Disclaimer: not mine
AN: this is a sequel of sorts to The Path to Healing, but I don't think it matters if you haven't read the first story.
In Sickness and in Life 2/4
And for the next 63 minutes Mac did sleep, that was until she heard a noise and opened one eye to find Ella standing by her bed with tears streaming down her face.
"What's wrong, Ella?" she asked, sitting up.
"I'm really sorry, mommy," she sobbed, not stepping closer to her mother despite Mac's opened arms.
"What are you sorry about?" Mac asked, reaching for her hand.
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I didn't mean for it to happen I just couldn't help it."
"Help what?" Mac asked, her brain in a sleep fog.
"I had an accident," she said, rubbing her hand across her face to dry her tears.
"Oh, baby," Mac said, standing up. "It's okay." She kissed Ella's head. "You're sick, you can't help wetting yourself."
"Oh, mommy," she sobbed. "It was more than wetting myself."
Mac just smiled, it was either that or cry. "That's okay too, baby. I know you didn't mean it."
"It's so embarrassing," Ella said, resting her head on Mac's chest.
"No one has to know," Mac said. Kissing her head. "It'll be our secret."
"Promise?" she asked, looking up at Mac with her tear stained face.
"Promise," she said, kissing her nose. "Okay, let's get you cleaned up."
While Ella showered and cleaned herself, Mac went to work on the stained sofa, very glad they'd paid the extra to have it scotchgarded. Fifteen minutes later, she joined Ella in the bathroom and helped the child dry and dress once more.
"How are you feeling?" Mac asked as she dried the girl's hair.
"A bit better," she said wrapping her arms around Mac's waist. "Just really tired."
"I know the feeling, baby," Mac replied, hanging up the towel. "How about we climb into bed and see if we can get a bit more sleep?"
"Okay," she said with a nod, following her mother back to the bed.
"Do you need to use the bathroom first?" Mac asked as she held the covers up.
"No, I'm good," she said. "I promise I won't mess your bed."
Mac just smiled knowing it was a promise a sick little girl really couldn't make.
It was another hour of sleep for Mac until the phone disturbed her. Silently she cursed anyone who dared call her at 0800 but then she remembered she did have a baby boy not at home.
"MacKenzie," she grumbled into the receiver.
"Oh, darling, I woke you, didn't I?" Trish said, instantly apologetic. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Mac said, knowing the woman didn't mean to.
"How are things? You sound exhausted," she said, rocking David in her arms.
"Not great," Mac said before giving Trish a rundown of the night's events.
"You should have called, Frank or I would have come and helped out," Trish said, feeling sorry for her daughter-in-law.
"No, you and Frank did your share yesterday and the day before," Mac said. "And besides you have my little man there. He's no trouble is he?"
"Not at all," Trish said quickly. "He slept like a baby and ate all his breakfast."
"Good, I'm glad," she said, "Sounds like he missed the bug."
"Yes, it does," she said, as thankful as Mac was for the good luck. "I do think he misses his mommy though."
"Mommy misses him," Mac said tearfullly. She hated being away from her loved ones at any time.
"Why don't I come over for a bit and you can come here for a while? Maybe you can nurse him at lunch time and grab a nap with him this afternoon. It will do you both the world of good," Trish suggested.
"Sounds great," Mac said with a sigh. A nap sounded good. Very good.
Leaving her patients sleep, Mac made the rounds and collected all the laundry dumped in various places the night before and sorted it into piles. She grimaced when she realised there were at least five loads and she wasn't looking forward to any of it. Putting on the first load, Mac headed to the kitchen and took in the mess in there as well. Used to a spotless kitchen, she frowned when she saw it was littered with plates and glasses and other bits and pieces over the benches. There was the mail from the last few days still unopened; there were keys and sunglasses, an empty soda bottle and a couple of stray pens.
There was a mountain of work throughout the house and she had no energy or inclination to do any of it. Still, she drew a deep breath, told herself to suck it up and started in the living room, making sure all evidence of Ella's accident was gone. Thankfully it was.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" Trish asked surprising her as she was on her hands and knees cleaning a spot from the carpet from where someone had spilt a drink.
