Author's Note: Hello, I hope you're doing well. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I'm so happy that people are enjoying the story! Keep 'em coming, they encourage me to write faster. I'm going out of town to the middle east in a couple of weeks, then I have finals right after that, so it may be a month before the next chapter, but I'll try to get one posted before I leave. Just a future warning. Happy reading!!! -KT

Chapter 4

Amanda had settled down in the chair next to Jesse's bed for several hours. She had a couple of files to sort through, some reports to proofread, and she wanted to be there when Jesse woke up. She looked over at his sleeping form. Even with the sedative he still looked uncomfortable, a slight frown shadowing his youthful features. He was pale, with dark shadows under his tightly closed eyes. The two weeks in Tanzania clearly took their toll on him, his small frame was thinner than two weeks before. She reached over and brushed his tousled blonde hair back from his forehead. She sighed sadly. He was burning up. They had checked his temperature an hour earlier, it was hovering at 103. She knew that there wasn't much they could do to help that, the disease had to run its course.

She moved her hand down and took his hand. He stirred, and groaned. Amanda took her hand away quickly. She hoped she hadn't hurt him.

Jesse's eyes fluttered open. He had been teetering on the brink of consciousness and Amanda's gentle touch pulled him out of his slumber. He flinched at the little light that was coming into the room. It was dim, but still painful to adjust to at first.

The pain had dulled to a persistent throb, but it wasn't nearly as intense. His eyes focused on Amanda.

"Hey Jesse." She said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Hi Amanda," Jesse whispered. "I'm okay. How long have I been asleep?"

"Since right after Mark brought you in, so nearly 10 hours. They gave you a sedative."

"Yeah, I remember." Jesse said. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I think it might be wearing off."

"Do you want me to call the nurse? Mark didn't want you to have strong medication frequently, but she could give you some Tylenol."

"No, it's okay. It's not too bad right now." Jesse attempted a smile.

Amanda placed her head on his forehead again. "You still have a very high fever, it was 103 last they checked."

"Yeah, I feel like I'm cooking from the inside." Jesse said, closing his eyes momentarily.

Amanda smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry sweetie, but it will get better. The pain is supposed to subside after a few days, and then the fever will go down." She took a washcloth from the side table and placed it on his forehead, stroking his hair. "But you need to keep hydrated. They have you on IV fluids, but you need to be drinking as much as you can as well." She poured some water into a glass from a pitcher.

Jesse reached over to take the water. His hands were shaking badly, and the movement exhausted him.

"Here Jesse, let me help you." Amanda held the glass to his lips and he sucked eagerly through the straw. "Slowly, you don't want to overdo it."

Jesse leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I feel, I feel so helpless." He muttered, looking pitifully at Amanda.

"I know honey, but it'll get better soon." Amanda replied. "Why don't you try to get some more sleep. I'll sit here with you."

"No, it's okay." Jesse said. "We can talk." His voice was strained and weak.

"Are you sure?" Amanda asked. "You need your rest."

"Been sleeping for awhile. I, haven't seen you in two weeks. What's new?"

Amanda smiled. "Well, nothing really exciting happened while you were gone. Steve didn't have any incredibly interesting cases, path lab work was pretty straightforward. I even heard that the ER was pretty quiet. Thankfully, since it's best doctor was gone."

Jesse smiled. "That's good that I didn't miss anything."

"Nope, not a whole lot. We missed you tons though. I know Steve did, I'm sure the books are way behind at Bob's."

Jesse laughed softly. "Yeah, Steve's helpless when it comes to that."

"What am I helpless about?" Steve's voice rang out as he walked into Jesse's room.

Jesse looked at his new visitor. "The books," he said, a faint appearance of his trademark grin on his face.

"Hey, that's not true. You'll see when you get back, everything is in order."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Amanda piped in, looking at Jesse, grinning.

"Me too," Jesse said.

Steve changed the subject as he sat down in the other chair. "So Jess, how are you doing?"

"Mm okay." Jesse answered. "How are you? You, you look tired."

Steve smiled at his friend's question. Leave it to Jesse, always concerned about everyone else. "Look who's talking. That's like the pot calling the kettle black."

Jesse smiled. "Just askin'"

"I'm fine. We've been a little busier the last couple of days, but the case was open and shut."

"Oh, yeah, the Morgan case." Amanda said. "That's all cleared up?"

"Yep, just finished the final paperwork today. It was pretty simple to begin with."

"Those are always nice," Amanda replied. She looked back at Jesse, who had become quiet all of the sudden. He was panting slightly, his eyes closed. He was starting to look a little green.

Suddenly his eyes opened and he moaned. "Amanda, don't, feel so good." He managed.

Amanda quickly grabbed a basin from the bedside table and held it under Jesse's mouth just in time. He proceeded to throw up all the water he had just drunk, mixed with bile. She rubbed Jesse's back as he heaved, his small body wracked with the violent movement. Steve had stood up quickly, but felt helpless as to how he could help his friend. It also worried him. He ran out of the room to find Mark.

