Page 7

Ronan

Breakfast Blues

Ronan felt like he’d been hit by a bus. He’d woken up in Everly’s bed, with the left side of his face crusty with dried drool and snot. He made a mental note to order new pillows from Wal-Mart, with same day delivery. His daughter didn’t deserve to lay her beautiful head on the remains of Ronan’s fossilized drippings. He’d add in more Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, another bottle of Nyquil and definitely more of his favorite chicken soup in the packet. He’d buy enough for all three of them to enjoy together.

When he got downstairs, he found Fitzgibbon in the recliner watching the morning news. Jude was in the kitchen mixing pancake batter.

“Wolf loves pancakes on Sunday mornings.” Jude moved to the stove and flipped over the sizzling bacon. “We’ll eat in five minutes.” He turned and took a long look at Ronan. “How’d you sleep?”

“You mean before or after you woke us all up?” Ronan coughed, his whole body shook, and his head pounded. His stomach hurt from the effort and his lungs felt like they were filled with broken glass. All he wanted to do was have something to eat and to crawl back to bed.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Jude wore a sheepish look. His dark hair was flat and lifeless.

Ronan noticed dark circles under his friend’s bloodshot eyes. Jude looked like shit, not that Ronan was in any position to judge. He knew he looked like he had one foot in the grave with the other on a banana peel. “I spent the rest of the night catnapping and waking myself up coughing. The Nyquil isn’t really helping. I just want to slather myself in Vicks Vaporub and sleep for a week.”

Jude turned back to the stove and started pouring pancake batter into a pan.

Ronan watched, almost hypnotized by Jude’s movements. Everly and Ten liked French toast more than pancakes. Ezra would eat anything you put in front of him, with the exception of green beans. Ronan felt his heart squeeze in his chest. He didn’t spend many nights away from his family. He hoped they weren’t going to have to do this again tonight.

“Breakfast!” Jude called out and coughed. He braced his arms on the kitchen counter until he was finished.

Fitzgibbon walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate. He piled pancakes and bacon on it before drowning it in maple syrup. He was about to take a bite when the door alarm sounded in the living room.

“Ronan?” Ten called out. He sounded stuffed up.

“Kitchen.” Ronan started coughing again.

Ten walked into the kitchen with Everly and Ezra beside him. Both kids were sniffling. “We woke up like this. Same for Cope, Wolf, Lizbet, and Aurora. I’m sorry we made you all camp out here instead of being able to sleep in your own beds.”

“It’s okay, Ten.” Ronan reached for his husband’s hand. “We learned a lot about ourselves over the last twenty four hours, didn’t we?”

Fitzgibbon nodded with a mouthful of pancakes. “Guess we’re not as independent as we thought.”

“Or as self-sufficient,” Jude added.

“Or very good friends.” Ronan hated to admit that about himself. “Jude and I actually fought over a packet of soup. Fitz filmed us snoring and drooling.” He looked around the table at Fitz and Jude, knowing that he’d never had better friends in his life. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be quarantined with anyone else. I love you guys!” Ronan reached out his hands to pat his friends’ shoulders.

“Speak for yourself,” Fitzgibbon muttered. He got up from the table and set his empty plate in the sink. “The next time I’m sick, I’m checking into the Hawthorne Hotel where I’ll be waited on hand and foot by a staff of handsome guys in tight pants. You both drove me up a frickin wall and I can’t stand to look at either of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go get Aurora.” Fitz headed into the living room.

Ronan couldn’t help but feel a little down over Fitzgibbon’s pronouncement. Spending the day with him and Jude hadn’t been that bad. He looked at Jude whose bottom lip wobbled slightly.

Fitzgibbon poked his head back into the kitchen. “Just kidding! I love you assholes like brothers. See you at work tomorrow!” Fitz laughed all the way out the door.

“I don’t even have the energy to respond to that.” Jude shook his head. He ate the last piece of bacon on his plate and set it in the sink beside Fitzgibbon’s. “He’s lost his mind if he thinks either of us are going to make it into work tomorrow.”

