Heirs To Queen

Illness

May 1974

Spending time with Chrissie while Brian is away on tour is something Alyssia has slowly come to enjoy. She barely remembers her real mother but having Chrissie fills that void.

"Lissy, time for bed," Chrissie prompts walking past her room from the shower. Alyssia gets changed and does her teeth before getting into bed, Chrissie comes in in her pyjamas and sits on her bed.

Pulling the blankets up around her and tucking her in, she grabs the book from her nightstand. Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Brian started reading it to her before he went away so Chrissie continued it. She gets through a full chapter before Alyssia is nearly asleep.

She's pulled awake again when the phone goes, Chrissie sighs, "I'll be back," She puts the book back on the side and goes to answer it.

Alyssia strains to listen from her bed but barely hears the conversation, "Who was it?" She asks when Chrissie comes back, "Was it Daddy?" He promised to ring every couple of days but he hadn't had a call for five days.

"No, it was Roger but it was about your dad. Your dad is poorly so the band is coming home tonight, should land sometime in the morning."

"Daddy's poorly," Alyssia frowns, "Are we going to the airport to meet them in the morning?"

"No, we'll meet them at the hospital, sweety. They didn't say what was wrong only that he has to go straight there," She's worried, it can't be good if he needs to go to hospital. She notes Alyssia's look of panic, but she is a smart girl so sugarcoating the truth doesn't work on her.

When they get a call from Roger in the morning, they head to the hospital. Chrissie speaks to one of the staff members who shows them to Brian's room but when they get there, a nurse informs them that they can't see Brian.

Once explained Chrissie understands why but Alyssia does not, "Why can't I see him?"

"Your dad has something called Hepatitis B and has to be in isolation for a week before anyone can see him," Had Chrissie been aware of this she might not have told Alyssia that he was back until she could see him.

"But I want to see him," She pouts trying to push past her.

Chrissie stops her, "You can't Lissy."

"Please," She begs, "He's always with me when I'm poorly, so I have to be with him."

"How about seeing him through the window?" The nurse suggests, "We can't allow you in the room but there's no reason to see him through the window."

Alyssia nods so the nurse goes inside to open the blinds to see into his room, Chrissie lifts her to see through the window.

Though mostly out of it from the medication he's been given, Brian manages to wave at her and give a small smile. It took all the energy he had but he had to reassure his little girl that he was alive. He'd love to have her on the bed next to him for a cuddle, but the doctors won't allow it and he doesn't want to make Alyssia ill too.

She presses her hand to the window but he falls asleep again.

Keeping her away for a week was hard, she'd ask about her dad every day and on the day she could finally go into his room to see him she raced out of school and practically dragged John home. Once she's out of her uniform, Chrissie takes her straight to the hospital.

"Lissy," Chrissie tries to get her attention but she's too impatience, "We have to be careful with your dad when we go in, okay?"

"I know," She whines tears forming in her eyes from frustration, "Let me in."

The nurse holds the door open for them and they step inside, Brian is still in the hospital bed but sat up, his eyes currently closed, "Daddy?" Alyssia holds back waiting for him to open his eyes.

When he does, he smiles and gestures her over. She rushes over to him and gently climbs on the bed, leaning into his embrace. She hugs him tightly, tears slipping down her cheeks, "I missed you," She sobs.

"I missed you too, poppet," He kisses her forehead and sits her back a little, wiping the tears off her face, "I'm okay, it's going to take me a few weeks to recover but I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"He's to need someone to look after him when he gets out of the hospital too," Chrissie tells her.

"I'll do it," She states in a matter-of-fact tone, "You always look after me when I'm poorly so I'll look after you."

"Thank you," He decides not to argue with her and he knows she'll take her job seriously too, for now, though he just holds her against his chest running his fingers through her curls.

------

With the band home from tour early, Roger decides to fulfil his promise to Alice and get her dog. He thought about just getting her a puppy but Alice insists they go to the local dog shelter after Hazel's mum told them that's where they got their dog from.

He's glad he took the advice because taking Alice there allowed her to pick her own dog, a 1-year-old golden retriever who had been brought in a week ago after he was found abandoned on the side of the road.

Alice took to him immediately, "He'll fit into our family coz he's blonde."

"He'll need a name," The shelter worker tells her.

She thinks for a moment ruffling the dog's fur, he walks away then comes back to her with a biscuit in his mouth dropping it in front of her, "Biscuit. His name is Biscuit."

Roger reserved him and they left the shelter to go buy everything they needed for Biscuit. The next day while Alice is at school, he goes to collect Biscuit and get him settled.

When it's time to go and get Alice from school, he walks the retriever to school so he can surprise her.

Freddie grins when he walks up to the school gate with Biscuit and gives the dog a fuss, "I can't believe someone would abandon a sweet creature like you."

When the girls are let out, Alice and Amelia run out together gasping when they see, "Biscuit!" Alice hugs him, getting kisses in return.

Only used to the cats Amelia is more hesitant but with Freddie's assurance, she strokes his head and quickly loves him too, "Once he's fully settled you'll have to bring him over to interact with the cats. He'll need to get on with them if he's to come with Alice when we're on tour."

"He'll get on with them," Alice promises, "I'll make sure of it."

"Good, come on Milly," Freddie takes Amelia's hand.

"Bye biscuit," She waves at the dog while walking away.

Alice takes Biscuit's lead from her dad and the trio start the walk home, "Thanks for getting him dad, I love him."

Roger smiles, "You're welcome. But you must promise me you'll look after him, there's no sending him back if you get bored with him."

"I won't, I promise."

"Good," He's happy to have Biscuit around, despite him being abandoned he's a very loving dog, loyal to Alice and between picking her up from school and her going to bed, Biscuit is practically attached to her side.

Despite Roger originally saying no, Biscuit ends up sleeping on her bed too. He can't deny, going into her room to find her fast asleep cuddled into Biscuit's fur is an adorable sight.