Poor little Bright Heart, he just seems to be getting every childhood illness all at once now does he, though, really, not completely uncommon. Aww well.
Enjoy the chapter!
A cough. Another one.
After dealing with several illnesses before, the Care Bear family was more then ready to deal with it.
Bright Heart had woken up in the morning, feeling kind of ill, though by the time he had gotten all his stuff ready and was about to head out the door he suddenly sank to his knees, his hands on his head while his brain swirled with a potent mixture of nausea and fatigue, combined with a blast of warmth on his forehead and red coloring on his face.
Noble Heart and True Heart were in the midst of getting out the door as well, although when they saw their son drop to the floor they immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed over to his side. A quick scan over him revealed the fever and red rashes covering his body.
The verdict was final; he had chicken pox, he would be staying in bed, no school today.
With some mild protesting, interrupted by a fit of coughs, the kit surrendered himself to the strong arms of his father as was carried up the stairs and unto his room while True Heart went ahead and called the school regarding her son's absence today.
By the time she came up, carrying a warm, wet towel and some juice in a sippy cup, she came into the room with Noble Heart passing out tissues to his son, who was sniffing and wriggling comfortingly in bed. She cooed softly to him as she passed him the cup and placed the warm rag on his head. He moaned a bit, though managed to get a few sips down, before resuming sniffing pitifully.
"I hate being sick. Why does this keep happening to me," he asked. His parents frowned at the question as they went to collect his used snot-rags.
"I'm so sorry sweetheart. Some people tend to get sick a lot and, unfortunately, you seem to be getting a lot of illnesses lately," True Heart explained, moving on to adjusting his blankets and fluffing up his pillow.
"Chicken pox doesn't last too long in many cases and you should get better pretty soon." He paused, then smiled sympathetically at him. "Once you get better we're going to visit the doctor in order to see what we can do to prevent you from getting sick in the future. In the meanwhile, you go get some rest."
He nodded weakly, before turning his head and snuggling against the pillow.
"What? He's sick again?"
Noble Heart sighed, hearing the surprised voice of Tugs from across the phone. He had meant to call the school to alert Cheer and Grumpy Bear why his son wouldn't be present, though it was clear that the younger cubs had gotten to it first.
"Yes Tugs. It looks like Chickenpox."
"That's awful," came the voice of Hugs, clambering next to the phone and leaning in to listen. "I remember when me and Tugs got it. We felt just terrible."
"Mm hmm. That's why he's not going to be coming to school today. Could you both please pass the phone over to Cheer or Grumpy to let them know?" he asked.
"Okily-dokily," the two said in unison. Noble Heart flinched as he heart the sound of something heavy and plastic hitting the floor and then being ragged noisily across it. He sighed once more, guessing that the cubs were yanking the phone towards the teachers instead of asking them to come over.
"No, no, don't do that! You need to be careful with that." His hand was brought up to his face as he heard Grumpy scolding the cubs in the background.
"Hello. Who is this?" The lighter, softer voice of Cheer Bear came through.
"Hello Cheer Bear, this is Noble Heart. I'm calling to tell you that Bright Heart has contracted the Chicken Pox and is unable to come to school today due to him being very ill."
He heard a gasp on the end of the other line, combined with the background noises of Grumpy trying to get the twins back in line.
"I'm very sorry to here that Noble Heart. Thank you for letting us know. We hope Bright Heart feels better soon," she replied.
"We hope so too," chorused the twin's voices in the background.
"Thank you all. Hope you have a wonderful day," he said, waiting a few seconds to hear their replies before he hung up.
"What was that all about," Grumpy said, once he had carefully placed the phone back in its proper place.
"Bright Heart is sick with the Chicken Pox and will be unable to come to school today," Cheer explain. The blue, typically melancholic bear bowed his head.
"Poor kid. What's this, the second time he's had to skip school due to an illness?" Cheer nodded, joining in his disappointment.
"Yeah, me and Tugs remember having Chicken Pox. It was just awful having it, so itchy and hot and cold and we were always coughing. Right Tugs?" Her twin nodded.
"Yeah, wish we could do something to help him out," he added. Cheer Bear smiled softly at their concern and came over to them.
