"Call Dr. Pryce."
"It's the middle of the night."
"I don't care what time it is. She has a fever. Now, Eliza!"
His urgent tone galvanized her into action and had her running for the phone. She came back to see him using the thermometer under her arm and talking soothingly to the baby.
"He's coming."
"I'm no expert, but I think she has an ear infection." He looked at the gauge, his alarm escalating. "Temp is over one hundred." Picking her up, he placed her carefully on his shoulder and rubbed her back. The soothing motions were working because Sofia's screams had turned to whimpers.
"She likes it better when you have her," Eliza muttered disconsolately. "Before you came in, I tried everything and nothing worked. And how did you come up with the ear infection diagnosis?"
"The fever and the redness inside her ear." Easing the baby carefully from his shoulder, he stared at the wet cheeks and spiky lashes. "It's making you miserable, isn't it, darling?" he murmured. Holding the baby's head and bottom between his hands, he started rocking her. "It will soon be over," he promised.
"A nasty ear infection." Dr. Pryce put away his otoscope and smiled at the baby. "Antibiotics should clear it right up."
"Samuel called it. I had no idea what was happening. I didn't even know she had a fever," Eliza told him. "I just panicked and had no idea what to do."
"You're a new mother with quadruplets; it can be overwhelming."
"She has a habit of blaming herself for not being supermom," Samuel interjected, casting her an exasperated glance. "And our daughter is quiet now. Want to take her, darling?" he asked his wife.
"No." Eliza shook her head. "I'll go and see to the boys. Check if they're awake." She slipped from the room before he could respond.
"She's bound to feel inadequate," Dr. Pryce assured him. "All right, young lady, you're all set." Picking her up, the doctor handed her over to Samuel. "It should clear up in a few days, but the medication is already working. Look! She's going back to sleep."
"Lyka-Mae will show you out. Thank you for coming so quickly."
"My pleasure. Their checkup is next week."
"I remember."
Samuel settled in the comfortable sleep chair across from his daughter's cot and rocked her back and forth slowly. "You have a set of lungs on you. Might become a singer when you get older." He smiled at the baby who was struggling to keep her eyes open to stare at him.
"Go to sleep, little one," he whispered. "You gave us quite a scare. There now. Go to sleep. I have to find your mommy and do some damage control."
As if in obedience, the baby drifted off. He waited a few minutes before rising to put her in her cot. Pulling the blanket over her, he stood there staring at her for a few minutes, reluctant to leave. She tugged at his heart. This was his little girl and even after loving her mother to pieces, he was still bowled over by how much he loved her.
He loved his sons of course; they were stunning images of him and were his legacy, but Sofia grabbed at him in ways he couldn't comprehend.
Kissing his index finger, he placed it on her satiny cheek. Stepping back, he checked to make sure the monitor was on before leaving the room to go and find his wife.
She wasn't in the boys' room and the nannies, as well as Lyka-Mae, had retired for the night.
He found her in their bedroom, curled up on the bed.
"She's asleep." Taking off his robe, he climbed in next to her.
"The boys were still sleeping."
"Good." Turning towards her, he studied her face and sighed. "Darling, you have to stop. You're an excellent mother and it's no reflection on you that you did not diagnose what was wrong with her."
"I'm her mother."
"And I'm her dad. Girls tend to gravitate towards their father. The boys fight over you. As small as they are, not two months old and they are in competition as to who gets to be fed first. Sofia and I have a definite bond; you cannot begrudge me that."
"You're right. I'm a terrible person."
