Yikes 6,753 words in one chapter! Sorry guys I got a bit carried away!
Monday 9th December 2024
"Sam?" Noel began as he came through to cubicles to catch the doctor's attention. "There's someone on the phone for you at reception." Noel stated so Sam jogged through and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mrs Kent?"
"It is." Sam nodded.
"Hello, I'm Ms Adams, I'm the nurse at Holby Primary and I'm afraid Daniel has fallen ill so he needs picking up as soon as possible."
"What're his symptoms?" Sam asked curiously.
"At the moment, he's only got intense nausea but I'm under strict instruction to send home students with any possible symptoms of the stomach bug that's going around at the moment."
"Okay, I'll be there in about ten minutes." Sam said sadly as she really didn't want her son to go through an awful illness, let alone the risk of her getting it whilst she would have to look after him. After putting the phone down, Sam went to the staffroom to get changed out of her scrubs, only she found Tom and Fletch on their break in there.
"I'm not looking." Fletch stated as he leant on the counter with his back to Sam as she pulled her scrub top off.
"I am." Tom stated bluntly as he eyed up his wife's black lace bra and cleavage whilst Fletch smirked. "Why're you getting changed?"
"Daniel's feeling sick at school. The nurse just rung to ask me to go and take him home." Sam explained.
"Oh... Do you want me to go and pick him up?" Tom queried.
"No, it's fine. Just don't forget to pick Ella up when you leave work, but I'll take the car so you'll have to get a taxi." Sam ordered. "Oh, and pick up some rehydration salts and things like that on your way home." She added as she pulled her skinny jeans up.
"Will do." Tom nodded.
"I'm done Fletch." Sam stated so that the nurse could turn around.
"I'll give you a tip, try and get him to have a few ice lollies. He'll need to get whatever energy he can get and he can still get some from them even if he throws it up ten minutes later." Fletch stated. "Oh, and when Noah was ill with it last year, I found that it was easier to give him a bucket for him to be sick into because he was just exhausted and running to the bathroom just made him feel worse."
"Okay, thanks." Sam forced a smile before she gave Tom a quick kiss and then left the hospital after grabbing a massive stack of disposable sick bowls so that she could throw them away instead of having to wash up a bucket.
"Hello monkey. I hear someone isn't feeling very well." Sam said sympathetically as her 9 year old son was walked to reception by the nurse in his blue jumper, white polo shirt and grey school trousers. "I'll take that for you." Sam said softly as she took Daniel's school bag off of him.
"I hope you're feeling better soon Daniel." The nurse said kindly.
"Thanks." Sam smiled before she put her arm around Daniel's shoulders and began to walk him out to the car. "Let's get you home and tucked up in bed." Sam said as she opened the passenger car door and then closed the door once Daniel was in. She got in the driver's seat and then grabbed a cardboard sick bowl from the back seat. "Hold this for me just incase you need to use it, okay?"
"Okay." Daniel mumbled and Sam felt bad as she knew that if her chatterbox of a son wasn't in a talkative mood then he must've been feeling awful.
"Were you feeling alright this morning before we left for school?" Sam asked.
"Yeah it just sorta, started suddenly. And it was right before PE." Daniel moaned and Sam knew how much he loved PE because that half term they were practicing football skills.
"Aw, that was bad luck eh? But don't worry. When you're feeling better, we can go down to the park and play football or whatever you want to do." Sam smiled.
3:40pm
Tom arrived home with his 5 year old daughter, Ella, after getting a taxi to tescos and then to their home where Tom knew Sam had been dealing with Daniel's vomiting and bouts of diarrhoea all day and that she was likely to get the bug too. He wanted to give Sam a break and look after Daniel himself, however, he was the only uninfected parent and he didn't want Ella, who still needed lots of attention because she was so young, getting ill.
"Remember what I said about keeping the noise down and begin a good girl yeah?" Tom questioned.
