Daddy Needs a Date

by Sean Michael

  ALEX WOKE feeling stuffed up and a little achy. There was light pouring in from under the edge of the blinds, which meant he’d slept all night long. A body flailed next to him, and he got bopped in the nose by a little hand. Blinking, he half raised his head. Along with Ryan and himself, there were three little girls in the bed—he must have slept hard not to have noticed.

  He slipped out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake anyone, and grabbed the sweatpants he’d worn yesterday off the floor, slipping into them as he made his way to the bathroom to pee and splash some water on his face. A shower might actually help the fuzzy-headed feeling, but he felt weird showering in Ryan’s bathroom when the guy wasn’t even awake. Not to mention he didn’t have any clean clothing to change into.

  He settled with the face splashing and a long drink of water, then spent a few minutes trying to remember where he’d left his phone. Probably in the kitchen. That was the last time he remembered having it on him. He padded down the stairs and found it. It was 7:36 a.m., and he had missed two calls and several emails, at least one of which was from a potential donor. He’d have to check those out. As soon as he made himself a cup of coffee.

  He heard soft steps behind him, and then Mel appeared, still white as a sheet and heading for the fridge.

  “Hey, morning. How are you doing—you still look a little rough?” And he could totally get her some juice, make her porridge or something to eat if she was hungry. He was pretty sure he felt better than she did—at least he felt better than she looked.

  She shook her head, then started to cry.

  “Oh, honey.” He went to her, held her gently. She was still feverish, dammit.

  “Have you had any medicine this morning?” He wouldn’t feel right giving her any of the prescribed stuff without Ryan’s say-so, but he could totally give her some Tylenol for her fever and ply her with orange juice.

  She shook her head. “No,” she croaked. “I feel bad.”

  “Can you make it to the living room on your own? I’ll get you something for your fever and sore throat and some juice, okay?”

  She nodded, looking as miserable as could be, but her shuffling out of the kitchen was steady enough that he let her go without his assistance. He poured out a tall glass of juice and searched for the Tylenol. If he could avoid going back up the stairs to the bathroom, he would avoid waking anyone else.

  He found the downstairs bathroom and discovered a small bottle of Tylenol on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. Perfect. He took out a couple of pills himself, then got two more and brought them and the juice into the living room for Mel.

  “Thanks. Sorry, huh? I know you were supposed to be on a date, not dealing with us.”

  “Sure. Or I could look at it this way—a date would have lasted Saturday night. This has been nearly two days now. I got to spend way more time with Ryan.” There was nothing wrong with looking for a silver lining. Especially when a kid was apologizing for being sick. “Besides, I bet you’d rather be doing something else too.”

  “Anything. I was supposed to go to school today. I had a test.”

  “Hopefully you can take it tomorrow. Your dad is still asleep, but if there’s anything I can do for you till he wakes up, let me know, okay?” He handed over the pills and the juice. “And is there anything I can tempt you with foodwise?” If she asked for something he didn’t know how to do, well, he’d just have to figure it out, he supposed, or offer her something similar that he could pull off.

  “Can you make something soft? It really hurts.”

  “That really sucks. I could do porridge—which would be warm and soft. Or a soft poached egg?” The porridge would be more filling, but he knew it wasn’t to everyone’s taste. Hell, he supposed eggs weren’t either. But he didn’t know a whole lot of picky eaters—the kids he helped were grateful for anything edible.

  “Everyone here loves porridge, especially Rosie.”

  Score! He knew how to make a bunch of different porridges, and it would totally reheat whenever the little girls and Ryan woke up. “You like anything in your porridge? Like raisins or apples and cinnamon? Maybe blueberries?”

  “Sure. There’s all sorts in the fridge.” She settled down on the sofa, cuddling under the blanket.

  “Cool. Porridge will be ready in twenty minutes.” He put the remote next to her hand and headed back into the kitchen. His messages and emails were going to have to wait.

