The flu can be deadly in dolphins

"I'm afraid your daughter has contracted dolphin flu."

For a while, Alessio just sat there in shock. His hold on Giulia's squirming little body tightened while she continued to wail in utter discomfort. Of all the variants of flu, the one that afflicted dolphin demons was probably the deadliest,

"H-How…?"

"Has she been exposed to sick individuals?"

"Of course not! You know dolphin demons avoid sharks, especially sharks working in the Mafia."

"Then perhaps a public place?

"I usually only take her to the park…" Alessio paused. "Wait. Last week, my sister and I took the children to LooLooLand."

"The flu virus travels through the air in droplets. Even if she wasn't in direct contact with someone carrying the virus, she might have picked the germs from touching an infected object, then her mouth or eyes. Or the germs in the air might have gotten into her system through her blowhole, which is why dolphin demons are more susceptible to airborne viruses."

"What's the treatment? I don't care about the cost, doctor. Just tell me how to cure her."

"I'm prescribing her antiviral medication for the immediate symptoms, that should make her feel more comfortable. Giulia will also need lots of rest and liquids. She won't want to eat but try giving her small meals. Overall, you must keep her blowhole clean at all times. If it were to clog with mucus, she might suffocate…"

…

Giulia's wailing snapped him out of the memory.

"Shhh. There, there." Alessio lifted his daughter from the cradle. "It's okay, bambina."

She was hungry, but she refused to eat anything. At best, he could only get her to eat some mashed-up squid or a bit of milk mixed with her medication.

Alessio carefully accommodated Giulia in one arm while his other hand grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in the warm eucalyptus water Mother had made. He squeezed the extra water but left it humid enough to wipe the area around Giulia's blowhole clean of mucus.

"Better?"

The response he got was a loud sneeze that sent small drops of clear mucus flying out of Giulia's blowhole. He would have laughed under other circumstances.

Cecilia quietly opened the door. "I brought her milk, Ale."

"Thanks, Ceci. Just leave it on the bed." Alessio didn't miss the mild frown on his sister's face. "What?"

"When was the last time you slept? You look awful."

"I did take a break yesterday."

"A twenty-minute nap hardly counts as rest, let alone a 'break,' Alessio."

He looked down at Giulia. Her wailing had thankfully subsided into quiet sniffles. Her little hand was grasping into his wrinkled shirt.

"I can't leave her. What if something happens to her?"

"Mamma and I can care for her as well as you do. You need to take a break, Ale. You won't be able to look after her if you're exhausted." Cecilia pointed out. "And you do recall that you have another son, too, don't you? He's been asking about you and his baby sister."

"I know that. I have not forgotten about him, you know. But Giulia needs me more right now." Alessio sighed sadly. "Just let me give her the medication. Then I'll go see Pietro and take a nap, alright?"

That seemed to ease up Cecilia's nerves somewhat as she left the baby bottle on the bedside table and quietly walked out of the room, leaving Alessio alone with Giulia for the time being.

The consigliere sighed, his heart squirming with a pang of guilt. He had been so focused on tending to Giulia that he hadn't checked on his son. Cecilia was right; he should go see him. But first, Giulia needed to take her medication.

Alessio grabbed the feeding bottle and touched Giulia's snout with the teat. She briefly latched on, only to spit the milk, just like when she had to get used to the feeding bottle after her mother's passing.

"Come on, bambina. It's your favorite. Zia Ceci made it especially for you." He tried again, but this time, Giulia moved her head away. "What's wrong, my little dolphin?"

Perhaps the milk tastes different because of the medication? Or it could be colic. Alessio placed the feeding bottle on the table and accommodated Giulia in his left arm. Once she was properly nestled, he carefully massaged her stomach with his fingers. Giulia stirred at the ticklish sensation and tried to kick his hand away. Alessio grinned.

"Aww, looks like I found your weak spot." he cooed playfully and began tickling her belly.

Giulia squirmed, giggling and wagging her tail at the unfamiliar sensation. As he resumed the massage, Alessio began to sing.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

Slowly, he grabbed the feeding bottle and touched Giulia's lips with the teat again. At first, she moved her head away, but soon she latched on and suckled. Alessio couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief.

The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

So I hung my head and cried

Sometime later, Giulia let go of the teat and refused any more. Oh, well. She'd eaten at least half of it, so it's better than nothing. Alessio proceeded to burp her, getting a few hiccups and a little burping in the process.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

Satisfied, Giulia nestled herself into his hold and lay her head against his chest. Before long, she finally fell asleep. Alessio made sure to—carefully not to wake her—clean the area around her blowhole again before tucking her into her cradle. Before very reluctantly leaving the room, he kissed his bambina's head.

Much to his surprise, Pietro wasn't in the nursery but in his room, soundly asleep while holding his toy fizzy, with Cecilia keeping an eye on him. When his sister saw him, she got up and hurried to the nursery.

"Remember to keep an eye on her blowhole, Ceci."

"It'll be alright, Ale. You just make sure to take a long break," she assured him before leaving for the nursery.

Alessio sighed sadly and lay down next to his son, pulling him close to kiss his head. Even though he was asleep, Pietro snuggled into his embrace almost instinctively.

After days of little to no sleep at all, his body relaxed as soon as it came into contact with the mattress, and his eyelids began to close, almost as if begging him to let them take a break. His brain shut down for a long, well-deserved rest.