Casey is portrayed by Ben Hampton (The kid on Instagram, not the rugby player). I have made a polyvore edit for him and my profile on polyvore is "Linneagbffn" and you'll find his edit in the collection "Other stories" His mum is portrayed by Shiri Appleby
"I left Sophie Rose at Casey's." Was the first thing I was told by my wife when I came home from work one late Friday afternoon. "And vacuumed, and talked a bit to Julie on the phone. And done laundry. Where have you been?"
"I just wanted all the paper work done before I left work so I won't have to think about it when I'm with you. How was Sophie Rose when you left her?"
Kirsten smiled slightly. For tonight it would be our daughter's first sleepover at a friend's. And she was sleeping over at her best friend's Casey's. Sophie Rose and Casey had spent as good as every day together since they were born. And even though Casey and his parents were people we knew very well and had walked through all kinds of situations with. I couldn't help but notice the worried frown in Kirsten's forehead.
"Relax Kirsten." I laid my arm around her shoulders and led her down the hallway. "It will be fine. She's slept at Seth and Summer's and at Ryan's loads of times. And she knows Casey just as well as she knows them. It's only down the road and they promised they'd call if something went wrong so let's just…"
As on a given signal Kirsten's phone called and sounded loud through the house. She pulled it up and then showed me the screen. "Jen McIntosh" read over the screen and I could see Kirsten's eyes growing wide of fear as she stepped away from me.
"I'll go prepare for dinner." I said, turned towards the kitchen and the drawer with the takeout restaurant-menus. Yet before I had the time to do anything Kirsten shouted me back. And oh man- about two meters away her shout hurt in my ears.
"SANDY."
Despite what I had tried telling Kirsten like thirty seconds ago I couldn't fail but notice the panicked tone in Kirsten's voice.
I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds Sanford Cohen!
"Sophie Rose is in hospital."
"WHAT?"
"Casey called. Sophie Rose have just been taken away in an ambulance. Apparently she tasted some of Casey's Snickers. And you know how allergic she is to peanuts." Kirsten, who usually was so calm was freaking out. "We need to go. COME ON SANDY."
I did hear what Kirsten was saying. But having told her not to worry and that everything would be fine only a minute ago it took a while before I was getting what had happened. And all of a dad's worries set in at once.
Afterwards I'd realize I'd been so worried I could barely remember what happened. But somehow I must have gotten my car keys, wallet and phone and ran out to the car. Where Kirsten jumped into the shotgun seat and I in the driver's before I sped out of our driveway.
"Can you take my phone and search up Seth's number in it? It's in my pocket." We were out on the road several blocks away from our house when I was thinking clearly again. And I thanked whatever higher powers we hadn't had an accident while I was all gone in worries for my daughter. Kirsten didn't reply but I saw her moving and felt her pulling my phone out of my pocket. "Thank you honey." I took the phone once she had put it to start calling. "I know he and Summer and maybe Ryan had planned to come over this weekend. So I just want to tell…"
"Cohen?"
"Hey Seth. It's dad." I continued before he had the time to ask anything "Listen. I and Kirsten are on our way to the hospital. Sophie Rose is in the ER. I just wanted to tell you so you don't show up or anything. I know Ryan was coming to Berkeley this weekend but our house is currently empty. Of course you're allowed to go there all you want. But I just want you to know that if you go there we won't be there."
"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA." Seth finally interrupted. "What did you say? The hospital? Sophie Rose? How is she? Will she be alright? Dad? Why aren't you answering to my questions?"
"Look." I tried to keep my voice steady not to worry Seth too. "I don't know much. I'm pulling over by the hospital just now. I'll call you up as soon as we know more. Don't you worry. She's going to be just fine." I pulled the brakes and didn't even care for paying for a parking ticket while I ran towards the ER doors. I could live with a parking ticket or ten if it meant reaching my daughter faster.
"We're looking for our daughter." I ran up to the desk. "Sophie Rose Cohen?"
"May I see an ID please?" I nodded, pulled up mine off my wallet, took Kirsten's from her hand and reached them to the woman by the counter. She took them, and annoyingly slow studied the cards and then looked up on us. "To the left…" At last she reached them back. "Room number fifteen."
"Thank you." It didn't let wait for it until we hurried down the hallway. "One, three…" Each number felt like a million miles away from the other. "Five… Nine…"
"I want daddy." I heard and recognized my daughter's voice already before I came into her room or saw her at all. "I want daddy, I want daddy, I want daddy." On and on she went, with tears in her voice that only them squeezed my heart and had the last few meters before I reached her room and then her feel like a million miles. "I want daddy, I want daddy, I want… DADDY."
Sophie shouted out to me and tried to sit up on the bed she laid on when I came into the room. I hurried over to her and kneeled by the bed so she wouldn't have to sit up to be on my height. But it didn't seem to reach her as she kept on reaching out for me and struggling against the doctor and nurses holding her back.
"I want to sit on daddy's lap." She cried out. "I want to sit on daddy's lap. Daddy let me sit on your lap. Daddy please."
"No." As much as it hurt me I had to hold her back. And with nurses and people ll around, one needle in her hand going up towards an IV bag hanging by the bed. And upon that a pulse oximeter monitor with a chord going up to a board by the bed I was afraid she might fall down from the bed she was lying on or rip out the needle if she kept on twitching and turning, kicking and hitting like this.
"Sophie Rose." I tried calmly but noticed my voice shivering. "It's okay. Sch. It's okay. Calm down and then you can come on my lap. Okay?" Sophie was still sobbing, but nodded. "Okay… Thanks." Someone put a chair behind me and I could sit down while Sophie Rose still held tightly onto my arm. "Can you tell us what happened?"
