Chapter Seven

Dawn

Today Mal and I baby-sat for all of her younger siblings. It was an interesting job because all of the Pike kids, including Mallory, have caught the bug. So, needless to say, there was a lot of running around done on my part. Mr. and Mrs. Pike considered staying home but they've got these tickets from Mr. Pikes' boss, who was also attending the workshop with his wife. Mallory wasn't doing so bad-just a slight cough-so she was able to help a lot. But I still got a great work-out…

Dawn arrived at the Pikes around 4:00 on Friday afternoon. She was missing a BSC meeting and so was Mallory. Anyways, Dawn rang the Pikes bell and Mrs. Pike answered the door.

"Hello Dawn. It's good to see you again." she said warmly, closing the door.

"Hi. It's good to see you too." Dawn said. She followed Mrs. Pike to the kitchen, noting the unusual silence. In this household, Dawn knew, silence could only mean one thing: trouble.

"Mr. Pike and I are going to Stanford and then we're going out to Mr. Pike's bosses house for coffee and dessert. We'll be back anywhere between 9:30 and 10:00."

"Okay."

"As you've probably noticed, everyone isn't here."

"Yeah, it's a little quiet."

"I'm afraid I'm leaving you with a lot to do. All of the children are sick in one sense or another."

"Sick?"

"Yes. It ranges anywhere from Mallory, who has just a slight cough, to the triplets, who have the full blown flu. Everyone isn't feeling well in one way or another."

Dawn didn't know how to respond to that so she didn't say anything and just nodded.

"So everyone's upstairs. You and Mallory-she can help you with things, she doesn't need to stay in bed-can make soup for dinner around 5:00. Everything's on the counter. The triplets can each have two children's aspirin with supper and everyone else can have one. Right after supper, Margo and Claire both need to take a bath. Claire first then Margo."

"Okay."

"Margo and Claire go to bed around 8:00, Vanessa and Nicky around 8:45 and the triplets at 9:15. Before you put each one to bed, take the temperatures and if they have a high fever try and convince them to use a cool washcloth. Everyone has their own thermometer in a marked cup. I think that's it. Do you have any questions Dawn?"

Dawn thought for a moment and then said, "I have one. Could you briefly explain what each of the kids has? Just so I know."

Mrs. Pike smiled. "Of course. Mal, like I said, has just a slight cough and the triplets have the flu-fever, chills, cough, headache, sore throat, that sort of thing. Vanessa has a low fever and a headache, Nicky is really achy with a sore throat, Margo and Claire both have runny noses and they said their heads hurt."

"Okay. Got it."

"Don't hesitate to call us for anything. The number is on the fridge, next to the number for the doctor. However, the doctor's office will probably tell you that if anyone is really sick to take them to the hospital because it's after hours."

"Okay."

"John, you almost ready?" Mrs. Pike called. Mr. Pike appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Yep. You ready? Hi Dawn."

"Hi."

"We should be going. Thanks again Dawn."

"No problem. Have a good time."

"Thanks. 'Bye."

"'Bye."

Mr. and Mrs. Pike left and Dawn took a breathe, trying to process all the information that was just thrown at her. Dawn didn't want to be mad at Mr. and Mrs. Pike for throwing this at her. She didn't mind as long as she didn't get sick. She went into the kitchen and found a pen and wrote down everything Mrs. Pike had just told her. While she was writing, Mal came into the kitchen.

"Hey Dawn."

"Mal. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Not nearly as bad as my brothers."

"I guess not."

"So you got everything?"

"I think so. How on earth did your family manage to all get sick?"

"It's easier than you think. One brings home the germs and we all get it. Also, the flu is really spreading. Kids are being sent home from school left, right, and center."

"I know. I passed the nurses office today and there was an actual line up."

"Yeah. So let me guess. Mom left soup for supper."

"Right."

Mal groaned and Dawn smiled.

"It's not so bad. We should probably get supper started if we need to eat at five. Why don't you watch the soup while I butter bread and set the trays?"

"Sounds good."

Mal went to the stove and put the pot of soup, which was out on the counter, onto the burner. Dawn went to the cupboard and pulled out a loaf of bread. She buttered fourteen pieces of bread-two apiece-and then got out seven trays. She put the bread on them, along with cups of milk. She decided to visit each child individually and give them the medicine to make sure they took it.

"Soup's ready." Mal said. Mal and Dawn divided the soup into eight bowls and put seven on them the trays.

"Don't you want any?" Mal asked and Dawn shook her head.

"Okay." Mal put the pot back on the warm burner, being sure to turn the handle back. Then she took a tray and she and Dawn went upstairs. They started with Claire and Margo and Dawn gave them their pills. Dawn and Mal made three more trips upstairs with trays and gave everyone their pills and food.

Once the food was delivered and everyone was slurping soup, Mal sat down in the kitchen with her soup and Dawn collapsed into a kitchen chair and sighed.

"I don't know how your mom does this 24/7 Mal. It's tiring."

"I know."

They sat there in silence until Dawn heard Margo and Claire calling that they were done. Dawn went upstairs and took their trays downstairs again.

