Baby Pogue // JJ Maybank

sick

River was eating her breakfast as Avie made herself something quick, JJ holding the little girl on his lap as he shared some of her waffles. She never seemed to mind when her father took her food, mostly because she would never finish an entire plate that was probably too much for her belly to begin with.

She swallowed a piece of her waffle before letting out a cough that crackled through her throat, causing JJ to stop what he was doing and furrow his eyebrows. He leaned down and looked at her as she coughed with wet eyes.

"You good, kid?" He nearly chuckled as she ignored her coughing fit and continued to eat.

Avie sighed and sat down with a bowl of oatmeal, "She started coughing last night." Riv perked her head up and stared at the bowl of oatmeal on the table.

"Dat." She pointed to it with a raspy voice.

Avie smiled sadly at her, "This is mine. You're sharin' with Daddy."

"I don't know, I might not be if she's gonna contaminate me." He told her with a joking tone. Riv pouted before breaking out into another cough, sniffing and wiping her nose at the end. "Think she needs a doctor?" JJ asked as he looked at his girlfriend.

Avie shrugged and took a bite of her breakfast, "Not yet. She seems alright."

JJ nodded before Riv held a piece of her waffle up to his lips. Her grinned before taking it out of her hand with his teeth, "Mm." He pressed his lips together as she smiled up at him before turning and setting off into another coughing fit.

She whined and leaned her back against her father's chest, turning her head into his shoulder and wiping her snot against his shirt.

"C'mon, Riv." JJ complained and sat up with her.

"J, she's clearly sick. Be nice." Avie told him and looked at her daughter sadly. River held her head with two hands as her eyes became wet again, staring at her mother as if asking for help to take her discomfort away, "She might have a fever. Can you take her temp?"

He stood up holding the child against his side facing outward with his forearm and used his free hand to open a drawer holding a thermometer, "She's gotta have a fever; she was holding her head when I woke her up before, too."

Avie watched her boyfriend place her daughter on the counter as she whimpered then let out a cough, rubbing her head with one hand.

"Open, Rivvy." JJ told her then opened his mouth to show her what to do.

"Mm." She quickly turned her head and crossed her arms, putting up a fight with her dad.

"Riv." JJ said more sternly.

"No." She pointed at him.

"River, let Daddy take your temperature. We wanna make sure you're okay." Avie told her with a sweet tone in hopes to sway her. She knew that JJ's method of swaying his child normally involved bribing her with snacks, toys, or staying up late. Meanwhile, Avie's method involved using her nice tone which normally did the trick.

River looked at her father with puppy dog eyes through her eyelashes, causing his heart to sink seeing how ill she looked. There were small bags under her eyes which weren't normally there, pinkness against her nose and cheeks which usually open happened when she was overtired, and a raw nose from wiping it too much.

He felt awful knowing his little girl was suffering though she was acting like her normal self. She wouldn't let being sick stop her from having fun.

"Can you open your mouth please? JJ asked again this time a lot nicer.

Riv sniffled but opened her mouth wide, gripping the top of JJ's hand that was leaned on the counter while the other stuck the thermometer under her tongue. She flinched from the strange feeling and he felt her nails dig into the back of his hand, leaving tiny nail indents.