Love Who You Love

Chapter 30|| Day 2

~Previously~

"Ya, sure thing. Night Dar." They said, walking further down the hall towards their shared bedroom. Darry waved back at them as he yawned, more tired than the others. Quickly, he opened the door to his bedroom and closed it behind him. He leaned against it as he listened to the rare silence filling up the house.

"Today was a lot more than I expected..." he thought.

~Now~

     The familiar sound of crying filled the once silent house, waking the 3 brothers from their short slumber. The 2 younger brothers could be heard groaning from their room as they both buried their heads underneath their pillows. As if their luck had run short, the 3 brothers had a very busy day ahead of them. Meaning the little sleep they got would affect it greatly.

     Yawning, Darry stood out of bed and made his way to his daughter in the nursery passing his son who slept soundly in the bassinet beside his mother. The boy was far too tired to bother turning on any lights in the house. They would've hurt his eyes if he did so. He softly opened the nursery door, groggily stepping through the entrance. While he did, the crying increased in volume due to the lack of obstacles blocking the sound. Darry cooed at his ill daughter as she wailed, her feverish skin flushed, warm to the touch. Darry doubted it was a cold, this seemed more like the flu than a common cold. Luckily Darry knew what to do for the flu, though he wasn't as experienced with colds with infants.

Daisy was carefully lifted out of her crib and laid against her mother's warm chest, a rough yet gentle hand began rubbing her back in a soothing manner. The warmth and soothing motion eased her aching body slightly. Her cries lessened, yet still kept everyone awake. Darry began to sway with Daisy from side to side to calm her, his attempts doing little to no affect.

     "Shhhhhh...Shhhhhh...I know sweetie, I know." He cooed sadly. Darry hated to hear his baby cry in such a way, no matter the cause. The boy lowered his head as Dash began to cry from being woken up in the other room. His sister's cries had become too loud for him to stay asleep. Darry continued to sway with his daughter as he began to walk out of the room, but was cut off by Ponyboy making his way down the hallway.

     "I'll get 'em." He yawned, rubbing his left eye with his knuckles. "You take care of Daisy while I take care of Dash. Soda's so tired he'd probably drop 'em." He finished. Darry watched, soon going back to calm his daughter. He swayed for a few more moments until he laid her back in her crib to get the things he needed. Darry kissed his daughter's warm forehead. Standing above her crib.

     "I'll be right back.." he whispered to her. Darry quickly left the nursery, walking through the house into the kitchen. He began to fill bottles with warm water, knowing the heat would ease her small aching body. Screwing on the tops, Darry walked through the house back into the nursery. The cries began to increase in volume once again, sounding more miserable than the last.

    Darry laid the warm bottles against Daisy's sides, sighing in relief as her cries lessened more. Feeling her forehead, Darry noticed Daisy's temperature had increased. Definitely not a good sign with the flu. An idea popped into his head, why didn't he think of it before?

     He made another quick trip to the kitchen, soaking a rag in cool water to lessen Daisy's fever. Darry rushed through the house, practically running as he heard Daisy begin to cry louder and louder. He placed the small rag on her forehand, keeping his hand pressed lightly for a moment. Soon, Daisy's cries lessened to small whimpers and occasional whines. Her small body shifted as the sheets underneath her warmed from her high body heat.

      Darry sighed, sad and exhausted. He brought the rocking chair closer to her crib, taking a seat to softly pet Daisy's dirty blonde hair. He looked into Daisy's eyes, petting her hair as they fluttered shut. Darry sighed sadly, kissing his daughters cheek as he stood.

He stood up, walked to the open door and turned around to lean against the doorway. Darry silently and nervously watched Daisy for a few more moments until he felt tiredness fade back in. Darry yawned, leaving the door open as he made his way to his room.

Dash laid sound asleep in the bassinet, no one but him and now Darry were in the room. The boy yawned before he kissed his son's forehead.

"Please don't get sick, too.." He half muttered, half pleaded to him.

                             ************

Darry laid awake in his bed, staring at the silver ring on his finger. As he laid on his side of the bed, a binder surrounded with stacks of loose papers were scattered around Dally's empty side. Darry had been fumbling his brain to figure out what he could get done without any of Dally's help or opinions, no matter how much of it was his day, it was also Dally's day. They were going to get married.....someday when it was legal. Darry continued to stare at his ring, watching the light reflect and cast shadows on the grooves.

He knew Dally would be home in a few short weeks now. Meaning he could soon get the wedding planned, save money, and soon grow old with the love of his life. Darry sighed happily as he imagined Dally in a tux, his blonde hair shinning in the sun while his blue eyes beamed with love and excitement.

Meanwhile, Daisy began to cry, her illness once again kept her awake. Her body ached, cheeks flushed as her temperature raised. She shifted uncomfortably as her onesie stuck to her small, sweaty body. Small yet loud cries and whimpers escaped her mouth as she laid on her back.

Daisy's cries broke Darry from his thoughts. Tiredly he pulled the blanket off of his tired and stiff body. He sprung out of bed, rushing towards the door leading to the hallway when Daisy's cries increased greatly in volume.

"Day 2.." He muttered, pushing open the door to the nursery. Darry lifted his daughter out of her crib and hoped he would make it through another day.