Chapter 16: Friday - Part 1

Sydney checked the time on her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that hour, seeing that only a few minutes had passed since her previous check. Both boys were napping, and though Laura was due home in two hours to take over babysitting with Michael there a half hour later to pick her up for their date, she knew she should be doing something productive instead of letting nervous excitement eat her from the inside out.

Grabbing the baby monitor with a huff and turning off the television she walked up the stairs and peeked her head into the boy's room. Both were still out as the drawn curtains across the room blocked the late-afternoon sun but cast a warm yellow hue across the sleeping children. A small smile tilted her lips as she left the door open a little before moving off toward the bathroom connected to her bedroom. Flipping on the shower she let it heat up before setting the baby monitor on the counter, stripping, and hopping in.

A half hour later she stood in a pair of shorts and a camisole with the hair dryer blowing in her ear, though she still caught the muffled noise over the monitor. Stopping with her hair still damp, she stood still for a moment hearing Noah calm down a bit and things go back to quiet. Finishing the drying, she plugged in the curler and set out to do her makeup base, though she was still almost two hours ahead of schedule. Sticking three or four pins in her mouth she combed and gathered her hair up into a bun as some strands loosed around her fingers - those she would curl.

Several minutes later another squawk from Noah made her jump and poke her eye with the liner pencil, a soft curse followed by a groan as she once again held still and squinted against the sting while waiting for her youngest to nod back off.

'He should sleep for another hour or so,' she thought to herself, but fate wasn't on her side. Expecting him to begin his usual stuffed animal chat, she thought: 'I can probably get away with finishing my makeup while he entertains himself'. His whimpering cry made her frown, and she quick set her makeup down and unplugged the curler, making her way back toward the crying little boy.

"Oh sweetie, what's going on?" Reaching for him she instantly felt the fever permeating from his little body, his hands reaching up for her as he sobbed.

'Please don't wake up your brother, naps are the only thing that will save this whole afternoon.' Pleading silently she lifted the toddler up against her chest cradling the back of his head and using her lips to his forehead to try and garner how high his temperature was and if she should worry.

His cry turned into a gag, Sydney barely having time to grab the light blanket from the crib and drop it at her feet before the boy lost his lunch and almost a full bottle of water across her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut with a sigh and held him still as he dry-heaved, the liquid seeping into the fabric she was wearing and dripping down her legs.

"Jake? Sweetie, wake up, I need you to do me a favor." His little grumble made her turn to see him sitting up and rubbing at his still heavy eyelids. Noah sobbed against her shoulder and she rubbed his back in soothing circles. "Can you go into the bathroom and get me a towel?"

He nodded and she watched him slide out of bed and pad over to the bathroom returning a moment later with a towel and handing it up to her. She accepted it gratefully but took a moment to set the back of her hand against his forehead, feeling that he was a little warm but it was likely from his cozy spot under the covers.

"Do you feel okay?"

"Mmhmm," he responded lazily as he climbed back up into the bed. She wiped at her legs trying to ensure that she wasn't going to track any vomit into the carpet on a trek to her bathroom across the hall, making it to the tile floor as the little boy in her arms hiccupped and gagged again, another bout of throwing up missing his mother but landing on the rug in front of the sink. She moved to turn on the bathtub while cooing soothing words to her son as he sobbed and rubbed his forehead against her neck in and attempt to climb into her for comfort.

"It's okay, sweetie. C'mon, let's jump in the bath." Managing to get his clothes off while he clung to her she slid him into the lukewarm water, keeping it cool in order to not aggravate his fever. Standing she shimmied out of the cami by dragging it down her body rather than over her head keeping her finished hair in mind, kicking it aside along with her shorts. Stepping into the tub she used a washcloth to rinse them both off before gathering him up against her chest and holding him to get to his back and legs. He began to cry into her shoulder, Sydney sitting him down and using a cup to run water over his head in an attempt to get the gunk out of his hair.

Once she was reasonably certain that they were each relatively clean, she hopped out and wrapped them both in a fluffy towel, but stayed in the bathroom where the tile floor would be much easier to clean than other parts of the house. Noah calmed a little, so she walked back into the kid's room to get his bottle, filling it about halfway with water and pushing it into his hands. He drank it greedily attempting to rid the taste from his mouth and quell his upset stomach as he set his head on his mother's shoulder. His fever still raged, and she sighed with a rub of her cheek against his that her plans for the evening just got trumped.

