"Nothing's wrong with me!" Elmer insisted as he saw the way that
his dad, Chris and Hook were looking at him, like the expected him to drop
at any moment. "It's just the sniffles or something. I think a child
might have coughed on me yesterday." He nodded vigorously as he spoke.
Oh, this wasn't good. They were going to end up paying attention to him for absolutely no good reason when Lona was the one who needed their help!
"Yes, a child. Looked very contagious too. I'm probably just coming down with that. Don't worry about me, not when Lona...." He stopped speaking as he stared down at the motionless figure of the woman that he loved. He didn't matter. Lona was the only thing that was important. If anything happened to her.... "Please, just worry about her. Please?"
"Elmer, at the moment, I'm worried about both of you," Hook said with a shake of his head, exasperation slipping into his tone, as he reached out feeling of Elmer's forehead again. He was definitely starting to run a temperature. "Let's see about getting some more bloodwork drawn."
"But I'm fine! It's just the sniffles!" Elmer insisted once more.
He could tell by the way that they were looking that their focus was being taken right off of Lona and onto him, the last thing that he wanted to happen when she was so desperately ill. "Lona's the one who...."
"I hope it's just the sniffles but I'm not willing to take any chances." Hook said quietly with a stern look. "Now why don't you just sit down while we see about getting someone in here to do the bloodwork?"
When he saw the frightened look on Elmer's face and the way that he kept glancing over at Lona, he continued in a gentler tone. "Elmer, don't worry. We're not going to give up on Lona, okay? We're going to take care of both of you."
Chris's eyes were filled with fright as she moved away from the bed to join Hook near the door. It had been maybe three hours and Elmer was starting to show signs of infection. How long did he have before he was in the same condition as Lona and then Hook? Was he infected as well? Chris bit her lip, shut her eyes to try to keep the tears that were welling up from falling. If anything happened to Hook now.... They had just found each other. She didn't think that she could take it if she lost him.
"Chris, I'm thinking the antibiotics might be slowing this down."
Hook said softly as he looked over at Elmer. Louis was at his son's side still, obviously torn over what to do, focus on comforting Elmer over Lona or focus on tending to Elmer instead. He shook his head slightly hoping that Louis went with the Lona option. He had a feeling that any attention focused on him instead of on trying to ensure Lona's wellbeing would just upset Elmer more at the moment. "How long would you guess it took from the time Lona was exposed until she ended up like this?" It couldn't have been much more than three hours, four if they wanted to push the time limit a bit.
Chris slowly nodded. If Elmer was just beginning to show minor symptoms then they were definitely slowing the thing down somehow. Or maybe he had some sort of resistance to it? Either way, she felt a tiny surge of hope that maybe they would be able to do something to stop this before.... She bit her lip once more to regain control of her emotions.
She couldn't lose Hook now, she just couldn't.
"Chris, if Elmer has what Lona has and we can keep the thing from going too far, then maybe we'll be able to get some clues about what this blasted thing is and figure a way to help Lona." Hook spoke quietly, not wanting Elmer to hear him, not wanting to risk giving him any false hope.
Hook knew that he should be more than a bit concerned for himself since Elmer was starting to show signs of infection. He could definitely become sick soon as well. He firmly pushed any worries along that line away though. With Lona in such poor condition, she needed all of his medical skill if there was any hope that she would pull through. He didn't have time to worry for himself. And as he looked over at Chris, it was pretty obvious that she was doing enough worrying for the both of them.
He reached out, drawing her into his arms. Okay, they had that protective suit between them but any sort of embrace was better than none.
"It's going to be okay, Chris." he whispered to her.
"I...." Chris shook her head as she looked over at Elmer, at the frightened look on his face as he held Lona's hand, pressing the cool cloth against her neck and hands. That could be her soon, having to watch as the man that she loved.... She shook her head. Love. She was in love with Hook. Why hadn't she really realized that before now? Why had she wasted so much time and now.... "Hook, you know that I...."
"I know." He said gently. "I know. This is going to be okay,
Chris. We're going to figure out a way to fix this." He held her to him,
gently rubbing her back to try to comfort her. "We're going to fix this, I promise."
Chris felt herself gradually calming under his reassuring touch.
She shook her head sadly at how she was acting, letting herself freak when Hook was staying so calm, focusing on helping the others even when he might be,,,, No! She wasn't even going to let herself thing about that. Hook was right. They were going to fix this! "I'll get a nurse in here to take blood and get it down to the lab." she told him quietly. "I'm going to go and start checking some things too, while I'm waiting for Dr. Mobanga."
There had to be something, anything, that they could use to fight this blasted thing. The more she thought about it, the more that her determination built. She had just found Hook and there was no way that she was letting some blasted disease take him away from her without a fight.
"That's my girl," Hook said with a smile as he hugged Chris close for a moment more before letting her go. "Might want to see if they could get another bed moved in here too." He looked over at Elmer as he spoke.
"We might need it soon."