  He found a large glass bowl and then searched through the cupboards, which were fairly neat and organized, really, until he found the oats. Grabbing those, he measured three cups of the stuff into the bowl, then three cups of water followed by three cups of milk. He stuck it in the microwave and set it on high for five minutes.

  Next up was seeing what was available to add in, but he needed coffee first, so he went back through the cupboards, looking for either grounds or beans.

  “They’re right here by the coffee maker, honey.” Ryan’s warmth pressed against his back. “Thank you for starting food. How’re you feeling?”

  He melted back, the warmth so nice. “You’re welcome. And how did you know I was looking for the coffee?” He glossed past the question of how he was feeling because he wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t help out, but he had a hunch Ryan would send him to sit or lie down if he thought Alex was under the weather.

  “I’m brilliant. I’m keeping the kids home today for sure. Have you seen Mel?”

  “She’s in the living room. I gave her some Tylenol and some juice. Feeding her was next on the list.” He turned and took a quick kiss. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” Ryan touched his cheek. “I think some Tylenol for you too, mister.”

  “I’m definitely stuffed up. How are you holding out?” He wasn’t the only one who was probably going to catch what the girls had. He just hoped neither of them got it as bad as the girls and that they got it at different times so nobody was stuck looking after the kids while they were sick. Because there was no doubt that he wanted to care for Ryan if he got sick too.

  “So far, so good. Let me grab you some meds and check on Mel, and I’ll be back to help.” Ryan kissed his cheek.

  “Sounds like a deal. You can tell me what the kids like in their oatmeal,” he called as Ryan left the kitchen. Now that he knew where it was, he found the coffee easily enough, and he set the coffee maker up, turned it on. Coffee was another one of those luxuries he liked to indulge in when he was home.

  The microwave beeped, so he checked on it. It needed a good stir, and it was still a little runny, so he put it back in for another three minutes. It was probably going to need another stir and another few minutes at that point, but he found it tasted better if he stirred as he went instead of letting it go the full time without being touched.

  In a few minutes, Ryan was back with Rosie on his hip and Daisy by his side. “We’re back!”

  “Hey girls—perfect timing. I wanted to know what to put in your porridge. I mean, sugar is a no-brainer, but what else do you want? I was thinking if you had blueberries, they’d be fun.” He liked the bursts of strong, fresh flavor that blueberries offered.

  “Cimmammimmamin,” Rosie said.

  “I can totally do that. I’ll throw in some applesauce too. That goes perfectly with cinaminaminon.” He was sure he hadn’t gotten it quite right, but he’d bet she got a kick out of his version anyway.

  She laughed for him, then patted her daddy’s cheek. “O-juice, please.”

  “So you’re feeling better, what about you, Daisy?” He turned to the girl leaning against her daddy. “Are you feeling better, and do you approve of cinnamon and applesauce?” He hoped so, because with four girls and two adults, if everyone wanted something different, it could get time-consuming.

  She nodded. “I like cinnamons and apples. Can I have raisins, too?”

  “Sure. Do you know where they are? Maybe you could get them and the cinnamon and applesauce out for me? That would be a huge help.” The microwave beeped and
he got the bowl out, giving it another stir and nodding. That was the consistency he wanted. “Is Daffy up, too?” He’d have to split this six ways if she was. Good thing he’d made an extra big batch.

  “Daffy went to sleep with Mel on the sofa. Her head hurts.”

  “That sucks. Nobody likes to feel sick.” He took out six bowls and portioned out the oatmeal, then added brown sugar and milk to the bowls. He put some cinnamon in the applesauce bottle Daisy found for him, then added that to the porridge bowls. “You can add your raisins on. That way you’ll get the right amount.”

  He smiled at Ryan, who was doing juice and milk, taking out spoons. The two of them seemed to work pretty well together. It was nice.

  “I’m going to see if I can’t tease a couple of bites into Daffy and Mel. You okay with these hooligans, Alex?”

  “I imagine we’ll manage somehow.” He waggled his eyebrows at Daisy and made a silly face at Rosie before putting their bowls onto the kitchen table.