"Yes Daddy." Ella nodded as she kicked her shoes off by the shoe rack and Tom looked up as he saw his wearied wife coming down the stairs.
"Hey. How are you?" Tom asked.
"Um, Daniel's just-"
"No. How are you?" Tom repeated.
"Oh um, I'm fine." Sam replied confusedly.
"What do you want for dinner?" Tom asked.
"Um, I was going to heat up what was leftover from our roast diner yesterday in the microwave or something." Sam admitted before she ran her hands over her face.
"Go and sit down in the living room. I'll cook us something proper to eat." Tom stated as he gave his wife a sympathetic look.
"No, I should stay upstairs in case Daniel-"
"I'll keep an ear out for Daniel too okay? Look, I'll hold the fort for a while, Ella is gonna come with me to help me prepare an early dinner, because I'm gonna guess that you skipped lunch. And you are going to go and sit down and what whatever you want on the TV." Tom ordered.
Tuesday 10th December 2024, 6am
Tom's alarm had just gone for him to get up and get ready for work but he hadn't had a very good sleep; he and Sam had taken turns in getting up for Daniel who had continued to be ill throughout the night but as he opened his eyes, he realised that Sam was sitting on the edge of their bed.
"Has Daniel been sick again?" Tom asked softly but he received a shake from the back of Sam's head of thick, long hair. "Sam?"
"I don't feel well." Sam admitted shakily.
"Right. Have you been sick? Or had diarrhoea yet?" Tom asked but Sam shook her head again and as Tom got out of bed, he realised that Sam was sitting, giving her stomach a tight hug with her arms. "You poor thing." Tom whispered. "Right, I'm ringing Zoe; I'm not going in today." Tom stated.
"No, you should go. Otherwise you and Ella are gonna get ill."
"Sam, you can't look after someone if you're ill yourself, I don't mind looking after you both. Besides, Ella's fine. Anyway, you don't get a say in this. I'm not going to work, end of." Tom concluded.
"Alright mate, let it out... It's okay." Tom said as he rubbed Daniel's back as he vomited into a disposable sick bowl whilst he sat up in bed. "I've got another one, don't worry." Tom said reassuringly as, during a brief moment that Daniel stopped puking, he placed the heavy, filled one, on Daniel's bedside table and then held a clean one in front of his son's mouth before he began vomiting again.
"Dad make it stop." Daniel pleaded as he spat out what was left in his mouth and then rinsed with a cup of water.
"I can't mate, I'm sorry." Tom sighed.
"But you're a doctor." Daniel protested exhaustedly.
"I know but, with a bug like this, it's best to let nature take it's course because you need to expel the virus from your body which you're doing in your sick and diarrhoea." Tom explained. "Right, are you okay if I go and get rid of this now?" Tom asked and Daniel nodded so whilst his son got back into bed, Tom took the bowls downstairs, put them in a double layered black bin bag and then put them in their green wheely bin on the driveway so that it wouldn't smell. He had just made it upstairs to check on Sam when he heard her climb out of bed and he followed Sam into the ensuite to find her bent over the toilet bowl, projectile vomiting. "I gave you a stack of sick bowls you soppy cow, you didn't need to get out of bed." Tom chuckled softly as he scooped her hair behind her shoulders and into one hand before he used the other and rubbed Sam's back in gentle circles. It was her first time of actually being physically sick because of the virus and it had taken her breath away so she was relieved when it was over, but at the same time gutted that she had confirmation that she was ill.
"I didn't... I didn't want to be sick in a bowl." Sam admitted she she hung her head over the sink and splashed her face and mouth with water.
"Oh yeah, because a toilet is much more pleasant." Tom said sarcastically as he handed her a towel to dry her face on. "Daniel's episodes of being ill are getting less frequent and he says, although he's exhausted, he isn't feeling as bad as he had done last night." Tom explained.
"You do realise that it's only a matter of time before you get ill right?" Sam finally spoke up as she slowly walked back to bed.
