Scott was pulling his hair out.
His baby brother was miserable and he couldn't do anything to help him.
Alan had started with a few itchy spots a few days ago, but by the end of yesterday evening he was itchy and breaking out in blotches everywhere. By the morning neither Scott nor Alan had slept any, and the rash was worse.
He didn't really want to call Grandma. It was a school day, their dad had gone to work early as usual and the child minder wasn't due until after school, but there was no way Alan was well enough for school. And if Alan wasn't well enough then Scott couldn't – wouldn't - go either.
Even if Grandma could come straight over, it wouldn't be in time for school. Scott made an executive decision. Calling John, he looked up as his next youngest brother poked his head around the door, ginger eyebrows up into ginger hair.
'What's up, Scott?'
'Alan's sick, so I'll be staying home. Can you make sure Virgil and Gordon get ready and to school alright?'
Scott could have chuckled at the startled 'deer-in-headlights' look on his brother's face, but he knew John could do this. Gordon would often listen to John when he wouldn't listen to him, and Virgil would be no trouble – once he was up.
'Do you want me to call the school?'
'No, I'll do it, but thanks for the offer.'
Both boys smiled at each other and John disappeared, yelling for Virgil to get up. Scott turned to Alan, who was curled up into his side, eyes dropping with tiredness but hands already beginning to scratch.
'Nah ah, Allie. No scratching.' His brother let out a whine and tried to bury his head in the pillow. Scott ran his hand gently though the blonde hair. 'I got to go make a couple of calls, Al, but I promise I'll be right back, ok?' He felt the nod and lent down to kiss Alan's hair.
The calls were easy to make. A simple case of telling both schools that the appropriate student was sick, reassuring Alan's school that an adult was present. His fingers crossed behind his back as he said that, hoping that they wouldn't insist on speaking to said adult, but the woman was happy enough.
Calling Grandma was a little different. She agreed to come over immediately, concern at the sudden onset of such a rash, especially when Scott explained it was everywhere on the six-year-old. She'd be there in 90 minutes. In the meantime, she wanted Scott to call his dad.
Not something he wanted to do, but Dad had a right to know. Typically, there was no answer on the mobile, and his secretary said he was in a meeting, so Scott left a message with both, and settled down with Alan to wait.
Every time Alan dropped off, he'd begin scratching unconsciously, and when Scott caught his hands, no matter how gently, it woke him up. It left Scott feeling like a rotten brother. Scott was rather relieved when Alan finally fell asleep, too exhausted for anything else.
He sat there, cradling his baby brother, a smile on his lips at the expression on Alan's face. At last he looked peaceful.
Sally let herself in, placing the bags she had brought with her on the floor and immediately made her way to Scott's room, positive that she'll find both her grandsons there. Sure enough, Alan was curled into a ball, head in Scott's lap, while Scott had his head back against the wall and one arm over Alan's shoulder. They are both fast asleep.
She smiled.
Then frowned. Sally saw the rash on Alan's face was angry and red. Blisters looked like they were forming, and for a minute she thought he has impetigo. She hoped not, or all her grandsons would come down with the highly contagious illness. But then, Scott had been with Alan yesterday and today, and he didn't look like he had anything, so maybe it wasn't that.
Leaving the two to sleep, Sally went downstairs and put the food she had brought with her away, contemplating what she already knew about Alan's rash from what little Scott could tell her.
She found the answer in the cupboard and bit her lip. Scott would already be beating himself up over this, and now he had even more reason to. The laundry detergent. It wasn't the one they usually had, and she knew Scott had been shopping three days ago. And it had been Alan's laundry day yesterday. Scott had devised a plan to do each brother's laundry on different days, spreading the load out.
Poor Alan had such sensitive skin, it would take quite a few days to recover from this. At least it wasn't anything contagious or serious.
Sally went upstairs and pulled everything off Alan's bed, along with any clothing she could find. Calling the girl who came over to mind the youngest while Jeff was at work after school, she asked her to make a special trip and pick up the stuff the family usually used.
Scott and Alan slept most of the day, allowing Sally to get all of Alan's clothing and bedding washed and dried and to start on everyone else's. She'd called the family's doctor and he'd written a prescription for a mild steroid cream to help with the inflammation and the itchiness and had gone as far as to drop in on them to double check. He agreed with the diagnosis.
Scott finally woke up just as his brothers were arriving home, to the aroma of one of Grandma's special pies. He gently manoeuvred Alan onto the bed and went downstairs to see if he could help. After all, he was hungry. John handed him a pile of work from school, and Scott left it on the table with his brothers as he went to see Grandma.
'There you are Scotty. How are you feeling now?'
'Me? There's nothing wrong with me, Grandma.'
She eyed him but said nothing. It was most definitely not normal for Scott to sleep all day, nor for him not to wake up when others entered the house, and he'd slept through both herself, the sitter and the doc.
'Did you find out what was wrong with Alan?'
'Yes, Scott. He's got a nasty case of contact dermatitis. The doctor has been and left him some cream.'
That surprised Scott. He must have been more tired than he realised to sleep through a visitor. At least Alan had something to help him now. Then he paused. Contact dermatitis? Did that mean Allie had been in contact with something he was allergic to?
Sally saw the moment Scott put two and two together. Before he could ask she told him, mindful that if she didn't he would only worry more.
'Alan is allergic to the laundry detergent. No, Scott, it's not your fault.' She'd seen his face fall.
'It is my fault. I was in such a rush to get everything I – I didn't think.' Scott kept his eyes on the ground. He couldn't believe he had forgotten so quickly how sensitive his youngest brother's skin was. He'd just been in such a rush to get everything done.
Sally gently lifted Scott's chin, seeing the guilt and self-recriminations. She was pretty sure Scott was burning himself out running around doing things that really she or his father should be doing – like the shopping and the laundry.
'None of that now, Scotty. It was an honest mistake, and Alan will be right as rain in a couple of days. You did good, keeping him off school today. And I think you both will benefit from no school tomorrow, the two of you can just relax and get better.'
Scott rewarded her with a small grin. Yes, she thought, it was about time he had a bit of a break.