"Yeah. Casey always says he likes Snickers chocolate. So I told him I wanted to try it." Sophie-Rose's voice was shaking and soon breaking while she explained. "And I told him to hide one so I could try it when his parents or you weren't there to stop it. He said he didn't want to but then I forced him. Please don't be angry with Casey. It was my fault, it really was."
Kirsten, who stood right by my side seemed in loss of what to say, but lifted her hand and stroke a tress of hair away from Sophie Rose's eyes while the nurses in the room came from her other side and tried to start lifting her from the bed and over to my bed.
"NO." She shouted and hit their, including Kirsten's hands away from her. "Daddy, only daddy." She started crying more again as she, still holding tightly onto my arm pulled herself closer to the edge of the bed until, with my arms around her she could slide down from it and into my lap. "Daddy, daddy, daddy." She leaned her head against my shoulder. "Ow." Sophie Rose reached for her hand with the other and pointed to a needle that had been put in the back to give her whatever would help her. "Daddy it hurts. My hand hurts and my tummy hurts and my throat hurts and I want to go home."
"I'm sorry Sophie-Soph." I said using the nickname she had called herself by when she was little and couldn't pronounce R. "I can't take you home right now. I know it hurts but the doctors are going to take care of you and make you feel better." Sophie Rose cried out loudly. "Oh, Soph." I kissed her sweaty forehead carefully. "Sch, sch, sch. I'm here now. It's going to be alright."
"My tummy hurts and I want to go home." She cried almost hyperventilating with tears spurting from her eyes. "I don't want no doctors or no needle. I want to go home so you can make me feel better."
"I wish so too honey." I said, forcing myself calmly and hoped it would help. "But I can't help you right now. You just need to trust that the doctors and the needle will and then when you feel better you can go home." Sophie Rose cried out and wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach. "Do you want me to rub your tummy? Like I used to do all the time when you were very little and had stomach aches?" Sophie Rose nodded and I carefully pulled her arms away from her stomach and started carefully rubbing circles towards it. "Is that good?"
"Yes daddy."
She was still sobbing quietly and tears were running down her cheeks and down into my shirt. But at least her breathing finally seemed to slow down now when she at least was in my arms and with me massaging her stomach. Sophie Rose seemed to relax and sink into my lap. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes between when I arrived and when she fell asleep on my lap. And I couldn't even have tried to make her move while Kirsten and a nurse helped me with getting the shirt off her and then on with a hospital gown while Sophie Rose laid lax in my arms.
"It's good." The nurse checked Sophie Rose's vitals on a board by the bed. "That she's sleeping. Her vitals are looking better now than when she came in. I'll go talk to the doctor. I'll be back in a second."
"Yes. Thanks." I smiled and nodded at the nurse as she left, then, just as she left I saw someone in the door that I couldn't help but notice was peeking into the room. "Casey. Don't be scared, you can come in here."
Kirsten's expression changed when Casey came into the room. I could see her eyes darken and she stood up. I wouldn't think it was fair to be angry at him for it. I wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything while I saw Casey with Sophie-Rose's stuffed panda Pingu (well, at least it was black and white) pressed towards his jacket as he neared the bed.
"What were you going to tell Sandy and Kirsten now we're here?" Jen questioned with a serious and angry tone in her voice that I'd never heard before. "Casey…" Casey looked away and refused to meet my, Kirsten or his mum's gazes still with a tight grip around Pingu's arm. "Casey William McIntosh. Now if you please." Casey barely mumbled something in a broken voice. "For real."
"I'm sorry." Casey finally said out loud. "I know Sophie Rose is allergic to Snickers but she really wanted to try it so I hid one until we were alone so I could give it to her. I always eat snickers and she wanted to taste it really bad so I let her… I brought Pingu." Casey walked up to me and held out Pingu so I could take him. "I don't want to wake her up. But Sophie Rose would still want him with her…. If she wakes up."
"And she will. Soon. And then she will be very happy that you are here and that you brought Pingu with you. She was just very tired after what happened. And then it's good to just sleep for a while so her body can heal a bit." Casey nodded. "She will be just fine in no time."
Casey seemed thoughtful, I had never seen him like this. He, along with Sophie Rose had always been two chatter-boxes, and while Casey as he matured had gone quieter and quieter. Not saying a single word to anyone didn't seem like something he would do.
"Case." I rubbed his arm. "Sometimes when something feels hard, it feels better when you've talked about it." Casey sniveled and didn't look up at me. "What's up kid?"
"Could she have died?"
It was just so sudden. In the question he asked there was just something that clenched in my chest. I knew that answer very well. But how could I tell that to a six year old?
"Come…" I lifted Casey onto my lap and rubbed his shoulder. "…I know what happened was very scary still. But let's not worry about that now. She's going to be just fine in no time. And she… and you have learned your lesson from this. Haven't you?"
"I'm so sorry." Jen interrupted me. "I would have stopped it and we do both know very well Sophie Rose is allergic. If I had known anything about what they were doing… and then I would have called sooner but taking care of Soph, giving her that shot and taking care of Casey who was so scared and calling for an ambulance. And then just…." Jen was usually peace and calm itself. "Oh my God. She just had so much trouble breathing and then she started throwing up and I just…"
I patted Jen's arm while she rubbed her forehead and pushed her hand through her fringe. It did seem as if she was trying hard to keep herself together at the moment.
"It's okay. Look. We can't watch the children every second of the day. Things like these happens. Kids will be kids. But this time, let's just be happy and grateful it didn't get any worse. And I don't think this will ever happen again." I looked down Casey, who shook his head and sniveled. "So just…" The door to the room opened and a doctor came in. "You go home. We'll keep you updated if something new happens. Yes? What are the news?"
