It's always hard being sick. However, nothing prepares you for when you're a parent and your child is sick. Penny had woken Kurt and Blaine up around one o'clock in the morning by screaming her head off. It was strange because she normally slept through the night since she was two now. "I'll go get her." Kurt told Blaine. He pushed himself out of bed and padded down the hallway and into Penny's nursery. "Oh honey, what's the matter?" Kurt cooed. He picked the two year old out of her crib and instantly could feel the heat radiating off her skin.
"Papa!" She cried and gripped onto his pajamas. Kurt held his baby and then took her back to their room.
"Blaine, wake up." Kurt said as he shook his husband awake. Blaine woke up pretty quickly because Penny was still screaming pretty loudly. "I think Penny is sick." The toddler reached out towards Blaine and he took the little girl into his arms. "I'm going to go and get a thermometer." Kurt added. He hurried into the bathroom while Blaine shushed Penny and bounced her slightly. Before Kurt could come back, something truly awful happen. Penny went pale and promptly vomited all over Blaine's pajamas. Blaine was frozen not knowing what to do.
"Kurt!" he called. Kurt came rushing in and saw that his husband was covered in vomit.
"Oh god, gross." Kurt exclaimed. He went over and took Penny from Blaine and let him get up to change his clothes. "I was really hoping this wasn't going to be a stomach virus thing."
"Tell me about it." Blaine muttered. "It's going to be a long night."
By the morning, all three Anderson-Hummels were exhausted. Penny had been up all night throwing up and her fever had reached 100.5. She was currently passed out on top of Blaine's chest, a blanket lying over both of them. Kurt was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee, desperately trying to stay awake. He had been stuck in the world of Web M.D for a long time and was getting freaked out. He didn't know if they should go to the emergency room or if they shouldn't. Not knowing who else to talk to, He picked up the phone and dialed Carole's number.
"Hello?" Came Carole's voice.
"Carole, I'm sorry to wake you up. I just didn't know what to do."
"What's wrong sweetie?" she asked.
"Penny woke up last night and started throwing up. She's got a fever too. I'm just worried that she's getting dehydrated." Kurt replied.
"It's going to be okay." Carole told him. "Kids get sick. Just made sure you keep giving her fluids. Pedialyte is good. She's two so she can have tylenol. Just watch her fever. If it get's over 101, I would go to the emergency room."
"She's just never been sick, Carole. I feel so helpless." Kurt replied.
"The dilemma of every parent with a sick child." Carole replied. "It'll be hard, but just be there for her and she'll be okay." Suddenly from the living room, Kurt heard Blaine yell, "Kurt! She's throwing up again!"
"Carole, I have to go. Penny's getting sick." he said before hanging up the phone and running into the living room. This time, Blaine was lucky enough to get a trashcan to the toddler's mouth. When she had finished throwing up, Kurt took the trash can from him and went to wash it out. When it was clean, he walked it back over to his husband who was taking their daughter's temperature again.
"What is it?" Kurt asked when the thermometer finally beeped.
"Still 100.5" Blaine replied. Poor Penny looked so sick as she lay limply against Blaine's chest.
"That's not good." Kurt said. "I talked to Carole and she said to keep giving her fluids, even if she keeps throwing it up. I'm going to go out and pick up some Pedialyte for her. Do you want me to get anything else?"
"Maybe some popsicles. Those might be good too." Blaine offered.
"Got it." Kurt replied as he pulled on his jacket. "I'll be back as soon as possible." Kurt left and Blaine was left with the sick toddler.
"Maybe a nice warm bath will be good for your fever." Blaine said. "How about it Pen?" The little girl didn't reply. She just put her head on Blaine's chest. Blaine decided to do it anyway. He took Penny into the bathroom and stripped her down.
"No Dada." she whined.
"It's gonna feel good honey." Blaine told her. He placed the two year old in the bathtub and began running a washcloth over her skin. Penny shook like a leaf in the lukewarm water. Though it was hard to see, Blaine knew that it was most likely helping his daughters fever. He tried to engage the little girl by showing her her favorite rubber ducky, but Penny just didn't care. Blaine eventually got her out of the tub and wrapped her up in her hooded elephant towel. He took her into her room and then put her into new pajamas. "Okay, baby. Let's go watch some tv. Do you wanna watch Cinderella?" Penny nodded. Blaine took her into the living room and then turned on the movie.
Not too much later, Kurt came home from the store. "Hey, I got the Pedialyte. Do you think she'll want to try some?"
"It's worth a shot. She didn't throw up while you were gone."
"Well that's good." Kurt replied. "Do you mind if I quickly take a shower? Then, you can take one. I would let you go first, but I think that she wants you."
"It's fine. We're good." Blaine replied. "I'll get her the pedialyte. You can go shower." Kurt nodded before heading upstairs. Blaine set Penny on the ground. "Daddy, will be right back okay Penny girl." Penny didn't say anything. She just continued to stare at the movie. Blaine walked into the kitchen and got out a sippy cup. He started pouring the Pedialyte into the cup when he heard a loud thud. He dropped the cup and ran into the living room. There, he saw Penny on the ground. Her body was tensed up, especially her hands which were in tight fists and her legs were drawn up to her stomach. She stared at the ceiling and Blaine watched as her eyes rolled back into her head.
