Fever

Lucy speed-walked through the streets of Magnolia, wanting to get to the guild as quickly as possible. She didn't want to be away from the house for very long because she'd left the kids alone. Natsu was out on a mission, and Happy had gone with him this time. A week ago, Nashi had come down with a fever, so Lucy just thought she had the flu. But the fever hadn't gone down. If anything, it got worse. And now, the young girl was freezing, shivering violently even when wrapped up in several blankets, and her breathing was shallow and raspy, and she's sweating profusely. Lucy had to find Wendy.

Her daughter was getting worse with each passing day, and she didn't know what to do.

The celestial wizard sighed in relief when her beloved guild finally came into view. She increased her pace into a jog and burst through the doors, scanning the area for the familiar sky sorceress. She frowned when she couldn't find her and approached the bar. She leaned against the bar table. "Mira," she called, catching the barmaid's attention. She subconsciously smoothened out the nonexistent wrinkles on her red dress and shuffled over to the blonde.

"Good afternoon, Lucy," she said cheerfully. "The usual?"

"No, no," she denied quickly, waving her hand. "Thanks, though. I was wondering if you knew where Wendy was?"

"She took a job with Charle and Romeo. Why?" Lucy sighed with distress and hung her head, increasing Mirajane's worry. "Is something wrong, Lucy?"

"Yeah…" she answered slowly, lifting her head. "Nashi's really sick, and I don't know what to do. I was hoping Wendy would be able to help…" She tapped her fingers against the counter. "I guess I'm going to have to find Porlyusica. Would you mind watching Nashi and Ryū for half an hour or so, Mira?"

"I'm so sorry, dear, but I'm a little busy today," Mirajane said apologetically, reaching for an empty mug. She turned to the sound of her name being called. "I have to go, Lucy. I'm sorry." And with that, she left. Lucy groaned and looked around the room, her eyes landing on a table across the room where the boys sat. Among them was Gray. She made her way through the crowded guildhall to retrieve him.

"Gray!" The ice alchemist jumped at the sound of his name and turned to her as she approached him.

"Hey, Lucy," he greeted with a friendly smile. "What's up?"

"Could you watch Nashi and Ryū for a while?" she asked desperately. "Please? It's an emergency."

"What's wrong?"

"Nashi's really sick. And since Wendy's not here, I'm going to have to go find Porlyusica. Please, Gray? Just for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, standing from his seat. Lucy released a relieved exhale and fumbled for her key chain. She took off a brass one – one Gray recognized to be a normal key rather than magical – and hastily handed it to him.

"Thank you so much," she said gratefully. "Ryū's usually nice with other people, so he shouldn't be a problem." She began to back up toward the doors. "Just keep him entertained and he'll be fine. Thanks again!" And with that, she darted out of the guild, making her way toward the East Forest.

When Gray unlocked the door to Lucy's house and stepped inside, the first thing he heard was a nasty cough. He winced when he realized it must have been Nashi, closing the door behind him with a thunk. The coughing stopped, and then he heard a raspy, almost pitiful whine that sounded something like "Mama…" Gray set the brass key on the dining table before making his way for Nashi and Ryū's room. The door was slightly ajar, so he peeked his head inside.

"Nashi?" he called softly. The young child coughed again, before settling down and wheezing with each breath.

"Gray-oji…" she whispered, shivering under the thick blanket that lay on top of her. "Where's Mama?" The exhibitionist stepped inside, blinking several times to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"She went to find someone to help you. I heard you don't feel very well?" He saw her shake her head.

"Nuh, uh…"

"That sucks, huh?"

She nodded. "Uh, huh…" Gray smiled at her, and she grinned back, albeit weakly. He looked around the room.

"Where's your brother?" Nashi turned her head away and coughed, her body shaking with the movement. Her coughing fit went on for a minute or so, and Gray had kneeled beside her bed, rubbing her shoulder as she hacked. When she calmed down, she shuddered violently and pulled the blanket higher under her chin as she turned back to him.

"She… she moved otōto-chan's crib to her and Daddy's room… She said she was worried that I was c… contashious…"

Gray chuckled. "Contagious," he corrected gently. Nashi tried to laugh, but she ended up falling into another coughing fit.

"Gray-oji?" she rasped. He hummed in acknowledgement. "When will Mama come back?"

"She should only be gone for a few minutes. I have to go make sure Ryū's okay, so I'll be right back, alright?" The six-year-old nodded slowly.

"Porlyusica-san!" Lucy called, knocking on the door to the old woman's cottage. "Please open the door!" As if on cue, the wooden door swung open to reveal the witch on the other side, looking calm yet frustrated at the same time.

"Good afternoon, Lucy-san," she said dryly. "You're not pregnant again, are you?"

