AN – I WANT TO SAY THERE'S A SCENE THAT MIGHT A BE TRIGGER FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT INVOLVES AN ALLERGIC REACTION. IF THAT COULD POSSIBLY TRIGGER YOU, PLEASE SKIP THE SCENE TO THE NEXT SCENE AFTER THE LINE BREAK. THANK YOU!
Chapter 14 - The next morning
Ezra's pov
I opened my eyes to see Oliver poking my arm. The minute he saw that I was awake, he tried climbing up into the bed with no luck. I gave him a boost and laid him down on Aria's side… well what used to be her side. He pointed to where he had been standing and I looked to see bubba on the ground, I picked up Bubba and handed him over to Oliver. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was Eight Forty… Last night must have really worn him out. We colored and then watched a couple movies after swimming and playing on the swing set. Then around nine-ish, Malcolm came over here because he didn't want to bother Caitlyn and Hardy while Rosie is sick.
"Bubba and me are hungry." Oliver told me.
"Wanna help daddy make some scrambled eggs?" I asked, receiving a nod.
I led Oliver out of my room and he took my hand, as we made our way downstairs. Walking into the kitchen, I heard Malcolm and Fish coming out of the boys' room. When it comes to either of the boys, Fish is so protective of them, but never aggressive. Not only did Malcolm get a friend when he got Fish, but also learned responsibility. Of course, he let Oliver pick out the name instead of naming his own dog. But Fish's name seems to suit him perfectly.
"Why doesn't Fish use the potty inside?" Oliver asked.
"Because his potty is outside, like our potty is in the house." I explained.
As Malcolm brought Fish outside, I sat Oliver on the island. He held onto Bubba as I quickly grabbed the ingredients to make the scrambled eggs. I quickly cracked the eggs into the mixing bowl, and let Oliver whisk them together. He poured the milk, with some help. Malcolm then came back inside with Fish. The coffee pot beeped, and Malcolm looked at me.
"Coffee?" Malcolm asked hopefully.
"Nice try bud, we've been over this. You can't have coffee at your age. You can have your usual choices." I told him, and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I want coffee! Daddy, I want coffee!" Oliver chanted.
"You can't have coffee either, lil man." I said, looking over at him.
"Why?" He asked, pouting.
Malcolm watched, as he pulled out two cups from the cupboard. I handed him the milk to put away and helped Oliver down off the island. We walked over towards the stove and he got on his stepstool as I quickly fired up the stove and poured the eggs into the pan.
"Lil man, coffee isn't good for you. There's something in it called caffeine that can make you become addicted to it" I said.
"What does that mean?" Oliver asked
"It means that you cant stop doing something" I said.
"Like Uncle Toby and Star wars." Malcom added.
"If your brother can't have it, why would you get some?" I asked
"Because I'm very cute." Oliver said, giving me a sweetly innocent look.
"You gotta give him props dad." Malcolm pointed out, as I held back a chuckle.
"Malc, mom and I will discuss you trying coffee later. If we agree to let you try it, don't expect to have it all the time. For now, you'll just have to make do." I told Malcolm.
He nodded and took Oliver's hand, helping him off the stepstool. I quickly added the eggs to the pan and grabbed the mild cheddar cheese out from the fridge. The boys started setting the table and I looked down to see Fish looking at me hopefully, wagging his tail in hopes I'll drop some cheese. Fish stood up and went in a circle before sitting back down and pleaded with his eyes, I chuckled and dropped a tiny bit.
"Ollie, want some fruit with your scrambled eggs?" Malcolm asked.
"Sawberries?" Oliver asked excitedly.
"We got those, and how about some kiwi and bananas too?" I suggested.
"Kill weed?" Oliver asked.
"Not kill weed, kiwi. It's kind of like a green strawberry." Malcolm told him, cutting a kiwi and showing him.
"Looks like a booger." Oliver said, then ate the slice of kiwi Malcolm gave him.
As Malcom finished cutting the fruit, I finished up the eggs and brought it to the table. Oliver led Malcolm to the table and I lifted him onto his chair. Although he mostly looks like me; I can see hints of Aria in him, like his hair is dark brown like hers instead of my black hair.
"It's okay if you don't like the kiwi Ollie, if you don't like it you don't have to eat it." I told him.
"Tastes like booger." He said, eating another slice.
I scooped a little bit of eggs onto his plate, making sure there was enough room for a little bit of fruit. Malcolm took the pan from me as Oliver poked the kiwi with his fork. As the boys started eating their eggs, I walked over to the counter and poured some coffee into my mug. Fish sat at my feet, looking at me with hopeful eyes and I shook my head no at him.
"I have buggy bites." Oliver said, looking at his arm.
"Daddy will take care of your buggy bites after breakfast, eat some eggs lil man." I told him.
"But my tongue is itchy!" Oliver said, scratching at his throat.
"Dad, you need to come look at Ollie." Malcolm said concerned.
