Closer

172.

Brett seemed completely out of it as the doctor listened to Elise's chest, got her blood tested, measured her fever and asked them a couple of questions. Eddy half worried he would fall off the chair if they didn't get an answer soon. He didn't really like the uneasy aura he gave off, and he wasn't looking forward to being alone with him later and try and diffuse the situation.

Elise on the other hand had calmed down completely, reaching for the stethoscope and tried to pull her own socks off at some point. The only giveaway for her illness was her cough, which even Eddy had to admit sounded pretty bad, and her slightly high temperature. Eddy wasn't too worried, really.

"So, look like little princess here has got a very common cold," the doctor said after a while with a knowing smile on her lips. Brett exhaled in relief, but Eddy just nodded. He knew that already. "It's common for first time parents to come in with it, especially if they get a fever as well, but she'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Is there anything we could give her for the fever or the cough if it gets too bad?" Eddy asked calmly, ignoring the weird mood radiating from Brett next to him.

"Absolutely sure. What you can do is get dissolvable ibuprofen and give her  that if her fever goes above 38,5°C, but it's generally better to endure the fever as long as it's not too high to fight off the infection," the doctor said, typing something on her computer. Eddy assumwd it was her journal. "And make sure to keep an extra close eye on her while she sleeps, as a stuffy nose and uncoordinated movements increases the risk of choking."

"Choking?" Brett asked meakly, sounding almost like he was about to freak out. Eddy looked over at him, not understanding the mood he was in. Somewhere between embarrassed and worried, maybe? With a hint of frustrated?

"It's not likely, but just as a precaution," the doctor assured, giving Elise a smile as well. She grinned back at her, reaching for the shiny stethoscope again. The doctor let her grab onto it for a moment and look at it.

"Thank you, I'm sorry we used your time unnecessarily," Eddy said, giving Elise a kiss to the head. "Baba was quite worried."

"Baba just wanted to make sure," Brett scoffed next to him, and Eddy turned to him. He still didn't understand Brett's sour mood. He had gotten what he wanted with them going to the doctor, but he was still acted like an asshole.

"Okay, if there are no other questions..?" the doctor said and Eddy shook his head, beginning to get up. Brett also got up, but didn't say anything.

"Thank you, doctor," Eddy said with a smile and Brett mumbled something sounding like a thanks before they exited the office. Eddy didn't like the feeling of Brett's mood, so he focused on Elise as they walked out to the car.