Amelia drowsed comfortably in her bed, snuggling down under the warm covers. Every so often, she coughed a few times. Blasted cold, she thought irritably to herself. She sniffled once, about to roll over, when she heard the door to her room swing open on its hinges. She rolled back over on to her back once more, and looked out to see her four children move in and shut her door.
"Morning, Momma," Benjamin nearly whispered. "Poppa said you were sleeping, because you're sick," Benjamin added as he heaved himself up on to the bed, so he could give his mother a comforting hug.
"Oh, he did now, did he?" Amelia asked, enjoying her son's embrace, for the most part amused. She patted the covers of her bed, and her girls eagerly followed suit, joining her up on the bed. The girls too all hugged their mother gladly, yet softly, as if they might hurt her. After all, she was sick. Amelia smiled, thinking, if they could bottle her children's hugs, she'd be well in mere minutes…
"Daddy told us we were supposed to take your temperature, Momma," Amanda related to her, holding out the thermometer she had brought with her from the bathroom.
"Really, children…you're all fussing over me as much as your father," Amelia declared to them. She did however accept the thermometer from Amanda, and placed it under her tongue, the willing patient.
"We're supposed to watch over you, Momma. You know, like you do for us," Alice replied, in the innocent way children do. Amelia smiled fondly at them all.
"I know, dear hearts," Amelia said around the thermometer, giving each of them a hug in turn. "And, I do appreciate your concern. Really, I do."
Amanda reached over and took the thermometer out her mother´s mouth. She looked upon the thin glass rod, and raised one thin red eyebrow. "Momma, it says you have a fever," she said, holding the instrument out for her mother to inspect herself.
"I suppose I do at that. Thank you for being so helpful, my loves," Amelia told them, smiling as she laid down once more. "Now, as much as I love having you all here with me, you do know that I'll not be getting better if I don´t get my rest…"
Amanda's eyes widened a moment as she caught on to what her mother was implying. She then gave her siblings a commanding look, and one by one, the children each hugged their mother one last time, before proceeding quietly out the door.
Amelia sneezed once more, and as she opened her eyes again, saw that Benjamin still remained. "Yes? Was there something you wanted, dear?" she asked.
Benjamin walked back over and gave her a clean handkerchief, his very own. "Here, Mom…you can borrow it," he told her, holding it out to her. "You need it more than I do."
Amelia sniffed once, trying not to laugh at his seriousness. She thanked her son, and he smiled, and made his way out of the room.
The children did as their father had asked them to, and took care of their mother's wants and needs until he returned.
After nearly an hour, they saw their father at the front steps of their home, and they noticed right away that he hadn't returned alone. Along with him was a tall, lovely female canid, dressed in a long black cape over a lilac colored dress.
"Excuse me…but, are you the doctor who's going to see my Mom?" Benjamin asked a bit hestitantly, after his father had opened the door, and invited the lady in.
"Why, yes, I suppose I am at that, young man," the woman replied, picking up her medical bag in her right hand. "Now, if one of you would be so kind as to accompany me upstairs to her, I would appreciate it."
Angelina moved forward before any of her siblings, and led the tall lady up to her mother's door.
"Please see if your mother is awake, child," the doctor kindly requested of Angelina. She nodded, and knocked softly a few times on the door.
"My name's Angelina, Doctor," Angelina informed her new companion, disliking be called 'child', as most children do.
"Yes? I´m awake," Amelia called from behind the door, her voice somewhat muffled. "Do come in."
Angelina opened the door, and smiled upon seeing her mother. "Daddy brought home a doctor to make you better, Momma," she informed her mother brightly.
"Hmm. I´m not surprised at all to hear that," Amelia said, which made the doctor laugh softly. She moved over to Amelia's bedside and placed her bag on her nightstand. She opened her bag and withdrew her stethoscope, gently easing the instrument's earpieces into her ears.
"Well, Mrs. Doppler, shall we see just what's gotten the better of you?" the doctor began. She then turned to the waiting Angelina. "Thank you, Angelina dear. That will be all for now." Angelina waved good-bye to her mother, and closed the door behind her.
