Chapter 1
Feverish heat radiates off of his skin as I place my hand on his forehead, he squirms at the touch but just as soon relaxes into my touch. I know I should get mom but I know he won't let me because he doesn't want to bother her. We sit in scilence for the longest time,my hand on top of his until his pain becomes so unberable that he grabs a pillow from behind him and cradles it around his middle. "Izzy,it hurts',I think it's time to get mom as much as I hate to bother her"he moans quietly, "Ok Alec,i'll be back,shh it'll be ok"i say running my fingers through his hair as I gently stand up from his bed. The last image I see of him before I gently creak the door close,his him an a fetal position more or less in the middle of the bed,trying to hide is evident pain from me. I walk down the never ending hallway,the coldness coming from the stone walls,reminding me of the coldness of winter. Eventually I make it to our mom's room, and I go in with out knocking, she obviously hear's me come in because a voice comes through in the dark, "izzy,what is it"she asks sleepily, "mom,Alec's really really sick, he needs you,i can't handle this one"i say shakily, "shh Izzy it's alright, let me come help you"she says in response. She puts on her slippers and trails me back to his room, we open the door,and she heads straight to his bed.I stand in the doorway for fear of intruding despite the fact that he's my brother because he needs our mom right now not me.
"Shh baby can you tell me what hurts"i hear her say quietly, "Mama,it's my stomach"he says childlike,pain evident in his opaque blue eyes, "it's alright Alec, izzy can you please get the thermometer,and a wet wash cloth"she asks of me, "yes,i'll be right back"i say. When I come back to the room,i see her holding his head in her lap,and I hear her gently singing a famillar lullaby,i stand in the doorway and listen, Byssan lull, koka kittelen full, Dar kommer tre vandringsman pa vagen Där kommer tre vandringsmän på vägen. Den ene, ack så halt, Den andre, o så blind, Den tredje säger alls ingenting.
Translation: Byssan lull - boil the full kettle, Three wanderers are coming down the road. The first one is limping,
The second one is blind, The third one doesn't say anything. This is a lullaby I haven't heard in a long time,she used to sing this to us when we were little if we had a hard time getting to sleep,but now that we're older not so much. She's only doing it now for comfort reasons because she knows he's in pain as she reaches up and runs her hand through his thick black hair. I hand her the thermometer and she gently puts it into his mouth as he fusses because he was just about to fall asleep, "shh,thats it"she says, after what seems like forever it let's out a beep and the screen reads 104. "that's not good,Izzy hand me the wash cloth please"she says, I do and I watch her gently run the rag over his forehead first and then his chest and belly. "Izzy go to bed,i got him now,i'll get you if I need you"she says, "Ok,mom"i say. The last thing I see before I leave the room is Alec's face hidden in our mom's chest as she rubs the rag across his abdomen.
End of Chapter 1