Jesse dry heaved for a few minutes after his body had dispelled everything he had consumed, but those few minutes felt like hours. Tears sprung to his eyes and each shuddered breath he took displayed his agony. Amanda tried her best to help her young friend, supporting his weak frame, trying to soothe him, but she too felt helpless. She hated to see Jesse suffering, and in obvious pain.

After he was finished Jesse admitted a painful sigh and Amanda helped him lay back down in the bed. He closed his eyes and whimpered quietly.

Amanda dipped the washcloth in fresh water and placed it back on his forehead. "I'm so sorry Jesse," she said softly, stroking his brow with the washcloth.

"Hurts," Jesse managed as he opened his pain laced eyes.

"I know Jess," Amanda said. "The amount of water you drank probably shocked your stomach. Here," She took the cup again. "Take one small sip. We'll do that every 30 minutes or so, to keep you hydrated."

Jesse took a small sip of the water. The vomiting ordeal had dispelled all vain attempts he had made to ignore the pain that was ravaging his body, and it had exhausted him. He moaned quietly, and shifted in the bed. Nothing would make him comfortable.

"Jesse, try to relax." Amanda said. "You need your rest. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep okay?"

"kay," Jesse whispered. He had to will himself to fall asleep. He was exhausted, but the pain was beginning to come back with a vengeance.

Steve returned that moment with Mark. Mark stopped at the sight of Jesse with his eyes closed. "Good he fell asleep." He said.

"No, he didn't." came the whispered reply from the bed as Jesse opened his eyes and looked at his mentor. "Mark, it hurts." He said, his voice barely audible.

"I know Jess." Mark said. "It will get better, but for now you need to sleep. I can't give you another sedative, your system needs to fight this. The sedative can have anticoagulant effects, and your blood count is very low as a result of the virus. I can give you Tylenol for the pain, that will help you sleep."

Jesse closed his eyes. "Okay," he whispered.

"I'm sorry Jesse, I wish I could do more." Mark responded sadly.

"It's okay, I understand. You, do, best, you…." Jesse's voiced trailed off. Clearly the exhaustion had gotten the best of him as he drifted off to sleep.

Steve was shifting his weight, looking back and forth between his father and Jesse. "Um, is throwing up normal?" He asked, clearly worried about Jesse's previous episode.

"Yes, it is." Mark replied. "It's a typical reaction. Come on, let's go, we don't want to disturb him."

Steve followed his father and Amanda out the door, looking back at his sleeping friend as he walked out. He hated seeing Jesse so sick. He remembered the last time, and the thought made him shudder. The memory of that genetically altered smallpox virus was not something he wanted to dwell on. He caught up with Mark and Amanda and tried to put it out of his mind.

"So Steve, anything interesting going on at the precinct?" Amanda asked as they entered the lounge.

"Not really," Steve replied. "It hasn't been very eventful. Nothing for you two to meddle in," He finished with a mischievous smile.

"Watch your tongue young man," Mark chided jokingly as he poured them coffee. "If I do recall, there have been several times where OUR help cracked the case."

"Yes, I do recall." Steve responded, smiling. Mark, Amanda, and Jesse usually helped in his cases a great deal. Or, he remembered grimly again, they were part of the case. The smallpox memory was back. Jesse had lost consciousness right before they got the vaccine. He almost died, he had mere moments left when they got the vaccine to him. Steve looked up at his father. "Dad, this dengue, or whatever it's called, um, it's strictly a natural illness right? There's nothing, nothing abnormal about it right?"

Mark frowned at Steve's serious tone. He knew what Steve was implying. "No, it's nothing abnormal. Jesse's blood work had the dengue virus, not anything foreign. It's not like before."

"You're positive?"

"Yes, we're positive."

"I looked at the blood work too Steve." Amanda said. "Mark's right, it's a virus Jesse got from a mosquito. He'll be fine."

The next day

Steve opened up the door to Jesse's room cautiously, hoping not to disturb his friend if he was asleep. He was apprehensive, Jesse's condition the day before had scared him a little bit, but he wanted to see how he was doing. He slowly eased the door opened and stepped inside.

"Hey Steve,"

Steve was shocked to see Jesse awake, propped up to a near sitting position in his bed, with a smile on his face. "Hey Jess, how are you feeling."

"Surprisingly, a little better," Jesse responded. "Still achy, and I'm not going anywhere, but it's bearable."

Steve smiled. Jesse's voice was still very weak, his face pale, and the weight loss apparent. But he didn't look as uncomfortable as the day before. "That's good Jess. I guess you're recovering quicker than Dad thought."

"Um, well, yes and no. Mark told me that this is like the eye of the storm." Jesse answered. "Apparently a lot of times the virus lapses for a day, then comes back harder."

"Oh," Steve said. They lapsed into silence.

"But," Jesse said, trying to smile reassuringly. "I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity."

Steve sat down in the chair next to Jesse's bed. "Well that sounds good to me. So, you feel up to telling me something about Tanzania?"

Jesse grinned. "Sure," he said. His voice was soft and weak, but he wanted to talk. "It was incredible. I stayed at a small house that the aid workers live in. The people were so amazing. I made a little friend, Aminia, she's 7. She's beautiful and precious. I wanted to bring her home with me. Her father died when she was a baby in a tribal scuffle, and her mother-" he stopped, and looked down.

