KISS: In The Band

Ch 25: No... (Gene)

I let out a yawn, running a hand through my hair and stirring the eggs in the pan. It was really hard not to fall asleep on my feet since Shannon and I had been up late the night before, but I had agreed to make breakfast for the three of us, which meant I was standing over a frying pan and struggling to stay awake. 

Stifling a yawn of her own, Shannon walked downstairs, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head on my back. "Mm morning babe," she murmured. "Good morning hon," I said, turning around and kissing her with a smile. She grinned, kissing me back, before closing her eyes and going right back to leaning against me. "Breakfast smells good. You going to make anything besides eggs for your wife and son?" 

My heart melted and I shrugged, sliding the eggs out of the pan and onto some plates. "Why don't you go ask our son what he wants for breakfast?" She nodded, stretching with a yawn. "Mmm! Alright, where is he?" I frowned, looking at her in confusion. "He didn't go hop in bed with you?" I asked. She shook her head, also frowning. I shot a glance at the clock. "Huh. That's not like him to sleep in this late. I'll go wake him up," I said, turning off the stove and heading for the stairs. 

I pushed open the door to his room, walking in and sitting on the edge of his bed. "Hey buddy, you feeling okay?" I murmured, placing a hand on his forehead. It felt hot, and my frown only deepened. He stirred a bit before shaking his head. I sat him up in his bed, about to ask him what was wrong, but he answered my question by leaning forward and throwing up on the blankets. 

As Shannon got Nick cleaned up, I threw the sheets in the wash, putting some fresh ones on his bed. A few minutes later, Shannon walked back into the room, lying Nick in his bed and murmuring soothingly to him, kissing him on the forehead before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the room, closing the door halfway behind us. "I'm worried about him," she said in a low voice. 

I put a hand on her shoulder, running a thumb along her cheek absentmindedly. "I'm sure it's just the flu. But we'll keep an eye on him and if anything gets worse we'll take him to the doctor's." She nodded, frowning, and wrapped her arms around herself. "Hey, Shannon, look at me. It'll be fine, I promise. It's most likely just a stomach bug. It'll be okay. You need to take a deep breath and relax because stress isn't good for you or the baby, you know that," I said with a small smile. 

She nodded, still frowning, and I pulled her into a hug. "It'll be just fine," I said gently, and she nodded, sinking into my arms. "Now come on, at the very least we should eat. We'll try and get him to have some water at the least." She nodded, and I led her down to the kitchen, sliding her a plate of eggs that had gotten a bit cold at this point. 

As I washed the dishes, Shannon filled up a sippy cup with water and brought it up to Nick. I hadn't even finished drying the pan before she walked back down, worried expression on her face. "He threw up again. And he feels really hot. And...and Gene he keeps crying that he's thirsty but there's no tears and I can't calm him down." 

I put my hands on her shoulders, giving her a soft smile and trying not to show how much I was freaking out. "Shannon hey honey listen to me. It's just a stomach flu is all, he'll be over it in a few days and then he'll be fine. Just try and relax and don't stress too much! Like I said, on the off chance that it's something else, we'll take him to the doctor. Now look, I have practice, but if you don't want me to go I can text them and say--" 

"No, no no it's fine. You're right, you're probably right, I'm just overreacting. Go ahead and go, I'll take care of him. Try and make it quick though, and keep your phone on you. I'll text you if there's any change." I nodded, giving her a kiss. "I'll keep it as short as possible, I promise. Try and get some rest and don't stress too much, alright?" I said gently.