Of Insects and Illness Ch. 2
Disclaimer: I don't own the Thunderbirds or anything recognizable in this story.
Author's Note: I have no medical knowledge whatsoever so please forgive any glaring errors. I am also sorry for the wait on this one. My four year old nephew had his tonsils removed and had a rough few days.
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Prevously: "Oh God, no." Scott groaned as his face turned a deathly shade of white knowing how dangerous malaria was for small children just before his knees buckled and he started collapsing towards the floor.
"Scotty!" Jeff called out anxiously as he caught his oldest in his arms and gently lowered him to the floor. He could feel the tremors running through the teen's body and it worried him to see Scott looking so pale and out of it.
Immediately shifting his attention to Scott since there was nothing more he could do for Alan at the time, Dr. Robert Singer knelt down beside Jeff's firstborn son and wrapped his finger's around the young man's wrist noting that the skin felt a little clammy. "His pulse is too rapid. We need to elevate his legs and get him to calm down." Robert voiced knowing that Scott could slip into shock at any time. It was obvious that Scott's high level of anxiety was causing the medical crisis and they needed to calm the boy quick before his tachycardia or rapid heart rate became too dangerous and placed a burden on his heart.
"Scott, I need you to calm down for me son, Allie needs you." Jeff voiced soothingly into his son's ear as he propped the extra pillow's from Alan's bed under Scott's feet. He was hoping that the knowledge that Alan needed him would help Scott to become more coherent and get control of himself.
"Allie needs me?" Scott questioned with a slurred voice as he tried to push himself up. He was disoriented and felt a little lethargic, sort of like he was spaced out.
"Yes son, Alan needs you" Jeff intoned, breathing a sigh of relief once Scott was able to focus his eyes on him. "That's better, how are you feeling?" Jeff questioned as he brushed a hand through Scott's hair.
"I'm okay I guess. What happened?" Scott was surprised to notice that he was sitting on the floor while being supported in his father's arms.
"You nearly passed out on us." Robert answered as he placed the ends of the stethoscope to his ears so he could listen to Scott's heart. Listening for a few moments, he breathed a sigh of relief as the beat slowly returned to a more normal pace for a sixteen year old boy. "He's doing much better now." Robert stated with a smile as he glanced towards Jeff.
"Can I get up now?" Scott questioned with a desperate need to see Alan and make sure he was till breathing.
"Sure, as long as you take it easy." The doctor answered. He watched as Jeff gently grasped the teen by the arm and then helped him to stand.
Focusing on Alan, Scotts eyes became moist with tears. "It's my fault, I should have been watching him more closely then this would never have happened."
"Scott, you need to stop blaming yourself. If it is indeed malaria, that means it's been at least a couple of weeks since Alan's been infected. It usually takes six to ten days for the first symptoms to appear once a person has been infected." Dr. Singer explained hoping to release the young man's guilt.
"So what happens next?" Scott questioned to divert the attention away from him as he took Alan's small hand into his and sat on the bed beside him.
"We're going to have to take Alan to the mainland and do some blood tests. He'll be admitted to the hospital so we can start treating him right away if the blood tests confirm my suspicions."
"Robert, how bad could it get for Alan, I mean will he hurt much if he does indeed have malaria?" Jeff questioned as he watched Scott comforting his baby brother who was beginning to whimper on the bed.
"I'm not going to lie to you Jeff. It could get pretty bad depending on the type of malaria virus Alan has. Hopefully he'll have a mild case and only have to deal with fever, vomiting and diarrhea. If it is more severe, then Alan could suffer from convulsions, rigor, posturing, and in a worse case scenario, death."
"Damn." Jeff swore as he wiped a sweaty palm across his mouth upon hearing the information. "I'll call the pilot and have him standing by so we can get Alan to the hospital as quickly as possible." Jeff said as he picked up the phone to make the call. Once he was assured that the jet would be standing by within the hour, he decided it was time to wake his other sons. They would want to be close to Alan at the hospital and if he were honest, he needed them close by his side too.
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"Daddy, is Allie gonna be okay?" Ten year old Gordon questioned with a yawn as he sat by his father's side on the jet as it sailed across the ocean. He could see how upset Scotty was even though he tried to hide it and it scarred the copper haired child.
"We sure hope so Gordy." Jeff answered giving Gordon's hand a light squeeze, not wanting to lie to his prankster loving son. The situation with Alan was serious and he couldn't mislead his boys into thinking their world was perfect when the opposite could eventually prove true.
"How did Alan get sick?" Gordon questioned innocently as he chewed on his fingernail. Him and Alan had played in the water for a long time at the beach even though it was a little cool and he hoped it wasn't his fault that Alan had to go to the hospital now.