Steve looked at his friend. "Jess, you okay?"

Jesse sighed. "Yeah, sorry. Her mother, she died of AIDS a few weeks before I got there. Aminia has a sister, but she has AIDS too. Aminia is the only member of her family who isn't infected. It's so tragic, and, just, well, hard to even think about."

Steve nodded. He couldn't even imagine the pain of losing both parents at such a young age. "That's really sad." He said. Okay, change the subject. "So, what are the workers like over there?"

"Well, there's Randall, the project head. He was very friendly and charismatic, but he seemed a little nervous about the partnership. He probably wanted everything to look perfect. And Asia, she was great. She translated for me, and showed me around. I got to know her pretty well." He said, a smile coming to his face.

"Asia huh?" Steve teased. "Do you have a crush on this girl?"

"No!" Jesse said. At Steve's look, he continued to defend himself. "Asia is beautiful, charming, and intelligent. She's devoted her life to helping hurting people. She's attractive both on the inside and out, but she's in Tanzania, and doesn't plan on ever settling down in the US."

"Aw, that's too bad." Steve said. "So was she shorter than you." He grinned.

"Yes." Jesse responded, glaring at Steve.

"Just barely though right?"

"Ha-ha" Jesse said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Well, it sounds like it was pretty incredible." Steve said.

"Yeah, it was." Jesse replied. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, and flinched.

Steve looked at Jesse with concern. "Jess, you okay?"

Jesse opened his eyes. "Yeah," he said softly. "My head's starting to hurt again." He gasped quietly and brought his hand to his head. "Well," he said, his voice strained. "I guess the relapse is coming quicker than I thought."

Steve stood up. "I'm going to go get Dad."

"No, it's, okay, I just need, to sleep." Jesse said, and looked up. Steve was already gone. He sighed and tightly shut his eyes, willing the sleep to come.

A moment later Steve came back with Mark. "Jesse?" Mark said.

Jesse's eyes opened at the sound of Mark's voice. "Hey Mark," He whispered.

"Steve said your headache is back."

"Yeah, a little bit." Jesse answered. "Can I have some aspirin or something?"

"Absolutely," Mark answered. As if on cue, a nurse walked in. "Will you get Dr. Travis some aspirin and a thermometer?"

"Yes sir." She answered and pulled a thermometer out of her pocket. Mark took it and placed it in Jesse's ear. "Hmm, 103.1. Your temperature has risen again."

Jesse sighed. "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

"Almost a whole day," Mark said, looking at his watch. "It's 6:30."

"Jess, I'm sorry. I hope our conversation didn't bring this on quicker." Steve said guiltily.

"Nah Steve, I enjoyed being coherent for a little while." Jesse said, smiling. "But, I think lala land is, calling my, name." He finished with a sigh and closed his eyes, letting sleep come.

"Good, that's exactly what he needs." Mark said softly as Steve and he left Jesse's room. "It's good that he's been able to fall asleep."

"Yeah. It's only going to be for a few more days right?"

"Yep," Mark replied. "Then some time at the beach house to regain his strength, then he'll be good old excitable crazy Jesse once again."

4 Days later

"Alright Jess, you ready to go?" Mark came into Jesse's room with a wheelchair.

"Absolutely," Jesse said. "I only enjoy being here when I'm working." He put his feet on the floor and quickly stood up, immediately regretting it as the room started to spin. "Whoa," He muttered, grabbing the bed for support.

"Easy there," Mark said as he helped Jesse sit down in the chair. "You haven't stood in days, so this chair is going to be your escort to my car."

"I honestly don't disagree with you." Jesse replied.

Mark had pulled his car up to the overhang outside the main entrance to the hospital. He wheeled Jesse out to the main reception area. The nurses all spoke their greetings to their favorite ER doctor. Jesse smiled and looked up at Mark. "People like me," he whispered, grinning.

"Ha, don't let it get to your head," Mark said, smiling back at Jesse.

"Jesse!"

Jesse jerked his head back towards the entrance. He was shocked at who he saw. "Asia?" He said. Mark had stopped pushing the wheel chair, so Jesse stood up and started towards her, pushing aside his unsteadiness.

Asia looked horrible. She was pale and breathing heavily. Her dark brown hair was disheveled and her already small frame was gaunt. She staggered towards Jesse. "Jesse, I'm so glad you're here."

"Asia, what, what are you doing here?" Jesse was completely shocked, and judging by the look on Asia's face, for whatever reason she was in LA, it wasn't good.

The dark shadows under Asia's green eyes highlighted the tears that formed quickly. "It's, the hospital, the village, the- everything!" She had reached Jesse and he put his hands on her shoulders. "He, he's- Randall-" her voice cut off, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she passed out in Jesse's arms.

Asia's physical condition couldn't have put her weight at more than 95 pounds, but the sudden addition of that weight to Jesse's body was more than he could bear. He sank to his knees with Asia's limp body in his arms. As Mark and a few nurses rushed to their aid, the last 30 seconds fully registered into Jesse's adrenaline laced body, and he felt himself falling, and everything went black.