Here is the Obligatory Sick Chapter™. It's split into two parts this time. With this chapter, I asked for a lot of advice from a children's nurse, but be on lookout that some stuff might be quite inaccurate.
Also 39°C = 102.2 Fahrenheit for all my American friends!
Yoh was sick.
Keiko had noticed it that morning. He was sickly pale, and when she nursed him and wanted him to burp, he had thrown up on her favourite suit. She only minded for a moment; that was when she noticed his forehead flaring up. She held him away from her, and Yoh, sensing that he wasn't near his mother's comforting warmth, started crying.
"Shh, baby," she cooed, holding him close to herself. She frowned. Mikihisa had just left for another training exercise that was supposed to last the next three to four days, and she was completely alone with both babies. Well, not alone. Yohmei was still around the house, but she doubted that he would look after Hao even if she asked him politely. Her father simply didn't even like being in the same room as his grandson.
With Yoh in her arms, she went to the medical closet, pulling a thermometer out. By touch, Yoh was very hot, and she didn't doubt that he had a fever, but she wanted to be completely sure. She set the baby down and, despite Yoh's constant crying, she patiently waited to check his temperature.
Her heart almost stopped.
Yoh was nearing 39°C.
Keiko paled and set the thermometer aside. She had to go with Yoh to the doctor. Only he could tell her what to do. And she needed to separate her twins, otherwise Hao could get whatever Yoh had too. Though. considering that they spent 99% of their time together, so there was a high chance of Hao getting sick as well.
I am too powerful to get sick. Being sick is for humans , sounded right next to her and she gasped in surprise. Hao, dressed in just a nappy and a t-shirt, was sitting on the Spirit of Fire's outstretched palm, supported by the spirit's arm.
"Hao! You scared me," Keiko said, trying to calm down her breathing. Despite knowing that her oldest son did this often, he still managed to surprise her every single time this happened.
I know , he replied. Keiko suppressed the urge to roll her eyes like a teenager. She was supposed to be the adult one here, and yet, she felt like she was the one who was being babied here. It wasn't easy being the mother to a 1000-year-old.
She sighed. She shouldn't think about Hao's age or reishi now, Yoh needed help.
"Stay here," she told Hao, then turned and left the room. Hao followed her. It only took her a second to feel the Spirit of Fire's heat and his bright red colour.
"What did I say, Hao?" she stopped, turning to her older child. He frowned back, then pouted.
Yoh is sick. I can help , he insisted, and Keiko hesitated. Hao was old, far older than she or Yohmei were. He knew tricks and tips from over centuries, but she doubted that he knew what Yoh was down with.
"Do you know what he has?" she asked him, mindful to keep her voice down. Hao shrugged, as much as a baby could with his small arms.
I do not care for the illnesses' names , he replied, and Keiko closed her eyes.
"I first need to know what's making him so sick, only then I can treat him," she explained patiently and tried to ignore Hao's bored look. Mentally, she was already on the way to the doctor so he could take a look at Yoh.
You do not need to know the illness , Hao persisted. Everything can be solved with sleep and food.
Keiko outstretched her free hand and gently stroked Hao's hair, despite the obvious threat in the form of the Spirit of Fire.
"I know, darling." Hao made a face. "I know you want to help your brother, but Yoh needs a doctor. This is how it works nowadays, you go to a doctor when you're sick." She cupped his cheek shortly before giving him a quick forehead kiss, before turning and continuing down the corridor. Hao, of course, followed her, sitting on the Spirit of Fire's palm as if it were a throne, until they came to a stop in front of the door to Yohmei's rooms.
"Father? Can I come in?" she called tentatively, not sure if she was disrupting anything, but after a grumble of affirmation from inside, she slid the door open and came inside.
Yohmei was sitting in seiza, and smoking his pipe, as usual. Keiko had been telling him that he would destroy his lungs in this way, but her father was a stubborn man and didn't give it up no matter what.
