Finding Charlie Rose

It had been a few days since Charlie arrived and Sam was going back to the office tomorrow. He had organised for his mother's body to be brought to Sydney so he and his brothers could bury her properly. Charlie had met the housekeeper who was going to be watching Charlie in January once Byron went back to uni.

The housekeeper Mrs Harper was a mess when she saw Charlie and knew straight away who the little girl was without the boys saying anything. She knew that Sally had finally birthed a little girl and was glad she had got her away from her husband. She was devastated when she learnt about Sally's passing and told the boys she would be watching Charlie without them even asking. She told Charlie to call her nanny and they had baked cookies together which made Charlie happy. She didn't want Charlie going to the crèche more than twice a week and the boys were happy with that.

Charlie was spending the day with Byron today and Mrs Harper was going to be there to clean the house and cook some dinners for the week. She also did the shopping on a Monday for the house with a list of things the boys wanted. She saw the list contained dinosaur pasta and strawberries something not usually on the list and knew they were for Charlie. She would also get a few snacks for Charlie as the boys had no idea what to feed a three-year-old often resulting in Charlie just eating the biscuits that they had brought back from their mum's house and that Mrs Harper had made with Charlie. She headed to the shop first, doing the grocery shopping then would go to the house to cook. Mrs Harper was just finishing the groceries when she got a call from Byron, asking her to get some ice blocks and Panadol for Charlie as she was a little hot which she did before returning to the house.

Charlie was hot and was very clingy. Byron was worried about her and stripped her down to just a singlet and undies. All she wanted to do was lay on him and was whimpering each time he moved. Charlie didn't feel well, her tummy was sore and she felt yucky. She just wanted her mummy. When Mrs Harper arrived she took Charlie's temperature which was 39.5C which was a little high so she got her a lemonade ice block and some Panadol. Charlie didn't like the taste of the medicine and cried until she got her ice block. She had a little of the ice block but then pushed it away just wanting to go to sleep. She fell asleep on Bryon who was worried as he knew there was something wrong with Charlie. Charlie slept for four hours and woke just as the others were getting home.

Byron walked into the kitchen to get Charlie something to eat and drink. She was still a little warm. "Hey baby girl" Sam called out but got no response from Charlie, she had her head buried in Byron's chest. Mrs Harper had left and given Byron instructions on how much panadol and when to give it to Charlie if she was still running a temperature.

Byron took the thermometer and took Charlie's temperature which was now 38.9C so still a little high. He got the Panadol organised for Charlie while the others watched on. "She has a small temperature and Mrs Harper told me how much Panadol to give her. She can have some every four hours. Charlie, I need you to have this to make you feel better and then you can have an ice block again" Byron told his sister. She shook her head not wanting the medicine. "How about some strawberries?" Liam offered and Charlie shook her head no again. She didn't want to eat or drink cause her tummy was sore.

Charlie took 15 minutes to convince them to take her medicine just as Uncle John got home. He headed into the kitchen seeing a distressed Charlie and the boys all crowding around her. "Bucket" Charlie said but the boys didn't understand why she was asking for a bucket. John acted quickly grabbing a large bowl and rushing to Charlie just as she began vomiting. She got some on Byron which he wasn't happy about.

Charlie was vomiting and crying for her mummy. Sam took Charlie from Byron so he could go shower. When Charlie stopped vomiting John took the bowl to empty, he also told Liam to go get a bucket in case she vomited again. Liam wanted to take her straight to the hospital, that much vomit couldn't possibly come out of something so small but John convinced him it was fine. Sam filled the sink in the kitchen with water so he could wash Charlie and hopefully bring her temperature down as she most likely brought the Panadol back up. Charlie cried for her mummy, she wanted her mummy to make her feel better.

As John came back into the kitchen to check on Charlie and Sam someone knocked on the door. Oliver went to answer the door and was horrified to see who was standing at the door. "Aren't you going to invite me in son?" Jackson asked his son. "Who's at the door?" Liam called walking out to see his so-called father standing there.

"Bucket" was heard by all before they heard the sound of Charlie vomiting again snapping them all out of their trance. "You need to leave now," Liam told his father before attempting to close the door in his face. Jackson was upset, he knew his sons didn't like him for what he had done to their mother but he thought that by now they would at least speak to him but it turns out he was wrong. He stopped the door closing and walked into the house to where the noise was coming from to see a small child in the sink vomiting in a bucket calling for its mother with Sam rubbing the child's back. All his sons and his brother-in-law were standing around the child and he wondered which one of his sons had made him a grandfather.