I own nothing
Ichigo wanted to scream.
His father kept his promise. Isshin had been coming up after every appointment and checking up on him. The teenager honestly thought he would come up after every two or three appointments because he would get a little busy and forget one or two times. But no, Isshin came up after every single appointment. Most of his appointments wouldn't last long since they weren't serious so this made Isshin's check-ups on Ichigo frequent. And annoying. The teenager wanted to kick himself for suggesting the idea to his crazy father.
Isshin had just checked on him and had him take his temperature yet again. Unfortunately, Ichigo's temperature had gone up to 39⁰C so his father made him take another dose of medicine and he fussed over him for a few minutes before going back down to the clinic, promising to see Ichigo in bit.
Ichigo wanted to scream.
In fact, he did.
And he did it into his pillow which caused him to go into a coughing fit. He coughed into his pillow for a little bit before removing the pillow and sitting up in bed, breathing fairly heavily.
"I got to do something," he breathed. "Before I go insane."
He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his phone. He typed out text and sent it to the most sympathetic person he knew at this point. Karin.
I need your help! Dad is driving me crazy!
Ichigo stared at his phone until his phone chimed.
How crazy?
He's in Super-Overprotective-Dad-Who-Is-Also-A-Doctor mode. I was stupid enough to suggest that he could come up after every appointment and check up on me.
Ichigo waited a long time for a reply from his little sister.
That was very stupid! But what can I do?
I DON'T KNOW! I just need your HELP! Do you think you can convince Dad to leave me alone for a little bit?
Then, Ichigo's bedroom door opened, causing the teenager to look over. Isshin stuck his head in and looked over at his sick son.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
The orange haired teenager rolled his eyes.
"Same as I was twenty minutes ago," he replied hoarsely in an exasperated tone.
Isshin nodded.
"Ok," he said. "Just checking."
Then, he closed his door.
"You're always 'just checking'," Ichigo muttered.
Then, his phone chimed. He picked up his phone and read the text.
Sorry. Not when he's in that state. You're on your own there.
Ichigo groaned loudly at the reply which caused him to go into a coughing fit. Once he stopped coughing, he glared at the phone.
"Some help you are," he muttered.
Then, he flopped back onto his bed and picked up his book, deciding to attempt to read some more. He got fifteen minutes of peace before Isshin came up and looked in on him.
"Still ok?" he asked.
"Yes," Ichigo replied grumpily, putting his book down.
Isshin nodded.
"Alright," he said. "After this next appointment, I'm going to make lunch. Do you want rice porridge or soup?"
Ichigo made a face. He didn't want either of them. While they're both good, he just wasn't in the mood for either of them.
"Can I have a sandwich instead?" he asked.
Isshin shook his head.
"You need to eat something that will be easy on your stomach," he told him. "So, soup or porridge?"
Ichigo sighed.
"Soup, I guess," he answered, coughing a little.
Isshin nodded again.
"Ok," said the black haired man. "I'll see you in a little bit for lunch."
"See you then," said Ichigo as he picked up his book, intending to read.
Then, Isshin left the room. Ichigo looked over at his door after his father left before turning back to his book.
"I just hope I feel hungry by then," he muttered.
Ichigo continued to read to pass the time while he waited for lunchtime to roll around. Before he knew it, it was time for lunch and his father had entered his room with a tray of food for him.
"Here we go," said Isshin, placing the tray in front of the orange haired teen. "One bowl of warm miso soup."
He wasn't feeling very hungry but Ichigo pulled the tray towards him none the less.
"Thank you," he told his father.
"My pleasure," Isshin replied, sitting down next to his son. "How are you feeling?"
Isshin then placed the back of his hand on Ichigo's still burning forehead while his son lifted the spoon full of soup up to his mouth.
"Fine," the teenager replied, taking a bite of the soup and pushing his father's hand away.
His father sighed a little at the reply. His son always says he's fine even when he isn't.
"How's your cough?" he asked.
"Just like any other cough, I guess," Ichigo answered albeit confused before taking another bite of soup. "It's a cough and it's annoying."
Then, he began to cough. Isshin rubbed his back until Ichigo's coughing fit had passed.
"See?" said the teenager. "Just like any other cough."
"Still," said Isshin, putting a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezing it. "I just need to make sure it isn't causing too much of a problem."
Ichigo rolled his eyes and looked back down at his bowl of soup, feeling full. He had only taken about four bites but he didn't want to eat anymore.
'Dad will worry,' Ichigo thought as he placed his spoon back into the bowl. 'But I just can't eat anymore.'
"I'm full," the orange haired teenager announced, pushing the tray away.
Isshin gave him a concerned look.
"You sure?" he asked. "You didn't eat very much."
The teenager nodded.
"I'm sure."
Isshin frowned.
"Ichigo, you not having an appetite concerns me," his father told him in a worried tone. "You hardly ate breakfast and now you haven't even made a small dent in lunch. I'm wondering if I should take you to the hospital for a second opinion."
Ichigo's eyes widened.
"No!" he exclaimed. "No hospitals! I'm just not hungry is all."
Then, a coughing fit started as a result of his raised voice. It lasted for quite a bit before Ichigo stopped.
