"Here's some formula, in case she gets hungry." Elizabeth handed the bottle to Olivia, who had agreed to take Laura for the weekend. "She almost always sleeps through the night now. I also packed plenty of diapers and several outfits."
"Sounds like you thought of everything." Olivia smiled as she took her three-month-old granddaughter into her arms. "Hello, little one. You and Grandma are gonna have so much fun together."
"Thanks again for agreeing to watch her," said Elizabeth.
"Oh, it's no problem at all!" Olivia replied.
Elizabeth got back into the car beside Max, who was riding in the front seat beside his parents. Paul stopped outside Ike's store and honked his horn, and a few seconds later, Patty and Sharon came running out with their suitcases. Paul put the suitcases into the trunk, the girls got into the back seat, and they were off.
When they reached the camp site, Elizabeth helped Paul pitch the tents while Patty and Sharon helped Max look for interesting leaves. When the tents were ready, the group sat on the bank talking and fishing. Paul related stories of his boyhood in Wisconsin, Elizabeth talked about meeting Aimee for the first time, and Patty and Sharon told the Brimmers about their grandparents, the Frieds.
"They live in Memphis," Patty told her friends. "They're both very nice. Grandma used to take me shopping with her and give me money to spend."
"She makes great kugel, too!" Sharon added.
Paul caught four fish, Elizabeth caught two, and Patty and Sharon caught one each. Max sat on the bank with his toy fishing pole, pretending to catch a fish every so often.
At twilight, Paul cleaned and gutted the fish, and Elizabeth cooked them over an open fire along with some baked beans she'd brought along. When the group had eaten all they could hold, Elizabeth put the leftovers away. Max soon fell asleep in his father's arms, and as stars began to twinkle in the sky, the group toasted marshmallows and sang songs until it was bedtime.
Olivia awakened to a piercing cry from the playpen in which Laura slept. She picked up the infant and held her.
"My God, John, she's burning up!" she said to her husband, who was rubbing his eyes. He touched the baby's arm, then nodded in agreement.
Olivia filled the infant tub with lukewarm water, undressed Laura, put her into the tub, and began to rub her skin with a soft washcloth. Her cries dwindled down to whimpers, and Olivia saw her pulling at her right ear.
"I bet you've got an ear infection," she said. She held Laura and placed a warm compress over her right ear until she fell asleep. She slept several hours but then woke up screaming again. An exhausted Olivia repeated her ministrations, and somehow, they got through the rest of the night.
The following day, Olivia spent the entire morning caring for her granddaughter. Paul and Elizabeth returned at about two in the afternoon.
"How has she been?" asked Elizabeth as she gathered her sleeping daughter into her arms.
"She woke up in the middle of the night with a raging fever, tugging at her right ear," said Elizabeth. "I think she has an ear infection."
"Oh, no!" Elizabeth cuddled Laura close, feeling the infant's hot skin against her face. "We'd better take her to the emergency room right away!"
In the emergency room, a young resident examined Laura and gave his prognosis.
"She has an ear infection, all right. I'm going to prescribe an antibiotic for her, as well as an analgesic to help alleviate the pain and bring down her temperature. Give her three doses of the antibiotic for ten days and then follow up with your regular physician."
"Thank you!" said Elizabeth. She and Paul got the prescriptions, picked Max up from her parents', and then went home.
She gave Laura the medicine as prescribed, and her daughter was soon back to her normal, cheerful self.