Chapter 2

"Well, Skipper said if anything happened to him, you were the temporary team leader. What do we do?" Private asked, quietly hoping Kowalski would give him a clear cut answer and tell him everything would be okay. Part of him knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"Okay, first we need to bring down his core temperature." Kowalski looked down at Skipper as he spoke. Team leader no, not me, I'm just the options guy. I can't fill Skipper's shoes, no one can. "Let's take him down to HQ."

Rico carried Skipper down the secret passage on his back with one hand on the ladder and the other supporting his unconscious passenger. They placed him on the couch and after some searching found two fans to begin cooling Skipper down. Marlene waved a third fan in front of Skipper's face not wanting to sit around doing nothing. As soon as they had laid Skipper down, his flipper found its way into her paw."

After awhile Kowalski realized everyone was looking at him with the same downcast expression. It was Marlene, clearly the most apprehensive, who vocalized their identical thoughts. "What should we do now Kowalski?"

How do you do it, Skipper? Everyone's counting on you and decisions can be life or death. I don't think I can measure up to you but, I'll do my best. "We need to bring his temperature down more quickly. These fans are helping but they're not bringing down his temperature quick enough. We need ice and a large amount of it. That should be enough to get him out of immediate danger."

"There's ice in the food court freezer. The zoo started closing down early because of the heat so it should be empty or close to it."Marlene said, her voice picking up with the small amount of good news she had just received. "I can get some in no time."

"Good, we'll also need an IV pump and pole and fluid to help remedy Skipper's dehydration." Private is right, I am acting leader. If Skipper didn't think I could handle it, he wouldn't have picked me. I just have to stay calm. Kowalski stood up a little straighter as he spoke, feeling a little more confident.

"I can get that from the supply closet in the animal first-aid center." Private said with a growing smile. He felt better knowing there was something he could do to help.

"Rico, you can help Marlene get the ice from the food court freezer. There's going to be a lot of it so it will be much too heavy for anyone of us to carry alone." Kowalski felt a weight lift from his shoulder now that they had a game plan, but he knew it could still be touch and go with Skipper.

Marlene looked down at Skipper and smiled. You're going to get through this Skipper, I just know it. Besides, you've got too much going for you. You have a caring group of friends who look up to you, you have me of course and you, well, we can talk about the third reason when you wake up. When she was sure the others weren't looking, she planted a quick kiss on the side of his beak. "Let's get going, Rico." She said warmly. She took one last look at Skipper, let go of his flipper and left with Rico in tow.

"I guess I'll get going too, Kowalski. It shouldn't take too long." Private yelled from the top of the ladder. He stopped and then backed down enough so that he could see Kowalski. "I know it might not mean much coming from me but, I think you're doing a great job as temporary leader."

Kowalski smiled as Private continued up the ladder and exited. Private, I don't think you'll ever understand how much that meant to me. Kowalski walked over to Skipper to monitor his vitals. "Let's check your temperature, shall we." Kowalski inserted the thermometer in to Skipper's mouth. "Hmmm, 107.5, not good but it's still an improvement." Kowalski said aloud as he put the thermometer away. "How do you do it Skipper? So much responsibility, I can't even imagine the pressure everyone at the zoo puts on you. I feel frightened doing this until you get better in the next couple of days, but you go through this sort of thing every day without a complaint." Kowalski took a stool and moved it closer to Skipper so he could talk. "But I guessed it's easier with all the time you spend over at Marlene's!" Kowalski laughed out loud at both his comment and the fact that Skipper was right next to him as he said it. "What was it that you said you were doing over there? Oh yeah, you're helping her move some furniture around. Skipper, who has so much furniture that it requires that two people to work on and off for three and a half weeks? But I will admit you have been in a great mood for the past three weeks." Kowalski could hear the others coming and walk began getting up. "I'm glad I was able to speak so candidly to you. You're a great listener." Kowalski chuckled to himself as he walked over to let the others in.

I think I improved slightly, but who knows? Wait, you do. You can help by reviewing. Don't be afraid to be honest. I would like to improve my writing skill so that I can better serve my loyal fans *wink*. If even one person didn't hate it I'll be happy.