Where Nothing is Clear
By Ginny
The next five hours passed in a blur of restless sleep for both Jed and Abbey as well as feverish moans and a prolonged bout of dry heaving by Jed. At a little before 8 they were in the bathroom both of them trying to calm down a little and catch their breath. Jed was sitting on the floor, his back against the tub and his head in his hands as he concentrated on breathing deeply. Abbey was kneeling next to him rubbing his back and trying to decide what to do next. He'd spent the better part of the last hour miserably hanging over the toilet and the threat of dehydration was looming. He'd basically eaten nothing during the day and hadn't had a great deal of luck drinking much either. Which also meant he wasn't keeping down the Bactrim. That was definitely not helping the situation at all. She could feel the heat radiating off him even through his t-shirt. "Let me get the thermometer," she said getting a vague wave of his hand as a response.
Abbey walked around the bedroom for a minute trying her best to assess the situation as she knew she should, from a doctor's perspective. She knew that if she couldn't get his temperature to stay down and his stomach to settle that the best place for him was going to be the Emergency Room. But the thought of dragging him kicking and screaming out into the fog and drizzle to the hospital was not one she relished at all. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself against the whining that was sure to make an appearance she went back into the bathroom.
Jed was right where she had left him. She walked around him to stick the thermometer in his right ear. "102," she sighed as she put the thermometer on the counter.
"Breaking this afternoon's record of 101.3," snorted Jed as he picked at a loose thread on his sweatpants. Abbey knelt down in front of him and reached to tip up his chin.
"Josiah Edward, you look like hell," she said with a cluck of her tongue. His hair was sticking up in all directions, there was a stain on the front of his t-shirt where he'd spilled some juice, he hadn't shaved in 36 hours and his eyes were puffy and red. She kissed his forehead and then sat back on her heels.
"What?" Jed asked, knowing she was about to say something important.
"We need to have a chat. Or more specifically, we need to play Let's Make a Deal," she said with a sad smile.
"Let me guess, this deal has something to do with a trip to the ER?" he muttered as he dropped his head once again to avoid looking at her.
"Unfortunately yes. We need to get your temp down and try to at least get some fluids into you. If that doesn't happen in the next few hours we're going to need to consider a trip to the hospital."
"No."
"Jed, this is not negotiable," she said firmly. Jed raised his head just enough so he could peek at her in that endearing way of his.
"Fine. So what's next?"
"A cool shower and some Gatorade," announced Abbey as she stood up to pull him to his feet. She started the shower and got him a towel.
"Do we even have Gatorade?" he asked as he held onto the counter with one hand and pushed his sweatpants down with the other.
"I think Kate packed some for you."
"She's a good kid," Jed muttered as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"She's 25 Jed, she's not a kid," Abbey said with a grin as she held out her hand to help him into the shower. "You steady enough on your feet for me to run downstairs?" she asked as she handed him his razor and shaving cream in a not so subtle hint.
"Yeah. And I take it you want me to shave," he commented dryly.
"If you think your hand is steady enough. We wouldn't want you opening a vein or anything."
"Your concern is overwhelming Abigail," he snorted. "My hands are fine," he said as he held out both his hands in front of him.
"Good. I'll be back in a few minutes. I'll leave the door open; yell if you need anything."
"OK, thanks."
While Jed stood under the cool stream of water Abbey called Tom to get a second opinion. He felt the same was she did, if they could get Jed's temp down and get him to at least drink something they could avoid a trip to the hospital. They chatted for a few more minutes; Abbey asked for the latest news about his new grandson and Tom asked about Annie. When Abbey heard the shower shut off she bid Tom goodnight, grabbed a bottle of orange Gatorade and headed upstairs.
By the time she got upstairs Jed had managed to get out of the shower, dry off and pull on a pair of boxers. He had shaved but hadn't combed his hair. Abbey got him a t-shirt out of the drawer and found his bathrobe. Jed sat down on the loveseat and took the Gatorade while Abbey sat next to him and smoothed down his hair.
"I feel a little better," Jed said as he picked at the label on the bottle. He did look marginally better than he had before the shower and that gave Abbey a little hope for making it through without a late night trip to the ER.
"I need to get myself something to eat. Do you want anything?" she asked as she stood up.
"I don't know, maybe," sighed Jed. The Gatorade was going down fairly easily but he didn't want to push his luck. "But I'll come down with you."
"Are you sure?" asked Abbey, quite surprised he felt steady enough to handle the stairs.
"Yeah, just give me a hand."
Abbey made him walk around the room for a few minutes to prove he was capable of staying upright. His gait was a little off but if what he was experiencing was truly an episode that was to be expected. They took their time on the stairs, making it down with minimal problems.