“Seriously.” Ronan couldn’t see himself moving from the kitchen to the living room at this point, never mind taking a shower and putting on street clothes. “Thank Cope for keeping Ten and the kids last night.”

“You got it. Make sure you change the pillowcases in the kids’ rooms.” Jude sneered, shaking his head. Seconds later, Ronan heard the door alarm sound as Jude walked out the front door.

“I’m gonna order new pillows for everyone.”

“Why, Dad?” Everly asked, climbing into Ronan’s lap. She set her hands on either side of his face.

“Because we got our goo on them.” Ronan pressed a kiss to Everly’s forehead. His lips felt the heat of her fever. “Why don’t we get you changed into new pajamas, and we’ll sack out in my bed and watch a movie like we used to do when you were a baby?”

“Okay.” Everly hopped off Ronan’s lap and headed for the living room.

Ronan was right behind her.

“Ezzie and I will stay down here.” Ten took a seat on the sofa beside his son. He grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table in time to catch a loud sneeze. “Ew,” he muttered. “What the hell is this?” Ten reached between the cushions and pulled out the now smashed bag of Ronan’s beloved peanut butter cups.

Ronan snorted. “I was trying to hide them from Jude and Fitz, but I guess the joke was on me since I forgot they were there.”

“Are you okay?” Ten asked.

Ronan nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Not great, but good. I’m sorry you and the kids got hit with this too. We were all pretty miserable yesterday.”

“Well, we were all pretty miserable without you.” Ten grabbed the fluffy blue throw and wrapped himself up in it.

“You were?” Ronan asked, feeling his insecurity ebb away. “I thought you were all having the time of your lives over at Cope’s house, eating take-out and dancing.”

Ten shook his head. “The kids danced for about thirty seconds before they all went back to their sleeping bags. We all started feeling sick after dinner. Cope and I watched a few episodes of Gilmore Girls and went to bed. Wolf’s mattress is super hard. My back was killing me when I woke up this morning. It wasn’t the party you thought it was. How was the night here?”

Ronan knew looks could be deceiving. He felt bad for being angry at Ten for living his best life last night. “One of the best nights of my life.”

“What?” Ten asked. “I thought the three of you were at each other’s throats?”

“We were for a while, but when push came to shove, we were there to help each other. Fitz is right, we are brothers.” Ronan bent over Ten and kissed his forehead. “You’ve got a fever. I’ll bring you the bottle of Nyquil.” Ronan headed up the stairs.

“Thanks, babe. Make sure you order enough soup for all of us. I don’t want to fight you for it like you and Jude last night.”

Ronan snorted. “Kaye told you?”

“Yup! I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants.” Ten grinned at Ronan.

“At the time, it felt like the end of the world. Then Kaye burst into the house dressed in hazmat gear. She acted like a Marine Corps drill instructor and all three of us fell in line.”

“Mom said she made Jude cry because he didn’t have a mother who made him soup when he was sick. Poor Jude.”

Ronan had forgotten all about that. “She saved our lives. I’ll have to call and thank her later.” Hell, he should send flowers and a box of her favorite chocolates. Kaye really saved the day, even if she was a little mean. Not that Ronan was complaining.

“Dad? Why are my stuffies all over the floor?” Everly called downstairs. She sounded angry.

“Uncle Fitz was giving them flying lessons last night.” Shit, Ronan really should have picked the animals up when he got out of bed this morning. Ronan made a motion like he was throwing a football.

Ten slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

“Really?” Everly asked, sounding excited by the idea.

“They did great for being first timers!” Ronan rolled his eyes. “Feel better, babe. Text if you need anything.”

Nodding, Ten snuggled into his blanket beside Ezra.

“Seep, Dada!” Ezra called after him.

“Night, buddy.” Ronan climbed the stairs, with a smile on his face, feeling worn to the bone. His family hadn’t forgotten about him. They’d missed him just as much as Ronan missed them. Being sick would only last for a few days and then they’d be back to business as usual, solving cold cases and talking to ghosts.

Ronan couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into their next case.

THE END