"Well maybe there's something you can do. How's this for today's arts-and-crafts project; we do special get-well-soon cards for Bright Heart, then deliver them to him after class."
The twins immediately brightened up. "Yeah," they both replied. Immediately the two rushed over to the cabinets where they kept all the art supplies; the paper, crayons, glitter, stickers, glue, etc.; and brought it all to the table to begin their cards.
"Aren't you guys going to make some cards to," Hugs asked, noticing the lack of response from thew two adults. Both looked shocked for a moment, before Cheer looked at Grumpy with a pleading look.
"Well Grumpy, should we aid in card-making," she sweetly asked. He frowned, yet her pleading expression quickly won him over as he sat himself down at the table, got a sheet of paper, and began dutifully writing encouraging words inside of it. For a bear of a gloomy nature, he could be thoughtful and sympathetic at times.
"Mommy!"
"Oh sweetheart, don't scratch."
It had only been a few hours, but over that course of time, despite their best efforts, Bright Heart's condition only seemed to get worse. Where before he had but a few spots, now he was covered from head to toe in small, itchy, red spots. She tried to pull away his paws to prevent him from spreading the rash around, bit he wriggled in response.
"But it itches mommy," he protested. Sighing, she let go of his hands, where upon he immediately began scratching again.
"Well I've done almost everything I know for dealing with the chicken pox. It looks like we're going to have to take one step further. Wait right here darling."
She exited the room, leaving Bright Heart fussing on the bed, almost in tears from the itching, burning agony he was in. He whispered out his mother's name, feeling his throat itch as well from the dryness. He could hear her descend and ascend the stairs, before hearing her opening the bathroom door and turning on the faucet to the tub. Within seconds she returned, picking him up and carrying him towards the bathroom.
"I think this remedy might help with the itching a bit."
Looking over at the tub, which was already steaming from the warm water, he could make out a familiar cardboard box on the rim of the tub. He twisted his head in confusion as he read out the letters printed on the side. "Oatmeal?"
"Yes dear, oatmeal. You're going to be taking an oatmeal bath. It should help sooth your spots," she explained. Helping him wriggle out of his PJ's, she lifted him up and set him carefully into the tub.
Though his head still reeled with fever and he immediately felt hot from the water, his curiosity of the situation he was in gave him some consciousness to the state he was in. He ran his paws through the oatmeal saturated water, giggling a bit as he could partially feel some tiny particles of the grainy breakfast food his mom often made for him. Though the notion of food made his stomach roil, he still smiled at the thought of a warm bowl of oatmeal, topped with berries, honey, or maple syrup.
"Are you feeling a bit better honey," his mother asked, noticing his lack of crying. Though he suddenly felt very tired, he did notice that he didn't feel so itchy or hot after a while.
"Yeah," he said quietly. Smiling, True Heart went over to the drain and pulled the plug, before grabbing the shower head and giving him and the sides of the tub a quick rinse. She them carefully pulled him out of the tub and swaddled him in a fluffy, white towel with blue clouds and yellow stars on it.
"Are you feeling tired honey?"
His only response was a nod and the snuggling closer to his mother's chest, over her beating heart. Smiling softly, she walked him back to his room and placed him in his bed. She quickly untangled him from the towels before getting him in a fresh, new pair of pajamas. She then grabbed the nearby sippy cup of juice from his bedside table and handed it to him.
"Try to drink a little bit son, it will help with your throat and fever." Though he felt nauseous, he managed to down a few gulps of the fluid, grateful for the liquid. After a small burp, he handed the cup back to his mother and fell back onto his back.
True Heart took the cup back to it's original spot and pulled up the covers to his neck. She blew him a kiss as she tucked him in. "That's it son, get some rest. Your body needs both fluids and rest to recover." He weakly nodded in reply as he shut his tired eyes.
"Goodnight mommy," he whispered as she drifted off.
"Goodnight son," she whispered back, before retreating out the door quietly.
As she made her way down the stairs, the familiar form of er equine husband came into view, waiting patiently for her. "How's he doing?" he asked.
