Songbird [H.S]

FIFTY-TWO

tw - emetophobia

"G'morning, lovie. How you feelin'?" Harry's thick morning voice rumbled at the back of his throat, rolling over in bed so his sleepy eyes could check on the girl next to him - knowing she was already awake.

She had been up most of the night either fighting off a coughing fit or rushing to the bathroom to throw up. If he had to guess, Harry would say she'd had only a couple of hours of proper sleep and could tell from the moment her droopy eyes met his that it was really taking a toll on her. He'd been getting up with her to hold her hair back and comfort her until she felt well enough to climb back into bed but Marley had insisted he didn't need to. One of them needed to get a decent night's sleep so they would be able to look after Josie and it certainly wasn't looking like it was going to be her.

"Shh, not so loud." She grumbled, her voice barely audible as she buried her head deeper into her pillow and dragged the covers over her head. Her voice was hoarse and Harry knew her throat probably felt red raw after all the heaving she'd been doing during the night and made a note to make her some tea when he went downstairs to try soothing it a little.

"Your head still hurting?" He whispered softly, his hand slowly pulling the covers from over her head to place the back of his hand against her forehead. She was burning up and being buried under all the covers would only make her feel worse, not better. 

"Feels like someone's got a jackhammer right on my brain." Marley sighed as she pushed Harry's hand off her, she didn't want him fussing over her right now. All she wanted was some sleep before Josie woke up and spent the day being her usual chaotic self.

Right on cue, the sound of Josie crying drifted through the walls from the nursery as the baby announced she was wide awake and no longer wanted to be stuck in the confines of her cot. Marley let out a frustrated whimper, pulling the covers back over her head to block out the noise that made her throbbing head worse as Harry stood up with a big stretch. Pulling on a crumpled shirt he found on the floor, Harry pressed a soft kiss against Marley's forehead before going to check on his daughter.

Upon entering the nursery, Harry couldn't help the huge grin spreading across his face as he watched Josie immediately stop crying the moment her bright blue eyes noticed him in the doorway. Her crochet blanket had been kicked off her body during the night and her dummy lay discarded next to her as she preferred to chew on her fingers instead.

"Hey, sunny girl. Good morning." He groans slightly as he leant over the edge of the cot to pick the baby up, her slobbery fingers slapping Harry in the face as she cooed with happiness. "Are we hungry? Shall we get you a bottle from the kitchen?"

He paused briefly, waiting to see if the girl would make a noise to respond, but instead she grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it hard. He really needed a haircut.

"Fuck, Josie!" He hissed, unable to stop himself from swearing as she caught him off guard. She giggled loudly, a wide smile causing dimples to appear on her chubby cheeks, enough to melt the boy's heart. He was such a pushover. It was impossible to be annoyed when Josie flashed him that adorable dimpled smile. "We really need to get you out of this grabby phase before you rip all Daddy's hair out."

Normally their mornings would be very relaxed with Marley feeding Josie in their bed as Harry sipped on his tea listening to the morning radio. There was no rush to get ready or leave the house, even on days when they had to go to work because Marley was adamant that she would not start her day with stress. If you woke up stressed, you would be stressed the rest of the day. That kind of tension in your shoulders was not healthy.