Disclaimer: I don not own the Secret of NIMH or any of it's characters. I own this story.
"BRIIIIISBY!" A voice yelled outside the Brisby Home. "BRIIISBY!"
"Oh, Auntie Shrew" Teresa said with a smile.
"Oh, Auntie!" Cynthia said eagerly.
"Oh no!" Martin groaned.
"BRIIISBY!" Auntie shrew yelled.
"She'll wake up Timmy and Daddy!" Teresa said, giving the door to her parent's room a quick look. She ran to the door that led to the stairs. "She's not here!" she said.
"Why is she always coming around here,
poking her nose in where she's not wanted?" Martin said, walking to their room.
"Martin!" Teresa scolded.
Auntie Shrew entered the room. Teresa helped her getting of her large blue cloak. "Thank you child. I must speak with your mother and father." She said, walking to the living room, leaving Teresa with the big cloak.
"Your auntie is exhausted." She said, starting to walk around the table. "Why me? That I alone should be responsible for the welfare of the entire field is monstrous. BRISBY!"
"Mother isn't here." Teresa said, hanging the cloak on one of the holders.
Cynthia grabbed the scarf Auntie Shrew was wearing and pulled it eagerly, wanting to tell something. "Auntie Shrew, Timmy's sick!"
Auntie Shrew gently pulled the scarf out of Cynthia's hands. "Cynthia, dearest, don't pull me." She said, sitting down. "She's not here? She left you children all alone?"
Martin, who was looking from his room gave an annoyed expression. "Dad's still here."
" …...rats in the field up to heaven knows what sort of mischief... and with your father hurt …" she said. "Cynthia dear, don't fidget." She said against the youngest Brisby child, who was yet again pulling her scarf. "You're so like your mother."
"I ain't afraid of nothing." Martin said.
"She went to see Mr. Ages" Teresa said, placing her hand behind her back.
"To Ages. That old flimflam." She said with a small chuckle. "whatever for?"
"Auntie Shrew, Timmy's sick!" Cynthia said again, really wanting to tell the news.
"Patience my pet." Auntie shrew said again, leaning on her cane. "Why to ages."
Cynthia jumped in front of Auntie Shrew. "TIMMY'S SICK"
"Timothy is very ill." Teresa said.
"Timmy ill?" Auntie Shrew asked shocked. "How Dreadful."
"I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm not afraid of the farmer." Martin said, swinging a stick around.
"I can't hear." Auntie shrew scolded.
"I'm not even afraid of Dragon." Martin said. "I'm not even afraid of …of …of the Great Owl."
"Will you hush up?" Auntie shrew asked sternly.
"Aw, you hush up!" Martin said.
"Martin!" Teresa scolded, very shocked by Martin's behavior.
"Precocious monster!" Auntie shrew began.
"Bossing Bullfrog!" Martin threw back.
"Spoiled brat!"
"Loudmouth"
"THAT WILL BE QUITE ENOUGH, MARTIN BRISBY!" A voice yelled.
The three kids turned around, seeing their furious father leaning against the door frame.
"Jonathan Brisby, you shouldn't be out of bed!" Auntie Shrew said, worried about her nephew-in-law's injury.
"I'm, eugh, fit enough to put my oldest son into his place." Jonathan said, painfully walking over to his chair. "Besides, I had enough rest for one day."
"D-Dad, I-I'm sorry." Martin said embarrassed.
"That's not something you should tell your father." Joanna said, who just came through the door. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew her oldest son …and her aunt well enough to suspect what's happened.
"That child is a brat." Auntie shrew said, pointing with her cane to the oldest Brisby son. She walked to the exit.
"Yes, we will talk to him." Joanna said. "Please come back inside."
"Not for a king's ransom!" Auntie Shrew said. "I came to inform you that the frost is off the ground and Moving Day is at hand. Prepare to move your VERY ODD family. GOOD DAY"
Auntie Shrew left the house, rambling about rats and the kind of mischief they could cause. Joanna gave her children a stern look . "Well, children, NOW you've done it."
"It was Martin". Teresa said, sitting next to her moping brother.
"Mrs. Shrew means well." Jonathan said, looking how his wife walked to the fireplace with the teapot with hot water. "She only wants to help. Mr. Ages gave you something for our son?"
"Yes." Joanna said, pouring the powder into the broth. "And something for you too. So you'll heal faster."
"He did?" Jonathan asked.
He smiled as his caring wife prepared a broth for him as well. She first gave him his and then walked over to the children's room, to give Timmy's his. The other children followed. Soon, he heard his wife sing their favorite lullaby.
Jonathan smelled the broth and grinned. That sneaky old flimflam. It's was just ordinary dried Camille. He knew that the story about 'this helping him heal faster' would cover up the real reason behind his fast healing. He drank up the broth, and walked over the room where his sick son was.
Joanna turned her head as she heard her husband entering the room. She smiled and went back to feeding her sick son.
"Is Timmy gonna die?" He heard his youngest daughter ask.
"No, he's just very sick" Joanna said.
"What's wrong with him, mother?" Teresa asked.
"Mr. Ages called it …Pneumonia." Joanna said.
"Pneumonia?" Teresa asked.
Jonathan's heart jumped. Oh, please god no. He knew of the sickness. it rarely killed the adults, but to a child …it was life threatening. He thanked whatever god was there that Mr. ages was hereto help.
"When will he get better?" Jonathan asked, longing for the day he could mess around with his youngest son again.
"Soon, I hope." Joanna said, standing up and walking over to her husband. Jonathan placed his arm around her and together they watched their youngest son fall asleep.
"And now off to bed." Jonathan said to the other children. With the necessary groans and objections, they prepared for the night.
"What a day." Joanna said, as she helped her husband back to his chair. "A bit too much excitement for me."
"What excitement?" Jonathan answered worriedly, as his wife took place on his lap. He suddenly noticed how exhausted she was. A trip to Mr. Ages, how unpleasant it could be, couldn't do this to her. "What happened?"
"Well, I was on my way back home, when I stumbled across this crow, who was all tangled up in some piece of string." She said with a giggle. "He said he was 'working out', but I saw he was all tangled up."
"And caring and helpful as my darling wife is, you helped, I suspect." Jonathan said, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.
She giggled and blushed. "Yes, and while I was helping him …Dragon approached."
Jonathan nearly jumped out of his chair. "What!"
"It's okay, I got away." Joanna soothed. "Jeremy helped me."
"Jeremy?" Jonathan asked.
"The crow I helped. He's kinda clumsy and he can be a bit annoying, but I like him." Joanna said. "As soon as Dragon came to close, he picked me up and flew away." She decided not to tell him about Jeremy first flying away, she losing the medicine while running away, nearly getting caught by Dragon, Jeremy risking his own feathery life by distracting him and helping her get away, then falling in the river, climbing to the windmill, where she cried about losing the medicine. Luckily, Jeremy had seen the medicine and had brought it back to her.
"Well, I'm sure glad that you're safe." Jonathan said.
Joanna yawned. "Well, I'm off to bed." She said. "You coming?"
"not yet." Jonathan said. "I'm gonna sxit in my chair for a while and I'll join you later. It's that okay?
Joanna kissed Jonatahn's cheek. "Don't stay away too long."
Jonathan smiled. "I won't." He smiled happily as he watched his wife walk to their room.
"Bless my life." Jonathan said to himself. "Nothing can go wrong now."
REWIEF AFTER READING!