That's right. You guessed it. Katherine got it next and there are few worse things than a sick baby. I didn't get a wink of sleep for the next three days. I hadn't gotten a whole lot when Ponyboy was sick either but Katherine kept me going twenty four seven, day and night, rain or shine. If she wasn't crying she was fussing and if she wasn't fussing she was throwing up and I swear it's nearly impossible to get her to rest. I'd put her in her crib and she'd stand up and want out. Or I'd lay her on my bed and she'd make her way off of it. She's a real clever little thing.
Katherine had caught the flu nearly the second Ponyboy got over it and I was back out with the carpet cleaner. And on top of that she got a fever. I couldn't go to work because I couldn't put her in the day care center when she was sick. Ponyboy said he wasn't gonna risk catching it again and he wouldn't get near her. I don't blame him. I'm rarely getting sick and I'm thankful for that seeing as she must've thrown up on me at least five times. I guess I've built up a strong immune system after time. It makes sense since my brothers will occasionally get something and I gotta deal with it so maybe my body's just used to all the germs. Soda kept his distance from her two by my and his own command. I did not want anybody else to get this. It was miserable for the whole household.
"C'mon now. Please quit crying." I begged. It was three o'clock in the morning and I was cradling a sick Katherine in my arms and pleading with her to let me get some sleep. Just some. Maybe only five minutes. I'd called Two-Bit's mom up right away when she got sick. I didn't know what to do for her and all or if I could even give her pepto bismol. Heck, what do you give babies when they get the flue? I didn't know if it was the same stuff I would take or different. I didn't know if this would last more than just a few days for her. Anyways, Mrs. Mathews said I should take her to the pediatrician since she's still so little and the younger they are the harder it is for their little bodies to fight the sickness off. So I took her, got a prescription, and a few helpful tips from some of the mothers in the waiting room.
"Want mama!" Katherine continued to cry. Poor kid. I could've slapped Brooke for just disappearing like this again, leaving our little girl here. I couldn't do this by myself. I didn't know how. Shoot up until a couple weeks ago I didn't even know I had a kid.
"I know, I know. She'd know what to do." I said, my voice pleading. I rocked her and held her, begging her to go to sleep for what seemed like hours on end. Finally at long last she drifted off to sleep. I didn't dare put her down in fear that she would wake up again so she spent the rest of the night laying on my stomach and I woke up to find her in the same position the next morning. I was kind of afraid I'd roll over or something but I hadn't and I trusted myself for the most part.
"Darry!" Soda yelled from the living room, loud enough for the whole country to hear. I'm gonna clobber him! I thought, looking over at Katherine but found that she was still sleeping. I placed her on the bed very carefully and got up.
"What is it?" I whispered, walking out into the living room. "Don't be so loud, she's sleeping."
"Pony fell while we were all playing football and-"
He didn't have to finish that sentence. I saw Pony's leg as he held his bloody jeans up. The big gash must've been about four inches long. I helped him limp over to the coach and sit down. "Soda get me the first aid kit." I mumbled, sighing. Soda got up to get it. "Ponyboy, can't you be more careful."
"It ain't my fault." He said, wincing as I carefully pulled his pant leg farther up. "The dang metal fence wasn't supposed to be all messed up like that."
"Oh, swell." I said, sarcastically. "Metal? You got cut on metal. Was it rusty?" Pony shrugged. I sighed. "After we get this taken care of show me where so I can make sure I don't have to schedule an appointment for you to get a tetnis shot."
"I don't want a shot." Pony whined.
"Well if it was rusty you gotta have one or your leg will be hurting a whole lot more than a shot will."
Soda came out with the first aid kit and handed it to me. I cleaned off the big cut and looked at it more carefully, having to dab it with a towel every few seconds because it kept bleeding so much. Then I wrapped a big bandage around it. "I gotta take you to get stitches." I mumbled. He sighed. "The cuts to big not to. I can't leave Katherine here alone obviously though. Sodapop-"
"Oh no." Soda said. "C'mon Darry. I can't take care of a kid, let alone a sick one."
"We'll be back in a few minutes. If she wakes up give her a teaspoon of the pink stuff on the kitchen counter and try to get her to eat some toast but just toast and nothing else." I instructed. She would throw anything else up.
"All-right." Soda said, "But hurry up, ok? I ain't good at this babysitting business."
"You could probably manage better than I've been." I mumbled, picking Ponyboy up and off the couch and going out to the truck.