Ben rested his head against his father's shoulder, one arm wrapped tightly
around Daddy's neck the other held tight to the little blue bear, his aunt
had given him the first time she met him. His eyelids growing heavy at the
gentle rocking and humming from his father. After gently tucking the two-
year-old in his crib, Francis Gage walked through the sea of boxes, of
their new house, crawling into bed with his wife hoping that he and Ben
hadn't woken her.
"Is he asleep?" his hopes were gone when she asked that question.
"Yeah, but his fever went up, I'm taking you both to the doctor tomorrow, I already told Walker we would be in late," he spoke softly checking his wife's temperature at the same time, "You still don't have a fever."
When he didn't receive a quip from her he realized that she had fallen asleep. Although Ben had the flu and a fever and cold to go along with it, his mother had only gotten the flu part of it. This also made Gage wonder if she was sick from heir son or sick from something else, since they were trying to conceive again.
~*~*~*~*~
Sydney Cooke-Gage sat in the waiting room with her head resting against on of her husband's shoulders while her son's head rested against the other, although Ben being able to sleep.
"Benjamin and Sydney Gage," The nurse held the door open for the three to walk through," If I could get you to step on the scale, Mrs. Gage."
Sydney's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw the dial move past 130 especially since she tried to maintain 125. "135, that's a very good weight," the nurse assured noticing the look on her face. "Now if we could get Ben's weight?" she asked as Gage woke his son, and with much protest about waking up and then not being able to hold onto his bear, had gotten him to stand still for five minutes before he was able to return to his warm spot against his father.
"The doctor will be in to see you in a moment," she spoke after receiving and 98.9 degree temperature on Syd and a 100.3 temperature on Ben.
"Hey Shorty, how you feeling?" Gage asked noticing that Syd was about to fall over, although he couldn't decide whether it was from exhaustion or being sick.
"Horrible, I really just want to go home and sleep," she complained following her sons lead and placing her head on her husband's shoulder.
"I know as soon as we get some drugs for the two of you then we'll go home," he whispered as the doctor came in.
"Sydney, I'm a little worried that you don't have a fever, so we're going to take some blood and then give a Ben a shot and send you both straight to bed," Dr. Hamilton, a kind gentle, older man, spoke looking over both charts.
"Is it really something to worry about?" Gage asked realizing something could really be wrong with his wife.
"Probably not, a fever is just the body's way of getting rid of an infection so I'd like to find out why Sydney's hasn't spiked yet," He answered washing his hand before the nurse handed him a sterile needle, "Since he's asleep we're going to go ahead and give it to him he probably won't even realize."
Sydney and Gage both waited anxiously hoping they wouldn't have to deal with a screaming 24 Month old, and when Dr. Hamilton removed the needle and Ben hadn't even flinched both were relieved. Ben's eyes were still shut tightly his bear pulled tightly to his chest, he in return was snuggled the same way up to his father's chest.
~*~*~*~*~
After filling two prescriptions, taking his wife and son home making sure both were tucked in and that Ben was in his mother's reach along with anything else she could need or want, Francis Gage entered Company B Headquarters to be greeted by both senior rangers.
"How is your family?"
"Ben has the flu, they aren't sure about Syd though, they took a blood test and the results should be in by the end of the work day today," he answered flipping open a file folder and starting on more tedious paperwork.
~*~*~*~*~
Sydney and Benjamin were both sleeping peacefully when the telephone interrupted them both, Sydney reached for the phone at the same time pulling her son closer to her breast and he settled his eyes closing again, tear marks on his face.
"Hello?" She asked tiredly into the phone, "this is she."
"Mrs. Gage the test results from this morning are in and Dr. Hamilton wanted to tell you personally," the chipper voice on the other end spoke.
"Okay."
"Mrs. Gage I'm happy to inform you that your flu will last another seven and a half months," Dr. Hamilton spoke softly.
Sydney was to dumbfounded to answer, 'Of course,' she thought to herself.
"Mrs. Gage are you there?"
"Yes, did you just say that I'm pregnant?" she asked listening to the soft chuckle on the other end of the phone.
"In so many words, yes, I would like for you to visit you OB in the next week or so to have them confirmed, and congratulations!" He answered cheerfully before hanging up.
"Thanks," she whispered dropping the phone back on the hook, looking down to her son, she knew they had been trying.
But when nothing was happening she had gone for fertility tests without her husband's knowledge, and when those came back without such positive results she had pushed the idea out of her head. That's why she never even considered that that's what it was this time.
'He'll flip,' she thought to herself picking up the phone to dial, "Ranger Gage, how may I help you?" she heard her husband's voice on the other end.
"Come home, I just got those test results back and want to talk to you about it," she answered softly.