"Well he had a path, drank some juice, and now he's resting in bed. All we can do now in the meanwhile is let his immune system do its best," she replied. "Probably should start thinking about getting him some shots at the doctor's office when he recovers."
He nodded, agreeing that a trip to get vaccines would be better then dealing with another sick day, especially after the frequency of them occurring in the last few years.
"We'll make a phone call to the doctor's office in the morning, though in the meanwhile, I think there's something you should come see that probably will make both you and our son feel a bit better."
Gesturing for her to follow, she soon found herself standing on the front porch, staring at several Care Bear and Care Bear Cousins, each smiling sympathetically at them and with small gifts or cards.
"What's all this?" she asked. As if on cue, the twins stepped up before her, each presenting her with a handmade card. Both had crayon drawings of their family, complete with short, but sweet messages inside. Hugs' card had lace and heart stickers on it, along with some still drying, dripping glue, while Tug's had many star and rocket stickers on a wet, sparkly, messy glitter background. Both were a little messy, but the effort and investment into making them was self-evident.
"After we heard that Bright Heart was sick, we all pitched in to help make stuff to make him feel better," Hugs explained. Cheer them came up, placed a paw on each of their shoulders and smiled.
"It was their idea to get everyone involved in this project. We all wanted to make sure you knew that you have our love and support," she explained.
Grumpy Bear then stepped of, a slightly less grumpy expression on his face. "It took quite a bit to put this all together," he admitted, pausing a second before giving out a rare, small smile. "But you guys are worth it."
The two founders smiled, holding each other close before addressing their family."Thank you all. Thank you all so much for what you have done.
The cards given were numerous and each unique in their own right. Share Bear and Treat Heart Pig brought along some baked goods for them, while Funshine Bear, Cheer Bear, and Playful Heart Monkey brought some small toys and fun items to cheer Bright Heart up. Cozy Heart Penguin came prepared with some ice packs while Lotsa Heart Elephant and Harmony Bear brought along some scented candles and even some different scented soaps, for both the little kit and his parents.
The others all eventually came up, offered their condolences and support before leaving, until Tenderheart Bear and Brave Heart Lion were last. They each had a card to give, but stayed a bit longer to talk.
"We sincerely hope Bright Heart gets better soon. We all know what it was like to be sick," Tenderheart said.
Noble Heart nodded. "Yes, if I recall some of you really were in bad shape when you got sick," he reminded.
"Yeah, well, we owe it to you both that we were able to get better quickly and that we are now healthy." He playfully puffed out his chest in pride.
True Heart giggled. "Yes, and we couldn't be happier that we were there and that we got to see you grow up into the considerate, compassionate beings you are today."
The two younger creatures smiled warmly at their caretakers and leaders. "Well we couldn't be happier to have you as amazing parents," Tenderheart explained.
"Yes indeed," Brave Heart agreed. "We should probably start heading home and getting ready to turn in for the night. A good night to you and your son. Hope he feels better tomorrow."
"Yes, goodnight you guys," Tenderheart added, before waving goodbye.
The two parents waved their farewells before heading back inside, both carrying in the cards and gifts their adopted children had brought hem and with a bright smile on their faces and a warm feeling within their hearts.
A feeling of pride and thankfulness towards the children they had raised.
A while later and the two walked into Bright Heart's room, peering at him from the doorway. The kit was fast asleep, no longer fussing or wriggling in his bed. The red rashes had begun to lessen and shrink on his body and he looked peaceful at the moment.
The two smiled, feeling more reassured that he would be making a quicker recovery then previous thought.
Slowly and quietly they shut the door, leaving the kit fast asleep under the soft rays of silver moonlight and the twinkling lights of the stars above.
Peace and serenity had come across their home this night and they couldn't have asked for anything better.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried to include some of the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins, as I do feel like they deserve more attention and love. I really like to think of them as one, big, happy family that looks out for everyone and has everyone's best interests at heart. In this story, with their parents having their own son, they just see him as another part of the family.
Anyways, thanks Niccunningham for the story request, sorry it took so long for me to get it out there. Hope the rest of you enjoyed, please leave a like/review, and I will see you next time. Sincerely, v.t.7