Keiko came up to him, Yoh in her arms. He coughed. It was a dry, nasty cough that definitely didn't mean anything good. Keiko rocked him back and forth when she saw tears forming in his eyes. Yohmei had also taken this unusual sight in.
"What do you need, Keiko?" he asked, setting the pipe down with the help of one of his shikigamis. His daughter followed them with her gaze for a few seconds, then took a deep breath.
"Father, could you please look after Hao for a while? Yoh is running a high fever, I need to take him to the doctor," she said, silently praying that Yohmei would let go of his pride for once and take care of her other baby.
Yohmei cleared his throat.
"Keiko, I'm sure you know that I'm a busy man…"
"You're not doing anything, Father." Keiko interrupted him, well aware that she was being rude when she didn't let him finish. "If Hao stays with Yoh, he might catch whatever he has."
The old shaman seemed to ponder about it for a moment, then looked towards the doorway. Sure enough, Hao was there, still comfortably seated on the Spirit of Fire, watching curiously what was happening in the room. For a moment, his eyes widened, then he narrowed them like a cat looking at its prey.
Keiko noticed this slight change and she hesitated, not knowing if letting Hao stay with her father would be such a good idea.
I can take care of myself , Hao's familiar voice resonated through her mind.
I know, Keiko thought back. She didn't know if this would work, if Hao's reishi would pick this up, but she felt the need to reassure herself and her son about this.
You do not need to leave me with this fool, Hao continued, sure that he would survive an hour or two without his mother. He was old enough and definitely would not feel hungry during that time.
What if you get hungry? Keiko asked, and, after a slight pause, added: And please don't call my father a fool. He's still your grandfather.
He's only the grandfather of my current body, Hao retorted. I never even knew my grandfather.
Keiko gasped quietly. Hao fell silent. It was obvious that he'd spilled more than he wanted to with his little speech. And Keiko knew it. That's why he was silent now. And she couldn't help but think about how sad his first childhood must've been.
"What are you doing?" Yohmei asked suddenly, inquired warily, and Keiko snapped back to reality, realizing that she had probably spent way too much time communicating with Hao.
"Nothing, Father," she replied carefully, and Yohmei narrowed his eyes. He suspected something, that was for sure.
"Are you talking with that child?" he asked in a low voice, and Keiko had half the mind to deny it, to say that she was just thinking about Yoh's condition, but she couldn't. She knew that Yohmei would get to know sooner or later.
"I was," she confirmed curtly. She saw the older shaman taking a deep breath to say something, but she was quicker. "If you do not want to take care of Hao, Father, I will take care of the matters myself."
She turned, going back to her first-born son, and left the room, ignoring Yohmei's call of "Keiko, wait!"
Hao followed her back to her room, where she set Yoh down on her futon. He started crying, big, fat tears rolling down his cheek, before he started coughing. It was again this dry cough, and Yoh extended his small arms towards her, a clear sign that he wanted to be carried.
"Soon, sweetheart, first we need to put some clothes on you," she whispered hastily, while getting a shirt and pants for Yoh, and tiny shoes as well. Quickly and skillfully, she clothed the crying boy and took him in her arms. Yoh didn't quiet down once he was safely in her arms, he just kept crying. Hao floated closer on the Spirit of Fire.
Ache. Headache , Hao commented, pointing at Yoh with his finger. Keiko nodded.
"Thank you, Hao," she said, and rocked Yoh gently back and forth. Unfortunately, she couldn't do much about a headache at this point, but she was happy that Hao at least tried to be helpful. He cared for his brother, even if he might not have been going the best way about it at first.
"Are you hungry?" she asked him, holding baby Yoh close to her, and he opened one brown eye filled with tears.
Hao shook his head.
No. You can go, he said, letting the Spirit of Fire lie him down on the futon. Keiko raised an eyebrow towards the crib, and she saw Hao frown a little.
