Topic: Winter Snuffles

Millie Mullen

Date: 2017-11-30 08:16 EST
Life at the mill had become routine, but it was the peaceful kind of routine that came with hard work and family. It had been a few months since the little family at the mill had found a surprise on their doorstep in the way of a baby girl. Since that time, they had taken her in, given her a name, and made her their own. No one could have loved her more than Nate and Millie, and baby Ella had bloomed under their care. They had enjoyed her all summer, but now the weather was changing and there was a chill in the air.

It was one damp, chilly morning when Nate went to fetch their daughter from her crib that he knew something wasn't right. "Millie!" he called from the little room they had made into a nursery, the panic in his voice enough for her to know that something was wrong.

The panic in his voice was enough to rouse his wife from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a cloth as she made her way up to the nursery to look in on him and their daughter. The familiar sound of her grandfather grumbling to himself downstairs still had her smiling as she came to his side.

"What's wrong?" she asked in her soft way, following his gaze down into the crib Eli had fixed up for them the day Ella had first arrived.

"She's too quiet and ..." Nate reached into the crib and touched a hand to their little girl's forehead, confirming his worst fears. "Millie, she's burning up!" he exclaimed, reaching further to scoop the little one up out of the crib and into his arms. "What do we do?"

Ella whined unhappily as Nate scooped her up, cuddling into his chest as Millie stretched her hand over to touch the baby girl's cheek. "I don't know," she admitted reluctantly. "When I got sick when I was little, Momma would sit out on the porch in the cold with me until I cooled down, but I don't know if that would work. We should go see Brona, I guess."

Or bring Brona to them, but that meant that one of them would have to go fetch her, and neither of them seemed willing to leave the other or Ella for too long. "You don't think ..." Nate started, nibbling at the corner of his mouth. He didn't have to say what he was thinking as his worries were written all over his face. He'd lost a baby sister once a long time ago, and he didn't want to lose Ella the same way.

"No, I don't," Millie told him firmly, frowning at the unspoken fear. "Everyone gets sick, Nate. If we didn't get sick, we wouldn't stay well." She stroked her hand against Ella's flushed cheek. "See if she'll take some milk. If she can eat, then it's not so scary a thing, right?"

Nate nodded his head. That seemed to make sense. He wrapped a blanket around Ella so she wouldn't catch a chill. "I could go fetch Brona," he volunteered, reluctant to take Ella out in the cold and the damp.

"Which would you rather do, love?" Millie asked him, always ready to bow to his wishes over hers. If they took Ella to Brona, the healer would see her sooner, but she would be out in the cold and snow while ill. If one went, and the other stayed with Ella, what happened if she got worse in the meantime"

Nate was debating these things, too, unsure which would be the best course of action, as far as their little girl's health was concerned. "I don't wanna take her out in the cold, but I'm worried, Mil. Maybe Harry will know what to do."

Millie nodded worriedly. "Bring her down to the kitchen," she told him. "Jonas just finished bringing the wood in, so we can build up the fire in the stove and make it warm. Maybe he could go for Brona instead?"

Jonas, the sixteen year old apprentice they had taken on after Ella's arrival, was almost an honorary little brother for Nate and Millie now, immensely grateful for a home and a profession in exchange for hard work.

"That's a good idea, if he doesn't mind," Nate replied, agreeably, though there was no reason to believe Jonas wouldn't be happy to fetch Brona. He had become like part of the family and was nearly as fond of Ella as they were.

"I'm sure he won't," she said confidently. "There's not much to do today anyway. Just checking on the mill - nothing to grind, far as I know." She smiled, trying to seem confident for his sake, despite the worry on her mind. "Come down to the kitchen."

Nate nodded again, trying not to worry too much. The kitchen was the warmest room in the house, and besides, they had to try and get Ella to eat something. He didn't want to assume the worst. Millie was right - children got sick all the time. Brona had once explained that they had to, so that they could grow up to be healthy. It didn't make a lot of sense to Nate, but he trusted Millie and Brona.

Leading the way downstairs, Millie paused to offer her grandfather an arm into the kitchen. Winter was always a rough time in Pax, with deep snows and increased mutant activity, but daylight was safe enough to travel in.

"I swear my bones have frost on them," Harry complained as he sank down into a seat. "Good man, Jonas, build it up!" He grinned at the boy cheerfully, glancing up at Nate. "You're looking like the weight of the world is upon you. Bad night?"