"The news are…" The doctor riffled in the paper sheets she held while Jen and Casey left the room. "When the ambulance did reach her at first she was barely breathing. Then when she started breathing better she started throwing up on the way to the hospital. But all her vitals are looking a lot better now." The doctor riffled in her papers. "But we have checked her files and if they're right she has never had an allergic reaction like this before? Am I correct?"
"That's right." Kirsten answered and I suddenly noticed how she had gone pale as a sheet. "She has been allergic and we have had to take her to the hospital. But it's never gotten this bad before. Our friend who was with her told us she'd had trouble breathing."
"Would you…" I rubbed Kirsten's shoulder when she seemed to have run out of words. "…Would you want me to go and get our friends, the ones who were there with Sophie Rose when it happened?"
"I don't think that will be necessary." The doctor said and noted something in her papers. "But we would like to keep her here tonight for observations. And we'd like at least one of you to stay with her for her well-being."
"Yes of course." I said while I pulled the phone out of my pocket. "We're staying here. All through the night. Was there something else? I promised to call our son, Sophie Rose's brother once we knew something more. But as you know one has to turn their phone off in this part of the hospital."
"That's true and… no. I think that's it." The doctor riffled again in her papers, and then left the room while I gave Kirsten a fast hug and then hurried out of the emergency room and over to the parking lot to call and then pay for a parking ticket.
"How's Sophie Rose?"
"You could have at least greeted first." I said to the phone with a relieved smile. "She's going to be just fine." I could hear Seth breathe out on the other side. "But she's going to have to stay here for the night and we're going to be staying with her. So can you go home and get a few changes of clothes for us and come to the hospital with them?"
"I can do that… We can do that. We were thinking about going to yours tonight. Maybe we will still." I breathed out when I saw no parking tickets on the windshield. "Sorry, did you say anything?"
"No. Nothing." I stopped by the machine to get one parking ticket and pulled my wallet out of my jeans' pocket while I held the phone with my shoulder. "And drive carefully. Soph will be just fine so you don't have to worry. So I don't want you here in five minutes meaning you have driven way too fast. What you need to do is drive here safely, not too fast."
"Bla, bla, bla." Seth said annoyed. "We'll be there in a bit. Tell Sophie Rose we'll be there. You know she loves her brothers and Summer more than anything else."
"She was asleep when I went out to pay for the parking. I'm thinking she'll probably stay asleep for a while. Yep." I came into the room only to see she still was. "So don't come barging in and wake her up, okay?"
I laid a hand on Kirsten's shoulder and rubbed it where she sat next to Sophie Rose's hospital bed.
"It's not your fault honey." I told her- I knew her and what she would be thinking. "These things happen. There's a risk in everything that we do every single day." Kirsten sighed and turned her head a way- she wasn't listening to me anyway so I patted her shoulder one more time and sat down next to her not knowing what else to do.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cohen?" A nurse came into the room. "There are some people here who wants to come in. Should I let them?" I nodded and then stood up, but froze when Seth, Ryan and Summer came in and I was a bit startled when I saw what they had brought. "I'll leave you to it."
"Guys?" I couldn't help but chuckle and rubbed my neck. "What did I say about driving to say?" I looked around on the things they had brought. "How did you even have time to get all of this?"
Seth was holding onto a plastic bag, obviously with the clothes I had asked for. Ryan was also holding onto a teddy bear almost as big as himself with "Get well soon" printed on its stomach. And Summer was holding a get well soon card of the same ginormous size as the teddy bear.
"We have our ways." Seth stated. "And there's three of us too so we could go in different directions and do three things at the same time. Is Sophie Rose… oh. She's asleep."
"She is." Kirsten said sternly while Ryan walked across the room to place the teddy bear on a chair in the corner. "And we are not waking her up for your sake." Kirsten looked down on our daughter and carefully wiped away a tress of hair from her still clammy forehead "I'm never leaving her and Casey unsupervised ever again. After all these times he was eating those Snickers-bars and we told him not to bring them anywhere close to Sophie Rose and look what they do."
"No. Honey." I started off tiredly. "You can't do that. They're best friends. And they have been for ages. For as long as they can remember."
"So what if today had become best friend?" Kirsten's voice was shaking and I wasn't so sure if it was anger or worry or stress about everything. "She's never had a reaction like this before. What if it had been even worse and they couldn't have gotten help in time? What if…? What if?"
"Kirsten." I carefully stroke Sophie Rose's hair one more time. Then I flinched and breathed out when she only turned in her sleep and didn't wake up. I then turned towards my wife and stroke her arm in a comforting move. "There are risks in everything that we do. But we can't just stop living because we're afraid of something happening in a way we don't want it to. Now we know, and Sophie Rose and Casey knows what happens if one feeds Sophie Rose something with peanuts in it. And Soph knows what Snickers tastes like. And Casey and Soph has learned their lesson. And come on. They're the very best of friends."
Kirsten sniveled and with arms still crossed over her chest looked down on Sophie Rose and stroke her forehead. I lifted my own hand and pulled Kirsten close. And hoped for the best that it might comfort just a little bit.
"Maybe we should go home." I and Kirsten both flinched when Ryan started talking. "I think we're going to spend the night and maybe the whole weekend at your house. If that's okay with you I mean."
"Yes of course it is." I had to make a pause to yawn. "Sorry. Adrenaline is running off. "You know you don't have to ask about that… Do you know what Kirsten? Go home with them. I'll stay with Sophie Rose tonight."
"WHAT?"
Yep. I had expected something like that. She was only a mum after all.
"Look." I said and held up my hand over my ear. "You're stressed up to here. You could barely look at Casey. I think it's better when Sophie Rose wakes up if we aren't so stressed. So go home, I'll call you up if something happens."
"I CAN'T JUST…."
"I- I think dad's right mum." Kirsten started shouting but Seth soon interrupted. "It will do nothing good for Sophie Rose if she wakes up and sees you all stressed. I can give you a ride home so dad can take the car and go home tomorrow. Actually. We were going to come visit this weekend anyway so we can stay with you."
