Fic: Bad Late-Night TV With You
Author: Kimmy*
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They aren't hers.
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Having a child leaves very little time for concern about you.
Michael has learned this the hard way, spending a day at the beach with
Pete and Hallie. Hallie is the smartest child he’s ever known
(not that he’s biased) but she’s also the most stubborn (obviously,
it‘s hereditary).
It is near impossible to tell her that she’s going out too far.
He and Pete spent most of the day taking turns pulling her back, met
with extreme displeasure and protest each time.
It’s not until they get back to the hotel and Pete puts Hallie to bed
that Michael notices the pain in every move he makes, the bright red
skin.
"Shit! Shitshitshit."
"Michael, quiet down, you’re gonna wake…damn."
"Yeah, that sums it up."
"You put on sunscreen, didn’t you?"
"Yeah…once. Running back and forth after Hallie, it sort of
slipped my mind."
"Well, we packed the blue lotion, right?"
"I sure as hell hope so."
"Well, you get in a cool shower while I try and find it."
Soon, Michael is sitting up in bed, wincing in pain while Pete tries to
apply the lotion as gently as possible. The bottle is nearly
empty by the time he’s finished.
"Do you feel better?"
"A little…I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight, though. Every part
of me hurts."
"Well, if you can’t, I’ll stay up and watch bad late-night TV
with you. We haven’t done that since Hallie was a baby."
Pete punctuated his words with a kiss.
"Thank God I’m not too sunburned to enjoy that."