"Ella has a fever," Nate explained with a frown, not even attempting to hide his worry. Nate was the most sensitive of the three Mullen brothers, and it was in his nature to do the most worrying, but that was only because he cared so much. "Jonas, would you be able to go to town and fetch Brona for us?" he asked of the boy.

Jonas looked between the trio, his gaze lingering on the little girl in Nate's arms and the worried look on her father's face. "Soon as I get the fire going," the teenager replied. "Why isn't she crying?" he asked, curiously.

"Babies don't cry much when they're not well, lad," Harry told him, watching as Millie poured out hot coffee for the men, and packaged up Jonas' breakfast in a warm bread roll to eat on his way. "Most times they're too tired out to do much. When the crying starts again, you know they're getting better."

"That isn't very comforting, Grandpa," Millie pointed out.

"Harry, can you take Ella while I make her a bottle?" Nate asked, happy to pitch in when it came to chores, even those that were usually relegated to women.

"Sure, hand the little miss over," Harry said easily, opening his arms to take Ella onto his lap. He stroked his gnarled fingers over brow fondly. "Not feeling so good, little one" Don't you fret, you'll be better in no time!"

While most newborns had the advantage of their mother's breast, Ella had been found on their doorstep, and they'd had to make do with glass bottles and goat's milk, but so far, she'd been thriving. A wet nurse might have been the most practical solution, but wet nurses were hard to come by in the village. It didn't take but a few minutes for Nate to have prepared a bottle for Ella, since Jonas had already seen to milking the goat, as he did most mornings.

And since Ella was already nestled comfortable in her great-grampa's arms, Nate saw no reason to move her. "Would you like to feed her while I help Millie with breakfast?" he asked the older man.

"That, I can do." The old man grinned as he took the bottle, gently shifting Ella. "Now the, little one, try and eat something for us, hmm?"

Millie was pressing the hot breakfast roll into Jonas' hands. "I'm sorry to send you out so early," she apologized to the lad. "I'll save some more of breakfast so you can eat when you come back."

Millie Mullen

Date: 2017-11-30 08:17 EST
"It's okay, Mrs. Mullen," Jonas replied with a half-worried smile of his own. "Anything I can do to help." He started toward the door, grabbing his coat on the way and taking a bite of his breakfast roll. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" he promised and out he went.

"Thank you, Jonas!" Millie called after him. "Take care on the road!"

As the door closed in the boy's wake, she turned her attention to finishing off breakfast. It had taken a while, but Millie had finally managed to get the household on a slightly later time for breakfast, which allowed her a chance to cook a decent meal while still caring for Ella while the men dealt with the animals at the crack of dawn. It also meant that porridge in the mornings was a thing of the past. They had an abundant supply of food; she made good use of it.

"There's hash browns and rolls in the oven, Nate," she told her husband, serving out eggs, tomatoes, bacon, and sausages from the pans on top of the stove. Behind her, Harry was gently cajoling Ella to drink something, and succeeding by the sound of things.

Nate wasted no time in making himself useful and in putting together a plate for his wife's grandfather, as the man's hands were full taking care of Ella. All in all, the three of them, along with the help of Jonas, had managed to find a rhythm as a family, each of them doing their own fair share to keep the mill running, as well as work together as a family. It wasn't long before the trio was sitting down to a cooked breakfast and coffee. "It's gonna be winter soon," Nate said, stating the obvious.

"Winter's already here," Harry commented mildly, nodding to the window. "Mark my words, the snow will start falling soon. Next market day will be the last for a few months. Best get our visiting done in the next week or so - the homesteads will be snowed in until spring."

Millie bit her lip. "So Dale might have to give birth with just Eli there to help her?" she asked in concern, taking the baby from her grandfather so he could eat.

Nate had often thought their lives might be easier if they homesteaded together, but he knew better than to suggest it to Dale or Eli, who seemed to cherish their privacy more than those in the village. Nate still didn't quite understand why, but he was smart enough to respect their wishes. "I wish they lived closer," he murmured, mostly to himself, as he pushed the sausage around on his plate.

"Could be they'll think of finding a place closer to town, come the spring," Harry mused around a mouthful of his own breakfast. "Swapping land around here isn't so hard to do; just a case of finding someone who wants to live out there, rather than around here."

"But they'll have a baby by that time," Nate said, pointing out that moving in the spring wouldn't really help if Dale had problems with the birth of her first child that was supposed to happen sometime over the winter.

"It's too late to ask them about wintering with us or the others now," Harry pointed out. "If they'd been planning to, it would have been mentioned by now. Snows come sooner further out from Pax, lad."