I quickly walked over to the boys, kneeling down in front of Oliver. His arms and up his neck up to his chin were covered in hives, which he must have thought were bug bites. Looking at his neck, I saw that it was starting to swell up…. Shit.
"He might be having allergic reaction; Tyson had this kind of reaction when he ate a Reese's cup at lunch and he had to go to the hospital right away." Malcolm told me.
"My. Throat. Hurts. Daddy." Oliver managed between coughs, before throwing up on the ground.
"I'm taking you the emergency room lil man. Malcolm stay here in case mom comes over; tell her I'll give her a call when we get there." I said.
Malcolm nodded, and started cleaning up the puke. Scooping Oliver up; I grabbed my keys, phone and my wallet before rushing him out to the car. I quickly buckled him in and got into my side. Starting the car, I sped out of the driveway. I tried to keep myself calm as I heard Oliver whimpering in the backseat.
"Everything is going to be okay Ollie." I told him, looking into the rearview mirror.
…
Looking around the waiting room; I cursed that they refused to let me stay with Oliver. He's probably more frightened since he doesn't have me or Aria with him, and it hadn't occurred to me to grab bubba. So, Oliver is completely alone back there… surrounded by nurses and doctors that he doesn't even know. His mouth become completely swollen and he could barely breathe by the time we got here, which terrified both of us. I glanced up at the entrance door, waiting for Aria to come running through. I'm not sure why its taking her so long when we both live four minutes away, and she said she was coming when I had called her ten minutes ago.
"Ezra." I looked up to see Nicole walking up.
"Nicole? You're not usually on this side of the hospital." I said.
"One of my friends told me you were here, then I saw the state Oliver was in." She told me.
"How is he?" I asked.
"He's breathing. They're trying to figure out what caused everything." She told me
"I'm here!"
I turned to see Aria running towards us, wearing the same clothes she had last night. Why is she still wearing her clothes from last night? Wait a minute, that's not the focus right now… Oliver is. I need to focus on Oliver and not on why Aria's dress is inside out.
"Okay, what exactly happened?" She asked.
"I honestly don't know. We were having some scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast. Next thing I know, he's covered in hives and starting to barely breathe. Malcolm said it might be an allergic reaction, he saw someone at school have the same thing from eating peanut butter." I told her
The image of Oliver petrified over not being able to breathe planted in my brain. I don't think it will ever leave my mind; despite how much I've been trying to get it out. It doesn't help that it was how I last saw him and I have no idea how he's really doing. He's been alone this entire time, without me or Aria, or even bubba.
"Oliver is able to breathe again, they're just trying to see what the cause was." Nicole told Aria
"But why wasn't I allowed back there with him?" I asked.
"Wait a damn minute! They didn't allow you back there with our FOUR-YEAR-OLD SON?" Aria asked, yelling at the end.
"They wouldn't let me back there with him, one of the nurses threatened to call the cops. He doesn't even have bubba; it didn't cross my mind to grab him. He's all alone back there!" I said.
"He had Nicole." Aria said, giving Nicole a soft smile.
"I made sure he focused on me. Which seemed to make him feel better." Nicole told us.
"Thank you." Aria said, pulling Nicole in for a hug.
I felt a little pang of jealousy that it's Nicole and not me, that Aria's hugging. Nicole gave us a small smile before heading back to work, I led Aria to the seats I had managed to snag. The image of her possibly having sex with Josh crept into my mind, did he snuggle her for hours after or caress her back until she fell asleep? Damnit! I need to stop thinking about that possibility!
"I'll go get us something to drink." I told her, and quickly went to find a coffee machine.
There is no reason for me to be jealous of Josh being with Aria, especially when I'm with Nicole. But it's not like I ever had sex with Nicole, like Aria almost had sex with Hardy… and now apparently Josh too. Although, it's a completely different story there, I can't keep ignoring Hardy. Staring at the different coffee options, I pulled my phone out and dialed Hardy's number without looking. Even though I'm still a little mad at him and Aria... he's like my brother and like another brother to Aria.
"Can you come to the hospital? Something happened… I need you." I said as soon as he answered.
"Do you or Aria need anything before I come up there?" He asked.
"Just a second pair of clothes for Aria, and could you grab Bubba from the house?" I asked.
"You got it; I'll be there soon." He said, and we hung up.
I quickly got mine coffee then got Aria's, just the way she likes it when she's at home. Walking back to our seats, I noticed the way her hair still a mess and for a moment I remembered all the mornings when I'd wake up to her hair being a mess while she's still asleep.
"Here you go. Medium roast with two sugars and a splash of milk. They didn't have the sweet almond milk you like, but I got you skim." I told her, and she smiled a thanks.
"How long has he been back there?" Aria asked, taking a sip.
"Almost half an hour. God, I should've forced myself back there." I said.
"If you had, you could've been arrested and then Oliver really would be alone." She pointed out.