  The girls jabbered at him, just silly little songs and games and chatter. It was glorious, really, how cheery they were. Nice sharing breakfast with them and having their happy soundtrack to color the morning. Ryan had this every morning. He could see how this would easily counterbalance the times when things weren’t so great. Like when everyone was sick and whining.

  Ryan came back and grabbed a cup of coffee. “They’re picking at it. Mel says you did a good job.”

  Oh, coffee…. He’d totally forgotten about it. “I’m a fan of the stuff myself, so I learned how to do it properly. I don’t suppose you could pour me a cup of java?” He was feeling utterly lazy and a little bit like a blinky idiot, and getting up to get his own coffee seemed like a huge effort right now.

  “Of course. How do you take it?”

  “I can drink it any way, but my favorite is with lots of cream and the barest hint of sugar.” He had lattes when he bought at the chain coffeehouses. “I don’t need it to wake up in the mornings, but it definitely makes a difference. Especially if I’m feeling a bit under the weather.” This flu was threatening to be a lot more than “a bit” too. He probably should head home so he wasn’t making Ryan deal with yet another sickie.

  “Aw. I’m on it. Then we’ll bundle you up and make sure you’re warm and comfortable.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Ry—you’ve got your hands full here. I should go before I’m really sick. The last thing you need is me snotting all over the place.” He had to admit that the thought of being pampered was super appealing. It had been a long time since anyone had taken care of him. The shoe was almost always on his foot.

  “Nonsense. You stay, let me pet you, feed you. Please?”

  “Since you put it so nicely, how could I say no?” It helped that he totally didn’t want to leave.

  “You shouldn’t.” A perfectly made cup of coffee landed in front of him.

  He wrapped his hands around it and breathed it in. “Oh, this is great, thank you.” He took a sip, the hot liquid hitting his throat in the best way.

  Ryan sat with their bowls, and they settled in to eat. Alex found himself smiling, even as ill as he was. Ryan was great to be around, sick or well.

  “Do you want to go up to the bedroom or stay in the TV room? Either way would work—upstairs will be quieter, down here will be more company.”

  “If I’m staying here, I want company.” He didn’t want to be alone.

  “Then we’ll all cuddle on the couch and let you rest. I’m going to make chicken soup for later, something tasty.”

  “You sure you don’t mind? I really don’t want to be extra work for you.” He totally let himself be led to the living room, though.

  “I don’t mind. Stay with us. Let me take care of you.”

  “Yes, sir.” He tried to grin and wink, but honestly, he was feeling worse now.

  “Come on. Let’s bundle you up, honey. Let’s make you comfortable.”

  Before he knew it, he was on the sectional with a teenager and a little girl who were sound asleep. Ryan sat beside him, watching as Rosie and Daisy colored on the coffee table.

  He was staring at them himself, not really seeing them. Shifting a little, he leaned against Ryan, his head on Ryan’s shoulder. If he had to be sick, this was the way to do it.

  “You can lie in my lap, honey.”

  “Yeah?” He kept leaning all the way until he had his head on a solid thigh. “Mmm. You’re comfy.”

  “I am. Here’s a show about bears.” Ryan stroked his head.

  “Whatever you want, baby.” He was easy. He had a feeling he’d be asleep soon anyway.

  “Good deal. Just rest.” Ryan kept petting.

  “Gonna make me fall asleep,” he warned, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.

  “I have you. You’re safe.”

  “Thank you.” He let his eyes fall closed and didn’t open them again. Sleep sounded so good right now.

  He was right where he wanted to be.

  Chapter Eleven

  SOUP? DONE. Groceries? Delivered. Little ones? Watching WALL-E. Big one? Playing on her tablet. Biggest one? Doped to the gills with cold meds and taking his third nap.

  Ryan checked Alex’s fever, patted little girls’ heads, and kissed Mel’s cheek. She smiled at him, then nodded at Alex.

  “You like him, don’t you?”

  “I do.” But they had only had two dates, and Alex’s job took him away constantly. He needed to be careful.

  “He seems nice.”

  “He does. He is a good guy.”

