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“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Don’t feel good, Becken,” the boy managed, his voice weak and pitiful.
Riley brow was creased with worry. “Not sure, but he’s getting worse. I’m wondering if he’s got a cold, maybe a flu.”
I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I put a hand on Holden’s forehead. “He feels hot. He feels hot, right?”
Riley did the same with the back of his hand. “Definitely hot. He has a fever. I’m gonna go get a thermometer.”
“I'll call for one.” We had a thermometer almost immediately, thanks to room service.
Riley pulled the little instrument away from Holden ear. “Oh my god.”
“What is it?” Riley showed me the screen. I knew enough about kids now that the number was scary.
“I’ll have a doctor here in five.”
The doctor got there in two.
He swept in with a business nod and a warm smile. “Good evening. What can I do for you and your family, sir?”
Riley spoke up, telling the doctor about the fever, and that it was high enough to scare him into calling.
“Uh-oh. Let’s have a look right away.” The doctor pulled a bunch of instruments out of his bag, the first of which was his own thermometer to confirm Holden’s temperature.
“Could it be an ear infection?” I asked, having heard a lot about those when it came to small children.
“That’s a strong possibility. We’ll get it figured out straight away, don’t you worry.” His smile and demeanor was reassuring, and it helped take down on the worry, but didn’t take it away. So much more to learn and experience about parenthood for me.
This wasn’t my doctor, but I trusted that the hotel had made no mistakes and he was the best that money could buy. Besides, if their mistakes were anything like the one the childcare agency that sent me Riley had made, this was the exact doctor I wanted looking at my son.There you go, already thinking of Holden as your son.It wasn’t a bad thing. It didn’t feel obligated, or forced. It felt natural, like things coming together.
The doctor finished his examination. “You and your mate can rest at ease, sir. A little bit of medication and rest, and in a couple of days he should be as good as new.”
Riley and I looked at in each other in surprise. It made sense that the doctor mistook us for mates. We were, after all, acting as joint parents working together to take care of our child. We stared at each other for a beat, our hearts fluttering. I held his gaze, letting him know that I was glad for the mistake. He dropped his eyes, a blush high on his cheeks, a smile passing across his face for a brief moment. We didn’t correct the doctor.
It seemed to be some sort of bug that would pass quickly. The doctor left us with a bottle of some type of syrup and some type of pills- I’d have to ask Riley more about it all- and instructions on when to give everything to Holden and what to watch for with his symptoms.
When he was gone, Holden already looked better. He was exhausted, but the pallor was back in his face and he wasn’t sweating so profusely.
Riley rubbed his much-cooler forehead with the tenderness of an omega parent. “Okay, sweetheart, time to go back to bed.”
Holden used the absolute sweetest voice to say, “Want Becken.” He’d never been able to pronounce the “r” the whole time they’d been with me, and it melted my heart every time.
“Excuse me?” Riley said, his eyebrows lifting.
“Want Becken, Daddy.” He held his arms out towards me, his eyes half-closed and bleary.
I was just as surprised as Riley was, but I was honored.
“If he wants Becken, he’ll get Becken. C’mere, little man.” I lifted Holden up and put him against my shoulder. I patted his back, rocking him.
“You don’t feel good, huh buddy?” He shook his head back and forth, his chunky cheeks smashed against my chest. I sprouted some of my fur again, because it was so comforting to him. He grabbed a handful of the fur at the crook of my elbow and clutched it, squeezing and opening his hands in a self-soothing gesture. “You’re gonna be okay.”
“Okay,” he said back, his voice pitiful and tiny.
“Riley, why don’t you go get some sleep? It’s been a long night. I’ll stay up with Holden for a while, see if I can get him to sleep.”
“But, what about your meeting tomorrow?” I had a meeting that I had planned to take for whatever silly reason I’d made up for myself.
