We Are Free

Man Down

Emily just threw up a couple times and she was fine. She missed school Monday and Halo stayed home. She is doing much better now. They want to go ice skating today on the creek.
     I am staying home though. I have tons of school work to finish and I want to keep the grades I have. They are very good. I want to graduate with honors. They leave to go to the creek and I start my school work.
    I start to feel funny but ignore it. With everything going on I haven't got much sleep and I think it is just that I am staring at a computer. I close the lid and rest for a little bit. I end up falling asleep for a half hour.
    I wake up groaning my stomach was really upset. I place my computer on the table and they walk in.
      "How is it going?" Halo asks me.
      "I am going to go throw up now." She looks at me funny and I get up and run to the end of the hallway. I almost don't make it. I lean over the toilet throwing up whatever I ate in the last 24 hours. Halo comes back as I finish my last round of sickness. She rubs my back.
     "You okay?" She asks me.
     "Yeah. I will be okay." I say to her.
     "You sure?"
     "Yeah." I stand up and rinse my mouth out and lean over the toilet again to throw up. Halo stays with me and tries to sooth me. I finish again and I feel better. I sit on the floor and lean against the cabinet. She gets me some more water. I drink it and hand her the cup. She gets down.
      "You feel better?" She asks me.
      "Yeah kinda. I may throw up one more time."
      "Well throw up." I laugh a little.
      "It's not that easy."
      "I know." I sit there for a little longer before getting up. I lean on the counter shaking. She leaves the bathroom to tend to the kids. I stay in there a little longer my stomach still kinda turning. I throw up one more time and brush my teeth.
    I drink some water and feel a whole lot better I go to the kitchen.
     "How you feel?" She asks me.
     "Well I threw up one more time and now I feel fine. I think I just needed to throw up a couple times."
     "Okay, it works. I need to start dinner." Bowser starts sitting by the door so I take her out. She goes potty and I bring her back in.  I go inside and Halo had Andrew over the garbage can throwing up.
     "Well when is it my turn?"
     "I don't know." We laugh a little and he finishes. He comes to me.
     "Jace I don't feel good."
     "Awww." I pick him up. He lays on my shoulder. "Do you want to lay down?"
      "Yeah."
      "Okay, well it looks like you are not going to school tomorrow."
      "Okay." We lay him down and he gets up and runs to the bathroom. He throws up in the toilet and I help him brush his teeth. He gets in his pjs and he lays down. I get him a trash can and some sprite in a water bottle. I get him some crackers. I put a movie on for him. I go to the kitchen.
     "Do you think he just needs to throw up a couple times?" Halo asks me.
     "Well I did eat something that had nothing to do with me. Emily had been acting weird a couple days before. Andrew has been kinda having a loss in appetite even though he has never been a big eater."
     "Yeah true." She shrugs her shoulders.
     "He still threw up he can't go to school."
     "Well who will stay home?"
     "Whoever he wants to."
     "Okay."
     "Emily does have practice tomorrow."
     "I could do that if I need to."
     "Okay."
     "Well if I am cooking guess who gets to gets to get Emily ready for school."
     "On it."
     "Thanks babe." She picks her outfit out. I make sure her bag is packed. She packs her back pack and puts it by the door. We eat dinner and I was totally fine. I ate all my food.
     Andrew ate some mashed potatoes. Now the only one left is Halo. I start to wonder when she will get it. Andrew says he wants me to stay home. I clean some things and tend to him.
    Halo will go to practice with Emily. Emily takes a bath and so does Halo. I haven't thrown up again but Andrew has. He threw up on his pjs so I helped him change and I think he may have a stomach bug.
     I'm not sure yet though. Halo gets Emily in bed around 8:00. She goes to bed around nine but I stay up. Andrew comes out of his room and lays on the couch. He falls asleep and so do I until I wake up to him throwing up.
     I get him some water once he finishes and he wasn't throwing up that much. He doesn't have much to throw up. He feels fine until he does throw up then he is fine again. I sleep on and off tending to him. Halo gets up the next morning and gets ready for work.
     "Hey babe." I say.
     "Yeah." She says.
     "I am running to the store. I should be back before you have to leave."