"If I get ill, then so be it." Tom shrugged as he pulled back the duvet and once Sam was lying down, he tucked her under it and then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I want a hug." Ella moaned as she sat on her bedroom floor playing with a big dolls house whilst Tom leant in the doorway; he couldn't let her play downstairs anymore because he had to be on hand in case Sam or Daniel were sick. But Ella was getting upset because she hadn't had any contact with her mother in over 24 hours since they dropped her off at the crèche the day before, and now she wasn't allowed to hug her father either.
"I know sweetheart but if you hug me, you might get ill. And I'm doing everything that I can possibly do to prevent you from getting ill because if you get this bug, your Von Willebrand disease will give you bloody diarrhoea and maybe even blood in your vomit. One: that's blood that you shouldn't have to lose in the first place, and two: you don't want to get ill like mummy and Daniel do you? They're both being sick a lot." Tom stated solemnly. "But, you're being a really, really good girl and staying in your bedroom when I have to go, so when mummy and Daniel get better, we can go out to the park and I'll push you on the swings for as long as you want yeah?"
"Okay." Ella nodded.
"Oh dear, just wait here again for me." Tom said quickly as he heard Sam slamming the bathroom door but he suddenly saw Daniel sit up and grab a sick bowl. He knew that Sam was perfectly capable of having a bout of diarrhoea alone, so he made the tough decision to comfort his son instead. "Are you gonna be sick again?" Tom asked as he sat on the boy's bed besides him. Daniel gave a small nod when he suddenly began coughing and spluttering into the bowl. The norovirus was a nasty bug because it made people so ill and Tom felt awful as he watched his poorly son be sick, but there was nothing that he could do except let the bug run it's course. And because he had been sick for about 24 hours, it was only foul smelling bile coming up. "Good lad." Tom said as he gently patted him on the back. "When was the last time you had diarrhoea?"
"In the night." Daniel mumbled.
"Alright, well that was the first time you were sick for about two hours so you are slowly getting better. Just lie down and get some rest." Tom said as he got up with the sick bowl and after Daniel got as comfortable as he could with a stomach ache, Tom took the bowl downstairs to dispose of it. Then he suddenly remembered that Sam had been in the toilet so he ran upstairs, checked that Ella was still in her room and then went into his bedroom where the ensuite bathroom was still shut. He listened through the door, but he was met with silence, so he opened the door and walked through to find Sam sitting on the floor and leaning against the bath with her knees up against her chest.
"Hey, come on. Let's get you back into bed." Tom said softly but Sam shook her head.
"I wanna stay here for a while, I'm gonna be sick again." She mumbled.
"Did you have diarrhoea just now?" Tom asked curiously, Sam nodded.
"I don't understand how it's possible for something to come out of me with such force. It was literally just like brown water." Sam said grumpily.
"That's way too much information." Tom smirked as he sat down on the floor too and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Trust me, I can give more information." Sam quipped tiredly. "I'm due on my period tomorrow." She admitted sadly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I just hope that I'm either late, or all of this is finished by then because I do not want period pains as well as this stomach ache because if I take painkillers, they'll just come straight back up or out and I feel bad enough as it is." She grumbled.
"Well, whatever happens, just ask me if there's anything you want or something you want me to do for you and I'll do it." Tom stated.
"Thanks... Anyway, how's Daniel?"
"He's, over the worst of it."
"And Ella?"
"She's playing in her room. She's a bit upset that she can't have a hug, but she's behaving." Tom stated.
11am
A little while later, Tom leant in Daniel's bedroom doorway and he smiled as his son was fast asleep in his bed, getting some well earned rest after being unable to sleep in the night because of his son stomach ache. But it was then that Tom began to notice a rumbling feeling in the pit of his stomach so he went to his bedroom where Sam was sitting up in bed, reading her kindle because she couldn't sleep because she felt so unwell. She also had her hair tied back in a low ponytail for vomiting episodes.
