CHAPTER 40

I'm so done with this! Skylar thought when she woke up on the seventh day of being sick. Though she had woken up more from a nap rather than a night's sleep.

Being unable to breathe through her nose at all kept her awake for hours, and then when she did fall asleep, she was woken up soon after by a horrible and painful coughing fit. This also woke up Jamie and Claire who rushed out of bed to her to try to help.

After 45 minutes of off and on coughing, her lungs had also had enough. She convinced Jamie and Claire that she was fine and they could go back to bed. But her burning throat didn't let her get comfortable enough to sleep until she heard birds start singing and the light had begun coming in through the windows.

She felt so guilty for waking them up that she apologized to her adoptive parents profusely multiple times throughout the next morning. She especially felt bad because they had to wake up early anyways because this was the morning Jamie and Ian were headed for Woolam's Creek to find people to settle on their land. But Jamie kept telling her she didn't have to apologize for anything. It was a father's job to take care of his daughter, and he would do anything he had to to make sure she was healthy, happy and safe; including lose a bit of sleep to ease her cough.

That was also the day that Skylar and Claire were going to stay with the Muellers to help Petronella with the rest of her pregnancy.

While Claire was inside with Jamie getting last minutes items packed for both pairs, Skylar and Ian were bringing all of the bags for him and Jamie outside and situated.

"I wish ye were comin' with us," Ian said to her as he put the last of the bags into the wagon. "As I recall, ye have a talent fer convincin' men te do yer biddin'."

"That is a talent I have left in Edinburgh. Except when I need to use it on you."

"Ye ken well it takes little convincin' fer me te follow yer every command." He went in to kiss her but she pulled back.

"My cold is just getting worse. I can't breathe through my nose at all and my throat is killing me. So no, I will not kiss you and risk you getting this."

"I dinna mind a wee cold if it means I can kiss ye." He tried again, but she stepped back and put her arm out to distance her from him.

"No no no no. Here." She held out her hand for him to kiss instead. With a smile, he took her hand and kissed it as sweetly as though it was her lips.

"I'll never wash this hand again," she joked when he let ger go and held her hand to her chest. Her focus then got pulled to the animal pen behind him. "Hey, what's she got?" she asked, meaning their pig. Over their time at the Ridge, they had acquired other animals like pigs and goats from people traveling through and selling them, or sometimes trading with the Cherokee for them. One animal they recently got was a giant white sow who was extremely mischievous and appeared to like causing them chaos.

Skylar walked to the fence with Ian behind her and looked in. "She has Dad's hat!" Sure enough, the sow was gnawing on Jamie's tricorn hat that he was likely frantically looking for.

"I'll get it," Ian spoke as he climbed into the pen.

"Be careful," Skylar warned, resorting to wipe her ever running nose on her scarf.

It took a good five minutes for Ian to wrestle Jamie's hat from the pig. She was protecting it as if it was one of her babies, snapping at Ian to keep away.

Skylar needed to help, so she went to the other side of the pen and called to her, "Hey, Miss Piggy! Miss Piggy over here! Come here! Come get food!" She picked up the bucket of scraps they had next to the pen and dumped some of it in her trough. The sow came running to eat, allowing Ian to grab the hat and jump out.

Skylar met him back at the other side and said, "Let's get this to Dad before she tries to start round 2." Ian nodded and they went into the cabin.

When they walked in, Ian saw Jamie and told him, "The sow had yer hat, Uncle Jamie."

Jamie muttered, "Christ," under his breath as Ian crossed the room to hand it to him.

"I nearly lost a finger tryin' te save it," Ian recounted. He then spotted something behind his uncle and went to it while Skylar just sat at the table as she felt a bit lightheaded.

"If I do return before ye, Sassenach," Jamie said to Claire, "I might just eat that vicious beast."

"You know she can hear you, right? She knows all and she'll be plotting her revenge for you saying that," Skylar joked.

Claire chuckled then exclaimed, "Hey!" She went to Ian who was eating some of the bacon that had caught his attention before. She rewrapped it and put it in one of the bags for the men.

Ian rolled his eyes. "Come on. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll be home. And I love bacon."

Skylar opened her mouth to tease him about loving bacon more than her, but she just started coughing instead. When she was done, she laid her head on the table and groaned. She felt Ian rub soothing circles on her back to try to help her feel better.

Claire got eye level with her and said, "Skylar, can you look at me?" Feeling like her head weighed 100 pounds, Skylar slowly lifted up so Claire could see her face. The doctor felt her cheeks and forehead while the patient tried to desperately to breathe through her nose so she wouldn't blow sick air on Claire, but with no luck. "Christ, you're burning up," Claire stated. "Your eyes are also a bit bloodshot."

"It's just because I'm tired. I was up all night coughing if you remember." Claire stood back up and went to get her some water after seeing Skylar rub her sore throat.

Jamie glanced from Skylar to Ian. "Maybe we should wait a few days before goin' inte town." Ian nodded in agreement.

"No!" Skylar cried, which led to another coughing fit. Claire came back and handed her the cup. She drank small sips, each one feeling like fire down her throat, then looked back at Jamie. "This is too important. You have to go." She wiped her watering eyes.

"Ye are more important," Jamie said to his daughter as he knelt next to her. "I canna leave ye when yer feelin' this bad."

"Dad, I promise, I'll be fine. It's just a bad cold."

"Then I'll stay at least. Uncle Jamie doesna need me," Ian spoke up.

"Yes he does," Skylar argued.

"I'm no leavin' ye alone when yer sick."