     "Okay." I leave and go to the store. It was raining and everything was turning to slush. I get some sprite, ginger ale, crackers, soup, bread, cheese, dog food, and animal crackers. I check out and go home.
    Halo leaves as I walk in the door. I kiss her and Andrew was laying on the couch. I grab his water bottle and wash it. I put some ginger ale in it and give him some animal crackers. He keeps throwing up throughout the morning.
      I give him some anti nausea medicine but he throws it up a couple minutes later. I call the doctor. He can keep animal crackers and sprite down. He can also keep the ginger ale down. He threw up the soup and the regular crackers.
     I get an appointment for the same day at noon. He had a fever and was as white as a wall. He was shivering and the more I wrap him in blankets the more he has a hard time moving to throw up in his bucket.
    I get him a plastic bag and some extras. I just wrap him in a blanket and take him to the doctors. I check him in and we go back. He throws up in the bag.
     "I want to go home." He groans.
     "I know honey."
     "Can I have my drink?"
     "After they take your temperature
     "Why?"
     "If you drink something you have to wait 15 minutes to get your temperature taken."
     "That's stupid."
     "I know." He coughs a little and the doctor comes in. I throw his bag away and he gets checked out.
     "Okay he does have the stomach flu has he been vaccinated?" The doctor asks me. I am good about them being vaccinated.
      "Yeah he was for the flu."
      "Well those help they don't promise results. He also has a cold. I want to give him some medicine for it but I don't want him taking it until he stops throwing up. If he is throwing it up what's the use in taking it."
      "Right."
      "So I will put in an order for that and he is good to go back to school when you feel his is up to it or he feels better. I will give him a note to miss school. I will also recommend that he takes Tylenol for his fever if he can keep it down. If he can't just a cold wet cloth and lots of blankets."
      "Okay."
      "We can't really go anywhere with him throwing everything up so we need to get past that."
     "Okay." He leaves and the nurse comes in with stickers for him and a sucker. I pick him up and we leave. He throws up in the bag but it wasn't a lot. I give him his water bottle and he drinks it. I give him a small baggie of animal crackers.
     He doesn't throw up if he eats those and he needs to eat something. I go to the pharmacy and pick up his medicine. I also go to the school. I drop his note off and pick up any work he needs.
     I go home and he lays down watching cartoons. I take a nap and it was a little bit before I wake up. He was sleeping and it was around 2:30. I make myself something to eat. I haven't ate all day.
     I eat and do the dishes. I sweep the kitchen and take the dog out. The girls will be home around 4:30. I do some laundry and put it away. I tend to Andrew and so far he has stopped throwing up.
    I give him a string cheese to see what happens. He keeps it down which is good. I do some class work and finish all my stuff. I have been kinda falling behind with everyone getting sick.
    The house is a mess and laundry is stacked up high. I pick up the living room and do more laundry. Laundry is never ending it seems like. I finish the dishes and the girls come home.
      "Wow the house looks amazing good job." She says.
      "Thank you but guess who gets to cook." I wink at her.
      "Yay." She rolls her eyes and I kiss her.
      "I love you."
      "Save it for the bedroom."
      "Is that a hint?" I raise my eyebrow and she looks at me.
      "No."
      "Well how was your day?"
      "It was long. Emily fell at practice and had to cut it short. She had to sit out for half of it. I think she sprained her wrist."
      "What was she doing?"
      "She fell off the balance beam doing a handstand on it."
      "Ohh." She comes to me and shows me her wrist.
      "That looks more then sprained. Did she cry?"
      "No she tired to keep going but her coach pulled her out." I set her on the table and touch it she flinches. It was very swollen and purple and blue.
      "It hurts Jace." She says.
      "Lets get some ice on it."  I get a bendable ice pack for her wrist and wrap it around her in a towel. She kinda flinches as it touches her skin. I see a tear roll down her cheek.
      "Well when did it turn black and blue?" I ask Halo.
      "After like 20 minutes she wanted to stay and said she was fine. This is the first time I saw it. When I saw it it was normal just painful then we got in the car. It was turning purplish and my phone died. It has been a day that's all I can say. It has gotten worse though." She says freaking out.
      "Okay, it is okay babe. You cook dinner and I will take her to ER."
      "Okay." It has been a long day and it isn't even over yet.