In the week leading up to Christmas, a stomach bug ravaged the Prentiss-Mills family.
Aurora got it first, late one evening, which made for a long sleepless night for her parents as they took turns holding a bucket for her to vomit into. And just as they finally managed to coax the toddler to sleep with the held of Gravol and ginger ale – around three AM – Clara woke shortly thereafter, throwing up all over herself and sobbing.
The next morning, as was their luck, Emily got called away on a case, leaving Lucy to deal with two sick, exhausted, grumpy little girls by herself.
By the time she returned home, on December twenty-third, Lucy had become the latest victim of the illness. (Emily had to wonder how Lucy had the strength to look after two vomiting children while also vomiting herself, knowing that a lesser woman likely wouldn't have managed on her own.) That wasn't about to stop Lucy from making the girls' Christmas special, though...
"Lucy, you look awful," Emily said gently, helping her wife pile gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve. "You should just go to bed – I'll finish up here." She'd been trying to convince her to get some rest for the better part of three hours, but if there was one thing the two of them had in common, it was stubbornness.
She shook her head firmly. "It's Christmas," she insisted. "I don't want to miss any of it."
Smiling softly (and trying to resist rolling her eyes), Emily said, "You won't be missing anything fun. Besides, I want you to be well rested for tomorrow – you know that even sick, the girls will be wild and hyper..."
"What about our Christmas Eve tradition?" Lucy husked, smirking. The change in subject was hardly subtle, either in topic or in the way she brushed aside Emily's insistence that she rest.
Emily lost the battle and rolled her eyes. "I'm not having sex with someone who's puking every two hours." Then, feeling bad, she offered an apologetic smile. "No offence."
"Rude." She stuck out her tongue childishly. "When we were dating, a few germs wouldn't have stopped you..."
"What can I say? I'm older now. Wiser." A beat. "And more tired."
As predicted, a stomach bug failed to stop Clara and Aurora from waking up at six AM on the dot and then crawling into bed with their parents, jumping up and down until they awoke.
Emily groaned as she slipped out of Lucy's embrace. "Told you so." She proceeded to climb out of bed, barely gaining her footing before coming to a sudden halt and racing to the bathroom where she then began retching.
"Is Mommy okay?" Clara asked, voice soft, almost scared as they listened to Emily's stomach rebel.
"She'll be okay," Lucy replied, "She's just a little sick. Why don't you take sissy and open your stockings...but nothing else. Okay?" Agreeing readily, the two girls scampered to the living room, squealing with excitement as they went. Once they were out of earshot, Lucy knocked on the bathroom door. "You okay in there?"
A groan. "No."
"Can I come in?" She cracked the door open slightly. "Em?"
Emily sighed. "I think I'm dying. Seriously. Is it possible to vomit out your own pancreas?"
Lucy settled on the floor next other, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back. "Better get it out of your system quickly or all the gifts will be unwrapped by the time you're done."
"This sucks," Emily groaned. She offered a little pout.
"I know, Em," she murmured. "Come here..." She patted her lap and Emily crawled over to settle there, head leaning on her chest. Lucy wrapped her arms around her, gently rocking her. "It'll be okay, this will pass. Hopefully quickly."
Emily's eyes fell shut as she listened to Lucy's heartbeat (and the distant excited shrieking of the girls in the living room). "I haven't been this sick since...well... I can't even remember."
Lucy kissed her forehead. "It has been awhile," she agreed. "You're not exactly the most delightful person when you're sick." She giggled softly because even if she was teasing her, there was a grain of truth to it.
A beat.
"I want to carry the baby," Emily said, voice barely audible as if she were afraid of Lucy's reaction.
Another beat.
"Really?" Lucy's mouth hung open slightly in surprise. They'd discussed the possibility, but the last time they'd talked about it, Emily had been wavering in her conviction because of the demands of her current role on the team. "That's great!"
"Really?" Emily said, perhaps a little surprised. "You wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not," Lucy insisted. "I've carried two of our children already – you deserve to share in the joy of motherhood. Plus...you'd look so beautiful pregnant."
Emily gave a wet little laugh. "Merry Christmas, I guess?" she said with an awkward little shrug.
Lucy kissed her temple. "You were truly the best gift I ever could have received," she murmured. "At least, until you get morning sickness and you're sick and grumpy all the time. Then I may rethink things."
She laughed softly, then nuzzled into her neck. "We should probably get out there before the girls get impatient..."
"Did you have a good Christmas, Buggy?" Emily asked as she and Clara snuggled in the girl's bed that night.
Clara nodded. "It was the best Christmas ever." She smiled contentedly, nuzzled into Emily's shoulder. "Do you feel all better?"
"Much better," she confirmed. "Thank you for taking such good care of me. You're a very good daughter. And an amazing big sissy."
Clara smiled brightly, little chest puffing out with pride. "You and Mama are having another baby, right?" Clara asked.
Emily raised a brow. "Were you eavesdropping?"
She shrugged. "Maybe I drops some eabs," she said, "But you sayed it, right?"
With a little laugh, she conceded, "We're going to try and have a baby. But it might take some time, so don't get your hopes up just yet, okay?"
She nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "A baby brother, right?"
"We'll see." She kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to read a story?"
She shook her head. "Can you tell me a story 'bout when I was a baby?"
"Well, when you were in Mama's tummy, we had a cat named Sergio and you loved him. Sergio liked to lay on Mama's belly and purr. When he'd purr, you would kick him...which only made him purr more. It was very cute."
"Am I still cute?" Clara asked.
"The cutest," she agreed. "Well, tied with Aurora. You're both adorable. Just like Mama."
Clara mused on that for a few moments, then declared, "You're cute too, Mommy." Emily opened her mouth to respond, but didn't have a chance before Clara continued, "But your skin is gross and green right now. And you have big purple circles under your eyes."
She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the critique, Bug. But it's time for you to go to sleep. You've had a big busy day."
"Night night, Mommy. Love you the mostest."
"Good night, Bug."