"I can handle myself. Besides, I'll be with Claire the whole time and I'm sure the Muellers have water or tea if I need it."

"Skylar, you are not going to the Muellers," Claire informed her. She whipped her head around to the older woman.

"What?! No, I'm fine! Please. I want to help."

"I'm sorry, but you're too sick. If you went, you could get worse or you might pass it to them. You're not going. End of discussion." Skylar just sunk down in her seat. "Don't worry. I promise that there will be plenty of babies in the future that you will be able to help birth."

Skylar crossed her arms. She knew Claire was right. She didn't want to risk any of the Muellers getting sick from her. But it was still supremely annoying.

With another push from Claire and Skylar, Jamie and Ian left, promising to be back as soon as they could.

The two women had gone outside to see their men off, and when they were gone, Claire immediately turned to the sick girl and ordered, "You need into get into bed right now."

"But I-"

"No, there is no arguing. You need to rest if you want to start getting better. Now, inside at once. So says the doctor."

I guess this is what comes with having a doctor as a mom. How did Brianna deal with this? Skylar thought as she did what she was told.

When she got back inside, she took off her blouse and skirt so that she was just in her shift and climbed into bed. She sighed in some slight relief as her head sunk into the pillow. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the softness of the mattress instead of her burning skin and inability to breathe.

Claire brought in the two of their buckets of cold water and refilled the pitcher, which she brought along with a full cup to place on the small table next to Skylar's bed.

"Keep drinking water," she instructed. "It'll help keep your body cool and hopefully bring your fever down. And there's plenty of broth left, so eat as much of it as you can stomach." She placed a small plate on the table as well. "This is ginger root. It'll ease the inflammation in your throat. Eat a couple slices two or three times a day." Skylar just nodded silently, sniffing and trying to breathe deeply through her mouth. Claire squatted next to her and stroked her hair, "Oh, you poor thing. This really is a nasty one."

Keeping her eyes closed, she said back, "I can't believe I made it this long in this time without getting sick. I was hoping my 21st Century immune system was evolved and strong enough to make me, you know, immune to 18th Century germs."

Claire gave her a kind smile. "Unfortunately, no matter what time you're in or from, the common cold finds a way to strike." Skylar let out a single dry laugh. Standing up, Claire continued, "Alright, I shouldn't be gone too long. I'll be back in a few hours."

Skylar opened her eyes. "We were supposed to be staying until she has the baby though."

"I am not leaving you alone for who knows how many days when you are this sick. This may not even be a cold. You could have a kind of flu. You need someone to help get you well."

"Claire," Skylar pushed herself to sit up and leaned against the wall behind her, "you need to be there to help Petronella. She and her family need you more than I do right now. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself for a few days. God knows I did it plenty of times alone back in the 2000s and I'm still alive."

"Skylar-"

"No, there is no arguing. So says the patient." Claire gave a half smile in amusement at having her own words used against her, but still seemed very unsure. "Claire, I promise, I'll be fine. It's not gonna be long. And who knows? She's so close that she might have the baby tonight or tomorrow, and then you'll be able to come right back."

Claire still was not in favor of leaving her overnight, and that was clear on her face. But against her better judgement, she gave in. "Fine. But keep Rollo here with you."

Hearing his name, his head perked up from where he was laying by the door.

Skylar smiled. "I'm more than fine with that."

"Come on, Rollo. Keep watch over her." Claire patted the bed to tell him to come and he leapt to his feet. He jumped onto the bed and curled up at the end of it, resting his head on Skylar's legs.

"See? I'm in good hands. Or paws, I guess."

"If she hasn't gone into labor by tomorrow night, I'll be back to just check in on you. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I promise. Now go and deliver a baby."

Claire put on her jacket and gathered her couple bags. Before she left, she gave the instruction, "Do not leave the cabin. Stay inside at all times no matter what, understand?"

"Crystal clear."

"Alright. I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you."

"I love you too."
The moment Claire closed the door behind her, Skylar closed her eyes again and let out a long pained breath. She held her head which had started throbbing an hour ago and was only getting more painful. She hadn't said anything about it because everyone was already so concerned about her that if she seemed any worse, all three of them would've dropped everything important they needed to do to focus on taking care of her, and that would have done nothing but make her feel guilty and like a bother.

She gulped down the glass of water and chewed on a couple of the ginger slices to try to ease her sore throat and head. Though not a lot, it worked enough allow her to fall asleep.

She practically fell into a coma and slept all the rest of that day, through the night and into the next morning. What woke her up was another bad coughing spell. Each cough just tightened the metal clamp around her head little by little until she was sure her head was about to split open from the pain. She was also drenched in sweat. The blankets and her shift were stuck to her like a second skin. She kicked the blankets off as fast as she could but her body still felt like it was on fire. She pushed herself onto her elbow and shakily grasped her cup to drink some more. But the water didn't do anything.

Using every ounce of strength she had, she slowly got to standing and made her way to the door. When she opened it, she felt the cold early morning air sweep over her and it provided some relief from her own internal sauna that she couldn't get out of.

She closed her eyes and tried to breathe, but she still could only breathe through her mouth; and when she took a large breath in, it just triggered her coughing and forced her to close the door.

She leaned against the wood for a minute before deciding to move again. She wanted to get some broth to see if she had any appetite, so she started for the fireplace where the pot sat.

As she crossed the room, she happened to glance in the mirror and what she saw made her stop. She went closer to it and saw small red dots going from her hairline down into her forehead. She noticed dots on the sides of her neck as well. She pulled her hair to the side and could see it went from behind her ears all the way down her neck.

