"Mommy, I don't feel good." Erin whined as she entered the kitchen in search of Olivia, still dressed in her favorite pink pajamas and pigtails.
"Come here to Mommy, baby." Olivia cooed with loving concern when she looked up from her cup of coffee and noted how pale and tired Erin appeared.
Erin obediently walked over to where Mommy sat. She instantly felt safe and comforted as Mommy placed a gentle hand on her feverish forehead. Mommy carefully checked her glands, checked her pulse, and looked inside her throat. Erin laid her head against Mommy's shoulder and Mommy placed a hand on her belly, rubbing lightly in a soothing gesture, planting a tender kiss on Erin's temple. Erin coughed and Olivia could hear the rattle in her chest.
"Tell Mommy where it hurts, sweetie."
"Everything hurts. I threw up and my throat hurts and my tummy hurts and I'm cold and I'm tired."
"Okay, my good girl, back to bed with you. I will call us both out of work today and then I will come tend to you." Olivia patted Erin's pajama-clad bottom affectionately.
"But I thought I was supposed to testify in court today! We have to meet Mama at the courthouse in three hours!" Erin protested even as she coughed again.
"Yes, you were supposed to testify today, but since you're sick, I'm going to call Mama and have her reschedule your testimony for later on in the trial, and then I am going to call Daddy and tell him not to expect you back at work for a few days, because I'm not putting you back on a plane to Chicago until I'm sure that you are at least somewhat on the mend. Right now you need to obey Mommy and go crawl back in bed so you don't get even sicker. You and Mommy can just relax and cuddle today, and when Mama comes home later you can cuddle with her too."
"Yes, Mommy." Erin sulked as she turned to go back to her room. Cuddling with Mommy and Mama was the best thing ever, but being sick was no fun.
Olivia made the appropriate phone calls while simultaneously making a cup of tea and gathering up all of the items she would need to tend to Erin. She placed the cup of tea, a thermometer, cough medicine, and a few M&Ms on a tray and carried it down to hall to Erin's room where she found Erin snuggled under the covers with her teddy bear clutched in her arms. Olivia instinctively knew that Erin was going to make a fuss both about having her temperature taken and about taking the medicine, but she hoped that they could get through it with minimal dramatics. Olivia placed the tray on Erin's bedside table and then sat down on the edge of the bed and patted her lap, thermometer in hand.
"Come lie over Mommy's lap, sweetheart, so I can take your temperature." Olivia had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from bursting out laughing at the expression of horror and disgust on Erin's cute face.
"NO!" Erin fumed with all the conviction she could muster. She hated the feeling of the thermometer in her bottom. Erin very much enjoyed functioning in the headspace of a very little girl, but she thought that Mommy insisting on taking her temperature rectally was taking it one step too far. Logically, she knew it was for the best. She was coughing a lot and would never be able to hold the thermometer in her mouth properly. But little Erin wasn't thinking logically.
"Hey, there will be no screaming and no temper tantrums, young lady. I know you don't like having your temperature taken, but I would be a very bad Mommy if I just let it go without checking it. You have two choices. You can lie over my lap like a good girl and let me take your temperature and get it over with, or you can lie over my lap for a spanking and then I will take your temperature. Either way, you are getting your temperature taken, but if you want a spanking first I can certainly accommodate that." Olivia spoke in a tone of calm authority that Erin recognized very well.
Of course Olivia would never dream of being too hard on Erin when she was sick, but little Erin was still expected to be a good girl regardless of whether she was sick or not. The consequences of not doing so always had and always would remain the same. Olivia reasoned that if Erin was well enough to act out, then she was well enough to take a spanking. With a trembling lower lip, Erin wisely draped herself across Mommy's lap in the familiar position that she had assumed countless times over the years since their relationship began. She didn't like that she had just been scolded and she definitely didn't want Mommy to spank her, so she reluctantly obeyed. Olivia pulled down her pajama bottoms and panties, revealing her bare bottom.
"Relax your bottom, darling. This isn't going to hurt, I promise." Olivia said kindly.
Erin squeezed her eyes shut and couldn't help but whimper as Mommy inserted the thermometer into her bottom. True to her word, it wasn't painful, but it wasn't pleasant either. With the thermometer properly in place, Erin was rewarded by Mommy lovingly stroking her hair and back.
"That's my good girl. Now just lie still for a few minutes and then it will be over."
Erin managed to lie still for a full minute before she began to wriggle impatiently. It felt good when Mommy played with her hair, but she wanted up and she wanted it now. Olivia was not unreasonable and allowed Erin to fuss for a moment, but when she didn't settle down and her movements began to disturb the thermometer, Olivia moved her hand down to pat Erin's bottom firmly.
"Be still, honey, or we will have to start all over, and I know you don't want that."
Judging by the way Mommy was patting her bottom, Erin knew instinctively that starting over would be accompanied by spanks, so she buried her face in a pillow and forced herself to calm her movements. Olivia stopped patting her bottom and resumed stroking her hair. Sympathetically knowing that Erin was sick and uncomfortable, Olivia attempted to distract her.
"Such a good girl. Later this afternoon when you feel a little bit better, we'll move you to the couch for cartoons and ice cream."
"Strawberry?" Erin brightened a pathetic little bit, looking over her shoulder at Mommy with hopeful eyes.
"Of course. The last time Mama went shopping, she bought an entire carton of strawberry ice cream just for you." Olivia smiled.
Olivia was relieved to discover that while Erin did indeed have a fever, it was only a few degrees above normal, so she wasn't overly concerned. She wouldn't need to take Erin to a doctor, her little girl just needed rest and affection. Olivia helped Erin up from her lap and tucked her back into bed with a loving kiss to her forehead.
