It was just after one A.M. when Max awoke. Fran was stirring in her sleep. She had pulled the shirt back down over her belly, and still had the washcloths on her. He watched her to see if she was just having a bad dream. He touched the side of her face and realized she was still feverish.
"Fran? Fran darling, wake up." He took off the washcloths and put them in the bowl on the bedside. Of course, all the ice had melted. He touched her forehead with the inside of his wrist. Hot. "Darling! Fran, honey," he shook her shoulder lightly and touched her face, trying to wake her.
"Hmmm?" She mumbled, then slowly opened her eyes. She looked exhausted. She closed her eyes, so he touched her face again.
"Fran? Please wake up! Your fever is flaring again!" He got up off the bed and went around to her side to get the thermometer. He picked it up and shook it out, checked it, and then sat down on the edge of the bed. "Fran, darling, please wake up! I need to put the thermometer under your tongue," he stroked her hair and patted her shoulder.
"Hmmm?" She said, sleepily.
"Here," he showed her the thermometer, then placed it in her mouth under her tongue. "Hold that in your mouth there, okay?" She pursed her lips onto the thermometer and closed her eyes again. Max ran his hand down over his face. His stomach was in knots already. He tried to think of anything else he needed to do other than get more ice for the washcloths. Why wasn't she waking up? Was she just exhausted? She seemed like she barely recognized him. He was worried her fever might be worse than before. What was he going to do if it was? He was getting scared. He moved her shirt off of her belly again and felt her skin. She was really roasting. He reached over and turned the fan up a notch. She was breathing heavy again. He stroked the sides of her face, trying to move her hair out of the way. He could feel the heat coming off of her. He lifted her hand and kissed it. "Fran?" She shifted her head. "Fran, do you think you can sit up?" She made a noise. He wasn't sure she heard him, or if she was answering what he had asked. He decided to wait until he got the thermometer back. The wait was agonizing.
Fran moved her legs around, turned her head to the side. She took a deep breath and exhaled, almost groaning.
"Baby! It will be okay! Here, let me check the thermometer," he pulled it out of her mouth and she didn't seem to notice. It was over 102. Now he was really scared. "Baby! Here, I need to put it back and give it a little more time. Sweetheart, wake up!" He patted her cheek and tried to get her to take the thermometer. "Fran! I need you to put the thermometer back under your tongue! Do you understand?" She mumbled and opened her eyes a little, looking at him. He showed her the thermometer again, and she seemed to understand. When he slid it into her mouth, she let him guide it under her tongue. Then she closed her eyes again. He tried to calm himself down, he was getting anxious and scared. What was he supposed to do if her fever got too high? Get her to the emergency room? Where were the hospital papers? He looked around the room and spotted the folder the papers were in on the bench. He could look at those again and see if there were instructions for if her fever kicked in when she couldn't take the medication.
Max got up and went to get the washcloths out of the bowl of water. He wrung them out and came back around the bed to put them on Fran. He spread one across her forehead and eyes, and down the sides of her face, then spread the other one over her neck, covering as much as he could. He checked the aim of the fan and adjusted it to blow over her face and neck. Then he waited another minute before taking out the thermometer. He was afraid to look at it. He caressed her shoulders and ran a hand down her arm. He couldn't stand seeing her so helpless. He couldn't take feeling so helpless.
Finally, he knew he needed to check the thermometer. He took a deep breath and reached for it, and slowly pulled it out of her mouth. He turned on the bedside light to look at it. 103.2. Max was terrified. He had to get her fever to come down. She had to be delirious, she probably wasn't going to be able to tell him much about how she was feeling. He had to get more ice. He set the thermometer down and slid an arm behind her. He tried to sit her up to get the large cold pack from behind her, then pulled it out. Her body was limp so he laid her back down. He flipped over the washcloths and kissed her cheek.
"Honey? I'm going to the kitchen to get ice, alright? Do you understand?" He asked her, close to her ear. She didn't respond. He clasped her face in his hands and kissed her cheek again. "Fran? I'm going downstairs. I'll be right back as fast as I can, okay?" Still no response. Now Max was fighting back the tears. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew he had to. He had to get more ice, and put the cold pack back in the freezer in case he needed it again later. He got up, grabbed the cold pack, and went around the bed to get the bowl. He hurried into the bathroom to dump it in the sink, then went back to the bedroom door. He took another look at her before he left, and the tears started to come. He hoped everyone else was asleep. He shut the bedroom door behind him and headed for the back stairs to the kitchen.
Max was wiping the tears from his eyes as he came into the kitchen. He put the cold pack back into the freezer drawer, and then filled the bowl with more ice. He grabbed another water bottle out of the fridge, opened it, and chugged half of it down. When he turned around, Niles was standing on the steps. He was almost embarrassed that Niles would see how upset he was, but he let it go. It wasn't anything Niles hadn't seen before. It had just been a long time since he had.
"Can I be of any assistance, sir?" He asked, quietly.
"Um, I don't know. I don't know what else to do. Her fever flared up again, and she won't wake up all the way. I think she's delirious. I don't think I can cool her off enough, and I'm not sure what else to do."
"What's her fever?"
"First she was at 100, she was able to fall asleep then. Then maybe just over an hour or so after that, we woke up and I checked her temp and it was 101.7, She wasn't feeling well, the feeling she gets in her side was back. So I got everything and got the cold pack for her to lay on, got the ice and everything. I even remembered that I had that fan in the office, so I got that. I got her cooled off enough with everything that it seemed like she had fallen asleep again. So I kept using the washcloths with the ice water over and over. Then I watched her and I guess I fell asleep. But I woke up a while ago because she seemed to be thrashing. She was really hot, all over. I had a hard time getting her awake enough to take the thermometer in her mouth. The ice had melted. Her temp is 103.2, Niles. I'm- I'm really worried. Does she need to go to the hospital? Can we do anything to bring it down? I - I- I just, I can't think."