"What the fuck is happening?" she thought out loud.

Trying to stay calm, she continued to the broth. But as she put some into a bowl, the coughing started again, causing her to drop the clay bowl and it shattered.

Rollo, who had been silently watching her from the bed, barked at the sudden loud noise.

Skylar didn't acknowledge him. She just gripped the back of one of the chairs at the table and leaned her head on her hands, trying to catch her breath. Everything hurt and everything was burning, from the top of her head to the soles of her feet.

What is wrong with me? she kept thinking.

She wracked her brain, trying to remember anything that she learned in health class that could tell her what disease she had. But her mind was so foggy she couldn't think straight.

She felt something nudge against her and she knew it was Rollo when she heard him whine. She looked at him and saw him looking up at her like he knew something was wrong.

"It's alright, Rollo. I'm okay. I'm going to be okay," she told the dog, though also trying to reassure herself.

She stroked his head and he leaned into her hand, wanting to comfort his sad human.

To no one, she said, "I should…I should try to sleep more. I need to rest."

One step at a time, she made the journey back to her bed. Rollo was right next to her the whole way, like he was ready to catch her if she fell.

Her not even ten minute trip around the cabin exhausted her to the point where she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

The coughing woke her up again. It was dark now, so she knew it was night, but she had no idea what time it was.

When her lungs decided they had enough for this moment, she reached for the water pitcher to refill her glass. There was enough light coming from the moon shining into the window next to her so that when she stretched out her arm, she could see that the dots on her neck and forehead had spread all down her arms and hands.

"Omigod, what the fuck?!" she exclaimed with barely any voice. The dots had appeared on her chest too.

She suddenly couldn't breathe and began to hyperventilate. She was so lightheaded that she felt she was no longer in her body and the room was spinning.

She was so scared and panicked that she couldn't get her mind to focus on anything that she could feel, touch or see to ground her. Her heart was racing so fast that she was seriously worried she was about to have a heart attack. She needed to calm down.

"Ro-Rollo. Rollo, c-c-come. C'mere," she called to the dog. He instantly came to lay next to her with his paws on her stomach. He kept whining and licking her. Though he didn't know how, he could sense she wasn't okay and he wanted to fix her.

Skylar held onto his fur and ran her fingers through it, trying to focus on the feeling of the fur and his weight on her.

Finally, after an excruciating number of minutes, she was able to get her breathing under control. But she didn't relax. She had no idea what was wrong with her and it was terrifying. She didn't sleep anymore that night. She just held onto Rollo and waited for when Claire would get home. Thankfully, that wasn't too long.

The sun was just rising when Claire walked in. She tried to be as silent as possible, thinking that Skylar was asleep. So she was a little surprised when she heard the teen weakly call out, "Claire?"

She responded, whispering, "Why are you awake? You need to sleep."

"Something's wrong. It's not a cold."

Skylar heard Claire drop her bag and hurry to her. She quietly gasped when she saw Skylar's face.

"Omigod," was all she said. She checked her arms, chest and legs as well. Rollo could sense he was in Claire's way so he jumped off the bed, but stayed close. "Can you sit up and open your mouth?" Claire requested. With assistance, Skylar did what was asked. Claire got closer so she could look inside her mouth and when she did, she saw the small white dots she was so hoping she would not. "Christ. Damnit." She helped Skylar lay back down.

"What is it? What do I have?" she asked, trying to take in deep breaths without coughing.

Claire took a beat before answering, "You have the measles."

"Measles?" Skylar was too exhausted to have another full panic attack, but she could feel her heart pick up again. Her breathing got very shaky and her stomach went into her throat.

Claire stood up and took the water pitcher to refill it. She also filled a large bowl with water and brought both back to Skylar with some washcloths.

"We need to get your fever down. You're very hot," Claire stated. She helped Skylar sit up again, then poured some water into her glass and handed it to her. "Drink, but go slow. We should also put you in a clean shift."

Skylar took small sips as Claire went to her own bed to get one of her underdresses. She barely noticed Claire standing her up to change shifts or the poorly hidden look of serious worry the older woman had when she saw the red dots on the rest of her daughter's body. When she was laid back down, Skylar felt the coolness of the wet washcloths on her face and chest, but she didn't react to them. All of her was too busy trying to wrap her head around her diagnosis. A thousand questions were racing through her mind, each one adding to her already horrendous migraine.

How? How did this happen? Where did I get it? How does it get treated? Am I going to die?

"Skylar, you need to calm down," Claire told her. "You're going to hyperventilate. Squeeze my hand and just focus on me." She did. She didn't realize her breathing had gotten so fast.

When Skylar began to settle, Claire spoke gently to her. "You're going to be alright. I promise, I will do everything I can to get you past this. Measles is very common in this time and most people come out the other side with no problem."

"If 99 out of 100 people survive, there still has to be that 1 that doesn't. What if I'm that 1?"

"Don't talk like that. Over my dead body will I allow you to not recover. You are going to get healthy and then this will all seem like a bad dream." Skylar's face betrayed that she was very scared. Claire stroked her hair comfortingly and blotted the washcloth from her forehead on her cheeks and neck. "If God has any funny ideas about taking you away from us, He'll have to go through me, Jamie and Ian. And Ian would likely shoot and kill God Himself before letting anything happen to you."

Skylar laughed at that but was cut off by another short attack of coughing. When this one was done, she closed her eyes and took slow breaths in and out.

Claire helped her sit up enough so she could drink some more water to try to soothe her aching and coarse throat. But any relief the water provided was short lived.