"Syd? Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine just come home, I need to talk to you."
"I'm on my way now, and Syd I love you, remember that."
"I know, I love you too."
'Now to really get you going,' she thought hanging up the phone and making sure Ben wouldn't roll anywhere, while she climbed in for a quick shower.
After showering and dressing in something casual, but not as casual as the sweats she had on earlier, she headed to the kitchen to prepare a mid day snack for her partner, nothing as elegant as she would have liked but got the lunch idea across.
Putting both plates on the table she heard Ben's cry through the baby, monitor that she had brought with her, hurried up stairs to her bedroom to check on him. When she reached him his face was read and the veins in his neck were visible from where he had been screaming.
"Shh, Ben Daddy's coming home soon, and I need to have you fed," she soothed carrying her son downstairs and finding a bottle of juice settled him in his high chair while she fixed him some soup, hoping she wouldn't see it regurgitated later.
"Honey, are you okay?" Gage came barreling into his home looking for his wife and son.
"We're in here," she called as he came rushing through the swinging door to find her sitting there trying to get Ben to take his medicine.
"Are you okay?" he reiterated waiting for an answer.
"I'm fine, well actually I'm better than fine, Dr. Hamilton called gave me the results just thought that you'd want to know it'll last another seven and a half months," she replied turning back to her task, "oh and I made us some lunch."
"Really?"
"Well yeah it is lunch time," she answered knowing that's not the 'really' he was referring to.
"Not that, the last for seven months thing," he was starting to get a little irritated over his wife's inability to answer his question.
"Yes, it seems that you Francis Gage are going to experience what pregnancy is all about this time," she smiled standing up and moving towards him as his arms wrapped tightly around her and he kissed her deeply receiving a loud shriek from his son.
"I can't believe it, there's a person inside of you, hey Ben you going to be a big brother," he was elated and momentarily for got that his son had the flu and swung him around.
Ending up with a shirt covered in regurgitated soup, and a screaming two year old, not to mention his wife running towards the bathroom. 'Great,' he thought to himself pulling his shirt off and his son's clothes depositing them in the washing machine headed towards the nursery pulling out a sleeper and dressing his son before soothing his cries and turning on the mobile over his head, making sure his bear was there. He exited slowly heading back to the kitchen cleaning up the mess that was left, before heading off to find his wife.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just not so sure whether this whole morning sickness thing is worth it," she smiled up at him leaning her back against the tub her head between her knees.
"It will be, and besides you've already experienced this once," he smiled kneeling down in front of her taking her hands in his and pulling her body next to his.
"I guess, so this means I have to work still," she laughed at the groan he made.
"Walker's gonna kill me I told him I'd only be gone an hour and it's almost been two," he glanced at his watch pulling them both to stand steadying her as her eyes closed against the light-headedness.
"Don't tell any of them yet, invite them to CD's tonight and we'll meet you there then we can tell them okay?"
"Well then I guess I'll see the both of you at seven, kiss Ben for me," he leaned in to kiss he forehead before backing out of the bathroom and heading for the front door, stopping long enough to pick up the sandwich that had been laid out for him.
~*~*~*~*~
Gage stood by the front door of CD's Bar and Grille watching the slow drizzles, waiting for his wife's SUV to pull up.
"Would you calm down, they'll be here," Trivette spoke from his spot in the back of the booth, one arm around Erica and Ethan in his lap.
"I know it's just that with, both of them not feeling good I just want to be around them," he answered keeping his vigil by the window.
After about another five minutes Gage bolted out the door upon seeing his wife's car in the parking lot.
"You okay?" he asked opening the door for her.
"Fine, we just had a minor disagreement about what to wear," she smiled climbing out of the car.
"Ho is he?"
"Good his fever broke, and he's back to arguing, his favorite word is 'no'," she laughed and pulled the back door open for her husband to lean in and take the now sleeping boy out of the back seat.
"I'm sorry but you want to go inside and want to get something to eat?"
"I'm not really that hungry, your child has different plans, but we could definitely go inside," She spoke to him following behind him into CD's.
"Hey Syd, you're looking better."
"Yeah, well I got some good news that brightened my day," She smiled sliding in the booth beside her husband.
"Okay, we're here, you can get on with why you invited us all," Walker spoke caring Alexander, Xander, in his arms.
"Well it seems that in seven-and-a-half months there will be a new Gage around here," Gage answered hugging his son closer at the prospect of another little one around their house.
"Really? Are you serious?" Alex asked pushing past Walker at the same time handing him their daughter, Angela.
"Yeah, I wasn't sick from Ben I was sick from his brother or sister," she replied patting her stomach then looking at her son.
"So Gage are you excited you get to be there for it this time?" Erica asked.
