"...Moooom!....waaaaaaaah!" 10-year old Iggy cried from the bathroom.
"Kuya! Baho!" RT shouted.
"Iggy!....eeeew!" Eena exclaimed.
Just then, Maine appeared at the kids' bathroom door and found Iggy sweaty and red-faced, seated on the toilet. He was suffering from lbm.
"....what's wrong, baby?" Maine said as she quickly got a towel to wipe Iggy's sweat while rubbing his back.
"...Mom...owwww...." Iggy agonized as a wave of stomach cramps led to a gush from his backside.
"Okay....relax, Love....let it out....it's okay...you're okay....Mommy's here.....Eena! Call Yaya Cherry, please." Maine assured Iggy while asking Eena to get help.
Eena ran out of the room to find Yaya Cherry.
Many minutes later, Yaya Anna and Yaya Cherry, who was carrying a crying Charmaine, appeared at the bathroom.
"Ma'am....si Charm po....nilalagnat....." Yaya Cherry said as she tried to console the crying child.
Maine looked at the Yayas desperately. Yaya Anna took charge of getting Eena and RT out of the children's nursery and into the den to distract them for a while. She then returned to help Yaya Cherry and Maine take care of the two sick children.
Maine was able to clean Iggy up and get him to bed. He was too weak to complain much. He had a temperature as well. Charm, on the other hand, was very fussy, with watery eyes and a runny nose. She clung on to Yaya Cherry for a while before wanting to be held and carried by Maine.
"Hi kids!" Rj enthusiastically peeped into the master's bedroom when he saw RT and Eena watching tv late in the afternoon. They took their nap on their parents' bed.
"Daddy!" both kids bolted up from the bed and clung on to Rj. This was their "ritual" when their parents arrived.
"....where's Mom?...Is that Kuya crying?....Where's Charm?"
"Sick...." RT replied
"Huh? Who's sick?" Rj asked, worried.
"Iggy and Charm....Iggy has a tummy ache....Charm has fever and sipon......they're in the room.....Yaya Anna told us to stay here.....we might get hawa...." Eena reported earnestly.
"Ahh okay....I'll go see them first...." Rj put his kids down and proceeded to the kids' bedroom.
"...Mooom....noooo.....i....i....don't...waaaaaaaaaaaaant...." Iggy was crying, complaining.
"....sige na....we don't want another accident, diba?"
"...nnooooooooooo......" Iggy wailed.
Charmaine was also whimpering as Yaya Cherry carried her out of the kids' bedroom as Rj was approaching the door.
"...Ya?....anong nangyayari?" Rj asked.
"....sinusuotan ni Ma'am si Iggy ng diaper....sira ang tiyan e....etong si Charm, nilalagnat din..."
"Oh....baby....come to daddy...." Rj coaxed Charm to be carried.
"....daddyyyyy" she wailed as she reached for Rj who carried her and kissed her on the head.
"...shhh....how do you feel?"
Charm didn't answer but sobbed into Rj's chest. He could feel her feverish body on his. "...Let's go see Kuya and Mommy...." he said as he walked to the kids' room. Yaya Cherry followed and proceeded to fix the things inside the room and take the soiled clothes and beddings that needed laundering.
"....moooooooooommmmmm.....nooooooo....." Maine was still struggling with Iggy and looked at Rj exasperatedly when she realized he had entered the room.
"Baby...go to Mommy first okay...." he handed Charm to Maine and sat beside Iggy.
Maine took Charmaine out of the bedroom while Rj talked to Iggy.
"....Kuya.....let's get this on na....sige na....please....."
"...but...but...Daaaad....I'm...I'm not....I'm not a....ba....baby....naaaa" Iggy wailed.
"I know....but you pooped your clothes.....how many times did you poop na?"
"T.....two...."
"Tatlo po, sir...." Yaya Anna corrected.
"O see...let's get this on na.....promise, when you're better, you don't have to wear it na...."
"...waaaaaaaaaah......" Iggy wailed for a while then paused. "......P...promise?"
"Yes...I promise...." Rj assured his son.
Iggy controlled his crying and nodded. Yaya Anna put the diaper on him and Rj helped Iggy into a new shirt and pajama bottoms.
"There....better...." Rj smiled and wiped his hand on his son's forehead. "....let's drink water..." he coaxed Iggy to take some water to calm him down.
"I think we have to go to the ER na...." Maine tried to sound as calm as possible as Charm was sleeping on her shoulder.
"....how many times has Iggy pooped?" Rj asked.
"Thrice....twice in the toilet....once in his brief....he's been complaining of a stomach ache since this morning....."
"Okay, let me call Nanay to get Eena and RT first...." Rj walked to the master's bedroom.
"Kids....Mamu is coming to pick you up...."
"Are we going shopping?" Eena asked.
"No...you and RT will stay at Mamu's first while Iggy and Charm are sick.
"Ahh..okay..."
"Eena, please help Yaya Anna get your things ready." Maine said as she entered the bedroom to get ready as well. "...and please take care of your brother, okay?"
"Yes, Mom..."
Rj and Maine left for the hospital with Iggy, Charmaine and Yaya Cherry after Nanay Maryann arrived and picked up Eena and RT.
