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What better way to pass the time while home sick with Covid than by uploading a story about a sick day? Sophie's ailment is just a run of the mill cold or flu virus, but she's got her Daddy to look after her!
Icon from https://www.furaffinity.net/view/40979912/
"Rise and shine, Junebug!" Dan called out. He knew that Sophie would not have heard him had she still been asleep. Given how late it was after the family’s usual wake-up time, however, he elected to use his voice as well in case she was up but dawdling.
The tomcat opened the door a crack to find that the room was in darkness, the blind not yet raised. He opened the door wider and stepped towards his youngest daughter's bed, rapping his knuckles on the footboard. "Sophie?"
The only reply was a soft groan and a rustle under the covers. After a moment, a small white-furred hand reached out, gesturing towards the child's bedside table. Dan stepped over and retrieved the pink hearing aid that rested upon it, handing it to her to put into place.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
"Dun feel good…" Sophie muttered. "Sor-" Her words were cut short by a congested cough. She pinched her fingers together and dragged them down her throat, replacing voice with sign.
“Is your throat sore?”
“Uh-huh.”
"Let me feel." Dan reached over and lightly pinched her ear between two fingertips. "Yeah, you’re a little warm. Looks like you're staying home today."
“‘kay.” She sniffled, prompting Dan to grab a tissue from the box on her table and hold it to her nose for her to blow.
“You get some rest; I’ll call the school and tell Matt to get your homework for you.” He took her hearing aid back and set it on her table, and, with a kiss to her forehead, left her to go back to sleep.
“She on her way down?” Alex asked when the tomcat stepped into the kitchen. She was leaning against the counter, finishing the last drops of the tea in her cup.
“On her way back to sleep; she’s got a temperature. Sore throat, cough, and sniffles besides.”
“Aww, poor thing.”
“I’ll text Krista and let her know and then call the school and tell them she won’t be in for a couple days.”
A sudden dry coughing sound filled the kitchen courtesy of Matt, who was sitting at the table finishing breakfast.
“Dream on, Spud!” Alex told their son. “You might not be far behind, but you aren’t coughing up a lung and you have a math test today, so get your tail in gear.”
“And I have a special assignment,” Dan added. “Before the day’s out, stop by Ms. Berger’s class and get Sophie’s homework for her. She’ll need to catch up when she feels better.”
“Aye-aye, Captain!” Matt saluted crisply and rose from the table to get ready to leave.
“I’m going to work from home today; will have to see how much I can get done. Think you can spare me from the all-staff today?”
“Sure thing,” Alex replied. “On that note, I should get a move on too.” She put her cup in the sink and set off towards the hall. Dan copied her, retrieving and placing the other cups and dishes in the sink before stepping to the fridge.
Opening the door, the feline retrieved two lunches, which he then brought to the front hall and deposited into the appropriate backpacks. A moment later, Matt made his way downstairs, older half-sister Vicky in tow, on her way to middle school.
“Remember,” Dan told Matt as the pair got their coats on, “Get Sophie’s homework from Ms. Berger. Vicky, if he fails in his mission, you know your orders.”
“Big sloppy kiss on the cheek in front of his friends, got it!” the beagle sibling replied. Matt only rolled his eyes.
Alex tore down the stairs, messenger bag over one shoulder. “Gonna have to drive instead of transit today; I’m running late. I’ll drop you guys off too.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to get to the studio late too often. Might have to fire yourself.”
“Always a kidder,” Alex snorted. She threw her coat on, grabbed the keys to the family car, and kissed Dan on the cheek. “Later! Get what you can done for Zoe’s next album release. And keep me posted on Sophie!”
“Will do! See you tonight!”
“Bye Dad!”
“Bye Dad!”
“Bye Dad!” Alex mimicked playfully.
Dan smiled as he watched them go. His younger self would not have believed it, but being called Dad never got old.