Keiko sighed. Her son was too stubborn and she didn't have the time to convince him to go to the crib. He'd just get out with the Spirit of Fire's help the moment the door would close behind her, she was sure.
"Alright. Be a good boy, Hao, I will try to come back as soon as I can," Keiko said. Somehow, she didn't think Hao appreciated being told to be a good boy, going by his disgusted expression. Keiko smiled and quickly made sure that there wasn't anything that could be dangerous for the baby. Then, she turned around and left, closing the door after herself.
To be honest, Keiko did not like the idea of leaving Hao, baby Hao of all things, home alone. No mother should leave her child at home when it was vulnerable like this. But Hao, she knew, wasn't a normal baby. He was a skilled shaman, he knew how to go around with the Spirit of Fire's help, and she was more than sure that he would find Yohmei's help if he truly were in trouble. Knowing that Hao could take care of himself and had a relative in the house, calmed her mind. Nevertheless, she still tucked Yoh into the pram and hurried into the city as fast as she could. No bus was coming; it didn't come as often, and she stretched her legs as she hurried to doctor Nakamura.
Yoh kept crying the whole way there, no matter how softly she was rocking the pram, and she found herself wanting to just take him into her arms and go to Izumo like that. However, she couldn't just leave the pram on the road. Despite Yoh's crying and wailing, she pushed the pram forward, until she entered the big hallway of the doctor's office. There, she finally let go of the pram and took Yoh into her arms. The infant continued wailing.
"Shh, Yoh, it will be alright," she whispered into his soft, brown hair. As she rocked him softly, Yoh gradually calmed down, though not enough to stop crying completely.
"There, there," Keiko said, mentally wondering why the nurse had not come out yet. They had been waiting for some minutes now, and it seemed that there was another patient inside. Keiko with Yoh just had to wait.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the previous patient came out and she was allowed to enter.
Doctor Nakamura sat at his desk and stood up once he saw the obviously sick baby in Keiko's arms.
"Asakura-san, what brings you here?" he asked, going to the files for all of his patients. It didn't take him long to find the file with the Asakura twins. Izumo wasn't that big and there were only a few other babies that year, so there were only a few cards in the index.
"Yoh here has a fever and a cough," Keiko explained. The doctor took Yoh's file, leaving Hao's intact in the index, and moved back to her. "He also wouldn't stop crying," she said, and the doctor looked at Yoh.
"Does he have any other symptoms? Loss of appetite? Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?" he asked while performing the check-up. Keiko didn't need to think long.
"He vomited after I tried to nurse him today," she admitted. "I think he also has a headache," she added, remembering Hao's words from before she left. A brief thought of "I hope he's okay" crossed her mind before she focused on the doctor again.
The doctor laid Yoh gently on the examination table and went to check his breathing.
"What about your other boy?" he asked, and while waiting for an answer, he placed the stethoscope on Yoh's little chest. The baby looked at him with big eyes.
Keiko hesitated for a moment.
"My father is looking after Hao," she lied, knowing well that Yohmei probably wasn't looking after Hao at all. "He hasn't exhibited any symptoms so far, but I worry that he'll catch this too."
Doctor Nakamura shook his head once he'd listened to Yoh's heartbeat.
"There is a high chance that he will catch it as well," he said, looking at Keiko. She held his gaze steadily.
"Should I separate them?" she asked, her tone serious. She was asking the impossible, she knew. She couldn't leave Hao with Yohmei. She could only have him be in the room next to hers, away from Yoh.
The doctor shrugged. "Ideally, of course, the answer is yes. However, it is almost imúossible to separate siblings. Furthermore, they would both be aware of their brother being away, which might cause additional stress and would hinder the recovery," he explained. Keiko nodded and watched as the pediatrician examined Yoh's throat and tongue.
Finally, he clicked his tongue.
"This looks like the flu," he concluded his examination, letting Keiko take Yoh back into her arms. "This might be deadly for young children, however, it is very rare. I believe Yoh will survive just fine. Be sure to give him some infant Tylenol to reduce the fever every four to six hours, and let him rest and nurse a lot. If his state doesn't get any better in three days, then come see me again. Though, by that time, you might come by with Hao-chan."