Claire rewet the cloths and placed them back on the poor girl's skin.

"How did I not see the signs?" she questioned herself. "I'm a 20th Century surgeon for Christ's sake. I should be able to catch the early signals a mile away. God, I never should have left you."

Skylar replied, in between heavy breaths, "It just seemed like a cold. There was no reason to think it was anything else." Claire didn't say anything. "Please don't feel guilty. Me getting sick is not your fault. And it was going to get to this point even if we knew earlier. The only thing that makes me nervous is…how contagious am I?"

"You were likely most contagious four days before your rash started."

"Could I have passed it to anyone?"

"You haven't been around the Muellers since before you were sick, so you couldn't have given it to any of them. I can't get it because I've been vaccinated, and Jamie's immune because he had it when he was younger."

"What about Ian?"
Claire hesitated. "I'm not sure. I don't know if he's had it."

"If I made him sick, I will never forgive myself. He's been doing everything for me and hasn't left my side once this whole time. I've also kissed him in the last four days. If anything happens to him, I can't- I-I can't…I wouldn't – he'd…"

Her breathing rapidly picked up again and Claire took her hand. "Skylar, you cannot overexert yourself. You need to stay calm and rest your body. Ian wasn't showing any symptoms before he and Jamie left, so it's extremely unlikely that he got it. And I'm positive that if he started to seem sick, Jamie would bring him back immediately."

Skylar just nodded, choosing to believe Claire's words that Ian was okay.

Claire decided that she was going to make Skylar a clove tea to try to open her sinuses and get her breathing through her nose. While she was making it, she asked, "Do you not still have the measles vaccine in your time?"

"No, we do. You're supposed to get it when you're an infant, and then again when you're around 4 years old."

"It's unbelievably rare for someone to still be able to contract the disease once they've been properly inoculated."

"I didn't get it done properly though. That's why I'm able to get it probably."

"What do you mean?" Claire came back and placed the tea on the side table so she could help Skylar sit up yet again. "Slowly, now, slowly. There we go." She grabbed the pillows from her and Jamie's bed for Skylar to lean back against. She then handed her the tea and brought over a chair to sit in next to the bed.

Skylar took a sip of the drink and had to force herself not to spit it out. It didn't taste good and it burned going down. But if Claire said it would help, she would deal with it.

She then explained her story, "I got the first shot when I was a baby like normal. I was all set to get the second when I was four, but then my dad left and that destroyed my mom. She was such a mess that my measles vaccine got put to the side. The divorce took like three years to finalize and it was so horrible that when it was finally done, no one remembered anything about me needing a shot. It really never came up again and I hate needles so I wasn't going to ask about it. When my schools would check about my vaccinations, they would see that I had one done and that was good enough for them. No one ever asked questions. So, yeah. Long story short, I wasn't properly vaccinated and no one thought it was a big deal because no one ever imagined I would be living in 1768 where measles is as common as the flu."

She took another sip of the tea. Speaking that much made her lose her breath and she felt terribly dizzy.

"No one bothered to check to make sure you had both?" Skylar shook her head. "That's ridiculous. It's a young girl's health in question."

"Yeah. Adults, and just people in general, really suck in the 2000s."

"They weren't much better when I was your age, I assure you."

Skylar gave a half smile but it quickly vanished. She closed her eyes and held her head as she let out a low groan.

"Does your head hurt?" Claire questioned.

"My whole body hurts. God, what I wouldn't give for some ibuprofen."

"Well, we're a bit short on that at the moment. But I can make you a different tea with willow bark. It acts as a sort of aspirin in this century."

"Is it at delicious as this one?" Skylar asked sarcastically.

Claire chuckled. "The stronger it is, the better it will work. I can put a little honey in it if you'd like."

"Yes please."

Claire stood up and went to grab a small jar of honey from the cabinet.

As she crossed back, she commented, "This is our second to last jar. You and Jamie will have to go find another hive soon."

During the Fall, Jamie had taken Skylar to hunt bees; meaning they would go out into the woods to hind a hive of honeybees and once they found one, Jamie would put the bees to sleep with some smoke so they could bring it back to the Ridge. They would then release the bees and harvest honey and honeycomb from the hive.

Skylar had loved going hunting with him. It was a full day from before sunup to just after sundown of just the two of them. She immensely enjoyed every minute of quality time she was able to spend with her dad and always looked forward to when she would again. She had been over the moon when Jamie talked about "the next time we go," like her coming with him was so obvious and definite.

Skylar smiled as Claire scooped a spoonful of the sticky gold into her cup.

"Dad said when the weather gets warm again we'll go back out."

"And if you want to be healthy enough to do that, we have to kick this disease in its ass. So drink up and get some rest."

The honey helped slightly. It made the tea more palatable and Skylar was able to get down a few more gulps before her head was feeling too heavy to keep upright.

She wasn't able to get more than 30 minutes of sleep at a time. Her full body fever, full body aches and continuous difficulty breathing made it impossible for her to relax or get comfortable in the least.

During one of the periods in between her naps, she asked Claire why she had come home so early. Claire told her that Petronella ended up going into labor very soon after she arrived and the delivery had been relatively quick and easy. She felt okay with leaving the family the morning after and would go back to check on the mother and baby in a couple weeks.

"There was a bit of an issue with some Cherokee though," Claire added. "Gerhard wasn't very happy with them stopping on his land to use "his" water for their horses. He and Tommy even pulled their rifles on them."

"Omigod. Was anyone hurt?"