"I think she needs to be in a tub of cool water. Not cold. She needs to be cooled down all over. I don't think washcloths and cold packs are going to cut it. Get her into a tub for a while and see if it helps bring it down. Do you need help with that? If she's not waking up, there needs to be a lot of things to support her." Max was thinking about what Niles said, he was biting the nail on his thumb.
"Okay, Niles. Let's do that. Can you help me find a way to hold her head, to keep her from sliding down? We can use my tub. I'll carry her in there. She can keep her clothes on, that might help. Let's do that." He bit his thumb some more.
"Okay, sir. Now go up there to her, tell her what's happening in case she can understand. I'll go grab some things from the jacuzzi in case they will help. Can you get the water to room temperature and fill the tub about halfway? We might not want it too full in case she can't sit herself up in it."
"Yes, yes, thank you Niles," Max clutched his water bottle. "Let's go, let's go do that. Meet me back in the bedroom, alright?"
"Yes, sir!" They both ran up the stairs, Max headed for the bedroom, and Niles to the jacuzzi.
Max rushed into the bedroom to Fran's side to check on her. She hadn't moved at all. The fan still blew on her, she was still burning with fever. He touched the side of her face and started getting choked up again. He hurried into the bathroom and turned on the light, then went to the tub to start getting it filled with water. He turned on the faucet to adjust it to being slightly cool but not cold. Once it felt the right temperature, he closed the drain and let it begin filling, and then hurried back out to Fran. Just then, Niles tapped at the door and peeked in.
"Come in, Niles," Max said softly. Niles stepped in, carrying an armful of extra towels and a bath pillow from the jacuzzi.
"I hope these will help. I thought we might put a folded towel in the tub for her to lay on, so she doesn't slip."
"That's a good idea. Here, let's go finish setting things up for her." He led Niles into the bathroom, Niles glanced over at Fran on the bed, concerned. They went into the bathroom and Max checked the depth of the water. He wasn't sure if he should fill it any more. "I think I should keep the water level down, and maybe bring the fan in here so it will blow over her. What do you think, Niles?" Max really did want to know what Niles thought. He wasn't feeling so certain of himself at the moment.
"That might be a good idea. You can always put more in, and maybe cool it off more, in case her fever isn't coming down at all. But yes, if she is wet and has the air blowing on her, that should help cool her, make her more comfortable." Max nodded, then slowed the faucet down and checked the level.
"Okay, let's leave it here. It will cover her lower body, maybe a little more. Here, can you hold the towel in place while I get her and set her down?"
"Yes, sir, absolutely! Just tell me anything else you need. I'll put the towel in and will hold it here," Niles set the other towels down on the floor and unfolded one for the tub. He folded it in half longways and set half of it in the water and draped the other half up the end of the tub for her to rest against. Max went into the bedroom to get Fran.
He sat down next to her. "Sweetheart?" He said softly. "Fran, darling, I need to pick you up. I need to get you in the water in the tub to cool you off, okay? Fran?" He tried holding her face, patting her shoulders, she still wouldn't respond. "Fran, I'm going to pick you up, alright?" He put his arms behind her and lifted her up against him and rested her head on his shoulder. He needed to turn her around so he could get her in the right position for the tub. Her body was so limp. He held her upper body against him and got up from the bed, still leaning over to support her. He pulled her legs over to him so they would drape off the bed, then he moved around to the other side of her. He put her arm over her stomach and wrapped an arm around her back, then slid his other arm under her knees and lifted her up. Her head slumped against him as he hurried with her carefully to the bathroom. Niles was there, holding the towel in place. Max didn't bother with removing any of her clothes, wet was wet. And he wanted to protect her modesty in case anyone else saw her like this. Max stepped up to the tub as Niles held on to the towel, and Max gently lowered her down into the water, then even more carefully held on to her back and her head as Niles grabbed the bath pillow to put behind her head. They got Fran balanced so she didn't slide over or further down into the tub.
"Is she safe from her head sliding over? Should I find something to put beside her?" Niles whispered.
"Do we have anything? If you can think of anything. I'll stay with her, so she should be safe. I'll make sure she doesn't slide down." Max said. He picked up one of the towels and set it along the edge of the tub so he could lean on it as he tended to her. "Niles, could you get the fan from the other room? And if there's somewhere to plug it in here so it can blow on her."
"Yes, sir, right away," Niles hurried out of the bathroom, then hurried back in with the fan in his hand. He plugged it in by the sink and looked for somewhere to set it so he could get it aimed at her, and settled on hanging it from the nearby towel rack. "Is this alright?" He asked.
Max turned around and felt the breeze come towards him. "Can you aim it a little towards the wall? It should bounce off the wall and get to her."
Niles adjusted it a bit until it was going where Max wanted it. "Sir, I'm going to go get some ice for you, in case you need it for the washcloths, if you need something colder for her head and neck."
"Okay, thank you Niles. Oh, Fran's going to need something to change into later, when I have to take her out of the tub. We'll have to remember that, too."
"Yes, sir." Niles left the bathroom to head back to the kitchen. Max started splashing the water up onto Fran's chest to get the shirt wet and start cooling her down.
Niles pulled the door nearly closed behind him and as he walked down the hall he ran into Maggie, who was wondering what was going on.
"Niles? Is everything okay?" She asked, in a whisper.
"Ah, well," Niles glanced back to the bedroom. "I'm afraid Ms. Fine has a fever again. Your father is tending to her. But you know, she can't have the medication so, it's rather difficult at the moment."
"Is she okay? What can I do to help?" Maggie was obviously worried now.
"Well, actually, Ms. Fine is going to need some other things to change into later. You see, ah, well her fever is very high, and your father wasn't able to wake her, so- so she's in the bathtub now, he's trying to get her cooled down all over, to see if that will help. He's very worried about her."
"Oh my god! Yes, I can go find her some clothes. Where are you going?" She asked.
"I'm running down to the kitchen to get some ice for the wash cloths."
