Chapter 112

Around 2 AM Alex was woken by the cries of her daughter coming from the video monitor. She didn't think twice before she got up and rushed downstairs to see what was wrong, it wasn't the usual cries that she soothes herself after a while but something that bothered Alex. She entered the room and picked her daughter up noticing something is wrong when she felt warm. She looked around for the thermometer to check her temperature. It was a bit high but manageable. The fact that she didn't sit up when Alex picked her up from the changing table but laying her head on her mother's shoulder made her concerned, because her daughter is usually very energetic. When it seemed like Alex was making too long downstairs Ryan appeared in the doorway checking on them.

"Is everything okay?" He asked walking towards the two of them.

"She has a fever, something's definitely wrong with her Ryan." Alex's concern were evident as she kissed her daughter's forehead feeling the head on her lips.

Ryan walked over and laid a hand on her head confirming the fever his wife said she had. Lifting her head when she caught sight of her father and lifting her arms towards him, he took her from his wife kissing her head.

"Hey, don't be sick Pheebs."

She moaned something in return as if to agree with him, laying her head on her father's shoulder as well. Alex walked around the nursery collecting her bottle that was still half full with her milk. Deciding that there was no way she was spending the night alone downstairs, she'll go sleep with her parents. The medication Alex gave her made her drowsy and she started to undress her until she was in her vest and diaper, and they went back upstairs.

"Do you think we need to take her to the ER?" Alex asked when they set her down on the bed.

"Let's wait and see how she responds to the medication first before we rush things." Ryan tried to rationalize things. "If she's not better in the morning I'll stay home and take her to the doctor." He offered and she nodded. Getting into bed next to her baby, all traces of sleep vanished as the two of them lay down watching their baby's peaceful breathing until sleep got the better of them both.

It felt like Alex only got half an hour of sleep when she opened her alarm sounded and she switched it off trying not to wake Ryan and Phoebe. Instinctively she felt Phoebe's forehead again when she fully woke up and was still concerned about her temperature. It was lower than a few hours ago when she measured it again, but she felt like their best bet would be to get her to a doctor before the end of the day.

She headed for the bathroom, taking everything she needs with her not to wake the sleeping father – daughter duo and kissed them both on the head when she walked out the room towards the front door, not bothering to eat anything, heading to work. She got a text this morning informing her that they didn't debrief yesterday but will do it today because the kids were too traumatized to talk.

She drove the familiar route and parked the car. Before getting out she texted Marci to let her know Phoebe won't be coming in today, and a text to Ryan asking him to update her on how Phoebe was doing during the day. Before getting out she made a quick stop to the cafeteria for some coffee and a sandwich and sitting down to eat. There was still an hour left before she had to start working.

"Not the only early bird around here I see." Natalie said as she took a seat opposite her friend with her own coffee and soon the other two joined.

"Looks like you can use two cups of coffee, Mrs. Booth." Nimah said when Alex yawned for a second time around.

"Phoebe's sick and while she was sleeping I was awake most of the time checking to see if she's okay." Alex explained her situation, staring out in front of her at nothing in particular.

"Hey! Snap out of it." Nimah said snapping her fingers at Alex who looked up suddenly. "What's going on besides Phoebe?" She asked sensing that there's something their friend is not telling them.

"I want to have another baby." Alex blurted out looking at the three of her friends, who started back at her with shocked expressions that soon turned into smiles. "I mean I am really grateful for everything that I have in my life right now but I don't want Phoebe to grow up as an only child the way I did."

"You don't want who to grow up the way you did?" Simon asks as he walks past their table on his way to order, looking back at them waiting for an answer but the starts he got in return made him keep quiet as he waited for his order.

"Better tell the Special Agent to get on it then." Nimah laughed as she got up and the rest followed her, but not before they placed their own orders of 4 muffins each from Simon.

"Uuuuhhhhmmm who's gonna pay for all this?" He asked pointing to the four muffins the lady boxed and handed to Alex who stood next to him.

"That's what friends are for. One day I'll roll a boulder to the top of the hill for you, Asher." She smiled and took the box as he paid, groaning about how he needs to get out of this place.

They all walked towards the office until it was time for the debriefing in which Alex, Nimah and Shelby were called out to do. Nimah knocked on the door softly and opened it, seeing the three kids sit there. She smiled warmly at them as she entered.

"Hey guys, do you still remember me?" She asked looking at them and they nodded.

"You're the lady who sat in the car with us and told us everything will be fine." The smaller one said.

"Yes, I am. My name is Nimah Amin. I have an identical twin sister but we differ like night and day. And I'm one of the many agents working for the FBI. Can I get your names?" She asked looking at the three of them.

The two boys looked up at their sister before she started talking. "I'm Candice, this is Jeremy and Luke."

"And I'm 5 years old!" Luke exclaimed excitedly holding up a hand so Nimah can see and she smiled.

"Wow that's awesome. Well I need all three of you and another person's hands in the air to show you how old I am." Nimah smiled, wondering how she needs to start asking them the questions she's supposed to.

Alex and Shelby walks into the next room where the mother was seated waiting for someone to come and talk to her. She was fidgeting with her hands on the table and when the door opened she looked up, and stood up from her chair as the two women entered.

"Hi, I am so sorry about what Shawn did to you yesterday." She apologized before they even got to introducing each other.

"I'll live, you don't have to worry about it. I'm Alex." She introduced herself extending her hand towards her. "And this is Shelby." Shelby mimicked Alex's gesture towards the woman.

"Sheila." The woman gave her name and took a seat again looking anxiously between the two women. "Uuhhmm, can I just say something before we start?" Sheila asked and Shelby and Alex nodded not sure where this conversation is headed.

"I want to withdraw all the charges against Shawn on the domestic violence. He didn't mean it, I make him angry at times but we sort it out." Sheila explained twisting her fingers.