"No, thankfully. They recognized me and left peacefully. But Gerhard was convinced that they cursed him and his family, which is insanely absurd."

"And the racist bullshit never gets any better."

Over the next three days, Skylar was still bedridden. Between the willow bark tea and Claire using acupressure, her migraine was becoming more manageable. But her fever was still very high and her cough was persistent.

She also felt so bad because on top of taking care of her, Claire had to manage the upkeep of the Ridge on her own. So Skylar tried not to complain about how in pain she was. She didn't want Claire to think she was at all ungrateful for all she was doing, or annoy her and add to her stress with whining.

But one afternoon when Claire had gone outside to tend to the animals, Skylar let herself quietly cry.

After only a few minutes though, she heard Claire catch her. "Skylar? What's wrong? Is it your head? Are you too hot?" She wet another washcloth and dabbed it on Skylar's face and neck.

Skylar sniffed hard to try to stop her ever running nose, made worse by her crying.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in. I didn't want…you weren't-I didn't want you to see me cry."

"Why?"

"You're doing so much to get me better plus house and land work, and I didn't want to seem ungrateful by complaining about how fucking miserable the measles are."

"You voicing the pain you're in is not being ungrateful. Measles is an awful disease and you're taking it like a soldier. You're doing everything you can to beat it with no resources that I'm sure you're used to back in your time and that is damn difficult. You're allowed to cry and complain about just how difficult it is. I wish so much I could fight it for you. I'd do anything to transfer it from you to me."

"I'm glad you can't." She started to cough again, making the pain in her head and chest flare up. More tears overflowed from her already watery eyes.

Claire delicately wiped them away with the washcloth.

"My sweet girl, what can I do for you? Is there something I can get you? Another pillow? Some more willow bark?"

"Ian. I want Ian. I miss him. Dad too."

"I know, darling. They should be back in just a couple days, and then, I guarantee, Ian won't let you out of his sight ever again."

Skylar laughed lightly but it just dissolved into some lingering coughs.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back," Claire told her, and went to the door. Skylar closed her eyes and focused on taking steady breaths.

She heard Claire greet the guest with, when she opened the door, "Pastor Gottfried. What are you doing here?"
Pastor Gottfried was a man who had chosen to settle on the Fraser's 10,000 acres before they had officially started recruiting settlers. He was a very kind man who had become a friend to them.

"Frau Mueller sent me," he told her.

"Is everything alright?"

There was a long silence before he answered, "Tommy, Petronella and the baby…died."

"What?" Her soft but sharp tone of voice on that one word conveyed how shocked she was by the news.

"I gave them last rites this morning."

"How?"

"The measle."

Skylar heard Claire pause when he said that, but she didn't see her look back at her.

"Let's continue outside," she told the man. She went out onto the porch, closing the door almost all the way behind her.

Skylar couldn't hear them, but she wasn't trying to. She heard that three people had died from the measles and that made the panic set in again. Her entire body was shaking and she was so dizzy and lightheaded she thought she was going to black out. It felt like her lungs weren't working and she was struggling to take in a breath.

She heard Rollo start barking next to her bed and was pawing at and licking her hand.

Suddenly, Claire was back with her and helping her to sit up.

"Skylar, look at me. Look at me!" she ordered, firmly. She moved Skylar's head up to face her and didn't let go. "Do you know where you are right now? Where are you?"

It took a long time for Skylar to get into enough of a headspace to stutter out, "Fra-Fr…Fraser-Fraser's Ridge."

"And what are three things that are on Fraser's Ridge?"

After another ten seconds, she said, "Horses…cab-" She stopped. This panic attack was one of the strongest and hardest to come out of.

"Keep going," Claire pressed.

She finally was able to get out, "Cab…in. Cabin."

"Good. One more."

"G-gard…garden. Your…garden."

"Who lives here on the Ridge?"

She could at last feel her heart start to slow and her breathing even out as she listed, "Me…you…Dad…Ian…Rollo." She looked at said dog and put a hand on his head to pet him.

When Claire could tell she was breathing more regular and was not at risk of passing out, she let go of Skylar's face. But the girl's overall look still worried her. She had lost all the color in her face minus the slight red in her cheeks from the fever and her eyes were as large as dinner plates from fear. She was still visibly shaking and breathing, though steady, very hard.

"They died," Skylar stated. "All three of them. They all died from the measles."

"They were different. Petronella and the baby, their bodies were so weak from the birth that the virus was much stronger and moved far quicker with them. And Tommy, they all live in very close quarters, so it likely worked through his body the same." She took Skylar's hand and held it tight. "You are going to be fine. You are not going to die. Remember what you said before about 18th Century germs being no match for your 21st Century immune system? It's sure as hell not going to let this virus win, especially when it already has some protection from it from the first vaccine. You will come back from this and that is a promise I would risk my life on." Skylar's wide eyes stayed locked on Claire as she spoke. She nodded, wanting to believe the words coming from the doctor even if she was still petrified. "You should lay back down and try to rest more."

Skylar nodded again and allowed Claire to help bring her head back to the pillow.

When she was fully horizontal again, Claire went to stand up but Skylar gripped her hand tighter.

"Please don't leave."

Claire sat back down. "I'm not going anywhere."

When Claire started to brush the top of her hair with her fingers, it coaxed Skylar to finally relax. And as the adrenaline drained, exhaustion overtook her and she couldn't keep her eyes open.

She was woken up in the middle of the night by Rollo barking. She opened her eyes and groggily turned to the sound. She saw Claire standing at the window, staring out of it and death-gripping her rifle. She was at full alert, like she was expecting to see something.

