Jamie didn't have to wait until morning to see if Kenzie and Connor would still be at the house. Another thunderstorm blew in around 1am. The thunder, lightning, and heavy rains woke Connor, who then woke Kenzie, who waited about two seconds before grabbing her brother's hand and running full speed into Jamie and Eddie's room. They wasted no time jumping on the foot of the bed and scurrying up to the top, in between their parents.
"Hey guys," Eddie chuckled, "What's wrong?"
About that time, a clap of thunder echoed loudly throughout the house.
"THAT!" Kenzie yelped, half panicked as she latched onto Jamie's arm.
"It's ok," he assured her. "As long as you two are right here, you have nothing to worry about."
"What about me?!" Sawyer shrieked from the doorway, scaring the four of them half to death.
"You too," Jamie laughed as she made her way over to the side of the bed and climbed into the mix. "Want me to go sleep in your room so you guys can sleep with Mommy?"
"No way," Kenzie said, still holding a death grip on his arm. "What if the roof blows off? Or what if the thunder crashes through the house? Or what if the lighting sets the house on fire?"
"House on fire?" Sawyer asked, half terrified.
"No, Sawyer. Everything's fine. Sissy's just being dramatic," Eddie assured her as she moved over enough for Sawyer to climb in between she and Connor.
"I'm not dramatic. It could happen, couldn't it, Daddy?"
"Well, I don't think the thunder is going to clap through the house, but given the right circumstances, the rest could happen. But that's like a one in a bazillion chance, so I'm pretty sure we're good and there's absolutely nothing to worry about."
They laid there for a few minutes while Sawyer slowly drifted back off to sleep. "Hey Daddy," Kenzie whispered.
"Go to sleep, Bug. It's late."
"But Daddy, I just have one question."
"What is it?" Jamie relented.
"Am I your favorite?" He chuckled as she rested her head on the pillow right beside him and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Jamie ended up having to work all day Saturday, so the kids were left to entertain themselves for most of the day while Eddie looked after Finn. She did take them all to the park, but Kenzie and Connor couldn't really get excited without Jamie there to push them high on the swings or walk them down to the pond to feed the ducks.
"How about we all go watch Sean's hockey game tonight. You guys want to do that?" Eddie asked.
"Is Grandpa coming?" Connor asked.
"I bet everybody will be there."
"Everybody except Daddy," Kenzie sighed.
"Come on," Eddie smiled. "It will be fun."
The following morning, Jamie had to run in and tie up a few loose ends before mass. "No worries," Eddie assured him as she stretched and looked at the clock. "We'll meet you there."
"Want me to lay out clothes for the kids?" he asked as he got dressed.
"Nah. I'm getting up," she yawned.
"Ok," he smiled as he leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you at church."
Eddie had no trouble getting Connor and Sawyer up and ready, but Kenzie was bear. Eddie chalked it up to the fact that they'd had a late night at the hockey game and Jamie once again wasn't there to mediate. They argued over hairstyle and outfit. When they finally made it down to breakfast, they argued over the fact that Kenzie wouldn't eat anything but then Eddie caught her with a stash of peppermint candy.
By the time they made it to mass, Eddie had reached her limit. She took Sawyer and Finn to the nursery and then marched Kenzie and Connor to the Reagan pew. One look and the Reagans knew it had been a rough morning. Connor rushed over and jumped up beside Jamie and the boys. "Sit," Eddie directed to Kenzie, who plopped down with arms crossed and a furrowed brow. "Hi Frank," she then smiled as she turned and hugged the Commissioner who was looking on with amusement.
"Tough morning?"
"You could say that."
It wasn't too long until Jamie got there, looking fresh and relaxed. "Hey everybody," he smiled as he walked up and joined them. One look at Eddie and he too could tell it had been a rough morning.
"What's wrong?"
