Miss Mercury

Studio

After Live Aid, Queen is straight back in the studio and with no one to watch her, Freddie has to take Amelia with him. Not that the other's mind, she stops arguments happening as frequently as usual.

A playpen is set up in the corner for her but most of the time she is in one of the band members laps when they are not recording in the booth.

Freddie sets her down in the playpen while all four of them are needed in the booth. They were in there for at least half an hour and he expected her to be asleep when they came out.

First out the booth, Brian checks on her smiling seeing that she is, in fact, awake, "Freddie, you might want to see this."

The singer is there in seconds beaming, Amelia is sitting up by herself playing with the baby blanket Brian had brought her. He kneels in front of her, "look at you sitting up all on your own," he frowns noticing the tiredness behind her eyes, "I think it's time for your nap."

Amelia just gums at the corner of the blanket, all of a sudden her nose scrunches up and lets out a small sneeze making her fall backwards, Freddie catches her head picking her up from the pen, "bless you, sweetheart," he kisses her nose.

"Do you want me to take her next door? I'm not needed in the booth for a while," Brian offers, a travel cot has been set up next door so she can nap without blaring noise keeping her awake.

"Yes thank you, darling." Brian takes the baby from her dad grabbing the blanket as well, then heads next door.

When he tries to put her down Amelia latches her fist on his shirt and starts to fuss so enjoying the quiet moment, he sits on the sofa with her securely on his chest.

She starts to doze off but she sneezes again and he frowns, "I hope you not coming down with a cold, sweetpea," he whispers grabbing her blanket from where he had placed it on the cot, wrapping it around her to keep her warm.

"We can't have you sick, your daddy will have a heart attack," He yawns feeling very calm and relaxed with her on his chest, Brian starts to doze off himself.

------

Coming to find the guitarist an hour later for his turn in the booth, Freddie finds him stretched out long ways on the sofa fast asleep. Amelia is also asleep lay on his chest her blanket thrown over both of them.

Chuckling Freddie quickly grabs the camera snapping a picture of the adorable sight. He lightly shakes Brian's shoulder disturbing the curly-haired man from his nap.

Yawning Brian sits up and blushes realising what has happened, "Sorry, I didn't plan on falling asleep but there's something about having her in my arms that very..."

"Soothing," Freddie finishes when the guitarist trials off unable to find the right word, "I find it quite hard to put her down most nights because I just feel so much calmer and relaxed when holding her."

Lifting his daughter off Brian's chest he settles her in the cot, "I'll take over in here, you're needed in the recording booth."

"Okay," Brian leaves the room then was back seconds later, "Oh I was meant to say, I might be nothing but she sneezed a few more times when we came in here. As I said, I might be nothing but just keep an eye on it."

"I'll keep an eye on her," Freddie rest the back of his finger to Amelia's forehead, no temperature at the moment.

------

Though they had agreed to take things slow Freddie and Jim's relationship as grown a lot quicker in the past week, Jim now stays at Garden Lodge a couple of times a week and tonight is one of those nights.

Having put Amelia to bed Freddie joins Jim downstairs for a glass of wine, the TV on quietly in the background as the two chat away, "I can't quite believe you've had her two months," Jim starts, "Feels like yesterday that you showed up on my doorstep to introduce me to her."

Freddie groan, "God I know, she's growing so fast, too quickly in my opinion."

"Before you know it you'll be sending her off to school."

"That's a scary thought, lord help when that day comes, I'll be a mess." Finishing their wine the two head to bed.

It felt like he had barely closed his eyes before Freddie hears Amelia crying. He checks the clock, 11.45 pm, he had an hours sleep but this isn't her normal time to wake up.

Getting closer to the nursery door he notices her cries are different, when she wants to be feed and changed it's a screaming cry but this is a sobbing cry.

Pushing the doors open he is hit with the overwhelming smell of sick.

In the room, Amelia is sat up in her crib looking at him covered in sick, tears running down her face.

The crib and her blanket are covered in sick, he's not too sure how someone so small can produce some much. He's not too surprised that Romeo is nowhere in sight.

"Jim!" He calls out then steps towards his daughter, "it's okay, sweetheart."

Jim is at the door in second, "Good lord."

Freddie turns to his lover, "Would you mind washing her bedding and blanket while I bath her?"

"Of course," Jim has to pry the blanket from Amelia's grasp and she wails.

"Hey it's okay Milly, Jim just needs to wash it," Freddie picks her up from the crib trying not to gag, "Maybe wash the blanket first or she won't sleep."

Nodding Jim goes downstairs and Freddie heads to the bathroom deciding it will be easier to wash her in the shower. Stripping her dirty babygrow off and his own pyjamas he tests the temperature of the water then step underneath it.

As he rubs a little amount of shampoo in her hair he starts humming and her cries lessen to whimpering, "Is that better my angel? I'll get you something for that poorly tummy after. Brian was right about you not being well wasn't he?" Washing her body Freddie then washes the sick off himself.

Stepping out of the shower the cool air hits both of them and Amelia curls in closer to her dad. He wraps her soft towel her setting her down on the bed for a moment while he quickly gets changed.

Jim comes back as Freddie is redressing her, "I have her blanket, some Calpol and those rusk biscuits. She'll be hungry but I doubt it if she will keep any milk down. Her bedding is still drying though."

"Thank you lovie. Don't worry about her bedding for tonight, I'm going to keep her in here with us if you don't mind?" Knowing she is ill he wants to keep her in sight encase she takes a turn for the worst.

"Not at all," Jim hands the blanket to Amelia, her whimpering stops. He offers her the biscuit but she turns away from it so after a spoonful of Calpol, Freddie tests her temperature and lays her on top of the covers between them pillows around her so none of them rolls over in the night and squashes her.

------

Thankfully she wasn't sick again in the night but woke you two hours after hungry, Freddie gave her half the biscuit before she had enough and she went right back to sleep.

He woke again mid-morning smiling because he must have rested his hand on Amelia at some point in the night and Amelia, who is still fast asleep, has wrapped her little hand around his thumb.

Lifting her from the cocoon of pillows he rests her on top of his chest, kissing her clean hair. Her temperature has gone and she is less fussy then yesterday.

He rubs her back soothingly making her stir. Her big brown eyes look up at him, "You feeling better now?" he coos, she replies with a little sigh and he takes that as a yes.