As the morning sun peeked through the blinds of their shared bedroom, Alexa stirred beside him. It was still early, but the day was already shaping up to be busy. He glanced at the clock: it was just after six, and he had to be ready for work in an hour.
As he reluctantly swung his legs over the side of the bed, he heard the unmistakable sound of his daughter retching from the bathroom down the hallway. He sighed, knowing that this was going to be a long day.
He quickly dressed himself, splashing some water on his face and running a hand through his messy hair. As he approached the bathroom door, he could hear her voice muffled by her retching. "I'm coming, honey. You ok?" He gently knocked on the door.
The door swung open, revealing a pale-faced Lily, barely able to stand. Her long, auburn hair was tangled around her face, and she was clutching her stomach. A wave of nausea washed over him as he realized she was probably going to throw up.
"Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you to the toilet." He guided her into the bathroom and held her hair back as she heaved up her breakfast. Between gasps and sobs, she managed to whisper, "I think I drank too much orange juice... it tastes so good."
Once she had finished, he cleaned her up gently and gave her some water to drink. She sipped gratefully before collapsing back onto the toilet seat, still shaky. "Do you think you can make it to the toilet bowl without me having to clean up another mess?" he asked with a small smile.
She nodded, and he helped her up, steadying her as she took slow steps to the toilet. Once there, she took a deep breath and released her bowels, a long, loud sigh escaping her lips. He couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, hoping that Alexa wasn't awake to hear the distinctive sounds of their daughter taking a dump.
As the sounds of grunting and plopping died down, he walked over to the sink and filled a cup with water. He leaned down, placing a cool hand on her forehead. "You feel a little warm," he said worryingly. "Do you want some Tylenol?"
She nodded gratefully, and he helped her back to the bed, propping her up with pillows. As she took the medicine, he noticed that her cheeks were flushed, and she had begun to perspire slightly. He didn't like the look of it.
He made his way out to the living room, praying that Alexa wouldn't see the concern on his face. She didn't seem to notice, too engrossed in her phone. He sat down next to her, trying to keep his mind off of their daughter's health.
As he watched the clock, time seemed to drag on interminably. Finally, after what felt like hours, there was a knock on the door. He rose from his seat and walked over to the door, wondering who could be calling at this hour.
To his surprise, it was the school nurse. In an instant, his heart began to race with fear. What could have happened to Lily? What had she done? He let her in, his eyes darting between her and Alexa's phone, silently begging for answers.
"Mr. Anderson? I'm afraid we have some concerning news about your daughter," she began. He felt like the room was spinning as he listened to her words. "She's been complaining of nausea and vomiting all morning, and we've confirmed that she has a case of the stomach flu."