Neither of us said anything as I took a sip of my coffee, god I forgot how bad hospital coffee is. The last time I was here, was when Malcolm sprained his ankle back in fourth grade. Maybe I should have brought him with us, but Aria could've come over right after I had left. Glancing over to her, I noticed some love bites on her.
"You and Josh had sex?" I asked, realizing it really had happened.
"Whatever happened between me and josh… is that, between me and Josh." She said.
She didn't say anything more as she picked up some type of gossip magazine, stopping the conversation from going any further. Glancing up towards the entrance door, I saw Hardy rushing in with the clothes and bubba under his arm.
"Caitlyn just grabbed the first thing she saw." He said and handed the clothes to Aria.
"Thanks." She said.
Hardy sat down next to her, and I could tell that she was trying not to glare at me. What else was I supposed to do? Oliver would've had questions on why she had on the clothes from the night before. Without saying a word, she stood up and quickly walked off towards the bathroom to go change.
"What happened? Is Oliver okay?" Hardy asked.
"It might have been an allergic reaction, they refused to let me stay with him." I said.
"Everything is going to be okay Ezra. Oliver's a mix between you and Aria, he'll be fine." He told me.
I looked over towards the door that they had took Oliver through, it feels like its been forever since they took him back. I have no idea what they're doing and whether or not its really even helping him. God, I should be with him back there! Aria came back, wearing a pink and black striped crop top with a floral skirt.
"Look, we all know that we're going to have to talk about what happened sooner or later." Hardy said.
"And hopefully without violence." Aria added.
"I'm sorry about hitting you man." I told Hardy
"You had to let your anger out somehow Z, we did keep it from you for two and a half years. It was kind of like when you punched me back in college for eating the last of your bagel bites." He said, and Aria raised an eyebrow at us.
"Over bagel bites, seriously?" Aria asked.
"In my defense, it was one of the very few things I ate during college." I told her.
"When I told you to take care of her, I didn't mean try to sleep with her." I pointed out, looking at Hardy.
"I know." He said.
"Oliver Fitz." A nurse called out.
Aria and I quickly got up and followed the nurse. As we walked into the room, we saw Oliver in the hospital bed. Wren Kingston was sitting next to the bed, talking to him. Oliver's face lit up when he saw us, Wren turned to see me and Aria in the doorway and stood up.
"Hi Daddy! Hi mama!" Oliver said happily.
"Hi Ollie, how are you feeling?" I asked as Aria hurried over to the side of his bed.
"Yucky." He told me, and I handed him Bubba.
"Oliver, the medicine I gave you will help your tummy. I'll come back and talk to you two more later." Wren said, looking towards me and Aria at the end.
Just as I was about to sit down when Oliver reached for me to lay with him. Looking over at Wren, he gave me the go ahead nod and I carefully sat on the edge of his bed. Oliver laid with his back to my chest and held onto bubba, placing his thumb into his mouth. As much as I love snuggling with him, I'm more shocked that he didn't want Aria's snuggles. Wren placed his hand under the hand sanitizer machine and walked out, giving us some privacy.
"You don't match mama." Oliver pointed out.
"Do I look silly Ollie?" Aria asked, receiving a small nod.
"Yeah." He giggled.
"Is there anything mama can do for you baby?" Aria asked, caressing Oliver's hair.
"We stay with daddy night." Oliver said, looking at us with puppy dog face.
"I don't see why not." I told her softly.
"Okay, we can stay with daddy tonight." She said.
…
Later that night - Ezra's pov
I watched Aria put Oliver to bed, careful not to interrupt their time together. She handed him the blue short sleeve shark pajama shirt and the shorts that go with, before walking over to his nightstand and picking up one of his storybooks. As soon as he was finished changing into his pajamas, Oliver ran towards Aria and jumped into her arms. Spending the entire day with her and the boys, felt just how it did before she had gone off to New York. Of course, neither me nor Aria were in very good moods after one of the nurses had threatened to call CPS on us… because no one happened to even know that he had an allergy. But the second we brought Ollie back, he was bouncing off the walls like he usually does.
"Do you want a bedtime story?" Aria asked, laying him down.
"No. Sing the Ollie song." He said.
"Okay, snuggle up baby." She told him.
I smiled to myself, enjoying every second of her singing 'You are my sunshine' to Oliver. It's been forever since I heard her sing, it still sounds as angelic as I remember. Hell, she could sing that one weirdly annoying fox song and it would become my favorite. Oliver's eyes slowly closed and I quietly made my way back downstairs before Aria could see me at the door. Even though most of his day was spent in the hospital and he's completely worn out, I kind of wish that it had taken him a little bit longer to fall asleep… just so I could hear her sing some more.
AN – I'm sorry for making you all wait so long for this chapter! I really wanted to give Oliver's reaction everything I could. To the guest that said they want Ezria back together, me too. But we need to let them take their time. But there's still more ahead, that you won't want to miss! Also please send in names for both Ezria and Spoby's babies and whether you're team boy or girl.
