Ricardo has every intention on watching Wrestlemania. He really, really does. Had bought snacks, Sofia had planned a special meal for the night, it was going to be fun. Alicia was looking forward to it too, the two of them whispering about it before falling asleep the night before. Then they wake up to a listless, fussy Andre and all plans go out the window when they realize he's feverish. It makes them fret, especially now with the pandemic and hospitals being so questionable.
Wrestlemania is forgotten about as the three of them take turns holding him, soothing him, trying to help him to sleep with their presence. He sleeps best held close to their chest, maybe the motion of their breathing a comfort, or the steady sound of their hearts. Either way, Wrestlemania becomes unimportant in the face of their little boy's discomfort as he grips at whatever he can reach- a finger, their clothes, sometimes Alicia or Sofia's hair. "My poor little boy," Alicia coos down at him when he wakes up and blinks blurrily at her. "It's gonna be ok. We'll take care of you. I promise." She kisses his forehead and closes her head at the heat still lingering there. "Ricardo..."
He's google searching things on fevers in young children and then glances over at her. "I'm gonna..." He eases his finger into Andre's mouth, gently feeling around his gum line. "Oh," he breathes out and Alicia stares at him.
"What?" she asks when he quietly eases his finger out, wiping it on a nearby towel and leaning in to kiss Andre gently on the back of the head. "Ricardo? What is it?"
He smiles grimly at her and shrugs. "Little guy's teething. That's why his temp's elevated, and why he's miserable."
"Teething," she murmurs, easing Andre back enough to look down at him. "Aw, poor baby. It's gonna be ok. We'll take care of you."
Ricardo mulls things over and rotates his shoulders. "I guess I can run out, and-"
Sofia peeks in. "Excuse me, I can run out and get some teething ointment if you want me to."
Alicia and Ricardo both look relieved at this. "Yeah, Sofia," Ricardo tells her with a tired kind of smile. "That'd be amazing, thanks." She leaves and they exchange glances, anxious and weary but relieved.
Wrestlemania carries on without them, the two of them content to spend the evening cuddling their son and talking quietly as he sleeps fitfully. The ointment they rub into his gums seem to help a little, his teething ring helps more. By the time morning comes, they've all slept very little, but Andre's temperature is all but normal, and his fussing has calmed. "Crisis averted," Alicia says with a sleepy kind of giggle and Ricardo hums, already dozing now that Andre isn't in as much discomfort.
They sleep through the morning, all three of them, Sofia quietly padding through the house soft background noise once they do wake up close to the afternoon.
When they do watch Wrestlemania finally, it's a fun show that they enjoy fully. Alicia enjoys the women's matches, and Ricardo watches the tag match closely, proud of all four competitors. When he gets on twitter that afternoon, he makes sure to tweet his props out to Miz and Morrison as well. They've all been busy with their kids and the pandemic and wrestling in general, but he still cherishes their friendship and everything they, especially Mike, had done for him in the past. Maybe, he thinks. Maybe once things are safe, we can get together and our kids can all play together. Heath and Maryse's too. He strokes Andre's foot and smiles. That'd be amazing.
