Daddy Duo

Chapter 13

Fright Night

A siren awoke Hilde in the middle of the night. Except it wasn't a siren. It was Solo and he was screaming.

Duo was awake a split second later, jumping out of bed. "What the hell?" he yelled and ran into the baby's room.

Solo was sitting up in his crib, screaming and pulling at his ears. His face was flushed bright red.

When Duo picked him up, he gasped at the heat radiating from his small body.

"He's sick!" said Duo. He handed the baby to Hilde.

"Get dressed, we're going to the emergency room!" Hilde nodded dumbly, and took the baby into the bathroom to get a cold washcloth for his hot face.

Walking him and the cold washcloth reduced the screaming to sobs and whimpers.

They took turns holding him as they each threw on some cloths and Duo ran out to start the car.

Hilde got in the back next to the car seat, trying to soothe Solo on the ten- minute ride to the hospital.

"We'll be there soon," she crooned as she kept bathing his face with the now warm washcloth.

They carried a still crying baby into emergency and Duo ran up to the nurse's desk.

"My baby is sick!" he said, "We need a doctor, now!"

The nurse looked at him and thrust an electronic padd at him. "I need you to fill this out and state the nature of the emergency, sir. It's hospital rules. Unless it's a life threatening situation, of course."

"It is a life threatening situation," growled Duo. "YOURS! If you don't get your dumb ass in gear and get a doctor down her an hour ago," he raged.

The nurse stepped back and her mouth dropped open. "Sir," she began, "If you don't quiet down and control yourself, I'm going to call security!"

"Duo!" Hilde exclaimed. She knew he had a temper, but she'd rarely seen him so out of control. "Hold the baby and I'll talk to her."

Hilde had a brief conversation with the nurse, and quickly filled in the form.

"Now," said the nurse, still looking warily at Duo, "Dr. Matthews is on call, and he should be here any minute now."

She gave Duo a look that said, "Now was that so hard?" and went back to her computer screen.

Duo shot her the bird behind her back with one hand and rubbed Solo's back comfortingly with the other. Hilde almost smiled.

A young blond man with an earnest expression came up to them. "I'm Dr. Matthews," he said. "I'm the pediatric resident on call, and I see you have a sick little guy there."

"He woke up screaming and he's hot," said Duo. "I think he's in pain."

"Babies cry very hard for even minor pain," said Dr. Matthews. "But was he rubbing or pulling his ears?"

"Yes, how did you know?" asked Duo.

"Ear infections are common in babies and it really comes on suddenly. One of the things that happens sometimes when a baby nurses or drinks and then falls asleep is that fluid can back up in the tubes to the ears and cause a painful infection."

Duo felt a little reassured. This Dr. Matthews sounded like he knew his stuff.

"Okay, what do you do for it?" he asked. "Well, we can give him something for the pain and fever to start with," said Dr. Matthews, smiling.

"And then an antibiotic to clear up the infection," he said. "A few simple tests and we'll know exactly what nasty bug we're dealing with and we'll have this boy of yours better in no time."

"Come with me," he said, motioning to a small examination room.

Duo almost sobbed with relief. "This is the first time he's ever been really sick," he explained by way of apology. "I kind of freaked out."

"Let me tell you something," said Dr. Matthews. "The first time my daughter Christy got the flu I was a nervous wreck," he grinned at Duo and Hilde. "It's easy to be calm when it's someone else's kid."

"Earaches suck, don't they little guy," cooed Dr. Matthews.

"His name is Solo," Duo supplied.

"Solo," said Dr. Matthews. "Interesting name you have there, kid."

"He was named for a friend of mine that died," said Duo.

"I'm sorry," said Dr. Matthews. "But that's a wonderful way to remember a friend."

"Yes," said Duo.

Dr. Matthews had Hilde hold Solo while he went to a cabinet and took out two bottles and a syringe without a needle.

"Let's give you some medicine," he said. "Nasty tasting stuff, but you'll feel better."

He first put a small device in Solo's ears and looked. "Yep, all red in there," he said, looking into the right one.

Then he put another device under his arm briefly. "Aren't you glad we don't do rectal thermometers anymore," he grinned.

"Yep, high fever," he said. "Just what Dad thought, you're one sick puppy."

Duo liked the way that Dr. Matthews talked to Solo, like he was a person, instead of a thing.

He put a little of the medicine in the syringe and let Solo slowly swallow it.

"That's for the fever," he said.

"And this is a broad spectrum antibiotic," he told Hilde. "He'll need it once a day, before he eats."

She nodded, taking the bottle from him.

"Give him the medicine for fever every 6 hours," he said. "I'll write it all down for you."

Solo was still fussing, but not screaming anymore. "Some mild heat on his ear will make it feel better too," the doctor said. "The right one is the one that's hurting him."

"Just use a damp washcloth in bath temperature water," he said, "That's the safest way."

"I'm afraid you folks won't be getting a lot of sleep tonight," said Dr. Matthews apologetically.

"That's nothing new," said Duo, rolling his eyes.

"I know what you mean," said Dr. Matthews, grinning. "I have a baby too."

"If he's not better in two days, call me," he said.

Hilde nodded. She looked exhausted, Duo noted, and he suddenly felt like a total heel for throwing a fit at the nurse's desk.

"I'm so sorry," he said to Hilde as they left the hospital after signing the check out padd.

"The whole thing caught me off guard, I guess," said Duo quietly.

"Bad memories, Liebhan?" asked Hilde gently.

Solo had quieted and his eyes were half closed in his car seat.

"I was remembering the other Solo," said Duo, looking at the road to avoid Hilde's eyes.

"Things aren't like that anymore," said Hilde. "We all have bad memories of that time. We all lost someone that shouldn't have died, but did," she said.

"I know," he said tersely. "I know all that, but I can't forget."

"I don't expect you to forget," said Hilde. "Because I can't forget either."

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm acting like I'm the only victim in the universe."

"Unfortunately, you have plenty of company, Liebhan," she said quietly.

Duo pulled into the garage. "He's asleep?" he asked Hilde.

"Yes, that medicine must be working," said Hilde. "His fever is down too."

Duo rested his head against the steering wheel and exhaled loudly.

"Good," he said.

"Let's go inside."

"Give me a minute," he said.

She nodded. "I'll go put Solo in his bed," she whispered.

She picked him up carefully so as not to wake him and took him in the house.

When she came into the living room, Duo was sitting in the dark on the sofa, his head in his hands.

"Everything's fine now," said Hilde. "I'll sit up with him, just in case, but I think he'll be fine. Why don't you try and get some sleep, and you can sit with him in a few hours."

"I won't be able to sleep," said Duo in a choked voice. "I'll stay up."

"I'll sit with you a while then," said Hilde. "I'll make some coffee."

She got up to go to the kitchen, but his hand shot out and he grabbed her arm.

"Later," he said. He raised his head. "Stay here with me."

Hilde sat next to him on the sofa and he leaned over and buried his face in her lap.

"We'll keep the nightmares away, Liebhan," she said quietly, stroking his hair.