So thank you to everyone who is still reading this. I'm not sure if anyone is because I'm getting no reviews and my traffic stats are malfunctioning. I'm gonna keep writing and publishing because I love writing, but I'm not gonna lie, it's kinda depressing not knowing if anyone is reading. Anyway, hope you like this chapter.
Allie Claire was a miserable teether. She was in a lot of pain, ran a fever, and only liked being held by Mommy or Daddy. They had asked Chloe to babysit one night when they went out during Allie Claire's teething phase.
They hadn't known a new one was coming in, but when the little girl had woken up from her nap, she had had a low fever and cried for so long that Chloe had called Aubrey to come over and help.
When neither of Allie Claire's usual favorite Aunties could calm her down, they called Beca and Jesse. When the two parents arrived home, they found Allie Claire in tears and Chloe and Aubrey looking pretty close to them. Beca took the baby, and she calmed almost immediately.
"We are so sorry," Chloe said, looking at the sweaty, tear-stained little girl her best friend was holding, "She woke up with a fever and normally, she likes me when she's not feeling good. I don't know what happened."
"I think she might be getting a new tooth," Beca said, rubbing the little girl's back, popping a finger in her mouth and feeling the swelling on her gum, "She's cut five already and had been miserable every time. I'm sorry. I should have warned you. I didn't think she was cutting a new one, but I guess she is."
"I'm sorry Allie Claire," Aubrey said, putting a hand on the little girl's back.
The cranky baby just buried her head in her mom's shoulder, crying again.
"It's nothing personal, Bre," Beca said, calming the little girls down as the blonde pulled back her hand, looking lost, "She's a miserable little teether. She doesn't like to be away from Jesse or me. Why don't two join us for dinner? Jesse's gonna order Chinese since we didn't get the chance to eat."
"We don't want to intrude on your night," Aubrey said, knowing the two were supposed to go out on a nice date that night.
"Don't worry," Beca said, "A teething baby takes the romance out of any night. She's not going to let us put her down for the rest of the night."
"Alright," Chloe said, smiling at her best friend, "Thanks."
"I'll be right back," Becca said, getting up from the couch, "I need to go put on some sweats."
Beca headed upstairs, easily changing her pants while holding Allie Claire. She then gave the little girl to Jesse to change her shirt.
Once she was changed, she took the fussy six-month-old back.
"I'll go order dinner," Jesse said, rubbing Allie Claire's back as she nuzzled into Beca's chest, "Are Chloe and Aubrey staying?"
"Yeah. Why don't you call Matt and Evan and see if they want to come too," Beca said, feeling Allie's forehead, noting the warmth.
Every website and book she read said that a fever was not caused by teething, but she had asked the pediatrician, and he said every baby reacts differently. So far, Allie Clair had a fever every time she got new teeth, and while Beca monitored it, she had begun to accept that was just the way her little girl's body dealt with the pain.
"Hey Chlo, Bre," she called, coming down the stairs, "Did you guys give her anything for this fever and pain?"
"No," Chloe said, smacking her forehead, "She was so cranky I forgot."
"It's fine," Beca said, heading into the kitchen to grab the baby Motrin off the counter, giving the right amount to her daughter, grabbing a frozen wash cloth that had been a savior when Allie Claire was teething before and heading back to her friends.
"I'm so sorry," Chloe said when Beca came back into the living room.
"Don't worry about it," Beca said, handing Allie Claire the frozen washcloth as the baby cuddled into her, chewing on the cold cloth, "I know she is a handful when she's not feeling well. She gets it from Jesse."
"Hey," the composer said, coming downstairs, "I'm not that terrible."
"Of course," Beca said, giving Chloe and Aubrey an oh please look.
He scoffed playfully as he went into the kitchen to order dinner.
"Daddy's a pain in the butt when he's sick isn't he Allie Claire?" Beca said, tickling the little girl's tummy before looking at her friends, "He acts like he's dying when he gets a little cold."
"That's how Evan is," Chloe said, smiling a little, "And I know Matt's like that too Aubrey."
"Yeah," Aubrey said, nodding, "We both had food poisoning last week and he acted like he was dying. Granted, it sucked and I wanted to die, but it wasn't nearly as awful as he made it seem. And he hasn't spent the past two months praying to the porcelain god basically every morning."
"Wait," Beca said, staring at the blonde, "Is it because of stress or are you….?"
"Yep," Aubrey said, "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my gosh," Chloe said, just about knocking her best friend over, "Congratulations Aubrey!"
"Congratulations," Beca said, hugging the blonde, trying not to disrupt Allie Claire who was comfortable in her arms, "How far along are you?"
"Thirteen weeks," Aubrey said, smiling at them as she lifted her shirt to reveal a tiny bump that was starting to form.
