"Nurse Daddy"
March 2021 – 7 years old
Reid was hunched over his desk, reviewing his notes for his guest lecture next week. Well, right now it was his desk. It also converted into a bed, Morgan having helped him construct a murphy bed-desk combo a few two years ago when it became evident that Sandy no longer required a permanent bedroom in the main house. His office had relocated in the guest bedroom, allowing the kids to use the library for homework without the concern of them seeing something they shouldn't in his files. JJ used his office from time to time as well when she had to bring paperwork home with her.
After he finished reviewing his notes, he moved to reach for his reports he needed to review for his meeting in two days. But he paused for a moment, trying to figure out what was out of place to him. When it connected, it made him chuckle to himself. His office was eerily quiet. He used to enjoy silence, crave it even. Now, nine years after moving in with the love of his life and his oldest child, the silence was unsettling. Just as he was going to get up and turn on the stereo to some classical music, his phone rang.
He glanced down at his caller ID and frowned. "Dr. Reid."
"Good morning, Dr. Reid, this is Mary with Franklin Elementary. I'm afraid Ella is sick. Will you be able to pick her up?" informed the school secretary.
Reid was already out of his chair and heading down the stairs. "Absolutely. I can be there in a few minutes." He collected his keys and locked up the house. About fifteen minutes later, Reid walking into the office. He frowned at the sight of his daughter curled up on the bench next to Jackie. Mrs. LaMontange had taken the nursing position at the school two years ago.
Ella spotted him and reached her arms out, too weak to get up. "Daddy."
Reid bent down and took her into his arms, running a hand over her head. He could feel her fever. "I'm here, sweet girl. It'll be okay." He looked at Jackie.
"She started to complain about her stomach hurting, has been sneezing, and is starting to run a temperature. I think it's the flu," she answered. "Was she showing any signs this morning?"
Reid sighed, "She said she wasn't that hungry this morning, but that was it. It's odd, she had her flu shot. I know it's not 100% effective, but…"
"Well sadly, there's a strain going around that the vaccine didn't cover, particularly the nasal vaccine," she countered, collecting Ella's backpack for him. He signed the paperwork for the office's records.
"Have you checked in on Drew?"
Jackie nodded, "Yeah, he seems fine. He was coloring with Billy when I last checked." She patted Reid on his arm as they reached his car. "I'll keep an eye out. I also called Steph and she'll keep an eye on Henry." The nurse was a good friend to the nurse at their mutual stepson's middle school.
"Thank you," he answered as Jackie set the little girl's items the front seat while he settled the girl in her booster seat in the back. "You think you can bring Drew home? Henry has soccer practice, but Sandy should hopefully be able to handle that."
Jackie nodded, "No problem." She eyed the girl, who looked miserable. "Let me know if you need me to pick you up anything."
"I will, thanks." He kissed his daughter's forehead, any issues he had with her being contagious and his concerns with germs out of the window when he had looked into her sad eyes. "Let's get you home, Elizabeth Rose."
She nodded, moaning a little. "I don't feel good, Daddy." Reid frowned at the name slip, the young girl having graduated to 'Dad' and 'Mom' like her big brother last year. She clearly didn't feel well at all.
"I know, Angel. We'll get you more comfortable at home with some medicine to help you feel better." She nodded again, her eyes drifting closed as he climbed into the driver's seat, waving at Jackie as he made the quick trip home. Pulling into their parking spot, he was soon carrying her inside and tossed her belongings on the bench by the door. Ella's long legs were loosely wrapped around his waist, her arms draped around his neck. He ran a hand up and down her back, noting her long waves were a little damp as he took her upstairs.
He took her to her room first and gently set her on her bed. "You think you can change into some pajamas by yourself?"
The young girl, who had always shown a strong desire to be independent – except maybe when it came to her father – shook her head. "No. I feel icky…sticky."
Reid nodded and went to her dresser, pulling out one of her pajama sets. He set them next to her. "Why don't you try for me? I'm going to get some medicine from the bathroom and a washcloth. I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay." Her voice was small, weak.
He quickly left the room and went down to the adults' bathroom, pulling out a washcloth and a small basin, filling it with luke warm water. He then went to their medicine cabinet and looked over what kid medications they had. Finding the Children's Tylenol, he grabbed that and their thermometer.