With her free hand she grabbed her phone off the counter and called the pediatrician - the first and least depressing of the calls she needed to make over the next few minutes. After talking with the doctor, him not being surprised as several kiddos had been in that day with the same symptoms, he declared it just a stomach bug and that the family would need to weather the storm. Fluids, light meals, and plenty of rest was his recommendation, Sydney thanking him and hanging up. Looking down to Noah seeing that he was calmer though a little pale, she sat on the stool in front of the mirror and set a kiss to his forehead before dialing her mother.

Noise and music played through the earpiece, though her mother's voice was clear indicating that she'd stepped away to answer the call.

"Hello, sweetheart."

"Hi, mom. I know you wanted me to rescue from that fundraiser, but you might as well stay with dad. Noah's throwing up; I'm going to have to cancel with Michael."

Laura tisked, "I can come take care of him, Sydney, you don't need to cancel."

"It's okay mom. I doubt I'd be able to have a good time with a sick baby at home. You stay and save dad from spending too much at the silent auction."

"Damn. We'll be home around midnight, maybe a little after." Sydney smiled as the older Bristow grumbled and wished her daughter luck before hanging up.

Heaving a sigh, she dialed the last number, feeling for the first time in almost a week that she didn't want to talk with Vaughn. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hey!"

Just the sound of his voice made her relax a bit. "Hi. Sorry to call while you're working, let me know if you're busy."

"No, no - it's alright, just doing paperwork. I'm out of the office in a half hour, then I'll head that way?"

She sighed. "You have no idea how hard this phone call was to make, but I - I have to cancel tonight."

His smile fell as Eric walked into his office carrying a manila envelope filled with papers, curiosity on his face at the distraught look his friend harbored. "Why? What happened?"

"Noah woke up sick and I...as much as I wanted to be your date tonight I have be a mom instead." She could hear the disappointment in his voice though was sure she had it in hers as well.

"Oh, poor little guy. It's fine, Syd, I get it."

They shared a moment of silence, Vaughn hearing Noah whimper in the background. "How bad is it?"

"Doc says it's a stomach bug - a bunch of kids have it. Fluids and the usual, let it work out of his system. Though work out of his system means throw up twice on me and once on the bathroom rug." His chuckle made her smile.

"Momma?" He heard Jake's little voice in the distance, and he strained to catch their muffled conversation.

"Hi little roo. You can go back to bed if you-" her sentence was cut off by a wretch, Michael knowing instantly what had happened without even needing to be there. "Shit," he heard her whisper.

"I gotta go, I'm sorry again about tonight." She sat Noah on the floor, the boy not happy with being usurped by his brother and throwing himself backward with a cry.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay? To check up on everyone?"

For a brief moment Michael felt relief that he wasn't in the middle of that particular storm, though guilt filled his gut as he realized that she was not only in the middle, but trapped in said storm.

Alone.

She tossed a quick goodbye before hanging up, and he set his cell down on the desk with a frown wrinkling his forehead, a distant look in his eyes.

"Sorry, Vaughn, I know you were really looking forward to tonight." Weiss flopped into the chair opposite his friend's desk looking over the papers he was ferrying. "What happened? Kids okay?"

Silence was his answer and looking up he realized that Michael was a thousand miles away.

"Vaughn? Hey," Eric snapped his fingers catching the other lawyers attention.

"I need to talk to your wife, gimme your phone."

"What?" Eric was taken aback by the suddenness of Michael's request.

"I don't have her number in my phone, lemme use yours."

"Why do you need to talk to her?"

"Because Nadia's a pediatrician."

"Why do you need a pediatrician?"

Vaughn glared, Eric handing his phone over with narrowed cautious eyes as Michael pushed a few buttons and put the phone on speaker.

"Hey love, what's up?" Her voice with soft Argentine accent flowed through the speaker.

"Hey, you're on speaker. Vaughn needed a pediatrician."

"Because he's a child?"

Michael cut in. "Ha, very funny. What would I need to pick up for a couple of little kids that have a stomach bug? Sydney called and cancelled because her kids are sick and it sounds like a war zone over there. I thought I could go help." He lost some of his bravado for a moment, picking up and twirling a pen between his fingers. "Do...do you think I could help? Does she need help? Will it make her, you know...feel like...weird? Is it weird that I want to help?"

Nadia cooed, "Aww, pequeño y romántico Michel, you are very sweet. Of course she needs help. First, and I probably don't need to tell you this, but tonight won't be a chance for some alone time."