Millie glanced between them, gently shifting Ella on her lap. "They'll be fine," she said confidently. "Eli's delivered calves, he can deliver a baby."

Nate frowned, knowing they were right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. The brothers had always been close, but now that they had families of their own, it seemed they'd gone their separate ways. Nate wasn't sure how he felt about that. "Delivering a calf ain't the same thing as a baby, Mill," he pointed out, though he understand the point she was trying to make. "How's she doing?" he asked, looking over at Millie and Ella.

She looked down at the baby in her arms. "Seems a bit brighter now she's eaten something," she offered, though she was still worried about the flushed little girl on her lap. Ella's eyes were open now, watching Nate across the table with a weak gurgle of hello.

"How is Papa's little angel today?" Nate asked, reaching over to tickle the baby girl's feet, an adoring smile on his face. He had taken quickly to being a father, despite his early misgivings. "Auntie Brona is gonna come by and fix you right up!"

Despite not feeling very well, Ella was still able to kick her feet, offering up a gummy smile for her father as he tickled her.

Harry chuckled, wiping his mouth as he sat back. "A fine meal, Millie," he complimented his granddaughter. "I'll wash up, you two have other things on your mind."

Nate had picked at his breakfast, eating more out of necessity than anything else, knowing he wouldn't do anyone any good if he didn't keep up his own strength. He was too worried about Ella to argue with Harry about whose turn it was to clean up, needing to stay close to his wife and daughter today. "She's gonna be okay, ain't she, Millie?"

"What do you think, Ella-kins?" Millie asked the smiling infant in her lap, relieved when she got a gurgle in answer. She stroked her palm over the hot forehead for a moment. "I don't know for certain, sweetheart, but I'd say she'll be fine. She's a healthy little thing, always has been."

"Do you think it's just a cold or something?" Nate asked, relieved to find Ella smiling back at them. That was encouraging anyway. It would break both their hearts if anything happened to her.

"Seems so," Millie murmured, gently loosening the baby girl's collar. "I'll feel better once Brona's taken a look at her, though." She kissed the hot little head in front of her. "And you're just enjoying the attention, aren't you? I betcha got sick just to mess with us."

"You think we'll be okay out here for the winter, Mill" Maybe we should move Ella downstairs near the fire for a while," Nate mused aloud, unsure what to do to help their little one feel better, but needing to do something.

"We'll be fine," she promised him, lifting one hand to stroke his cheek fondly. "Maybe we should bring her in with us while she's sick, so she gets the warm wall above the hearth for a while. She gets plenty heat from the stove in Grandpa's room, but maybe she needs us closer when she's not well."

Nate smiled, glad to hear Millie agreeing with him. Maybe he wasn't over-reacting, after all. "Thanks, Mill," he told her, looking at least somewhat relieved. "I love you, you know," he said, leaning close to touch a soft kiss to her lips.

She smiled into his kiss, relaxing just a little as he seemed reassured by her confidence that they would be fine. And of course they would; it wasn't her first winter in Pax, after all. Despite the fact that travel between the farms and houses was generally discouraged while the snow was deep, there were ways to get around, even when the drifts were ten feet deep or more. "I love you back," she murmured to him, laughing as Ella grabbed hold of his shirt, trying to pull the buttons into her mouth.

Nate chuckled, as Ella grabbed hold of his shirt. "Oh, no, you don't! Those ain't for eating," he scolded her gently, reaching out to gently tweak their baby girl's nose. It had taken a while for him to think of her as theirs, terrified someone would show up on the doorstep and demand to have her back. "Do you want me to take her?" he asked, happy to help in any way he could.

Millie's smile softened, understanding now why he needed to hold their little girl as much as he did. "Here," she told him, handing Ella over onto his lap as Harry settled down in his chair by the fire, opening up the book he was currently attempting to read. "I should probably get started on the pie crust for dinner."

Nate might have offered to help with that, too, but she was much better at making pie crust than he was. For once, there wasn't a lot to do, with the mill quiet for the day, and chores could wait until after Brona came to visit. "Reckon she'll bring Cody?" he asked, unsure whether his brother's wife would come alone or whether his brother would accompany her.

"I guess it depends how many hands they need on the farm, what with the new baby and all," Millie mused thoughtfully, washing her hands at the pump. "And if Cody'll let her travel in this without him." She flashed Nate a warm smile - she didn't think he would let her travel alone with winter coming on, and she wasn't the one he and his brothers had picked up off the road because she was alone at the beginning of the summer.