"I'm gonna do some toast, you want any?" Tom queried.
"I'm not hungry." Sam shook her head. "Are you hungry?" Sam queried curiously.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Because that's how mine started; I thought I was hungry, had an apple, went back to bed and I threw it back up twenty minutes later." Sam stated and Tom's face fell at the very real prospect of him actually having the bug.
"Well Daniel's fast asleep and he has been for 2 hours so I think he's in the clear." Tom stated.
"Don't change the subject. Just come and get into bed otherwise you're gonna contaminate the kitchen." Sam ordered.
"I've probably already contaminated the kitchen." Tom retorted as he walked in and sat on the edge of the bed next to his wife. "Is your urine diluted?" Tom questioned as he wondered about dehydration.
"I don't know, I haven't had a wee separately without having diarrhoea at the same time so I can't tell." Sam admitted. "But I haven't got a headache or anything and I've been drinking as much water as I can tolerate."
"Alright."
"Listen, if we both have to use the toilet at the same time, can we agree that the person being sick either has to use the sink or a sick bowl?" Sam requested.
"And what if we're both gonna have diarrhoea at the same time?" Tom questioned.
"Well then, one of us is gonna have to make the decision to run to the other bathroom that Daniel has been using." Sam stated.
"Does this mean that we're gonna leave the bathroom door open at all times then, yeah?"
"I suppose so, yeah."
"Y'know, I might not even be ill because I just feel a bit hungry." Tom stated. "You okay?" Tom queried as Sam held both her stomach and her mouth so he moved out of the way and Sam ran into the bathroom, he followed her, only he realised that she yanked her pyjama bottoms and underwear down before she sat on the toilet and he noticed the clean pad in her underwear which he presumed she was wearing either in case of an accident, or in case she started her period. Suddenly, she held both hands over her mouth and Tom ran into the bedroom and grabbed a sick bowl because she was too far to reach both the toilet and the sink at the same time. "There you go." Tom said as he made it just in time for Sam to throw up into the cardboard dish whilst she still required the toilet; it was simultaneously coming out of both ends. Tom held the bowl for her and grimaced at the thought of how awful she must've felt at that moment but he remained supportive. "You finished with the bowl? Or do you want a clean one?" Tom questioned once she had stopped vomiting.
"I'm done." Sam mumbled ashamedly as she leant forward to cover her legs.
"Alright, I'm gonna go and throw this out." Tom stated as he kissed Sam on the top of the head and then left the bathroom, and he pulled the door too as well. He went downstairs, threw the sick bowl in a bag and then took it outside before he walked back upstairs where he found Sam exiting the ensuite.
"I'm sorry, for what you saw-"
"Don't be sorry, I'm just sorry that there's nothing I can do to help you." Tom admitted.
"How're you feeling?" Sam asked as she slowly walked back to bed.
"Still hungry." Tom replied. "Maybe I'm not ill; it is nearly lunchtime and I skipped breakfast because I was looking after Daniel."
"Maybe." Sam shrugged. "I'm gonna try and get a quick nap while I can."
"Alright. Well you-"
"Daddy!" Tom heard come from Ella's bedroom.
"Get some rest alright, don't worry about the kids, I've got it covered." Tom stated as he pecked Sam on the forehead and then went to Ella's bedroom where his four year old was crossing her legs. "You need the toilet?" Tom questioned and Ella nodded desperately. "Go on then, I'll wait outside for you." Tom said reassuringly. "Oh actually, go to the toilet downstairs." Tom ordered as he remembered that Daniel, who was now sleeping, had been using that toilet whilst he was ill.
"But I really need a wee." Ella whined.
"Well then, we'd better be quick." Tom smiled as he bent down and picked up his daughter. He knew he probably shouldn't have had contact with her, but at the end of the day, he hated not being able to give her a hug so he carried her downstairs, placed her on the bathroom floor and then leant on the wall outside whilst he kept the door open because he knew his little girl wouldn't go with him in the room, but she still needed supervising.