The next couple of hours went by the same as any other work from home day for Dan. Eschewing the office in the basement, he had set up camp in the living room. He hammered away at his laptop, drafting web content for one of the label’s rising star’s new albums, while an audio documentary played on the speakers. At the other end of the sofa, a pillow with a fresh cover rested against the arm. A blanket covered the space in the middle, awaiting the guest who was sure to arrive at any moment.
Sure enough, Dan soon heard the stairs creak as the young canine-feline hybrid hobbled down from her room. She still wore her pink horse pyjamas, her trusty plush horse Samson in her arm.
“Hey Junebug,” he greeted his daughter, pausing the radio show. “Feeling any better?”
“Mmm, a little,” Sophie croaked, contradicted a moment later by a sneeze into her arm.
“Well, you come sit here with me and you can rest a bit more.” He patted the sofa, rising to help her get settled.
“My tummy feels a bit weird,” she added as she sat back against the pillow.
“It’s from your sore throat,” Dan explained. “You’ve swallowed a lot, right?” Sophie nodded. “It fills you up with air and spit and feels weird. Have some water and sit up against the pillow for a bit; that’ll help settle you.” He filled her water glass from a glass bottle he had filled in advance for both of them to share, then handed it to her. “Tiny sips; don’t want too much at once.”
Sophie nodded and took a sip, eyes closing into a grimace as the cool liquid met her sore throat.
“I know, it feels ucky,” Dan said comfortingly. “But believe me, you’ll be glad you had it. I have to finish what I’m working on, but when I’m done we’ll have a good long cuddle. Sound good?”
“Yeah!”
“And you’re just in time!” He reached for the TV remote, switching the screen on and punching in the numbers for the station he wanted. “You are about to share in a time-honoured sick day tradition passed down from generation to generation for almost sixty years.”
He adjusted the volume, not wanting to overload her hearing aid, in time for an enthusiastic voice to boom out.
“Heeeeere it comes from Hollywood! Television’s most exciting hour! It’s THE PRICE! IS! RIGHT!”
“And the actual retail price of your showcase is…Forty-eight thousand, three hundred and eighty-six, a difference of one hundred and thirty-six dollars! You win both showcases!”
“Wow!” Sophie exclaimed. “Daddy! They won both!”
“I love when that happens!” Dan replied from the kitchen. “Sounds like someone’s a fan!”
“Yeah! I wanna play Plinko!”
“You and me both!”
A few moments later, he tiptoed into the room, a steaming bowl delicately balanced in each hand.
“Just the thing for when you’re not feeling well,” he said, setting a bowl down on a TV tray in front of Sophie. “Chicken noodle soup with matzo balls. Nutritious, fills the stomach, soothes the throat, and opens the sinuses a little.”
“Thanks!”
Dan handed her a spoon and she scooped some of the broth into it. She gave a soft blow to the hot liquid before putting it in her mouth, humming with satisfaction. She cringed a little as it made its way down her throat, but persevered and filled her spoon again.
“Hit the spot?”
“Uh-huh.” Sophie wiggled her toes.
“Remember, eat it slowly. Don’t want that stomach more upset.” Dan grabbed a second spoon and started emptying his own bowl.
“You sure know a lot about being sick.”
“Yeah, I used to have days like this once or twice every school year. I know all too well how unpleasant an angry stomach can be.” The tomcat cringed at the memories.
“What did you do when you were sick?”
“Pretty much the same thing. Slept a lot, watched TV while your Grandma did cross-stitch. I seem to remember watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade live one year instead of watching it on tape after school.”
“Sounds fun!”
“Yeah, would have been having a great time if I hadn’t felt so crummy,” he chuckled. “Still made it hard to go back to school after – kinda like those last days before summer vacation ends.”
“Yeah…guess I’ll have to do homework tomorrow,” she grunted, barely hiding a pout.
“Can’t be fun and games all the time. You’ll still be a bit bleh, though, so you can get back to it slowly.”
“’kay.” She swallowed another mouthful of soup. “What else did you do when sick?”
“Sometimes I’d read a lot. Depended how sick I was, though. You’re probably not quite there yet.”
“No, not really. Would you read something to me?”
