Author's Note: Wow! Thanks everyone who reviewed!! ^_^ Here, you can have your virtual cookie now! ^_^
Seana Louisie: Thank you very much! ^_^ I'm glad it grabbed your interest. I hope you'll like the rest of it!
Nat: I'm not worthy of your praise!! Thanks for it, bodyguard! ^_^
Mellon-nin: Aw, you are too kind! ^_^ Nay, I'll be back! ^_^
Fairyangel: I'm glad you like! ^_^ Hopefully I won't disappoint!
AllieO: It's good to know it's not horrible! ^_^ I just wanted to see what other people thought of my writing. I'd rather sound unsure than cocky! ^_^
adsh: Fast enough for you? ^_^ Although, I will warn you that sometimes my computer won't let me access word, so there may be long intervals between postings. Hopefully my computer will be nice when it want it to, though! ^_^
Jamie: Thank you! I plan to! ^_^
Tracy2: Oh. *nervous laugh* Yeah, I suppose you're right. ^_^ I guess I was just so excited about posting, that I didn't totally think it all the way through. lol I'll try to avoid any more slip-ups, but I won't promise anything! ^_^
Marrymellon3: Is this fast enough for you? ^_^ I'm glad you like it so far!
Emma Rosten: Aw, don't give up hope! This is actually my fourth try at writing a story! lol It just takes a little time. (well, for me at least! lol)
Amy: I'm glad you like it so far! I hope it won't loose your interest!
Klompy: Yeah, I have no idea what happened to chapter 2. I tried posting it like twice, but it never worked. But I guess if you're reading this now, then it worked! ^_^
Josh: Hey! I guess Natalie told you about my story. lol. Thanks for reviewing it! ^_^
I apologize about the faulty second chapter. I have no idea what happened. I hope this next chapter gives a little more action than the first. I also believe it is a bit longer. Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter 2
"Hey Jess!" Mark said as he saw his colleague walk down the hallway towards him.
"Hi Mark." Jesse said, forcing himself to lift his eyes from the ground.
"Are you okay?" Mark asked, concerned. His friend was pale, and was sweating on his brow.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just really tired, that's all." Jesse said, waving his hand dismissively while his other hand held his head.
"Come here." Mark said, redirecting Jesse to the doctor's lounge, and making him sit on the couch. He felt Jesse's forehead.
"Jesse! You're burning up! Why on earth are you at the hospital?"
"Isn't that where sick people go?" Jesse said with a slight smile that abruptly faded as a wave of nausea came over him. "I have to be here. I've still got another 2 hours on my shift." He said, grimacing, as the pain got worse.
"That's it. I'm taking you home." Mark declared.
"But Mark, your shift…" Jesse started to say.
"My shift just ended, and I'm going to cover yours. Now come on." Mark interrupted. Jesse knew there was no hope in arguing, so he let Mark help him into his car and take him home. When they got there, Mark helped Jesse to his apartment.
"I'll have Steve come check in on you in about an hour, okay?" Mark asked, steering Jesse to his couch.
"You don't need to," Jesse said, sitting while leaning against the armrest.
"But I'm going to anyway." Mark said. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Mark, I am a doctor." Jesse said, slightly smiling. Mark smiled back, and then left. Soon, Jesse fell asleep, still sitting upright.
*****
A few minutes later, Jesse woke up, extremely nauseated. Knowing what was coming next, he ran to the bathroom. He retched violently several times before he leaned back and rested his head on the wall. Only a few minutes later, he heard a knocking at the door.
"Jess?" He heard. He didn't need to ask who it was to know that it was Steve. Too tired to let him in, he waited for Steve to let himself in.
"Jesse? Where are you Jess?"
"In here," Jesse croaked, trying to get up, unsuccessfully. Half way up, he started to fall, but luckily, Steve caught him.
"Whoa, easy there Jess." Steve said, leading Jesse back to his bed, only to find that his sheets were soaking wet from earlier that morning. He gently placed Jesse on a chair he had in his room.