  “If you’re going to see him again, you’ve gotta have him over sometime when we’re not all sick.” God, she was so grown-up sometimes.

  “Yeah, that might be good, huh? Sometime when we’re at our best?”

  “Uh-huh. You think he likes animated movies? He could take us all out to see one and buy us dinner,” Mel suggested.

  “Maybe I could take us and buy his dinner.” That seemed fairer.

  “You must really like him,” Mel teased.

  Alex groaned and shifted, his cheeks still flushed from his fever.

  “Shh. I’m going to stir the soup. Be good.”

  “’Kay,” muttered Alex, not looking the least bit awake.

  Mel giggled but stayed dutifully quiet.

  Ryan grinned at her, winking as he fought his own laughter. Then he headed to the kitchen where his soup was smelling amazing, the broth bubbling invitingly.

  Rock on. That would make everyone feel better.

  He heard shuffling behind him and turned to find Alex standing there, swaying slightly, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and dragging on the ground.

  “Hey. Can I do anything to help?” Poor guy sounded a little hoarse.

  “Hey, honey. How are you feeling? You want some tea?”

  Alex blinked a few times, then nodded. “Yeah, that would feel great on my throat.” He made a face. “To be honest, I’m not feeling so good.”

  “Sit, honey. Let me get you more meds and some tea. The soup will help too.” Poor baby. He had guilt.

  Alex sniffed and snorted, sitting without being asked again. “Sorry I’m not being any help whatsoever.”

  “Hush you. You’re sick. Let me take care of you.”

  “It’s not something I’m used to.” Alex gave him a wan smile. “Being sick sucks.”

  “No shit on that.” He fixed Alex a cup. “You want milk or lemon?”

  “In tea? Definitely lemon, please. Maybe with a little honey?”

  It was when he put the cup in front of Alex that Ryan realized he’d given Alex what he’d started to think of as Alex’s cup.

  That was ridiculous. It had only been a couple days. They needed to learn about each other. Of course, they already knew that Alex was good in an emergency and willing to put aside his own plans to help out.

  “Do you want some toast or something? It’s going to be a couple of hours before the soup is done.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t
think I’m hungry.” Alex wrapped his hand around his mug and buried his face in the steam from it.

  “That’s the drainage.” He found adult-strength cold meds and handed them over, then moved to massage Alex’s shoulders.

  Alex groaned for him, the sound deep. “Oh God. I’ll pay you to keep doing that.”

  “No cash necessary.” He dug in, loosening the sore muscles.

  Alex groaned again, the low sound filling the kitchen. It was followed by a moan as Ryan found a new spot to dig in and work on.

  He dropped a kiss on top of Alex’s head, then went back to kneading tight muscles.

  “Mmm. I could totally get used to this, Ryan.”

  “I could totally let you.”

  “Yeah?” Alex grabbed his hand and squeezed.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” He knew he should shut up, but he couldn’t.

  “I really hope I’m not having a fever dream.”

  “Remember I have four little girls before you hope that.”

  “You trying to scare me off?” Alex asked, giving him a half grin. Then he dropped his head forward again. “Keep going?”

  “You know it. Breathe and let me love on you.”

  “The breathing part might be a bit of a challenge.” Alex chuckled after saying it, the sound turning into a cough.

  “Easy, easy. Drink your tea.” Oh, poor baby.

  Alex managed to stop coughing long enough to sip the tea, whereupon he hummed and smiled. “That’s better.”

  “Good. You want another?”

  “No, I want you to keep working my shoulders. Seriously, it feels amazing.”

  Then that was what he would do. He would let himself enjoy the luxury of touch. Alex made all sorts of noises—almost like they were having sex—and his head fell more and more forward.

  “You’re so fine, honey. So fine.” He felt a little daring, saying these things here with his kids in the other room.

  Alex groaned in response. “You make me feel that way.”

  “That’s all right, huh?”

  “It’s great—why wouldn’t I want to feel fine?”

  He began to laugh, because Alex had a point. Why wouldn’t someone want to feel that?