“Sure! Soon as lunch is done.”
The pair dug into their soup, Sophie heeding her father’s advice to pace herself. She was still finishing the last spoonfuls as Dan went upstairs to dig around in the bookshelves in the loft.
“Found it!” the feline announced triumphantly as he descended the stairs. He returned to his spot on the sofa next to Sophie. He turned off the TV, then leaned over and topped up their water glasses. He took a long sip from his before cracking open the paperback he had brought down with him.
“I’ve already gotten you hooked on The Price is Right, now to get you hooked on one of my favourite book series growing up.” He flipped through the pages to the first chapter. “One warm night four children stood in front of a bakery. No one knew them. No one knew where they had come from.”
Over the next while, he relayed the adventures of the four New England orphans who sought refuge in a bakery, on the run from the grandfather they believed hated them, only to flee into the night after hearing the baker and his wife discuss sending their youngest sibling to an orphanage. Sophie snuggled into his side as she listened to how they ran into the night, sleeping in the woods, only to be awoken by a morning thunderstorm. Seeking shelter from the rain, they happened upon an old wood-sided boxcar on a rusty and forgotten track to nowhere, and finally earned their titular nickname of “The Boxcar Children”.
“The moon came up, but they did not see it. This was the first time in four days that they could go to sleep at night, as children should.” Dan paused at the end of the chapter and turned to ask Sophie what she thought, only to find that she had fallen asleep against him.
“Well, I guess an afternoon nap isn’t the worst idea either.” He set the book aside and leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes and joining her in slumber.
A key scratched in the front door lock, followed a moment later by the door itself swinging open. Krista stepped inside, dropping her laptop bag and purse by the door.
“How’s the patient doing?” the beagle called out as she entered the living room, but received no reply. She looked towards the sofa and smiled as she saw her husband and daughter slumped against each other, dead to the world.
“So cute,” she whispered. She tiptoed back to her purse and retrieved her phone, returning to snap a quick photo of the pair, then withdrew, retrieving her laptop and heading upstairs to leave them in peace.
Icon from https://www.furaffinity.net/view/40979912/
"Rise and shine, Junebug!" Dan called out. He knew that Sophie would not have heard him had she still been asleep. Given how late it was after the family’s usual wake-up time, however, he elected to use his voice as well in case she was up but dawdling.
The tomcat opened the door a crack to find that the room was in darkness, the blind not yet raised. He opened the door wider and stepped towards his youngest daughter's bed, rapping his knuckles on the footboard. "Sophie?"
The only reply was a soft groan and a rustle under the covers. After a moment, a small white-furred hand reached out, gesturing towards the child's bedside table. Dan stepped over and retrieved the pink hearing aid that rested upon it, handing it to her to put into place.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
"Dun feel good…" Sophie muttered. "Sor-" Her words were cut short by a congested cough. She pinched her fingers together and dragged them down her throat, replacing voice with sign.
“Is your throat sore?”
“Uh-huh.”
"Let me feel." Dan reached over and lightly pinched her ear between two fingertips. "Yeah, you’re a little warm. Looks like you're staying home today."
“‘kay.” She sniffled, prompting Dan to grab a tissue from the box on her table and hold it to her nose for her to blow.
“You get some rest; I’ll call the school and tell Matt to get your homework for you.” He took her hearing aid back and set it on her table, and, with a kiss to her forehead, left her to go back to sleep.
“She on her way down?” Alex asked when the tomcat stepped into the kitchen. She was leaning against the counter, finishing the last drops of the tea in her cup.
“On her way back to sleep; she’s got a temperature. Sore throat, cough, and sniffles besides.”
“Aww, poor thing.”
“I’ll text Krista and let her know and then call the school and tell them she won’t be in for a couple days.”
A sudden dry coughing sound filled the kitchen courtesy of Matt, who was sitting at the table finishing breakfast.
“Dream on, Spud!” Alex told their son. “You might not be far behind, but you aren’t coughing up a lung and you have a math test today, so get your tail in gear.”
