By the time Challenger and Finn had come back with the collected venom to make the anti-venom, Morgan had slipped into a fever, his wound and the surrounding area looking worse. Veronica had put a tourniquet around the boy's calf, and he had been laying in a bed, clinging to his mother, half in, half out of consciousness. Ned walked in to Roxton, who was on his old spot on the porch, smoking his fourth cigarette.
"Challenger and Finn are back." he told him. "They'll make the serum, and Morgan will come out of this."
"Will he?" Roxton asked in a whisper. "It's been six hours now already, and I'm certain it takes time to get the formula right."
Ned nodded. "He will be fine, John. You need to calm down."
"Where are the other children?" Roxton asked, deflecting.
"Veronica is trying to distract them, reading to them in Abby's room. Not working very well, but, she's trying to keep them busy."
Roxton nodded, his hand absently going to Wolfy, who had come up and started head-butting his ribcage.
"I should go back in." he said, clearing his throat. "It's just... he doesn't like the smoke, and I needed one." Roxton said weakly. "He... asthma, you know."
"Really? No, I didn't..."
"Well, he mostly doesn't have spells, and when we discovered it, Challenger helped us get him a vaporizer type thing to help."
"And, see? You can't even tell it." Ned said. "Challenger will fix this as well. I pr-"
"No, Ned. Don't make a promise on this." Roxton said, his voice rough with emotion. "Don't make promises you have no control over."
Ned nodded, blinking slightly. "I'm sorry, I just... I thought that's what you do, what you say..."
Roxton nodded. "Yes, but... not right. I'd then have cause to be angry with you if it..." but, he looked down, dropping his head to Wolfy's crown, unable to finish the thought, as the thought of loosing his precious son overwhelmed him. After all, the boy had practically slipped into a coma already...
Ned sighed, and put a hand on his back. "I'm sorry, John... but, I really do feel he's going to be all right. We all came back from worse, and Challenger doctored us out of it."
Roxton nodded, looking away from Ned as he wiped at his eyes, though Ned could still see, even if he pretended not to.
Finn came out then. "George gave him the injection; Marguerite wants you to come back in and wait with them."