"Okay, great, go! I'll go grab some clothes for her!" They split in different directions and Maggie ran to Fran's room. She pulled open several drawers and tried to find some clothes that wouldn't be too hot for her to wear. She found some cotton shorts and a tank top, and grabbed some underwear too. Then she ran back to her father's- to their- bedroom and tiptoed in the door. The lights were dim but she could see her way to the bathroom where they were. She stepped in, shocked to see her father on the floor outside the tub, splashing water onto Fran who lie unconscious in the water. Maggie tried to compose herself after the shock. "Daddy?" She whispered.
Max was startled and turned to see her standing in the doorway. "Maggie!"
"Daddy, I ran in to Niles, he said Fran would need some clothes- so I got her some. How is she?"
Max turned to look back at her. He pushed some water up onto her neck, and shook his head. "Not so good. She has a high fever, I couldn't get her to wake up all the way before. Now she doesn't want to wake up at all."
"Oh, daddy!" Maggie set the clothes down on the counter and came over and kneeled next to the tub to comfort him. "She's gonna be okay, daddy, she will!"
"I know, darling, I know. She has to be. I just feel so helpless. If this doesn't work, I think I might have to call an ambulance or something. There's no way I could even get her to take a pill if that was an option," he said. He ran his wet hands over her cheeks and forehead and let the breeze from the fan try to do its work.
"Is there anything I can help with? Anything you need right now?" Max looked at her and thought a moment. Maybe there was.
"Well, there might be. One is my water bottle, it's on my bedside table. And the thermometer is on the other side, if you could bring that in here. And the hospital papers are in there, in an envelope, if there is anything there that says what to do if she gets a fever when she can't take the medication, if you could look through that? And then, she had a cup on the bedside for water. Would you be able to get her a cup of water with ice in it? And then see if you can find one of those straws that bends, so if I can get her to wake up, I can maybe get her to drink some water." Maggie nodded to him.
"I can do that, I'll be right back." First, Maggie ran to get his water bottle and the thermometer and ran back to give those to him, then ran back to read through the hospital papers. She couldn't find anything in the papers about what to do for the fever that didn't have to do with taking the medication, but there was an on-call nurse number that they could call if they had to. She picked up a pen and drew a star by it, then set the papers on the bench. She ran back to the bathroom. "Daddy?" She whispered. "I can't find anything in the papers about what else to do for her, but there is a phone number for an on-call nurse. They may be able to tell you if she needs to get to the hospital or something else you might be able to do. I marked the paper where the number is and left all that on that bench, okay?"
"Oh, okay, thank you Margaret. Thank you very much," Max said.
"I'm going to go get that water for her, okay? I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay." Maggie almost ran into Niles on her way out.
Niles had the bowl of ice and hurried in to the bathroom. He had fresh washcloths, too. He filled the bowl with cold water and brought everything over to Max, who immediately got the washcloths soaked and spread them across her neck and forehead. Max picked up his water bottle and chugged some of it, then set it back down next to the tub.
"Sir? I'll leave you to tend to her, but if there is anything you need, or if you need me to come back in a while to help…"
"Thank you, Niles. I don't know how long I should keep her in the water for. I may put some colder water in here and just keep trying to check her temperature. If it starts coming down, that will make me feel much better. But, you know, if anything comes up…"
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir." He started to leave, then stopped. "She will be alright, sir. She's tougher than all of us."
Max smiled. "Yes, that she is. Good night, Niles."
"Good night, sir." Niles left the room and everything was quiet again. Max got up on his knees and leaned his arm into the water to see if he could get a better feel for what temperature it was. He couldn't tell if he needed to make it colder. He felt her lower legs under the water. They were still warm, too. Just then Maggie tiptoed into the bathroom.
"Daddy? I have her water." She set it on the counter. "And I got another bottle for you, too. I also brought you my yoga mat to sit on. You don't need to be sitting on that hard floor." She handed him the water bottle and he got up off the floor. She unrolled the thick yoga mat and spread it down next to the tub.
"Thank you, Maggie." He got back down on the floor, but on the yoga mat this time, and took the washcloths off of her, soaked them in the ice water, and draped them over her again.
"Do you want me to stay here with you? Keep you company?" Maggie asked.
"No, no dear, you don't have to do that. You have classes tomorrow, you need to get some sleep."
"Well, Fran is more important than any classes." Max knew she was right, but still.
"I can let you know if I need anything. I might talk to her some, see if it gets her to wake up."
"Daddy, make some kind of a plan, okay? I don't want you just spinning your wheels, feeling helpless. Like changing the water if it feels too warm. Maybe change it in ten minutes, or drain some out and add cold water. Like what you are doing with the washcloths. You keep getting those wet again, treat the tub water the same way. And give yourself a time limit. If nothing changes by a certain time, or doesn't change enough, then let's get her to the hospital. Whether you call an ambulance or just get Niles to bring the car around. I can help take care of Brighton and Gracie in the morning if you need me to. I'll do whatever you need." Max was feeling choked up again.
"Okay," his voice cracked. "Okay, I'll make a plan."
"I'll get your watch, okay? So you know what time it is."
He nodded his head, unable to look at her for fear he would break down. He really needed to get himself together, to help her fight this.
Maggie came in with his watch and handed it to him from behind. He took it, checked the time, and put it in his pocket. Maggie put her hands on his shoulders and squeezed them.
"She'll be better in a little while, Daddy. She will. It's hard to bring down a fever, but you can do it. Talk to her for a while. I bet she can hear you. Tell her to fight this, to wake up. Okay? She needs you right now, more than ever. And come get me or Niles if you need help, okay? I mean it." Max reached up and patted her hand on his shoulder.
"I will. Thank you."
Maggie slowly let go of him and left to go back to her room. As she passed by Brighton's room she heard a voice.
"Maggie? What's happening?" It was Brighton, in his doorway.
"Brighton, it's okay, go back to bed." Maggie scolded, but in a whisper. Brighton didn't budge.
"It's Fran, isn't it? Is she okay?" Maggie looked back toward the way she came, then back at Brighton. She exhaled. She went in to Brighton's room to talk to him.
"Okay, I'll tell you, but we can't wake up Gracie." He turned on his bedroom light and let her in, shutting the door behind her.