"Daddy?"
"Yes Ella." Tom nodded as he raised a hand to his stomach which gurgled. He frowned at the odd sensation but continued nevertheless.
"Why do I wee?" Ella asked.
"Because, what you eat and drink, has to come out. So all the solid waste that your body can't use up comes out as poo, and the excess liquid in your body comes out as wee." Tom explained before the toilet flushed. "Ella, listen darling I'm not feeling very well so if I grab your sticker book and put a beanbag in the corner of our room, can you be a good girl and play by yourself for a little while please?" Tom asked.
"Can I have my lunch as well?" Ella asked innocently as she came out after washing her hands.
"Oh, yeah. Of course you can, sorry I forgot what time it was." Tom admitted exhaustedly as he walked through to the kitchen and Ella followed him. "Tell you what, mummy made you a packed lunch last night for you to take to the crèche like usual so how would you like that?" Tom asked as he really didn't want to have to prepare his daughter a lunch.
"Okay." Ella nodded so Tom grabbed the small Tupperware container containing Ella's sandwiches out of the fridge and he then put them in Ella's high school musical lunch box which contained a small bag of apricots, a pot of rice pudding and a spoon, a few flavoured rice cakes and a carton of milk. "I don't like this." Ella mumbled. "I miss mummy."
"I'm sorry about all of this Ella, but we can't help being ill." Tom said sadly as he carried a beanbag from the living room and Ella's lunch box upstairs and put it in the corner of his bedroom where Sam was lying on the bed.
"Mummy!"
"Don't go near her, I don't want want you getting ill." Tom said exhaustedly as he lifted Ella onto her bean bag and Sam noticed the sense of annoyance in Tom's voice.
"It's alright Ella, in a couple of days, this'll all be over." Sam said as Tom disappeared and then returned with Ella's sticker book. "How are you?" Sam asked her husband who, unbeknown to her was beginning to experience stomach cramps.
"What do you think? I'm ill." Tom snapped harshly. "No Sam, Sam I'm sorry." Tom pleaded as Sam climbed out of bed and stormed into ensuite bathroom however she slammed the door in his face and Tom then heard her throwing up. He turned around to see Ella's bottom lip trembling as she creased her forehead. "Ella? Mummy's okay she just-"
"Go away!" Ella ordered as she curled up on the beanbag.
"Ella I-"
"No. You shouted at mummy, go away! I hate you!" Ella shouted.
Sam still couldn't believe that there was anything left inside of her to expel from her body however after vomiting, Sam exited the ensuite bathroom to find Ella crying to herself as she sucked her thumb on her beanbag.
"Ella? What's wrong sweetheart?" Sam asked worriedly as she crouched down on the carpet but she kept her distance from her daughter.
"Daddy's scary when he's angry." Ella hiccuped at the memory of her father snapping at her mother which had frightened her.
"He's not angry Ella, he's just grumpy because he's ill like me." Sam replied softly. "Where is he anyway?" Sam asked confusedly.
"He left because I told him I hated him but I didn't mean it. Honestly, I didn't." Ella explained before she began sobbing again and Sam's heart broke to hear her daughter so upset.
"Right, d'ya know what? You're probably already contaminated with the virus and this quarantine thing isn't working for either of us." Sam stated bluntly as she went over, and picked her daughter up. "I missed you." Sam whispered as she held her daughter against her chest and gave her a little cuddle.
"I missed you too." Ella mumbled.
"Right, let's go and find Daddy. And I'm sure if you tell him that you don't like it when he's angry, then he won't do it again. And I think he knew you didn't mean it anyway." Sam stated as she balanced her 5 year old daughter on her hip and walked out onto the landing. Something caught Sam's eye and she turned to see Tom sitting besides the toilet in the family bathroom. "Tom?" Sam asked worriedly and Tom quickly flushed the toilet once he noticed that his daughter was there too.