Jed sat at the kitchen table while Abbey pulled the leftover chicken out of the fridge. As the food heated in the microwave she looked in the cabinet for something Jed might be able to keep down. She found a box of saltines and handed him a sleeve. He managed to eat a few before his stomach started to protest. "It's ok," Abbey assured him as she took the crackers back from him. They chatted about nothing in particular while Abbey ate.
While Jed looked better overall he was squinting and rubbing at his eye more than he had been. "Blurry again?" Abbey asked unnecessarily.
"Yeah and it hurts," admitted Jed with a sigh.
"We'll see how it is in the morning and then we may need to make a decision about a little medical intervention," Abbey said as matter of factly as she could.
"No." Jed said firmly, knowing exactly where the conversation was headed.
"Jed..."
"No. No steroids. They make me sick to my stomach, crabby and I can't sleep."
"And how is that different from how you are right now?" Abbey asked. The second the words came out of her mouth she regretted them. She looked at Jed, expecting a look of anger on his face but instead found a goofy grin. He shook his head and laughed. The head shaking part wasn't the smartest thing he could have done but the sound of his laughter was music to Abbey's ears. Abbey got up from her seat laughing too. She put her plate in the dishwasher and moved to stand behind Jed. She ran her fingers through his still damp hair before wrapping her arms around him leaning over to press her cheek against his. "You feel a little cooler," she said as she stood back up.
"Well, that's something I suppose," muttered Jed as he took another drink of Gatorade.
"How's your ear?"
"Hurts," he admitted as he brought his hand up to tug on his left ear a little.
"You can have more Advil," Abbey said as she glanced at the clock on the wall. She ran upstairs to get the bottle while Jed finished the Gatorade and stuck his head out the back door to get a little fresh air.
"Jed, if you want to go outside for a few minutes that's fine but please, put on some clothes," Abbey teased as she came back into the kitchen. Jed glanced down at his outfit; boxers, t-shirt and an untied plaid flannel bathrobe.
"Yeah, you're probably right," he smirked as he took the pills Abbey held out to him. The energy Jed seemed to regain after his shower was starting to fade again and they settled down on the couch in the living room. Abbey flicked through the channels while Jed curled up with his head in her lap and a warm damp cloth pressed against his ear. He'd all but given up on trying to watch television with his blurry vision so he settled for listening to the headlines on CNN.
Abbey slipped off the couch a little after 11 leaving Jed to spend the night there. She covered him up with one afghan and grabbed another for herself. Curling up on the loveseat she flicked through the channels one last time before rolling over to try and get some sleep.
TBC
By Ginny
The next five hours passed in a blur of restless sleep for both Jed and Abbey as well as feverish moans and a prolonged bout of dry heaving by Jed. At a little before 8 they were in the bathroom both of them trying to calm down a little and catch their breath. Jed was sitting on the floor, his back against the tub and his head in his hands as he concentrated on breathing deeply. Abbey was kneeling next to him rubbing his back and trying to decide what to do next. He'd spent the better part of the last hour miserably hanging over the toilet and the threat of dehydration was looming. He'd basically eaten nothing during the day and hadn't had a great deal of luck drinking much either. Which also meant he wasn't keeping down the Bactrim. That was definitely not helping the situation at all. She could feel the heat radiating off him even through his t-shirt. "Let me get the thermometer," she said getting a vague wave of his hand as a response.
Abbey walked around the bedroom for a minute trying her best to assess the situation as she knew she should, from a doctor's perspective. She knew that if she couldn't get his temperature to stay down and his stomach to settle that the best place for him was going to be the Emergency Room. But the thought of dragging him kicking and screaming out into the fog and drizzle to the hospital was not one she relished at all. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself against the whining that was sure to make an appearance she went back into the bathroom.
Jed was right where she had left him. She walked around him to stick the thermometer in his right ear. "102," she sighed as she put the thermometer on the counter.
"Breaking this afternoon's record of 101.3," snorted Jed as he picked at a loose thread on his sweatpants. Abbey knelt down in front of him and reached to tip up his chin.
"Josiah Edward, you look like hell," she said with a cluck of her tongue. His hair was sticking up in all directions, there was a stain on the front of his t-shirt where he'd spilled some juice, he hadn't shaved in 36 hours and his eyes were puffy and red. She kissed his forehead and then sat back on her heels.
"What?" Jed asked, knowing she was about to say something important.
"We need to have a chat. Or more specifically, we need to play Let's Make a Deal," she said with a sad smile.
"Let me guess, this deal has something to do with a trip to the ER?" he muttered as he dropped his head once again to avoid looking at her.
"Unfortunately yes. We need to get your temp down and try to at least get some fluids into you. If that doesn't happen in the next few hours we're going to need to consider a trip to the hospital."
"No."
"Jed, this is not negotiable," she said firmly. Jed raised his head just enough so he could peek at her in that endearing way of his.
"Fine. So what's next?"