When he got back to Ella's room, she had managed to take off her top before dosing off. He sighed softly, setting down his items on her nightstand. He gently pulled off her shoes, socks and jeans and then used the damp washcloth to give her a light sponge bath, knowing that would help her feel better. He continued to let her dose some as he managed to slip on her pajamas. He used the thermometer on her temple, frowning when she registered a 101.5 temperature. Now he knew he had to wake her. "Ella, I need to take some medication. It will make you feel better."
Ella groaned, her chocolate eyes fluttering open. "I don't want to, Daddy."
"It will help bring your temp down and help you sleep," he countered. He poured the amount needed and then helped her sit up. "Please Sweetie."
Ella nodded, reluctantly taking the cherry liquid down. "Yuck."
Reid smiled. "I know, but it's good for you." He helped her get settled back into her bed. "You get a little sleep. I'm going to get you some tissues and some juice. I'll make you some soup in a little while, okay?"
"I'm not hungry," she whined, her eyes drifting shut once again.
"I know, but you need fluids to help you stay hydrated as you sweat out this bug." He ran his hand over her forehead, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Get some sleep right now."
He moved to stand up when he felt her small hand on his arm. "Don't leave me."
A small smile crossed his face at her need for him and he gently shifted her over in her bed so he could squeeze in next to her. "Okay. I'll stay until you fall asleep."
Ella curled into his side. "Sing?" she murmured.
Shaking his head, he sighed softly. Why did she always want to listen to his singing voice when she felt bad? He had done it once when she was three and had an ear infection and apparently it had made an impression on her even though his voice was horrible. "Okay." He kissed the top of her head. "You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine…"
"Just a few more bites," he gently encouraged about two hours later. Ella was slowly eating some of the homemade chicken noodle soup Sandy had stored in their freezer a month ago.
Ella sighed but managed to get in two more spoonfuls before stopping. "No more Daddy."
Reid nodded, setting the mug aside. "You want more crackers?" She shook her head. "Okay, please take a few more sips of your juice."
"I want apple, not orange." She wrinkled her nose.
"Grandma is picking up some apple juice after Henry's practice, but for now this is what we have." He had managed to call Sandy after sneaking out of the little girl's room earlier; she had been working her volunteer shift at the boutique at the Cancer Center today but could leave in time to pick up a few things from the store and take Henry to practice and collect Drew from Will and Jackie's, allowing Reid to focus on the middle child until she was there as back up. He still hadn't had time to call JJ since her team was in Dallas at the moment.
Ella stuck out her bottom lip but took another sip or two. She blinked, her thoughts coming a little clearer. "What about my class?"
Reid blinked as well, having also forgotten about her dance class tonight. "I'll call Miss Mandy and let her know you're sick."
"I want to go," she whined, even as she yawned again.
"I'm afraid you're too weak for any dancing tonight." Ella groaned but nodded. "Do you want to sleep more or watch a movie?"
"In Spanish?" she asked. Although the girl was currently in second grade with the rest of the kids her age, the solution her parents had come up with to fulfill her educational desires was supplemental homeschooling with Reid. It allowed her to stay with her peers chronologically, at least for now. They were still expecting her to skip a grade or two, but he didn't want her to skip as many as he did even if she was capable. He'd reached out to his friends at different colleges and figured out a way for her to take college courses on the side when she was a little older as well. So by the time she graduated high school, she'd probably already have a bachelors completed as well.
Right now her focus was on learning new languages. She'd already mastered sign language and had recently moved onto Spanish. One of their ways to help her learn it was through watching movies in Spanish with subtitles so she could hear and read it. It was an easier way to emulsify her to the new language. They were talking to Emily about a possible trip to Spain with her godmother over the summer as well.
Only, Reid wasn't sure how much she'd retain right now anyway. "How about just in English today? No learning, just feeling better."
Ella sighed and nodded. Reid grabbed their tablet and let the girl pull up a movie. They were barely ten minutes in when he felt her fall asleep again.
"Dad! Guess what?"
Reid quickly came out of the kitchen, fixing more bland food for Ella. "Henry, please use your inside voice, your sister is upstairs sleeping. She's got the flu."
Henry nodded, setting his book and gym bags by the door. "Sorry," he mumbled, sighing. Drew ran in and waved at his Dad, going to the library/study room, most likely back to his puzzles. He'd taken more to the spatial learning and math than reading like his siblings.
"It's okay. Now, what's up? Good practice?" Reid patted Henry on the shoulder before helping Sandy bring in a bag of things from the store, gently guiding the boy into the kitchen with him.
Henry smiled and nodded, "Yep! I scored three goals and coach said if I keep it up, I might get to start this spring!"