“And I have a special assignment,” Dan added. “Before the day’s out, stop by Ms. Berger’s class and get Sophie’s homework for her. She’ll need to catch up when she feels better.”
“Aye-aye, Captain!” Matt saluted crisply and rose from the table to get ready to leave.
“I’m going to work from home today; will have to see how much I can get done. Think you can spare me from the all-staff today?”
“Sure thing,” Alex replied. “On that note, I should get a move on too.” She put her cup in the sink and set off towards the hall. Dan copied her, retrieving and placing the other cups and dishes in the sink before stepping to the fridge.
Opening the door, the feline retrieved two lunches, which he then brought to the front hall and deposited into the appropriate backpacks. A moment later, Matt made his way downstairs, older half-sister Vicky in tow, on her way to middle school.
“Remember,” Dan told Matt as the pair got their coats on, “Get Sophie’s homework from Ms. Berger. Vicky, if he fails in his mission, you know your orders.”
“Big sloppy kiss on the cheek in front of his friends, got it!” the beagle sibling replied. Matt only rolled his eyes.
Alex tore down the stairs, messenger bag over one shoulder. “Gonna have to drive instead of transit today; I’m running late. I’ll drop you guys off too.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to get to the studio late too often. Might have to fire yourself.”
“Always a kidder,” Alex snorted. She threw her coat on, grabbed the keys to the family car, and kissed Dan on the cheek. “Later! Get what you can done for Zoe’s next album release. And keep me posted on Sophie!”
“Will do! See you tonight!”
“Bye Dad!”
“Bye Dad!”
“Bye Dad!” Alex mimicked playfully.
Dan smiled as he watched them go. His younger self would not have believed it, but being called Dad never got old.
* * *The next couple of hours went by the same as any other work from home day for Dan. Eschewing the office in the basement, he had set up camp in the living room. He hammered away at his laptop, drafting web content for one of the label’s rising star’s new albums, while an audio documentary played on the speakers. At the other end of the sofa, a pillow with a fresh cover rested against the arm. A blanket covered the space in the middle, awaiting the guest who was sure to arrive at any moment.
Sure enough, Dan soon heard the stairs creak as the young canine-feline hybrid hobbled down from her room. She still wore her pink horse pyjamas, her trusty plush horse Samson in her arm.
“Hey Junebug,” he greeted his daughter, pausing the radio show. “Feeling any better?”
“Mmm, a little,” Sophie croaked, contradicted a moment later by a sneeze into her arm.
“Well, you come sit here with me and you can rest a bit more.” He patted the sofa, rising to help her get settled.
“My tummy feels a bit weird,” she added as she sat back against the pillow.
“It’s from your sore throat,” Dan explained. “You’ve swallowed a lot, right?” Sophie nodded. “It fills you up with air and spit and feels weird. Have some water and sit up against the pillow for a bit; that’ll help settle you.” He filled her water glass from a glass bottle he had filled in advance for both of them to share, then handed it to her. “Tiny sips; don’t want too much at once.”
Sophie nodded and took a sip, eyes closing into a grimace as the cool liquid met her sore throat.
“I know, it feels ucky,” Dan said comfortingly. “But believe me, you’ll be glad you had it. I have to finish what I’m working on, but when I’m done we’ll have a good long cuddle. Sound good?”
“Yeah!”
“And you’re just in time!” He reached for the TV remote, switching the screen on and punching in the numbers for the station he wanted. “You are about to share in a time-honoured sick day tradition passed down from generation to generation for almost sixty years.”
He adjusted the volume, not wanting to overload her hearing aid, in time for an enthusiastic voice to boom out.
“Heeeeere it comes from Hollywood! Television’s most exciting hour! It’s THE PRICE! IS! RIGHT!”
* * *“And the actual retail price of your showcase is…Forty-eight thousand, three hundred and eighty-six, a difference of one hundred and thirty-six dollars! You win both showcases!”
“Wow!” Sophie exclaimed. “Daddy! They won both!”