"Do you want to get everyone else's stuff? I have to start a bath for Claire." Dawn said.

"Sure. I'll start the dishes when everything's down here."

"Great. Thanks Mal."

Dawn headed upstairs and went into Claire and Margo's room and found them both looking at books.

"Hello girls. What are you reading?"

"Little Red Riding Hood."

"Princess and the Pea."

"I see. Well, you both need to take a bath."

"Who's first?"

"Claire."

"Okay Dawn Silly-Billy-Goo-Goo."

Claire got out of bed and followed Dawn to the bathroom, where she ran a luke-warm bath. When the tub was half full, Dawn turned the water on and helped Claire in. She let Claire play for about ten minutes and then she washed her hair and helped her out of the tub. She got Claire into fuzzy clean PJ's and then ran a second bath for Margo. She let Margo was her own hair and then Dawn found clean PJ's for Margo and helped her back into bed after braiding her hair.

"I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Can Mallory tuck us in?" Claire asked.

"Sure."

Dawn went downstairs and found Mal just finishing up the dishes.

"Claire and Margo want you to tuck them in."

"Okay."

"Make sure you take their temperatures okay?"

"Gotcha."

Mal went upstairs and Dawn finished up drying the dishes and put them away. She went to the bottom of the stairs and called up,

"Anyone need anything?"

"Juice."

"A book."

"For Nicky to get out of the bathroom."

"Kleenex."

Dawn sighed and then got some juice and Kleenex and found a couple of chapter books on the kitchen table and took them all upstairs. She went into see Vanessa and handed her the couple of books.

"Hope one of these is good." Dawn said, smiling.

"Thanks Dawn."

"No problem. Just holler if you need anything."

Dawn went to the triplets room and found Nicky back in his bed so she assumed that whoever had needed the bathroom had gotten it.

"Who needed juice?" she asked.

"Me." Byron reached out and took the glass of juice from Dawn.

"Who wanted Kleenex?"

"Me please." Jordan said. Dawn handed him the box.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem. Anything else?"

"No thanks." the boys said and Dawn left the room, where Mal joined her in the hallway.

"How are Margo and Claire?"

"Fine. Temperatures are both under one hundred but not normal yet."

"Okay. In about half an hour we need to get Vanessa and Nicky into bed."

"We may as well put the triplets to bed as well. They're all so tired they won't even mind."

"That's not a bad idea. That way we can turn the light off for Nicky right away."

"So what do we do now?"

"Well, I'm just going to jot down everyone's temperature because I'm not going to remember seven different readings. After that, whatever we want until 8:45."

"Sweet."

"Pretty easy baby-sitting, that's for sure."

"I wish every job could be this easy."

"Yeah, but I hope it's not because everyone's sick."

"I know. I don't often feel compassion for my brothers but right now I feel so bad for them. They're so miserable that they aren't even teasing Nicky."

"You sound like Kristy."

Dawn had joined Mallory, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"What do you mean?"

"Mary Anne told me that yesterday Kristy felt sorry for Alan."

"Alan Grey?!"

"Yeah. She saw him in the nurses' office."

"Wow."

"I know. I hope that this bug doesn't spread much further. I hate seeing people sick."

"It's even worse being sick."

"It is." Dawn agreed and then she checked her watch. "I wonder how the BSC meeting went."

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"Time for us to start our rounds."
Dawn stood up and so did Mallory.

"You want to do Vanessa?" Dawn asked.

"Sure. You can be the one to tell the triplets about their new bedtime."

"Fair enough."

Dawn and Mal went upstairs and Mal went to Vanessa's room and Dawn detoured into the boys' room.

"Okay guys. Bedtime."

According to Dawn, the boys were too tired to even argue what she said. They just settled themselves into their beds, closing books and putting down action figures.

"Wow. You guys must be feeling pretty awful if you don't even care that it's time to go to bed. But first, before we turn the lights off, we need to take temperatures."

This caused a moan to rise from the boys. Dawn grinned.

"Sorry guys. Thermometers all around."

Dawn distributed thermometers and then waited, tidying up the room as she did. Three minutes later she checked the thermometers and managed to convince the triplets to at least have a cool cloth on hand. She turned off the light and went downstairs where she found Mal reading a book.

"And?" Mal asked as Dawn started writing things down.

"Let's see. Nicky was at 100.5, Byron 102.3, Jordan 101.9, and Adam 103.2. What was Vanessa?"

"99.8. Did you convince the triplets to have a wash cloth?"

"They each have one but I didn't make them wear it or anything."

"Smart move. Man, I'm tired." Mal said followed by a yawn. Dawn looked up.

"You know Mal, your mom said that you also had a cold. You can go to bed if you want. I'll be fine until your parents come home."

"You sure Dawn?"

"Yep. Go to bed."

"Okay. Thanks Dawn."

"No problem. Feel better."

"Thanks."

Mal went upstairs and Dawn sat down on the couch with a book. Around 9:00, she went upstairs and found all of the Pikes sound asleep.