Our Boys

The Illness

December

Winter winds whipped through the country and snow fell occasionally, turning the area into a sludgy wonderland. Cold and flu season came hand in hand with the weather, especially in schools. It was no surprise to the Olatunji-Minter gang when Josh came home early one afternoon with a wracking cough and runny nose. He was soon firmly curled up on the sofa in the den with a mug of hot chocolate and a box of tissues.

Vik was very happy to have one of his brothers home with him during the day; it got kind of lonely spending his days with just his parents for company. Having Josh home from school was an exciting change. Despite their father's cautions, Vik spent as much time as possible with his ill brother, which was how the four year old caught Josh's cold.

Just as Josh's cold was disappearing and he would be ready to return to school on Monday for what little time remained before Christmas break, Vik came down with the sniffles. JJ walked into their youngest's room an hour or so after Tobi, Ethan and Harry had been shuffled off to school and found him sneezing his little head off, looking absolutely miserable.

"Oh, you poor little guy!" JJ exclaimed, scooping up Vik. "Did you catch Josh's cold?"

Vik clung to his papa's neck, resting his heavy head against his shoulder, and sniffed.

"Sure sounds like it," JJ hushed, rubbing the little boy's back as they walked out of the room and downstairs.

As the two came into the kitchen, the boy let out a small, congested cough, causing Simon to look up from the pancakes he was cooking for breakfast.

"Uh oh, sounds like somebody caught Josh's cold," Simon commented, coming over and laying a hand on Vik's forehead. "Feels a little warm. Why don't you go set him down on the sofa in the den and cover him up with that warm blanket. I'll come in with some children's medicine and something to eat in a few minutes."

"Sounds like a plan," JJ agreed, giving his husband a quick kiss before carrying Vik into the den. When he tried to set Vik down onto the sofa though, the little boy held on. It seemed as though he'd grown attached. "Vik, come on you little lemur, aren't you going to let go?" JJ questioned, trying to hold in his laughter as the child burrowed deeper into the warmth provided by JJ's body.

Vik shook his head, holding on tighter. Papa had removed him from his nice warm bed, but he found that Papa made a good substitute. Plus, he didn't feel well, and it felt nice and safe in his Papa's arms.

Who was he to say no to the sick little boy? JJ easily gave in and sat down on the sofa, covering them both with the blanket from the back of it. Vik closed his eyes in satisfaction and curled up against the black man's chest.

Simon entered the den with a tray of pancakes, juice and children's medicine to discover his husband cuddled up on the couch with their youngest. He raised an eyebrow at the scene. "Napping already?"

JJ smiled up sheepishly. "He didn't want me to leave...."

The blond's heart melted at that statement. It wasn't as if JJ had anything vitally important to do today, and he'd spent the last week looking after Josh while Simon was busy. One wouldn't think it to look at Josh, but the normally laid back boy tended to become a bit of a whiner when he was sick. The preteen just did not take well to being in less than perfect condition. The boy got absolutely in a mood if he ever happened to get injured. The fact that JJ had handled it without complaint earned him more than a little leeway in this situation.

"Alright then, you stay in here with the two sickies. Josh'll be up any minute so expect him to shuffle in soon. He should be well enough to go back to school on Monday, though," Simon warned, setting the tray down on the end table next to the couch. "Make sure he gets some medicine too, if he's still feverish."

"Will do," JJ promised.

Simon stroked a hand over the small head of hair. "And I hope you feel better soon, little man. I'll come back later with some soup for everyone."

Vik gazed up at his daddy with sad eyes and nodded his head in understanding, and then snuggled back down into his papa's arms. JJ hugged him closer, kissing him on the top of his head.

As predicted, about forty five minutes later, Josh stumbled sleepily into the room, the duvet from his bed wrapped loosely around his shoulders. He glanced curiously at the bundled pair as he curled up onto the other end of the sofa before turning his attention to the TV. Squinting, Josh was able to make out Fireman Sam on the screen.

"What are you guys doing in here?" he croaked out distractedly.

Vik's only response was a series of coughs.

"Baby boy here seems to have caught your cold," JJ answered, rubbing Vik's back as he winced at the harsh sounding coughs.

"Huh. Oops. Guess I shouldn't have let him hang around so much this week," Josh murmured.

"Nah, he would have probably caught it anyway. Don't worry," JJ reassured him, seeing the guilt building in his middle son's frame. "Want some pancakes? Your dad made them for breakfast but Vik doesn't seem to want anything. You can just warm them up in the microwave if you'd like."

Josh shrugged. "Sure." He got up and grabbed the plate, carrying it over to the microwave behind the mini-bar. As his breakfast was heating, Josh felt something clawing at his leg and glanced down to see Molly at his feet, bouncing up and down excitedly and licking her chops. "I don't think so, Miss Molly. This is my breakfast. Dad already fed you yours."

JJ glanced over from the couch. "I haven't seen that dog all morning, yet the moment you start the microwave, bang, she appears."

"She's probably been sleeping in front of the vent in the great room, like she does everyday," Josh suggested, pulling out the plate and returning to the couch.

"Wouldn't surprise me. I was just shocked she didn't follow the pancakes in here when Simon brought them in."

"Was probably still asleep then, plus Dad wouldn't have had the familiar sound of the microwave," Josh told him as Molly managed to get herself up onto the couch to stare pointedly at him and his hastily guarded prize.

JJ reached out with his free hand and pulled the puppy over to him and Vik in order to allow Josh to eat in peace. "Leave that poor boy alone, you mutt."

Molly seemed to glare at JJ for a moment, but settled down when a small hand ventured out of the blanket to scratch her head. Her boy was paying attention to her! She hopped up onto JJ's chest, and snuggled next to her boy.

"Ugh!" JJ grunted as the air was forced from his lungs. "Ugh, you're getting too big to do that, Molls."

Molly ignored him in favor of giving Vik kisses all over his face. JJ just shook his head and gave the dog a scratch behind her ears.