"Sheets?" Steve asked.
"Closet." Jesse answered, struggling to breath. The short walk from the bathroom tired him.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked as he started to change Jesse's sheets.
"I don't know," Jesse said, shaking his head. "At first, I thought I felt this way just because I was tired, but then it just got worse."
"Dad said that you didn't look good." Steve recalled, almost finishing his messy changing of the sheets. "Do you think it was something you ate?"
"I don't know." Jesse said, grimacing. "All I ate this morning was a bowl of cereal." Steve frowned, and then was startled by Jesse sudden movement to the bathroom. He grimaced as he heard what he expected to hear. Once he thought Jesse was done, he went to the bathroom, and picked Jesse up.
"Hey," Jesse started to protest.
"Just relax Jess. Just this once." Steve said. Jesse sighed, and went limp, allowing himself to be placed into his bed. Steve then started to take off Jesse's shoes and socks, and pulled the covers over him.
"Thanks Steve." Jesse whispered, his strength gone.
"No problem." Steve said, his mouth set in a sad line. "I'll be back later. Just rest, okay?"
"Okay," Jesse agreed. Steve looked over his friend one more time, and then headed out.
*****
"Dad? I'm worried about Jesse." Steve said, frowning. He had returned from his trip to Jesse's apartment. Part of him was telling him to go back and stay with Jesse, but he knew there would be little he could do to help his suffering friend. "He even let me carry him to bed. Something's seriously wrong."
"I know." Mark agreed. "All his symptoms point to food poisoning. But I don't know what could he have eaten to make this happen. There's no spoiled food that I know of that can have that sort of a reaction on someone. It's almost as if someone put it in his food."
"But he told me that he only had a bowl of cereal!" Steve declared, running a hand through his hair.
"Well, lets go look at his cereal then!" Mark said with a determined look.
******
Jesse turned over for what felt like the thousandth time. His frequent trips to the bathroom had stopped about 15 minutes ago, but he still felt sick. Squeezing his eyes shut, he heard someone opening his door. Forcing himself to turn over again to look at the door, he wasn't surprised to see Mark and Steve come through.
"Hey Jess." Mark greeted, walking towards Jesse as Steve went into his kitchen.
"Hey," Jesse attempted to smile.
"How do you feel?" Mark asked, going into "doctor mode", eyeing Jesse.
"Better." Jesse slightly shrugged. He then saw Steve take his cereal and milk onto his kitchen table.
"You know it's not polite to eat other people's food without asking." Jesse said with a grin.
"Just thought I would repay the favor!" Steve joked, putting some of the milk into a vial, and some of Jesse's cereal into a bag.
"Saving some for on the road?" Jesse asked.
"Actually, Jess, we're going to test it for salmonella. We think you've been poisoned." Mark said, frowning.
"Why would I be poisoned?" Jesse asked, his feverish mind not comprehending.
"Well, we don't really know. We'll worry about that later." Mark told him. "Sorry our visit is so short, but I really want to get those to the lab. We'll be back soon."
"`Kay." Jesse said, closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep. Quietly, Steve and Mark left, softly shutting the door behind them.
*****
"Um, Dad, it's 6:00 in the morning. Is anyone going to be in the lab?" Steve asked his father once they had gotten into the car.
"Amanda will be." Mark assured him.
"How do you know?" Steve asked, puzzled.
"Because I'm going to call her now." Mark said, reaching for his cell phone dialing the number. "Amanda? It's Mark. Yes, I know it's early. Listen, I've got a favor to ask. Could you be in the lab in ten minutes? I need you to test something for me. No, it can't wait. It's milk and cereal. No, it's not my breakfast; it's Jesse's. I think he's been poisoned. Thanks Amanda!"
"You owe her big time." Steve said.
"No, Jesse does." Mark said, giving Steve a smile.