"I'm sorry you have to experience it," Walker chuckled from his spot at the end of the table.
"You'll be sorry you made that comment," Alex spit out and went back to her conversation with Syd and Erica.
"Is he asleep?" his hopes were gone when she asked that question.
"Yeah, but his fever went up, I'm taking you both to the doctor tomorrow, I already told Walker we would be in late," he spoke softly checking his wife's temperature at the same time, "You still don't have a fever."
When he didn't receive a quip from her he realized that she had fallen asleep. Although Ben had the flu and a fever and cold to go along with it, his mother had only gotten the flu part of it. This also made Gage wonder if she was sick from heir son or sick from something else, since they were trying to conceive again.
~*~*~*~*~
Sydney Cooke-Gage sat in the waiting room with her head resting against on of her husband's shoulders while her son's head rested against the other, although Ben being able to sleep.
"Benjamin and Sydney Gage," The nurse held the door open for the three to walk through," If I could get you to step on the scale, Mrs. Gage."
Sydney's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw the dial move past 130 especially since she tried to maintain 125. "135, that's a very good weight," the nurse assured noticing the look on her face. "Now if we could get Ben's weight?" she asked as Gage woke his son, and with much protest about waking up and then not being able to hold onto his bear, had gotten him to stand still for five minutes before he was able to return to his warm spot against his father.
"The doctor will be in to see you in a moment," she spoke after receiving and 98.9 degree temperature on Syd and a 100.3 temperature on Ben.
"Hey Shorty, how you feeling?" Gage asked noticing that Syd was about to fall over, although he couldn't decide whether it was from exhaustion or being sick.
"Horrible, I really just want to go home and sleep," she complained following her sons lead and placing her head on her husband's shoulder.
"I know as soon as we get some drugs for the two of you then we'll go home," he whispered as the doctor came in.
"Sydney, I'm a little worried that you don't have a fever, so we're going to take some blood and then give a Ben a shot and send you both straight to bed," Dr. Hamilton, a kind gentle, older man, spoke looking over both charts.
"Is it really something to worry about?" Gage asked realizing something could really be wrong with his wife.
"Probably not, a fever is just the body's way of getting rid of an infection so I'd like to find out why Sydney's hasn't spiked yet," He answered washing his hand before the nurse handed him a sterile needle, "Since he's asleep we're going to go ahead and give it to him he probably won't even realize."
Sydney and Gage both waited anxiously hoping they wouldn't have to deal with a screaming 24 Month old, and when Dr. Hamilton removed the needle and Ben hadn't even flinched both were relieved. Ben's eyes were still shut tightly his bear pulled tightly to his chest, he in return was snuggled the same way up to his father's chest.
~*~*~*~*~
After filling two prescriptions, taking his wife and son home making sure both were tucked in and that Ben was in his mother's reach along with anything else she could need or want, Francis Gage entered Company B Headquarters to be greeted by both senior rangers.
"How is your family?"
"Ben has the flu, they aren't sure about Syd though, they took a blood test and the results should be in by the end of the work day today," he answered flipping open a file folder and starting on more tedious paperwork.
~*~*~*~*~
Sydney and Benjamin were both sleeping peacefully when the telephone interrupted them both, Sydney reached for the phone at the same time pulling her son closer to her breast and he settled his eyes closing again, tear marks on his face.
"Hello?" She asked tiredly into the phone, "this is she."
"Mrs. Gage the test results from this morning are in and Dr. Hamilton wanted to tell you personally," the chipper voice on the other end spoke.
"Okay."
"Mrs. Gage I'm happy to inform you that your flu will last another seven and a half months," Dr. Hamilton spoke softly.
Sydney was to dumbfounded to answer, 'Of course,' she thought to herself.
"Mrs. Gage are you there?"
"Yes, did you just say that I'm pregnant?" she asked listening to the soft chuckle on the other end of the phone.
"In so many words, yes, I would like for you to visit you OB in the next week or so to have them confirmed, and congratulations!" He answered cheerfully before hanging up.
"Thanks," she whispered dropping the phone back on the hook, looking down to her son, she knew they had been trying.
But when nothing was happening she had gone for fertility tests without her husband's knowledge, and when those came back without such positive results she had pushed the idea out of her head. That's why she never even considered that that's what it was this time.
'He'll flip,' she thought to herself picking up the phone to dial, "Ranger Gage, how may I help you?" she heard her husband's voice on the other end.
"Come home, I just got those test results back and want to talk to you about it," she answered softly.
"Syd? Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine just come home, I need to talk to you."
"I'm on my way now, and Syd I love you, remember that."
"I know, I love you too."
