Hi everyone! This was a request from Shut-the-French-windows for a fluffy arjo fic with baby Campbell. And I owe an apology for the length of time it took- my other fic took longer than expected! I hope this lives up to expectations!
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Arthur fumbled with the lock, pushing into the house as fast as he could. A phone call from Annie an hour ago had alerted him to the fact that Joan hadn't turned up at work this morning, and couldn't be contacted by her phone or iPad.
"Joan?" he called. There was silence. Systematically, he went from room to room until eventually he bolted into the bedroom to find Joan slumped on the floor by the bed. "Joan!"
He rushed over to her, checking her pulse out of years of training. She stirred, whimpering slightly as she shied away from him. His glancing touch, however, was enough to tell him she was running a temperature and the glazed look in her eyes explained why she hadn't answered her phone. "Oh honey." He murmured. Carefully, he slid his arms around her and lifted her onto the bed.
"Arthur?" she mumbled tiredly.
"It's ok, I'm right here." He hurried into the bathroom, grabbing the thermometer and a cool washcloth before dialling Annie.
"Annie Walker." Came the answer.
"It's Arthur. Joan's sick, she won't be in for the rest of the week. Would you tell the relevant people?"
"Of course. Is she ok?" Annie asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I think so." He responded while simultaneously checking Joan's temperature.
"Do you need anything, or help with Mackenzie?" there was a rustle that was presumably Annie making her way to Calder to tell him why Joan wasn't in.
"No, thank you Annie. I have to go- call if there's an emergency."
"Will do. I hope Joan get's better soon." She hung up, leaving Arthur to try to coax Joan into eating something so she could take some Ibuprofen.
The next day, the babysitter had dropped Mackenzie off and Arthur was now juggling both the baby and a grouchy Joan at the same time. "Do you need anything?" he asked his wife.
"Yes. My laptop." She scowled. He smiled in spite of himself.
"Anything else?" He enquired, face carefully blank. She weakly threw a pillow at him. It fell far short, but he thought it better to strategically retreat at that point.
"I don't think mummy's very happy." He told Mackenzie, who simply threw his toy bear on the floor. "I'll take that as an agreement."
"Hey honey." Arthur poked his head around the door, daring to enter when he saw Joan lying with closed eyes, although she sat up as he approached.
"Hey." She croaked. He smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding out the tray.
"Chicken noodle soup." He informed her. She smiled tiredly.
"Thank you Arthur. I'm sorry i've been so horrible to you." She sipped the soup, pleasure blooming across her face as the taste hit her. "Yum. You've improved."
"Thank you dear." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Are you feeling any better?"
She nodded. "Much. Any chance I can have my laptop?" she looked at him hopefully. He chuckled, shaking his head as he stood.
"Nice try."
A few days later and Joan's pallor and temperature had improved enough that she'd managed to get herself cleaned up in the shower and ventured downstairs for the first time. The morning after, Arthur had crept out of bed when he heard Mack fussing over the monitor, turning it onto silent before fetching the baby and beginning their new morning routine. Once it was done, Mackenzie sat in his high chair playing with a soft bear that Annie and Auggie had bought him when he was born while Arthur carefully placed the fruit on the plat. "Now Mackenzie. You have to stay quiet, because if you wake mummy up then it defeats the purpose of a surprise."
He glanced at the boy, who stared back at him with a smile. "Wonderful. Now remember- shh." He swung Mackenzie onto his hip, balancing him there while carrying the tray in his other hand. He pushed open the bedroom door with his back, smiling as he saw his wife still sound asleep in bed. He quietly put the tray down and lent down to kiss her, waking her instantly.
"Hey there." She smiled when she saw the two of them, reaching out for Mackenzie as he fetched the tray he'd prepared. "Aw, Arthur you didn't have to." she smiled delightedly.
"I wanted to spoil my beautiful wife, especially after you've been so ill." Arthur shrugged, settling beside her.
"Eugh, I hate being sick." She scowled. He smirked.
"Yeah, I got that honey." She frowned playfully, and leaned over to press her lips to his, shifting Mackenzie so that he sat between them. "Has he eaten?"
"Yep- we've been busy, haven't we son?" he chuckled when Mack gurgled and reached for a lock of Joan's hair.
"It looks delicious Arthur, thank you." Joan bit into a slice of toast, dancing a teddy around for Mackenzie as she did so. They ate in a comfortable silence, broken only by the giggles and babbles from Mackenzie.
"So I was thinking… lazy day in bed?" Arthur suggested. Joan raised her eyebrows.
"We have a baby now Arthur. Those days have long gone, at least for the foreseeable future." She smirked. Arthur sighed, grinning.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. I meant watching films, eating crap, not getting dressed all day." He played absently with some of her hair. She smiled.
"It sounds perfect."
They spent the next few hours watching terrible comedies and old Disney films, leaving the bed only to supply Mackenzie with milk and nappy changes when he needed them.
"Can you believe he's ours?" whispered Joan later that evening, once Mack had fallen asleep between them. Arthur smiled at her.
"Absolutely. Look at him. He's obviously yours. Mine… well…" he pretended to deliberate, prompting her to hit him in the arm.
"Not funny." She told him disapprovingly, smiling as Mackenzie wiggled in his sleep, wrinkling his nose. "He's so perfect."
"Yes, he is." Arthur trailed a hand over his head, and they both were content to remain in silence for a while, until Arthur noticed Joan yawning exhaustedly. He picked Mackenzie up, placing him in his crib before sliding back in next to Joan, curling his body around hers.
"I love you." He whispered. She smiled, eyes closed as she reached back and entwined their fingers.
"I love you too."