“I love when that happens!” Dan replied from the kitchen. “Sounds like someone’s a fan!”
“Yeah! I wanna play Plinko!”
“You and me both!”
A few moments later, he tiptoed into the room, a steaming bowl delicately balanced in each hand.
“Just the thing for when you’re not feeling well,” he said, setting a bowl down on a TV tray in front of Sophie. “Chicken noodle soup with matzo balls. Nutritious, fills the stomach, soothes the throat, and opens the sinuses a little.”
“Thanks!”
Dan handed her a spoon and she scooped some of the broth into it. She gave a soft blow to the hot liquid before putting it in her mouth, humming with satisfaction. She cringed a little as it made its way down her throat, but persevered and filled her spoon again.
“Hit the spot?”
“Uh-huh.” Sophie wiggled her toes.
“Remember, eat it slowly. Don’t want that stomach more upset.” Dan grabbed a second spoon and started emptying his own bowl.
“You sure know a lot about being sick.”
“Yeah, I used to have days like this once or twice every school year. I know all too well how unpleasant an angry stomach can be.” The tomcat cringed at the memories.
“What did you do when you were sick?”
“Pretty much the same thing. Slept a lot, watched TV while your Grandma did cross-stitch. I seem to remember watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade live one year instead of watching it on tape after school.”
“Sounds fun!”
“Yeah, would have been having a great time if I hadn’t felt so crummy,” he chuckled. “Still made it hard to go back to school after – kinda like those last days before summer vacation ends.”
“Yeah…guess I’ll have to do homework tomorrow,” she grunted, barely hiding a pout.
“Can’t be fun and games all the time. You’ll still be a bit bleh, though, so you can get back to it slowly.”
“’kay.” She swallowed another mouthful of soup. “What else did you do when sick?”
“Sometimes I’d read a lot. Depended how sick I was, though. You’re probably not quite there yet.”
“No, not really. Would you read something to me?”
“Sure! Soon as lunch is done.”
The pair dug into their soup, Sophie heeding her father’s advice to pace herself. She was still finishing the last spoonfuls as Dan went upstairs to dig around in the bookshelves in the loft.
“Found it!” the feline announced triumphantly as he descended the stairs. He returned to his spot on the sofa next to Sophie. He turned off the TV, then leaned over and topped up their water glasses. He took a long sip from his before cracking open the paperback he had brought down with him.
“I’ve already gotten you hooked on The Price is Right, now to get you hooked on one of my favourite book series growing up.” He flipped through the pages to the first chapter. “One warm night four children stood in front of a bakery. No one knew them. No one knew where they had come from.”
Over the next while, he relayed the adventures of the four New England orphans who sought refuge in a bakery, on the run from the grandfather they believed hated them, only to flee into the night after hearing the baker and his wife discuss sending their youngest sibling to an orphanage. Sophie snuggled into his side as she listened to how they ran into the night, sleeping in the woods, only to be awoken by a morning thunderstorm. Seeking shelter from the rain, they happened upon an old wood-sided boxcar on a rusty and forgotten track to nowhere, and finally earned their titular nickname of “The Boxcar Children”.
“The moon came up, but they did not see it. This was the first time in four days that they could go to sleep at night, as children should.” Dan paused at the end of the chapter and turned to ask Sophie what she thought, only to find that she had fallen asleep against him.
“Well, I guess an afternoon nap isn’t the worst idea either.” He set the book aside and leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes and joining her in slumber.
* * *A key scratched in the front door lock, followed a moment later by the door itself swinging open. Krista stepped inside, dropping her laptop bag and purse by the door.
“How’s the patient doing?” the beagle called out as she entered the living room, but received no reply. She looked towards the sofa and smiled as she saw her husband and daughter slumped against each other, dead to the world.
“So cute,” she whispered. She tiptoed back to her purse and retrieved her phone, returning to snap a quick photo of the pair, then withdrew, retrieving her laptop and heading upstairs to leave them in peace.
Category Story / Miscellaneous
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 115 x 120px
File Size 38.6 kB
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