Even though Edward looked fine as she tucked him in that evening, Peg had a feeling that something was off.
Maybe it was a mother's intuition, but there was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that Edward was unwell.
Not wanting to make him nervous, she gently pressed her hand to his forehead before kissing him goodnight, trying her best to check for a fever, but he felt as cool as usual. When he smiled at her, she tried to push her fears away. Edward was fine. He was acting normally, and he didn't have a fever. Maybe she was just being paranoid.
00
It was around three in the morning that Kevin came into her bedroom and shook her awake.
"Huh?" She asked sleepily as she cracked open her eyes. "What is it?"
Kevin stood before her, dressed in his pajamas and bathrobe, a concerned expression on his face.
"Something's wrong with Edward. He keeps coughing."
Frowning, Peg got out of bed and followed her son back to the room that he and Edward shared. She flicked on the lights and saw Edward clench his eyes shut as she did so, as if the light hurt his eyes. Quickly, she turned them back off again and used the light coming from the hallway to find her way to the bed.
"Edward, are you okay?" She asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
He slowly opened his eyes and despite the darkness she could tell that he was flushed. He had a pitiful expression on his face. He took a deep breath before coughing, which he tried to help by pushing his face into his pillow.
Peg touched his cheek and felt that he was warm, much more so than he had been just a few hours prior.
The coughing started again a second later, and it seemed like Edward was truly having a hard time catching his breath. Peg reached under his arms and lifted him so he was sitting, leaning him forward so his head rested against her shoulder with his arms at his side. She patted his back and he sucked in a breath of air. It was then that she noticed he was shaking, whether out of fear or because he felt cold, she wasn't sure.
"Oh, Edward, it's okay," She told him, rubbing his back some more. "You'll be alright. I think you've just got that flu that's been going around lately. Kim had it a few weeks ago and now you've got it too."
"Hurts…" Edward replied.
It was then that Peg realized that Edward had probably never been sick before, so it was likely somewhat scary to him.
"I know. But we'll get you some medicine and you'll start to feel better soon." She reassured him.
For now, though, it seemed a good idea to get him out of the room so that Kevin could sleep. She wrapped a blanket around Edward's shoulders and led him down to the basement.
00
It seemed like no matter how many blankets Peg gave Edward, he was still freezing. He laid there, covered in three thick comforters, with his teeth still almost chattering.
Peg looked him over, feeling bad that he seemed so uncomfortable.
"I'm going to get you some NyQuil. It'll help you sleep," She told him. "Be right back."
Of course, he was still in the same spot when she returned. Edward continued to look at her sadly, his eyes wide and frightened.
"Here we go," She said, holding a small plastic cup to his lips. "It doesn't taste great but it'll help."
Edward drank it down, grimacing as he did so, but he made no comment.
"I know, it's gross," Peg whispered. "Why don't we just lie down for a while - unless you prefer to be alone? You just looked so nervous…" she trailed off.
"Stay, please," Edward answered.
Peg smiled at him.
"Of course I will."
She settled into the bed next to him and held him closely.
00
Peg woke a few hours later to the sound of Edward panting.
He was taking short, quick breaths and was still shaking. He had turned away from her.
Peg sat up to look him over. Just as she started to check him, he sat up. Before she could react he was retching, getting sick all over the bed.
Peg blinked, unsure of what to do or say. A few seconds later she pulled herself together enough to rest a hand on his back. The blankets were ruined anyway. Might as well try to comfort him until he was done.
Edward seemed more stunned and terrified than anything. He'd been sick before, but never so violently. The look of surprise on Peg's face made it all the more frightening.
"S-sorry," he mumbled, breathing heavily again.
"It's alright, we can wash everything," She told him, continuing to rub his back. "It's fine. No need to panic. Do you, um… Do you feel better now?"
Thankfully he had missed her, but his pajamas were ruined.
Edward sniffled loudly but didn't respond. A tear ran down his face.
"It's fine, really. We'll just get you cleaned up, and get some medicine to help your stomach and you'll be feeling better real soon," Peg said, forcing herself to act confident so he wouldn't be scared any further.
She got out of bed and made her way around to the other side before carefully helping Edward to his feet, doing her best to avoid touching him anywhere that he'd hit.
She led him upstairs, stopping every few steps as he needed to catch his breath, and into the bathroom. Thankfully, no one else was awake so they had it to themselves.
"Let's just get you out of this shirt," Peg said, as she looked for a way to unbutton the pajama top. It took her a few minutes but she managed to do it. Getting his pants off was somewhat easier, and Peg found herself grateful that they'd managed to get him out of that black suit so long ago. Having to pull that thing apart would've been more difficult if he was sick.
Edward was left standing in his boxers, shaking once again.
Peg sat him on top of the closed toilet seat and turned on the hot water in the bath, hoping to both clean him up and help him warm up a bit. While waiting, she took the opportunity to take his temperature. Edward obediently held the thermometer under his tongue until Peg removed it. She was happy to find that his fever wasn't too high.
She let Edward keep his boxers on as he got into the bath. He tended to be so shy, and she didn't want to make things more difficult for him than they already were. Quietly she helped him bathe, running a rag over his back and arms and cleaning up his face, making sure she got rid of any traces of vomit around his lips.
Peg let him sit in the warm water for a while after, as it seemed to relax him. She helped him out as it began to cool and wrapped him in a large fluffy towel. He'd stopped shivering, at least. That was a good sign.
She left him in the bathroom while she went to find the warmest, coziest set of pajamas that would fit him. Once again she helped him dress, going so far as to help him into a pair of Bill's old socks to keep his feet warm.
00
Kim and Bill were awake by the time Edward was done bathing. One look at him told both of them how sick Edward was.
"I feel bad for you," Kim told him. "It gets worse before it gets better."
Feeling Edward tense up, Peg frowned at her daughter.
"Now, let's not go making Edward nervous. I'm sure he'll be just fine, right Bill?" She gave Bill the look, which meant 'You'd better agree with me'.
Bill looked up from the coffee he was making.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. He'll be just fine. No worries there."
His response seemed to calm Edward somewhat.
"Maybe you'd like to go watch some television with Kim while I make you some tea?" Peg suggested. She glared at Kim, who got the message quickly.
"Yeah, we can watch Saturday morning cartoons if you want," Kim offered. Edward really did look pathetic, and it wasn't like she could catch the same flu twice.
The idea of spending time with Kim overrode any nervousness Edward felt.
"Yes, please." He replied happily.
He followed Kim over to the couch. Knowing how awful Edward likely felt, she grabbed a throw pillow and placed it on her lap.
"Lie down," She instructed.
Edward nodded and did his best to rest his head on her lap without stabbing himself or her in the process. Kim grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and pulled it over him, watching as he snuggled up in it.
She flipped the television on and found the channel she was looking for.
Edward relaxed as he felt Kim start to run her fingers through his hair. Slowly, he closed his eyes, once again falling asleep.