Another sneeze raked through Kiki’s small body followed by Sean’s…
They both stare at each other, then another sneeze, Kiki is giggling, Sean laughs
“‘Mummy, uncle Sean got Dr sniffles, just like..lik-” ARCHUMM!!! She sneezes “‘Like me”” she rubs her small nose
“‘And so do you kiddo” Sean says fighting the sneeze, but it was no use, they sneeze together again, now they are laughing..
He still held Kiki in his arms, they are both dripping wet, he wipes her hair away from her forehead and watches her sneeze again, he sneezes after her.
“‘Oh ohhh noooo”!! Megan who has been standing at the door, equally wet swings into action, flinging her bag on the chair she brushes past them to her toilet coming back out with a towel big enable to wrap a grown adult,
“‘Give me my daughter please”‘she says, not waiting for Sean to answer she pulls the sneezing and giggling girl away from him and wraps her in the towel, then sitting she puts Kiki on her laps and warms her up… Kiki wouldn’t stop sneezing and neither would Sean.
“Mummy…” Sneeze “Won’t yo-you” Sneeze “G-give Uncleeeeee” archummmmm!!!
Sean laughs sneezing too as Kiki continues “A towel too, he is cold, he got Dr Sniffles too” another sneeze
What does she care if Sean got a cold, wasn’t he too old to catch a cold just like that, she also ran under the rain, she also got soaked..
Why wasn’t she getting a cold?.
Wait, shouldn’t he be going home right about now?
“He is going home Kiki, he is a big boy he can take care of himself, you just let mummy worry about you” Megan says wiping kiki’s hair dry,
“What if he falls sick, you know having a cold can make someone sick, you said so mummy”
“A little rain won’t make him sick” Megan replies
Sean sneezes again, then Kiki, then both of them..
“‘Why do you sneeze when I sneeze?” Kiki points at Sean who is staring out of the window, okay the rain had increased and it was making a tiny river close to the driveway, he should make it home before it becomes worse.
“Little fairy rain tickles my nostrils kiddo, maybe, I don’t know” Sean says turning..
He remembers his mother telling him that when he was little, she realized that he got cold too quickly if exposed and every little rain he went out to play under landed him in bed, a high fever and sneezing.
While his friends could play outside during cold days, he was left to stay in his room, shrouded in thick clothing, socks and gloves and a hot chocolate to keep him warm.
On days he gets really worse doctors says he is a shy away from catching Pneumonia… good thing it never got to that.
Over the years he never had much joy for playing under the rain or staying out in the cold, he was an adult after all, he was able to manage himself better.
But days like today when he had no choice, he had to get the kid inside, there wasn’t any available umbrella at the moment, and the least Megan could do is to say ‘Thank you Sean! ” but no, she doesn’t, yet he catches a cold bringing her inside… oh well, nothing a hot bath and hot tea won’t fix, but if he stays in this wet cloths any longer, he would be running a fever and it might be bad.
He should go home, risk it.
“There is nothing like fairy rain tickles”‘Kiki laughs
“Yes there is, see, it’s really invincible ,flying tickling your tiny little nose and making you sneeze, just like that-”
Archumm!!
They both sneezed together
“Stop talking Kiki” Megan leaves her on the chair to prepare her bath, she would bath her with hot water and give her something warm to drink and look for her sweater.
When Kiki catches a cold, she could break out in a fever, and the nights are the worst for her, she becomes uncomfortable and her tiny little body shakes all through the night and her finger gets colder than ice, sometimes it worries her, the doctor says she should always be warm at all times, any sort of cold wasn’t good for her.
Megan comes back to find Sean back to staring at the window.
“I think we are okay now, you can leave” she says wrapping kiki back in a hug,
“Yes, about your car-“”
“I will handle my car Mr Sean, have a good night” Megan says dismissing him
“Mummy it’s raining, Uncle Sean would get more fairy tickle rains and Dr Sniffles and-”
“Shhhh Kiki” Megan cautions
Sean nods, kick me out, under the rain… yes that is I hate you Sean, go out and die who cares about the man who brought in your daughter under the rain right and why is it bothering him??
“Goodnight Megan, and you too Kiki”
Kiki waves, Megan doesn’t.
Sean opens the door to the pouring rain, and stands there for a few seconds, bracing himself and pulling his cloths tighter together he sets out to make a run for it.
“Wait!!” Megan screams remembering, her pavement floor in front of her house was slippery and it was raining.
She forgot, she didn’t give two shits about him but she also didn’t want a dead man on her doorstep
Too late..!!