"Oh, you're earlier than I expected," Mac said, getting to her feet.
"I thought you needed a break sooner rather than later," she said, wrapping her arm around Mac's shoulder. "Did you get any sleep in DC?"
"Nope," she said taking a deep breath. "Well, about five hours all up."
"You poor thing," Trish said, leading her back to the kitchen and sitting her on a stool. "I'm going to make you some breakfast and then you can head over to see your son. How does that sound?"
"It sounds great but there's a pile of work..." she began but Trish shook her head.
"Let me rephrase that," she interjected. "I am going to feed you and send you to La Jolla, okay?" she said firmly and Mac nodded.
"Okay," she agreed, though she had little choice.
Within the hour, Mac was on her way to her in-laws house and Trish set to in the house cleaning it from one end to the other, dividing her time with between the housework and the laundry, while also spending some time checking on the sleeping beauties in the master bedroom.
With the third load of laundry in the washing machine and the first two loads on the clothes line, Trish realised she was running out of room and as the third load finished she threw it into the tumble dryer before starting the fourth.
It was at this stage she decided a coffee was needed and poured herself a cup, taking a few precious minutes to sit at the table and drink it while flicking through some catalogues.
"Life of luxury, hey, mom," Harm said, wandering through the door and plonking himself in a chair opposite.
"Something like that, honey," she said with a smile, happy to see her son out of bed and far more coherent than the day before. "Can I get you something?"
"Not yet," he said with a sigh.
"Ella still asleep?" Trish asked and Harm nodded before yawning. "Good. She had a rough night."
"What happened?" Harm asked, scratching his chest.
Quietly, Trish explained things as Mac had explained them to her and Harm shook his head. "Why don't you go home, mom. You must be exhausted. I'm doing better. I'm sure I can look after myself and Ella."
"I'm not exhausted, darling," she said with a smile. "I only got here an hour and a half ago. Mac did all the hard work."
"Mac's in DC," he said, shaking his head.
"No, she came home yesterday evening," Trish explained. "She's gone to spend some time with David at my house and to take a much needed nap."
"Is she okay?" he asked, trying to put the pieces together; he had some vague recollection of Mac being with him the night before.
"She's exhausted," Trish said honestly. "She didn't get much sleep in DC and none last night."
"Oh," Harm said. "Poor thing."
"Yes, but I'm sure a few cuddles with David and some decent sleep and she'll be good as new," Trish said. "Now, I've got some chores to be getting on with. I want to have this place cleaned and organised so she doesn't have anything to do when she gets back."
"Can I help?" he asked, not too sure what he was actually capable of.
"Maybe you can go and check on Ella and see if she's ready for something to eat and drink," Trish suggested and Harm nodded before wandering back to his room.
When he hadn't returned in ten minutes, Trish went to investigate and smiled when she saw father and daughter curled up together sound asleep. Breakfast would have to wait.
Meanwhile, Mac had arrived at the Burnett household in the late morning and was busy playing with David as Frank organised lunch for her, despite her protests; she really wasn't all that interested in food.
"Come on, Davy," he said, picking up David who had been playing on the floor with his mom. "Let's let your momma eat." He offered a hand to Mac and helped her stand. "It's lunch time."
Sitting at the dining table, Mac looked over at her son sitting in his highchair, happy with the teething rusk Frank had given him. Looking down, she stared at the avocado pesto chicken pasta Frank had prepared. It looked nice enough, smelt alright but her stomach had been unsettled since breakfast and she was thinking she was succumbing to the same bug her husband and daughter had.
"Something wrong?" Frank asked, sitting down next to David.
"No, it looks great," she said, which in itself wasn't a lie.
"But you're not feeling well, are you?" he asked, standing and taking her dish.
"I'm not," she said shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Frank. You went to so much trouble."