Max turned on the cold water in the tub, about as low as he could get it. He didn't want to cause her any kind of shock by having too much cold water on her too fast. He swished his hand through the water, trying to mix the new with the old. He shut off the water and sat back down on the mat. He refreshed her washcloths in the ice water and wrapped one around her neck and folded the other one to dab around her face.
"Fran? Can you hear me? Sweetheart? It's Max. Wake up, Fran. Will you wake up? Please?" He caressed her cheek. "Darling, I need you to open your eyes. I need to know you're okay." He reached for her hand in the water, and lifted it to his lips. He kissed the back of it again and again, then held it to his cheek. "Fran, I love you, and I'm really worried about you. You have a high fever and we need to get it to come down, alright? Can you help me try to do that? Can you? I put you in the bathtub here, to get you in the water so I can try to cool you down. You're hot all over. Your fever's too high. Please, Fran, I need you to help me help you. I want you to fight this thing in you, okay? But without it bringing your fever up. Your temperature was 103.2, Fran. That's too high. It's making it hard for you to wake up. Can you help me bring it down? Even down to 101. I can deal with that a lot better. Please, Fran? Can you feel the water? How cool it is? Does it make you feel better?" He watched her for any sign that she heard him. He didn't see one.
He put a washcloth back in the ice water and pressed it around her face.
"Can you feel this, Fran? I'm doing that. I'm putting this washcloth on your face. Can you feel how cold it is? Does that make you feel better? I need to know, Fran. I don't know what else to do to help you. I'm worried we might have to take you to the hospital. We aren't supposed to go to the hospital until the morning, remember? To meet with the doctors and get that MRI done? That's why you can't take the medication that will stop this fever. That's why we were using the cold packs and the ice water, to cool you off until the fever went away. Do you remember that? I should have stayed up with you, to make sure it went away. I'm sorry, Fran. I didn't know it would get this bad. You fell asleep, and I guess I thought you were feeling better. I should have stayed up with you. I should have made sure. I'm sorry. I guess I fell asleep, too. I just, I should have stayed up to watch you, Fran. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Max started to cry, and cry hard. He didn't want anyone to hear him. He didn't even want Fran to hear him. He tried to make himself stop, but he couldn't. Everything just came pouring out. He dunked the washcloths again and draped them back on her forehead and neck, and kept crying. He picked up her hand again and kissed the back of it over and over again.
"God, Fran, I love you so much! I need you back here, with me, okay? I miss you." He put his hand down in the water to scoop some into it and and put it on his face, to wash away the tears. "You see how I am now? I'm a mess! An absolute mess. You shouldn't see me like this, Fran. You might not want to go out with me anymore. Do you remember that part, Fran? You're my girlfriend now. I'm your boyfriend. Remember? We went on a date. Do you remember this weekend Fran?" He swished the water around her more. He patted her legs, checked to see if they were warm. "Do you feel me touching your legs, Fran? That's me doing that. Can you move them? Or move a foot or something?" He patted his way up her side, squeezing her waist, taking her hands, patting her arms, then squeezed her shoulders. "Do you feel that, Fran? Open your eyes so I know that you felt that. Fran? Wake up Fran! I need you to wake up! Open your eyes!" Still nothing. He looked at her chest to make sure she was breathing. She was. His heart almost stopped at the thought that she might not be. He tried to think of something else he could do, something she might respond to. He looked around the bathroom, then he saw it. His bottle of cologne. That's it! He thought. What could he spray it on? If he sprayed it on a washcloth, it might just wash off in the water. He saw the clothes Maggie brought in. He looked back at Fran, then at the clothes again. He got up and went to the counter and picked up the tank top Maggie had picked out. He held it up and tried to imagine it on her. He probably shouldn't be thinking those things right now. But he still thought how cute she must be in it. He folded up the tank top and sprayed it with his cologne, a lot. He went back to the tub and knelt down on the mat. "Fran, darling? Do you recognize this?" He waved the shirt under her nose, back and forth. She had to be able to smell the cologne. "Do you remember that? What does that smell remind you of? Who does it make you think of?" He waited for any sign. Still nothing. He set the shirt on the floor next to him, then soaked the washcloths, put them back on her again. He leaned on his arms on the edge of the tub, looking down into the water at her. He reached his fingers down and swished the water back and forth. Splashed some back on her shirt to keep it wet. He made sure there was still a breeze from the fan. He ran a hand down her arm to her hand, then held it. He rested his head on his other arm, looking at her face.
"Fran?" He asked. "Do you remember when we got snowed in at your parents' place? When we were supposed to be going on that trip? And then you thought your mother was having an affair? And she made those tongue sandwiches that we all gave to Gracie?" He chuckled lightly, then remembered the current situation. He got the thermometer and shook it out and wondered if he would be able to get it under her tongue. "Sweetheart? I'm putting the thermometer under your tongue, alright?" He whispered into her ear. He used the tip of the thermometer to try to part her lips, then maneuvered the thermometer under her tongue, and closed her mouth. Now he had to try not to touch it with his cold hands. He lifted her chin with his fingers to try to make sure her jaw didn't drop and let the thermometer fall out. He caressed her cheek. "Remember when you had that reunion? The camp one? And you got to go with Eric Estrada? I was so jealous of that. But when I found out he was basically going to be ditching you, I rushed over there. That was the first time we ever danced together. You were so pretty. You looked so different with your hair straight. Everyone was watching us. I think by then I was pretty sure I realized I fancied you. That I really got a kick out of you, and I could learn a lot from you. I really wish I hadn't pushed you away back then. Even before that. I guess I kind of felt like the way I treated you made you lose some of your confidence. I don't know, maybe your confidence scared me a little. Maybe I worried you might realize you could go get a job anywhere, do whatever you wanted, and maybe you'd leave me. Leave us. That scared me. You know that I'm really just a big, fat coward, don't you? I don't have any confidence without you. You've taken very good care of me, and of course the children too. They're doing so well because of you. I've done so much better because of you. And how did I repay you? And now all this happens- it's just not right. It's not fair. You deserve so much, Fran. You deserve everything, everything you've ever dreamed of. Please come back to me Fran. I'm going crazy here. I need to hear your voice again. It feels like forever since I heard your voice." He watched her breathing again. Saw her pulse pounding in her neck.
