."

"Have you thrown up?"

"No," she moaned.

"Then you're going to school," I told her. I wasn't much of a pushover when it came to ailments that she couldn't prove. A stomach ache when she was tired was a bit fishy. I went out to the kitchen and started fixing Sebastian his breakfast as he sang to himself.

Vanessa walked out with a pile of Cisco's sheets and pajamas. "Cisco threw up all over his bed," she reported, dropping it into the washing machine. "I'm gonna give him a bath before I go to work."

"I'm around most of the day today," I told her, pouring Sebby's milk. "I'll finish his bath if you wanna get ready."

"Thanks," she told me as she added the detergent. Maybe if Cisco was actually sick, Nora was as well. When she emerged after her shower, she looked a bit better, just tired.

"Maybe I need to start hiding your phone at night," I said as I set Sebastian's bowl of cereal down in front of him.

"That would be evil," she told me as she got out some bread for toast. I tried to keep up some conversation with her as she got her breakfast ready. I sat down with Sebastian to sip my coffee. She responded, but with lethargy.

"Lin!" Vanessa called from the bathroom. I set down my coffee mug and asked Nora to keep an eye on her brother. I poked my head in the bathroom. Cisco was in the tub crying, obviously not feeling good. "Can you watch him while I go finish getting ready?"

"Sure, babe," I said, squatting down next to the tub. Cisco reached for me, wanting to get out and cuddle. I decided to make this a quick bath. He had vomit in his hair and over various parts of his body. I used a washcloth and soap to quickly wash him off, then used the cup to get his hair wet. He didn't like this part even when he was feeling fine. Cisco cried louder as I poured water on his head, then gently shampooed his hair. I tilted his head back and shielded his eyes as I washed it all off. Finally, he was clean enough, so I pulled the plug. I grabbed a fluffy towel and wrapped it around my son.