Ryan was just coming into the kitchen for breakfast as Kirsten was hanging up the phone. Sandy and Seth were already there, and they were all staring at him. "What's going on?"
"Ryan," Kirsten asked. "You have had the chicken pox, haven't you?"
"I don't know." He eyed her curiously. "Why?"
"That was Julie on the phone. Seems Caitlin has the chicken pox, and since you've been over there a lot lately... well, that means you've been exposed to them." Kirsten told him.
"I guess I had them. I mean, don't all kids get them?" Ryan said.
"But you don't know for sure?" Sandy asked. Ryan just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
Sandy walked out of the kitchen, and came back a minute later, reading from some sort of file. "There's nothing listed under childhood diseases," he said as he looked up at Kirsten and then Ryan."What's that?" Ryan asked.
"Your file." Sandy closed it
"What file?" Ryan asked. "You have a file about me? From where?"
"It's the file we were given when we were granted custody. It has the basic information in it. Except for childhood diseases. That section is blank." Sandy turned to return the file to his office. He'd rather not discuss the contents of Ryan's file with him at that moment. He knew it would only upset Ryan to know exactly how much they knew about his life.
As Sandy walked back into the kitchen, Seth asked, "Can't we just call Dawn? She'd know if Ryan had the chicken pox."
When Sandy looked at Kirsten and she looked at Sandy, and neither one of them would look at Ryan, he knew - Dawn was once again nowhere to be found.
"Maybe we could call Trey?" Kirsten said, but Ryan was quick to tell her, "No. Not Trey. Don't call him. He... he wouldn't remember anyway."
"Look, it's just the chicken pox," he continued, "I'm sure I had them. I just don't remember, that's all."
"Either way, I think I should probably call the doctor. Just to be safe." Kirsten picked up the phone and walked out of the kitchen.
"How can you not remember the Chicken Pox?" Seth asked. "Man, I can't forget. They were awful. During summer vacation, when I was six. It was the worst."
Ryan didn't say anything. He didn't doubt for one minute that getting the Chicken Pox was the worst thing that ever happened to Seth, and that's why he would remember them. Ryan was sure he'd had the chicken pox somewhere in between the beatings, the broken bones, busted lips, and black eyes. He just couldn't remember them. They were, after all, not the worst things to happen to him.
"Okay," Kirsten said as she returned to the kitchen, "The doctor said that if Ryan has had them, then there is nothing to worry about. But if he hasn't, then he will probably break out sometime in the next two weeks. All we can do is wait and see."
Ryan only shrugged. Good, all we could do was wait and see. No big deal, he thought.
He should have known that it would be a big deal. To Sandy and Kirsten. Wait and see over the next two weeks meant every time Ryan turned around one of them was asking how he was feeling, putting a hand on his forehead to check for a low grade fever, asking him to lift up his shirt to see if he had any blisters, and basically driving him nuts. He began counting down the days, praying for day 14, so they'd leave him alone.
It was on day 13, while sitting in history class, that he fell asleep. He hadn't been feeling right since lunch but just assumed he was tired from studying late with Marissa the night before.
He didn't hear Mr. Bendis calling his name, not until Marissa kicked him under the desk and made he jumped. "Sorry. What? What was the question?" he asked, embarrassed.
"I said 'Here is your pass to the nurse's office'. You're obviously too tired to sit in my class today, so you can just take yourself over there for the remainder of the period. But feel free, once you're fully awake, to read the next four chapters and summarize them for us." Mr. Bendis told him as he handed Ryan a hall pass.
Ryan didn't say anything. He just collected his books and left. Under normal circumstances, he would have apologized and tried harder to pay attention. But he woke up with a killer headache, so he headed for the nurse's office.
Ryan handed his pass to the nurse and told her that he had a headache. He had hoped that would be enough to be allowed to lie down. Unfortunately it was enough to get a thermometer stuck in his mouth. Once it finally beeped, the nurse removed the thermometer, looked at it and told Ryan he could go lie down.
"Finally," he mumbled as he lay down on the cot. It didn't take long before he was asleep again so he never heard the nurse calling Kirsten.
Ryan jumped when he felt someone pull on his shirt. "What the hell?" He quickly sat up, and saw Kirsten looking at him. "Kirsten? What are you doing here?"
"The nurse called and said you were sick. I was just checking to see if the rash had started yet."
"Rash?" Ryan said. "Kirsten, I have a headache. Not the chicken pox."
"A headache. And a low grade fever, and you're so tired that you fell asleep in class as well as here in the nurse's office." Kirsten gently tried to break the news to him. "Ryan, those are all signs of chicken pox."
"Kirsten, they're signs of a lot of things or signs of nothing." Ryan informed her as he got off the cot.
"What did you eat for lunch today?"
"Lunch?" Ryan was confused as to what his lunch had to do with being tired and having a headache. "I don't know."
"You don't know? Or you didn't eat?" When she saw the look on Ryan's face, she added, "I can ask Seth."
"I wasn't hungry."
"Okay, so you're tired with a headache, a low grade fever, loss of appetite and you sound congested. Chicken Pox, Ryan. All the signs of chicken pox," Kirsten informed him.
"A cold, Kirsten. Probably just a head cold," Ryan argued.
"Either way, Mrs. Cohen," the nurse interrupted, "Ryan can't return to school until he has been fever-free for twenty-four hours. And if it is chicken pox, you'll need a doctor's note clearing him to return."
Kirsten put her arm around Ryan's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Let's go get your books and head for home. I can call the doctor from the car."
"I don't need a doctor. I don't have the chicken pox. I just have a headache, or a cold," Ryan mumbled as he hung his head, put his hands in his pockets and walked out of the nurse's office.