After a moment, her face de-tensed and she turned to Rollo. "It's just the wind," she said to him.

"Are you looking for someone?" Skylar mumbled, still half asleep.

"I'm so sorry, Sky. I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep."

"Why do you have the rifle?"

Before Claire could answer, a bluster of wind howled through and a cold breeze slipped in through gaps in the walls and windows, making Skylar shiver.

"Are you cold?" Claire asked. She grabbed the blanket off her and Jamie's bed to bring to her.

Skylar pulled the blanket already on her up to her chin as she nodded. "This is the first time in days where I feel like I'm not sweating bullets."

Claire laid the other blanket over her and felt her face and forehead. "Your fever's beginning to come down. Thank God."

Skylar sniffed hard to stop her runny nose and she actually got some oxygen in through it.

"My nose is clearing," she announced happily.

Claire smiled and put her hand on the girl's cheek, brushing it with her thumb. "You're past the worst of it, darling. I knew you were far too strong to let some silly little virus overtake you."

Skylar gave a sleepy smile back, then let her eyes close again.

During all of the next day, Skylar could feel herself slowly moving past the peak of her sickness and onto recovery. She could now sit up comfortably on her own and her head and body aches had gone down tremendously. She could breathe a bit through her nose and her internal fire had at long last been extinguished. She also had the slightest bit more of an appetite, so Claire gave her a bowl of broth to eat, but told her to still go slow; she didn't want to push anything.

"Your rash is even starting to fade," Claire commented that night. She had taken Skylar's soup bowl after she had finished with it to bring it to the counter. And she was right. The red dots were still clear to see, but not so vibrant anymore.

"I never want to get sick in this time again. How did all of humanity not just die out before modern medicine and vaccines?"

Claire laughed. "Speaking as a healer, I truly have no idea."

Their moment of peace was interrupted by loud banging at the door which made both women jump and set Rollo off barking.

"Klara!" the voice came from outside. "Frau Klara! I just want to talk!"

"Is that Herr Mueller?" Skylar asked.

Claire put the bowl on the table and picked up her rifle. "Skylar, be asleep." She pointed it at the door where Rollo was growling.

"What is going on?"

"Do as I say, Skylar. Lie down."

Too nervous to question why, she obeyed.

"Rollo, get back!" Claire ordered the dog. He did as he was told and went by Skylar's bed to guard her. She was on her side with her eyes closed, trying to be as still as possible.

Claire called out to Gerhard, "What do you want?"

Skylar didn't see any of the following action take place, but she heard everything. She heard the man open the door and come inside.

"Frau Klara, you're alive," he said with relief evident. "The measle, I fear I come too late and it will take you too." He must've noticed Skylar in the bed because he then said, "Ach du Lieber Gott, your daughter. She is sick with it?" She heard the floor creak as he attempted to go to her, but Claire stopped him.

"Do not go near her," she told him threateningly.

There was a very long silence. Skylar had to keep reminding herself to breathe because she had to look believably asleep. But the unease she felt with Gerhard in the room triggered her instinct to hold her breath.

He finally spoke again, with so much pain and grieving in his delivery. "They are dead. My children, the baby. They got the measle and…" He faded off. Skylar heard his shoes heavily clap against the floor and a chair at their table pull out.

"I'm so sorry," Claire responded with genuine empathy. "I wish there was something that I could've done."

"There was no use. The curse was strong. They die very fast."

Omigod, the Cherokee, Skylar thought, remembering what Claire had told her about Gerhard thinking the Cherokee had cursed him.

Claire tried to get him to understand the truth. "Herr Mueller, measles is a disease. It spreads from person to person."

"Ja, it happened to me and my wife in Gunzburg. We were sick for a week."

"It's likely it traveled with you from Cross Creek-"

"No!" he argued over her.

"Through no fault of your own. Skylar probably caught it from you as well."

"Nell and the baby die very quickly. Too quickly!"

She told him the same thing she told Skylar. "But their bodies were weak after the birth. They would've never survived the fever."

But he refused to believe it. "This is not what happened. They die because of the curse. The savages hate us and want our land. It is them! They are supposed to die of the pox, not us! Not the one who believe in God."

What kind of white supremacist bullshit is this? Skylar reacted angrily in her head. She wanted so bad to slap him and cuss him out. But she just bit her lip and clenched her fists under her blankets instead.

He scoffed. "No matter. It is over now. I take care of them for us and for you."

What the hell does that mean?

She heard rummaging of cloth and guessed he had taken something out of his pocket when Claire said, "Baby Klara's doll. Thank you."

It was quiet as Claire opened whatever it was Gerhard had handed to her. But from the sound of shock and disgust she made, Skylar could figure it wasn't a doll he gave her.

"Adawehi," Claire's voice shook as she said.

That made Skylar actually stop breathing. What the fuck did he do?
Adawehi was the healer of the Cherokee tribe they had made friends with, and Claire had been particularly close to her. She was a wise, kind and gentle woman who would never do bad to anyone; and Skylar was sure Herr Mueller had killed her in revenge.

"She was their healer," Claire spoke in desperation and anger.

"She was a witch, ja?" he came back. "There can be no curse without a witch!" He sounded frantic.

"All they wanted was some water!"
He then started screaming, "Water is everywhere! The creek, the lake, the stream. They do not come to my land for water! The savages come to show that my land is theirs!"

With an unwavering firm and calm voice, Claire told him, "Goodbye, Herr Mueller."