"I don't need a baby sitter." Kirsten looked helplessly from one to the other. "And I want to stay with my daughter."
"Mum." Seth tried. "You know what Sophie Rose is like when she doesn't feel well. She'll only push you away and want dad anyway." Kirsten looked sadly towards Sophie Rose. "She's going to be fine. And you need to relax and calm down."
"I am not going to calm down until she is all healthy and well." Kirsten sniveled and hesitated. "Oh Soph."
"Mum…" Seth seemed to be choosing for the right words. But didn't have time to say them, with one last kiss towards Sophie Rose's forehead and without a look towards me or any of the others she walked out of the room. "Well then. We're going home. See you later dad."
Geez. I should have asked Seth to bring a book or something.
With only the ginormous teddy bear sitting in the corner of the room watching me I knew I wanted to keep an eye on Sophie Rose and would so do for as long as she needed. But I couldn't just sit and watch her for one hour after the other. And sitting leaning back in the chair only I was on my way to fall asleep. So when Sophie Rose woke up at about eleven at night I was relieved both for her sake and my own.
"Hey." I stroke her hair carefully. "You're in hospital sweetie. Do you remember what happened?" Sophie Rose nodded and tears were starting to rise in her eyes. "No. You don't have to be sad or afraid or anything. "Because I am here with you… Look." I pointed towards the big, stuffed bear and card in the corner. "Seth, Ryan and Summer came and brought this for you. Allergic reactions aren't all bad if you can have gifts like that right?" Sophie Rose only glared at me. "I know sweetheart." I kissed the top of her hair slightly. "How are you feeling now? Does it still hurt everywhere?"
"No." Sophie Rose wasn't crying anymore now, but her voice sounded so hoarse and pitiful it broke my poor daddy's heart. "My throat still hurts a bit…" She coughed a few times. "But I feel… I feel a bit like I want to eat something."
"Eat something?" I was surprised, but of course- her stomach would be empty and screaming hungry after all the throwing up. "Are you hungry? Should we call a nurse here and ask for some toast or some cereal? I think that would be the best with that kind of food so you won't get an even worse tummy ache." Sophie Rose nodded towards my chest. "Toast or cereal?"
"Toast." I pressed the red button hanging down by the bed. "Can you ask them daddy?"
"Yeah sure."
Someone else might not have been bothered by a six-year-old girl wanting her dad to ask someone she didn't know about something she wanted. But I knew my Sophie-Soph. She could ask for anything, talk to anyone about anything. When she was three years old and we were at a café she had nagged me to get to order her own birthday cake and drink. Even though it had taken the clerk three tries to get what she was saying when she got excited and had with a toddler's voice spoken way too fast.
"And does dad want anything?"
"Oh." A nurse that had promised to get what Sophie Rose wanted asked me too. And not quite ready for the question I probably wouldn't have known my name if that's what she had asked for. "Yeah… uhm. Same as her. Thank you."
Everything Sophie Rose did right now just screamed at me how awful she felt. From the way she laid slumped on the bed only barely upright enough to even eat, to the way every little bite seemed to be a struggle. To the way she drank up the last of her milk before eating the whole piece of toast. Usually it would be the other way around and not to leave half a glass of milk I'd have to drink it since she didn't want anymore. And then that tired, near-tears look in her eyes that just broke my heart piece by piece.
"Daddy. Can't you come up here and sit next to me?"
"Okay." I stood up and helped Sophie Rose to move to the side of the bed so I would have place to get up. "Here we go." I got up and put my arm around my daughter's shoulders. "That's it." She leaned her head against my chest and quietly continued chewing on her piece of toast. "You're doing so well." Sophie Rose didn't answer, but after half the piece looked down on the rest in her hand and then up at me with tears in her eyes.
"I can't eat anymore daddy. I'm sorry."
"Aw. Don't say you're sorry honey." I took the piece of bread from her hand and put it up on the bedside table. "You've got nothing to be sorry for." I kissed the top of her head. "And just tell me if you want to eat something more or anything." I leaned my head back and soon it seemed Sophie Rose had fallen asleep. Even though I wasn't planning to do so any time soon.
"Daddy." I had accidentally zoned off when Sophie Rose's voice woke me up again. "Daddy."
"Mhm," I looked up drowsily. "What is it Soph?"
"I…" Before she had even finished what she was trying to say she threw a hand over her mouth. I saw what was coming and reached quickly for the sick bag on the bedside table. But not fast enough as holding her hand over her mouth didn't help much when she gagged and threw up right on my shirt.
"Okay." I held the sick bag under her chin just in time when she threw up again. "There we go. It's okay. Here… Can you hold onto this…" I didn't care much for myself with vomit on my shirt. But I didn't want to get it on Sophie Rose so when she held onto the sick bag herself I quickly pulled the sweater off and threw it in a corner on the floor before I laid my arm back around Sophie Rose's shoulders and gripped the sick bag with the other hand.
"It hurts." Sophie Rose screamed out. "Daddy it hurts." She then lurched forward again and started dry heaving. "It hurts, it hurts. Daddy, daddy, make it s…"
Sophie Rose didn't even get a chance to finish the pleading sentence before she heaved forward again, gagging painfully. And that just as the door opened and a nurse came in, and I breathed in relief while the nurse took grip of the sick bag so I could use one hand to pull away Sophie Rose's hair from her face and her mouth when she gagged again.
"There there." I didn't have the heart to tell her I couldn't make it stop so I did my best to comfort. "It's okay." I looked up when the door to the room opened and a nurse came into. "Are you finished?" Sophie Rose nodded. "Can you? Thank you." The nurse took the sick bag from my hand and went to throw it away. "It's okay."
