Chapter 14:

Sniper woke up that morning to find Dee sleeping soundly in her crib. She looked so sweet sleeping but woke her up anyway so she could get her breakfast.

After brewing his cup of coffee, he prepared a cup of applesauce and a bottle of formula for Dee to enjoy and then sat her down to eat.

However, Dee still seemed rather sluggish, even after eating a little, and Sniper noticed instantly that something was off. A knot of worry formed within the pit of his stomach as he touched Dee's cheek.

"Dee?" He asked, his tone shifting to a worried one. "Dee— are you okay, love?"

She only blinked at him and started to whine pitifully, yet it seemed like she didn't have the energy for a full cry. This worried Sniper greatly, so he picked her right up and took her to Medic.

"Doc?" He called as he entered the office, holding Dee against him. "Doc, something's wrong with Dee!"

Medic was busy tending to Heavy when Sniper entered, and he only glanced up.

"Ah, Sniper? Is it the baby again?"

"Yeah," Sniper answered, anxious. "Something's really wrong, she's not eating and she's acting tired—!"

"All right, all right, sit right there," Medic pointing to the chair behind him. "Just wait with her, wait for me to finish with this. I am almost done,"

As Sniper sat down, clutching Dee close to him, Heavy looked up and squinted at the two for a moment. After a few seconds, he extended his large hand and beckoned Sniper. "Bring her here,"

Sniper blinked. "Huh?"

"The baby," Heavy made another gesture with his hand. "Bring her here,"

Sniper hesitated, then rose up to gently pass Dee to Heavy. Heavy gently placed his wide hand on her forehead, feeling it, and then confirmed, "She has fever. Same thing happen to my sisters, years ago. It will pass,"

"Oh," Sniper felt significant relief, now that he knew what it was. "Oh, thank God. Well, do you have anything for it, doc?"

Medic nodded as finished with the last set of Heavy's stitches. "Of course I do! Just a moment," he placed a bandage over the wound on Heavy's knee. "Now, Misha, please be careful when you cut the firewood next time. We don't want a piece of wood giving you another nasty cut!"

Heavy nodded, getting up. "Yes, thank you,"

Medic affectionately brushed Heavy's arm on the way out. "We will talk later, Misha!" He then turned to where Sniper stood with Dee, and he took Dee into his arms. "Alright, liebe! Let's get a fever reducer for you, hm?"

Medic got out a pill from a bottle in one of his cabinets, and he cut it in half. "Babies can only have half an adult one, adult ones are too strong," he explained, putting the pill into a pill-crusher and grinding it as Dee lay on the examination table.

Sniper observed the scene silently, and then asked after a moment, "Doc, did you ever have children?"

The question seemed to catch Medic off guard, and he paused the grinding. "Well…" he swallowed. "Yes, actually. I…I have a son,"

This revelation was startling to Sniper. "Wait, you have a son? Where is he? How old is he?"

Medic placed the powder from the pill into a glass of water, stirring it. "He turned 16 three months ago. He lives back in Germany, I haven't seen him since he was 12," Medic poured the water into a bottle, which he began to twist the rubber top on. "I had him out of wedlock when I was unemployed, so he lives with my cousin. I haven't visited him in years but we write letters to one another,"

Sniper stood there and watched Medic give Dee a dose of the fever reducer, and he asked, "What's his name?"

"His name is Peter," Medic replied, his voice a little quiet. "He's a good boy; he does well in school, his behavior is good, he takes excellent care of his health,"

"He should come for a visit sometime," Sniper suggested. "I'm sure everyone would love to meet him,"

Medic shrugged. "Perhaps, maybe for a holiday. He barely knows English, though,"

"That's okay," Sniper assured. "Spy also speaks German, right?"

"Yes," Medic nodded. "Well, we'll see," he cleared his throat, setting the bottle down. "Dee's fever should not last terribly long, now,"

"Okay," Sniper took Dee back into his arms, noticing that she was perking up, now. Relieved, he put a little kiss on her forehead. "Thank you,"

"Of course," Medic waved him off, going to his desk. "I have some work to do today, we will talk later,"

Sniper nodded. "Yeah," as he headed out the door, he felt Dee rooting for food on him, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah, Dee, how many times do I gotta keep telling you I can't feed you like that? Silly girl; let's get you some breakfast,"