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“Papa?”
“You see how Mommy’s eyes look darker?” I pointed. “And how Mommy’s skin is very, very white?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“That means Mommy is sick.”
“But Mommy says she’s not sick.”
“Mommy does not want you to worry,” I said to her. “So, Mommy says that. But if she spends all her time trying to help you and not getting better, she’ll get sicker. Mommy wants to be super Mommy, so she works when she’s sick. Do you think that’s good?”
She frowned, on the brink of tears, and looked back at her mother. “Mommy, you are sick?”
Calliope glared at me but couldn’t even manage to hold herself up, instead having to lean against the door frame as her body weakened.
“Calliope,” I left our daughter’s side to go to her, taking her arm, “you do not need to push yourself this hard all the time.”
“I’m fine.” Calliope insisted.
“It’s okay, Mommy. Nana can help,” Gigi said, going to my grandmother’s side and taking her hand.
“Are you sure? You said you wanted me to do your hair?” Calliope asked, pushing off me and trying to move closer.
“Nana is good at hair, too.” Gigi said.
Calliope frowned at that.
“Calliope,” my grandmother said, “you do not look well. Go rest for a bit longer. I’ll take care of her.”
She sighed, nodding, finally looking back to Gigi. “Come show me before you leave, okay?”
“Yes, Mommy.” Gigi smiled.
Using this moment of surrender, I scooped her into my arms, causing her to roll her eyes.
“I’m not that ill. I’ll be okay in a few hours,” Calliope complained.
“Show me in a few hours then,” I whispered, lifting her out the room.
“The servants will think I’m dying.” She complained.
“Get better then.”
“You’re impossible.”
“So are you,” I said as I kicked open the door to our room. Carefully, I took her back over to the bed.
“Ethan, I’ve been poisoned before. You don’t have to do all of this.”
There she went, being impossible to reason with again. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you are accustomed to being poisoned?”
She smiled, resting her head on the pillows. “Yep.”
“It doesn’t make me feel better.”
“Then focus on work and not me. You can’t use this to get out of the governor’s ball tonight. It’s important you go.” She was insufferable with a one-tracked mind sometimes.
“You annoy me.”