Sean was already on the floor landing with his back hard on the ground and the rain pouring heavily on his body.
Kiki screams…
“Oh my goodness” Megan jumps up with kiki who holds her tight,
“Mummy, is he dead?” her voice came like a whisper
Megan rushes to the door to find Sean groaning in pain, wading water from his eyes
Dear Lord, what kind of games are you playing with me, why do I have a feeling like you are trying to do WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO LIKE… KEEP SEAN AND KIKI TOGETHER LONGER TODAY?.
DEAR LORD! NOT TODAY, NOT EVER!.
“Are you okay?” she asks frowning as she sets Kiki down on the floor,
Sean manages to sit up, painfully..
“I think I didn’t break anything” he says struggling to get up, but then he couldn’t.. “okay..I think my waist is broken, I landed pretty hard” he says wiping his eyes, he sneezes again and again and again
Megan is staring at him and biting her lips, would it be horrible of her to tell him to get up and leave in his state? This wasn’t his house, this was hers and she didn’t want him near kiki.
What the hell!!
“‘Grab my hand Uncle Sean, I will help you up” Kiki reaches out for him, Megan pulls her hands away
“Stand there kiki”
“Here, take my arm” Megan says carefully stepping out and giving him her hand, he grabs it and struggles to get up..
She should take him to his car, even under the rain ” Stay here kiki, let me take Uncle to get to his car”
“Okay mummy, but Uncle walks funny” She says pointing to him
Sean winces in pain as Megan turns him.. “You can drive right?”
“I should but this pain hurts like a motherfxx-” he remembers kiki and then says “Like crazy, I can hardly move my waist” he says
So what am I supposed to do ,take pity on him and do what? I don’t care if he can’t feel his waist, how is that my business
“I will help you to your car so you can leave” she states
They move two steps under the rain and Sean is wincing in pain..
“I definitely can’t drive like this, let me call a cab, would come pick up my car in the morning”
She has a look on her face.
“It’s raining Megan, I can’t drive like this and I really don’t like the cold wet rain that much” he adds
Megan felt him shudder
Damnit!!
“Fine”
They go back into the house.. “Stand there let me get you a towel to wipe off and ..” she eyes him.
“Kiki, go to the room, I will come deal with you”
Kiki nods as Megan leaves, but she doesn’t go, instead she climbs their chair and stare at Sean, shaking he looks at her quizzically “What are you doing Kiki?”
“I am trying to see how tall I will be when I am big and strong and older, mummy says I will get tall and big” she smiles
“Oh, I am sure you would be super big and fantastic and-”
“Kiki?” Megan says coming out of the toilet, she hands him another towel, and then a tracksuit.. “I think this would be okay for you to wear, I can’t have you be dripping wet..”
She turns away and lifts Kiki off the chair and into the bathroom
Sean is staring at the jumpsuit, wondering if he belonged to her boyfriend or Kiki’s father.
He wipes his head and then wipes the towel around him, he takes his phone ad calls the taxi company to send a cab, giving them the address. He is shaking slightly, sneezing again.
“Sir, we might be able to get a taxi out to you in the next couple of hours but the rain is heavily and most routes are on standstill and it doesn’t look like it would stop soon”
Damnit!!
“So when can I get if it dies down?”
“Couple of hours sir, we can’t say, but it all depends on which of our taxi is free sir, they are all booked with passengers at the moment and with the rain and traffic they would have to drop off, turn back, get here and then start coming to you.”
Sean checks his time it was already 10pm. Three more hours to midnight. He sighs
“And you can’t give me a time frame?’”‘
“No sir,I don’t make predictions, I only manage a taxi company and at the moment we can’t get you one now sir. We can send you one in the morning unfailingly, that I can promise”‘
Sean is shaking his head. “It’s fine, thank you”‘
He really can’t go out in this rain, even if he wants to risk it, he can’t drive with the pain he has right now.
Most importantly how does he tell Megan.
Megan comes out with Kiki hanging on her shoulders with a towel wrapped around her, kiki is clapping her hands in excitement, her sneezes come in tiny feats..
Sean sighs “I can’t get a taxi, none are available not for the next couple of hours”
Megan pauses, her frown was felt before she turns..”Not one? How can that be, can- can’t they send anyone? I mean you can’t stay here, this is my home, my little girl. No, I think you should leave, I can’t have a stranger in my house overnight”
“I really wish I could, I totally can’t drive with this pain” he touches his back…
Maybe she thought he was lying. He wasn’t, he didn’t fall on purpose, he didn’t get his back slammed on the ground under the rain that can make him sick just because of what?