"I remember the first time I took you to a premiere. You didn't know that I always got so nervous at those things. But you were prepared for it. You tucked those Tums in my cummerbund. It really made me feel like you cared about me, that you were watching out for me like you watched out for the children. When you pulled me aside because you saw me holding my stomach and clenching my jaw, you dug in your purse and got the Tums out. Then you pulled the top of my cummerbund open and tucked a couple in there. When you did that, I felt your fingers on my stomach and it gave me butterflies. I'm certain I must have blushed. But then you took my hand and sort of pushed me back out there to talk to people, you said something like, 'Go get 'em, Tiger!' You made me feel better. I gave some pretty good interviews. And the show went just fine. Of course, the Tums were gone before we got back home…" he smiled. He sat back up and dried his hands, then took his watch out of his pocket to check the time. He reached for the thermometer in her lips, and took a deep breath before he checked it. 102.5. It said 102.5!
"Fran! Fran, I think it's working! I think the bath is working! Sweetheart! Thank you for helping me! Thank you for helping me get your fever to come down. Now let's keep going, alright? Do you think you can do that? It's at 102.5 now. Let's keep going and get it to 101, okay? Fran, I love you. I'm right here with you. You're still in the bathtub, remember? The water is cooling you down. Do you feel it?" He splashed more water up on her shirt. "Let me get some more cold water in here, okay? You're warming it up pretty fast." Max pulled the drain and let a lot of the water drain out, plugged it again, then turned the cold water on. This time he had to mix a little warm water with it because it was too cold. He checked the temperature of her feet to make sure he wasn't getting them too cold. He filled the tub up a little higher this time, and used the water in it to get a washcloth wet, then pressed it against her face. He splashed a little water on her neck and on the towel behind her. He dried his hands and got the tank top again, and waved it under her nose.
"Remember this, Fran? What is it? Tell me what this scent is." He waved it some more, then put the shirt at the tip of her nose. She moved her head, rolling it to rest on the other side.
"Fran! Fran! It's me Fran, I'm here, wake up! Fran, can you open your eyes?" She took a deep breath and exhaled. Max put the shirt back by her nose. "Fran, tell me, what is this? Do you recognize what this scent is?" She moved her lips, as if to say "Max" and then smiled. Then the smile faded and she was gone again. "Oh, darling, please! You're doing it! You're coming back to me! Please, Fran, can you wake up? Can you show me you're waking up and open your eyes?" He watched her closely. She didn't open her eyes, but a sound passed her lips. It sounded like she sighed. Max was so excited, but was desperately trying not to get his hopes up too quickly. He put the shirt down and took a washcloth off of her, dunked it in the ice water, and laid it across her forehead. "Do you feel that, Fran? The cold? Is it too cold, or does it feel good? You have a fever, remember?" He watched her some more, then saw her swallow. She took another deep breath and exhaled. He got the other washcloth, soaked it in ice water, and draped it over her chest. "Can you feel that, Fran?" He reached for her arm and squeezed it. "I'm here, Fran, it's me- Max." He squeezed her arm again and she made a sound, like an Mm Hm. He smiled. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear.
"I love you Fran. I need you here with me, right now. Can you do that? Can you try to start to wake up? Maybe that will help get this fever down. Do you remember having a fever? Remember how you sweat through your shirt, so I got you another one? One of my shirts. You're still wearing it. Do you remember?" He held her face and watched her, waiting.
"Mmmm" she croaked softly. Max was beside himself. She was coming back! He took the washcloth off of her forehead and kissed her there.
"Hi, darling. I missed you. I missed you so much!" He kissed her cheek again. She turned her head to rest it the other direction- towards him. "Hi, Fran! Are you waking up? I know it's hard. But you're doing good. God, I could kiss you a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough!" He splashed more water up on her, keeping the shirt wet. "Are you cold, darling? Or do you still feel hot?" It was quiet for a moment, so he kept watching her. Her arm moved, then reached up to her chest, like she was trying to clutch her chest.
"Ummm… hot…" came a soft, raspy whisper from her. Max smiled.
"Okay, sweetheart. We're working on that. Me and you. Would you like a sip of water? I have cold water for you to drink. Let me get it for you." Max carefully got up, watching to make sure she didn't slip over. He stepped over to the counter and reached for the cup of water with the straw that Maggie had brought him. He hurried back to Fran and knelt next to the tub. He held the cup close to her and moved the end of the straw to her lips. "Here, sweetie. Can you open your lips a little? I have a straw in this glass of water, do you feel that? That's the straw. You can sip this water, okay?" She seemed to understand and let him put the straw between her lips, then a moment later- she took a small sip. Max was smiling more and more with each victory. Then another, longer sip. Max took the straw out and set the cup down on the floor beside him. Fran was moving her lips and her jaw. Max took her hand and kissed it.
"Hey, you…" he said softly to her. She moved her head a little, like she was waking up. Then she squeezed his hand lightly. Then- she opened her eyes- just barely. Then she closed them and took another deep breath. She seemed to realize she was holding someone's hand. She opened her eyes again and turned her head towards Max. He smiled at her. "Hello, gorgeous!" He whispered. It took her a moment to register everything. That this person was Max, that he was talking to her. That he just complimented her.
"Hrmmm," she mumbled. She looked exhausted, like it was a huge struggle to focus and keep her eyes open.
"Can I ask you something?" He stroked her cheek. "Who am I?"
She closed her eyes and tried to smile. "Mine," came the rasp from her lips. A rush of adrenaline went through Max. Now he thought he was going to cry from happiness. His eyes must have been watering, because when she opened her eyes again, she gave him a strange look. Then she weakly reached for his face. "Don't cry, Max," she croaked. But he did. He kissed her hand again and again, clutched her arm. She didn't seem to understand what was going on.