"Nadia," Vaughn growled frowning though he knew she couldn't see it.

She shrugged and continued with a laugh. "Second, you're going to get puked on if you go."

"Really?"

"Kids are like little fountains when they're sick. Almost no warning, then blech," she replicated a vomit noise through the earpiece before continuing. "If you think you can handle that, I'll give you a list of things to pick up."

"I've got a pen, go ahead."

"Dios, you really love this girl. Vomit, Michael - lots of vomit."

"Uh-huh, let's go with that list. It's a forty minute drive up there and I'll need to hit the store and my house beforehand."

Nadia rambled off items, Vaughn wholly ignorant about what they actually were until he got to, "one bottle of red wine, and Castore de Vino Lasagna. It's in the freezer section and is the best easy-to-prepare meal you could hope for. Get a salad to go with it."

"Thanks, Nadia, you're the best."

"Oh, and take ten shirts."

He laughed, though she clarified she wasn't joking. "Ten? Seriously?"

"If you take three you'll need five. Take ten shirts and some extra pajama pants and remember, be prepared to be puked on."

He thanked her once more, hanging up and tossing the phone back to his friend before grabbing his coat off the rack near the door.

"Vaughn, you don't know the first thing about sick kids. Or...kids in general," Eric reminded following him from the office, Michael flipping off the light.

"I know that they need," looking down at the hand-written list, "pedialyte when they throw up a lot."

"Seriously - how much help can you be? Have you thought that you might just be in the way and just one more thing for her to worry about?"

"No. But, if I'm in the way, I'll just get out of the way, Eric." Grabbing the files his friend was holding, he waved to their secretary and was in the process of pushing the front door open before Weiss called his attention.

"That's the Jackson file. In your down time familiarize yourself with the details, we have a meeting with him Monday morning at eight o'clock." Vaughn waved with a nod, the door closing behind him. "Good luck!"

…

Noah had passed out against her shoulder, the bottle of water clutched in his hands. The children's Tylenol was starting to kick in, her second attempt to administer as the first round of the sticky pink substance ended up on her third freshly changed shirt. He'd only eaten five or six spoonfuls of watery oatmeal before grumpily pushing it away and demanding cuddles, Sydney accommodating and settling Jake onto another chair she slid to her side. He held the sippy cup up and drank a bit after rejecting his piece of toast after one bite.

"I know you don't want to eat it, honey, but it'll make your tummy feel a lot better." Her voice was a whisper as she tilted her head and leaned her cheek against Jake's forehead, the older boy seeming to have less of a fever but more of a turbulent stomach.

If throwing up were a contest, and if the kids were older perhaps they'd compete this way, Jake would be winning five to three. Unfortunately, no one was winning in this scenario and Sydney knew the moment both boys fell asleep that she would tackle the sticky pile of clothes, towels, and blankets upstairs and here in the kitchen, getting them into the laundry as fast as possible. The overwhelming smell of cleaner wafted up to her nose once more as the trusty bottle and roll of paper towels sat on the counter within easy reach.

A soft knock on the door pulled their attention, Jake looking up with hopeful eyes. "Maybe grammy is home?"

"Can you sit tight for a minute while mommy goes to get the door?"

He nodded but set his juice cup down and flopped back against the back of the chair looking tired and pale. She rose and resettled Noah to her hip, the boy whimpering and clinging to her shirt in an attempt to stay in her arms through his restless bout of light sleep.

Pulling the door open Sydney froze seeing Michael on the doorstep with two big paper grocery bags. "Wh-what are you...you're-"

"Hi," he whispered seeing the toddler asleep on her shoulder. "It sounded like you really needed some help, so - here I am."

She couldn't get shake off her surprise but stepped aside giving him room to move through as he carried the bags into the kitchen. Sydney closed the door quickly and followed hearing Jake's uplifted voice.

"You came over!" Vaughn set the bags on the counter and turned to set his hand atop the boy's head.

"Of course, I thought maybe you guys wanted to hang out. How are you feeling, pal?"

"My frew up five times."

Michael blanched looking to the young mother for confirmation, seeing her nod with a wince. "Five times?! I hate throwing up."

"Me too," the boy muttered and reached his arms up to Michael. "Can I has hugs?"

The man's heart grew and he quickly agreed, lifting him slowly up and setting Jake to his hip wrapping his arms around him. Moving over to Sydney he pulled her and Noah and pressed kisses against all three heads feeling the fever in the tiniest with a grimace. "I'm sorry you're sick, guys. How can I help?"