"Kurt! Kurt!" Blaine screamed as he ran over to Penny. He grabbed a pillow the blanket and placed it under Penny's head and then he looked at the clock and started timing the seizure. Kurt came downstairs. Obviously he had yet to get in the shower.
"Oh my God! What's happening?" Kurt exclaimed.
"She's having a seizure." Blaine replied, still looking at the clock. "Go call 911"
"We-Oh my god- we need to go to the hospital."
"Kurt, call 911!" Blaine said.
"No! The hospital is five minutes away. We're not waiting." Kurt exclaimed as he scrambled for his car keys.
"We can't take her while she's having an active seizure." Blaine told him. Suddenly, Penny stopped seizing and her body went limp. Blaine was quick to press his fingers to her carotid artery. "She has a heartbeat." he placed his head on her chest. "And she's breathing."
"Please, we have to take her now." Kurt begged. Blaine picked Penny up and they ran to the car. He sat in the backseat with her while Kurt drove. Those five minutes felt like a lifetime, but finally they reached the ER. There was a nurse waiting outside for them because Blaine had called 911 on the way.
"Here, please help her!" Blaine said. The nurse took Penny in her arms and then ran back to the trauma room. Kurt and Blaine followed along. When they reached the trauma room, Penny was lying on the large hospital bed. She had wires attached to her to monitor her heart and a blood pressure cuff on her. And, she was screaming. Kurt felt so overwhelmed that he started sobbing. He sobbed so hard that Blaine had to grab his arm just to keep him upright.
"What did we do wrong? What did we do Blaine?" he cried. A doctor came over to them and gave Kurt a chair to sit in. She knelt down and began to talk to them.
"It's okay. I'm Dr. Kopek" She said to comfort them. "You did everything right. She's doing okay. I just have a few questions. Tell me what happened."
"She's been sick since one o'clock this morning. She was vomiting and couldn't keep anything down. I went to get her some pedialyte and then I heard a loud thud and found her having a seizure."
"Has she ever had a seizure before?"
"No" Both of them replied.
"I timed the seizure. It was only about three minutes." Blaine added.
"It was great that you knew to do that." Dr. Kopek replied.
"I have epilepsy." Blaine said. "I've had some experience.
"You what?" Kurt replied. "You never mentioned that!"
"Sorry, I... I haven't had a seizure in a long time. My meds are controlled." Blaine replied. "Could Penny have epilepsy?"
"It's hard to say. But, we're doing everything we can for you daughter." Dr. Kopek replied. "You can go in with her if you like." she offered. Kurt nodded and wiped away his tears. Four nurses were holding Penny down as they tried to get an IV into her. Kurt went close to her head and whispered sweet things into her ear, but none of them seemed to help. Finally, the nurses got the blood that they required and Kurt was able to pick Penny up. He rocked her in his arms and soon Penny fell asleep. Poor thing was exhausted from having the seizure.
Kurt, Blaine and Penny spent the rest of the day in the ER. They had to go through Penny getting an EKG to check her heart and a Cat scan to look for anything neurological. Finally around 3 in the afternoon, Dr. Kopek came back in. Blaine nudged Kurt who was sleeping and he woke up.
"I got all the tests back and I talked to our neurologist, Dr. Coffrey. He doesn't believe that Penny has epilepsy. Her fever was 101 when she came in so we're it's pretty definitive that it was a febrile seizure, meaning it was caused by fever. They're common in younger children."
"So she's going to be okay?" Kurt asked.
"She's going to be okay. I want you to keep an eye on her fever. It was 99.0 which is good, but other than that you can take her home."
"Oh thank God." Blaine said. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome and I hope you keep feeling better Penny." Dr. Kopek replied. "Dr. Coffrey does want you to follow up with him just so he can definitely rule out epilepsy, but he is pretty sure that this seizure was just caused by virus."
"We'll make an appointment tomorrow." Kurt replied.
"Good." Dr. Kopek replied. "A nurse will come in with your discharge information and then you're good to go." she added before leaving the room. Kurt and Blaine could not have been more relieved. They got Penny dressed and then headed home. Once they got there, they laid Penny in her crib and watched her as she slept.
"I don't think I've ever been as scared as I've been today." Kurt confessed.
"Me either." Blaine replied. "I'm just happy that once she's over this virus she'll be healthy again."
"Why didn't you tell me you had epilepsy?"
"It's not something I talk about often and I haven't had a seizure in years." Blaine confessed. "They were really bad after Sadie Hawkins, but they're under control now. I'm a little self conscious about them to be honest"
"Honey, you know you have nothing to hide with me." Kurt replied. "Also, I signed up to love you in sickness and in health, but you have to fill me in on the sickness side, so I'm ready."
"I'm sorry." Blaine replied. "I promise to talk to you more about it and even show you my meds. I love you."
"I love you too." Kurt replied. "How about we try and get some sleep?"
"Sounds good to me. I'm exhausted." Blaine replied. They walked hand in hand to the bedroom and layed down on the bed. The day had been horrific, but Kurt and Blaine couldn't be more grateful that their little girl was okay.