"You shouldn't be touching her." Tom croaked.
"Well I am." Sam retorted. "Have you been sick?" Sam asked.
"I know what you mean about the force of it." Tom said tactfully as he knew that his daughter wouldn't know what he was on about, but he also knew that Sam would understand what he meant.
"Daddy I'm sorry. But I don't like it when you shout at mummy because you're scary." Ella admitted timidly before she buried her head in Sam's chest in order to hide from him.
"Alright, I'm sorry too. And me and mummy would kiss right now and gross you out but I'd rather not considering we've both just been sick." Tom joked halfheartedly.
"Come and get back into bed." Sam ordered gently and so Tom slowly got to his feet and followed Sam and Ella back to their bedroom. "Right, can you occupy yourself with your sticker book for a while?" Sam asked. "Or, you could have your lunch." Sam suggested as she sat Ella down on the bean bag and then she got into bed next to Tom. Sam and Tom had been lying down for a while, when Sam's nausea intensified and she knew she had less than a minute before she would have to make a fun for it. "Listen, don't get up because I don't want her to panic, just stay here. I'll be fine by myself." Sam whispered before she went and shut the ensuite door behind her. Tom looked in confusion but within seconds, he heard his wife projectile vomiting. Tom looked at Ella who had begun to eat her lunch and she had no idea what was going on behind the bathroom door. But of course Tom did, and not only were his abdominal cramps getting worse, but he was almost certain that his daughter was going to get ill too.
Wednesday 11th December 2024, 10am
After an eventful long night, Sam and Tom had managed to drift off to sleep in the early hours of the morning and hadn't woken since. Sam however, being a usual early bird slowly opened her eyes to realise that the intense feeling of nausea and an upset stomach had gone, but it had been replaced by menstrual cramps. She looked besides her to see Tom awaken, and they both gave each other a small smile. They both felt weak, tired and exhausted but at the same time they were relieved that they were in the clear.
"I take it you're feeling better too then." Tom whispered.
"Mm. Although I have got period pains but I'll take some painkillers in a minute. And I won't take ibuprofen just in case because I haven't eaten anything so I'll have paracetamol." Sam added as she slowly sat up. "Seeing as it's Wednesday, we were being sick this morning and this bug has a 48 incubation period after the last vomiting or diarrhoea episode, I think we should take the rest of the week off. We don't want an outbreak in the ED besides, I'm too weak to work." Sam admitted feebly.
"Yep, I agree. Plus, it's almost the christmas holidays so all Daniel and Ella were doing at school was making decorations and things like that." Tom agreed. Sam then looked over in the corner of their room where Ella was curled up on her beanbag that she was sharing with Shadow, and she was sucking her thumb and fast asleep.
"How is she not ill?" Sam laughed quietly.
"No idea." Tom grinned. "She had a few tummy bugs when she was a baby, maybe she's already had this strand of nororvirus." Tom suggested.
"Maybe."
"Do you want me to make you some toast?" Tom asked.
"Ooh no." Sam replied quickly. "I'm not gonna be eating for a while just to make sure I'm in the clear. Right, I'm gonna go and get the paracetamol from downstairs." Sam stated as she pulled the duvet back and got out of bed, only she turned around when Tom cleared his throat. "What?" Sam asked innocently.
"You've um..." Tom trailed off and Sam looked at the cream coloured sheet on the mattress where there was a browny-red circular blotch where Sam had been sleeping and she turned around to find an identical shaped stain on the back of her grey pyjama bottoms.
"Dammit." Sam muttered to herself.
"It's alright, we need to change the bed sheets anyway, now that we're not ill anymore. I'll change the sheets, you go and get your paracetamol." Tom smiled as he got out of bed and Sam awkwardly grabbed what she needed from a draw inside her wardrobe before she went into the bathroom to get changed out of her blood stained pyjamas.
