Chapter Nine

"Eddie, wake up!"

Jillian shook her husband violently, panic on her face. Slowly waking up, Ed looked around for a second and then at his wife, "What's wrong?" he whispered as he sat up.

"It's Joey."

Ed jumped out of bed and ran out of the room to where the little boy slept. Once inside, he went over to his wife who was holding a screaming baby, "What is it?"

"Feel him, Ed, he's burning up."

Ed reached out and put a hand over the boy's forehead and then frowned deeply. "Take his shirt off," he said quietly as he helped his wife peel off the thin cotton shirt. Placing one hand on the boy's stomach and one on his back, Ed sighed deeply, "Damnit."

Looking at her husband for advice and comfort, Jillian said, "What do we do?"

"I don't want to leave him like this all night, have you given him anything?"

Shaking her head, his wife said, "I don't know what to give him, we never had this problem with Delinda."

"Alright," he sighed, running a hand over his face. "We can do this one of two ways. Either you can stay here with the girls and I'll run him into the hospital, or I'll stay here with the girls and you run him in."

"I've seen enough of his tears already tonight," Jillian said, handing Ed the baby, "You take him."

"Alright," he said, "get me his info and I'll quickly throw some clothes on." Gently setting the baby back in his crib, Joey let out a piercing scream at being set back down. "I'm sorry, buddy," Ed said apologetically, "I'll be right back, I promise."

Reluctantly, Ed left his son as he went back in his room and began to rip his clothes off. Grabbing a pair of jeans from his dresser drawer, he pulled them on and then grabbed a t-shirt from the closet and pulled that on as well. Shoving his bare feet into a pair of thong sandals, Deline grabbed his keys and wallet and went out of the bedroom and grabbed his son from his room.

Carefully walking downstairs so he didn't wake the girls, he went out into the kitchen where his wife was digging through a small file. "Okay, did you find the stuff?"

"Yeah," she said as she carefully put everything back. Grabbing the box, she put it back on top of the refrigerator and walked over to the table. "Here's his social security card as well as his shot records and a list of vaccinations he's had."

Ed nodded as he put everything in the back pocket of his pants, "Alright, we'll be back later then." Leaning over he kissed his wife and gave her a gentle smile, "I'm sure it's just an ear infection, sweetie, nothing more."

She nodded as she took a shaky breath, "Call me, okay? Let me know what's going on."

"You have my word," Ed promised as he walked out of the door.

Three hours later, Ed walked through the back door of the house holding a now sleeping Joey. Seeing his wife asleep on the couch, he smiled softly and went back upstairs and laid the baby down in his bed. Creeping down the hall, Ed looked in on Delinda and Nessa and walked in and spread the blankets back over the girls, who had kicked them off. Leaning down, he kissed both of them and walked out of the room. Coming back downstairs, he went over and gently kissed his wife, causing her to wake up, "Where's the baby?"

"Back in his bed," he whispered.

Jillian sat up and rubbed her eyes, "You didn't call, you said you would."

"I know, I'm sorry, sweetie," he said apologetically, "things were just happening so fast. He's fine, don't worry, it was exactly what I said it was, an ear infection."

She nodded as she sat up, giving him some room.

Kicking his thongs off, Ed sat down next to her and sighed tiredly, "The papers are on the counter."

"Okay," she said, resting her head on his shoulder, "did they write him a prescription?"

"Yeah," he said, yawning. "And they gave him the first dosage, so he'll be fine till morning."

Jillian nodded as she yawned and slowly fell back to sleep.

Creeping down the stairs, Delinda whispered softly to Nessa, "I told you, they left us."

The little African American girl hugged her cabbage patch doll close to her chest, "Forever?"

"I don't know," the other girl replied.

The two were dressed in carnation pink nightgowns with ribbons and flowers adorning them. As they reached the bottom of the steps, they both stopped when they saw Ed and Jillian sleeping on the couch. "Why aren't they in bed?" Nessa wondered softly.

"Maybe daddy wet it again," Delinda answered.

Nessa stopped dead in her tracks and said, "Pops doesn't wet the bed!"

"Yes he does!" Delinda countered, "I heard mommy and daddy making a lot of noise one night and then mommy told daddy he had to sleep in the wet spot!"

Nessa screwed her face up in disgust and then followed her surrogate sister into the living room. Running up to the sleeping couple, the girls pounced in their laps, startling Ed and Jillian.

Waking up, Ed looked around and smiled at Nessa who was sitting in his lap. "What are you two doing up?"

"We're hungry," the girl answered.

"Yeah," Delinda chimed in a she shook Jillian, "Mommy, wake up!"

"Buttercup," Ed began as his wife slowly opened her eyes.

Smiling at her daughter, Jillian kissed her cheek, "How long have you two ragamuffins been up?"

"We don't know how to tell time," Delinda responded evenly.

Laughing, her parents stood up and each carried a girl into the kitchen. "Maybe daddy can start breakfast," Jillian began as she set them at the counter, "while mommy goes up and makes the beds and check on Joey."

"Absolutely," Ed agreed, kissing her cheek. Once she was out of the room, he clapped his hands together once and then looked at the girls, "What'll it be, beauties? Cap'n Crunch, Rice Crispies or Cocoa Puffs?"

Nessa nudged Delinda, saying softly, "Ask him."

"You ask him," Delinda said, keeping one eye on her father and the other on the little girl.

"Ask who what?" Ed asked as he went over to the cupboard and pulled some bowls out.

"Nessa said you wet the bed again and that's why you and mommy slept on the couch."

Nearly dropping the dishes, Ed just looked at the little girls, who were smiling angelically, and groaned. "This is going to be a long day," he mumbled softly.