Becky woke up that morning and immediately sensed that something was off. She sat up and glanced over at her husband, Jesse, his tousled black hair the only thing visible as he continued snoring quite loudly. She looked at the clock and saw that it was five minutes past 6am and it was then that she realized what was off.
Pamela, their now two year old baby girl always woke up at exactly 6am without fail every single morning. She would stand up in her crib and call for them until either Jesse or Becky went to get her. Becky picked up the baby monitor on the nightstand to assure that it was still working properly. She could hear Pamela's breathing and light snoring.
Becky gently shook Jesse to wake him. "Jess? Honey? Pamela didn't wake us up this morning. She's still asleep. I'm gonna go check on her"
Jesse mumbled incoherently as his eyes began to open. "Mmm okay sweetheart love you" he finally uttered in a sleepy tone.
The woman got up from bed and made her way to Pamela's room. She stood over her daughter's crib and gently placed the back of her hand onto the baby's forehead. Sure enough, Becky could feel that she was running a fever.
Panic began to settle within Becky. Their little girl was sick and it would be the first time since they adopted her. She carefully scooped Pamela into her arms, holding her close, and kissing the top of her head.
"Ohh is mommy's little girl not feeling well?" Becky cooed softly to the sleepy toddler.
She sat down with Pamela in the rocking chair near her crib and the baby girl cuddled closer to her.
Becky took a look around the room at the lavender painted walls that her and Jesse had painted together, the big pink letters across the wall that spelled out "Pamela". There was even a painting of Elvis, which Jesse had insisted on until Becky finally gave in.
Also on the walls were framed photos that consisted of a shot of Becky and Jesse with Pamela on the day they adopted her, a photo of Pamela with her older brother's Nicky and Alex, and a few photos with all of her Tanner-Fuller cousins. There were toys scattered across the floor and Becky could not help but smile at the thought of just how much love their little girl was surrounded by.
The early morning sunrise began peering in through the blinds and Becky had been so focused on Pamela that she didn't even notice when Jesse came in.
He walked over to them, leaning over and giving a kiss to the foreheads of both Becky and Pamela. "How're my princesses doing this morning?"
"Well, this little princess has a fever and seems extra sleepy this morning. I'm worried about her, Jess." said Becky, looking down at Pamela.
Jesse reached down for Pamela and held his little girl in his arms. He pressed his hand against her forehead and felt that she did in fact seem to be running a fever.
"Daddy's going to get us some breakfast, okay? That should get you feeling better" He walked her to the kitchen and Becky followed.
The worried look on Becky's face never left as she sat in the kitchen next to Pamela in her highchair. Jesse quickly picked up on this and placed a comforting hand on top of her hand.
"Becky, my love, you don't have to worry. Pamela's going to be fine. She probably just caught a little bug or something. It'll be gone in no time" Jesse reassured her.
Becky bit her bottom lip and her worry melted away just a bit. "I hope that's all it is"
Jesse poured cheerios into Pamela's favorite Elmo bowl and sliced up a banana, her favorite fruit, on the side. He then poured some apple juice into her sippy cup.
Pamela drank most of the apple juice but was refusing to eat.
"That's it. We're taking her to the doctor's" said Becky.
And at this point Jesse knew better than to argue with his wife once her mind was made up, and especially when it came to their children.
"Okay, you're right, we should take her to the doctor just to be safe. So how's about you go take yourself a shower and I'll get Pamela ready" offered Jesse as he massaged Becky's shoulders.
Becky nodded in agreement. "Okay, honey. I won't be long" And she got up from the table, giving Jesse a quick peck on the lips, then headed to the back.
"Now let's get you ready, Princess" said Jesse to Pamela as he got her out of her highchair.
He went back into the nursery and began searching through Pamela's drawer for an outfit for her to wear. He settled on a pair of pink leggings with a white long sleeved shirt that had a kitten on it with glittery pink hearts.
Once she was dressed, Jesse retrieved Pamela's comb, brush, and hair products from on top of her dresser and he began to style her hair into two afro puffs. The man would never forget how much effort he had put into researching and practicing on how to take care of Pamela's texture of hair. He learned so much and it was now one of his favorite bonding times with Pamela.
He then took her into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her little teeth. "All done! Now you're fresh and ready to go! Let's go check on mommy now"
Becky was also now dressed and ready to go. All she could think about was Pamela so she did not put much effort into her appearance that day. Instead sporting grey sweatpants, a plain top, and her hair in a loose ponytail.
Jesse had already gotten dressed earlier so they were now headed for the door. He grabbed the keys while Becky held Pamela and grabbed her purse as well as the diaper bag.
When they got to the car, Becky decided to sit in the back with Pamela. As he drove, glanced at his rear view mirror and his heart melted at the sight of Becky holding Pamela's hand and resting her head against her car seat.
While he hated to see her under so much stress and worry, it was also a testament to just how deeply she loved their little girl. Jesse loved her just as much and since Pamela entered their lives he found himself loving Becky even more than he thought could be possible.
A short while later, the family arrived at the hospital and Becky went to get Pamela checked in at the front desk.
Now, they sat in a waiting room in the pediatric ward. It was quiet and Doc Mcstuffins played on the TV overhead.
Before long, the nurse called for them and took them into an examining room. After a routine exam, it was determined that Pamela did in fact have a fever and also an ear infection.
The doctor gave them medicine for the ear infection and a sticker for Pamela for her good behavior.
"Just make sure she's getting plenty of fluids and it should pass eventually. A little tender loving care should do the trick. Pamela's so lucky to have such caring, involved, parents such as yourselves." said the doctor with a smile.
Both Becky and Jesse looked at each other with pride. "Thank you, but we're definitely the lucky ones" said Jesse.
Later on that evening, they were now back home with Pamela. They were laying in bed with Pamela in the middle, watching one of her favorite movies Moana.
Just then, they heard the rattling of keys and the front door opening and knew it was Nicky and Alex paying them another surprise visit.
However, this time the couple realized that their boys surprisingly weren't there to ask for money.
"Dad texted us to let us know Pamela was sick so we got her this teddy bear and box of animal crackers from the store" explained Nicky as Alex handed Pamela the teddy bear and cookies.
"That was very sweet of you boys. Thank you" said Becky, giving them both a hug.
They hesitated for a moment, looking at each other then their parents, before continuing. "Also, can we have like $400 bucks for rent?" Alex quickly blurted out. The twins both shared the same "playing innocent" grins as they waited for an answer.
Jesse simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's always something with you two, I swear"
"Yeah, but you love us anyways" said Nicky as he and Alex both plopped onto the bed.
It didn't take too long before Pamela was fast asleep as well as Nicky and Alex.
"Must've worn themselves out from doing nothing all day" joked Jesse, causing Becky to chuckle lightly.
A few moments went by, then Becky looked over at Jesse and reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Hey, Jess? I love you. So much."
"I love you too, Becky." Jesse replied, softly kissing the top of her hand.