"Now, let's see what's what, shall we?" the doctor announced. The doctor proceeded to perform a few tests on Amelia, and confirmed that she did indeed have a fever. "You will be pleased to know that you do have a garden variety cold, Mrs. Doppler," she said after her examination. "As such, you need to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of liquids."
"That shouldn't pose a problem, Doctor," Amelia replied, then turned her intense green eyes on her. "My name is Amelia, by the way. Mrs. Doppler makes me feel positively ancient, if you don't mind."
The doctor laughed softly. "Amelia it is then. You have my apologies. I'm Doctor Elayne Pembroke, Amelia. An old friend of your husband's family, as you most likely already know. Now, I'll just leave you be, so you can rest. Be sure to drink as much liquid-hot or cold-as you can. Good day to you again."
The doctor nodded, collected her bag, and left. Once downstairs, she was quick to assure Delbert that Amelia only had a cold and would be just fine.
After seeing Doctor Pembroke out, Delbert headed upstairs to check on his wife. "Ah, hello there, dear," he said as he made his way into her room, and sat down at her bedside, taking her hand in his own. "How are you feeling?"
"Rather terrible, actually," Amelia said, with a grin, though she did on occasion sniffle and cough. "I suppose I look rather frightful as well…"
"Nonsense, Amelia," Delbert assured her, leaning down to kiss her upon her forehead. "You're lovely as ever."
"You're sweet to say that, but a dreadful liar, dear," Amelia replied, smiling at him. "My hair's a mess, my nose's all red, and I've far too much color to be considered even remotely 'lovely'."
Delbert smiled affectionately at her. "Perhaps you are not at your best, Amelia…but I assure you that you are still a very beautiful lady," he informed her truthfully, looking her straight in the eye.
Amelia smiled back, feeling better, and squeezed his hand in thanks. "Now, enough about me. What have you been up to, my love?"
Delbert patted her hand with his free one. "Well, since you ask… After I called in a favor from Cousin Elayne, whom you've now met, I made sure I checked in with our friends down at the Benbow Inn. I informed Sarah, Jim and Mr. Silver that you have come down with a cold, and weren't feeling your usual chipper self."
"Chipper?" questioned Amelia with a small laugh. Delbert grinned sheepishly, but didn't reply to her question.
"Well? So…what did they all have to say?" she prompted.
"Well, they all wished you a speedy recovery, of course. And then promised to come up and see you just as soon as you're up to, you know, a visit," Delbert told her.
"That rascal Silver, too, I suppose?" Amelia asked.
"Well, yes, as a matter of fact, dear, he did say he would. And, that's when I said to Sarah…" Delbert went on. Amelia allowed Delbert to drone on about this and that awhile as she herself considered John Silver. Silver had taken up residence at the Benbow a few months back, and had stayed on ever since. Jim had made it his mission for Amelia to give the ex-pirate, Silver, a second chance. And, after his continued begging and coaxing, Amelia had finally considered his notion.
What finally put the taciturn Captain completely over to Silver's side, occured one rather trying afternoon one day. That day, a cool autumn day, if she remembered correctly, her family, the Hawkins, as well as Silver were enjoying a picnic out-of-doors. That was when Silver had averted disaster by saving Amelia's daughter, Amanda, from being bitten by a rare Montressorian pit viper by placing himself between the girl and the snake, and then promptly dispatching it with a swing of his remarkably versatile cyborg hand.
Since that time, Amelia had quite forgiven the rogue, and was well on her way to actually considering herself one of Silver's friends.
"…that was when Mr. Silver said that he felt rather bad for you, and that he recommends that you 'kill them bugs afore they kills you'," Delbert finally finished, quoting Silver at the end.
"Always charming, Silver is," Amelia said, but smiled nonetheless. She started to cough a few times before blowing her nose in Benjamin's handkerchief.
"Now, I'll bring you some hot tea, and then you can get some more sleep, my love," Delbert said before kissing her on the cheek, and then the forehead as well. He left, brought back her promised cup of hot strong tea-complete with a touch of lemon and a generous dollop of honey in it-then turned down the lights, leaving her to rest for a while.
