Brent's Daughters One Shots

Under the Weather

"Okay, people," Brent said quietly to the camera. "I got some unfortunate news. It's a good thing we're not on tour right now, because yesterday me and the baby here tested positive for COVID-19." He nodded his head at his youngest daughter, who was curled up asleep by his side with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He was hugging her close to him, stroking her head. She had crawled into his bed wanting cuddles, and he sang "Amaryllis" for her to lull her to sleep. "My oldest tested negative, so right now we're quarantining and she's keeping her distance. As for me and this one, we're mostly asymptomatic, but she's been extremely tired and even more of a snuggle bug than usual. If she's not sleeping or I'm not around, she tends to get fussy. She doesn't like being sick because it's so uncomfortable." His eyes caught a glimpse of a comment from his good friend and ex-girlfriend, Teresa. It said, Such a precious little bed bug. Brent smiled and looked at his daughter. "I love you," he whispered, giving her a kiss on her head. As if in response, she mumbled softly and snuggled deeper into his side. His heart swelled with love. She was just perfect. He loved his children so much he could die. He gently nuzzled her and started to rub her back. "She's really sleepy," he said to his fans. "And clingy. She never wants me to leave her. She's been sticking to me like glue since we tested positive. My little bug." He gave his daughter two more little kisses on her head. She was fast asleep, snoring softly. Brent closed his eyes and touched his nose to the top of her head, rubbing her back slowly and gently. He almost felt like a mother cradling her newborn. He loved being a single father. His daughters brightened his life every day, and when he took them to see their little brother, it was ten times better. "The baby hasn't eaten much today," he said. "She had a banana for breakfast and that's it so far. I'm gonna try to get her to eat something when she gets up." His daughter stirred suddenly, mumbling sleepily. "Daddy," she said softly. Brent stroked her head. "Shhh, shhh," he whispered. "It's okay, sweetheart. Did I wake you up?" She just shook her head. "Are you hungry?" he asked. She shook her head again. "Okay. Go back to sleep then, honey," he said. "You'll get better faster if you get more sleep. Daddy's right here if you need him. I love you." She looked up at him and smiled weakly, causing him to smile back at her. "The fans send their love. Lay back down and get some more rest." His daughter cuddled up closer, tucking her head underneath his chin. He gave her head a kiss and sighed. "My sweet little amaryllis flower." He tried not to worry too much, but he couldn't help looking after his daughter constantly so he could nurse her back to health. The comment section on his live video was now flooded with people saying "awww" and gushing about how adorable Brent's youngest daughter was when she slept. Brent smiled. His eyelids were getting heavy. The feeling of his daughter snuggled up close to him helped him relax. "Well, I'm getting a bit sleepy myself, so I'm gonna go ahead and end the video. I'll update y'all as soon as I can. Get in there, get after it, and go get your workout in. Peace out." He ended his livestream, closed his eyes, and fell asleep, still holding his daughter in his arms. He woke up a few hours later and gave his daughter, who was still asleep, a kiss on her head. She woke up when he started to rub her back. "Hi, baby," he said softly. "Did you sleep okay?" She nodded and snuggled in. Brent stroked her head again. She thought for a moment, then rolled away from him, getting up out of bed. Going to the door, she paused and looked back at him. "What's the matter, baby girl?" Brent asked. She tried to speak, but upon opening her mouth, her voice came out hoarse and weak. She could barely say anything. Her shoulders drooped, and then she perked up again with an idea. Brent watched as she opened her mouth and pointed to it. "Oh, you're hungry?" he asked, suddenly understanding. She nodded. "What do you want?" he asked, sitting up. "I can make you some ramen. The broth will be good for you." His daughter smiled and nodded once more. Brent sighed. "My poor baby. Let's take your temperature again too." He went with his daughter into the kitchen and began heating a pot of water. He found a package of ramen noodles in the pantry, and while he waited for the water to boil, he grabbed the thermometer and took his daughter's temperature. It was 101.5. He kissed his daughter on her forehead. "You're running a fever, baby girl," he said. She leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. When the water boiled, he put the ramen in and stirred it, then turned back to his daughter. She was wrapped in a blanket and stood staring into space. It was a mere second after Brent noticed how pale she was that she bent over and threw up onto the kitchen floor. "Oh, baby," he sighed. She looked up at him, tears of helplessness and guilt in her eyes. "Aw, honey, it's okay," he said, avoiding the puddle of vomit so he could wipe her eyes. "I'll clean it up. Go to the bathroom and sit next to the toilet in case you throw up again." She went away. He went to get some paper towels and disinfectant wipes. He cleaned up the vomit, then washed his hands, put the ramen in a bowl and added just a little bit of the flavor packet, just the way his daughter liked it. Then he separated the noodles and mixed the flavoring in. His daughter came back into the kitchen a few minutes later. She still looked pale, and now her face was bathed in tears. Brent smiled sadly at her, hoping it would make her feel better. She made her way over to her father and leaned into his chest, sniffling. He wrapped his big arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "It's going to be okay, my little honey pie," he said softly, rubbing her back to try to soothe