Chapter Text
Bobby is awoken around 2:30 in the morning to the sound of four year old Brooklyn crying. He sits up in his bed, squinting in the dark to try and focus his eyesight to see if Athena is awake. She hasn't heard the crying yet, so Bobby quickly gets out of bed and walks out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him so Athena doesn't wake up.
He walks across the hall to Brooklyn's room, where she is sitting up in her bed, crying. When she sees her daddy come in her room, she holds her arms out to him. "D-Daddy!" She says, her little voice quivering.
"Hey hey hey, what's the matter?" Bobby says as he walks over to her bed. He takes a seat on the edge of it, picking Brooklyn up. He feels heat radiating off her tiny body. "Oh sweetheart... You're burning up." He feels her forehead with the back of his hand.
"D-Daddy I d-don't feel good."
"I'm so sorry sweet pea. Can you tell daddy what hurts?"
"E-Everyfing." She says, shaking in his arms.
"Oh sweetie... I'm so sorry. Daddy's gonna help you feel all better." He stands up with her, holding her in his arms. He walks out her door and down the hall to the living room and walks through to the kitchen.
Bobby opens up the fridge and grabs her sippy cup with cold water. He shuts the door and goes back into the living room. He turns the lights on, keeping them on a low dim so they're not too bright. He sets her sippy cup down on the coffee table.
"D-Daddy I don't feel good..." Bobby looks down at her clutching her belly and rushes to the bathroom, opening the lid to the toilet and setting her down just in time as she pukes.
She starts to cry again and Bobby rubs her tiny back. "I know baby, I know. Let it all out."
He opens a drawer under the sink and gets out a hair tie to pull her hair back. Bobby pulls it up high so it's out of her face.
After a few minutes, Brooklyn stands up. "Are you done baby girl?" Bobby asks. She nods, still crying. She's holding up her arms to her daddy.
Bobby puts the lid down and flushes the toilet. He then picks Brooklyn up and sets her down on the bathroom counter. "D-Daddy holds me!" She cries, reaching for him.
"I will in just a second sweetie. Can you wash your hands for daddy? Then we can brush your teeth and get that icky taste out of your mouth and after that, daddy will hold you. Can you do that for me?"
She nods, tears running down her face. Bobby gently wipes them away with his thumbs as he turns on the sink for her.
As Brooklyn washes her hands, Bobby grabs a washcloth out of the closet. While she dries her hands, Bobby wets the washcloth with cold water. He then helps her brush her teeth.
Bobby picks Brooklyn up when she's all done and carries her and the washcloth back to the living room. He sets the washcloth down on the table beside her sippy cup before walking back into the kitchen.
Brooklyn's head is resting on his shoulder as he gets some medicine for her. He goes back into the living room and sits down on the couch.
She lays against his chest. "Pumpkin... Can you sit up for daddy? I need you to take this medicine." He leans forward and grabs her sippy cup.
"I don't wike dat medicine daddy!" She whines, rubbing her head in frustration.
"I know you don't baby girl, but it'll help your tummy and fever. Can you do it for daddy? Please?"
She pauses for a few moments before sitting up from his chest. She nods and Bobby gives her a small smile. He holds the chewable tablet in the palm of his hand. She takes it from him and eats it.
"I knew you could do it!" Daddy is so proud of you! Drink some water sweet girl." She takes the sippy cup from him and takes a few swigs.
Bobby sets the sippy cup back down and then leans back on the couch. He rubs her back as he tries to calm her nerves.
After a few moments, he stands up. "I know what we can do." He says, walking over to the sliding glass door. He unlocks it and opens it up, stepping outside into the warm summer night. He drags a rocking chair out from under the patio roof and into the open. He sits down and turns Brooklyn around so her back is against his chest. He starts to gently rock back and forth as he rubs her little belly with his right hand and rests his left hand on her lap.
"Look at all those stars up there baby girl." He says, his cheek resting on the top of her head.
"Deres so many daddy." Brooklyn says, her left hand resting on top of Bobby's.
"Isn't there? How many do you think is up there?" Bobby asks her.
"Hmmm... At weast ten daddy."
Bobby laughs as he continues to rock in the chair. "At least ten huh? There's billions and billions of stars up there!"
"Bwillions?!" She questions.
Bobby smiles at her pronunciation. She's absolutely adorable. "That's right baby, billions!"
"How do we know dat daddy? Did somebody count dem?"
"Well... It would be very hard to count all of them sweetheart. Scientists really just have to use their best educated guess."
