“Yes, I can. I just can’t lift him, but he can climb in my lap,” Kellan said as he pulled out a kitchen chair and took a seat.
I placed Braxton on the floor and he made a beeline for Kellan while I went to get the children’s fever reducer. When I returned, Braxton was resting against Kellan’s chest with flushed cheeks while he stared off into space. Suddenly, Braxton sat straight up with a look of panic on his face. I knew that look, but there was nothing I could do to stop what was about to happen.
I didn’t even have time to utter a warning before Braxton opened his mouth and spewed vomit in a way that would make little demon-possessed girls envious. It went everywhere—the kitchen island, the floor, Kellan’s arm, chest, and lap.
To my complete surprise, he didn’t even flinch. No, he reached up and wiped Braxton’s mouth with his bare hand before cradling him against a clean part of his shirt. “You’re okay, little man. That was a lot, but you’re okay,” Kellan soothed as Braxton cried.
As if things weren’t bad enough, Riley jumped down from the stool and ran through the kitchen. I assumed the living room was her intended destination, but she never made it. Instead, her feet came out from under her when she hit the slime spewed from her brother and landed flat on her back in the middle of it. Amazingly, Kellan reached out and managed to get his hand under her head before it collided with the hard floor. And then the screaming started.
“Is it too cold to take you all outside and spray you off with the hose?” I asked before I reached down and plucked my daughter from the mess in the floor.
“Let’s get you out of these dirty clothes and into the bath,” I said and pulled her shirt over her head.
She shrieked in outrage and slapped her hands over her chest. “They can’t see my business! They’re boys!”
“They’re not looking, honey. I promise,” I said and carefully carried her out of the kitchen to the bathroom down the hall. “I’ll be right back,” I yelled.
“We can handle it, peanut,” my dad replied.
“Riley, I know you don’t like them, but I need you to take a shower this time so I can go take care of your brother. I’ll help you and we can get it done and over with.”
“I don’t care, Mommy. Just get this yucky stuff off of me, please.”
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t let this wonderful opportunity pass. I started the water and turned to my vomit-coated daughter with a serious face. “Do you understand why I tell you not to run in the house now?”
“Yes,” she cried. “Please help me get my pants off.”
Thankfully, Riley was so disgusted by her current state that she didn’t make a big fuss about the shower. Any other time, it would have been easier to extract a tooth from her than get her to take a shower. She was a bath girl, hands down.
Once we were finished, I wrapped her in a fluffy towel and sent her to her room to put on her pajamas. I tossed her dirty clothes into the washing machine and made my way back to the kitchen.
“Careful; the floor’s wet,” Kellan said and pointed to the mop propped in the corner.
“Thank you. Where’s Brax?”
“Your dad took him upstairs to get a bath started,” Kellan said and stopped abruptly like there was more he wanted to say but didn’t.
“You can toss your clothes in the washer with Riley’s. I’ll start it when I add Braxton’s,” I said and grabbed the medicine from the counter.
When I got to the bathroom upstairs, my dad was visibly flustered and Braxton was in the bathtub crying for Kellan. “What’s going on?”
“I want Kellan!” Braxton demanded and slapped his hands in the water.
“Hey, now, little mister. You might be sick, but you can still mind your manners,” I scolded and felt like an ass when he cried even harder.
“He wanted Kellan to give him a bath, but Kellan wasn’t sure if you were okay with that,” my dad said quietly.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
My dad gave me a pointed look. “Avery, he’s a man and these aren’t his kids. Think about it from his perspective for just a moment.”
“Oh,” I said as realization dawned. “I, um,” I stammered. I trusted Kellan with my children, implicitly, but my emotions were all over the place and I couldn’t find the right words to express my feelings, so I settled for, “Will you send him up?”
“Of course. Do you want me to put Braxton’s clothes in the wash?”
“Yes, please. And will you start the load for me? Riley’s and Kellan’s clothes are already in there.”
“What about yours?”
