Heart On Fire
Page 25
“Lub ‘oo, Daddy,” Jack said sleepily through a yawn, rolling over and already almost asleep.
“Love you too, buddy,” Cam smiled, and pulled the door gently closed behind himself as he and Erin left the room.
“Thanks for that,” Erin said tiredly, following him back to the kitchen and taking her seat at the counter once more as he began finishing the washing up. “Putting the boys to bed. They’ve been pretty full-on this afternoon.”
“You looked like you could use a break,” he told her easily. “I’m sorry I’ve been working so much lately. And I’m sorry I didn’t realise how sick you were. If you’d told me, I would have taken leave and come home to help you.”
“It’s okay,” she told him. “I don’t have much planned for the weekend, so I’ll just have a sleep when they nap and I’ll be fine.”
“I somehow doubt that,” he told her. “I think you might have pneumonia.”
“What? No, my lungs don’t hurt, it’s just my throat from all the coughing.”
“If it’s viral then that’s quite common. I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he told her, pulling the plug from the sink and drying his hands on a towel hung on the oven. “I know you hate a fuss being made, but-”
“I know,” she told him, holding up an acquiescent hand. “It’s okay, I get it. I’m just so damn tired and achy.”
“Why don’t you-” He broke off at the knock on the door. “That’ll be for you.” Erin just waved a dismissive hand and dropped her head back onto her folded arms as he went to answer the door. “Hey, Amy, thanks for coming out.”
“No worries,” the cheerful blonde grinned. “We haven’t had a call-out yet, so we thought we’d come by and see you while we had the chance.”
“I really appreciate it,” Cam told her. “I think she has pneumonia, or a URTI, maybe. Could you just have a listen and let me know what you think?” He led her through to the kitchen. “Babe, Amy’s here.”
“Hi, Amy,” Erin said raspily.
“Hey, honey. Not doing so great?”
“I’ve been better.”
“Okay,” Amy told her, opening her pack, “let’s have a listen to your chest, huh?” She pulled out a stethoscope and rubbed it briskly against her hand to warm it before slipping it beneath the robe to listen to Erin’s chest. “Think you can take a deep breath for me?”
Erin tried, but a coughing fit overtook her and she found her lungs working hard to function normally. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Amy said, though she frowned as she continued to listen. She shifted the stethoscope’s bell to Erin’s back, and tapped on the back of her ribcage a few times to listen intently to the sound. “Well,” she said eventually, draping the device around her neck, “it doesn’t sound great. Do you have much pain?”
“Sore throat, thumping headache, and my chest is a bit tight, but not painful, exactly.”
Amy nodded and pulled a pressure cuff from her bag, taking Erin’s blood pressure and checking her pulse. “Well, you have pneumonia,” she said once she had collected the result. “Your blood pressure is a bit low, but that’s to be expected, and it wouldn’t surprise me if your iron is low, too. I think it’s viral, rather than bacterial, so I want to hold off on administering antibiotics until we know for sure. Plenty of rest, fluids and steam baths if the coughing gets to be too much, and if you’re not starting to feel better in three or four days, you need to go see a doctor.”
“Thanks,” Erin told her, managing to muster a smile.
“Hey, not a problem,” Amy smiled back. “You just try and get some rest, okay? Let those boys of yours have some daddy time while you sleep.”
“I’m sure we can manage that in about fifteen years,” Cam laughed, turning to Amy. “I’ll walk you out.”
“It’s not too bad,” Amy told him. “Rest will be the best thing for her, as much as she can get, but don’t be surprised if she’s not interested in food. Just keep her hydrated and like I said, if she worsens or doesn’t get better, you need to see a doctor.”
“I know,” Cam smiled. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Just needed a second opinion?” Amy asked knowingly and laughed at Cam’s wry smile. “Call if you need us, okay? Bye, Cam,” she called, and strode down the drive to climb up into the ambulance which slowly pulled out from the curb and disappeared at the end of the street.
Cam returned to the house, locking up behind himself, only to find Erin finishing up cleaning the kitchen. “Go get into bed,” he said gently, taking the sponge from her hand to finish wiping down the counter himself. “I’ll take care of this and be in in a minute.”
“Okay,” Erin said tiredly, and it was an indication of just how ordinary she felt that she did as he bade without protest.
Walking through the house and picking up the odd toy or book as he went, switching off lights and straightening furniture knocked askew by their boisterous little boys, Cam felt peace settle over him like a blanket.
Ten years ago, if someone had told him that he’d be married with kids and looking forward to weekends off so he could spend ridiculous amounts of money on a trip to the movies or assembling Lego, he would have laughed at them. But that was his reality, and he was happier than he ever thought possible.
The life he and Erin had created for themselves was a simple one, governed by routines based around school and daycare and work, but coming home to a house full of laughter and love made him feel rich beyond measure.
He snorted at his own sentiment as he cast a last look around the living room, flicked off the light and headed into the bedroom. Erin was already asleep, curled around a pillow with a slight frown on her face, and he made sure the ensuite door was closed tightly so he didn’t disturb her while he showered. He sighed in relief as he stripped down to skin and stepped beneath the hot water, scrubbing his hair clean as water sluiced over his head.
He had been looking forward to telling Erin about his discussion with Rufus, not that it wouldn’t wait. The older man was beginning to make noises about moving up and out of the station, and was strongly implying that Cam would be his choice as his replacement. He was young for the position, but well experienced and capable. It would mean a lot of extra work, at least initially, and more time away from his family. He had no doubt that she would encourage him and support any decision he made, but it was still a decision that they needed to make together.
He finished his shower and towelled off, fatigue suddenly swamping him. He idly scratched his jaw and considered shaving, but decided to just go to bed instead. He didn’t bother getting dressed, but he did make sure Erin had a glass of water and more Tylenol on her bedside table before climbing into bed next to her.
She opened her eyes blearily and smiled a little as she focussed on him, reaching out to slide a hand over his belly before passing out once more. Content and happy, Cam fell asleep between one breath and the next, his hand resting over his wife’s.
*
Erin awoke the next morning when Cam got back into bed behind her, sliding an arm around her waist as his body relaxed against hers. His skin was cool and he smelled like slightly-burned toast, so she knew he had been awake for a while, but the house was suspiciously quiet.
“What time’s it?” she mumbled, her head thumping and her entire body aching.
“Just gone nine,” he told her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “I took the kids around to Maggie’s and called Mom to see if she could take them, so we have the place to ourselves for the weekend.”
“I take back every awful thing I ever said about you,” she sighed, settling herself back against him.
“Thanks,” he said drily, smiling to himself as she chuckled hoarsely until her body jerked with a suppressed cough. “Need anything?”
“A solid two days of sleep,” she said breathlessly when she had recovered. “And then another week on top of that.”
“The two days I can do, and I’ll call Rufus later about getting a few extra days
off so I can get the boys sorted so you can rest. Maggie said to take as much time as you need, by the way. Shelley can finish the Holmstadt cake and she was working on something with those tiny little white flowers you hate when I left the bakery.”
“Gypsophila,” Erin told him sleepily. “Smells like cat pee. Don’t take extra days off; a few hours sleep and I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, of course you will,” Cam smiled, stroking her hair. “Go back to sleep, love.”
It felt so good, having his hands on her and the heat from his body soothing her aching everything. She felt oblivion creep up on her once more and, knowing the boys were cared for and that Cam was with her, she remained conscious just long enough for a murmured ‘I love you’ before sleep claimed her once more.
So…
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