"Daddy," Sophie Rose sobbed. "I threw up in my hair and on the shirt and everywhere."
"It's okay. It can be cleaned. Come. We'll go into the bathroom and you can wash it off." Sophie Rose nodded, I got down from the bed and lifted her down. She grabbed tightly onto my hand with her little one and kept sniveling while we went into the bathroom. The nurse just came back into the room to clean up before we came back again and while I couldn't find the words, I smiled slightly at her as thanks- it probably ended up more of a half-hearted grimace.
"Here." I untied the knot on the children's hospital gown Sophie Rose had been dressed in when she came here. "Arms up." Sophie Rose just seemed lax and weak but obeyed and I could pull the gown off her. "There." When I could throw it to the side to have it out of the way tears had started rising in her eyes. "Oh Sophie-Soph." I wiped a tear from her cheek with my thumb. "Do you feel sick again?" She shook her head. "Are you absolutely sure?" She nodded. "Well then" I held out my arms and Sophie Rose more or less fell into my lap. "It's okay." I stroke her hair when she started sobbing towards my shoulder. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry daddy." Sophie Rose cried. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not feeling well. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." I tried to comfort. "Sch, sch, sch. It's okay. I'm here. I've got you."
Sophie Rose was sobbing so hard I was afraid she might start to feel sick again. But at least she didn't say anything more (at first at least) and I seemed to be calming her down at least just a tiny little bit.
"You silly." I tried to joke with her to make her feel better. "Apologize for not feeling well. You know better than that don't you?" I wiped some tears with my hands. "Are you ready for the shower now? Do you want some water so you can wash out your mouth?" I glanced towards the hanger by the sink with some plastic cups and Sophie Rose nodded. "I'll get one for you."
"I want to go home."
"Oh Sophie-Soph." I tried to ignore it. "Here." I handed her the now filled plastic cup and tried to get her thoughts away from only wanting to go home. "I'll make sure the water is warm. Just spit it out on the floor, it will go with the water from the shower." Sophie Rose nodded, but tears were still rolling down her cheeks when she took a sip of water and washed her mouth out, grimacing at the sour taste. I took the showerhead, put the shower on and felt the water with my hand until it was warm enough- well, until I thought it was warm enough.
"No daddy. That's too cold."
As usual!
"Now." I turned it on so warm I almost burned my fingers knowing what she and Kirsten were like with their warm showers. "Is that good?"
"Yeah."
"Lean your head back." Sophie Rose threw the plastic cup in the trash and wiped the last few of the tears and did as she was told while I carefully pushed my fingers through her long, blonde thatch watching it to clean it out. "Now Soph's hair is clean. Can Sophie Rose get the rest of herself clean while I get something new for her to wear?" She nodded and I gave her the showerhead. "I'll be back in just a second. Well this didn't quite work the way I hoped it would." I looked down on my jeans I had pulled up the slacks off to try and keep dry- that hadn't quite worked out and they were soaked just as well as my T shirt. "Oh well, it's just water."
"How's it going for you two?" The nurse was changing the sheets on the bed when I came out into the room again. "Is she still getting sick?" I shook my head. "That poor thing. Just tell me fi there's anything more I can do for either of you."
"Thank you." The nurse handed me a new hospital gown for Sophie Rose. "Do you have a plastic bag or something I could throw the dirty laundry in?" Without a word she gestured to a bag she'd already put my vomit- stained shirt in. "Perfect. Thank you." I turned my back against the nurse and pulled the T shirt off to and right away pulled the sweater on.
"No need to thank me sir. I'm only doing my job."
"Well then. No need to call me sir, I'm Sandy. Do you have a… a…"
The nurse seemed to read my thoughts more or less and handed me a big towel before I had gone through the blackout and found the right word. Although, despite working as fast as it was possible, I felt sorrier for her than ever. She had sank down onto the floor too weak and tired to stand up, her hair was dripping wet and her whole body was trembling cold.
"Oh. Come here." I lifted Sophie Rose from the floor, and sat down on the toilet lid so I could put her in my lap while I laid the hospital gown in the sink so I could help her with the towel. As quickly as I could I rubbed her head and hair and then wrapped the big towel around her and held her tight to try and warm her up with my own body heat.
"That is your best shirt daddy." Sophie Rose fingered on the soft fabric of my sweater. "Your best hugging shirt because it always feels so soft. Can I go back to bed? I'm cold and I want a warm blanket."
Without a word I helped her get the hospital gown printed with small tigers all over on. And while she was still shivering cold I carried her out into the hospital room where the nurse had brought a quilt for the night. I thanked her while she was still in the room and then sat back down on the bed and pulled the quilt around the both of us.
"Daddy? Can you rub my tummy like you did earlier?"
I wanted to, but the way Sophie Rose laid close to my side, half on her stomach and half on her side and my arm around her shoulders it would be hard for me to reach. Although I wouldn't even have had the chance to tell her that. Because only seconds after she had asked I could hear her breaths going slower as she fell asleep.
"How is it going in here?" The nurse came back into the room. "Oh, is she asleep?" I nodded. "Would you like another quilt or something so you don't have to lie like that? It honestly doesn't look too comfortable for you. But what wouldn't you do for your children?"
"It's okay." I moved slightly, and easily found a way that wouldn't destroy my neck. "Yeah. Anything for her. I just…" I leaned back against the sheets and still with my arm around my daughter's shoulders I laid the other hand over my eyes. "I just wish I could take it from her. I don't really know how to explain it but it's like my whole body is feeling that I… I just wish so badly that I could take it from her and do it myself."
"I do have children myself you know." The nurse said and smiled kindly at me. "I know the feeling. Would you like a quilt and a pillow for your own?"