"Your daughter…"
Jamie looked over to Kenzie who hadn't yet seen him and was still sitting, with arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"
"She didn't want to get up, she fought me over her clothes and hair. She was snapping at Sawyer. She wouldn't eat any breakfast. She said she wasn't hungry, but I caught her with a pocketful of candy, and she's been less than pleasant to everyone we've encountered since we walked inside."
"What in the world?" They all moved to take a seat as Jamie looked down the row at his sullen daughter. "Kenzie Reece!" he whispered sternly.
Kenzie's ears perked up and a small smile flashed across her face if only for a second when she saw her dad. "Hi Daddy."
"Come here."
Kenzie got up and crawled over Eddie as Jamie picked her up and sat her down firmly in his lap. "Have you been giving Mommy a hard time this morning?" Kenzie shrugged. Jamie raised his eyebrows. "Do we need to step outside for a minute?" Kenzie shook her head no as Father O'Reilly stepped up to the podium. "We're going to have a long talk about this later, understood?"
About half-way through homily, Jamie looked down to notice Kenzie was sound asleep. He was getting pretty warm, with a kid in his lap, but when he realized he was unusually warm, he reached up and felt Kenzie's forehead.
"What's wrong?" Eddie whispered, when she saw him fidgeting.
"She feel warm to you?" Eddie reached over and when her eyes widened, Jamie knew he had his answer. "There's the reason she was giving you such a hard time. She didn't feel well. Want me to take her home or the other three to Dad's?"
"As much as I want the break, she's going to want you."
"Ok. I'm going to go ahead and take off then so I can get her something for this fever. I'll see you guys when you get home."
Jamie gave Eddie a quick kiss as he picked up a sleeping Kenzie and slipped out the back. She never even stirred until he got her out of the car back at the house.
"Why didn't we go to Grandpa's?" Kenzie yawned as Jamie took her inside and straight up to the bathroom where he found the thermometer.
"You've got a fever, Bug. Let's go see how high it is." Kenzie rubbed her eyes as he stuck the thermometer in her mouth. "Do you feel bad?" Kenzie nodded as he wet a cool washcloth as he waited for the all familiar beep. "101.2."
"Is that bad?" Kenzie asked.
"It's a bit high. We need to get you some lunch and get you in your bed."
"I don't want anything. Will you sit with me?"
"Sure. Let's at least get you something to drink and change your clothes. I'll go get you some juice. You go put on your jammies."
Kenzie made her way into her bedroom and grabbed her light purple pajama pants with white flowers and matching tshirt. Instead of getting into bed, she made her way downstairs to find Jamie.
"Hey, Bug. Take a drink of this and then you need to take some medicine." Kenzie looked pitiful and really didn't want to swallow whatever medicine he had for her. Nevertheless, he filled up the medicine cup and handed it to her. "We've got to get your fever down." She scrunched her nose and she gagged down the clear liquid. "Here. Take a few more sips of this and then let's get you back up to your room."
"Can we sit down here?"
He thought for a minute. Sitting in the livingroom would be more comfortable for him than trying to squeeze onto a bunk bed. "Ok. Let's go sit on the couch." Jamie led her into the livingroom where he took a seat on the sofa and let her rest her head in his lap as she stretched out beside him.
Meanwhile at Frank's house, the family was enjoying an Italian themed Sunday dinner. Eddie dipped lasagna for both Sawyer and Connor and handed them each a piece of garlic bread before finally fixing a plate for herself.
"I can't get over this big boy!" Erin smiled as she held Finn. "He's doubled in size!"
"He is growing like a weed," Henry agreed. "What's in that bottle, huh?"
"It's milk, Pop," Sawyer answered as she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt.
"It is?" Henry asked, wide eyed as she smiled and nodded at him.
"You know," Frank began, "you could leave Sawyer and Connor with me and Pop tonight and I can take them into the city in the morning."
"Oh no, I couldn't do that to you. We'll be fine. I'll call Jamie on the way home to quarantine Kenzie upstairs in the guest room."