"I will. Just take care of them, okay?" Chris said softly as she hugged Hook once more before heading for the door, determination filling her with each step. She wasn't going to lose him now, she couldn't!
Oh, this wasn't good. They were going to end up paying attention to him for absolutely no good reason when Lona was the one who needed their help!
"Yes, a child. Looked very contagious too. I'm probably just coming down with that. Don't worry about me, not when Lona...." He stopped speaking as he stared down at the motionless figure of the woman that he loved. He didn't matter. Lona was the only thing that was important. If anything happened to her.... "Please, just worry about her. Please?"
"Elmer, at the moment, I'm worried about both of you," Hook said with a shake of his head, exasperation slipping into his tone, as he reached out feeling of Elmer's forehead again. He was definitely starting to run a temperature. "Let's see about getting some more bloodwork drawn."
"But I'm fine! It's just the sniffles!" Elmer insisted once more.
He could tell by the way that they were looking that their focus was being taken right off of Lona and onto him, the last thing that he wanted to happen when she was so desperately ill. "Lona's the one who...."
"I hope it's just the sniffles but I'm not willing to take any chances." Hook said quietly with a stern look. "Now why don't you just sit down while we see about getting someone in here to do the bloodwork?"
When he saw the frightened look on Elmer's face and the way that he kept glancing over at Lona, he continued in a gentler tone. "Elmer, don't worry. We're not going to give up on Lona, okay? We're going to take care of both of you."
Chris's eyes were filled with fright as she moved away from the bed to join Hook near the door. It had been maybe three hours and Elmer was starting to show signs of infection. How long did he have before he was in the same condition as Lona and then Hook? Was he infected as well? Chris bit her lip, shut her eyes to try to keep the tears that were welling up from falling. If anything happened to Hook now.... They had just found each other. She didn't think that she could take it if she lost him.
"Chris, I'm thinking the antibiotics might be slowing this down."
Hook said softly as he looked over at Elmer. Louis was at his son's side still, obviously torn over what to do, focus on comforting Elmer over Lona or focus on tending to Elmer instead. He shook his head slightly hoping that Louis went with the Lona option. He had a feeling that any attention focused on him instead of on trying to ensure Lona's wellbeing would just upset Elmer more at the moment. "How long would you guess it took from the time Lona was exposed until she ended up like this?" It couldn't have been much more than three hours, four if they wanted to push the time limit a bit.
Chris slowly nodded. If Elmer was just beginning to show minor symptoms then they were definitely slowing the thing down somehow. Or maybe he had some sort of resistance to it? Either way, she felt a tiny surge of hope that maybe they would be able to do something to stop this before.... She bit her lip once more to regain control of her emotions.
She couldn't lose Hook now, she just couldn't.
"Chris, if Elmer has what Lona has and we can keep the thing from going too far, then maybe we'll be able to get some clues about what this blasted thing is and figure a way to help Lona." Hook spoke quietly, not wanting Elmer to hear him, not wanting to risk giving him any false hope.
Hook knew that he should be more than a bit concerned for himself since Elmer was starting to show signs of infection. He could definitely become sick soon as well. He firmly pushed any worries along that line away though. With Lona in such poor condition, she needed all of his medical skill if there was any hope that she would pull through. He didn't have time to worry for himself. And as he looked over at Chris, it was pretty obvious that she was doing enough worrying for the both of them.
He reached out, drawing her into his arms. Okay, they had that protective suit between them but any sort of embrace was better than none.
"It's going to be okay, Chris." he whispered to her.
"I...." Chris shook her head as she looked over at Elmer, at the frightened look on his face as he held Lona's hand, pressing the cool cloth against her neck and hands. That could be her soon, having to watch as the man that she loved.... She shook her head. Love. She was in love with Hook. Why hadn't she really realized that before now? Why had she wasted so much time and now.... "Hook, you know that I...."
"I know." He said gently. "I know. This is going to be okay,
Chris. We're going to figure out a way to fix this." He held her to him,
gently rubbing her back to try to comfort her. "We're going to fix this, I promise."
Chris felt herself gradually calming under his reassuring touch.
She shook her head sadly at how she was acting, letting herself freak when Hook was staying so calm, focusing on helping the others even when he might be,,,, No! She wasn't even going to let herself thing about that. Hook was right. They were going to fix this! "I'll get a nurse in here to take blood and get it down to the lab." she told him quietly. "I'm going to go and start checking some things too, while I'm waiting for Dr. Mobanga."
There had to be something, anything, that they could use to fight this blasted thing. The more she thought about it, the more that her determination built. She had just found Hook and there was no way that she was letting some blasted disease take him away from her without a fight.
"That's my girl," Hook said with a smile as he hugged Chris close for a moment more before letting her go. "Might want to see if they could get another bed moved in here too." He looked over at Elmer as he spoke.
"We might need it soon."
"I will. Just take care of them, okay?" Chris said softly as she hugged Hook once more before heading for the door, determination filling her with each step. She wasn't going to lose him now, she couldn't!