Millie Mullen

Date: 2017-11-30 08:19 EST
Nate didn't like to think about that, still feeling guilty for having practically abducted Brona earlier that year, but if they hadn't resorted to such drastic measures, Cody might not have survived. Thankfully, Brona hadn't held it against any of them. "Not if I know my brother," Nate remarked, knowing how protective Cody had become of his young wife.

"Then yes, he'll be here," Millie told him with a smile, ignoring the snort of laughter from her grandfather as she worked on measuring out butter and flour. "Though if the snow starts falling, we might have two more for dinner and breakfast."

"The more the merrier," Nate replied with a smile, as he snuggled little Ella close and tried to coax her into drinking a little more from her bottle. She was definitely warm, but she didn't seem to be burning up with fever, like he'd feared.

Millie chuckled fondly, looking over at him as she worked the mixture into breadcrumbs, and then into pastry dough. "Already planning on beating Brona at poker again?" she teased him with a cheerfully affectionate cast to her expression.

"Ain't my fault she's no good at cards," Nate said, refusing to take the blame for his sister in law's lack of skill or luck when it came to card games. Frowning a little at Ella, he set the bottle on the table and put her over his shoulder to coax a burp or two out of the little girl.

"You'd think she'd have a better poker face, all the things she has to talk about in her day to day," Millie said, her voice warm with amusement as she bound the breadcrumbs into dough with just a little water. Outside, snow was starting to fall - first snow, so there was no risk of it laying for at least a couple of hours. Time enough for Jonas to get to the Dugan farm and back safely.

Besides, if Ella really was sick, who better to have on hand than someone who was skilled in the art of healing" "Not to mention having Mahon for a brother," Nate remarked, though the big man had mellowed a little since settling in Pax.

Millie giggled softly, wrapping the dough in a waxed cloth and setting it on the windowsill to wait until it was time to actually bake the pie. "He's not so bad, Nate," she said with a shy smile. "Anyway, she treats him like he's the youngest."

"He's mellowed a little since Liam was born," Nate admitted grudgingly. He had no quarrel with the big man; it was Eli who tended to butt heads with him. "What do you say, Ellabean' Ready for a diaper change?" he asked, as he gently rubbed their little girl's back.

The baby girl sneezed at him, a stringy glob of snot dangling from her nose as she beamed up at her papa. Millie bit down on a laugh. "Well, I guess that's a pretty big clue as to what?s wrong with her," she offered, wiping her hands clean.

Disgusted as he was by the glob of snot, Nate was equally relieved to know it was probably nothing more than a common cold that was causing their daughter's fever. "Have you got something I can clean this up with?" he asked, before Ella's nose dribbled all over his shirt.

"Here." Harry dug in his vest pocket, pulling out his handkerchief to toss it over to his son-in-law. "Looks like we're in for a winter of dribbly noses."

Millie rolled her eyes with a vague quirk of a smile. "I guess I'm sewing up some more handkerchiefs tonight, then."

Common cold or not, Nate still looked worried, knowing colds could turn into far more serious illnesses, if not treated properly. "We need to keep her warm and make sure she don't catch a draft," he pointed out, for starters, as he caught hold of the handkerchief and dabbed Ella's nose and face clean. He figured Brona would have further instructions, but he knew that much at least.

"Well, between you and Jonas, there's no drafts in this old house any more," Harry pointed out with a faint grin. "That nursery's a bit on the isolated side."

"We already decided to bring her in with us for winter, Grandpa," Millie told him, pouring her grandfather and husband another cup of coffee before washing out the pot and putting more on for when their visitors arrived. "I don't know much about looking after sick babies."

Nate didn't know much about taking care of babies, sick or otherwise, but he had enough common sense to know that when it was cold, you tried to stay warm, and when it was warm, you tried to keep cool. He didn't think it was much different for babies, except that they were incapable of doing it for themselves. "Maybe we should think about moving the nursery," he suggested, though, like Millie had said, they had already decided to move Ella in with them for the winter.

"You could come down here," Harry suggested. "Jonas could move up to yours, I could take his. That'd give the three of you the big room with the nook for her, and a stove to keep you all warm."

Nate brightened at that suggestion, but he didn't want to put Millie's grandfather out or make any difficulty for him. He wasn't too worried about Jonas, as the boy was young and would likely be happy no matter where they put him, so long as there was a bed. "I reckon that would work, but are you sure you don't mind?" he asked of the man.