Shelby blew out a breath before looking at Sheila like she didn't understand what she just said. "So, him threatening you with a knife, while your children are scared doesn't bother you?"

Sheila shook her head looking at the two women. "You won't understand."

"Then please help us understand. You are not in this alone, this is not just about you. Consider the fact that you hav…

"Shelby." Alex said gently as her friend stopped rambling. As much as she hates to say it there is no other way around it, if she wants to drop the charges no one can stand in her way.

"Are you sure that you don't want to go ahead with it? Putting your life and the lives of your children at risk?" Alex asked and Sheila nodded.

"He's a really good father and husband. I want him to come home."

Just like that, everything they went through to get them out of the house, Alex having gashes on her arms and the wife takes him back as if none of it happened. Alex was fuming but they left the room to get the paperwork signed. Liam or Maranda would be talking to her about his parole and how it'll work from here on forward.

In the office Alex checked her phone and saw that she missed four calls from her husband and two text messages. She dialed his number and he answered on the third ring.

"Is everything okay?" Alex asked siting down at her desk hand in her hair, literally.

"Hey, she didn't want to eat anything today, and when I checked her temperature again it was quite high so we're at the doctor's office now." Ryan informed his wife, cradling his daughter.

"Uuhhmm, okay. I'll see if I can leave early and meet you there." Alex said softly gathering her things.

"Are you okay? You don't sound like yourself." Ryan noticed that something is wrong with his wife.

"I'm fine." She dismissed, meeting Maranda at the reception asking if she can leave early since she's off to the doctor to see how Phoebe is doing, and was given the green light.

She walked into the doctor's office, not seeing her husband and daughter there. The receptionist noticed her and told them they're inside and she can go through. She knocked on the door softly before opening, seeing Dr Willis at the bed with Phoebe. Ryan sitting on the bed holding her while he examined Phoebe.

"Look who's there Phoebe." The doctor smiled when Alex entered the room, and the little girl looked up towards her mother.

"Hey bub." Alex walked over to where they were and Phoebe extended her hands towards her mother, she and Ryan switching positions as he handed Phoebe off to Alex and stood against the wall. Phoebe was fidgety and cried when Dr Willis looked in her throat. The crying enough to make both her parents cry with her since seeing their child sick , make them want to trade places with her.

"I'm sorry Phoebe. All done." Dr Willis said when he was done examining the eleven month old. Alex held her as tightly as she could, giving her her pacifier, hoping it would soothe her, laying her head on her mother's shoulder as Alex rubbed her back.

"I don't want to scare the two of you, but it seems like she has tonsillitis." Dr Willis started looking between the two parents.

"Isn't she too young for that?" Ryan asked looking at her.

"Not really, she built up an immune system by now and can fight off infections, but when some bacteria is too strong it can get them sick, like this one. The lymph at the back of her throat is swollen which is why she doesn't want to eat because it hurts to swallow and the elevated fever. We'll get her started on some antibiotics and something light pain medication. She should be herself again within five to seven days." Dr Willis explained as he wrote out her prescription. "If she gets worse or it seems like it's not working, bring her back."

They thanked him and drove back in their separate cars, Ryan and Phoebe going home, while Alex stopped by the pharmacy for Phoebe's prescription. Before joining them at home. When Alex entered Nadia was sitting with her on the couch attempting to play with her, but Phoebe was not in the mood, she laid down on the couch and Nadia picked her up.

"She's really not feeling well." Nadia said when Alex came in. "Not even the minion could cheer her up." The teen commented kissing her niece's forehead.

"Phoebe Grace. Don't you want to eat something?" Alex asked sitting down next to Nadia on the couch hoping she'll eat some mashed up baby food, even if it's just half of it. Nadia handed her over to her mother who managed to get her to open her mouth but after the first spoon full, she refused to open her mouth, and kept turning her head from side to side when the spoon came into sight and pushed it away.

"Okay, how about some milk?" Alex tried again giving her the bottle, this worked but also only for a short while when she decided she'd had enough of that also. Not knowing what else to do the young mother decided that she'll try again in a few minutes but she'd want her child to eat something before she gets her medication. Ryan came downstairs and joined is family on the couch kissing his daughter who was busy sucking on her pacifier slowly twisting the cap of her bottle around in her hands.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Ryan asked looking at her expectedly. "And don't tell me Phoebe's the only reason you're looking so down, there's something else."

She let her head fall back against the couch and closed her eyes, and sighed deeply. "Yesterday's case, at the debriefing today the wife decided she doesn't want to go through with the domestic violence charge. She's only thinking about herself, she has children Ryan. Have you seen how scared they were? They don't deserve to be afraid of their fath..

"Alex, no matter what good intentions you have in trying to help people, it's not always going to work out the way you thought it would." Ryan rationalized but he knew she was not going to leave it there.

"It doesn't make sense, why would you want to go back to be in a house where you are constantly living in fear of when he will pull a knife out at you again. What if he kills her next time and…

"Alex hey, you're going to drive yourself crazy. Let it go. It's not always black or white, there's a whole grey area that no one tells us about with no explanation as to why it is there. Sometimes it's just easier to accept it." Ryan pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head, hearing her sigh loudly. Running a hand through Phoebe's curls slowly where she laid her head on her mother's shoulder, and he watched as her eyes fluttered closed

Hey guys,

Not sure how medical things work these are made up. I had my tonsils removed so this is based on what I can remember. Hope you enjoy, thank you to the new followers and favorites. This past two weeks had a roller coaster that's why this update took some time. And I'm not sure when the next one will be, but I will try my best to update as soon as I manage to take a breather, since exams are coming up and I have some family and personal stuff going on. But besides all that I hope you enjoy.

Lovies-S