Elmer suddenly stood. He couldn't stand it anymore, not just
sitting there watching Lona struggling to stay with them without being able
to do something, no matter how minor it was, for her. He hurried over to
the bathroom, snagging a basin from one of the counters as he went. He had
just started to turn the water on when a wave of dizziness washed over him,
causing him to have to grip the edge of the sink tightly to keep from falling to the floor. As the dizziness slowly faded away, he reached up with a suddenly shaking hand and carefully felt of his forehead. Warm, the skin was definately warmer than it should be. With a shake of his head, he firmly shoved any concern for himself aside. It was probably just nerves making him feel this way, anyway. He didn't have time to get sick, not when Lona was so ill and he needed to tend to her. He quickly finished filling the basin with a couple of inches of cool water and headed back into the room once more, snagging a washcloth on his way.
"I have to do something for her," He said quietly as he settled into the seat next to Lona's bedside once more, placing the basin on the bedside table before reaching out and taking her hand in his. He dipped the washcloth into the water with his free hand, wringing it out as best he could before pressing it against the almost burning hot skin on her neck.
"Does that feel any better?" he whispered softly into her ear as he ran the washcloth across her neck, trying to touch every bit of skin that he could.
"It's a good idea. Anything that might help with that fever at this point is good." Hook didn't see that a cool washcloth would be able to do a whole lot for Lona's fever considering the fact that the cooling blankets weren't even really touching it but he knew that the gesture would make Elmer feel a whole lot better. And who knows? Maybe it would make a difference with Lona as well, knowing that someone was there with her and trying their best to look after her.
Just then, he heard the door open and turned as Chris entered followed by Louis. Hook hurried over to them, wanting to know if Chris had found out anything, wanting to have at least a moment or two to think about how to break it gently to Elmer if the news was bad.
"Chris, have they called yet?" he asked quietly.
"Just a few minutes ago. Apparently Thompson was as much a jerk in Africa as he was here. He got some tribal chief ticked with him. Dr.
Mobanga thinks that the chief might have somehow caused this. I told him about Lona. He's going to try to hunt the chief down to see if he can find out more and hopefuly figure out a way to treat this if it is what he's thinking." Chris told him.
An illness used as a punishment? Hook's brow furrowed as he thought about that. It seemed really out there but when he recalled the number of odd diseases that had come out of Africa.... The only issue would be how could it be spread to only the intended victim without infecting other innocent people as well. "Did he give you any ideas of what we could try in the meantime to see about getting this under control?"
Hook asked quietly. "If we don't do something about that fever soon...."
"He didn't mention anything. And who knows, he may be completely off base about what's causing the problem. I don't know." The more time she had to think about it, the more Chris's line of thinking had begun to resemble Hook's. It just might be possible to use a disease that way but if that was so, then how in the world did they keep other innocent people from getting infected. That was what they needed to learn as soon as possible.
It might be the key to saving Hook and Elmer anyway. A second later, Chris shook her head as she realized what she had just done, in her mind automatically counting Lona off as a lost cause. She looked over towards the bed, trying to force herself to remember that Lona was still with them and they had every hope for saving her but seeing her friend there so helpless and broken looking she couldn't quite believe that the could still be hope.
"Chris," Hook whispered softly, looking over to make sure that Elmer hadn't noticed them, "She isn't dead yet. Don't give up on her.
We're going to work this out."
As Hook and Chris talked, Louis drifted over to join his son at Lona's bedside. He knew that he should really stay with them, offer any help that he could to find a treatment but these might be some of the last moments he could spend with his son. He couldn't let them pass by. "How's she doing?" He asked quietly as he looked down at Lona's motionless body.
Elmer couldn't bring himself to speak. He was afraid that if he did, he would start crying and he knew that that wasn't what Lona needed to hear at the moment. He shrugged slightly before wetting the washcloth once more and running it over her hot fingers. Could Lona feel it, could she feel anything right now? He hoped in a way that she was so deeply unconscious that she wasn't suffering but at the same time he wished more than anything that she was aware enough to hear him and know that he was there and how much he loved her.
Louis shook his head slightly as he looked down at Elmer, his osn's fear for Lona written clearly on his face. Okay, maybe some would see it as stupid that Elmer was focusing so on saving Lona when his own life was in danger but.... But wasn't it also brave in a way too, to care so much for someone that you would risk yourself to save them? Louis shook his head softly as he settled into the chair next to Elmer, reaching out and drawing his son into an embrace.
The hug was enough to break through the Elmer's slight attempt to hold it together and he felt himself starting to cry. "I'm scared, I'm so scared." He whispered. "Dad, I can't lose her but she just keeps getting weaker and weaker and.... Please, please can't you do something to help her? I can't lose her!"
Louis closed his eyes for a moment at his son's plea for help.
Elmer rarely asked him for any sort of assistance, like he felt his father would say no so why even bother trying. Now the one time Elmer needed him,
all he could do was to hold him and pray. "Elmer, we're doing all we can for Lona. We're...." Suddenly Louis noticed something, even through the protective suit.. "Hook, get over here!"
"What's wrong?" Hook asked as he and Chris hurried over, relief apparent when they saw that Louis hadn't called them for any problems with Lona at least.
"Check him. I think he has a fever." Louis spoke slowly,
heartbreak apparent in every word.
"No I don't! I'm fine! Lona's the one that's sick, the one that we need to...." Elmer tried to squirm away but Hook caught him anyway,
pressing one hand against his forehead. Not the most technical method of checking temperature, to be sure, but pretty accurate none the less.
Hook pales slightly when he touched Elmer's skin, looking over at Louis with sudden pity and concern.
"He has it, doesn't he?" Louis said quietly.