He paused, then accepted. "Goodbye, Frau Klara." Skylar heard his footsteps lead to the door, but stopped before he left. "I pray your child fares better than mine. May God have mercy on you and her." Then, he walked out, closing the door shut behind him.

Skylar's eyes shot open and she bolted to sitting up. But even though she was better, she was still sick and so the sudden fast movement gave her a massive head rush. When she could see again, she just said, "What the hell was that? What did he do?"

Claire didn't answer. She stood still in her same spot and cried quietly over the cloth in her hand, which Skylar could now seed held Adawehi's scalp.

"Omigod," Skylar whispered.

Silently, Claire put the cloth from Herr Mueller on the table and went to the box that held their jerky. She emptied it and brought it back to the table as well as a clean a linen. Skylar watched intently as Claire wrapped Adawehi's scalp in the linen and placed it in the box along with some small dried flowers, then locked it. She picked it up and laid it carefully in the fire in the fireplace to give her late friend the respect and funeral she so deserved.

Skylar used her newfound energy to get out of bed and went to kneel beside Claire. Claire looked at her as she knelt down and Skylar saw the heartbreak and sadness in her eyes before she looked back to the fire.

She didn't know what words to say that would comfort her, so she just wrapped her arms around Claire and laid her head on Claire's shoulder. Claire touched Skylar's arm tenderly in response as she continued to cry.

They stayed in this position, not speaking, for almost 15 minutes until Claire gently separated them.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she said, wiping her eyes. She sniffed then said, "I can feel the goosebumps on your skin. Let's get you back to bed." Somehow, they both fell asleep that night.

Skylar didn't hear it, but Claire woke up early the next morning when Rollo let out a small bark and growl. Fearing that Herr Mueller was back, she jumped to her feet and grabbed the rifle that she kept next to her bed that night. She followed Rollo as he casually walked to the door and was whining and scratching at it.

Claire was trying to stay levelheaded in case it came down to having to protect herself and Skylar, but she felt ice cold with fear and anxiety over who was on the other side of the door.

The relief she felt when she heard Jamie call out, "Sassenach!" nearly sent her to her knees.

"Jamie," she whispered to herself and quickly opened the door. Her heart leapt when she saw her husband walking towards her with that familiar and safe smile.

But his smile dropped when he saw how terrified she clearly was and he ran to her. She met him on the porch and fell into him.

On the edge of tears, she said to him, "Oh, Jamie. I'm so glad you're home."

With every worst case scenario playing through his head, he brought her face back in front of his and asked very seriously, "What's wrong?"
"Just hold me," she begged; and he did just that. He held her tight while she cried into his shoulder. He didn't ask any questions, knowing that if this had something to do with Skylar, she would've told him right away. She would explain later.

They were pulled apart when they heard Ian calling, "Auntie!" He had put the horses back in their space and was now wanting, more than anything, to see Skylar.

He jogged up to the porch where Jamie and Claire were and seeing their faces made his smile disappear as well.

"What's wrong?" he questioned. "Is Skylar alright? Where is she?"

"She's inside, in bed," Claire told him. He immediately went for the door, but Claire stopped him. "Wait, Ian. I have to ask you first, have you ever had the measles?"

"Aye, when I was wee. Why?"

"Because, what we thought was a cold that Skylar had, was actually the measles. It got bad while you were gone. She's better now, but she still hasn't ful-"

Ian didn't wait for her to finish that sentence. He raced into the cabin and stopped short before Skylar's bed. She was asleep with her hair going every which way on the pillow and her blankets were pulled around her chin. He could see the red dots on her face and the one leg that stuck out from under the blankets, but he could tell they were starting to go away.

Rollo, who had been sitting next to Skylar's bed, bounded to Ian and jumped on him and licked him, so happy to have his other human home.

Ian knelt down to pet him and whispered so Skylar wouldn't wake up, "Hi, boy. Ye took good care of her, aye? I ken ye did. Yer such a good boy, yes."

He stood up and went to sit on the edge of her bed. He very gently stroked her hair and brushed some of it out of her face. He drew the back of his hand down her cheek, feeling each little bump.

Skylar started to stir and she took the best breath in through her nose that she had taken in a while and let it out through her mouth. She stretched and rolled onto her back. She opened her eyes for just a moment and smiled sleepily, it not registering that Ian was there.

But when it did, she gasped and opened her eyes wide. "Ian, you can't be near me right now. I have the measles and I'm still contagious."

"I've already had the measles, Yank. I'll be fine. I canna get them again."

"Oh, thank God. I was so scared I had given it to you already." A realization then hit her and she groaned, turning onto her side to face away from him and pulled one of the blankets over her head. "I hate so much that you're seeing me like this. I look so gross."

"Nonsense. You're the only person in the world who can still look so beautiful while sick." He took the blanket off her head.

Skylar giggled and faced him again. She just looked at him for a second, then took his hand and played with his fingers. "I missed you," she told him.

"I missed you more."

She laughed. "Let's not start that. Neither of us will win." He smiled, and seeing him smile at her made her forget for a moment about all the pain and misery she had been in the last week, and also the events of the previous night.

Claire and Skylar did recount all that happened to Jamie and Ian, and they were just as horrified. They made a plan to go to the Cherokee village to pay their respects once Skylar was well enough to.

That evening, Pastor Gottfried stopped by again to inform them of the deaths of Gerhard and Rosewitha. Their cabin had been burned down and their bodies were scorched. They all knew it was the Cherokee avenging the murder of Adawehi, but none of them spoke it out loud. Pastor Gottfried led them in a prayer for the two's souls.