"The doctor thinks Alan got sick from a virus, but we won't know for sure until we get to the hospital." Jeff replied knowing that when Gordon was nervous, he had a habit of talking a lot and questioning things.
"A virus is an organism that you can't see with your eye Gordon, you need a microscope to see it." Virgil explained as he saw the quizzical look that his brother wore. "Once it gets into your body, it starts to multiply and that's what makes you sick."
"But how did Alan get the virus in him?" Gordon questioned not quite sure about what Virgil was explaining to him.
"Well, it can get in through different ways. You can get a virus by someone coughing or sneezing on you or…"
"So that's why you always tell me to cover my mouth and nose when I sneeze." Gordon interrupted suddenly understanding why Virgil always got onto him.
"That's right Gordy." Twelve year old Virgil answered, his interest in medicine already evident by the explanation he was providing. " But, you can also get a virus from being bitten by an mosquito or some other insect that is carrying the infection.
"Eww, that's just gross." Gordon stated with a shudder as he thought about being a meal for some obnoxious bug filled with germs.
"Virgil, don't you think that was a little too much information for someone Gordy's age?" John inquired as he turned to look at his younger sibling with expressive aqua-blue eyes.
"I was just answering his question John, he has a right to know." Virgil defended himself to his platinum haired brother.
"I'm just saying that he's a little too young to understand everything and that you might want to think about what you say to him before you say it is all." John retorted as his turned his eyes to the skies above. The stars always had a calming affect on him and he dreamed of someday being up there amongst them, just like his father had been.
"I am not too little." Gordon stated with a pout as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'm almost as old as you."
"That's enough boys." Jeff announced with a smile. He loved his children dearly, but sometimes they could be handful if he allowed a situation to escalate between them. It was better to step in now to avoid hurt feelings later.
"Sorry Dad" he heard in unison from his three middle children before his attention was suddenly drawn to his youngest by the sound of his whimpers.
"Alan?" He questioned anxiously as he stood up and quickly made it to his baby boy's side.
"Daddy, my head hurts really bad." Alan cried as he lifted his arms to his father.
"Shh, you're going to be alright Sprout, I've got you." Jeff cooed as he picked up his baby boy and pulled him into a comforting embrace, grimacing at the heat radiating from Alan's body.
"Jeff, I need to give Alan an injection for the pain and fever." Robert informed the ex-astronaut as he pulled out a syringe from his medical bag and plunged in into a vial of amber colored liquid to withdraw some. Walking over to the quivering child in Jeff's arms, he lowered his pajama bottoms just a touch and quickly injected the medicine into Alan's bottom which caused the five year old to scream out in pain before sobbing. "The pain reliever should kick in within the next few minutes. Don't be alarmed if Alan falls asleep quickly, drowsiness is one of the side effects."
"Thanks Robert." Jeff said gratefully before looking towards his oldest. Scott had been quiet most of the trip and he was concerned that the weight his oldest was carrying upon his shoulders would soon overwhelm him. He knew it was his fault Scott blamed himself for everything bad that happened to his brothers, especially Alan. He had been so overwhelmed with grief when Lucy died that he had left it to Scott to raise his brothers with Alan being just a toddler at the time.
Moving toward his oldest, he sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around Scott's shoulders. He didn't say anything, he just wanted Scott to know that he was there if needed, even so it surprised him when Scott leaned over and rested his head on his shoulders. Scott didn't often show emotions he considered to be a sign of weakness and it was an indication of just how upset he was. Running his fingers through his own dark hair, Jeff wished he could tell Scott that everything would be okay, but his oldest already knew how dangerous malaria could be for someone Alan's age.
"Scott, do you mind holding Alan for a while?" Jeff questioned as he placed the now sleeping youngster into his oldest brother's arms. Looking at Scott, he was nearly bowled over by the emotions radiating from his cobalt blue eyes and it nearly caused him to gasp aloud with worry.
Cradling a sleeping Alan to his chest, Scott reclined his seat a few moments later and closed his own eyes as the thrum of the jet's engines and his exhaustion finally caught up with him. He felt a blanket placed over him and Alan just as sleep took hold, causing him to sigh in comfort. At least for a little while, he could believe in his dreams that the doctor was wrong, and that Alan would be just fine.
"Sleep well boys." Jeff whispered as he ruffled his sons hair affectionately. Noticing how quiet it had become, he glanced around to see that the others had also drifted off to sleep. "At least they'll have a few hours of rest." Jeff thought to himself knowing that if Alan was diagnosed with malaria after reaching the mainland, that rest periods could be few and far between.
TBC