"There's definitely a fever," Hook nodded slowly in response before turning towards Elmer once more. If he had what was making Lona so ill, how much more time did he have before he ended up in the same condition as her?
causing him to have to grip the edge of the sink tightly to keep from falling to the floor. As the dizziness slowly faded away, he reached up with a suddenly shaking hand and carefully felt of his forehead. Warm, the skin was definately warmer than it should be. With a shake of his head, he firmly shoved any concern for himself aside. It was probably just nerves making him feel this way, anyway. He didn't have time to get sick, not when Lona was so ill and he needed to tend to her. He quickly finished filling the basin with a couple of inches of cool water and headed back into the room once more, snagging a washcloth on his way.
"I have to do something for her," He said quietly as he settled into the seat next to Lona's bedside once more, placing the basin on the bedside table before reaching out and taking her hand in his. He dipped the washcloth into the water with his free hand, wringing it out as best he could before pressing it against the almost burning hot skin on her neck.
"Does that feel any better?" he whispered softly into her ear as he ran the washcloth across her neck, trying to touch every bit of skin that he could.
"It's a good idea. Anything that might help with that fever at this point is good." Hook didn't see that a cool washcloth would be able to do a whole lot for Lona's fever considering the fact that the cooling blankets weren't even really touching it but he knew that the gesture would make Elmer feel a whole lot better. And who knows? Maybe it would make a difference with Lona as well, knowing that someone was there with her and trying their best to look after her.
Just then, he heard the door open and turned as Chris entered followed by Louis. Hook hurried over to them, wanting to know if Chris had found out anything, wanting to have at least a moment or two to think about how to break it gently to Elmer if the news was bad.
"Chris, have they called yet?" he asked quietly.
"Just a few minutes ago. Apparently Thompson was as much a jerk in Africa as he was here. He got some tribal chief ticked with him. Dr.
Mobanga thinks that the chief might have somehow caused this. I told him about Lona. He's going to try to hunt the chief down to see if he can find out more and hopefuly figure out a way to treat this if it is what he's thinking." Chris told him.
An illness used as a punishment? Hook's brow furrowed as he thought about that. It seemed really out there but when he recalled the number of odd diseases that had come out of Africa.... The only issue would be how could it be spread to only the intended victim without infecting other innocent people as well. "Did he give you any ideas of what we could try in the meantime to see about getting this under control?"
Hook asked quietly. "If we don't do something about that fever soon...."
"He didn't mention anything. And who knows, he may be completely off base about what's causing the problem. I don't know." The more time she had to think about it, the more Chris's line of thinking had begun to resemble Hook's. It just might be possible to use a disease that way but if that was so, then how in the world did they keep other innocent people from getting infected. That was what they needed to learn as soon as possible.
It might be the key to saving Hook and Elmer anyway. A second later, Chris shook her head as she realized what she had just done, in her mind automatically counting Lona off as a lost cause. She looked over towards the bed, trying to force herself to remember that Lona was still with them and they had every hope for saving her but seeing her friend there so helpless and broken looking she couldn't quite believe that the could still be hope.
"Chris," Hook whispered softly, looking over to make sure that Elmer hadn't noticed them, "She isn't dead yet. Don't give up on her.
We're going to work this out."
As Hook and Chris talked, Louis drifted over to join his son at Lona's bedside. He knew that he should really stay with them, offer any help that he could to find a treatment but these might be some of the last moments he could spend with his son. He couldn't let them pass by. "How's she doing?" He asked quietly as he looked down at Lona's motionless body.
Elmer couldn't bring himself to speak. He was afraid that if he did, he would start crying and he knew that that wasn't what Lona needed to hear at the moment. He shrugged slightly before wetting the washcloth once more and running it over her hot fingers. Could Lona feel it, could she feel anything right now? He hoped in a way that she was so deeply unconscious that she wasn't suffering but at the same time he wished more than anything that she was aware enough to hear him and know that he was there and how much he loved her.
Louis shook his head slightly as he looked down at Elmer, his osn's fear for Lona written clearly on his face. Okay, maybe some would see it as stupid that Elmer was focusing so on saving Lona when his own life was in danger but.... But wasn't it also brave in a way too, to care so much for someone that you would risk yourself to save them? Louis shook his head softly as he settled into the chair next to Elmer, reaching out and drawing his son into an embrace.
The hug was enough to break through the Elmer's slight attempt to hold it together and he felt himself starting to cry. "I'm scared, I'm so scared." He whispered. "Dad, I can't lose her but she just keeps getting weaker and weaker and.... Please, please can't you do something to help her? I can't lose her!"
Louis closed his eyes for a moment at his son's plea for help.
Elmer rarely asked him for any sort of assistance, like he felt his father would say no so why even bother trying. Now the one time Elmer needed him,
all he could do was to hold him and pray. "Elmer, we're doing all we can for Lona. We're...." Suddenly Louis noticed something, even through the protective suit.. "Hook, get over here!"
"What's wrong?" Hook asked as he and Chris hurried over, relief apparent when they saw that Louis hadn't called them for any problems with Lona at least.
"Check him. I think he has a fever." Louis spoke slowly,
heartbreak apparent in every word.
"No I don't! I'm fine! Lona's the one that's sick, the one that we need to...." Elmer tried to squirm away but Hook caught him anyway,
pressing one hand against his forehead. Not the most technical method of checking temperature, to be sure, but pretty accurate none the less.
Hook pales slightly when he touched Elmer's skin, looking over at Louis with sudden pity and concern.
"He has it, doesn't he?" Louis said quietly.
"There's definitely a fever," Hook nodded slowly in response before turning towards Elmer once more. If he had what was making Lona so ill, how much more time did he have before he ended up in the same condition as her?