"I've never known them to sleep for so long." Sam stated as she looked at her daughter who was still curled up in the beanbag, but Shadow had gotten up, leaving just her alone. And Daniel was still asleep in his bed in his room.
"Well I feel exhausted after that bug so I know why Daniel's asleep." Tom stated. "Maybe Ella's just catching up, she did miss her afternoon nap yesterday."
"You do know she didn't mean it when she said she hated you right? The main reason she was crying was because she thought that you'd never forgive her for saying it. Not because she was scared of you." Sam said softly.
"I know." Tom nodded.
"I'm gonna go for a shower okay? Can you keep an eye on them please?"
"Yeah sure, take as long as you want." Tom smiled as Sam walked into the ensuite and closed the bathroom door behind her, but Sam accidentally slammed the door and Ella began to stir.
"Mummy?" She croaked.
"Mummy's just gone for a shower, it's alright sleepy head I'm here." Tom smiled as Ella slowly sat up and then rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Are you better now?" Ella asked.
"We're still a bit tired but no more being sick." Tom replied simply. "Hello little man." Tom smiled as Daniel came in the bedroom in his pyjamas with his short brown hair sticking up in all directions, similarly to his sister who had her lighter brown hair all messed up that went just below her shoulders.
"My arms and legs hurt." Daniel stated confusedly.
"Yeah? Well that's normal, you just need to rest for a few days and you'll get better soon. Tell you what, why don't you two come downstairs with me and we'll have breakfast?" Tom suggested.
"I'm not really hungry." Daniel replied.
"Well, I'm sure you can manage a bit of toast or something. Come on." Tom didn't have the energy to carry Ella so he held her hand and pulled her to her feet before he guided her downstairs which she had to descend one at a time. Daniel climbed into a seat at the breakfast bar and Tom briefly lifted Ella up to put her in a seat too. She liked sitting in the seats at the breakfast bar because they were circular and rounded. And because she was so small, she could get very comfortable in them. "Right, if his arms and legs are aching, he needs some protein to aid his muscles' recovery." Tom said to himself about his son. "How would you like to try some of mum's protein shake that she uses for running?" Tom suggested.
"Okay." Daniel nodded so Tom got out the tub of pink powder and made up a jug of it before he poured a small amount of the strawberry flavoured shake into a cup for Daniel and then some into a glass for himself. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Right, now what would you two like for breakfast?" Tom asked.
"Weatabix please." Ella replied.
"And would you like banana or sultanas with it?" Tom queried.
"Both."
"You want both!" Tom laughed and Ella giggled. "Right, coming up." He put one Weatabix in a bowl, poured whole milk over the cereal and then put half a sliced banana and a sprinkling of raisins over it before he placed the bowl in front of his daughter and handed her a plastic spoon.
"Thank you." Ella smiled as she dug in before Tom turned to Daniel who was slowly sipping the milkshake.
"What do you want? You've got to eat something Daniel. You could have some toast without butter on it, that's pretty easy for your body to digest." Tom suggested.
"Um... Alright then." Daniel agreed reluctantly so Tom put four slices of toast in the toaster and waited.
"Morning you two. Or should I say afternoon?" Sam quipped as she came into the kitchen with her towel dried hair up flowing over her back and nothing on but her underwear and a thin grey dressing gown whilst she waited for her hair to dry so that she didn't get her shirt wet.
"No, it's 11 o'clock which means is morning, not afternoon." Ella argued innocently and Tom chuckled as Sam sat down on a seat next to Ella.
"Of course, you just eat your cereal." Sam smiled and Ella continued to demolish the Weatabix with her spoon into smush in a bowl before she ate a bit more. "Oi, is that my protein shake?" Sam moaned.
"Yeah. You want some?" Tom questioned.
"Why? I'm not going for a run."
"No, but Daniel had aching limbs and protein is gonna help his muscles recover. Besides, your immune system is mainly made up of protein so-"
"Just shut up and give me a glass of it." Sam ordered and Tom rolled his eyes before he poured what was left in the jug, into a glass and handed it to his wife. Then, the toast popped up and Tom cut the four slices in half and then put the single plate in the middle of the breakfast bar.