"It's happy tears, darling. You gave me such a scare! You're in the bathtub because you had a really high fever. It's just starting to come down. I had to soak you in the tub because cold compresses weren't enough. Do you remember anything?" He still clutched her hand to his face.
Fran looked up at the ceiling, and then around her, slowly understanding where she was. She saw she was in the tub full of water with her clothes on. "I'm all wet," she said. "With clothes."
Max chuckled. "Yes, you are. Niles was helping me. I figured it didn't matter if your clothes got soaking wet. And it was either that or you would have been naked in front of Niles. And Maggie." Fran scrunched her eyebrows, not liking the sound of that. "But I have clothes for you to put on later. Maggie got some from your old room. But I don't want to take you out of the tub until your fever comes down more, okay? It's still too high and I don't want to risk it going back up."
"K," Fran nodded, then closed her eyes again.
"Hey, sweetie, here- have some more water. You have to be really dehydrated by now." He picked up the cup of water again and held it close to her. She opened her eyes and reached for the straw and struggled a moment trying to get it between her lips, but when she did she had no trouble chugging quite a bit. She had to catch her breath afterwards. Then she cleared her throat several times.
"Ug," she said.
"I know it's hard, but if you can bear with me and really try to stay awake, that would do me a world of good."
She looked at him again. She had never seen such a mix of emotion on his face before. She reached for his hand and held it with both of hers, part way in the water of the tub. She rubbed his hand to try to comfort him. She felt like she needed to take care of him for some reason, but she wasn't sure why. She was still delirious from fever and couldn't quite grasp what she needed to say or do.
"We can go to the islands…" she mumbled, closing her eyes.
"What?" Max asked. "You want to go to the islands?"
"It's too hot here now. But maybe… in the winter…" Max was confused.
"Darling, you have a fever, remember? That's why you're hot. But maybe when you're better we can plan our next vacation. Would you like that?"
"Vacation." She nodded.
"Let me get you the washcloth, honey, let me get it cold for you." He dunked one in the ice water again and tried to hand it to her. "Here, can you put this on your face yourself? You can put it on your forehead. Wherever it feels best," he put the cold washcloth in her hands and she immediately put it on her face, all over. She sighed. He soaked the other one and put it across her neck.
"Yeah." She said. He realized she must still be delirious from the fever. But she was awake! He was ecstatic about that. He was happy she could help put the washcloths on herself, too.
"Sweetheart, do you know what time it is?" He asked her.
"Hmm? She looked at her wrists. "I don't have my watch, I don't know…"
"That's okay, I have my watch," He pulled it out of his pocket and checked it, then showed her. "It's almost 2:30 in the morning, see? Remember how we have to go to the hospital today for your appointment?"
"When do I have to go? I need to get ready…" she fumbled like she wanted to get up.
"Hey, darling," Max reached for her to hold her still. "The appointment's not for a long time. You don't have to get ready until after we get your fever down, okay? You have to stay in the tub a while longer, alright?" She looked at him and held his arms, then thought a moment.
"Oh." She looked like she still couldn't figure out exactly what he was talking about.
"Do you think you could sit up? I'll hold on to you if you need me to. But you have to stay here in the tub, okay? We have to keep this cool water on you." She pulled on his arms to try to sit up, Max wrapped his arms around her back and helped her into a seated position. "Just lean on me as much as you need, Fran." She rested her head on his shoulder and pulled her legs up to her and leaned them on the side of the tub. He rubbed her back and let her cling to him as much as she needed. It felt so good to him.
"I love you," she whispered to him. He squeezed her.
"I love you too, Fran. I love you so much." She reached her arms around his neck.
"Oh, I'm getting you wet!" She exclaimed.
"It's alright, honey. Don't worry about me. I just want you to get better, okay? A little bit of water won't hurt me." Fran relaxed and clutched at his shirt. He could still feel the heat from her forehead as she rested against him. "You know, I was wondering, if you might feel up to it in a while, if you wanted to sit on that bench over there in the shower, and we could use that shower wand on you with cool water to help bring your fever down. But if you're too tired to be able to sit on your own, we'll just stay here."
"Take a shower over there?" Fran asked.
"Not a shower, no. Just use the water over there. Spray it on you where you're hot instead of sitting here in the tub in the water."
"Oh." She leaned back a little to look at him. "You smell yummy…" she smiled. Max grinned.
"Did my cologne wake you up? I put some on this shirt of yours and I waved it under your nose. It took a little while, but it seemed like that might have helped you wake up a little."
She rested her head back down on his shoulder. "It makes me happy!"
Max smiled and kissed the top of her head. As she held him, he reached one hand down into the water and brought it up to pour down her side. He kept doing this all the way around her, trying to keep her wet.
"I'm really hot," Fran said, sitting back up. Max reached for a washcloth and put it back in what was left of the ice water.
"Here, darling," he said, handing her the washcloth. She immediately spread it across her face. "Let's keep cooling off your face and your neck for a while, okay? Then when you are feeling better, I want to get your temperature again."
Fran nodded, then reached for the bowl of ice water and started dunking the washcloths herself. "I feel like I'm drugged," she said, staring blankly in front of her. "I'm dopey. And I'm thinking weird things. I think. Maybe. I don't know…" she drifted off.
"Well, that's from the fever. You're getting better though, so maybe the fever has come down more. So that's good. You are a little delirious, so you could be a little loopy for a while. It will keep getting better, as long as we can keep this blasted fever down." She nodded her head, and put the washcloth back over her face.
"I don't like being hot. I'm so tired." She sat hunched over, she was having a hard time sitting herself up straight.
"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry. I can see it in your eyes. But I'm afraid if I let you fall asleep again, I don't want to have a hard time trying to wake you up. That scares me. I couldn't get you to wake up for a really long time. I was scared I might have to call an ambulance." Fran pulled the washcloth off her face and looked at him.
"An ambulance? You couldn't wake me up?"
"No," Max shook his head and his voice cracked. She saw the sadness and fear in his eyes. So that was why he was looking so strange that time. When was it? It felt like a long time ago to her.