"No." I forced my eyes opened. "I think I'm going to try and keep awake in case she gets sick again." I stroke Sophie Rose's hair, her head barely sticking up from the rest of her body wrapped in the quilt.
"I'll get you a cup of coffee then." The nurse smiled again. "Is she asleep?" I nodded slightly. "Well. I can tell though. That she's got a very kind dad who is willing to walk through anything for her." I almost felt on the verge of tears when I looked down on Sophie Rose and felt a love so strong my heart could have pumped right out of my chest. "Am I right?"
"Yeah… And I'd say something more but I think that's pretty much all it takes."
"I'll get you a coffee." The nurse left the room. And just as she left suddenly the memories stroke me of that day when Kirsten was pregnant, that terrible day full of worry when we barely even knew who'd live and who would not. "Here." I flinched when the nurse was suddenly right by the bed and held me a cup of coffee. "Are you alright? You seemed so far away."
"Yeah. Fine." I took a sip and put the cup on the bedside table. The nurse smiled at me and I looked back on my daughter who was still asleep with her head towards my chest. And then suddenly I started talking barely even knowing why. "You know… We used to live in Newport before. Orange County, we moved back to Berkeley when Sophie Rose was just a baby but… While Kirsten, my wife was pregnant. There was an earthquake and Kirsten ended up in the ER. I don't remember the exact words I used then but I was talking to a… a nurse I think. And I was trying to get them to get to Kirsten sooner because she had fallen down some stairs and we were really afraid it had hurt Sophie Rose. And I told that nurse or whatever she was about how… You know. Kirsten had just turned forty, the boys had turned eighteen and we were kind of looking forward to have an empty nest after having kids. I had ordered this around the world trip and then… Suddenly an empty nest was the worst case scenario." I rubbed Sophie Rose's arm while she moved in her sleep. "And you know, we care for our children just as much but…. After what happened then and worrying so much before we knew both Kirsten and Soph were both fine. And Soph being born with exactly ten fingers and ten toes…" I smirked slightly. "As soon as something happens to Sophie Rose I… and Kirsten and the boys of course. But we just… I don't know how to describe it really. But if she as much as stubs her toe or have a cold we all just kind of freak out. So when something like this happens." I gave a deep sigh and leaned my head backwards. "Sorry. I didn't mean to just spill it on you. You've probably got a whole lot of patients here tonight."
"Don't worry about it. We like the slow shifts. I'm going to go check on something. But you have got that red button there if there's anything you need. Don't hesitate. We're here for you too. And if I were you I'd get some sleep."
And if I were you I'd get some sleep.
Lying with my arm around Sophie Rose's shoulders and her head towards my chest I actually really wanted to keep awake. But with the cup of coffee forgotten on the bedside table next to me and the room dark mixed with the sound of my daughter's slow, deep breaths suddenly, my eyelids were just so, so heavy.
"How are you feeling this morning?" I didn't wake up until the nurse came into the room again in the morning. "Oh. So you fell asleep anyway." I nodded and drowsily rubbed my eyes. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed. And you?" she looked down on Sophie Rose who laid drowsily with her head still supported by my chest. "How are you feeling this morning? Any better than last night?"
"My tummy still hurts." Sophie Rose sniveled. "I want it to get better."
"I want so too honey." The nurse sat down by the bed to reach Sophie Rose's height. "And do you know what I think? I think that your tummy hurts more because it's so empty. Because you haven't been eating?" Sophie Rose only glared at the nurse. "Do you want to try to eat something now and maybe you'll feel better later?"
"I don't want to." Sophie Rose whimpered and pouted when she turned towards me. "I want to go home daddy."
"I know." I stroke Sophie Rose's hair but she sat up and turned her back against me when she realized I couldn't give her the answer she wanted. "But I think…" I glanced towards the name tag the nurse was wearing. "Mildred is right. Eating something would make you feel better now."
"Is there anything you like loads and loads?" Mildred came around the bed to be able to talk to Sophie Rose looking at her, but Soph just turned around and to me again. "Is there anything you like more than anything? Sandwiches? With ham and cheese? Or cereal? Sweet chocolate cereal? Or oatmeal? Maybe oatmeal would be better because some people say it's easier to eat if you don't have to chew it."
"I don't like oatmeal."
"Don't like oatmeal?" I questioned my daughter, making sure I sounded happy and fun rather than how distressed I actually was. "You love oatmeal. You'd eat it for every meal, every day if you could."
I hesitated for a second, hoped to see just a little bit of change that Sophie Rose would be giving to give this a try. She seemed to hesitate too, but then shook her head slightly and buried her face in my shirt. And I was left in loss of what to do.
"It's only normal." The nurse told me while I rubbed Sophie Rose's back. "She ate, she was allergic. She ate again, she threw up. And now she's afraid that if she eats again… you understand. We can leave this now. Go down to the kiosk and the cafeteria and find something she likes. Right now it's more important she eats at all than if it's healthy or not."
"Here." I nodded and Nurse Mildred left the room. I got the sweater from the chair I had left it on. "Seth brought your favorite sweater. Arms up." Sophie Rose weakly held her arms into the air and I pulled the rainbow-patterned shirt over her arms and head. "There we go. Oh sweetheart." I rubbed her cheek as if that would make anything better. "Come here."
I lifted up Sophie Rose and held her close to me. She leaned her head against my shirt and I ignored the fact that she was getting too big and heavy to carry like this.
"Would you like a wheelchair so you won't have to carry her like that?" I shook my head at Mildred and Sophie Rose pulled her arms tighter around my neck to show she wasn't letting go. "Well, if you're sure. And if you don't find anything come back here and we might have something. Do you know what I think? I think that if you eat something now and your tummy doesn't hurt more from it then you can go home afterwards." Sophie Rose just sniveled into my shirt. "Soph… I don't mean to scare you or anything. But if you don't eat anything we might have to give you something through another needle. And that is way worse than eating isn't it?"