"It really won't be a problem. We've got one of Connor's uniforms here already. And we've got plenty of play clothes for Sawyer. Let us keep them."
"Really? It would be a huge help but I don't want to put you out."
"No problem at all. Connor, want to hang out here tonight?"
"Sure, Grandpa!"
Henry smiled as he turned to Sawyer. "Hey Sawyer, want to stay with Pop Pop tonight?"
"Nicki, stay too?"
"I'll hang out for a little while."
Sawyer looked back to Henry. "Ok."
By the time Eddie returned home with Finn, Kenzie had started feeling worse. "Daddy, my throat hurts real, real bad."
"Open up and let me see," Jamie said as he pulled out his cellphone and turned on the light before peering into Kenzie's mouth. "Oh, it does look bad. Let's go to the clinic and see if we can get you tested for strep."
"Oh my. Want me to take her?" Eddie asked as she put Finn in the playpen and walked over to the couch."
"Nah. We're in it for the long haul, today," Jamie smiled as he leaned over and gave her a kiss. "We'll be back in a little while. Come on, Bug." Jamie drove to the Walk-In Clinic and got Kenzie checked in. It didn't take long at all for them to call her back.
The nurse took her back and checked her weight. Then suggested she sit in Jamie's lap while she did blood pressure, temperature, and swabbing her throat.
"Say 'Ahhh!'" the nurse said as she stuck the swab in the back of her throat. Kenzie gagged as her eyes filled with tears. Jamie held her arms tight so she wouldn't punch the nurse out of pure reflex.
"Ok. All done. I'm sorry," she smiled as she led them to a different room. "Hang out right here and the doctor will be in shortly."
"I wanna go home," Kenzie sniffed as Jamie picked her up and sat her on the table.
"It won't be too much longer," Jamie said as he stroked her hair.
"Hello, Kenzie Reagan. What's going on with you today?" Dr. Patterson asked as he breezed in. "Sore throat?"
"It hurts bad."
"Can I see?" he asked as he turned on his light. "Open up." Kenzie hesitated until he assured her he wouldn't swab it.
"Oh that does look painful," he said. "Let me check your ears." After a quick look, Dr. Patterson gave his diagnosis. "I don't think we even have to wait for the strep results. That throat is pretty ugly, no offense. I'm going to start you on a round of antibiotics, a liquid steroid, and an antihistamine."
"Are those shots?" Kenzie asked timidly.
"We could do a shot, but it doesn't work any quicker than taking the liquid. If you promise to go home and take your medicine, we'll forgo the shot. Sound good?"
"Yes sir."
"Thanks, Doc," Jamie smiled, with a handshake. "It's been a rough day."
"No problem. I'll get the meds called into the pharmacy and you guys can be on your way. Feel better, Kenzie."
Knowing that it'd take a few minutes to get the prescriptions ready, Jamie took Kenzie to get a slushie and then ran into the pharmacy to get some sore throat suckers. He walked around with her in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, until her meds were finally ready.
"Do you need a dropper?" the pharmacist asked.
"Are the instructions in milliliters?"
"Yes."
"Then, yes. Absolutely."
The pharmacist chuckled as she placed a medicine dropper in the bag. "Here you go. Feel better."
Jamie took Kenzie home and handed her off to Eddie to get bathed. Once she had on her pajamas and Jamie had enjoyed the dinner Eddie had fixed for them, he took back over and attempted to get her medicated.
"Ok, Bug. Which one do you want first? The pink, the yellow, or the clear?"
"None."
"Well, you've got to take all three or we have to go back and get shots, remember? He plunged the dropper into the medicine bottle and drew up the antibiotic. "Here. Let's try the pink first." Kenzie gagged it down, already in tears.
"Daddy, it's awful!"
"Two more."
"NO MORE."