"Okay, my love, here's the deal. Ready to hear choices?" Olivia smiled.
"Yes, Mommy." Erin looked at her obediently, proving that she was paying attention.
"I promised you cartoons and ice cream, and you will definitely get that later. But I want you to stay here resting in your bed until your fever breaks. I have your favorite tea right here. You don't have to gulp it down, but I want you to try to drink it all. If you want more, you can have more, or if you want juice in your sippy cup you can have that. I also have medicine for you to take. It will help bring your fever down, help you stop coughing, and help your tummy feel better. After you take your medicine you can have a few M&Ms to take the taste away. Your choice is this: after you take your medicine, do you want Mommy to read you stories or would you rather go back to sleep for a while?"
"No medicine, Mommy! It's icky!" Erin pouted.
"Which is why Mommy brought you M&Ms to take the taste away, but that wasn't one of your choices, baby girl. I had to take your temperature and you have to take your medicine, even though I know you don't like either of those things. Your choices were reading stories or going back to sleep after you take your medicine."
"I want stories, but I don't want medicine!" Erin whined.
"Well, I will leave this medicine right here for you so you can think about it for a few minutes. I am going to go find some stories to read to you. When I come back, if you've taken your medicine like a good girl, we'll cuddle and read for a while. If I come back and you haven't taken it, then Mommy will have to apply a healthy dose of motivation to your bottom and force you to take your medicine before we can cuddle and read. Think about it and make good choices, sweetheart." Olivia kissed Erin's forehead and left the room, leaving her little girl to contemplate her decisions.
Olivia took her time going through Erin's collection of storybooks and choosing several of Erin's favorites. Ten minutes later, she went back into Erin's room with a small stack of books. She knew that Erin would most likely fall asleep while they were reading, but that was okay. Erin needed to rest and let her body recover. Olivia placed the stack of books by the bed. She noted the guilty look on Erin's face and then glanced over at the bedside table. The M&Ms were gone, but the medicine cup of red liquid remained untouched. To Erin's credit, the cup of tea was also empty, but that didn't help the rest of the situation. Olivia placed her hands on her hips and sighed as Erin began to cry. Knowing that she couldn't spank Erin while she was so upset, Olivia sat down on the bed and opened her arms, inviting Erin into them.
Erin curled up on Mommy's lap and held on for dear life. She knew that Mommy was disappointed in her behavior and she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop Mommy from spanking her naughty bottom, but she felt comforted as Mommy began to rock her, gently rubbing her back.
"Calm down, honey. It's gonna be okay, but you need to calm down." Olivia soothed lovingly. Erin had only thrown up once that day and Olivia didn't want her to get so hysterical that she made herself throw up again.
"Mommy, I'm sorry!" Erin wept.
"I know, baby. Calm down, I know you're sorry. We're going to talk about it. You know that Mommy loves you very much." Olivia cooed.
It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact, but Erin nodded her agreement anyway. She did know how very much she was loved by all three of her parents and she knew full well that nothing she could ever do would make them stop loving her. Unfortunately for Erin's poor bottom, the very fact that she was cherished so dearly also meant that they loved her enough to correct her behavior when necessary and Erin knew that this was going to be one of those times. Erin indulged her tears for a few minutes and then she slowly calmed until she was only sniffling quietly against Mommy's shoulder.
"All right, angel, let's talk. Look at Mommy, please." Olivia instructed kindly.
Erin obediently picked her head up and looked Mommy in the eye.
"Do you remember what Mommy said about the medicine?"
"Yes, Mommy. You said that I had to take it so that I get better. You said that when you came back, if I had taken it we would cuddle and read, but if I hadn't taken it you would spank me."
"Did you obey Mommy and take your medicine like a good girl?"
"No, Mommy. I was bad." Erin's lower lip trembled as tears filled her eyes again.
"You are not bad, baby. You are a good girl who made a wrong choice today. Your behavior was naughty, but you are a good girl. Do you understand the difference?"
"Yes, Mommy. I understand."
"Okay, let's deal with the consequences now. Over Mommy's lap with you." Olivia easily flipped Erin across her lap and pulled down her pajama bottoms and panties.
Erin winced and cried as Mommy's strong right hand peppered her bare bottom with sharp spanks. Keeping in mind that Erin was ill, Olivia only spanked her with her hand and not as hard as she normally would. When Erin's bottom was a deep shade of pink, almost red, and the girl was lying limp across her lap crying freely, Olivia paused and let Erin catch her breath before she picked Erin up and settled her on her lap, making her sit on her sore bottom, causing Erin to whimper.
"Time to take your medicine, little one. Open." Olivia gently pinched Erin's nose, forcing her to open her mouth and then bringing the foul liquid to her lips.
Erin did not resist, but obediently opened her mouth and squeezed her tearful eyes shut as she swallowed the medicine. Mommy did not offer anymore M&Ms to take the taste away, and Erin realized that she definitely should have obeyed Mommy or she would not have such a horrible taste in her mouth right now. She began to cry harder and laid her head against Mommy's shoulder as Mommy cuddled her close to her heart.
"There, there. That's my good girl. Mommy loves you, sweetie."
When Erin finally stopped crying, she took a short nap and woke up without a fever. As promised, Mommy let her have strawberry ice cream and watch cartoons on the couch. When Mama came home, Erin was more than happy to let Mama fuss over her. Alex changed her clothes and joined Erin to cuddle on the couch, being mindful of Erin's tender bottom.