Juliana Cade

Poor Baby

It was late at night, around 2 in the morning, everyone had been at Johnny's house and had fallen asleep. Two-bit, Steve and Dally got the floor while Johnny his room, and the Curtis brothers took the two couches in the room, Darry on one, he was too big for it but it was the larger of the two there, and Soda and Pony shared the other one. Dally's snoring obvious to everyone and anyone alive.

Juli was still as sick as ever, but the medicine was doing it's job. It was to keep her fever from rising too high but that's all it did, the two Cade's would just have to ride it out over time like before...

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The house suddenly filled with distressed cries, waking everyone all the way to China and back. Johnny groaned as he picked up the screaming infant and held her to his chest, softly shushing her as she kept crying. It seemed like it was all she could do to feel better. Tears hurriedly went down her hot cheeks as she wailed.

Now, the gang stood in the doorway of the boy's room, watching with pitiful and sympathetic eyes, even Dally. Although his face didn't show it, his eyes always did now matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Johnny bounced slightly, still shushing her, holding her with one arm as he used the other to shoo off the gang who still watched the scene in the boy's bedroom.

Reluctantly, the gang left Johnny and Juli alone. They sat back in the living room, the only thing they could do was listen to Juli's cries filling the entire house.

"Poor baby..." Soda said, his voice tired but concerned as he talked. The gang sighed while nodding their heads at his words, tired as ever.

"She was sick a little while ago but when I was over then she wasn't as bad off." Pony stated, right before another scream was let loose from Juli's mouth.

He could faintly hear Johnny through the crying, trying his best to do whatever he could for his little sister. He hates to see her so sick, again for that matter.

"I know Juli...I know......shhhhh, shhhh. You're alright, it'll get better soon." He soothed, getting interrupted twice from his sister's ill cries.

After almost an hour of Juli crying, Johnny trying his hardest and the gang doing nothing but listen still concerned, Juli had worn herself out and fell asleep.

Her long and soft eyelashes slightly resting on her flushed, tear stained and chubby cheeks, Johnny sighed at the sight before laying his sister back into her cried, he ran his finger over her cheek. His skin burnt as he felt her feverish skin, he absolutely hated this, she was too sweet of a baby to get sick, yet she did twice. As if the world threw her curve balls all of the time, just like her big brother.

He tiredly dragged himself out of his room, down the stairs and into his kitchen for a glass of water.

"How is she?" Johnny jumped at the voice, but looked back too see Darry standing in the entrance of the kitchen, the rest of the gang behind him. All sharing concerned looks with one another.

"She's getting better but not by a lot.....I'm gonna try an' get some more sleep while I still can.....Y'all should too, besides Darry. You, Soda and Steve got work in the morning...." Johnny yawned, the lack of sleep clearly taking a toll on him over the past few days.

Darry sighed before him and everyone but Johnny disappeared back into the living room, already hearing snoring from none other than Dallas himself.

The boy got his water and drank half before taking the rest up to his room and setting it on the night stand. He flopped down onto his bed causing the springs to slightly creek underneath him.

Before Johnny could even think...he fell into a deep and needed slumber for the rest of the night, every now and then hearing Juli whimper in her sleep...everyone stayed like that until morning...