I woke up abruptly around five that afternoon feeling horribly sick. Mark was sitting next to me but not as close as he was before so I knew that he'd been up and about taking care of Kimberly. Mark glanced over at me and smiled slightly.
"Are you feeling any better?" Mark asked. I shook my head. Mark read the expression on my face and passed the bucket over to me just in time for me to throw up into it. Mark sighed and scooted closer to me. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into rest my head on his shoulder. Mark reached up and felt my forehead with the back of his hand. "Callie I think your fever went up." Mark sighed. I moaned softly and closed my eyes.
"How's Kimberly?" I asked. Mark started playing with my hair.
"She's doing better. Her fever broke two hours ago." Mark told me. I smiled slightly.
"That's really good." I grinned. Mark nodded.
"It is indeed. Now we just need to take care of you." Mark told me seriously. I smiled and nodded.
"Did Addison drop Teo and Trenton off yet?" I asked. Mark nodded.
"They're in their room watching cartoons." Mark answered.
"They aren't sick yet are they?" I asked. I felt Mark's chin move in a nodding motion. My stomach turned horribly again and I leaned forward over the bucket. I knew it was coming, I could swear I was going to throw up any second now. My stomach cramped up painfully and then I finally threw up. Mark held my hair back while my stomach emptied itself. When my stomach finally quieted I laid back on to Mark and panted softly.
"Something about throwing up from the stomach virus is so much worse than it is from morning sickness." I cried. Mark sighed and ran his hands comfortingly through my hair.
"Have you had anything to eat today?" Mark asked. I shook my head.
"I didn't have breakfast, and when you brought by my sub; well we both know what happened then." I told him and turned to bury my face in his chest. Mark moved his hands out of my hair to rub my back.
"You need to try and eat something." Mark told me. I shook my head.
"God Mark. There is no way on Earth you're getting me to eat right now." I told him stubbornly.
"Will you at least try some Sprite?" Mark asked. I sighed but nodded. Mark kissed me gently on the forehead before pulling me gently from him and slipping into the kitchen. I sighed and laid down on the couch. I curled myself up into a ball and wrapped my arms protectively around my stomach. I sighed heavily and took a shaky, deep breath. I loved Kimberly with all my heart, but right now I really didn't like her for getting me sick. Mark came back into the living room with a cup of warm Sprite and the thermometer. He helped me sit up a little and take a few small sips of Sprite.
"I really don't think that was a good idea." I told him and sat the cup down on the side table. Mark smiled.
"You need to stay hydrated. Now open up so I can take your temperature." Mark instructed. I rolled my eyes and took the thermometer from him. I wasn't a kid, I could take my own temperature. I pressed the on button and placed the correct end under my tongue. I closed my mouth around it and waited for it to beep. About a minute later it beeped several times in a row to signal that it was done. I pulled it out and checked the black numbers on the LED screen.
"101.6, this absolutely sucks." I sighed and handed the thermometer back to Mark. He smiled sympathetically. I slid down back into a position where I was laying down on the couch. I rolled myself back into a ball and closed my eyes. Next thing I knew Mark was lifting me into the air.
"You need to be in bed not the couch." Mark reprimanded and carried me out of the living room and down the hallway to our master bedroom. He laid me down gently onto the bed and pulled the covers up around me. "Now your back won't hurt as much tomorrow morning." Mark joked and kissed me lightly on the forehead. I smiled slightly and closed my eyes again. After a few brief minutes sleep took over my body again. When I woke up the next morning I felt a whole lot better. I rolled over and came to face with Mark's sleeping form. He looked so peaceful. I smiled and slowly got out of bed, so as not to wake him up. I moaned slightly and rolled over, but he didn't wake up. I smiled slightly and went into the master bathroom. I glanced at myself briefly in the mirror and shuddered at how awful I looked. There were bags under my eyes, I was only just starting to get some color back in my cheeks, and my hair was a complete and total mess. I grabbed the brush off the counter and started to attack my mess of hair. I was pretty tender-headed so it took a good five minutes to get my hair under control again. I brushed my teeth and washed my face with cold water. Then I wandered into the kid's rooms to check on them. Teo and Trenton shared a room, and Kimberly had her own. Trenton and Teo's room screamed that boys stayed in this room. The walls were painted a forest green color with soccer wall paper across the top. The rug in the middle was a giant Pokemon of some kind. Teo's comforter had all the Justice League heroes on it and Trenton's was covered in Minions from Despicable Me. None of it coordinated, but did little boys really care about stuff matching. No, or at least our boys didn't. On my way over to their beds to check on them, I picked up a trail of dinosaurs that they hadn't put away the night before. I deposited them into the toy chest and walked over to the head of Trenton's bed to check on him first. I kissed his forehead gently to make sure Kimberly hadn't given him the stomach virus yet. He wasn't running a fever, which was a huge relief. So far none of my boys had it. Just us girls. I moved over to check on Teo next. He wasn't running a fever either. Satisfied with my assessment, I crept back out of their room and down to Kimberly's. Her room was painted a soft Lavender color and her sheets were Frozen right now; because her Little Mermaid sheets hadn't been washed from her throwing up on them yet. I went over to make sure her fever was still gone, and was pleased to find her forehead was cold. I tucked the covers in closer around her and crept back out of the room. I decided to hop in the shower before starting on breakfast for everyone. I walked back into the master bedroom to find Mark sitting up in bed typing away on his blackberry. He smiled up at me when he heard me enter the room.
"Hey, I take it you're feeling better?" Mark asked. I nodded happily and started digging through my drawers for a pair of scrubs. I always kept a few at home in case I didn't want to wear street clothes into work.
"Yeah. Much better, I just went and checked on the kids. No one has a fever. So I think everyone escaped the stomach virus but me and Kimberly." I told him happily and pulled a pair of scrubs out of the drawer.
"That's excellent. Would you like me to join you in the shower?" Mark asked and winked at me. I smiled and bit my lip.
"Hmm, I don't know." I teased. Mark rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'm pregnant. My hormones are raging. Of course I want you to join me." I answered. To prove my point I slipped my shirt over my head and threw it at him before strutting past him into the bathroom. "Don't keep me waiting." I called to him and flicked the water in the shower on.