"Here. Let me teach you a trick," Eddie said, trying to intervene. "Hold your nose. And don't let go until you have taken your medicine and two swallows of juice. Ready?" Kenzie looked at her skeptically but did as she was told. Jamie squeezed the steroid into her mouth. She held her nose until she'd taken two big drinks of her juice. "Better?" Eddie asked. Kenzie nodded sadly. "Good. Finish up and let's get you in bed." Jamie gave her the antihistamine last and gave her a bit of ice cream to wash it down.
"Come on. Let's go brush your teeth and go to bed."
She once again wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up and took her back upstairs. Once her teeth were brushed, he started down the hallway to her room.
"Finn's down. Let me take her," Eddie offered. "You go get a shower and I'll put her to bed."
"I want to stay with Daddy," Kenzie cried softly on his shoulder.
"It's ok," Jamie soothed as he patted her back. "Go with Mommy and get comfy in bed and I'll be back in just a few minutes to tuck you in. I need to get all those germs off me too."
Jamie passed her off to Eddie who made her way into the twins' bedroom. She sat down on the bed and let Kenzie lean up against her chest as she read a bedtime story. Jamie returned shortly after and stood in the doorway, watching Eddie gently stroke Kenzie's hair as she read page after page. Kenzie was sound asleep in no time.
"Hey, I think she's out," Eddie whispered as she gently got up and tucked Kenzie in tight for the night. "I may need to stay in here though… I don't want to leave her down here by herself."
"Which is why I brought this," Jamie smiled as he pulled Sawyer's baby monitor out of his pocket.
"Mr. Reagan, you think of everything," Eddie grinned as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
"I try." He sat the monitor down on the nightstand right beside his sleeping daughter and bent down to kiss her forehead before they both crept out into the hallway. "Where are you going?" he asked as Eddie turned to go back downstairs.
"Well, I figured while there's only two of them in the house, I can finish up this last load of laundry. Wanna go watch me fluff and fold?"
He chuckled as he grabbed the back of her robe. "The way I see it, we've only got about a four-hour window here before one of the two of them wakes up. How about we enjoy a little mommy and daddy alone time?"
"Hmmmm….." Eddie rested both of her arms on his shoulders as they stood, toe-to-toe. Jamie had his hands around her waist, resting his clasped hands on the small of her back. "One's been medicated, one's in a crib, so pending an alien invasion, there shouldn't be any interruptions?"
"Uh huh…"
"Yeah. The laundry can wait!" she whispered excitedly as she lunged forward and kissed him, propelling them both into the bedroom for some much needed alone time.
"Hey, Reagan," Eddie began as she lay, wrapped in Jamie's arms, later on that evening.
"Yeah?" Jamie carefully twirled Eddie's golden hair around his index finger as she moved her index finger back and forth across his bare chest.
"If you could go back and change one thing about our life, what would it be?"
Jamie sat for a moment before concocting the perfect answer. "I would've made a move on you sooner."
"I'm serious!" she chuckled.
"So am I!" Eddie rolled her eyes as she rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin on his chest.
"Ok fine. What would you change?"
"I wouldn't change a thing. You and those four kids are all I ever needed in life. Besides maybe a pool. I wouldn't mind if we had a pool. And an outdoor pizza oven."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Come on. Name one thing you'd do different."
"I'd have gotten the kids a puppy when they were young so they could grow up with one."
"Really?"
"Yeah. We had a red golden retriever named Frannie that Mom and Dad got when they brought Danny home from the hospital. By the time I came along, Frannie was gone and they got Winnie. I loved that dog."
"And you think our kids need one?"
"I mean… I just don't think we should rule it out forever."
"Well until you quit having so many long shifts, I'm not taking on one more living thing to clean up after or feed. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am," he smiled as he kissed her. "But I still may stop by the shelter one afternoon and just look."
"Jamison Reagan!" Eddie rolled her eyes as Jamie rolled both she and himself over and he began to kiss her again. "Oh you think this is going to get you out of trouble?"
"Can't hurt," he chuckled.
"Who am I kidding? You're exactly right," she laughed.
