Of Insects and Illness Ch. 9

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Author's Note: Criminally Charmed, I hope you don't mind me using the nickname you gave Scott in your awesome stories!


Previously: "Don't worry John, I'm sure your brothers will soon be better. Now why don't you go get washed up for dinner. We wouldn't want to worry your father anymore by having another one of his children getting ill now would we?"

Sitting between the beds of his youngest and oldest sons, Jeff sighed at the situation he suddenly found himself in. Not only was Alan still extremely ill, but now he had Scotty to worry about also. He knew his oldest had been pushing himself too hard, blaming himself for Alan being sick and he should have done something about it, made him understand that it was nobody's fault. He hated the fact that Scott put so much responsibility on his too young shoulders. And in a way, he had only himself to blame for that. If he hadn't totally immersed himself in work when Lucille was killed, then Scott wouldn't have been forced to take on the role of father to his four little brothers. Reaching over to grasp his son's limp hand in his own, he whispered, "I'm so sorry Scooter. I failed you and your brothers when your mother died, and for that I am truly story. I can promise you this though, I will always be there for you boys when you need me now, no matter what." Skimming his fingers through Scott's hair more for his own comfort than his son's, his attention was soon drawn to his youngest as Alan's ventilator began to blare out a warning tone.

"Oh my gosh, Alan!" Jeff voiced with concern as he immediately turned to focus all of his attention on his baby boy lying there so still in the bed that seemed to engulf his small body. Hearing the sounds of quick footsteps approaching, he looked up to See Dr. Robert Singer entering the room. "Robert, what is it? What's wrong with Allie?"

Robert didn't have the time to answer Jeff's questions as he started assessing his young patient to find out exactly what was causing the ventilator alarm to wail. Scanning the digital readout, the doctor smiled. "It'sactually good news for a change Jeff. Alan is spontaneously venting on his own now so I am going to lower the settings on the ventilator to see if he is ready for extubation. If Alan is able to keep up the oxygen levels on his own with the lower rate of positive air pressure, it will mean his lungs are ready to do the job of breathing on their own."

"So basically, that means that you are going to try and wean him off the ventilator, right?" Jeff questioned, wanting to make sure he understood the doctor clearly.

"Yes, that's correct. Before removing Alan completely though, I have to make sure he has an adequate respiratory drive, hence the need to remain intubated, at least for now. Also, by leaving him on the ventilator, but at a diminished rate of air pressure, it will help make sure there isn't too much stress put on Alan's lungs as they take over the work of breathing on their own once again." Robert explained.

"How long will it be before you'll know whether or not Alan can be taken off the ventilator?" Jeff inquired as he lay his palm atop Alan's hair and lightly stroked it.

"Four hours at the most, by then we should know one way or the other about whether or not Alan's ready for extubation." Robert replied as he wrote the information down on Alan's chart.


Sitting at the dinner table with her husband and young charges, Onaha watched with concern as John pushed around the food on his plate. Usually, the platinum blonde thoroughly enjoyed feasting on her roast and potatoes with the secret seasoning, but tonight, he had barely managed to take three bites. Watching him with a worried expression, she had no doubts that his mind was at another place, specifically, the hospital room where his brothers now resided. She could understand how he felt, but she also knew she had to take things in hand before another Tracy could fall sick, something she wouldn't allow to happen on her watch, not when Mr. Tracy was already stressed enough.

"John, is something wrong with the food? You're just pushing it around on your plate instead of eating child." Onaha voiced softly.

"No ma'am, I'm sorry, the food is wonderful." John replied, a little ashamed for making the woman worry. "I was just thinking about Scooter and Spout is all."

"I know you're worried John, but you can't allow yourself to become ill too from not eating. Your brothers are going to need your support once they are released from the hospital and you won't be able to help them if you are rundown yourself." Onaha reprimanded the teenager lightly.

Knowing that the Malaysian woman was right, John stabbed a piece of roast with his fork and placed it in his mouth, marveling at the seasoned taste. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was.

Smiling with satisfaction at the sight, Kyrano was proud of the way his wife took such good care of the Tracy's boys. They had come to love the boys like their own, and he too was worried about them. Scanning the rest of their small group, it pleased him to see that Gordon and Virgil had both nearly finished consuming their own meals.

"What do you boys think about taking in a movie tonight before going to bed?" Kyrano questioned as he wiped his mouth with a napkin after finishing his own meal. The boys needed something to take their minds off if their brothers and a night out at the movies might just be the thing to do it.

"Yay, can we watch Finding Nemo?" Gordon questioned with excitement, remembering the well stocked movie cabinet by the entertainment center.

"Awww, not that one again fish face." Virgil groaned as he rolled his eyes. They had watched the movie so many times he was sure he could quote it line for line.

"No Gordon, I was thinking that maybe we could actually go to a movie theater and see what's playing." Kyrano replied over Virgil's objection. Seeing the smiles that lit up the boys faces, he knew he had made the right decision.


Checking in on his young patients later that evening, Robert was happy to note that Alan had indeed maintained an adequate respiratory drive on his own. Knowing that he would have to soon extubate the child, he stopped the enteral feeds they had been giving Alan to keep him nourished so that his stomach would be empty for the procedure. With an empty stomach, it reduced the chances of Alan vomiting during the extubation and making things worse.

Giving Alan a thorough checkup, he was relieved to see that his fever had now started to decline and hoped that it meant that Alan's body was finally getting the upper hand and was beginning to combat the malaria. He knew he would have to do a blood smear and a CBC before he could be sure that Alan was finally on the mend, but he felt like things was finally moving in a positive direction.

Turning his attention to Scott, Robert was happy to see that fifteen year old's skin color looked much better and that he wasn't 'shocky' in appearance. Checking the readout on the monitor, he could see that Scott's blood pressure had returned to normal levels and that his pulse rate was within an acceptable range. "You're doing fine Scott, just fine." Robert whispered as he lightly patted his patient on the shoulder and wrote an order on his chart to stop the sedative that was being administered by IV. He just hoped that by the time Scott woke up, they would have already removed Alan from the ventilator. Replacing the digital chart pad with Scott's information on it at the foot of his bed, Robert turned to see an anxious looking Jeff watching his every move.

"You can stop worrying Jeff, it looks like both boys are doing fine as of now. Scotty should be waking up in a few hours and Alan is definitely showing signs of progress. I am going to have a lab technician come up and draw some blood so I can test his blood for antibodies just to be sure." The doctor informed his close friend.

"Thanks Robert, you don't know just how much those words mean to me." Jeff croaked around the lump in his throat. He had been waiting for so long just to hear a little good news and was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to happen.

"You don't have to thank me Jeff, I love those boys too." Robert stated as he clasped the Tracy patriarch on the shoulder. "I'm just glad that I could finally give you some good news for once. Now, I'll leave you and your boys alone so that I can make the rest of my rounds. I will, however, be back in a few hours to remove the endotracheal tube from Alan's throat."

"Thank God." Jeff whispered reverently with a relieved sigh. The sight of that tube threaded down his son's throat still gave him the chills. It would be a huge weight off of his shoulders once the thing was removed. Pulling up the reclining chair between the boys bed's once again, Jeff felt like he could finally close his eyes and get a few hours rest. He drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face as he thought about the possibility of being able to take his boys home soon once again.

TBC I know this chapter was short, but it seemed like the perfect place to end it.