"Oh my gosh," Chloe said, smiling at her friend, "Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?"
"Not yet," Aubrey said, pulling her shirt back down, "We find out next week."
"Is Matt excited?" Beca asked, knowing the two had just gotten married five months ago.
"He can't wait," Aubrey beamed, smiling at her friends, "He has already started thinking about baby names got the spare room cleaned out so we can use it as a nursery."
"Aww," Chloe said, knowing Matt was going to be a great dad. He was very relaxed and balanced out Aubrey's uptight nature.
"How about you Chloe?" Beca asked, readjusting Allie Claire in her arms, "Any thoughts of having babies soon?"
"We've been trying," Chloe said, her face turning red, "It just hasn't happened yet."
"It will happen," Aubrey reassured with a smile.
"It took Jesse and me over a year to get pregnant Allie Claire," Beca said, knowing how hard it was to not be able to get pregnant.
"I know," Chloe said, smiling weakly, knowing Beca was not the person to complain to about not being able to get pregnant.
Just then, Allie Claire started crying again.
"She's hungry," Beca said, picking her daughter up from her lap, "Aren't you Peanut? Can one of you go grab me a nursing blanket from upstairs?"
"We don't mind if you just feed her," Aubrey said.
"You sure?" Beca asked, unbuttoning her shirt.
"It's fine," Chloe said, smiling at Becca, "It's nothing we haven't seen before."
Beca chuckled as she got Allie Claire adjusted and the little girl started feeding.
"Does it hurt more now that she has teeth?" Aubrey asked as Beca winced a little.
"Only for a second," Beca said, relaxing with the baby on her chest, "She bites when she starts, but it's not bad."
"Alright Ladies," Jesse said, comin into the living room, "I'm gonna go get dinner. I also called Evan and Matt and they are both coming over."
"Perfect," Beca said as Jesse leaned down to kiss her, "See you soon."
"Thanks Jesse," Chloe said, smiling at him.
"Yeah, thanks," Aubrey said.
"I'll be right back," Jesse said, going upstairs and grabbing his wallet and a blanket for Beca, "I don't think you're gonna want to show off your boobs to the guys. And as much as I love seeing them, I doubt they will appreciate it."
"Go Nerd," she said, smiling at him as she adjusted the blanket to cover Allie Claire and her exposed chest, "Love you."
"Love you too," he said, kissing her, "See you guys in a few."
"Bye Jesse," Chloe and Aubrey called as he left.
The rest of the night was nice as the three couples spent time together. Matt told Evan and Jesse about the baby they were expecting, beaming with pride and excitement. Allie Claire was very cranky for most of the night, only wanting Beca to hold her, even though she was usually a daddy's girl when she was feeling icky.
Around nine, Allie Claire had had enough and her cries turned inconsolable again. Beca excused herself, taking the little girl upstairs to calm her down. She offered the baby more Motrin and some gum numbing medicine, but even with that, Allie Claire wouldn't let her go and Beca could tell she was uncomfortable.
Chloe and Aubrey came upstairs to say goodbye at around ten.
"I'm sorry she was so miserable tonight," Beca said as she kept rubbing Allie Claire's back as the little girl whimpered.
"It's totally fine," Chloe said, smiling at Beca, "She doesn't feel good. We'll see you later."
"Bye," Beca said, "And Aubrey, I expect to find out if I am getting a niece or nephew soon."
"Of course," Aubrey said, smiling as she put her hand on her belly.
Jesse came upstairs a few minutes later after everyone had left.
"How's she doing?" he asked, rubbing the baby's back.
"She's miserable," Beca said as Allie Claire shifted on her chest, whimpering a bit.
"I'm sorry you feel so yucky peanut," Jesse said, frowning at his little princess, "Mommy's taking good care of you though."
Beca nodded, "I'll stay up with her and maybe we will sleep in the spare room. You have work tomorrow."
"You sure?" Jesse asked, looking with concern at his wife.
"We'll be fine, right Allie Claire?" Beca said, smiling at her little girl.
"Alright," Jesse said, "Goodnight Peanut. I love you. I hope you feel better. Love you Becs."
"Love you too," Beca said, kissing him.
He tried to give Allie Claire a hug, but she started to cry so he settled on a small kiss. Allie Claire spent most of the night and the next day cranky and miserable. She couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep for more than thirty minutes, and by the next afternoon, Beca was exhausted.
Allie Claire finally fell asleep around five, just before Jesse got home, and Beca had followed close behind the six month old.
When Jesse came home, he found Allie Claire sleeping in her pack-and-play in the living room and Beca out cold on the couch. He smiled and let his girls sleep, glad he had both of them in his life.
So there it was. I am aware that teething does not cause fevers, but I decided Allie Claire was a special case. I will try to update soon. Thanks for reading!