***********
An update the next day? Surely it cannot be true. But it is. School was canceled because of rain. *yay* So I wouldn't expect this to happen often. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, though. And, of course, please review! ^_^
Seana Louisie: Thank you very much! ^_^ I'm glad it grabbed your interest. I hope you'll like the rest of it!
Nat: I'm not worthy of your praise!! Thanks for it, bodyguard! ^_^
Mellon-nin: Aw, you are too kind! ^_^ Nay, I'll be back! ^_^
Fairyangel: I'm glad you like! ^_^ Hopefully I won't disappoint!
AllieO: It's good to know it's not horrible! ^_^ I just wanted to see what other people thought of my writing. I'd rather sound unsure than cocky! ^_^
adsh: Fast enough for you? ^_^ Although, I will warn you that sometimes my computer won't let me access word, so there may be long intervals between postings. Hopefully my computer will be nice when it want it to, though! ^_^
Jamie: Thank you! I plan to! ^_^
Tracy2: Oh. *nervous laugh* Yeah, I suppose you're right. ^_^ I guess I was just so excited about posting, that I didn't totally think it all the way through. lol I'll try to avoid any more slip-ups, but I won't promise anything! ^_^
Marrymellon3: Is this fast enough for you? ^_^ I'm glad you like it so far!
Emma Rosten: Aw, don't give up hope! This is actually my fourth try at writing a story! lol It just takes a little time. (well, for me at least! lol)
Amy: I'm glad you like it so far! I hope it won't loose your interest!
Klompy: Yeah, I have no idea what happened to chapter 2. I tried posting it like twice, but it never worked. But I guess if you're reading this now, then it worked! ^_^
Josh: Hey! I guess Natalie told you about my story. lol. Thanks for reviewing it! ^_^
I apologize about the faulty second chapter. I have no idea what happened. I hope this next chapter gives a little more action than the first. I also believe it is a bit longer. Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter 2
"Hey Jess!" Mark said as he saw his colleague walk down the hallway towards him.
"Hi Mark." Jesse said, forcing himself to lift his eyes from the ground.
"Are you okay?" Mark asked, concerned. His friend was pale, and was sweating on his brow.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just really tired, that's all." Jesse said, waving his hand dismissively while his other hand held his head.
"Come here." Mark said, redirecting Jesse to the doctor's lounge, and making him sit on the couch. He felt Jesse's forehead.
"Jesse! You're burning up! Why on earth are you at the hospital?"
"Isn't that where sick people go?" Jesse said with a slight smile that abruptly faded as a wave of nausea came over him. "I have to be here. I've still got another 2 hours on my shift." He said, grimacing, as the pain got worse.
"That's it. I'm taking you home." Mark declared.
"But Mark, your shift…" Jesse started to say.
"My shift just ended, and I'm going to cover yours. Now come on." Mark interrupted. Jesse knew there was no hope in arguing, so he let Mark help him into his car and take him home. When they got there, Mark helped Jesse to his apartment.
"I'll have Steve come check in on you in about an hour, okay?" Mark asked, steering Jesse to his couch.
"You don't need to," Jesse said, sitting while leaning against the armrest.
"But I'm going to anyway." Mark said. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Mark, I am a doctor." Jesse said, slightly smiling. Mark smiled back, and then left. Soon, Jesse fell asleep, still sitting upright.
*****
A few minutes later, Jesse woke up, extremely nauseated. Knowing what was coming next, he ran to the bathroom. He retched violently several times before he leaned back and rested his head on the wall. Only a few minutes later, he heard a knocking at the door.
"Jess?" He heard. He didn't need to ask who it was to know that it was Steve. Too tired to let him in, he waited for Steve to let himself in.
"Jesse? Where are you Jess?"
"In here," Jesse croaked, trying to get up, unsuccessfully. Half way up, he started to fall, but luckily, Steve caught him.
"Whoa, easy there Jess." Steve said, leading Jesse back to his bed, only to find that his sheets were soaking wet from earlier that morning. He gently placed Jesse on a chair he had in his room.
"Sheets?" Steve asked.