Thankfully, Jamie had bought some news, thought it only had an impact on Claire. He had found his godfather, and Claire's very good friend from 20 years ago, Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, working as a blacksmith in Woolam's Creek.

"Omigod, that's so wonderful!" Claire exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "Why didn't he come back with you?"

Jamie told her, "He has business in Woolam's Creek that he canna leave. He's the leader of the Regulators."

Skylar remembered hearing about the Regulators back at River Run, but didn't know that much about them. Jamie explained that they were a group of men who were rioting and protesting against the government, and Governor Tryon specifically, for waging unfair taxes on farmers and commonfolk.

"It's those taxes, in fact, that are the reason no one took up our offer of land," Jamie added. "We'll have te try again another time. Maybe a different town."

He also said that Murtagh was hopeful he would be able to visit sometime, but it likely wouldn't be soon.

Skylar continued to recover from the measles over the next week. Three days after Jamie and Ian came home, her rash was 100% gone. But she still had a lingering cough and runny nose.

Once she was rash free, Claire told her that she was able to be off bed rest and could rejoin the world. Ian still made it so that, while she was still the least bit sick, she didn't have to lift a finger. Skylar knew him too well that arguing against it would do nothing, but she did draw the line at him wanting to take care of all her chores around the Ridge. As a compromise, she allowed him to do them with her, which she enjoyed as well.

However, even though they were spending nearly all day and night together and were holding hands constantly, Skylar still did not let him kiss her yet. He kept reminding her that he was immune, but some small paranoid part of her brain was afraid that there was still a small possibility that he could get it if they kissed. She could tell it was driving him crazy, and her as well, but it was for her own peace of mind so she stuck to it. But when the day came that she had been 24 hours symptom free, they certainly made up for it.

Ian had left early that morning to go fishing with John Quincy Myers and a few of the Cherokee, and when he came back, Skylar practically jumped on him and they made out hard for a solid 10 minutes. Jamie looked the other way this time and just pretended he had no idea.

Things had returned to normal on the Ridge and their daily lives went by with no big changes or surprises. But that, of course, couldn't have lasted for very long.

In the middle of one afternoon, Skylar, Ian and Jamie were all inside while Claire was outside gathering firewood. The three were working on their own things in a comfortable silence. Skylar was shaping dough for a loaf of bread, Ian was sharpening a knife he had been given by one of his Cherokee friends, and Jamie was responding to a letter he had received the day before from Tryon. The silence was interrupted by Claire coming through the door, laughing.

"Jamie, look who I found wandering by," she said with a huge smile.

Next to Claire was a man Skylar had never seen before. He was as tall as Jamie but his white ponytail and beard as well as a smattering of wrinkles showed his age. His face was similar to Jamie's in that it was very kind but he was more than capable of scaring anyone in line with just a single look.

Jamie's entire face lit up and his demeanor became very light when he saw the man. Ian also seemed happy to see him.

"Murtagh!" Jamie exclaimed with total joy. He stood to cross to him, and the men hugged to greet each other. Jamie brought him more into the center of the cabin saying, "I thought it would be a while still until we saw ye here."

"I thought I should come by and see this bit'a land yer so proud of," Murtagh told him. "I also couldna stay away knowing that Claire was back here wi' ye." He smiled at her and Claire returned it brightly. Ian came up next to Jamie and Murtagh nodded at him. "It's good te see ye again, lad."

"Ye as well," Ian responded and shook his hand.

Murtagh's eyes then landed on Skylar who was separated from everyone else and still at the table. "And ye must be Skylar," he said to her. When he started walking towards her, Skylar felt very nervous all of a sudden. "Jamie told me all about ye and how ye came te him. He told me that he is verra proud te be able te call ye his daughter." He smiled softly at her and all of Skylar's nerves vanished. She could also see in his eyes that when he said Jamie told him everything about her, that he really meant Jamie told him everything. But she still would confirm that later to make sure.

"He told me a lot about you too," she said back. "I'm so happy that I get to finally meet you."

"And I you. I now understand why the lad couldna stop talkin' me ear off about ye." He glanced back at Ian and Skylar laughed lightly at him blushing from Murtagh's comment.

"Yeah, we don't do well with distance between us for too long." She reached her hand out to Ian. He eagerly went to her to take it and kissed her cheek.

Murtagh then looked at Jamie and said, "I can also already see what ye meant that ye canna let them alone out of yer sight."

Skylar and Ian rolled their eyes while the others laughed and agreed.

Jamie was thrilled to find out that Murtagh was planning on staying for a while.

"Yer more than welcome te stay as long as ye'd like," Jamie told him. "Just give the word and we'll set about buildin' ye yer own cabin."

Whenever Skylar thought that their life had finally settled down into a normal routine and there would be no more excitement, she would turn a corner and there would be something there, be it major or minor, that would shake up the world she kept re-getting used to. But she knew that just went along with being a part of Jamie Fraser's family and she was in it for the long ride, no matter what unexpected craziness was sure to come along again soon.

Nothing says "welcome back from hiatus" like a massively long chapter. Remember when I said extra super long chapters? I really meant it hahaha

But going off that, HIATUS IS FINALLY OVER! There will be new chapters regularly every Saturday for the rest of this fic. At some point, I may be changing it to Saturdays and Tuesdays, but we'll have to see about that as we go. I want to say thank you so so so so so so much for all of you being incredibly patient and understanding during this time. You are all amazing and I give each of you a huge virtual hug!

I am so excited to share the rest of YotAS with you and I hope you will like it!

I love ye all verra verra much and I will see you here next Saturday! Stay safe and happy holidays!