AN: I tried to be medically accurate, but there might be some mistakes. Also, for the purposes of the story, this is a COVID free world, just so the plot wouldn't be as complicated.

It had been a long day for Lim. Mei-Li hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, so she was exhausted taking care of her. Mei-Li wasn't eating well, and she had a runny nose and a cough, so Lim had been doing her best to try to get Mei-Li to nurse and help her breathe better by holding her in the steamy shower. She had just gotten Mei-Li down for bedtime and decided to go back downstairs and stream a show while she waited for Melendez to come home from work. Lim was trying her hardest to keep her eyes open as she watched The Office, but she decided to turn off the program and close her eyes for a few minutes to gain the energy to care for Mei-Li throughout the night. It seemed like only a few minutes later when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Audrey."

Lim startled awake and bolted up to come face to face with her fiancé, "Neil, gosh, how long have I been asleep?"

"I don't know, I just got home about five minutes ago," said Melendez. Lim yawned and nodded, "How's our little peanut feeling?"

"Stuffed up, tired, fussy, probably the usual for a sick baby," said Lim, "Who knew the first cold would be so exhausting."

"I'm going to go get ready for bed. I'm assuming you'll be joining me?" asked Melendez.

Lim nodded. As they went up the stairs, they both heard Mei-Li crying, so Lim said, "She hasn't been eating well and has been vomiting some, so I'm going to try to feed her again."

"Okay," said Melendez.

Lim entered the nursery and walked over to Mei-Li's crib, "What's wrong sweetheart?" Lim noticed that Mei-Li had vomited all over her sleeper, so Lim carefully lifted her out of the crib and said, "Oh, honey, you really don't feel well, do you?" once Mei-Li was in her arms, Lim noticed Mei-Li's face was flushed, so she felt her forehead, "Oh, baby girl, you're burning up. Neil!"

Melendez ran down the hall and asked, "What? What's wrong?"

Lim was starting to cry as she said, "I think Mei-Li's running a fever that she didn't have before. We need to get her to the emergency room."

"Are you sure?" asked Melendez.

"She's only three months old, Neil! You know as well as I do how dangerous a fever can be for infants!" shouted Lim, causing Mei-Li to cry more. Lim said soothing phrases in Mandarin to her to make up for the shouting.

"Okay," Melendez took a deep breath, "We should probably put her in clean clothes and take her bib just in case she throws up again. I'll get my wallet and keys and make sure I have the insurance card."

"Also, pack extra diapers, wipes, burp rags, and an extra outfit in case she needs cleaned up," instructed Lim, though her mind was racing.

"Okay," said Melendez.

Lim changed Mei-Li while Melendez gathered everything they'd need, and soon, they were on their way to St. Bonaventure. Lim was sobbing and Melendez was doing his best to hold back tears. He had to admit, he rarely saw Lim cry. It broke his heart to see both his fiancée and his daughter in distress. When they arrived, Mei-Li was taken to one of the triage rooms right away, "Patient is an eleven week old female with vomiting, fever, runny nose, and a cough," the nurse read while Park and Morgan came into the room.

"Dr. Melendez, Dr. Lim?" asked Morgan.

"Please, Morgan, Alex, just help my baby," Lim said. She was crying, something neither resident had seen their superior do before now.

"It's okay, Dr. Lim, we'll take good care of her," said Park.

"What's wrong, Mei-Li?" Morgan cooed at her, listening to her heartbeat, "How long has she been showing symptoms?"

"She's had a runny nose and cough for the past two days. She's had some vomiting and diarrhea today, but I only noticed her fever now," said Lim.

Morgan checked Mei-Li's temperature, "103 degrees. That isn't good for someone her age," she said to Park.

"I'm assuming she's up to date on all of her vaccines?" asked Park. Melendez and Lim gave him a look and Park said, "I know, but you know we have to ask."

"She is," said Melendez.

"And I got my flu shot and a Tdap booster while I was pregnant," said Lim.

"We'll need to do a nasal swab to test for influenza and we'll take blood work and a chest x-ray to rule out differential diagnoses," said Park, relaying information both parents easily understood.

"Whatever you have to do," said Lim.

Park and Morgan went straight to work collecting samples to send to the lab, "The rapid nasal swab test results should come back in fifteen minutes," said Morgan.

Melendez and Lim nodded and went back to Mei-Li's side. Melendez rubbed her chest and sang a lullaby to her, while Lim took to pacing the triage room. Soon, Park appeared and said, "It's definitely influenza type A. We're going to put her on some fluids and an infant dose of Tamiflu, and then, send her to the NICU so she can be monitored overnight."

The parents nodded as they set everything up for the fluids and antiviral medication. Mei-Li was wheeled to the NICU where Lim and Melendez finally got some time to think. Melendez took a deep breath and said, "I'm going to the cafeteria to get some coffee. Do you want any?"

"No, I'm fine," responded Lim.

"Okay," Melendez kissed her cheek and headed toward the cafeteria.

As Lim got lost in her own thoughts again, she barely noticed Park come into the NICU, "So how's Mei-Li doing?"

"Alright," Lim responded in a barely audible register, "Hopefully the Tamiflu will help her," she stayed silent before she said, "I can't help but wonder if it's my fault she's sick," Park looked over at his superior, "I could have easily brought it home from work. She's been under the weather for the past few days with a stuffed up nose and a slight cough, but nothing I thought was overly serious. I should have been able to handle it on my own. I thought it was just a cold. I should have been more careful and monitored for a fever or dehydration earlier. I'm a doctor, I know these things. Instead, I became one of those moms I swore I wasn't going to turn into when she was born."

"You mean one of those moms who loves and cares about her child's health and well-being?" asked Park, "And you know that any infant under three months who has a fever needs urgent medical care. You did the right thing bringing her here."

"I know," said Lim, rubbing Mei-Li's chest.

Park stayed silent before he said, "Kellan was five months old when he had his first asthma attack. Mia and I were so scared. I was afraid he'd stop breathing and I'd have to perform CPR on him since Phoenix PD officers need to be certified. Kellan had a cold right before that happened. Mia and I couldn't help but blame ourselves at first."

"You just want what's best for them," said Lim.

Park nodded, "I have no doubt that Mei-Li is happy to have you and Dr. Melendez as her mommy and daddy. But it's okay to be scared. You're a great doctor, but you're learning how to be a parent."

Melendez arrived back with the coffee and asked, "Dr. Park, how is she doing?"

"Well, the Tamiflu seems to be working. Her fever has dropped slightly, according to her charts. If you can check to make sure her diapers are wet, that'll mean she's getting proper hydration. We're going to keep an eye on her for a few more hours, but I expect her to make a full recovery."

"Thank you," said Lim, breathing a sigh of relief. Park nodded and left the NICU. Lim looked over at Melendez and said, "Now I know how you felt when it was me."

Melendez nodded and said, "But we'll get through this just like we always do. Together."