Here's part three :) Chocolate Mikkah, you get your wish, because I had already started writing that when you reviewed!
Disclaimer: I only own Olivia.
A sharp cry penetrated the stillness of the night. Wearily Mal rolled out of bed and shuffled down the hall. Natara had made a reluctant visit to her mother's for several days, and she had been gone for four days and planned on returning in the morning.
As soon as he scooped her up, Olivia grabbed his hand and edged it towards her mouth. As she did so, he frowned at the warm feeling of her skin. Sighing, he grabbed the thermometer Natara kept within easy reach and stuck it under the baby's tongue. He bounced Olivia up and down until the thermometer let out a small beep.
"Hundred and two," he read. "And you get sick the night before your mom comes home on the first time she leaves us alone." Her breathing was congested, and her cries were hoarse and miserable sounding.
He carried her into the kitchen and found the lengthy list of emergency numbers that Natara insisted on sticking to the fridge, and dialed the number for the night shift pediatrician. He didn't necessarily think a doctor was needed but Natara had empathized heavily that if Olivia so much as showed one symptom of a cold, to call the pediatrician.
"Hello, Dr. Emily Holly speaking," a polite voice greeted. It was difficult to hear her over the infant's pitching wails, so Mal had to clear his throat and speak up.
"My daughter has a fever of one hundred and two, and she's stuffy."
"Bring her in. We're open tonight."
Mal hung up and grabbed one of Olivia's little sweaters and a blanket from her room. "You know what the good thing about it being just the two of us? You can go out in your pajamas."
Olivia had settled somewhat, but fidgeted uncomfortably during the ride to the clinic, crying out occasionally. Finally they arrived, and Olivia clutched tightly onto his jacket collar as they walked into the exam room.
Dr. Holly smiled. "Hi, there." She grabbed a thermometer. "It was one hundred and two?" Mal nodded as Dr. Holly took Olivia's temperature again. "It's gone up a bit, but nothing too serious. How old is she?"
"Six months." Mal let Olivia grasp his thumb tightly as Dr. Holly listened to her heartbeat.
"She is congested. I'll look in her ears, and we'll be done!" The little girl fussed as the cold tool was pressed against her ear. "It looks like she has an ear infection." Dr. Holly stood up.
Mal cringed. "Ouch. It must suck to be sick when you're too little to tell anyone." He accepted the prescription that the pediatrician handed him. "Guess it's a good thing your mommy keeps half the phonebook stuck to the fridge."
Dr. Holly chuckled. "She should be fine if she takes those antibiotics. You can slip them into her bottle if she won't take them. She may spit it up, but keep trying."
Mal nodded and left, buckling Olivia into her car seat. She squirmed and whimpered sporadically during the ride home, but had calmed noticeably.
"Alright… let's try this." He opened the bottle of medicine, and made a face. "Ick. This stuff smells like crap. No wonder you may spit it up. Just not on me, alright?" He prepared a bottle and mixed it with the medication. Olivia scrunched her nose up and furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar taste. "Tastes bad? I'd put sugar and chocolate in it, but Natara would probably kill me."
It took several tries, but finally Olivia managed to hold down the milk without coughing it up. He changed her into a clean diaper and tee shirt before tucking her back into her crib. "Just scream like a maniac if you need me."
As if she understood him, Olivia began to bawl minutes after he had tiredly collapsed onto his bed and fallen asleep. He sighed and returned to the nursery. "I kind of meant after I had slept a little… but you win." He picked her up and carried her into the living room. He sat on the sofa and turned the television on. "Our secret. Mommy can't find out I've been letting you rot your brain with TV."
He lay back, propping his feet up as Olivia curled into his chest, her eyes focused on the nearly muted television screen. His hand rested protectively on her back to prevent her from rolling off of him, and she let out a small sigh before they both fell asleep.
And that was how Natara found them when she quietly slipped into the apartment that morning. She set her bag down on the floor and smiled at the sight of Mal asleep, with Olivia snuggled into him, out like a light. She took a photo with her phone, wanting yo capture the moment. She then bent over the back of the couch and kissed them both, stirring Mal awake.
"Mmh..." he groaned. "You're back..."
"Oh, no. I'm still there," she scoffed. But her grin remained plastered in place.
"What? Something on my face?"
"No. It's just that the two of you look so cute cuddled up like that." She grinned ear to ear.
"Hey, she's cute. I'm handsome. There's a difference."
"Whatever." Natara looked at the television. "Mal, was she watching TV the whole time I was gone?"
"Well, she did go to bed after nine most of the time..."
Natara groaned. "I'd be angry, but I'll let it slide. But only because that was the most adorable thing I've seen. How was she?"
"She got an ear infection last night."
"What?" Natara gasped.
"It's all good. I was a superhero and fled to the pediatrician's office in my invisible cape."
"Mal..." Natara picked Olivia up and snuggled her. The baby barely awakened, but curled into her mother's shoulder. "You could have called me."
"It was late, Nat. And I knew she'd be fine." Mal sat up. "And she was after I brought her in here. By the way, if that gets out, I'll be very disappointed..."
"Aww, come on! It's sweet! You were just being a protective daddy who wants his baby girl to be cozy."
"Yes. What a teddy bear I am."
She laughed. "Mal Fallon has a cuddly side. Who knew? Tell me, what else do you two do when nobody's here to tease you? Lullabies?"
He glared at her. "That's for me to know, and for you to never know. So don't even bother profiling it. And I hope the memory lasts, because you may not see it again."
"I took a picture. It lasts longer."
Hehe :)