Kirsten followed behind, guessing it would probably be better not to continue the growing chicken pox debate at that particular moment. She quietly followed Ryan down to his locker, but when she noticed him stuffing only one book into his backpack, she said, "You may want to take everything you think you'll need for about the next two weeks."
Ryan tried to glare at her, but when he saw her raise her eyebrows at him, he quickly turned back to his locker, grabbed all his books and jammed them into his backpack, figuring it would just be easier to bring them back in a day or two then it was to argue with Kirsten.
Neither one of them spoke again until they got to the car. Kirsten then picked up her phone and placed a call. Ryan closed his eyes and listened to her talk to some guy named "Pete".
"Hi, Pete. It's Kirsten. I just picked Ryan up. He has all the cold symptoms like you said, but no blisters on his stomach yet. Oh, hang on. Ryan, lean forward."
"Huh? What are you doing?" Ryan asked as Kirsten put her hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him forward. He stared at her in disbelief as Kirsten pulled up the back of his shirt, and either Kirsten didn't notice or didn't care as she continued her conversation with this Pete guy. "No, not there either."
"See, I told you. I have a cold." Ryan mumbled as he pulled his shirt back down.
Kirsten didn't answer him as she pulled a notepad and pen out of her purse and began to scribble on the pad, stopping only so often to ask a question. Ryan closed his eyes, not overly concerned with her conversation, since he knew there was no way he had the chicken pox. He was starting to doze off again when he heard Kirsten say, "Calamine lotion? That's the pink stuff, right?"
"No," Ryan moaned, "No pink stuff. I don't need anything pink."
She looked over at Ryan before Kirsten continued her conversation, "Yes, that's him again. No, he doesn't want pink stuff. Oh, the same stuff as for the bath? It comes in a lotion, too? What color is that? Okay. When should I bring him in? Even when the rash appears? How high a fever? His fever can get that high? No, the nurse said it was 101.5. Tylenol or Motrin only, I know. Okay, thanks. Anything else? No, I think I got it all. I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon. Thanks, Pete. Bye."
"Okay," Kirsten continued as she put her phone and her pad back into her purse. "So, that was your doctor."
Ryan looked at her strangely for a second before he said, "I have a doctor?"
"Yes, Ryan. Of course you have a doctor. Who did you think I was talking to?" Kirsten said, and when Ryan only shrugged, she continued, "His name is Pete. Dr. Peter J. McPete."
"Pete McPete?" Ryan snorted. "I have a doctor named Pete McPete. You're kidding, right?"
"No, I'm not kidding!" Kirsten shot back. It was obvious she was becoming annoyed with this whiney version of Ryan. "He's a nice guy and a good doctor. I've known him almost my whole life, and Seth really likes him. He gave me a list of stuff to get that will help you feel better, including a prescription for Acyclovir, which is a new drug that will decrease the number of blisters you get. So be nice."
"Yeah. Sorry." Ryan muttered as he closed his eyes again and laid his head against the back of the seat.
"You okay?" Kirsten asked a minute later as she patted Ryan's leg.
"Fine. Just a headache." Ryan still didn't open his eyes, but was glad to feel the car begin to move as Kirsten finally started to drive away from the school.
"I'll drop you off at home first before I go to the pharmacy. Do you think you could wait to take something until I get back?"
"It's okay," he told her. "I think there's some aspirin in my bathroom."
"No, Ryan. Don't take aspirin." Kirsten said. The tone of her voice made Ryan open his eyes and look at her. "Dr. McPete said under no circumstances are you to take any aspirin, only Tylenol or Motrin. Kids with chicken pox can get very sick by taking aspirin."
"But I don't have...." Ryan wasn't able to finish his sentence as Kirsten told him, "Don't say it. Just don't take any aspirin. Understood?"
Ryan nodded in response to her question. As he turned and stared out the window he shook his head realizing that it really wasn't a question, more like a demand.
"Ryan," Kirsten said after a few minutes, "Why can't you believe you're getting the chicken pox?" Ryan continued to stare out the window as he finally told her, "Only kids get the chicken pox."
"You are a kid."
"Little kids," Ryan stressed as he looked at her. Kirsten couldn't hide her smirk as she told, "I remember thinking the same thing. That is until Hailey came home with them, and promptly passed them onto me. I was 15."
"Well, I'm still older." Ryan whined. It was a lame argument, but the only one he could think of at that moment. His head was pounding, his throat was scratchy, and he was really tired so he was in no mood to argue with Kirsten, over chicken pox of all things.
"Well, aren't you a lot of fun when you're sick?" Kirsten said. Ryan could only look at her again. Kirsten noticed that at least he wasn't exactly glaring at her, more like pouting. Then he let out another loud sigh as he closed his eyes again.
"I'll make you a bet." Kirsten finally said as they pulled into the driveway.
"What kind of bet?"
"Well, sweetie," Kirsten tried to gently explain. "Dr. McPete said you'd be, um, under the weather for about a week or two. I'll bet you your allowance for that time that you do have the chicken pox."
"And when you're wrong?" Ryan asked, opening his eyes and unclipping his seatbelt. "When all I have is a cold, or even nothing at all?"
"Whatever you want. Your choice."
Ryan opened the door and then looked at Kirsten, "You know if I were Seth, I'd ask for a car."
"Yeah, well," Kirsten laughed. "That's why I'd never make this bet with Seth. Besides, unfortunately I know I'm right. Try to get some rest. I won't be long, and remember no aspirin!"
Ryan only shook his head again as he closed the car door and went into the house. He quickly went through the house and out the back door to his pool house. Ryan's head was still pounding, and he felt pretty miserable. Not miserable enough to admit that he was getting the chicken pox. That was one fact, no matter how bad he felt, Ryan just couldn't admit to anyone, especially himself. Ryan was asleep again before Kirsten was even out of their neighborhood.