Casey Jones
It wasn't the friendly banter between Frost and Frankie that woke me up but the twisting and turning of Isa next to me on the couch. Opening my eyes, I glanced over at the clock and realized it was past time to give Isa her medicine and this caused me to jump up in a panic.
"Whoa..." Frankie said as he caught me before I tumbled over the coffee table. "I already gave the munchkin her Motrin. She fell back to sleep almost immediately, so no worries bro."
Blinking at the bright light coming through the windows, it took a moment for me to realize what he had said. "Um, yeah...okay." I said just as the aroma of bacon and maple syrup hit me. "Smells good. Breakfast ready?"
"More like brunch sleepy head." Frost said, carrying a tray with a plate full of pancakes and fresh coffee.
"How long was I out?" I yawned and stretched my arms over my head. "How's the fever?"
"It's been creeping up, but I think we caught it before it got too high. And you've only been out for a little over an hour." Frankie sat down in the recliner. "You feeling better?" He asked, a note of concern in his voice.
"Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep."
"Oh, and Ma called to check in. And before you ask... I didn't tell her Isa was sick or she'd be her before you could say Spa Weekend..."
"Did Jane call?" I asked.
"Not yet, but I don't think she's landed in LA yet." Frankie said with a frown. "But Frost and I got breakfast ready."
"Thanks. It smells great." I smiled when Frost set the tray of food down in front of me. I paused and looked over at Isa. "Do you think she'll be okay?"
"Yeah, she'll be okay." Frankie assured. "Kids get sick all the time."
"I know, I just wish Jane was here."
"We've got this." Frost interjected as he took a seat next to me on the couch. "And Korsak said he'd stop by later, maybe bring some pizza and beer."
"I don't know what I'd do without you guys." I laughed as I picked up the coffee and sighed at the deep, rich flavor that tickled my throat. "Pretty good." I closed my eyes and savored the dark liquid that warmed my chest.
"I made Isa some Minnie Mouse pancakes for when she wakes up." Frost grinned as he picked his own cup of coffee up and took a sip.
"Thanks." I tipped my head towards Frankie. "Both of you." I said as I stabbed a pancake with my fork and put a chunk in my mouth, dripping syrup as I did.
"I want pancakes too..." Isa stretched, digging her toes into my thigh. "Minnie Mouse..." she yawned and rubbed her eyes.
I swallowed my food and reached over to touch Isa's forehead. "How you feelin'?" I asked.
"I'm alright." Isa sat up.
I reached over to tickle Isa on the stomach. The giggle that came out of Isa made me smile. I was glad to see that Isa's cheeks weren't as flushed as before which meant that the Motrin was kicking in. "How long do we give her the Tylenol and Motrin?" I asked Frankie.
"I don't know. Until the fever goes down, I guess." He answered.
"How do we know when it goes down if we keep giving it to her?" Frost asked.
"Well, it was creeping up at the three-hour mark, so I suppose if it keeps doing that, we keep giving it to her." Frankie reasoned.
"I'll ask Jane to be sure." I glanced at my phone, willing it to ring but it didn't, not yet.
"I'm okay, Dada. Can I have pancakes...pleasee..." Isa snuggled closer to me.
"Yeah, Uncle Frost made some for you."
Isa gave Frost a hopeful look that prompted him to stand up. "I gotcha little one." He said as he headed towards the kitchen.
"Thank-you." Isa called after him. "Can we watch Toy Story now?" She asked me.
"Of course. We waited for you to wake up to start, didn't we Frankie?"
"Yep." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "You want me to go ahead and start it up."
"Yes, pleaseee...Unca Frankie." Isa clapped her hand together.
"I'm glad the medicine is working. She seems to feel better." I said as I took another bite of my breakfast.
"Yeah, Kids are pretty resilient." Frankie said as he queued up the movie.
Frost came back carrying a tray with Minnie Mouse pancakes for Isa. "For you Milady..." he gave a dramatic bow as he set the food down causing Isa to laugh.
He grinned as he watched Isa attack her pancakes with gusto. "You probably don't want to let her eat all of that, ya know...after she got sick,"said Frankie.
"Hey, slow down there slick." I turned my attention to Isa who had a mouthful of pancake. "Especially since you've gotten sick twice this morning."
"What?" Frost asked, a look of surprise on his face. "Twice?"
"Casey, you didn't tell me that she was sick more than once. I thought it was just the milk and the fever thing, but I think we may be dealing with something more nefarious." Frankie jumped up.
"I'm okay, Unca Fankie." Isa tried to dispel any fears we might have.
"I believe you munchkin, but let's try to slow down a little." He moved the pancakes away from her and got a frown in return. "I just want to take your time, that's all."
"What's up?" I asked as I stood up to take my plate and empty coffee cup to the kitchen.
"I don't know, but I think we need to be careful letting her eat too much if she's been sick."
"Dada don't leave." Isa panicked.
"How about if I sit next to you?" Frost took my place on the couch next to Isa. For a moment, she looked like she was trying to decide if this was okay but then she nodded. "Thanks, kiddo." He laughed.
"I'll be right back." I gave Isa a quick wink as I disappeared around the corner into the kitchen. When I found myself alone, I leaned against the counter and let out a heavy sigh. I couldn't stop myself from wishing once again that Jane would call, but my phone remained silent as I poured myself another cup of coffee.