"Wow daddy... Are scientists da same as astronauts?"
Bobby kisses the top of her head every once in awhile as they talk. "They could be sweetheart. You know astronauts go up into space and do all sorts of things."
"Daddy?"
"Yes muffin?"
"Do ooh fink I could be an astronaut one day?"
"Sweetheart... I think you can do whatever you set your mind to."
"I fink I wather be a firefighter just wike ooh daddy."
Bobby smiles, giving her another kiss on the head. "Oh sweet girl... You could be a firefighter if you wanted to too. You can do anything you want to."
"I want to be just wike ooh daddy."
There is nothing in the world like your kid telling you they wanna be just like you. "You do?"
She looks up at him and he looks down at her as he stops rocking in the chair. She smiles at him with her sleepy eyes as Bobby continues to softly rub her belly. "I do daddy."
"Oh munchkin... I love you so much."
"I lub ooh daddy!"
Bobby kisses her forehead and Brooklyn speaks up. "Hey... My tummy doesn't hurts anymore!"
Bobby smiles, knowing his distraction of looking at the stars would help take her mind off of her sickness. "Good sweetheart, I told you that medicine would help."
"I don't wike habing a belly ache daddy." She says as she plays with the wedding ring on his left hand.
Bobby smiles down at her as she does so. "I don't like it either. Daddy can't stand to see you in pain and I especially can't take it when you cry. It breaks my heart."
"Daddy?" She looks up at Bobby, her big brown eyes catching the moonlight and making them a golden brown. She is her daddy's twin.
"Yes sweet girl?" He says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm sowwy."
"You're sorry? What are you sorry for sweetheart?"
"For being sicky and wakin ooh up daddy."
"Oh pumpkin... It's not your fault you're sick. Daddy is always here to help you feel better. And besides... We got to spend a little extra time together now didn't we?"
She smiles at him, nodding her head. "We did daddy!"
Bobby gives his little girl the softest kiss on top of the head and he feels her sweating. "Oh boy... I think your fever is breaking sweetheart. Are you hot?" She nods, fanning herself with her little hand. "Why don't we go back inside and try and get some sleep. How's that sound?"
She yawns as if on cue. Bobby stands up and drags the rocking chair back under the roof of the patio. He goes back inside the sliding glass door, the cool air hitting them as they walk inside. Bobby locks the door behind him and carries her over to the couch with him. He sits down with Brooklyn in his lap, facing him. He grabs the cool washcloth from earlier, dabbing it on her forehead a few times.
"Here sweetheart, let's take your shirt off so you can cool down a bit." Bobby helps her take her shirt off and he sets it down on the coffee table. "Is that better?" He asks, waving his hand in front of her to fan her. She nods.
"I hope this little belly of yours feels better as soon as possible." Bobby says, tickling her chubby little belly a little bit. She leans into his chest and giggles uncontrollably.
No matter how many times he hears her little laugh, it always gives him butterflies in his stomach. The amount of joy he gets just from her laugh is crazy.
The two of them sit in silence for a few moments as Bobby rubs her little back to help her try to relax.
A few minutes go by and Brooklyn begins to shiver. "Daddy I'm colds now." She says.
"You must be coming down from your fever sweet girl. Can you sit up for daddy for just a second?" Brooklyn sits up from his chest as Bobby pulls his white t-shirt over his head. He sets it down on the coffee table. Before he lays back down, he has Brooklyn take a few more drinks of water.
Bobby turns and lays down on the couch now, with Brooklyn lying down on his bare chest. Skin to skin contact stuck with him through Brooklyn's four years of life, as he knows just how lucky he and Athena were to have a baby.
Bobby also does not take for granted this second chance with Athena and his baby girl. He loves skin to skin because it makes him feel closer to their little miracle child and it helps calm Brooklyn down.
Bobby covers the two of them up with a blanket as he gets settled on the couch. "How's that sweetheart, are you comfortable?"
Brooklyn nods, cuddling into her daddy's chest. "Uh huh... Daddy ooh so warm." She says with a smile.
Bobby smiles and wraps his arms around her. He kisses her on top of the head softly. "Good munchkin, I'm glad. We need to try and get some sleep, okay?"
She nods. "Daddy?"
"Yes sweet girl?"
"I lub ooh daddy."
Bobby gets so emotional when she tells him she loves him. He feels tears well up in his eyes as he gives her another kiss. "I love you more than you will ever know." He says softly.
The two of them fall asleep with Bobby's cheek resting on top of Brooklyn's head as he holds her close.