She reached for him and they hugged again. "I'm okay! I'm sorry!" Max squeezed her tight.
"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. You have something going on that's a little unpredictable, and if you were allowed to take your medication, we wouldn't be going through this right now. But it will be okay. You're awake now, the fever's coming down. And we go see the doctors in the morning, so we can tell them what happened. It will be okay." He kissed her neck and her cheek.
She ran her fingers through his hair on the back of his head. "Max, I mean I'm sorry you're going through this. Taking care of me like this. I'm sorry it scared you. I don't want you to feel like that," She kissed his cheek. "Take my temperature, I want to know what it is." Fran sat back to lay down on the towel again with the bath pillow. Max got the thermometer and shook it out, checked it, then put it under her tongue. He leaned on the bath towel on the side of the tub and held her hand as they waited.
"I want to check the rest of you, to see if you still feel hot, is that okay?" Fran nodded. Max put the back of his hand on the bottom of one of her feet. It didn't feel too bad. Next, he checked a calf. Also not too bad. Then he lifted up the extra baggy soaked shirt of his that she still had on, and gently put the back of his hand on her belly. Still warm, but not as bad as it had been. Then he put the back of his hand along her neck. She was still warm, but not quite roasting like she had been. "You feel a lot better than you did earlier. You were roasting. You're still warm, but it's not all over. You're definitely cooling down." Fran smiled at him, with the thermometer sticking out of her mouth. He got a washcloth in the last of the ice water, and then patted it gently around her neck and upper chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He soaked it again and patted it on her temples and forehead, careful not to touch the thermometer. He checked his watch, A couple more minutes. Fran held the washcloth to her forehead and Max brought more water up on her body to keep her clothes wet. He looked up at her. She was definitely trying not to fall asleep. She had to keep moving so she wouldn't doze off.
Then it was time. Max kissed the back of her hand, reached for the thermometer, and looked at it- turning it forwards and backwards until he could see it. Then he smiled. "It's about 102." He said to her.
"Is that good?" She asked.
"Considering it was 103.2 when I set you in here, it's fantastic! But I don't want to jinx anything. I was wondering- if we got your hair wet and had the fan blowing on it, do you think that might help cool you some more? It would be easier to get your hair wet in the shower, but if you don't think you should, then we won't."
Fran pushed herself up to a sitting position. "If I get my hair wet… and spray the water on me… then, can I get dried off, and put dry clothes on, and go lay down? I'm so tired, I don't want to hold my head up."
"Well, how about we give it a try? But I might keep checking your temperature, so as long as that doesn't aggravate you…"
"It won't. I know why you're doing it." Max thought a moment about the logistics of helping her over to the shower.
"Um, okay, let's give it a try. Do you want to keep the clothes on in the shower?" He asked.
Fran looked down at herself. "I'll get water all over the bathroom floor."
"That's okay, darling, don't worry about that. I can wrap you in a towel and help you over there. Then maybe five minutes or so in a cool shower, get your hair wet, then we get you dried off and back to bed?"
"Okay. Because I want to sleep for a little bit. And you need to sleep."
"Well, that's a different story. I still need to keep an eye on you. I don't think I could sleep if I tried." Max looked at her anxiously.
"Sweetie… I'll hug you a whole bunch later, okay?" She said. Max smiled.
"I'd really like that. Let me get the water in the shower running first, okay?" He got up from the floor and went to the shower, turned on the shower wand to the coldest temperature, then slowly moved it a little warmer until it felt like it wouldn't shock her. He turned around and tried to maintain his nursemaid status rather than boyfriend status, and picked up the extra towel Niles had brought in. He reached over to unplug the drain in the tub and let the water out, then opened the towel and draped it over one arm. "Here, let me get this around your back and I'll help you stand up. I won't let go of you okay, you might be a little wobbly." He wrapped the towel around her back and held her under her arms to help lift her up so she was standing. He wrapped the towel around her front. "Okay so far?" He asked.
"Uh, I think so. Still dopey." He helped her step over the side of the tub to stand on the yoga mat. She clutched at him tightly, and he kept his arms around her, holding her up. She was very unsteady on her feet. He led her to the shower slowly and opened the glass door. He took the towel away as she held on to the side of the shower and got herself to the bench, then she sat down. He watched her a moment. "Get your bearings a minute, okay? And try not to lean over too much, especially if your eyes are closed. If you fall off of there it will really hurt my feelings. And your face." She looked up at him and smiled.
"Ow," she said, reaching for the wand. He watched her start spraying her hair, then turned around to sort out everything around the tub. He wrung out the towels in the tub and left them there, then picked up her tank top, cup of water, his bottle of water, and the bowl with the washcloths and set it all on the counter. Then he picked up the yoga mat and rolled it up. He chugged a bunch of his water. He turned to glance at Fran in the shower. Her hair was now soaking wet and she had the wand spraying straight in her face, then she moved it around to the back of her neck. He thought he saw her shiver, so he knew he needed to get her out of there pretty quickly. He picked up the towel from the side of the tub and decided to put that on her pillow so it wouldn't get soaked.
"Okay, sweetheart, can you get that water shut off, and we'll get you sorted out now." She leaned over and turned the knob to shut off the water and set the wand back in its holder. She wrung out her hair several times and let her arms fall to her sides. She was exhausted and could barely hold herself up.
"Give me one second to get the bed ready, okay? Stay right there on the bench."
He ran into the bedroom with the towel and spread it on the pillow, then sorted out the sheets on that side and moved the comforter away. He ran back in to the bathroom to get her out of the shower. He picked up the towel and opened the door and went straight to her, enveloping her in the towel and helped her stand up. She seemed very weak so he was careful guiding her out of the shower.
"Now, how do you want to do this? We need to get these wet things off and get you into some dry clothes."
"Um, at this point, I don't care too much, Max. I'm so tired."
Max felt bad, but he knew he needed to get her dry. "I'll keep this towel on you, alright? But I need you to help me take these things off. Can you do that?"