"Er, no, Porlyusica-san, but—"

"Then what is it? I'm busy at the moment."

"I apologize for coming here on such short notice, Porlyusica-san, but it's an emergency." The woman straightened her back, implying she was interested. "Nashi, my daughter, is sick." Porlyusica's eyes narrowed with annoyance.

"Why don't you just give her some tea and—"

"You don't understand!" Lucy interrupted, waving her hands. "She isn't sick with a cold! I would go ask for Wendy's help, but she isn't at the guild. Please, just come see her and tell me what I need to do." There was a silence between the two women as the older one debated with herself over what to do. Eventually, she sighed in resignation.

"How long has she been sick?" she asked quietly.

"A little over a week," Lucy answered.

"Does she have a fever?"

"Yes."

"How bad is it?"

"I checked her temperature last night, and it was 104 degrees. I've been giving her herbal teas to try and bring it down, but none of them have done anything. She's sweating profusely, even though she says she's freezing. Nashi is never cold."

"Anything else?"

"Her breathing is shallow and raspy, and she says it hurts when she takes deep breaths."

"Does she have a cough?"

"Yes." The old woman cupped her chin and closed her eyes, humming as she thought about it. She had a hunch of what the child could be sick with, but she didn't want to give Lucy advice on what to do before she was completely sure. She opened her magenta eyes, connecting them with Lucy's. The blonde shifted nervously on her feet as she waited for a response.

"Let me grab a few things," Porlyusica finally said. "And then you can take me to her." Lucy smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Porlyusica-san."

Lucy waited anxiously on the couch in the living room, subconsciously bouncing Ryū in her lap. Porlyusica was in the other room, taking a physical examination on Nashi. The old woman wouldn't tell her what she thought was wrong with Nashi the whole walk home, and because of that, she was incredibly worried. Gray was still there, and had told her several times that whatever illness Nashi had, she would be fine. But no matter what he would tell her, she wouldn't calm down. She wished Natsu was there, back from his mission. He had a special talent for getting her to calm down. Hearing him tell her it was going to be alright made her instantly relax.

She wanted Natsu to be there.

It seemed like hours before Porlyusica finally stepped into the living room. Lucy immediately stood up, holding a sleeping Ryū against her. Gray was anxious as well as he pushed off of the wall, waiting for the old women to give the prognosis.

"Your daughter has pneumonia," she said finally, a somewhat grim look in her eyes. Lucy felt her heart drop into her stomach like a stone. "It's not an uncommon illness, but you can die from it. It's an infection in the lungs, and it is easily treatable at an early stage. Luckily you came to me before it could get any worse."

"What do I have to do, Porlyusica-san?" Lucy asked softly, swallowing the massive lump that formed in her throat.

"Keep her in bed, bundle her up," she answered quickly, reaching into the bag she brought with her. "Make sure she drinks plenty of fluids; you don't want her to get dehydrated."

Lucy nodded. "Of course."

"Also make sure she gets plenty of rest," she continued. "I already told her, but I'm going to tell you as well. Don't let her try to stop the coughing. Coughing is one of the ways her body will get rid of the infection. Here." She handed Lucy a pouch. "It's an herbal remedy designed to bring down fevers."

"But I—"

"I know you already tried giving her herbal teas to do the exact same thing," she snapped, growing frustrated at being interrupted. "But this one is guaranteed to work. Mix it in with a broth and make her drink it. Give it to her twice a day, once in the morning and once at night." She approached the door to make her leave. "I'll be back in three weeks to check on how she's doing. If nothing changes before then, come to me. Goodbye." And without another word, she left. The room fell silent.

"See?" Gray broke the ice (pun intended). "I told you she was going to be fine." Lucy didn't say anything, only walked into her and Natsu's room to put Ryū to bed for his afternoon nap. She walked into the kitchen to make the tea for Nashi.

"Thanks again for watching the kids, Gray," she said softly as she waited for the tea to warm.

"No problem." There was a pause. "Do you want me to stay?"

She shook her head. "No, it's alright. You can go."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright…" He patted her shoulder. "See you later, Lucy."

"See you." She stared blankly at the pot, watching the tiny flames flickering beneath the burner. It made her think about how Natsu was going to react when he came home.

He was going to have a heart attack.

Author's Note: hey, guys! Sorry I've been gone for so long. I don't really have a good reason for it… Was I the only one who was a little disappointed with how chapter 337 ended? Natsu destroying the Eclipse Door so easily, and then Future Rogue and all the dragons disappearing right after it… The whole thing seemed a little… I dunno… anticlimactic. Don't you think? It seemed like Mashima-kun just wanted to get the arc over with. But maybe that's just me.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed chapter 32. Please leave a review! (Hehe. I made a rhyme! :3)