"Can we have a snack Daddy?" she asked. It was already 5:30pm, and that meant it had been over 3 hours since they'd had a snack. When they'd first arrive ice cream had been the treat of choice, a couple hours later it had been cotton candy and popcorn, Tess decided she was also in the mood for a smoothie from Jamba Juice, "I want a Jamba Juice!"

"Tess, it's almost dinner time here," Doug said, remembering to add in the 'here' so she'd have a more difficult time arguing that it didn't feel like dinner. "Besides, don't you think Mommy will be a little sad we didn't take her with us if we go home with them?"

"We could get her one too!" Tess said, a grin on her face, she knew how to get her way and had been getting it all day, "Please Daddy? You can call her and ask her what kind she wants and if we can have them! I know she'll say yes!"

"You know, we probably aren't going to eat until like 7pm or later, and Razzmatazz is like my favorite drink right now…" Rachel suggested with a twinkle in her eye. She definitely wouldn't mind having a smoothie before dinner, and if it would make Tess stop whining she was all for it. "I know where there's one really close to the apartment."

"You two are dangerous, you know that?" Doug joked, pulling out his cell phone, "D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S, dangerous."

"I love you daddy!" Tess said in her sweetest voice.

"She hasn't said yes yet." Doug replied, winking his eye at his daughter and Rachel. The phone went right to voicemail; confused, Doug hung up. He scrolled down the numbers in his phone, searching for 'Mark Home' and pressed talk, waiting for someone to answer. When that phone went to a message machine, Doug began getting a little concerned. The next number he thought to dial was Elizabeth's cell phone, but hesitated, knowing that it was most likely Carol hadn't gone anywhere with Elizabeth and if Elizabeth had gone to visit Carol, then Carol would be answering her phone and not have it turned off. In the midst of his pondering the situation, his phone began to ring and Tess grabbed it out of his hand to answer.

"Hello?" she said happily. She loved to talk on the phone; both she and Kate had always enjoyed gabbing, even when it was over their toy plastic phones to each other.

"Hi Tess, what're you doing answering Daddy's phone?" Carol asked with a chuckle.

"Mommy, can me and Rachel have Jamba Juice?" she asked. "Daddy said we couldn't unless you said it was okay and we could get you one too, please!"

"Let me talk to Daddy, Tess, and we'll see about the smoothies." Carol answered calmly, trying to keep her cool as she waited for Doug to take the phone from Tess.

"Daddy, it's for you!" she said excitedly, holding it towards Doug but stealing it back at the last second to get another good plea in for her smoothie, "Bye Mommy, I love you!"

"Carol?" Doug asked, as he got the phone back from Tess. "What kind would you like? Razzmatazz, Aloha Pineapple…"

"Doug," she interrupted, "I need to talk to you about something…"

"Sure, what's going on Carol?" he asked, suddenly worried. Her tone of voice wasn't one that was telling him everything was fine, rather the opposite.

"I'm at the ER right now with Kate. Elizabeth gave us a ride over and Kerry's about to start checking her over. It's fine if Tess wants a smoothie, but we're not going to be home when you all get back and I didn't want you or them to worry about us." Carol said quickly. Kerry seemed to have asked every question under the sun, even the ones she knew the answer to; and Kate had responded by vomiting directly onto Kerry and the chart, then proceeded to cry.

"What? Is she okay?" he asked in a hushed tone, turning away from Tess, who happened to be in her own little world coloring in her book.

"I think it's just that same stomach flu Doug, but I'm worried about dehydration." She admitted. She didn't want to worry him which was why she'd waited so long to phone him.

"Do you want me to head over there?" he asked, preparing to tell the driver to go in another direction.

"No Doug, the last thing we need is to expose Tess to the ER again. I can't handle two sick kids." Carol put her hand to her head, she was getting a headache.

"I'll just take Tess and Rachel to Jamba Juice then, do you want me to get you something and freeze it?" he asked quietly.

"No, that's really okay, but maybe you could entertain them a while longer? And if you could possibly ask Rachel if Tess would be able to sleep over again…" she asked as she saw Kerry emerge from the locker room with clean scrubs on. "Thanks Doug, I've got to go."

"Sure sweetie." He answered just before he heard the click. "Looks like we're going to Jamba Juice ladies."

Carol hung up the phone at the desk and thanked the baffled temp as she jogged to catch up with Kerry. "I'm really sorry Kerry."

"It's not a problem, Carol. These things happen." She responded simply as she walked with Carol towards Exam 3.