"I'm not the head of the house any more, kid," Harry chuckled gently. "A small room's all I need. Tell the truth, that big room's too big for me these days. Needs more than one sharing the bed to make it somewhere to relax. Besides, the pair of you might start making more babies, and being downstairs with the bump from the start is a good thing, believe me."

"If you're sure you don't mind, we'd much appreciate it," Nate replied, grateful not only for the change in rooms for Ella's sake, but for everything Millie's Grandpa had done for them. "What do you say, Ella?" he asked the little girl as he bounced her on his knee. "Would you like to move downstairs with me and your Mama?"

The noise that erupted from Ella definitely came from the back end, but it was so perfectly timed that her stuffed up giggle was echoed by her mother and great-grandfather.

"Sounds like she needs that diaper change you mentioned," Millie laughed from behind her hand.

Nate was making that face again that hinted at his displeasure, mostly at the smell emanating from the bottom half of his small daughter. "That is not very ladylike, little lady," he scolded her playfully, as he carefully lifted her up, holding her just a little away from him so that she didn't soil him, too. "We'll be back," he warned the pair, as he wandered off to clean Ella up before Brona arrived.

It wasn't long after that they heard the sound of horses outside, recognizing the voices as belonging to Jonas and Cody. Brona didn't bother to knock, letting herself into the warm house with her basket of specials. "Blessings be, and all that," she declared cheerfully, presenting her reddened face as she lowered the shawl from about her head. "I hear there's a snuffly kiddo in here somewhere."

"Over here!" Nate called from where he sat near the fire with Ella snuggled in a blanket on his shoulder. At least, she wasn't cranky, which was a good sign, but he was still worried. "She's got a fever, too," he told her, though whether that was because of the cold or the fact that he had her bundled up near the fire was hard to say.

Brona tilted her head as she took in the flushed little face on Nate's shoulder. "Nate ....she's too hot there," she told him gently. "If she's got a fever, you want to cool her down when she's warm, and warm her up when she's cold. Bring her over here, let's take a look at her." She set her basket down on the kitchen table, pausing to squeeze an arm about Millie before divesting herself of her shawl and gloves.

"But I don't want her to get cold," Nate explained, as he followed Brona into the kitchen, obviously worried. He'd done a pretty good job of taking care of his brothers when they'd been hurt or sick, but taking care of a baby was a whole different matter.

Millie Mullen

Date: 2017-11-30 08:19 EST
"Remember how it worked with Cody?" she asked him, opening her basket to pull out various bits and pieces that could look frightening to someone who didn't trust her to know what she was doing with them. "If she gets too hot while she's burning up, she'll get sicker. Likewise, if she gets too cold when she's cooler, she'll get worse. It's hard work, but trying to keep her at kind of the same temperature all the time is the best way to do it."

"How do we do that?" he asked. It hadn't been so long ago that he didn't remember Cody's close brush with death, but it was Brona who'd been responsible for healing him, and Ella was just a baby. At least, Cody could tell them when he was getting too hot or too cold. He didn't think Ella would able to do the same.

"See how flushed she is?" Brona indicated the listless little girl, who was beginning to perk up a little away from the fire. "That means she's hot. She'll shiver when she's cold, even if her skin still feels hot to you." She smiled at the parents encouragingly. "With most babies, the fever breaks within a day. It's her first cold - it's never going to hit her like this again."

Though Nate didn't mention it, what he was most afraid of was of the cold getting into her lungs. He'd seen what that can do to people, young and old, and that was what had scared him the most. "So, we need to keep an eye on her then," he said. Though that kind of went without saying, they'd need to keep an even more careful eye on her now, until she was well again.

"Just like with anyone that's ill," Brona agreed. "Is she eating, keeping it down" The other end working normally?" She lifted a odd little hollow tube from its box - her stethoscope. "Any coughing or sneezing, any trouble breathing?"

"Um ..." Nate replied, uncertainly. That was a lot of questions for him to answer all at once. "She's eating okay. The other end seems to be working fine," he said, a little flustered at the mention of his daughter's diaper habits. "She sneezed a little while ago!" And what a sneeze it had been.

"She doesn't seem to be wheezing or coughing," Millie offered from where she was constructing the pies for the evening meal later.

Brona nodded thoughtfully, gently stroking her finger down Ella's round cheek. "Not well, are you, little duck?" she asked the infant fondly, glancing up at Nate. "Sit her on your lap and lift her dress, I'll take a listen to her lungs just to be sure."