"Honey, all I did was heat it up," he admitted with a smile. "Trish did all the hard work." Mac smiled in return and sighed. "Why don't you go and lie down for a bit while Davy naps and see how you're doing in a couple of hours?
A couple of hours later, Mac returned home feeling slightly better and was pleased to find that Harm and Ella were both awake, sitting together in the living room watching Toy Story 3. While both were still looking a little pasty, they weren't as pale as they had been when she left and Mac took it as a good sign.
"How are you feeling, dear?" Trish asked, hooking her arm through Mac's and leading her to an armchair.
"Fine, thanks, Trish," Mac replied automatically in a whisper.
"Try again," she said, taking in the colour of Mac's skin and the dark circles under her eyes.
"Did Frank call you?" she asked and Trish nodded. "I'm alright...just feeling a little queasy."
"Well, these two seem to be on the mend," she reported with a weary smile.
"That's good," Mac replied with a sigh. It was then the others realised Mac was home.
"Hey, mommy's home!" Ella exclaimed, crawling out of her father's arms and moving across to her mother's.
"How are you feeling, baby?" Mac asked, bringing Ella into her lap and kissing her forehead.
"Doing better, mom," she said, leaning her head against Mac's shoulder.
"Glad to hear it," Mac said, leaning back in the chair and bringing Ella with her.
"How are you, gorgeous?" Harm asked, joining them.
"I'm o..." she started but Trish interrupted.
"Mac's not feeling too well," she said, raking her fingers through Mac's hair. "And I think we should send her to bed and ..."
"I slept for three hours at your place," Mac interjected.
"You need lots of fluid and lots of rest," Trish said firmly.
"Okay," she said begrudgingly after all she felt like she could sleep another ten hours.
"In that case," Harm said, helping Ella climb down. "I'm going to put you to bed." Taking both her hands, he pulled her up and smiled as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest and sighing deeply. "Come on."
As they walked through the house, Mac noticed how spotless it looked and could only smile; she'd have to remember to thank Trish for all her work. Entering the bedroom, she smiled again when she saw the freshly made bed, just what she needed.
"Nightgown or pyjamas?" Harm asked as he sat Mac on the side of the bed and headed to her drawers.
"Nightgown," she said stifling a yawn before attempting to stand up. "But I can get it."
"Let me," he said, opening the drawer and picking up her favourite blue nightgown. "This one okay?" When Mac nodded he closed the drawer and brought it across to her. "Need some help changing?"
"Think I can manage," she said with a smile. "But wouldn't mind a bottle of water and maybe a bucket...just in case."
"Sure thing," he replied, leaning in and kissing her head.
By the time Harm returned, Mac was nestled deep under the covers, her eyes closed and her skin looking paler against the white of her pillow. Quietly, Harm placed the bucket beside the bed and left the bottle on the bedside table. Deciding he'd rather keep a close eye on his wife than anything else, Harm left to check with his mother and daughter that they didn't need him. Assured they didn't, he returned to the bedroom and slipped off his robe before toeing off his slippers and peeling back the covers.
Sliding in beside her, Harm lay on his side and watched Mac sleep. It didn't take long for Mac to register she wasn't alone and slowly she made her way across the small gap and into his arms.
Holding on to her, Harm kissed her head and drifted off to sleep alongside her. It was an hour or so later that Harm awoke, pleased Mac was still in his arms and asleep. Slowly, he turned his head looking for the cause of his awakening.
"Daddy," Ella whispered. "How's mommy?"
"Still asleep," he whispered in reply.
"Are we well enough to look after her or do we need grandma to stay?" she questioned, creeping closer to his side of the bed.
"We can do it," he said, hoping he wasn't exaggerating their ability. "Why?"
""Cos grandpa called and I think Davy might be sick and grandma might need to go there," she reported, slowly climbing in beside him.
"Did grandma send you in?" he asked, concerned she would send Ella as a messenger given the circumstances.
"No, she's still on the phone," she said, snuggling into him. "But she was saying she thinks she's needed here too and I thought that maybe we'd be okay."