Sophie Rose whimpered slightly into my shirt. She, like any child of her age had the biggest fear of needles and if there was anything I didn't want to do to her.
"There's got to be something in here that you like." I said when I stepped into the kiosk and restaurant. "Sandwiches of all kinds, portions of food that can be heated up in the microwave. Oh and look here…" I grabbed a bag of candy from a shelf. "Swedish fish. You love those, don't you?" Sophie Rose didn't respond and I looked back towards the shelves to try and find something. "And look here. Hershey's chocolate milk… You love it but you say I and mum never let you have it? Well. You can have it now. You can have five boxes of it if you want."
"I don't want it." She mumbled, then pressed her lips together and turned away with her arms crossed over her chest. Everything to show me she didn't want to.
"Sophie- Soph…" I kneeled to reach her height. "I know you don't want to. But you need to eat something. You see… Your body it needs fuel. Like a car. And like a car, if it runs out of fuel then it won't work. And when you throw up, you lose loads and loads of it at once. So now, for your body to be able to heal after all of this and start working properly again, you need to re-fill it with your fuel." I held up the bag with candy and the chocolate milk. "And this will be a good start."
Sophie Rose still held her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed hard together. But her bottom lip had started trembling and tears were rising in her eyes. I put the bag of Swedish fish- candies and chocolate milk in one hand so I could lift the other one and stroke my daughter's shoulder.
"Soph. You know I would never do anything that could hurt you. Do you?" Sophie Rose nodded but tears had started rolling down her cheeks. "Well. I wouldn't make you do this if I didn't know it was for your best. So… can we do it like this? If you have some fish and chocolate milk first. And a sandwich or something, you will get to go home. And then when you've been so very, well. Next weekend, Casey will come to ours and you'll have your sleepover at home. Okay?"
"I don't want to daddy." Sophie Rose pouted and tears were rolling down her cheeks. "What if I throw up again?"
"What if you don't?" Well, it was worth a try. "And I don't think you will. Because I think you will only feel better by eating. And then when you feel better we will be able to go home and then we will spend the rest of the weekend along with Seth, Ryan, Summer and mum. Okay?"
"Okay… Then I want ten of those chocolate milks."
"Ten?" I raised an eyebrow down at her. I usually wouldn't agree to this. It would probably give her even more of a stomachache if she had them all at once. "Are you sure about that Soph?"
"Yes, ten. Then I can have one when we come home, and then I can share the rest with Casey."
"Okay then." I passed her three small cartons with the sweet drink. "But then you have to help me carry them or I'll just drop them all." She held out her hands holding onto three and I put three more on top of them. "And one bag of Fish and then… what kind of sandwich do you want? Cheese? Ham? BLT?"
"Cheese please." I grabbed one of those for Sophie Rose and one with chicken and a water for myself. Then went to the checkout stand. "These and what she is holding…" I gestured to all the chocolate milks in Sophie Rose's hands. I noticed Sophie Rose still looked pale and tired. I stroke her hair slightly while I pulled out my wallet from my pocket. "And a plastic bag if you have. Thank you."
"You're a lucky girl, aren't you?" The cashier told Sophie Rose while I packed most of the chocolate milks in the plastic bag we'd been given and helped Sophie Rose to get the bag with Swedish fish opened. "All of these chocolate milks. I never got to drink so many when I was your age."
"You don't know me and you don't know how old I am." Sophie Rose said grumpily and looked down on the opened bag of Swedish fish in her hand when I handed it to her. I sent an apologetic smile for Sophie Rose's rude comment to the clerk and then laid a palm towards her back and led her into the restaurant. "But daddy."
I didn't know what else I was supposed to say in this matter. So in silence I found a table for us by the window and sat down and helped her with the small carton of chocolate milk.
With still tear-filled eyes Sophie Rose looked so pleading up at me I could have thrown everything in the trash and taken Sophie Rose with me. Who knows where but far, far away from here to somewhere where nobody could hurt her.
Or I could have just screamed out loud. Loud, and for a long time- at least five minutes.
Instead I had to just look silently back at my daughter who silently looked down into her bag with candy. Then, without taking her eyes off mine she reached down into the bag and carefully took one in her mouth.
"Is that good?" Sophie Rose nodded slightly and I opened the plastic boxes the sandwiches were put in. "Good girl." Sophie Rose took another candy- it already seemed a bit easier when she noticed it didn't make her feel sick again. "Try the sandwich now."
Maybe it was just wishing from my side. But for every bite Sophie Rose took off the sandwich the flushing color seemed to return on her cheeks. And while she was obviously taking each of them carefully, she did eat the whole thing and I couldn't have felt more relieved.
"That's it." I said when she took the last bite of the sandwich. "Good job. Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah." Sophie Rose gave a slight smile. "Loads better."
"Should we go and talk to Nurse Mildred so we can go home, now that you've eaten?" Sophie Rose smiled big at the thought of getting to go home and nodded happily. "Well come on then." I took the bag with the chocolate milks. "Don't forget your Swedish fish."
"Daddy?" Sophie Rose reached her hand up and took my hand while we walked out from the cafeteria and back towards the hospital room to get our things. "I feel a lot better now. Maybe Casey can come over already this weekend? Can't he? I feel great now so can he please?"
Oh great. This was my Sophie Rose! And so was also the way she pouted angrily when I couldn't give her the answer she wanted.
"You're going to have to take it easy this weekend young lady. We'll take that sleepover next weekend at ours instead." Sophie Rose hung her head. "You'll meet on Monday for school. And maybe- Maybe, he could come over to ours for a bit tomorrow. Okay?" Sophie Rose smiled again and showed a big glug in between her front teeth. "But then you have to promise me you'll tell if you're not feeling well. Can you promise me that?"