"I can't believe you came all the way over here." She couldn't help but voice her surprise, Vaughn grinning down at her. "You're saving my life right now."

"That was my plan," he assured as she flashed a dimpled smile in his direction. Heading to the counter Jake set his head to his shoulder watching as he unpacked the groceries.

"So, Eric's wife Nadia is a pediatrician, and she gave me a whole list of things that I hope I got right."

"You called a pediatrician?" Despite both of her children feeling awful, Sydney felt like lighter than ever. The once gloomy day was suddenly bright and the air of disappointment at having to cancel replaced by a sense of hope and comfort.

"Yep. She said to get as much pedialyte as possible, so boom-" he set three boxes, nearly forty small bottles, onto the counter, "- as much as I could get."

"Dat's my favorite," Jake explained as he pointed to the purple-colored grape juice. Sydney grabbed his cup from the table and popped the lid as Vaughn broke the seal and opened the bottle, their teamwork filling the cup and placing it into the smiling boy's hand.

Jake still looked pale, "be careful with him - he doesn't give much warning when he's about to lose it," Sydney explained though Michael seemed to brush it off as he continued to unpack the paper sacks. Lifting out a stack of t-shirts, some paint stained or sporting a few holes here and there, she grinned.

"I came prepared. Ten shirts, per Nadia's warning. Here's some OTC meds she recommended, I wasn't sure if you needed more so I grabbed it all. Also-" he paused and held up the lasagna, "- for when we get hungry, and if it comes to it, everyone's favorite:" In his fist was the bottle of red wine.

"Now you're talkin'," she laughed, Noah waking against her shoulder with a whimper. The baby realized he still wasn't feeling well and tossed a small fit by throwing himself backward in frustration, Sydney catching him with her other arm while Michael jostled Jake to do the same as a look of panic crossed his face.

The youngest cried and threw the bottle on the floor before burying his face into his mother's neck going limp as he gave up while sobbing. "I know, pumpkin, I'm sorry," she said softly and rubbed his back in soothing circles.

Vaughn reached down to pick up the discarded bottle thinking he would use the rest of Jake's juice for Noah when he saw a wince cross Sydney's face, the boy clinging to him muttering a tiny, "ut oh" before losing the juice and few bites of oatmeal and toast down the front of Michael's shirt and jeans, the lot dripping down on his shoes as it was mostly liquid.

Spinning quickly Michael redirected the rest of the boy's gagging into the kitchen sink as he cupped the underside of Jake's chin to keep him steady. Pushing a kiss to his temple he wet a paper towel and wiped at the child's mouth when all was said and done.

Noah had drifted back into fitful sleep against her shoulder but she offered to take Jake from him anyway, assuming Michael would run for the hills. "I'm sorry," she whispered, Michael laughing as he used a towel to wipe at his and Jake's chests before dabbing his pants and kicking his shoes off toward the fridge. "I knew what I signed up for. Let's go change, shall we?" He asked Jake, the boy nodding and leaning his head back to Michael's shoulder, the group moving upstairs.

After getting Noah settled into the crib and down for a nap that would hopefully let the meds make him more comfortable, Michael read Jake his dinosaur book after they all got a fresh set of clothes. The boy passed out quickly and Vaughn tucked him onto a mat on the floor draping a blanket over his back. The man watched with a small smile as Sydney gathered up the pile of towels, blankets, the bath mat, and shirts (including his own) and carried them out of the room, a few of Noah's tiny clothes dropping to the floor.

"I got it," he called out following behind, Sydney having him grab the baby monitor by the door on the way out of the room.

The laundry room was on the first floor near the garage, Sydney entering and tossing the pile of clothes into the washing machine with a "blech", pouring in a healthy dose of detergent before closing the lid and setting the cycle.

"How on Earth could you do this on your own, Syd?" Once her hands were free he reached out and pulled her against his chest.

Responding with a sigh she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head into his neck. "Magic?" she mumbled against his throat as he laughed and held her tight rubbing soothing circles much like she had done for Noah earlier.

"Thank you for coming over," she said sincerely leaning back and looking into his shining green eyes.

In that moment Michael noticed her makeup and hair and realized for the first time since his arrival and their whirlwind with the boys that the interruption of sick kids happened in the middle of her date preparation. Cupping her cheek he whispered, "you look beautiful."

A slight blush tinted her cheeks as she stepped up on her toes and pressed a brief kiss to his mouth, "thank you," she whispered.

…