Songbird [H.S]

FIFTY-THREE

tw // emetophia 


Since he was old enough to understand people's feelings, Harry had always been the caring type. There was a part of him that hated seeing someone sick or in need of help and was always the first person to jump in and lend a hand without any fuss. He never complained, he just got to work and doted on whoever needed his care - this time, Marley was his sole focus. Her energy had been completely drained so Harry busied himself with bringing her warm cups of tea, running errands and snuggling up with her and Josie to comfort her while she slept.

Despite the disruption to their usual routine, everything seemed to be running as smoothly as things could while Harry ran around looking after two people. Josie was feeling extra clingy to Marley, something that Harry was reluctant to encourage but when he saw how much it comforted them both he gave in. Besides, Josie was insistent on still breastfeeding so the chances of her picking up what Marley had was always going to be high.

Johannah and Rain were often popping their head around the door to check if Harry needed some help or to suggest taking Josie off his hands for a little while but the boy was insistent he could manage on his own. Marley wasn't throwing up anymore, she was just sleeping for long periods of the day so most of the stress was over.

However, everything changed when Josie woke up at two in the morning, her shrill cries echoing throughout the entire house.

At first the boy had thought she was crying for a cuddle or her bunny had been kicked somewhere out of reach but as he bent down to pick her up, it was immediately clear what was wrong. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her small tufts of blonde hair stuck to her clammy forehead. The moment the back of Harry's hand gently pressed against Josie's forehead, the boy had to do his best not to descend into panic mode.

He knew how to look after adults, he could do it in his sleep, but nothing had prepared him for a sick baby. Sure, Josie had a few sniffles here and there but he knew just by looking at the baby that she had caught whatever Marley had. Cradling the crying baby girl in his arms, he whispered soothing words to her hoping some kind of idea of how to start getting Josie to feel better would pop into his mind.

He knew that he should probably strip Josie down into her vest, to cool her off a little bit but aside from that, he was just kind of winging it.

"Do you need a hand?" Rain's soft voice drifted among the room, catching Harry's attention as he continued to try shushing Josie's cries.

The woman was leaning against the doorframe, her messy hair and droopy eyes making it clear that she had just been roused from a deep sleep. It wasn't often that Rain offered to help with Josie, much to Marley's annoyance, but Harry understood that the older sister wasn't confident around children. Not all women possessed the natural ability to care for children and it was clear whenever Rain tried to interact with her niece that she was a little unsure on how to act around her.

Whenever Josie cried, Rain would panic and demand either Harry or Marley take her instead. Harry saw that she tried her best to play with Josie and care for her and appreciated the effort, however Marley always complained about Rain's inability to be left alone with the baby. Many times Harry had tried to point out that the eldest sister did her best but Marley didn't quite understand why Rain would prefer for her to feed or hold Josie instead.

Since Josie was diagnosed with epilepsy, Rain had been trying harder to get over her awkwardness so that she was more of a helping hand to the teenage parents and Harry encouraged her with a gentle smile.

"Could you hold her for a second while I try to find the thermometer?" He asked, knowing Rain would likely offer to find the object instead. But to his surprise, the woman held out her hands to take the baby, awkwardly settling her against her hip.