Nate nodded, trusting Brona's judgment. He'd seen her at work and knew she was capable. If it hadn't been for Brona, it was likely his younger brother Cody might not have survived. And speaking of Cody, the door opened again, this time admitting that little brother, along with Jonas.

"It's getting nasty out there," he said, stomping the snow from his boots. It wasn't the sticking kind of snow yet, more like a slushy mixture of snow and rain.

"No point going back, then," Millie told him with a faint smile. "Once you've stopped a while and had lunch, it'll be getting dark anyway. Guess you're here for the night."

Harry chuckled from his seat by the fire. "I think what she means is 'hello', lad."

"Hello, Harry!" Cody replied, with a grin and a cheerful wink his way. He stepped out of his boots, not wanting to track the slushy mixture into the house and set them near the fire to dry before moving over to Millie to drop a kiss on her cheek. "Hello, Millie! How's the little one?" he asked, knowing it was Ella that had brought them there that day.

Meanwhile, Jonas went over to quietly chat with Harry and find out what needed doing in case the weather got worse.

"Snuffly and hot," was Millie's answer, shivering with a soft laugh at the chill clinging to her brother-in-law as he kissed her cheek. "The coffee should be done - fresh-brewed and hot, help yourself."

Across the table, Brona lifted her head, taking the little stethoscope from Ella's chest and smoothing the soft dress down. "Sounds good to me," she assured Nate. "Basically, it's keeping her cool when she's hot, and warm when she's cold, keep her drinking. I've got something you can give her - one drop twice a day - that should help her get over this, but it's not serious."

It wasn't serious yet, and Nate was hoping it wouldn't get serious. That's why they'd wasted no time in calling Brona. "I hope we didn't take you away from anything important," Nate said, the closest thing to an apology she was likely to get from him. In a town as small as Pax, healers were precious and few.

"How's my little Ellabelle?" Cody said, moving over to tickle at the little one's tummy.

"Ember's on her feet again these days," Brona reminded her brother-in-law with a grin. "She can handle what might happen in the next day. If it's really serious, they can come and get me, but I doubt anything will suddenly get that bad overnight." Packing away her bits and pieces, she pulled a small bottle out of her basket, turning to explain to Millie what it was and how to give it to the baby.

The center of attention, Ella had perked up again, giggling as she grabbed at Cody's fingers.

"May I?" Cody asked, holding out his arms to his little niece expectantly. It wasn't often he and Brona had time to indulge in a lengthy visit with his brother and sister-in-law.

Nate nodded again and handed Ella off to his brother with a word of warning, "She's got a cold." Hopefully, she wouldn't give him a present in the form of a sneeze.

Sneezes or not, Ella had always been a happy little girl, and she was quite cheerful about cuddling her Uncle Cody and his slightly chilly jacket, stroking her flushed cheek against his shoulder instinctively even as she smiled her gummy smile back at Nate.

Brona chuckled. "She's trying to play you off against each other."

"Well, I'm clearly her favorite!" Cody declared with a grin at his brother. He hadn't even taken his coat off yet and he already had his hands on the baby.

"Maybe you two should make one of your own," Nate suggested, with a half-teasing smirk.

Brona raised her brow with a grin. "It isn't for lack of trying," she informed her brother-in-law impishly.

Millie snorted with laughter, hastily swallowing the sound. She wasn't sure Nate wanted to know that his brother and sister-in-law were going at it every night.

It didn't really bother Nate that Cody and Brona had a healthy sex life so much as the fact that Brona wasn't pregnant yet. Was something wrong or was she using something to prevent it' He knew those were not questions he should be asking though.

"Maybe we need to try harder," Cody mirrored Brona's grin.

Brona giggled, rolling her eyes at her husband. She wasn't sure why everyone was so eager for her to get pregnant; she didn't feel quite ready for it yet. Still, if it happened, it happened. "Getting impatient for nieces and nephews, Nate?" she teased him warmly, gratefully taking a cup of hot coffee from Millie as the woman of the house served up the hot drinks.

"Thought you might be the ones getting impatient," Nate pointed out, especially given the way they seemed to enjoy Ella, not to mention Liam, who had been born more recently to Brona's brother and his wife.

Millie Mullen

Date: 2017-11-30 08:20 EST
"We have plenty of babies around to keep us going if we get broody," Brona pointed out, easing down into a seat at the table with a low sigh. "Cripes, it's already brass balls out there, and winter's barely even started yet."