"A cool shower and some Gatorade," announced Abbey as she stood up to pull him to his feet. She started the shower and got him a towel.
"Do we even have Gatorade?" he asked as he held onto the counter with one hand and pushed his sweatpants down with the other.
"I think Kate packed some for you."
"She's a good kid," Jed muttered as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"She's 25 Jed, she's not a kid," Abbey said with a grin as she held out her hand to help him into the shower. "You steady enough on your feet for me to run downstairs?" she asked as she handed him his razor and shaving cream in a not so subtle hint.
"Yeah. And I take it you want me to shave," he commented dryly.
"If you think your hand is steady enough. We wouldn't want you opening a vein or anything."
"Your concern is overwhelming Abigail," he snorted. "My hands are fine," he said as he held out both his hands in front of him.
"Good. I'll be back in a few minutes. I'll leave the door open; yell if you need anything."
"OK, thanks."
While Jed stood under the cool stream of water Abbey called Tom to get a second opinion. He felt the same was she did, if they could get Jed's temp down and get him to at least drink something they could avoid a trip to the hospital. They chatted for a few more minutes; Abbey asked for the latest news about his new grandson and Tom asked about Annie. When Abbey heard the shower shut off she bid Tom goodnight, grabbed a bottle of orange Gatorade and headed upstairs.
By the time she got upstairs Jed had managed to get out of the shower, dry off and pull on a pair of boxers. He had shaved but hadn't combed his hair. Abbey got him a t-shirt out of the drawer and found his bathrobe. Jed sat down on the loveseat and took the Gatorade while Abbey sat next to him and smoothed down his hair.
"I feel a little better," Jed said as he picked at the label on the bottle. He did look marginally better than he had before the shower and that gave Abbey a little hope for making it through without a late night trip to the ER.
"I need to get myself something to eat. Do you want anything?" she asked as she stood up.
"I don't know, maybe," sighed Jed. The Gatorade was going down fairly easily but he didn't want to push his luck. "But I'll come down with you."
"Are you sure?" asked Abbey, quite surprised he felt steady enough to handle the stairs.
"Yeah, just give me a hand."
Abbey made him walk around the room for a few minutes to prove he was capable of staying upright. His gait was a little off but if what he was experiencing was truly an episode that was to be expected. They took their time on the stairs, making it down with minimal problems.
Jed sat at the kitchen table while Abbey pulled the leftover chicken out of the fridge. As the food heated in the microwave she looked in the cabinet for something Jed might be able to keep down. She found a box of saltines and handed him a sleeve. He managed to eat a few before his stomach started to protest. "It's ok," Abbey assured him as she took the crackers back from him. They chatted about nothing in particular while Abbey ate.
While Jed looked better overall he was squinting and rubbing at his eye more than he had been. "Blurry again?" Abbey asked unnecessarily.
"Yeah and it hurts," admitted Jed with a sigh.
"We'll see how it is in the morning and then we may need to make a decision about a little medical intervention," Abbey said as matter of factly as she could.
"No." Jed said firmly, knowing exactly where the conversation was headed.
"Jed..."
"No. No steroids. They make me sick to my stomach, crabby and I can't sleep."
"And how is that different from how you are right now?" Abbey asked. The second the words came out of her mouth she regretted them. She looked at Jed, expecting a look of anger on his face but instead found a goofy grin. He shook his head and laughed. The head shaking part wasn't the smartest thing he could have done but the sound of his laughter was music to Abbey's ears. Abbey got up from her seat laughing too. She put her plate in the dishwasher and moved to stand behind Jed. She ran her fingers through his still damp hair before wrapping her arms around him leaning over to press her cheek against his. "You feel a little cooler," she said as she stood back up.
"Well, that's something I suppose," muttered Jed as he took another drink of Gatorade.
"How's your ear?"
"Hurts," he admitted as he brought his hand up to tug on his left ear a little.
"You can have more Advil," Abbey said as she glanced at the clock on the wall. She ran upstairs to get the bottle while Jed finished the Gatorade and stuck his head out the back door to get a little fresh air.
"Jed, if you want to go outside for a few minutes that's fine but please, put on some clothes," Abbey teased as she came back into the kitchen. Jed glanced down at his outfit; boxers, t-shirt and an untied plaid flannel bathrobe.
"Yeah, you're probably right," he smirked as he took the pills Abbey held out to him. The energy Jed seemed to regain after his shower was starting to fade again and they settled down on the couch in the living room. Abbey flicked through the channels while Jed curled up with his head in her lap and a warm damp cloth pressed against his ear. He'd all but given up on trying to watch television with his blurry vision so he settled for listening to the headlines on CNN.
Abbey slipped off the couch a little after 11 leaving Jed to spend the night there. She covered him up with one afghan and grabbed another for herself. Curling up on the loveseat she flicked through the channels one last time before rolling over to try and get some sleep.
TBC