her. She began to cry. "Shhhh," Brent whispered. "I know, sweetheart." While his daughter was eating her lunch slowly as to not upset her stomach again, Brent texted Zach and asked him to bring some bread, saltine crackers, and ginger ale. His friend arrived half an hour later with a small bag of dinner rolls, a box of Zesta saltines, a six pack of ginger ale, a small package of Double Stuf Oreos for Brent, and a teddy bear for his daughter. He was wearing a mask to protect himself from catching the virus. Brent and his daughter were cuddling on the couch, both wearing masks, the latter curled up underneath a blanket, fast asleep with her head in her father's lap. Her Saint Bernard, Cujo, was laying on the floor next to the couch, guarding his sick owner and keeping an eye on her. He watched Zach come in, then raised his head to look at Quinn, let out a small whine, and settled back down. "How is she doing?" Zach asked. Brent sighed and gently petted his little girl's head. "She's really not feeling well. She managed to fall asleep again, and I let her sleep because I'm worried if I wake her, she'll cry. She cried for a little while after throwing up. I was finally able to get her to calm down and get some more rest." Zach frowned, looking at Brent's daughter with sympathy. "Poor thing. She's just like a baby when she's sick, huh?" Brent nodded. He hadn't experienced taking care of a baby since his son was one. Whenever his daughters fell ill, it was like being a first time parent all over again. But he loved it. He had loved caring for his daughters every time they were sick from the day he adopted them. When she woke up a few minutes later, Brent gave his daughter the teddy bear. "Look what Uncle Zach got you, baby," he said. Her eyes widened at the sight of the fuzzy, adorable stuffed animal. The two friends both knew Brent's youngest daughter loved stuffed animals even despite her age. She reached out and took the bear from him, hugging it close to her chest. She didn't say anything as she didn't like to talk much when she was sick, but she looked up at her uncle as if to say, "thank you". Zach smiled at her behind his mask. "Don't mention it, kiddo." Brent gave his daughter a roll, two crackers, and a glass of ginger ale on ice. "Eat the roll, baby," he told her. "It will settle your stomach." Zach watched from a distance as Quinn nibbled on the roll and sipped some ginger ale. "Is she doing alright now?" he asked Brent. "Yeah, she's doing better," the singer said. "She said her stomach still hurts, but she hasn't thrown up again and she was able to eat her lunch. After that, she just wanted cuddles." The three of them watched some funny videos on the television, and Brent snacked on some of the Oreos Zach had brought him. He offered a cookie to his daughter, but she refused it and opted to munch on her saltines instead. Brent figured she was afraid anything too sweet would upset her stomach again. Cujo walked up to Zach and pushed his nose into the Shinedown guitarist's hand. "Hey, Cujo," Zach said, petting the dog's soft head. When Brent's daughter finished her snack and fell asleep on her father's lap again hugging her teddy bear, Brent rubbed her back and talked to his friend. "It's honestly almost exactly like taking care of a baby," he said. "They never want me to leave, they're always either sleeping or eating, and if they're really sick, they'll get fussy and usually cry a lot. But I don't care," he continued, stroking his daughter's head, "because I haven't taken care of a baby since Lyric stopped being one." "Why do you think they rely on you so much when they get sick?" Zach asked. Brent thought for a moment. "I really think it's because they didn't get much of a happy childhood when they lived in an orphanage, so they want to make the most of it before they get too old to always depend on me." He smiled and chuckled. "You should have seen how clingy she was earlier this morning," he told Zach. "I tried to get up to go to the bathroom, and I got up real slowly so I wouldn't wake her, but she woke up anyway and she literally grabbed me by my shirt and yanked me back down onto the bed." The two guys laughed. "She let me go when I told her where I was going, but when I came back she snuggled into me so aggressively you'd think she was some kind of burrowing creature or something." He rubbed his daughter's back. "She's super attached to the teddy bear already, man," he added. "I can see how tightly she's hugging it over here. You know my kids so well." He kept talking to his friend for a little while. At length he said, "Well, I should probably put the baby back to bed now and you should probably limit your exposure to both of us. Last thing we want is another Shinedown guy getting sick, let alone with COVID." He picked his daughter up off the couch, being careful not to wake her, and carried her to his room, where he gently put her down on the bed, removed her mask, and tucked her in. He stroked her head and gave it a kiss. She was snoring softly and hugging her teddy bear. Cujo strolled into the room and jumped up onto the bed with his owner, curling up at her feet and closing his eyes. Brent scratched his soft head, and the dog tapped his tail against the mattress. "Who's a good boy?" Brent said. Cujo opened his eyes and licked Brent's hand in response. After Zach left, Brent took off his mask and climbed into bed with his daughter and took her in his arms, letting her snuggle into his chest. He gave her two kisses on her head and gently rubbed her back. She mumbled sleepily, making him smile. Brent cast a glance at the huge brown-and-white dog at the end of the bed. Cujo was laying on the bed with his head down and his ears perked, keeping a close eye on Brent and Quinn at the same time. Satisfied with the knowledge that he and his daughter had a guard dog to watch over them, Brent settled back onto the bed. His eyelids started to droop, and he dozed off holding his little girl protectively.