"We'll definitely be okay," he said, kissing her head. He would most definitely prefer to go and get his son and take care of him himself, however, he was also realistic. He was still lightheaded and lethargic, most likely, he wouldn't be well enough to drive the distance to reach him. Given those circumstances, he wanted his mother to do it for him. He trusted his mother implicitly when it came to his children's wellbeing.
It didn't take Ella long to fall asleep and Harm lay there listening for signs his mother was coming to check on Ella's whereabouts. He only had to wait five minutes.
"I thought as much," Trish whispered, peering through the door and seeing Harm was awake.
"Best thing for her... for both of them," he said, looking from his daughter to his wife and back to his mother.
"And what about you?" she asked, coming in and sitting at the foot of the bed.
"I woke up when El came in," he said. "I'm sure I'll be asleep five minutes after you leave too."
"Well, that's what I came to talk to you about," she said quietly and then proceeded to tell him of her phone call with Frank. Harm never let on that Ella had given him an early briefing.
"Well, mom, I know Frank is capable but I think we'd feel better if you were there with him and David," Harm said in a whisper. "Ella and I are doing much better and we can look after Mac, but David's just a baby and ..."
"Yes, that's what I was thinking," Trish said surprising him; maybe things were worse with David than she had let on.
"You will let us know how he is, and if he gets worse," Harm said, caressing Mac's head as she stirred.
"Of course," Trish said getting to her feet. "Now, what would you like me to do before I go?"
"Nothing, mom," he said with a brief shake of his head. "Thanks for everything you've done. We wouldn't have managed without you."
"Well, I won't say it was a pleasure," she said with a smirk. "As I can think of more pleasurable things to do, but you are most welcome. Call us if you need anything and either Frank or I will come straight away."
"And you will let us know about Davy, won't you?" Harm asked again.
"I'll take that repeated question as a sign of your concern for your son and not your level of consciousness," she said with a laugh. "Now, I'm not kissing any of you goodbye as someone needs to stay well."
"Bye, mom," he said and closed his eyes as Trish left the room and went home.
Feeling better than he had been, which wasn't all that hard considering he had felt worse than death, Harm didn't fall back to sleep, instead dozing on and off as his girls slept tucked against him. It did his heart wonders to know that in times like this he was still able to comfort and care for two of the most precious people in his life.
It was dark before Ella stirred again, this illness taking so much out of his usually bright and bubbly daughter.
"I'm hungry, daddy," she murmured when she saw he was looking at her.
"That's a good sign," he said, kissing her head.
"Are you?" she asked, managing to focus on his face.
"I think I am, a little," he said, kissing her forehead before the clock caught his eye. "Well, given it's nearly 7:30, I'm not surprised we're hungry."
"7:30 night or morning?" she asked with a yawn. It was so hard to keep track of such things when you were sick.
"Night," he said, letting her go as she sat up.
"I slept all afternoon?" she asked in surprise.
"Looks like it, kiddo," he said, "But it's for the best. It will make you get better quicker."
"Do you think mom will feel better when she wakes up?" she questioned, peering over her father to look at her mother.
"I hope so, baby," he replied, looking at Mac too. "But you have to remember we got really sick before we got better, mommy hasn't been really sick yet."
"Oh, poor mommy," she said pouting. "I hope she doesn't get as sick as me."
"Or me," Harm said, not wishing it on anyone.
"I'm feeling a little better," Mac said, her eyes still closed.
"Are you hungry?" Ella asked and Mac thought about it for a minute before she nodded. Ella slipped out of bed and disappeared.
"Where do you think she's going?" Mac asked Harm as she yawned and looked up at him.
"No idea," he replied. "Now, how are you really feeling?"
"Still a little fuzzy," she said, thinking it was the best word to describe how she was feeling. "I think it was everything catching up with me...I have had little sleep all week and I think that was a big contributing factor."
"Well, how about we go organise some supper and just curl up in the living room for a bit?" he said, needing a change of scenery. "And then we'll take it from there."
