Chapter 3

Before leaving El had made sure that Neal had taken his medicine feeling better about leaving a sleeping Neal alone with Carolyn instead of an awaken one. She hoped it would keep him out of trouble but as soon as she left Neal secretly spit out the capsule he had faked swallowing waiting his chance to get rid of the hated suppository that he had been given for the nausea.

Neal also faked falling asleep in hopes that Carolyn would leave him alone long enough so he could get rid of them for good and after thirty minutes he was rewarded when he heard his babysitter quietly leave. He guessed she would return and was only going to be gone for a few minutes so after a couple of minutes Neal opened his eyes and surveyed the room and not finding Peter's mom carefully got up.

He was a little weak and that made the journey to the bathroom with the package of suppositories he had discovered on the table next to the rocker. He was thinking that this was a piece of cake when he heard, "NEAL CAFFREY…FREEZE!" coming from the bottom of the stairs and turned to find Carolyn Burke there with a cup of tea, he supposed, in her hand.

"I had to go to the bathroom," he lied forgetting that he had evidence of his deceit in his hand.

"UMMMPH," Carolyn muttered out loud as she quickly set her cup down on the table before moving to his side and grabbing the package out of his hand. "And what exactly were you going to do with this?" she asked sternly.

"I was starting to feel a little sick and thought to give myself another dose," Neal continued to lie.

"There is no need for you to do it for yourself when I'm here….now go and climb back into bed and get on your side…I'll just pull down your pajama bottoms and insert another one in," she said smoothly as she called his bluff, but when she checked her watch she discovered that it was time for another dose.

"You know I'm feeling so much better now," Neal added as she scurried back under the covers before Carolyn might be tempted to use her hairbrush on his bottom.

"Neal…you lied to me and I'm like Peter on the issue of lying. You can expect a spanking just as soon as you get over your cold…I won't be adding heat to an already warm body but I don't want you to think that you have gotten away from this without some type of punishment…so you can just pull off your pajama bottoms and hand them over to me…I think I will keep you bottomless until either El or Peter return. You my dear can't be trusted to be alone without being naughty.

"NO! I won't do it!" declared Neal as he glared at Carolyn.

"Son, we can either do this the hard and embarrassing way or the easy way…it's up to you which way this occurs but when it is all over with you will be bottomless in that bed…or you will be sporting an handprint on your bottom!" she threatened in her no-nonsense voice as she glared back.

Neal stood fast in his decision that is until he saw her approach with a determined look on her face and quickly did as he was told, handing his pajama bottoms to her. Unfortunately for Neal it was then that she saw the capsule he was to have taken an hour ago on the floor.

"You purposely didn't take your medicine and have earned yourself another spanking. I want to know why?" she asked dangerously.

"I knew it would make me sleep and I had to be awake if I was to…." replied Neal as he left the other part off.

"You wanted to be able to get rid of the nausea medicine?" Carolyn completed.

Neal nodded," I should have taken it since my plan failed," Neal concluded as he really started to feel bad.

"We can take care of that now…where are you hurting?" Carolyn asked in full mother mode.

"My stomach, head…everywhere," admitted Neal with a groan.

Carolyn quickly and before he even knew what was happening, pushed him on his side and inserted another suppository before hurrying to the bathroom for some water and another capsule which Neal gratefully took without argument before lying back down and closing his eyes. Carolyn returned a moment later with a thermometer to take his temperature and found that he was sporting one of 102 degrees.

It didn't take her long to get a cold washcloth to put on his forehead in an attempt to bring the fever down. She also had on hand Tylenol which she was prepared to hand out if the fever didn't start to drop soon.

When El pulled up in front of their townhouse she was thrilled to see that her husband had arrived too. She had bought a lot of supplies and it was starting to snow…she would need his help if they were going to beat the weather before the storm that was predicted got worse.

"I don't know why you are here early but your timing couldn't have been any better," El said as she greeted Peter.

"Hughes sent everyone but a skeleton crew home once he learned the possible severity of the storm. How's Neal?" he replied as he took the bags that were offered.

"I left him with your Mom…I hope he's in one piece," she said with a smile.

"His medicine was delivered soon after you left and the delivery boy told me about the storm. I knew with the two extra mouths I had better stock up so I left your mom to take care of Neal," she explained as she grabbed two bags and followed Peter in.

"Honey, I'll get the rest of the bags in; why don't you go and check on Neal and Mom and find out just how much trouble he's in," Peter said with a smile as he put the two bags he was carrying down in the kitchen and headed out to unload his wife's car.

El tiptoed down the stairs to find Carolyn in the rocker next to Neal's bed reading a book and sipping tea and the sick boy was sleeping soundly with the covers pulled up tight.

"How is he?" she asked in a quiet voice not wanting to wake the boy.

Carolyn looked up and motioned for El to go back upstairs as he followed.

"He's better now after finally taking his medicine," she admitted as Peter came in with another load. He paused to get the details knowing that the groceries left in the car were in no danger of thawing out.

"What do you mean…I saw you give him his pill before I left," El said with confusion in her voice.

"Why didn't he take it, Mom?" asked Peter cutting to the chase.

"He was waiting for me to leave him alone so he could dispose of the suppositories the doctor sent for his nausea," replied Carolyn.

"So he faked taking the medicine…and his sleeping so you would leave him long enough so he could get rid of the medicine…did he succeed?" Peter asked.

"Nope I caught him before he could even get to the bathroom," replied Carolyn with a chuckle. "And then he lied to me twice about why he was up and what he was going to do with the medicine."

"So you spanked him," replied Peter.

"Nope…but he has earned two spankings from me once he gets over his cold. I won't be putting extra heat into his feverish body…but as soon after he is over his cold he's in for two spankings and when I'm finished he won't be sitting comfortably for some time. No, I didn't spank him this time but I did punish him nonetheless by depriving him of his pajama bottoms. At least this way he can't get up unless I know about it and hand him his robe," admitted Carolyn as Peter broke out in laughter.

"Neal has never had the pleasure of having a mother who cared for him as a child. El and June do the best they can for him and have on occasions warmed his backside for him when he has endangered himself. The last time El had to mother him was when he became anemic and refused to follow the good doctor's instructions on what he was to eat and not drink. She warmed his bottom up a few times before it was all over with. It is good that you are here this time Mom.

He can really benefit from your motherly and caring ways…between you and El Neal will recover much quicker than on his own and Mom beware; Neal is a very accomplished con man and will try and sweet talk you into anything," Peter warned as he headed back out into the storm for the remainder of the supplies and groceries.