Cody chuckled at that turn of a phrase, while Nate only arched his brows. "Good thing we're staying the night, then," he said, smooching Ella's cheek before handing her back to Nate so he could fetch the coffee.

"We can set up the trundle bed in the main room," Millie assured them, slipping out of the kitchen briefly to give Jonas and her grandfather a hot drink, as well. As she came back, she was wiping her hands on her apron - a nervous habit she'd never quite grown out of. "We've got a bit of room rearranging to do today."

Brona looked up curiously. "Really?"

"Really," Nate confirmed, grinning up at his brother. "And you and Jonas are gonna help," he added, letting his brother know that this wasn't going to just be a social visit.

Jonas arched a brow at this and looked to Harry with a quizzical look on his face, more curious than anything else.

"What kind of rearranging?" Cody asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Doesn't make sense for me to be in the big room down here with the little stove," Harry told them, offering Jonas a reassuring smile. "We're playin' musical bedrooms, boy. You get the big room up top with the hearth heat, I'm moving into yours down here by the kitchen, they're moving into mine."

"Well, that shouldn't take long," Brona shrugged. "It's just clothes that need moving and beds to change."

"And the crib," Nate added, as Ella was moving into the big room with them, at least until winter was over. If their family kept expanding, Nate might have to put another addition on the house, sooner rather than later.

"Lunch first, then we get moving," Millie informed everyone. "The soup's already on, so we've got about an hour to shoot the breeze before I make you all wash up to eat."

Harry sighed expansively. "She's a slave driver, isn't she, Jonas?" he teased. "Insisting on us being clean and presentable ....it's going too far some days."

"Well, I, for one, appreciate having a woman around," Nate interjected, perhaps taking Harry's remark a little too seriously. He and his brothers had spent too many years wandering alone in the wilds hunting mutants, without home or family, for him to take any of this for granted.

"You get all the benefits." Brona grinned, nudging her brother-in-law with a wicked glimmer in her eyes.

Millie blushed crimson as she giggled, turning away to the tune of her grandfather roaring with laughter.

Nate wasn't quite sure what was so funny, as he looked from one face to another, nor did he quite understand what Brona meant by benefits. Thankfully, Cody had his back and was there to bail him out.

"It's okay, Nate. They're just teasing you," he said, with a reassuring smile for the older brother who had a heart of gold, but wasn't always the brightest.

Ella was just as clueless as her father, letting loose another sneeze that thankfully didn't cover her in snot this time as she snuggled into Nate's lap, inserting her thumb into her mouth as she watched the happy faces she knew all around her.

Brona's smile softened affectionately. "You really were born to be a poppa, Nate."

"Nate's the one who always took care of me and Eli, even when Eli was being a stubborn ass," Cody volunteered, obviously fond and proud of his older brother, even if he did tease him sometimes. While it might have been Eli who'd taken the lead when their parents had died, it was Nate who'd always made sure they had food to eat and clothes on their back.

"Someone had to do it," Nate said, with a shrug as though it was nothing.

"And they didn't turn out broken, so you did it just perfect," Millie praised him, leaning down from behind his chair to kiss his cheek, stroking her hand over Ella's wispy blonde hair.

"Yeah, I'd say they turned out pretty good," Brona added with an appraising look over at her own husband, proving that no one was immune to her teasing.

"You better think so, since you're married to me," Cody teased back, before taking another sip of his coffee, grateful for the warmth of the coffee and house, as well as the companionship. "Too bad Eli's not here to join us," he said. "It won't be long before the homesteads are snowed in for the winter, and we won't see him 'til spring."

"And he'll be a father for real, not just to a bump and a grumpy wife," Brona added with a grin. She had no doubts about Eli's ability to deliver his own first child, or about any chance of complications. Dale had some of the widest hips she'd ever come across.

"I don't like it," Nate admitted, with a frown. Of the three brothers, he tended to be the worrier, but it was only because he cared so much. "What if something happens?"

Brona looked him in the eye calmly. "Nothing's going to happen," she told him with the kind of confidence that only came from years of experience. "At worst, she's going to hurt his feelings yelling at him."

"It ain't just the baby, Brona. What about the mutants" I don't like them living out there all alone," Nate said. It was the first time he'd really voiced these worries about his big brother's situation - a brother who prided himself on being able to take care of himself.

The room fell uncomfortably silent for a moment. No one there had lived a life untouched by the mutants that haunted these lands. Harry was the first to rouse himself, though.

"Dale's lived out there alone for a couple of years, Nate," he pointed out to the younger man. "Stands to reason there's less to worry about with Eli out there with her."