"Come on, everyone except you dig in." Tom ordered as he glanced at Ella and Daniel took a piece, as did Tom. "Mummy." Tom said sternly which he knew always annoyed Sam.
"I'm not hungry, but thanks."
"Mummy." Tom repeated and Sam looked at Daniel who was yet to take a bite of the toast, but he was looking at his mother. Sam didn't want to set a bad example so she reluctantly took a piece of dry toast and then nibbled at the middle of it, away from the crust.
Saturday 14th December 2024
After spending a few days at home recovering from the awful bug, the Kent Family were taking a trip to their local park to give the dogs a run about and to let Ella play in the play area, after being 'quarantined' from her parents for hours, which had seemed like ages to her.
"Daniel, do you think you can be nice and push Ella on the swing?" Tom asked as he sat his daughter in the child's swing which meant that she couldn't fall out, and she had something in front of her to hold on to.
"Yeah!"
"Be gentle Daniel." Sam warned as she sat down on the bench right in front of the swings so that she watched their children play together as Tom came and sat next to her.
"So, how much of a relief was it, when you had the first solid bowel movement after being ill?" Tom asked jokily and Sam couldn't help but smile.
"Don't make me laugh, it'll hurt." Sam stated as she put one arm around her abdomen.
"Are you still on?"
"What do you mean still?" Sam protested. "I only started three days ago."
"Alright, sorry." Tom apologised as he put an arm around Sam's shoulders. "I admit, I know nothing about the menstrual cycle." He added.
"Higher!" Ella shrieked.
"No, don't go higher, that's high enough." Sam said sternly to Daniel because despite it being virtually impossible for Ella to fall out of the toddler's swing, it was possible for Ella to get bruised from being too rough and Sam hated seeing her daughter with bruises all over her because of her blood clotting disorder, so she tried her best to prevent them. "Y'know, sometimes I just wish that I could wrap her up in her duvet or some bubble wrap and never let her out of my sight." Sam admitted quietly to her husband.
"I know, and it's perfectly normal." Tom said reassuringly.
"Since when has anything in our family been normal?" Sam retorted.
"Well you can't expect our children to be normal when they've got a barking mad mother." Tom quipped and Sam playfully elbowed Tom in the hip. He then returned the action, however Sam groaned and then rubbed her side to ease the pain. "Sorry, you okay?"
"Bully." Sam muttered darkly.
"You love me really." Tom grinned.
"Yeah yeah."
"Say you love me." Tom ordered jokily.
"Make me." Sam replied playfully.
"Alright then, tell me you love me, or I'll tell everyone in the ED about the fact that you were sitting on the toilet with diarrhoea and I had to hold a bowl for you to puke in at the same time."
"They already know I had a stomach bug, I don't really care if they know that." Sam shrugged. "In fact, it's quite funny now that I think about it so I might just tell them myself." She said smugly.
"Alright, I'll tell them that you started your period and leaked all over the bed."
"I didn't! It was a tiny little blot." Sam protested.
"I know, I'm joking." Tom stated.
"Mummy, I need a wee." Ella stated and Daniel immediately stopped pushing the swing and jumped out of the way.
"Ew." He whined.
"Oi, don't just let go of her." Sam protested as she jumped up and carefully brought the swing to a stop. "I'll take you behind the bushes." Sam said to Ella as she lifted her out of the swing seat. "Meanwhile, you two can go and play with the dogs for a while." Sam ordered as she bent down next to the stroller that they had walked Ella to the park in, and she took out a pack of tissues and a small bottle of hand sanitiser.
"Mummy quick!" Ella said quietly but nervously.
"Alright, just keep holding it. You can go in a minute."
Coming up: Daniel and Tom have some bonding time together during a camp out in their back garden.
Thanks for reading! Please review :)