IF EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DIFFERENT – Chapter 12
A very special thanks to Cris (our very kind translator) and to Doc Maria Celia for her help in providing research information related to medical terms, remedies and treatments cited in this fic
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To all those people who write or read fics keeping TLW alive!
Also in Portuguese: "Se Tudo Fosse Diferente"
"The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far."
Khalil Gibran – "The Prophet"
"Hurry, Malone"- Roxton screamed while running for his life.
The young man went in front of him while, almost stepping on his heels, the hunter was carrying Tommy as if he was a sack of potatoes. Even without seeing, they listened to the sounds of the raptor that was pursuing them. Ned climbed a tree with an ability that he didn't imagine to have. Roxton arrived and without thinking, literally throw the boy for the journalist accommodated meters above in a branch, and Malone took him without blinking. And then it was John who showed that under pressure he too could climb anything and just for centimeters his leg was not in the mouth of the animal. The two men were breathless.
"Great idea, Malone."
"What? Summerllee was very specific about what Challenger wanted."
"I never saw any chicken in the plateau and worst of all a chicken with white feathers."
"He said it's the best." - Malone was still trying to regain his breath.
"And with so many places to look for, we had to come to an area for almost being eaten by a raptor?"
"If they know about it, they will kill us"- Malone said, only then looking to Tommy who laughed heartily uncontrollably.
"And who said we're gonna tell?" - Roxton became serious and put the finger in front of the boy's face - "And you, young boy, won't speak a single word, do you understand me?" - But Tommy couldn't stop laughing and soon the two men did the same. There was a long time since they laughed so easily.
Gradually Tommy was accustoming to the other residents of the Treehouse. Always watching if Malone was around the child followed all people one by one.
He liked to run his hand through Summerllee's beard. And Arthur liked to tell him stories to which the boy paid attention for incredible five minutes maximum to leave later seeking for something more agitated to do. He followed Roxton knowing that the hunter always had some diversion for him. But for everybody's surprise, when Marguerite appeared the boy crawled behind her. When the heiress sat down in the chair sewing, Tommy sat down in the ground and stayed there, very serious, looking at her.
"Veronica taught you how to bother me, didn't she?" - She asked looking angry to him - "And you learned properly" - He was not frightened and there he stayed. Marguerite was surprised, despite not admitting, when discovered that in her own way she liked that irritating boy. And always around, Malone could not stop laughing.
The only times that Tommy tried to escape from the journalist was when he crawled towards Veronica's room. Ned caught him taking him away.
"Sorry, little guy." - He said feeling a press in his heart - "Not for now."
"I don't get it. Why doesn't he want to eat? It is so tasteful..." - Roxton said to Malone. Tommy was quiet in his little chair, but nevertheless he refused to open his mouth.
"Come on. I know you're hungry." - but the boy stayed unyielding.
"What smell is this?" - said Summerllee that arrived with Marguerite.
"Food for Tommy."
"It stinks." – claimed Marguerite twisting her nose. The heiress approached and she tried some food. Immediately she ran to the balcony. Seconds later she returned furious.
"What is this junk?"
"Chicken soup. We substituted for pterodactyl because we didn't find a chicken." - Justified Ned.
"Let me see if I understood well." - said Summerlllee thoughtful rubbing his beard and approaching more - "Challenger asked for chicken soup, if possible using a chicken of white feathers, right?"
"Right" - Roxton said. The professor continued.
"And the chicken soup is to make Veronica stronger."
"That's right also."
"And you two, very clever, substituted chicken for pterodactyl in a chicken soup and still wanted to use the boy to experiment it?" -Summerllee looked straight to the hunter and the journalist.
"How do you want the boy to eat this dirt? Who prepared that?" - Marguerite lost her temper.
Roxton and Ned exchanged glances pointing one to the other.
Marguerite put her hands on her waist, beating her foot, impatient, while she faced them. Summerllee came closer.
"Get out of here. And take Tommy with you. Before you kill somebody with this food I will prepare something for the boy."
"Marguerite you have a lot of talent to take care of children!" - John said debauching of the heiress that caught the kid. But immediately he got serious when she looked severely at him.
"Margueriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite!" - Roxton shouted - "Where is Malone?" - He arrived closer to the woman who bent some clothes.