Nate wasn't sure if they really believed that or if they were just placating him. He knew Harry was right, but that didn't do much to relieve his worries. "I should go out there and check on them before winter comes," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. He wasn't trying to worry anyone, but he needed to make sure Eli and Dale were well prepared for a long winter in isolation beforehand.

"I could go," Jonas volunteered. "It's not that far. I could leave tomorrow and be back the next day."

Millie rested her chin on top of Nate's head for a moment, considering this. She knew her husband; he wouldn't rest easy until he knew, and knowing would only come from seeing for himself. "If Nate goes, I'll need you here, Jonas," she told him. "Besides, Dale's grouchy enough with family. It'd be cruel to inflict that on you."

"I can't leave while Ella's sick," Nate pointed out, torn between his love for his daughter and his concern about his brother.

"I could go," Cody volunteered, though again, that meant Nate would have to take Cody's word for it, but if Nate trusted anyone to tell him the truth, it was Cody.

Brona blinked thoughtfully. "We could both go," she offered. "Do a proper check on both of them, make sure they're totally ready. Would that help?"

Harry gently patted Jonas' shoulder, murmuring to the boy that it wasn't anything personal. The Mullen brothers were loath to take anyone's word but their own, with good reason.

Millie Mullen

Date: 2017-11-30 08:20 EST
Jonas deflated a little, but he didn't really mind too much. He had plenty to keep him busy here at the mill, and he appreciated the family's generosity toward him.

Cody nodded in agreement and clapped a hand against Nate's shoulder. "There, it's all decided. Brona and I will go check on Eli and Dale, and you can stay here to keep an eye on Ella."

Nate frowned thoughtfully a moment, but he couldn't really argue with that. "It's a good plan," he admitted.

"Will you go straight from here, or home first?" Millie asked curiously, gently rubbing her fingers through Nate's hair as she straightened up. "Jonas could take the message to the farm if you decide to go straight from us, couldn't you?"

Brona grinned at this - trust Millie to come up with a way to soften the blow for the young lad who shared the mill house with them.

Though Nate hadn't mentioned it, he adored the simple ways Millie showered him with affection. The brief touch of her lips against his cheek, her fingers in his hair - all of it told him she loved him, just as he loved her.

"Yes, ma'am," Jonas replied, brightening at Millie's suggestion.

Brona tilted her head to look at Cody. "They can survive two nights without us," she said confidently. "And I know you're just as antsy to check in on your brother as Nate is."

"And you're just as antsy to check on Dale," Cody countered with a grin. It seemed that was decided. Tonight they'd stay with Nate and Millie and in the morning, they'd go visit Eli and Dale.

"Hey, at least I have a better reason for going than being nosy," Brona laughed back at her husband, leaning over to poke his side as the slight tension in the room relaxed.

"Right then," Millie said with a nod. "Jonas, you get to run over to the Dugan farm tomorrow and tell them where the runaways have gone. Maybe Nem'll give you something baked for your troubles."

Nate frowned a little, wondering if Brona thought he was just being nosy, but he knew Brona well enough to know she was only teasing Cody. Jonas nodded again, smiling this time at the prospect of payment in the form of baked goods. Millie's plan seemed to work for everyone. Even Nate seemed satisfied by it.

"Don't worry, Nate. Eli knows how to take care of himself and Dale," Cody assured him, giving his brother's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "You've got your hands full already," he added, regarding Ella.

Smiling, Millie slipped away into the kitchen, leaving the little gathering in the main room together. Harry relaxed back into his chair comfortably. This time last year, it had been just him and Millie settling in for the long winter ahead, as it had been for many years before. He couldn't have asked for a better gift than to have a family filling his old home again - a grandson married to his granddaughter, an apprentice who was treated just like another grandson, and a great-granddaughter to fill the house with her noise as she grew. With Nate came a connection to other families in the area that had been lacking, too - a connection to the Dugans, to the Wilsons, to the new Mullens out on the homesteads. He didn't feel half so isolated this year as he had in years gone by.

"All right, soup's ready," Millie called from the kitchen. "Hands washed, everyone at the table!"

It was such an ordinary thing to be sitting down to a meal surrounded by family, and yet, for Nate and Cody and perhaps a few of the others, there was nothing ordinary about it. This was what family was all about. It was what the Mullen brothers had been missing all these years. No one could have predicted that a chance encounter with a young healer would have changed their lives so drastically, but here they were, and none of them would take family for granted ever again.