"Challenger, come quickly!"
Professor George Challenger had been so engrossed in his current work that he had barely registered the sound of the moving elevator. Roxton's anxious cry, however, did get his attention. He exited his lab only to find a very concerned Roxton carrying a disheveled-looking Marguerite in his arms.
"She's burning up, Challenger," Roxton said as he entered her room and very carefully laid the sleeping woman on the bed. He tenderly brushed several strands of hair off her face, his hand lingering on her warm cheek, until Challenger motioned him into the common area.
"Tell me what happened, Roxton," Challenger said with concern. All he had to do was look at the naked fear in the hunter's eyes to know something was very wrong.
"She's been ill since she woke up this morning and never said anything to any of us. While we were hunting, she lost her footing crossing a stream and tumbled in. I tried to convince her to take some time to warm up, but you know how she gets when she's angry. As near as I can tell, the fever came on about two hours ago."
"Did she mention any other symptoms?" Challenger asked carefully, trying not to make Roxton even more anxious than he was already. The professor had a few suspicions as to what they were dealing with, but he didn't want to alarm Roxton prematurely
"She mentioned a headache, a sore throat, and some dizziness. Towards the end of the trip back, she seemed to have a hard time catching her breath. She finally got so exhausted that she stopped refusing my offers to carry her. She fell asleep in my arms about a half hour ago."
Roxton had been staring at Marguerite's room as he recounted the difficult trip back to the treehouse. He turned to his friend with a sad, lost expression on his face. "What's wrong with her, George?"
"I'm not a physician, John, so I can only guess. I think what started out as a cold may have turned into something more serious. I'm afraid that the infection has moved into Marguerite's lungs."
"You don't mean pneumonia, do you? It can't be pneumonia. Not here. Not in the middle of the bloody jungle!" Roxton's face turned ashen as the fear clenched in his belly. "My parents used to tell me about the time I came down with pneumonia as a child. I was about four or five, and they said I almost died. They said it was the most scared they had ever been in their lives. I was in hospital for a week, George, in London, and I still almost died. What chance can she possibly have here?"
Challenger heard the despair threatening to overcome his friend and quickly took charge. He grabbed Roxton by both shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Buckle up, old man," he said emphatically. "You've got to stay strong. She's going to need your strength to help her get through this. Summerlee told me about several different herbs that are potentially useful in this situation, and I'm sure that Veronica's parents' journals have lists of all sorts of medicinal plants. I'm going to go check our supply of mustard and willow bark while you go check on Marguerite. Veronica and Ned should be returning from the Zanga village within the hour. Whatever we don't have here, I'm sure Veronica can find. She knows this plateau better then anybody."
Roxton rose slowly, his normally lithe body feeling stiff with tension. He stopped and looked at Challenger with a pleading expression. "She's everything to me, George." With that, he turned and headed towards Marguerite's room.
"I know" was Challenger's quiet response.
Professor George Challenger had been so engrossed in his current work that he had barely registered the sound of the moving elevator. Roxton's anxious cry, however, did get his attention. He exited his lab only to find a very concerned Roxton carrying a disheveled-looking Marguerite in his arms.
"She's burning up, Challenger," Roxton said as he entered her room and very carefully laid the sleeping woman on the bed. He tenderly brushed several strands of hair off her face, his hand lingering on her warm cheek, until Challenger motioned him into the common area.
"Tell me what happened, Roxton," Challenger said with concern. All he had to do was look at the naked fear in the hunter's eyes to know something was very wrong.
"She's been ill since she woke up this morning and never said anything to any of us. While we were hunting, she lost her footing crossing a stream and tumbled in. I tried to convince her to take some time to warm up, but you know how she gets when she's angry. As near as I can tell, the fever came on about two hours ago."
"Did she mention any other symptoms?" Challenger asked carefully, trying not to make Roxton even more anxious than he was already. The professor had a few suspicions as to what they were dealing with, but he didn't want to alarm Roxton prematurely
"She mentioned a headache, a sore throat, and some dizziness. Towards the end of the trip back, she seemed to have a hard time catching her breath. She finally got so exhausted that she stopped refusing my offers to carry her. She fell asleep in my arms about a half hour ago."
Roxton had been staring at Marguerite's room as he recounted the difficult trip back to the treehouse. He turned to his friend with a sad, lost expression on his face. "What's wrong with her, George?"
"I'm not a physician, John, so I can only guess. I think what started out as a cold may have turned into something more serious. I'm afraid that the infection has moved into Marguerite's lungs."
"You don't mean pneumonia, do you? It can't be pneumonia. Not here. Not in the middle of the bloody jungle!" Roxton's face turned ashen as the fear clenched in his belly. "My parents used to tell me about the time I came down with pneumonia as a child. I was about four or five, and they said I almost died. They said it was the most scared they had ever been in their lives. I was in hospital for a week, George, in London, and I still almost died. What chance can she possibly have here?"
Challenger heard the despair threatening to overcome his friend and quickly took charge. He grabbed Roxton by both shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Buckle up, old man," he said emphatically. "You've got to stay strong. She's going to need your strength to help her get through this. Summerlee told me about several different herbs that are potentially useful in this situation, and I'm sure that Veronica's parents' journals have lists of all sorts of medicinal plants. I'm going to go check our supply of mustard and willow bark while you go check on Marguerite. Veronica and Ned should be returning from the Zanga village within the hour. Whatever we don't have here, I'm sure Veronica can find. She knows this plateau better then anybody."
Roxton rose slowly, his normally lithe body feeling stiff with tension. He stopped and looked at Challenger with a pleading expression. "She's everything to me, George." With that, he turned and headed towards Marguerite's room.
"I know" was Challenger's quiet response.