'Now to really get you going,' she thought hanging up the phone and making sure Ben wouldn't roll anywhere, while she climbed in for a quick shower.
After showering and dressing in something casual, but not as casual as the sweats she had on earlier, she headed to the kitchen to prepare a mid day snack for her partner, nothing as elegant as she would have liked but got the lunch idea across.
Putting both plates on the table she heard Ben's cry through the baby, monitor that she had brought with her, hurried up stairs to her bedroom to check on him. When she reached him his face was read and the veins in his neck were visible from where he had been screaming.
"Shh, Ben Daddy's coming home soon, and I need to have you fed," she soothed carrying her son downstairs and finding a bottle of juice settled him in his high chair while she fixed him some soup, hoping she wouldn't see it regurgitated later.
"Honey, are you okay?" Gage came barreling into his home looking for his wife and son.
"We're in here," she called as he came rushing through the swinging door to find her sitting there trying to get Ben to take his medicine.
"Are you okay?" he reiterated waiting for an answer.
"I'm fine, well actually I'm better than fine, Dr. Hamilton called gave me the results just thought that you'd want to know it'll last another seven and a half months," she replied turning back to her task, "oh and I made us some lunch."
"Really?"
"Well yeah it is lunch time," she answered knowing that's not the 'really' he was referring to.
"Not that, the last for seven months thing," he was starting to get a little irritated over his wife's inability to answer his question.
"Yes, it seems that you Francis Gage are going to experience what pregnancy is all about this time," she smiled standing up and moving towards him as his arms wrapped tightly around her and he kissed her deeply receiving a loud shriek from his son.
"I can't believe it, there's a person inside of you, hey Ben you going to be a big brother," he was elated and momentarily for got that his son had the flu and swung him around.
Ending up with a shirt covered in regurgitated soup, and a screaming two year old, not to mention his wife running towards the bathroom. 'Great,' he thought to himself pulling his shirt off and his son's clothes depositing them in the washing machine headed towards the nursery pulling out a sleeper and dressing his son before soothing his cries and turning on the mobile over his head, making sure his bear was there. He exited slowly heading back to the kitchen cleaning up the mess that was left, before heading off to find his wife.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just not so sure whether this whole morning sickness thing is worth it," she smiled up at him leaning her back against the tub her head between her knees.
"It will be, and besides you've already experienced this once," he smiled kneeling down in front of her taking her hands in his and pulling her body next to his.
"I guess, so this means I have to work still," she laughed at the groan he made.
"Walker's gonna kill me I told him I'd only be gone an hour and it's almost been two," he glanced at his watch pulling them both to stand steadying her as her eyes closed against the light-headedness.
"Don't tell any of them yet, invite them to CD's tonight and we'll meet you there then we can tell them okay?"
"Well then I guess I'll see the both of you at seven, kiss Ben for me," he leaned in to kiss he forehead before backing out of the bathroom and heading for the front door, stopping long enough to pick up the sandwich that had been laid out for him.
~*~*~*~*~
Gage stood by the front door of CD's Bar and Grille watching the slow drizzles, waiting for his wife's SUV to pull up.
"Would you calm down, they'll be here," Trivette spoke from his spot in the back of the booth, one arm around Erica and Ethan in his lap.
"I know it's just that with, both of them not feeling good I just want to be around them," he answered keeping his vigil by the window.
After about another five minutes Gage bolted out the door upon seeing his wife's car in the parking lot.
"You okay?" he asked opening the door for her.
"Fine, we just had a minor disagreement about what to wear," she smiled climbing out of the car.
"Ho is he?"
"Good his fever broke, and he's back to arguing, his favorite word is 'no'," she laughed and pulled the back door open for her husband to lean in and take the now sleeping boy out of the back seat.
"I'm sorry but you want to go inside and want to get something to eat?"
"I'm not really that hungry, your child has different plans, but we could definitely go inside," She spoke to him following behind him into CD's.
"Hey Syd, you're looking better."
"Yeah, well I got some good news that brightened my day," She smiled sliding in the booth beside her husband.
"Okay, we're here, you can get on with why you invited us all," Walker spoke caring Alexander, Xander, in his arms.
"Well it seems that in seven-and-a-half months there will be a new Gage around here," Gage answered hugging his son closer at the prospect of another little one around their house.
"Really? Are you serious?" Alex asked pushing past Walker at the same time handing him their daughter, Angela.
"Yeah, I wasn't sick from Ben I was sick from his brother or sister," she replied patting her stomach then looking at her son.
"So Gage are you excited you get to be there for it this time?" Erica asked.
"I'm sorry you have to experience it," Walker chuckled from his spot at the end of the table.
"You'll be sorry you made that comment," Alex spit out and went back to her conversation with Syd and Erica.