Keiko nodded, taking a mental note of everything the doctor said. It will be fine, don't think about how it can be lethal to small children, she reminded herself when she thanked the doctor and set Yoh back into his pram. She was sure that she needed to stop in the pharmacy for the medication, so she made a detour from the direct way home and bought it.
She wouldn't have any time to go buy it later on. Mikihisa was up in the mountains and Yohmei rarely went into the city nowadays. He preferred to stay on the compound. Plus, Keiko simply didn't know if he wouldn't refuse to go for it and Yoh needed the medicine now.
She was relieved that her baby boy didn't cry the whole way back. He fell asleep once they left the pharmacy and slept the whole way back home. Keiko almost sighed in relief. The doctor said that he needed plenty of rest and fluids, so Yoh falling asleep had to be a good thing.
Keiko rushed back home. It wasn't a very long journey, but she had to push the pram into a slight hill, and she was completely out of breath once at the top. Thankfully, she was almost home, and she was pleased that, from a distance, she didn't see any smoke coming from the house, nor any fire. Good. It seemed that Yohmei didn't find out about Hao and that Hao has behaved for once.
She entered the Asakura compound and parked the pram outside. She would take care of it later when she has taken care of her boys.
Yoh had woken up when the rocking of the pram stopped and was now looking at her with his big eyes. Slowly, he extended his arms towards her, obviously wanting to be picked up. Keiko didn't hesitate; she had wanted to do that anyways.
Picking him up, she whispered into his ear.
"We're gonna check up on your brother, alright, Yoh?" The baby cooed in typical baby sounds and Keiko took off her shoes and entered the house.
She immediately made her way to her room to check up on Hao. Sliding the door open, she peeked inside, Yoh in her arms. Her eyes softened when she saw Hao sleeping on the floor with the kitten plushie she had bought for him. She remembered that it hadn't been on the floor when she left, which meant that Hao must've gotten Spirit of Fire to get it for him from the crib, and the thought itself was already very sweet.
The child cracked one eye open when he heard the door being opened.
Hungry , he grumbled sleepily, and Keiko smiled. She should've predicted this.
"Alright, darling, I'll just take Yoh to the kitchen, then I'll be right back," she said, seeing Hao nod, his eyes half-closed. At least he had some time to fully wake up before she was back for him.
Keiko took Yoh to the kitchen and she seated him in one of the infant chairs she and Mikihisa had bought for the twins once they could sit with support. Now, she set Yoh in one of those chairs and quickly went to fetch Hao, only to find him halfway on the short distance from the room to the kitchen.
"Come here," she said, taking him from the Spirit of Fire's arms. The spirit didn't look too pleased, but his master didn't order him to do anything and he complied, disappearing in a burst of sparkles.
Keiko seated Hao in the second infant chair and went to put water into a pot so she could warm it up on the stove and make Hao's formula. She knew her sons were watching her from their chairs. She moved to unpack the infant Tylenol that she had bought, and she read through the application method quickly. It was given orally, and she was already sure that Yoh wouldn't like it since it involved a syringe similar to what doctor Nakamura used to give the children their polio vaccine. However, it needed to be done.
She had prepared everything and could already see Yoh tearing up when he saw the medicament-filled syringe in her hands, but Keiko crouched down to his eye level.
"It will be alright, darling, I just need to give this to you to reduce the fever you've been having," she said in a comforting voice, and slowly, she cupped his cheeks. She could see her son measuring her with big brown eyes. There wasn't even a sign of distrust there, and Keiko carefully administered the medicine. Yoh made a disgusted face, but he didn't spit it out. Keiko waited until he swallowed, and she gently ruffled his hair. She'd let Yoh nurse soon and then he'd go to sleep and get lots of rest just as the doctor said.
It'd be fine.