She looked at him - "Why all that shouting, Roxton? Are you crazy?"
"Where is Malone?!!"
"The boy slept and he went to get some fresh fruits. Now tell me, why are you sounding like a damsel in danger and why are you panting like this?"
"It is that... that... Tommy woke up and he doesn't stop crying, and I already did everything!!! I even gave him spoons, all kind of spoons and nothing! I think I am going to be crazy! I must find Malone. The thing of the spoon only works with him!"
Marguerite looked at the hunter bewildered with extreme peacefulness. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, and Roxton stopped -"What?"
"Did you see if he was dirty?"
"Yes...He wasn't..."
"Did you check if he was in pain?"
"How could I know that?"
She was impatient. - "Did you check if he was feverish, or something like this?"
"Marguerite, I am not a guess-maker..."
"Ah, you not even tried, and you cannot also go after Malone for anything that happens with Tommy, you have to learn to resolve things by yourself..."
"Marguerite, I don't know why, but I have the light impression that you are enjo..."
"Let's go to the room now, and make him stop crying!" - Roxton looked at her worried - "Any problem?"
"Marguerite, I need to take a bat..."
"I know you need, I can feel that..." - She said evaluating him from head to feet. - "So, if you want to have bubble bath, you can start reminding songs from when you were a child, or no bath for you!"
Roxton bit inside, but before he said something, Marguerite left walking and he followed her furiously.
She pushed the room's door and was surprised. She ran on time to take the child who would fall by the ground. - "ROXTON, LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!!!"
"What did I do?" - With an almost imperceptible voice, he asked apprehensively.
"You left the boy alone, is there anything more serious than this?"
"Marguerite, it was only for a moment, he already gets up and gets off the bed. How could I know that he would roll and almost...."
"Almost... you're luck that it was only almost, because if something happened to this boy you would appear floating by the river tomorrow morning!"
"Marguerite, calm down... We have to make him stop crying..."
She looked at him as if it was a logical conclusion, and she gave in. -"Ok, you're right, we have to make him to stop... he's not hungry, Malone gave him food..."
"Yes, I saw it..." - Roxton sat down by one side of the bed, and Marguerite by the other, laying the boy again by the bed between them. They were looking at the child and questioning.
"Could he be missing Malone?"
"I believe not... Could he be just playing with us?"
"I also don't think so. He would not do this to me..." - Roxton smiled a little insecure. - "Would he?"
"Roxton, think as if you were a child, if you were crying, what could you possible want?"
They were thinking and suddenly looked to each other. - "Tedium!"
They got up quickly, and Marguerite took the boy. They went to the elevator and went down to the ground.
"Ok... would he miss being outdoors?"
"Wait!" - Roxton held Marguerite.
"What? Raptors?"
"No... Tommy stopped crying..."
"Did he???"
Tommy cried again. - "Not now... But when we were in the elevator... he had stopped!"
The two looked at each other, they smiled and screamed as children.
"We did it!!!"
Summerllee came to the kitchen to get some hot water. He heard the sound of elevator. - "Oh, who would it be?"
He was surprised when saw Tommy, Roxton and Marguerite seating by the ground of the cabin of the elevator with displeased expressions.
"Marguerite, Roxton, what the hell are you doing seating there with the boy? And why are you with those unhappy faces?"
"Hello, Summerllee... Good bye, Summerllee..."
"Roxton, Marguer...! Come back here!"
Roxton and Marguerite stayed for a long time arising and descending the elevator. Tommy was with them and this was the only way to make him quiet.
The elevator was arriving another time. Summerllee waited a little confused. - "Are they thinking this is a joke?"
"I think I'm gonna be sick..." - Marguerite said twisting her nose and with the hand over her stomach. Listening to this, Roxton looked afraid for the heiress.
"You don't dare Marguerite! Professor, could you take a bucket?"
The elevator went down again. Summerllee shook his head and went to take a bucket and left it in front of the cabin and went back to his tasks. - "Youth..."
Ned waited for the elevator. He was surprised when saw the two friends and the boy.
"Malone, thank God you're here" - Roxton said in despair.
Malone entered fast and Tommy stretched out the arms for him. The journalist looked intrigued.
"He only stopped crying when we were in the elevator. I think it was already almost one hour ago."
