FE 2024 Prompt Table 1 Fill #17 - Pain

[innitmarvelous_og]

Morgan is laying on the couch with one arm clutching his little stomach and the other arm wrapped around his favorite stuffie, which is of course, Iron Man. The little boy may have never had the chance to know his father since he had died before Morgan was born, but he still found comfort snuggling with the toy version of his father's superhero persona.

Morgan had had only a half day of school today, and he was supposed to have been playing in one corner of the living room while Pepper finished up some paperwork. So when he is unusually quiet, she looked up, and was immediately concerned when she saw him laying on the couch.

"Morgan, honey, what's wrong?" she asked from her corner desk.

"My my t-tummy hurts, Mommy!" Morgan whimpered.

Pepper shot up, crossing the room in the less than a second, sitting down on the coffee table in front of him. She placed a gentle hand on his forehead to make sure he did not have a fever, and was relieved to discover that he didn't.

"All right, sweetheart, let's see if we can't get you feeling better," Pepper said in a soft reassuring voice.

She started by retrieving a nice, warm, blanket for him from the hallway closest, and tucking it gently around Morgan. Once she was sure he was cozy, she went into the kitchen to pour a glass of cool water for him, "Here, sweetie, take a few sips of water."

Morgan took a few sips of water before he laid back against the couch cushions, and pulled his Iron Man stuffie closer to him.

Pepper then retrieved a heating pad from the same closet she'd gotten the blanket from. She plugged it in and adjusted the temperature to make sure it wasn't too hot before she put it on Morgan's tummy. As she watched, he sighed in  relief as the pad's heat relieved his discomfort.

"There, sweetie, that should help you start feeling better," she said as she brushed away some hair from his forehead, "Why don't you try to take a little nap?"

Morgan nodded, closed his eyes, then snuggled down into the couch with the heating pad and Iron Man.

Pepper watched him for a little while to make sure he was able to fall asleep, and then she went back over to her desk to get a little more work done. But as she worked, her thoughts as well as her gaze kept drifting back towards Morgan. She couldn't help her mild concern or the urge she felt to keep a close eye on her little boy. Taking glances over and seeing evidence that he was sleeping peacefully helped her to reassure her that he wasn't seriously sick.

As the afternoon sun streamed further into the room, Morgan's beautiful eyes that matched his father's opened up again, and he sat up.

When she saw he was awake, Pepper got up to go sit down beside him, "Are you feeling better, sweetheart?"

Morgan looking still a little sleepy eyed nodded, "Uh huh, Mommy."

Pepper kissed his brow, "Oh, I am so glad to hear that, honey. How about some chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner? Hmm? Does that sound good?"

"Yeah!" the little boy said with a huge grin.