Disclaimer: I do not own...you know the drill!
A/n: I'm afraid Willy is a bit OOC in this chapter. I promise to try my best not to let him get TOO OOC, however!
As usual please review! Oh, and flames will be thrown...I think you know the rest:-)
Chapter 3: Down and Out
"Follow me!" Charlie said as he led his mother out the door and into the Chocolate Room. Mrs. Bucket obeyed, and, before long, they had reached the glass elevator. Once they had gotten into it, Charlie pointed to the button for Willy's private quarters. "Mom, will you please press that button?" he asked. "Of course, Charlie!" said Mrs. Bucket as she pressed the button. The elevator immediately began moving sideways. Mrs. Bucket had to stop herself from crashing into one of the sides of it. "Charlie, what is this crazy thing?" she asked (up until that moment, she had never been in it). Charlie giggled. "Don't worry, Mom, it's completely safe!" he assured his mother. Then, he went on to explain about the glass elevator. Finally, the elevator arrived at Willy's private quarters. "We're here!" said Charlie. "Thank goodness!" exclaimed Mrs. Bucket, who was looking slightly green. The doors opened, and Charlie and Mrs. Bucket stepped into Willy's living room. To their great surprise, they weren't alone. An Oompa Loompa was standing in the middle of the room! When he saw Charlie and Mrs. Bucket, he ran over to them and began making signs and gestures. Mrs. Bucket had no idea what the little man was saying. Charlie, however, was quite fluent in Oompa Loompish. "Mr. Wonka is in his bedroom. Apparently, he has a bit of a headache. He also seems very upset. The Oompa Loompa insisted on staying here in case Mr. Wonka needs anything," he translated. Mrs. Bucket wasn't too surprised. After all, Willy was upset, and stress is a great trigger for headaches. "Poor guy! We ought to give him some Tylenol or something," she said.
The Oompa Loompa made some more gestures. "Mr. Wonka refuses to take anything for his headache. He hates taking medicine and tries to avoid it at all costs," Charlie translated for his mother. Mrs. Bucket shook her head. Honestly, Willy acted more childish than Charlie did sometimes! She sighed. Clearly, she was going to have to treat Willy the same way she had treated Charlie when he was little and refused to take medicine. "Is it okay to go in?" Charlie asked the Oompa Loompa while pointing at the closed bedroom door. The Oompa Loompa nodded. "Okay, thanks! We'll let you know if we need you," Charlie said. The Oompa Loompa nodded again. Charlie slowly opened the door, and he and his mother entered the room.
Mrs. Bucket had to stifle a giggle as she looked around the room. The walls were bright purple. The hardwood floor was covered by a large, multi-colored area rug. You'd think that such a rug would clash horribly with the walls. However, the effect was quite the opposite. The rug and the walls somehow managed to look great together! In the middle of the rug was a large embroidered golden W. In the center of the room was a large four-poster bed. The bedposts, Mrs. Bucket noted, looked an awful lot like Willy's cane! A large W was carved in the headboard. Mrs. Bucket smiled. There was no question whose room this was! Charlie waved his hand in front of his mother's face. "Mom, are you there?" he inquired. Mrs. Bucket laughed. "Did you think I was having a flashback?" she asked. Charlie grinned. "You never know! I think they might be contagious!" he said (naturally, he was thinking of Willy's tendency for flashbacks). "Well, don't worry. I wasn't having a flashback. It's just that this room looks sort of, well…" Mrs. Bucket began. "Wonky?" Charlie suggested. "I guess you could say that!" said Mrs. Bucket. Then, she and Charlie both burst out laughing. "Very funny!" grumbled an all-too familiar voice. That's when Charlie and his mother realized they had forgotten that they weren't alone.
Charlie and Mrs. Bucket quickly went over to Willy, who was lying on the bed. Mrs. Bucket was alarmed to discover that the Chocolatier looked even more pale than usual. Automatically, she reached out and put her hand on Willy's forehead. Willy made a face, obviously not happy about having been touched. "My goodness, Willy, you're burning up!" exclaimed Mrs. Bucket, a look of concern on her face. "Charlie, please ask the Oompa Loompa to get a thermometer," she told her son. Charlie quickly obeyed. A few minutes later he reappeared, a thermometer in his hands. "Thank you!" he called over his shoulder to the Oompa Loompa. Then, he handed the thermometer to his mother. "Okay, open up!" Mrs. Bucket told Willy. In response, Willy firmly clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. "Come on, this will only take a minute!" Mrs. Bucket insisted. Willy, however, still refused to open his mouth. Mrs. Bucket sighed. Now what was she supposed to do? She didn't want to have to resort to forcing Willy's mouth open, but she was running out of other options. "Hey, Mr. Wonka, look! I think I see a whangdoodle!" Charlie exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the window.
A panicked look came over Willy's face, and he glanced over at the window. In the process, his mouth opened slightly. Mrs. Bucket saw her chance and slipped the thermometer in. "Mmmph!" Willy tried to complain (not an easy task with the thermometer in his mouth!), not at all happy that he'd been tricked. About a minute later, the thermometer beeped. Looking extremely relived, Willy opened his mouth. Mrs. Bucket gently removed the thermometer. She looked at the number on the tiny screen: 102. "Well, you definitely have a fever," she told Willy. Before Willy could reply, Charlie spoke up. "Mom, I have something I need to tell you," he said. "What is it, Charlie?" asked Mrs. Bucket. "Well, Mr. Wonka just hasn't been himself lately. He seems to be tired most of the time, and recently, I've had to correct his mistakes, instead of the other way around. I'm starting to get a little worried," said Charlie.
Hearing this, Mrs. Bucket felt concerned. "You mean, it's like, mentally, he's not there?" she asked. "Exactly!" replied Charlie. "It sounds to me like he's been working too hard," said Mrs. Bucket. Just then, the Oompa Loompa came into the room and began gesturing. "The Oompa Loompas have tried to tell him that, but he just won't listen," Charlie translated. Willy stuck his tongue out at the Oompa Loompa. "Willy Wonka, you know better than that!" Mrs. Bucket scolded. Willy blushed and let out a nervous giggle. Suddenly, the Chocolatier's face took on a greenish tint and he started moaning. Then, suddenly, he jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. A few seconds later, Charlie and Mrs. Bucket heard, well; let's just say it wasn't a very pleasant sound. Charlie shuddered. "Poor Mr. Wonka!" he exclaimed. "I know. We have to make sure that he stays in bed and rests for a few days. He also needs to take some medicine, whether he likes it or not," said Mrs. Bucket. At that moment, Willy emerged from the bathroom. He immediately peeled off his purple latex gloves and threw them in the trash. Then, he put on a new pair and climbed back into bed. "Charlie, could I speak to you out in the hallway for a few minutes?" Mrs. Bucket asked. Charlie nodded. Mrs. Bucket turned to Willy. "We'll be back in a minute or two," she told him. "'Kay," Willy responded.
Charlie followed his mother into the hallway. "I know the Oompa Loompas are perfectly capable of looking after Willy. However, they seem to be having some difficulty getting him to cooperate with them," she said. Charlie nodded. "Therefore, I was thinking that I should stay here and take care of Willy myself," said Mrs. Bucket. "I agree. If there's anyone who can get Mr. Wonka to listen, it's you," said Charlie. "I suppose we better go explain things to the rest of the family," said Mrs. Bucket. So, Charlie told the Oompa Loompa what was going on and they stepped into the glass elevator.
Chapter 4 preview: Charlie and Mrs. Bucket face the challanges of taking care of a certain sick Chocolatier, Mr. Bucket has some jealousy issues, and Willy has a flashback.