"Closet." Jesse answered, struggling to breath. The short walk from the bathroom tired him.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked as he started to change Jesse's sheets.
"I don't know," Jesse said, shaking his head. "At first, I thought I felt this way just because I was tired, but then it just got worse."
"Dad said that you didn't look good." Steve recalled, almost finishing his messy changing of the sheets. "Do you think it was something you ate?"
"I don't know." Jesse said, grimacing. "All I ate this morning was a bowl of cereal." Steve frowned, and then was startled by Jesse sudden movement to the bathroom. He grimaced as he heard what he expected to hear. Once he thought Jesse was done, he went to the bathroom, and picked Jesse up.
"Hey," Jesse started to protest.
"Just relax Jess. Just this once." Steve said. Jesse sighed, and went limp, allowing himself to be placed into his bed. Steve then started to take off Jesse's shoes and socks, and pulled the covers over him.
"Thanks Steve." Jesse whispered, his strength gone.
"No problem." Steve said, his mouth set in a sad line. "I'll be back later. Just rest, okay?"
"Okay," Jesse agreed. Steve looked over his friend one more time, and then headed out.
*****
"Dad? I'm worried about Jesse." Steve said, frowning. He had returned from his trip to Jesse's apartment. Part of him was telling him to go back and stay with Jesse, but he knew there would be little he could do to help his suffering friend. "He even let me carry him to bed. Something's seriously wrong."
"I know." Mark agreed. "All his symptoms point to food poisoning. But I don't know what could he have eaten to make this happen. There's no spoiled food that I know of that can have that sort of a reaction on someone. It's almost as if someone put it in his food."
"But he told me that he only had a bowl of cereal!" Steve declared, running a hand through his hair.
"Well, lets go look at his cereal then!" Mark said with a determined look.
******
Jesse turned over for what felt like the thousandth time. His frequent trips to the bathroom had stopped about 15 minutes ago, but he still felt sick. Squeezing his eyes shut, he heard someone opening his door. Forcing himself to turn over again to look at the door, he wasn't surprised to see Mark and Steve come through.
"Hey Jess." Mark greeted, walking towards Jesse as Steve went into his kitchen.
"Hey," Jesse attempted to smile.
"How do you feel?" Mark asked, going into "doctor mode", eyeing Jesse.
"Better." Jesse slightly shrugged. He then saw Steve take his cereal and milk onto his kitchen table.
"You know it's not polite to eat other people's food without asking." Jesse said with a grin.
"Just thought I would repay the favor!" Steve joked, putting some of the milk into a vial, and some of Jesse's cereal into a bag.
"Saving some for on the road?" Jesse asked.
"Actually, Jess, we're going to test it for salmonella. We think you've been poisoned." Mark said, frowning.
"Why would I be poisoned?" Jesse asked, his feverish mind not comprehending.
"Well, we don't really know. We'll worry about that later." Mark told him. "Sorry our visit is so short, but I really want to get those to the lab. We'll be back soon."
"`Kay." Jesse said, closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep. Quietly, Steve and Mark left, softly shutting the door behind them.
*****
"Um, Dad, it's 6:00 in the morning. Is anyone going to be in the lab?" Steve asked his father once they had gotten into the car.
"Amanda will be." Mark assured him.
"How do you know?" Steve asked, puzzled.
"Because I'm going to call her now." Mark said, reaching for his cell phone dialing the number. "Amanda? It's Mark. Yes, I know it's early. Listen, I've got a favor to ask. Could you be in the lab in ten minutes? I need you to test something for me. No, it can't wait. It's milk and cereal. No, it's not my breakfast; it's Jesse's. I think he's been poisoned. Thanks Amanda!"
"You owe her big time." Steve said.
"No, Jesse does." Mark said, giving Steve a smile.
***********
An update the next day? Surely it cannot be true. But it is. School was canceled because of rain. *yay* So I wouldn't expect this to happen often. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, though. And, of course, please review! ^_^