Chapter Text
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep
Ballister cracked his eyes open as the sound of his alarm pounded against his skull. He reached his arm over to his desk and flailed it around until he hit the top button of the black box. Grabbing it from the table, the ravenette glared at the green lights that showed that it was 5:00 AM.
He had gone to bed around 2:00 PM after sneaking downstairs to work on some papers he needed for a class he was teaching today. His excuse? He wanted to update some notes and PowerPoints he had forgotten to revise.
Ballister groaned and threw the alarm somewhere in the room- he’ll take care of that later- and turned to his left, where his fiancé lay sleeping soundly.
It took more than just an alarm to wake his man.
Usually, he needed some gentle prodding and soft words to be able to join them in the living world, and if that didn’t work? Well, Nimona would take care of it, though he was sure his love would prefer to wake up slowly on a weekday.
He moved closer and wrapped his arm around his fiancé’s waist- careful with the still-healing parts of his body, especially after his most recent surgeries- moving to pull him against his chest and placing his head on his shoulder. He kissed the side of his lover’s neck and carefully snuck his hand underneath his nightshirt. “Good morning, Rose~
... Rose?”
Ballister pulled back when he felt how uncomfortably warm the skin underneath his hand and lips was. He used his arm to help him sit up on his knees before turning to lean over the other man. He balanced himself on his back legs and knees and brushed aside some of the golden strands that fell into his fiancé’s face. His cheeks were slightly red, and his forehead was hot enough to have Ballister panicking a little. “Amber?” He shook the other gently, then with a bit more force when he didn’t react. “Ambrosius, please wake up.”
The blonde groaned, but didn’t wake.
Ballister stumbled out of their bed and hurried to the bathroom, grabbing the digital thermometer that they kept in their cabinet. When he made it back to their room, he noticed how Ambrosius had moved into a fetal position, which was bad for his still recovering body, and rushed to the bed.
“Ambrosius?” He tried to stay calm, but there was a steady panic crossing through his chest. “Rose, what’s wrong?”
He got no response other than another groan, this one sounding more pained. Setting the thermometer aside, Ballister gently turned his fiancé over- difficult with just one arm, but he managed- just enough to grab the thermometer and slip it into his mouth.
The ravenette waited patiently, gently combing through the blonde’s sweaty hair.
From the symptoms his love appeared to be showing, he was likely running a fever. How high a fever is what the thermometer will show, and then Ballister will know what to do moving forward.
Just then, Ballister was hit with the memory of the hospital.
The various surgeries and corrections that had to be done in order to save his fiancée’s life.
Was there an infection from the post-surgery they had missed? The areas didn’t seem to be infected the last time he helped his love clean them. What if something else was wrong? What if it were his eye? His spine? His torso? There are too many things that were damaged that could be the cause of this.
What if he’d caught an infection internally? What if he’d-
The small device beeped.
[105°F/40.6°C]
-
“It’s a good thing you came when you did, Mr. Blackheart.” The doctor came into the room where Ambrosius was sleeping. Ballister, who was sitting by his side holding his hand, looked up at her with a worried expression. After he had called an ambulance and was able to get Ambrosius’ body temperature to a reasonable level- using some ice packs and lukewarm water, seeing that he couldn’t just throw him in the tub with his still healing scars and sutures- he had called in sick at work and had one of his colleagues fill in for him.
It was a risky move, seeing as he was still new at the university, but they were extremely understanding of his situation and allowed him to take the next few days off.
His supervisor was less impressed, but that’s something Ballister could deal with later.
He had managed to get Nimona ready for the day and successfully dropped her off at Dr. Blitzmeyer's without having a breakdown before speeding to the hospital. Ballister didn't want to scare their daughter, or make her worry her little head off, so had refrained from acting like anything was wrong until she was safe.
Now thought, his whole left leg shook with nervous anticipation of what the doctor might say is wrong with his love.
“From what we could see, none of his surgical areas, which include the most recent surgery on his knee, is the cause of his fever.”
“Then what could have?” Ballister pushed from where he was holding his fiancé’s limp hand, never one to beat around the bush about things like this.
“Well,” the doctor went on, not minding his temper, “from all the tests we took, it appears your partner has caught the flu-”
“- The flu?” Ballister asked, bewildered.
“Yes, Mr. Blackheart. From what we could find, this is a more severe case, but nothing we can’t handle.” She came closer to the blonde’s other side and adjusted the fluid line on Ambrosius’ arm. “We’ll have to keep him for one, maybe two weeks, just to make sure he’s getting proper treatment and to monitor him in case something happens.”
“One or two weeks... ?”
But... they had just gotten him back home after 3 months in the hospital, not counting his physical therapy appointments, he still had to take for the next 6 months just to be able to walk on his own again without relying on anyone.
‘Not to mention, Ambrosius hates hospitals.’
Ballister’s grip on his lover’s hand tightened, but not too much in fear of harming him any further. Just enough for him to stay grounded as he let the information sink in. He would have to speak to the university to see if he could pick up extra shifts or jobs to cover the cost. Not to mention finding someone to help with childcare. Maybe Meredith could help them? Maybe a daycare closer to the university? They’re more expensive, but it’s better if he makes sure that Nimona is safe and cared for.
Oh, his Little Shark, what is he going to tell her?
She’d been so excited to have both of her dads back to the point where she actually got a little sick, and now she’s going to have to wait even longer-
Wait.
“How...?” Ballister asked the doctor hesitantly, though he already knew the answer. “How did he manage to catch the flu?”
It was a stupid question, and he knew it the second it left his mouth.
“There are many ways this could have happened, Mr. Blackheart.” The doctor gently explained. “Respiratory droplets, touching contaminated areas, direct contact. And when it does happen, it takes about one to four days for symptoms to become visible.” She grabbed the charts near his bed to show Ballister. “From what we estimate, your partner has been sick for about the four days of that time frame-”
-Nimona had had the sniffles about a week or so ago.
... Her forehead was warm, and she had a mild cough and sniffles, but it wasn’t severe enough to make him panic. However, Ambrosius worried himself into a ditch and wouldn’t leave her side, even though he should have been resting as he was still recovering from his surgeries.
After the accident and his long stay at the hospital, their baby was practically stuck to his hip anyhow, and became more so when she’d gotten sick.
“Little Shark, more like a little duck following you around.” The ravenette had joked fondly.
Ballister had brushed it off as a seasonal cold and assured his fiancé that their daughter would be fine, seeing as she had already gotten her shots, promising that the second something seemed off, he’d take her to urgent care...
“-which means he can receive treatment sooner and minimize the spread of the illness... Mr. Blackheart, are you alright?”
The ravenette snapped back to reality, staring straight ahead for a moment before nodding. “Yes, yes, forgive me, Dr. Yasmin, I was just...”
‘What do I do now?’
“... For now, I suggest you go home and take care of yourself as well as the little one, Mr. Blackheart.” The Dr. fixed the frame of her glasses. “Your own healing period isn’t over, and you need all the rest you can get. Do you have anyone you know who can help you...? Yes? Alright, good. We’ll contact you if anything happens.
Have a good day, Mr. Blackheart.”
The ravenette’s phone buzzed in his pocket, alerting him to a message from Dr. Blitzmeyer informing him that she’d put Nimona down for her naptime and asking if everything was alright.
“... Yes... Yes, of course... Thank you...”