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Kate picked Sophie up while I put away my otoscope and closed my medical kit.
“How come she got sick?” Kate asked, frowning. “Neither of us are sick. Karen wasn’t sick.”
“We all carry around a lot of viruses that don’t make us sick. When we’re out, we touch things, bring them into the house. There’s nothing you can do except wash your hands carefully every time you come in from outside.”
“I hardly even go out,” Kate said and I could tell she was starting to get a bit more worried than I thought she needed to be.
“I go out frequently, but I always wash my hands before I pick up Sophie if I’ve been outside.”
Kate nodded and we went down to the main floor, where Kate got situated on the couch and proceeded to nurse Sophie. It was a bit difficult for Sophie to feed, due to her stuffy nose and she had to stop and catch her breath on and off, fussing at the breast as a result.
“Her nose is so stuffy,” Kate said and turned to me, her brow furrowed. “Is there anything you can do?”
I went back to my medical kit and took out a nasal bulb syringe. I checked its size and it seemed too big for Sophie’s little nose but I tried it anyway.
“Here,” I said and took Sophie into my arms. I laid her on the couch beside me and poked the end of the deflated nasal bulb into her nose, sucking the mucus out of one tiny nostril. Sophie coughed and sputtered in response. I did the same with the other nostril, and soon, she was breathing more clearly. “There,” I said and smiled, handing Sophie back to Kate. “A little procedure to clear her nose. That should help her breathe more easily.”
Kate put Sophie back onto her breast and sure enough, Sophie could nurse without stopping for breath.
“Thanks,” Kate said and turned to me, her expression more relaxed. “I’m so glad I have an honest-to-God pediatrician as my husband.”
“You do,” I said and kissed Kate’s palm. “At least, one in the middle of training. If I ever finish, that is…”
“You will,” Kate said. “As soon as things are back to normal.”
I sighed and settled back, watching Sophie feed enthusiastically. “If they ever go back to normal.”
“The new normal,” Kate said. “Both of us have a new life, with Sophie.” Kate turned to Sophie and took hold of her tiny hand. “She’s our focus now.”
I leaned over and watched her nurse, enjoying the sight of my beautiful wife and baby in such a calm domestic scene. As long as Sophie had nothing serious brewing in her, I felt like Kate and I could finally – finally – put the case and all the fallout around it to bed.
Of course, things didn’t work out quite the way I thought they would.
That night, we woke to Sophie snuffling and coughing, her tiny voice magnified over the baby monitor, which Kate had set to its highest volume level. We both woke up abruptly, and when I switched on the lamp by the bed, I saw Kate’s face was blanched with fear.
“She sounds terrible,” Kate said, throwing back the coverlet and jumping out of bed. She pulled on her robe and rushed out of the bedroom before I could even pull on my boxer briefs. I ran a hand through my hair and went to get my medical kit, r
unning back up the stairs from the hall closet where I kept it.
When I got to Sophie’s bedroom, Kate had Sophie up and on her shoulder and was rocking her back and forth.
“Poor baby,” Kate said, her brow knit in anxiety. She glanced at me. “Her cough is worse. She’s sick.”
“Let me have her,” I said and took Sophie from Kate, laying her down on the change table. I quickly checked her temperature and sure enough, her fever had spiked, this time considerably higher than earlier in the day.
“We need to give her some more Tylenol.” I grabbed the bottle off the chest of drawers and measured out the right amount for her age and she sucked on the dropper. Then she coughed and coughed. And cried. I quickly changed her to get her out of her wet diaper and put her in a fresh onesie. Kate reached in front of me and wanted to pick Sophie up, no doubt wanting to comfort her, but I stopped her as I pulled out my stethoscope and listened to her chest, to make sure she hadn’t developed a chest infection.
Luckily, her lungs were clear and so I assumed it was more post-nasal drip. I gently suctioned her nose once more to clear her nasal passages and then handed her over to a clearly distraught Kate.
Kate took Sophie and held her to her shoulder, rocking her gently.
“I never realized how scary it is to have a sick child.”
“I know,” I said and stroked Kate’s cheek. “You have me. I’ll be here to watch over her. You don’t have to worry.”
“Why does she have a fever?” Kate asked, frowning. “And why is it higher than before?”
“Babies’ fevers often spike. It’s their immature immune system overreacting to an infection. The Tylenol will take it down in about forty minutes.”