Ned laughed - "Hey, little guy? Bringing uncle Roxton and aunt Marguerite for a walk?" - The elevator stopped and he put Tommy on the ground - "You two allowed that a boy this size made you two as fools?"
Marguerite and Roxton came out leaving the elevator locked and they three sat down by the kitchen's table.
Malone took two oranges and rolled them for the ground up to where Tommy was seating and he began to play with them.
Roxton brought some juice.
"I'm telling you, he didn't stop crying. We thought about taking him for a walk, but he was only quiet when the elevator was going up and down. We still tried with only one of us inside, but it didn't work. He only stopped when we were together."
"A spoiled boy" - completed a displeased Marguerite.
"He's not spoiled. He's smart. Did you already notice that he makes what he wants from us?" - the hunter spoke.
"You should have shown him who is in charge." – Ned taught.
"Just one thing, Malone" - Roxton asked - "Among you two, who is in charge?"
Malone thought and answered pointing without looking in the direction of Tommy - "Him."
"Who???" - Marguerite got scared.
The three looked at the place where the boy should have been. No sign of the kid.
"He disappeared" - Malone said with panic in his voice.
"The elevator" - Roxton ran for there. But the elevator continued locked.
"Come on, nobody can disappear like this, he has to be somewhere!"
Marguerite ran in despair for the balcony.
Malone thought about the stairways that gave access to the laboratory.
Roxton went to the shower where Challenger would already pull the rope of the bucket full of water to rinse himself.
"The boy disappeared." - the panted hunter communicated.
Also in panic and all soaped the scientist dressed the pants and followed Roxton, still buttoning the shirt. Finally the four friends reunited in the dining room.
"Nothing - we tried to find him everywhere and nothing - he vanished."
Summerllee was arriving with a book in his hands.
"What's happening? What pandemonium is this?"
"Arthur" - Breathing quickly and still soaped Challenger said - "The boy disappeared"
"Calm down, my friends. Didn't you hear anything?" - Summerllee tried to demonstrate a calm that he didn't feel.
"Nothing. He just disappeared."
"Under the beds!" – Ned screamed. All ran, one for each room. In instants they returned without positive results.
"We sought in every spot... Room, balcony, kitchen, laboratory, library, shower, elevator, rooms..."
"In all bedrooms?" - Asked Summerllee.
The four friends exchanged glances as if they had discovered the America.
"All bedrooms, except for one." - Roxton said.
Arthur and Malone were the first ones to enter the only room that they didn't look into, to find the boy, bear-hugged to Veronica. Both slept deeply.
"I left her alone for just a few minutes" - Summerllee said.
Challenger came closer to verifying Veronica's temperature who still breathed with difficulty. The scientist put some fresh leaves of inguanguana on her forehead and he sighed.
"So?" - Asked an anxious Roxton.
"It seems that the fever began to give in. Very slowly, but it is giving in." - Challenger scrubbed the exhausted face after nine days of almost uninterrupted devotion.
Arthur put the hand over his friend's shoulder.
George smiled covering Tommy and Veronica carefully. Then he left followed by Malone, Roxton and Marguerite.
Still with soap in his body the scientist had almost reached the shower when he listened to a voice behind himself.
"Challenger!" - he turned to see the journalist approaching - "From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much."
"Go and stay with her a little, Ned." – Malone's face lightened up.
"Can I?"
"You must." - Challenger laughed while seeing the young man go upstairs as fast as he could.
George entered the shower allowing the water to run through his body. He was exhausted, but never had felt so alleviated.
Ned entered very slowly in the room. Arthur got up closing the book and going towards the door.
"Keep the compresses." - Ned agreed - "I will be outside if you need me."
Malone took the little basin with the blend and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of where Tommy was. He looked to Veronica for a long time.
"Ah! I did miss you so much." - he sighed. Closing his eyes he kissed her lips slightly feeling the anguish that accompanied him for many days finally began to decrease. Then, remembering the professor's advices, he moistened the compress and daintily he began to refresh her face.
"I have a prank to tell you." - he smiled speaking quietly for the sleeping girl - "Summerllee asked that we sought a chicken, preferably with white feathers, then Tommy, Roxton and I..."
TO BE CONTINUED...
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