Chapter Two-Hundred and Twenty-Two
John wrapped Amelia in his blankets, kissing her head only to discover that she was starting to develop a fever. "Feeling pretty crappy, huh?" He whispered, hugging her close to his chest as she coughed.
"My head hurts…" She groaned, wiping her nose on her wrist.
He nodded, placing the cool cloth that Mary had given him on her head. "Do you need some cold medicine?" He asked, fully aware that he would need one of the adults to unlock the medicine cabinet for him.
"Yeah…" She mumbled, taking her teddy bear from John as he moved to get up.
John hobbled down the hallway to Vernon and Jan's bedroom, knocking on the door to get their attention. "Rich?" He called, knowing that he was most likely on the phone or taking a nap.
Vernon rubbed a hand through his hair, blinking the sleep from his eyes when he saw that John needed something. "What's up, Johnny?" He yawned.
"I need some cough meds for Amelia." He stated, adjusting himself on his crutches. "She's not feeling so hot."
Vernon nodded, grabbing his medicine cabinet key and stepping into the adult's restroom where they kept mostly medical supplies since all the adult bedrooms had a bathroom attached to them. "That cold?"
John leaned forward on his crutches, taking his weight off of his one good leg for a moment to let it rest. "Yeah… she got it from the rug-rats at school." He took the bottle from Vernon, limping back to his bedroom and resting on the bed to give Amelia the correct dose. "Here." He gave her the little measuring cup, watching as she downed it before handing it back to him.
"Thanks…" She sighed, letting John give the bottle back to Vernon. "Love you…"
John smiled, combing her hair out of her face and she started to dose. "Thanks, Rich." He moved to lay down beside the kid, offering his thanks by actually letting Vernon touch his shoulder. "Means a lot."
Clarissa leaned on John's doorframe, shaking her head as she watched him try to help Amelia relax in her illness. "Need a break?" She asked, stepping inside of his room and swiping the little red box from his dresser.
"I don't know what to do…" He groaned, rubbing circles on Amelia's back as she hacked and coughed.
Clarissa nodded, picking up the child and handing the box to John. "Shh… It's alright, Baby." She soothed, watching as John undid the ribbon and pulled out the brand-new Walkman player. "I thought you might like to have your own." She smiled, rocking Amelia on her lap.
"Thanks, Mom." He yawned, leaning on her shoulder as he started to feel his own sleepiness trying to overtake him.
She kissed his head, rubbing her fingers over his cheek. "I love you, Pumpkin." She combed her fingers into his hair, kissing his forehead as he rested. "More than you know."
John gave a short whistle, telling Chance to heal to his side. "Chancie, stay close."
She gave him a big Pit Bull grin, wagging her tail until it tapped against the plaster cast as if she were saying "I know dad."
John shook his head, smirking as his dog attracted attention from every person in the park. "You really are a ham." He chuckled, stopping in his tracks as he caught sight of the young girl he'd come to see.
She was sitting with an elderly woman who could only be her social worker on the edge of the fountain, an open sketch book and piece of charcoal in her hands as she scribbled on the paper. Her hands were stained black with the charcoal, her bright yellow dress staring to look like a speckled bumble bee as the powder was rubbed into the fabric.
John limped forward, a fuzzy image flashing in his mind of a tiny baby in a makeshift crib. "Phoebe?" He asked, leaning on his crutches as she looked up at him. "I'm John…"