"Ok," said Isshin, in Doctor mode now. "Let's get your temperature and then I think it's best you get some rest."
He moved the tray and got Ichigo to lay down. Ichigo didn't put up much of a fight which also concerned the older Kurosaki. Then, he picked up the thermometer, turning it on, and stuck it under the teenager's tongue. Isshin placed the back of his hand on his son's forehead again, trying gauge if it rose anymore. Thankfully, Ichigo's temperature hadn't rose but it still sat at a worrying 39⁰C.
"Well, I can't give you more medicine just yet," Isshin told his son as he placed the thermometer back on Ichigo's bedside table. "Maybe your fever will drop after you get some sleep."
"I'm not tired," the teenager protested, trying to sit up.
Isshin stopped him.
"Sleep is what's best for you right now," he told him, gently pushing him back down. "Take a bit of a nap and we'll see how you're feeling afterwards."
"I'm fine," Ichigo protested again, trying to sit up again while coughing a little.
"You need to settle down," said Isshin soothingly. "Come on now. Lay down."
Ichigo laid back down and turned onto his side. Isshin then decided to rub his son's back.
"I'm fine," Ichigo murmured, his eyes closing.
"Just get some sleep," Isshin murmured back.
Isshin continued to rub Ichigo's back until his son had fallen asleep. Once the orange haired teenager was sleeping, Isshin stood up, picked up the tray and went back downstairs.
Isshin worried about his son throughout the afternoon. Each time he went up to check on him, Ichigo would be fast asleep, coughing a little.
The Kurosaki patriarch went upstairs one more time before his last appointment and checked on Ichigo. The teenager was still fast asleep in the position he was in when he first fell asleep, getting his much needed rest. Isshin went over to his son and placed the back of his hand on his forehead. Worry drenched the man when he still felt the warmth coming from his only son's forehead. He brushed back some of his son's hair before leaving his room.
He went downstairs to the clinic and looked over at lady and young boy who were sitting in the chairs, reading a magazine together.
"You may come in now," he told him.
The lady looked up at him before turning towards her child and giving him a small smile. The boy, who appeared to be about six, got up and slowly walked towards him, his mother following. Isshin opened up the door and let them in. Then, he led them to an examination room and opened the door for them. They entered and the boy's mother helped him up onto the exam table while Isshin grabbed a rolling chair and sat down in it.
"Ok," Isshin started gently, facing the boy. "What seems to be the problem?"
The boy looked over nervously at his mother. She nodded at him, encouraging him to speak.
"My head and tummy hurt," he spoke nervously. "I cough too."
Isshin nodded.
"And he's had a temperature of 38.3⁰C since this morning," the mother added.
Isshin nodded again.
'It sounds similar to Ichigo,' he thought to himself.
"Well," said the doctor, straightening up. "I have an idea on what's the problem. But let me exam you just to be sure."
The boy nodded nervously. Isshin noticed that the mother was looking nervous too. So, he smiled comfortingly before examining the boy.
"It's just a case of the flu," Isshin announced after he examined the boy.
The child gave him a confused look while the mother still looked nervous.
"You'll have to stay home for a week," Isshin told the boy. "And you'll have to take it easy."
"Can I play with my toys?" the boy asked.
"That's up to your mother," the doctor told him. "But I think as long as you're playing quietly, you can play with your toys."
The boy smiled at that.
Isshin smiled back.
"Now," he said, "outside this door is a roll of stickers. You can choose three."
He helped the boy down and opened the door for him. The boy went over to the stickers, coughing a little. The mother stood up after he went into the hallway.
"Thank you Doctor," she told him.
"It's no trouble at all," he replied to her gently.
"Doctor Kurosaki, can I ask you a question?" she asked, looking over at her son.
Isshin nodded.
"Of course," he said, smiling at her. "Ask away."
"How do you stay calm?" she asked, turning back towards him. "With children I mean. How do keep yourself calm when your children are sick?"
'This might be her first sick visit with her child,' Isshin thought to himself.
"I'm guessing this is the first time your son got sick enough to have to go to the doctor?" Isshin questioned gently.
The lady nodded as her son came back with his three stickers.
"Well, with children, you have to realize that when you're nervous, they get nervous too," Isshin explained. "They can sense what you're feeling so it's important to stay calm. But how you calm yourself down is different for everyone. When my kids were sick, especially when they were as young as yours, what I would do to calm myself down is sit with them and do their favorite quiet activity with them. It made me feel better because I was with them and if they needed me for something, I would be right there. You can that out if you want."
The mother smiled a little.
"I will try that," said the boy's mother, putting her hands on her son's shoulders. "Thank you so much Doctor Kurosaki."
"You're welcome," Isshin replied, smiling back at her. "Oh, to help your son feel better, have him take this every couple of hours."
The black haired man went over and wrote out a prescription for the boy. Once he was done, he handed the piece of paper to the boy's mother. The lady and her child thanked him before paying and leaving the clinic.
After they left, Isshin closed the clinic and made his way towards the kitchen. Once he got there, he looked around.
"Well, I better get started on dinner," he muttered.
Then, he went to the fridge to decide what to make.
Author's note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I was having a hard time writing this and I thought about redoing this many times. If you think I should, let me know. And any constructive criticism will be very helpful.