DuckTales One-Shots!

High fever

Beakley woke up to the sound of a baby crying. She immediately jumped out of her bed and rushed into the nursery. Inside the crib was her sweet granddaughter, wailing with a high-pitched voice like that of a siren. Her face was cherry-red.

"Oh, no, don't tell me you're sick," Beakley muttered, placing a hand against Webby's forehead.

The poor infant had a terrible fever. A cold had struck her in the night, and now she was sick. Beakley picked her up and tried rocking her back to sleep.

"Beakley, what's going on?" someone asked.

Beakley turned around and saw Scrooge, who looked very tired. The poor old man hadn't slept a wink since Della's disappearance.

"Webby's sick, sir. I think she's got a cold."

Scrooge looked at the tiny wailing child. He held her in his own arms and sang softly to her. Webby calmed down for a bit, until he stopped singing.

"Oi, lassie, you're driving me insane. Beakley, why did I agree to let you two stay here?"

"Well, I really don't know," Beakley said sarcastically. "Maybe it's because my daughter and son-in-law were killed in a horrendous car crash and I'm the only family she has left. Hmm, gosh, I wish I knew why you agreed to let us be here."

Beakley took Webby from Scrooge and rocked her again. Webby calmed down and fell back asleep, although she seemed to have a pained expression on her face as she was dozing off.

Webby woke up everyone in the mansion yet again the next morning. Beakley rushed into the nursery to find her screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Webbigail, don't cry, baby. Please, don't."

"What in blazes is going on in here?" Scrooge yelled, skidding to a stop in the nursery's doorway.

"Mr. McDuck, stop yelling. Webby needs peace and quiet for today, please."

"I understand Webby's sick, but could she perhaps tone it down a bit, too?"

"She's a 5-month-old infant, she can't control the volume of her voice!"

"Even at that age, I was a quiet baby. Now, tell her to shut up, before I kick her out the window!"

Silence fell; even Webby had stopped crying.

"I'm sorry, Bentina," Scrooge said. "I guess I'm just a little upset over what's been going on lately. My head hurts, my body aches. I haven't slept in days since Della...you know. I'm sorry."

"Apology...accepted, Mr. McDuck."

Webby held out a hand towards Scrooge.

"Da...Dada," she spluttered, as she was also blowing raspberries while trying to speak.

"No, no, no, I'm Scrooge McDuck, not Dada."

"Dada."

"No."

Scrooge left, and Webby looked up at Beakley.

"Mama?" she asked.

"No, Webby, I'm your granny."

"Gammy?"

"Close enough."