And you thought I wouldn't continue this!
"Vick! Vick, time to get up!" Hazelle called. No answer.
Strange, she thought, drawing aside the cloth that hung in the doorway to the boys' room. There was only a lump under the covers of the bed that Vick and Rory shared. Suddeny, a low, pained groan issued from the lump. Hazelle threw off the covers to reveal Vick, curled up, fast asleep and moaning.
"Vick?"
The boy woke slowly. When he was finally awake enough to be comprehensible, he complained, "My stomach hurts, Mother."
Hazelle felt Vick's forehead-warm. He groaned again, rolling over in bed and clutching his stomach.
"Hmmm..." His mother pondered the situation momentarily, then stroked her youngest son's sweaty hair. "Stay in bed today, sweetie." Then she kissed his forehead and left.
Vick heard her call out, "Rory, I'm going to get some medicine from Mrs. Everdeen! Watch the children! Gale's out at the Hob!" Then the door closed, and his mother was gone.
He got up and danced about the room, chanting to himself, "No chores! No chores! No chores!"
Suddenly he stopped, sobering. He had no chores. He couldn't go out. He WAS sick. All right, he had hammed it up a little-okay, a lot-for his mother (his stomach didn't really hurt, it was mostly the fever).
What was he going to do all day?
*****
"Ugh," Vick groaned, flopping back on his bed after his twelfth game of Solitaire. He was so, incredibly, unimaginably BORED.
Hazelle had given him some foul-tasting medicine, and in the midst of the summer, it was easy to lie under his thickest blanket (which still wasn't very thick) and become convincingly hot and sweaty for the occasion. Since he wasn't sick, the medicine had no effect besides making his mouth taste horrible.
Posy had come in to read to him from the family's only book, stumbling over words in her little-girl voice. That, at least, had been something to do-all right, all right! It might have been kinda, sorta, possibly fun. Maybe. Okay, okay, it was fun! Sheesh.
Vick flopped on the bed, groaning in agony. Bored bored bored bored bored... He felt like screaming. Ah, well. Nothing to do but play Solitaire again.
"Vick!"
Vick shot straight up in bed. Something to do! Hallelujah!
"Vick, Mother said we should keep you company," Rory said, poking his head around the curtain in the doorway. Vick motioned "weakly" for him to come in.
"I brought Posy," his brother added, stepping aside to let the small girl through.
"Vicky!" Posy cried, running to her brother's side.
"Posy!" The two embraced, then Vick reached out to Rory, a mischevious grin on his face. Rory backed away, hands up in surrender.
"No! No hugs!" he said. Then he coughed, hiding his embarassment. "Um... I mean, you are sick." Vick smiled at his brother's faux pas, but left well enough alone.
"So... We brought cards!" Rory said brightly, showing his brother the deck. Vick shrieked and ducked back under the blankets. Rory looked confused, but Posy burst into giggles at her brother's antics.
"Sorry..." Vick muttered, emerging from his shelter,"but I must've played fifty billion games of Solitaire in the past two hours." Now Rory laughed.
"Please, no cards!" Vick continued, grinning. Rory shrugged.
"All right, but what are we gonna do, then?" he asked, poking his brother in the ribs. Vick giggled and pushed his brother's hand away.
"Stop, that tickles!" he laughed. Rory grinned mischeviously and wiggled his eyebrows. Vick smiled nervously and edged away on the bed.
"Rory..."
Rory pounced. Vick shrieked and started laughing wildly. Posy giggled along as her middle brother tickled her youngest brother fiercely, poking all over his stomach and ribs.
"Don't overexcite your brother, Rory, he's sick!" said Hazelle, who was passing in the doorway. But she was smiling.
"Oh, all right," Rory replied reluctantly, getting off his brother. Vick was panting and grinning.
"Not... nice..."
"You wanted something to do!" Rory said defensively. Posy jumped on Vick's legs, bouncing on the bed. Vick pulled her off into a hug.
"I wuv you, Vicky," she said sweetly.
"Love you too, Pose," Vick replied. Rory mimed puking, and they all laughed.
Have I mentioned that I stink at endings?