"I promise."
I didn't answer, only squeezed Sophie Rose's hand slightly in mine while we continued towards the ER's reception and Nurse Mildred who stood right inside the doors when we came inside. Now dressed in her own clothes instead of Nurse's gowns and on her way to leave.
"We are ready to go home now."
"You are? Have you eaten?" Sophie Rose nodded happily- even more alert now at the thought of getting to go home. "Good girl. Was I right? Do you feel better now? You look like you do." Sophie Rose nodded again. "That's awesome. And guess what. I have talked to the doctor and everything and she says too that you can go home in…" Mildred checked a clock she pulled out of her pocket. "…In three, two, one. NOW." Sophie Rose cheered so loudly people turned in the hallway and either smiled or glared at her. "But don't forget to change into your own clothes and then leave those ugly gowns on the bed. And then somebody else will get them because I am too going home now."
"You've got clothes in the red plastic bag in the room." I told Sophie Rose. "You go change. I'll exchange a few words with Nurse Mildred okay? I'll be there in a second… I hope you didn't have to stay any longer because of us." Mildred's smile and silence said it all. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to have to do that."
"It's nothing. If I have a patient who is just about to leave I prefer to stay with them so there's not so much changing and switching and checking more before they get to go home. And that's especially important working with children. Which I love doing so don't you even dare say you're sorry. This one's on me and if I didn't want to do it I wouldn't. Here she comes." I turned, and like Mildred had said Sophie was standing in the hallway now wearing jeans, sneakers and the same rainbow sweater as before. "Looking nice Miss Sophie Rose. Time to go then." I tried to calculate who could carry what when I realized everything we would have to carry going home. "Why so distressed Sandy?"
"I hate to ask you for even more than what you've already done so I could ask somebody else." I turned back to Mildred while she grabbed her own purse to go home. "But Soph's brothers brought this ginormous teddy bear and get well soon card so we could need some help to carry things outside and to the car. So if it's not too much trouble…"
"It most certainly isn't. And… exactly how many chocolate milks did you get Soph?"
"I'm going to share them with my best friend Casey." We moved back towards the hospital room and Sophie Rose took the two bags with clothes- one with clean and one with the ones that would have to go straight into the laundry machine. I "handed" the great big get well soon-card to Mildred and then lifted up the great big teddy bear. "Come on dad. Let's go… Oh." Sophie Rose and Mildred couldn't help but laugh when they noticed I did have some trouble to figure how to get out the door with the teddy bear in my arms.
"Watch out daddy." Sophie Rose moaned when I finally made my way out the door and into the hallway to amused looks from all directions. "Don't hurt her. Teddy bears can feel pain too you know."
I and Mildred sent each other each smile. Well, what are you supposed to answer a six year old saying her stuffed animal had feelings. To her it actually did and I wasn't going to protest against it
"It needs a name doesn't it?" I asked while we were about to leave the hospital. "The bear. What should we call it then?" I looked down on Soph who suddenly smiled mischievously and waved for me to lean down so she could whisper in my ear. "Oh yes, yes. That is a very good name for a bear."
"What?" Mildred looked offended that we hadn't told her. "What is a good name for a bear? I want to know too."
"Mildred."
"Yes. But that's my name… Oh. You mean you're naming your get well soon bear after me?"
"Can I do that? Please."
"I would be honored to have an as such big bear named after me Miss Sophie Rose." Mildred smiled as we stopped by my car. "Okay." Mildred put the ginormous get well soon card into the baggage. "Goodbye then. After all it was very nice meeting you. And keep away from those chocolates now Soph. I don't want to see you here again."
"That's good." Sophie Rose stomped her foot into the ground jokingly. "I never ever want to see you again either." She laughed and gave Mildred a hug. "Thank you for taking care of me and dad tonight."
"I'm only doing my job sweetie." Mildred shook my hand after I had my hands free after putting Mildred Bear into the back seat. "It was not a pleasure meeting you." I couldn't help but laugh. "Now. No more Snickers young Lady."
"Do you need a ride or something?"
"No." Mildred looked around so she wouldn't walk right in front of a car. "I only live a block away from her so I can walk." With that she turned and walked away while I made sure that both Sophie Rose and Mildred Bear had their seat belts on.
"Now then daddy." Not until I got into the front seat and glanced at my daughter in the rearview mirror I could see Sophie Rose slumped in her seat talking about how tired she still was when she leaned her head against Mildred Bear's. "Let's go home."
And with that while I backed out of the parking lot and with Sophie Rose's head leaned to the side against Mildred Bear's, Sophie Rose was asleep even before we were out of the parking lot
Well this is ten thousand words of nothing. I didn't mean for this to become to long, and as I'm writing this I've still got a bit left to write. But after starting it I was like "I need this part in it with Casey and Jen coming to the hospital" or "I need this part in it with Sophie Rose still not wanting to eat when they go to the cafeteria." Etc etc etc. And this is how it ended up. I hope you liked it.
Geez. I wonder how many episodes of friends and new girl I watched while writing this.
Random fact (I usually leave one of these at the end of every chapter. Then sometimes more when it's a oneshot)
Years ago, more exactly July 2013 I wrote a oneshot called "Sleepover with allergies" in the twilight fandom. I remembered that a bit ago, and let's just say that my writing has gotten a whole lot better since 2013. So I wanted to give something like it another try. Which resulted in this one.
I don't get allergic reactions like these myself. So I hope this is about correct. It's a mix of stuff I already knew and could read about it, descriptions of the reactions two of my friends get from allergies and things to suit storylines.
I didn't mean for Sophie Rose to sound quite as clingy and whiny as she is here. But come on, she's six, she's not feeling well and she just wants her daddy. So it makes sense anyway.
I hope you liked it.