She nodded. "I'll try." He helped her dry her legs and feet as she held on to his shoulders for support, then he carefully tugged at her pant legs and they began to work their way down, pulling her underwear with them.
"Okay so far?" He asked, looking up at her. She nodded, and tried to help by moving her legs so he could pull them off of her. He managed to get them off completely, and then tossed the pile into the tub with the other wet things. Then he gently dried her legs again, and she helped him by drying the rest of herself, before he picked up the dry pair of underwear Maggie had brought in for her. "Um, how is this going to work?" He asked.
"If you can get them over my knees, I think I can get them up the rest of the way."
"Oh, alright. Here, hold on to the counter, then step in one foot at a time. Be careful, okay?" She nodded and held the towel around her with one hand, and held onto the bathroom counter with the other to steady herself. Max set the underwear on the floor and helped her into them one foot at a time, then carefully slid them up her legs until they were over her knees. "Now, here, let me hold this towel around you from behind, and I'll hold you up as well. Can you get them on yourself if I do that?"
"I think so. Just don't let go of me."
"Oh, I won't dear, I won't." Max got behind her and put his arms under hers and held the towel tightly to her chest, keeping it closed completely to protect her modesty. She leaned over a little and got hold of the underwear and slowly worked it up until she had them on. "You alright?" Max asked, as Fran's arms slumped back down at her sides.
"Tired. That was tiring."
"I'm sorry, darling! Here, let me sit you on the toilet- let me put the lid down and you come sit here a moment." Max led her over to the toilet, put the lid down, and helped her sit down. He grabbed her shorts from the counter and brought them over to her, then slid them on her up to her knees. "Can you hold onto me and stand up? I can put them up the rest of the way if that's okay with you."
"Yeah, I think so." Fran put her hands on his shoulders and he helped her stand, then quickly slid the shorts up to her waist under the towel.
"Okay, now for the shirt. Let's move the towel to your front, alright?" He unwrapped the towel from her and helped her sit back down on the toilet. He grabbed the tank top and held the towel in front of her. "Sweetheart, can you hold this in front of you while I help get this shirt off of you? I mean, hold it under the shirt to cover yourself, and I'll pull the shirt off of you, alright? Then we'll get this other one on you real quick."
"Okay. My arms are really tired, though."
"I'm sorry, darling… I'll help you, okay? Let's do this real quick and we can get you back to bed."
"Okay. That sounds good." Fran opened the towel and stuffed it up her shirt and held it over her breasts, then Max reached over her and pulled the large shirt up over her back, then helped her pull her head through and moved her hair out of the way. He reached for one of her arms and helped her pull it through and out of the sleeve, then helped her switch hands on the towel and removed her other arm from the shirt. He tossed the wet shirt into the tub and then dried off her back, then pulled the tank top over her head, helped her arms through the armholes, then pulled the shirt down as he took the towel from her. He got up and took the towel to the tub and dropped it onto the side.
"Darling, let's comb your hair real quick, so it's not a mess in the morning." Max grabbed her comb from the counter and approached her, then lovingly, and carefully, ran the comb through her long, wet hair. She sat there with her eyes closed, holding her arms from feeling a chill. He set the comb back and then took Fran's hands. "Hey? You doing alright?" He asked softly, kneeling down to push her hair back over her ear.
"I'll be okay, Max. Who got my clothes? Niles?" She asked.
"No, Maggie did. She helped us a bit, too." Fran looked sad about that.
"She saw me?" Max realized she might not remember much about any of their conversations.
"Well, she ran into Niles when he was running downstairs to get the ice. She wanted to help, so he thought getting your clothes might be a good thing for her to do, and she wanted to do something. She was very worried about you." Fran sighed and her shoulders slumped. "It's okay, darling, you're so much better now. That's what matters." He kissed her forehead. He offered her more water to drink and she took him up on it. "Okay, let's get you back to bed. Can you walk? I can carry you if you need me to."
"Help me up, I'll see." Max stood in front of her and helped her stand, then she stumbled a bit as she took a step.
"That's alright, dear, I know you're exhausted. Put your arms around my neck, try to relax a moment onto my arms. There you go." He lifted her legs over his arm and picked her up, then carefully carried her through the doorway into the bedroom, and over to her side of the bed. He sat her down, helped her lay back on the pillow, then moved her hair up onto it for her. He pulled the sheet up just over her legs in case she got cold. "Let me get the fan, be right back."
Max ran to the bathroom and unplugged the fan, not even bothering to turn it off first. He grabbed her cup of water and his water bottle and shut off the light as he rushed back to her side. He plugged the fan in and turned it to low, then aimed it towards her pillow.
"Is this alright darling? Does it bother you?"
"No, that feels good." She closed her eyes and curled up under the sheet. He leaned over and kissed her temple.
"I'll be keeping a close eye on you okay? But if you need something, please tell me. Let me go get the thermometer and I'll be right back." He hurried back to the bathroom, then back out. He sorted out their water on the bedside tables, set the thermometer on his table, and went over to turn off her light. He sat next to her on the bed, then checked her forehead with the back of his hand. She was still pretty warm.
Fran turned slightly towards him, briefly opened her eyes to look at him, then closed them again. "Thank you, Max," she mumbled.
"What was that, sweetheart?" He leaned over closer to her.
"For helping me. Thank you." She pulled the cold sheet to her face. Max stroked her forehead and watched her fall asleep.
"I'd do anything for you, Fran," he whispered. "I love you. Just get better. As fast as you can. Alright?" He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then got up and went around to his side of the bed. As he was about to get into bed, he realized his pajamas were a bit wet, so he stepped into the closet to change, then got in bed next to her. There was no way he was going to allow himself to fall asleep again and risk her fever spiking, so he fluffed his pillows up, got the remote out of his bedside drawer, and turned on the TV. He kept the volume low so it wouldn't disturb her, and flipped through the channels, eventually ending up on I Love Lucy. Every fifteen minutes, like clockwork, he touched her forehead and temples to make sure she wasn't too hot. He wasn't going to be getting any more sleep tonight.