"Wow, Henry, that's awesome! Your mom is going to be so ecstatic to hear that," Reid beamed. His phone started to ring on the counter as he set down the bag with juice, applesauce, and a fresh loaf of bread on the counter. He smiled when he looked at the caller ID. "Speaking of which…" He picked up the phone. "Hey."
"Hey Spence. We're on our way back. I have to grab a few things from the office after we land, but I should be home in about four hours. Less if the traffic is light," JJ informed her husband as the team boarded the jet. She smiled at Kate as the brunette gestured she'd start the pot of tea for the women on board. Rossi rolled his eyes as he went for the scotch. She knew he missed sharing 'the case is closed' drink with Hotch, but she just wasn't as big of a fan of the hard liquor as her predecessor.
Reid nodded, "Okay. First thing you should know is that Henry has some great news to share when you get home."
JJ smiled, "Oh? He had practice tonight right?"
"Right." A text alert on his phone made him pull it back, noticing the alert from Ella's tablet. It was the high tech version of ringing a bell. He sighed as he moved to make her a small bowl of applesauce and poured her a new glass of juice. He quickly balanced them on a small tray with some crackers.
JJ frowned, "Spence?"
"Sorry, got distracted. The second thing to know is that Ella's home with the flu." He started up the stairs, smiling at Sandy as she gestured she'd make dinner for the rest. Thank goodness for his mother-in-law.
"She is? Is she okay? Need me to get anything? I can skip the office if I need to," JJ offered, alerting the rest of the plane.
Reid smiled as she slipped into mother-bear mode. "She'll be okay. Do what you need to, but you can say hi first." He entered the room and put the phone on speaker. "Ella, Mom wants to see how you are doing."
The girl took the phone from him as he set the tray of food down, taking her temperature again. 99.7. Better, but he knew she needed another dose of medication. "Hi Mommy."
"Ella, sweetie, I'm sorry you aren't feeling well." She could also profile that by the name slip.
"Daddy is taking good care of me."
"Speaking of which, it's time for some more medication, Angel. You still have a slight temperature," Reid commented.
Ella wrinkled her nose, "It's gross."
"I know, but it will make you feel better," JJ countered. Ella sighed and took the liquid from her father. "Tell you what, when you're feeling better, your Grandma and I will take you shopping for some new dance shoes. I know yours are getting a little small."
"Yay!" Ella cheered and then sneezed twice before groaning.
"Get some rest and I'll see you soon, okay? I'll bring some work home with me tonight and stay home with you tomorrow since Dad has his meeting to get ready for." JJ knew her husband well. She knew he hadn't gotten any work done today if their daughter was ill and that he always liked to review everything even though its all stored in his brain already.
Ella yawned, "Okay Mommy. Love you."
"Love you too, sweetie. Try to eat what Daddy gives you and get some rest."
Reid took the phone off speaker, handing Ella the small bowl of applesauce. "Eat a little bit of this." Ella nodded and he ran a hand through her hair before stepping away. "Jen, you don't have to. Sandy can help out."
"Yes I do, Spence. Just because I'm busy, doesn't mean I can't take time off to care for my children. Particularly since you're needed on the Capital in two days." She glanced and caught Rossi's eye. "Dave can handle any crises that come up in the next forty-eight hours." He nodded before going back to his crossword puzzle, agreeing with her action plan. She was going to have to come up with another plan when he retired, which was supposedly in a few months when he turned 65. It still amused her that he'd pretty much outlasted everyone from the original team he joined back in 2007. "See you soon, Nurse Daddy." The team chuckled.
Reid groaned, "Thanks for that new nickname." JJ giggled, making Reid smile. "See you soon. Love you."
"Love you too, Baby. Thanks for taking such good care of our girl." Reid turned and looked at Ella as she was eating a few crackers and drinking her juice.
"Wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world."
A/N: Planted several spoilers in there. Before anyone asks, I'm not going to tell you exactly what Reid's up to until I get around to it in 'Partners.' You can guess, but I'll neither confirm or deny, rather I'll just let you mull over what he could be doing. And yes, JJ is unit chief. Where's Hotch? That will also be revealed in time (not dead!). I had plans for him before all our cast drama and I promise its good. Where's Morgan? That you'll also have to wait to see.
You said I could reveal spoilers...I never said I'd tell you everything! Patience my friends, I'm pretty sure everyone will be happy with my choices. I put a great deal of thought into it all!