Day 17 – Magical Remedy/Healing Potion

"Alright, who all had the egg salad apart from Hitch?" A concerned Moffitt looked over the group seated in the living room.

The only person who raised his hand was Troy, who said, "And I feel fine."

"So, you and Hitch were the only people who had the egg salad?" Moffitt asked.

"Yeah."

"That makes no sense," Anah said. "You should be horribly ill, dear."

Troy shrugged. "Well, I'm not."

Everyone turned upon hearing Hitch's violent retching in the bathroom.

"We really should do something." Anah looked up at Moffitt from her place on the counter.

"I'm still trying to understand how this happened," Moffitt said.

"Well, we at least narrowed down the cause of Hitch's food poisoning."

"Are we sure it's food poisoning when Troy had the same thing and is completely fine?"

"I am positive it is food poisoning, dear. How Troy is fine will remain a mystery, one even I cannot solve."

"Whoever made the egg salad better be prepared to get throttled by Hitch's wife when she and the others come back," Tully said.

"Hitch made the egg salad," Dietrich said.

"Oh. In that case, no throttling, then." Tully looked at Anah. "How're we fixing Hitch, ma'am?"

"The quickest way would be to make a potion—a quite simple one, actually. However—" the cobra turned to Moffitt, "you must make a sacrifice, dear."

"What sort of sacrifice?" Moffitt raised an eyebrow.

"I need a bag of peppermint tea."

"I have plenty of peppermint tea."

"It is still tea, dear, I know how much you value it."

"Look, I would donate a kidney if Hitch needed it. I don't value tea more than his life."

"Alright. I will also need ginger root, mint leaves, whole dandelions, coconut water, and white rice."

"So, we have to make a trip to the grocery store," Troy said.

"Pretty much."

"How do we want to do this? Someone should stay with Hitch."

"I'll stay," Moffitt said.

"You sure?" Tully asked. "No offense, but out of all of us, you have a pretty weak stomach. Watching Hitch getting sick will be enough to make you want to hurl, too."

Moffitt tried not to look like he took offense to that.

Anah smiled before saying, "He is right, dear."

"Fine." Moffitt rolled his eyes. "Then you know what? Troy will stay with Hitch."

"Troy is too much of a mother hen to stay with Hitch," Dietrich muttered.

"Even I know it's probably best not to bother Hitch right now," Troy said. He was starting to look a little paler each time they heard Hitch having another round of heaving. "I don't think I've ever heard someone throw up that much."

"Do you not remember me chundering my guts out when you visited me earlier this year?" Moffitt asked.

"Oh, no, that was not nearly as bad as your flu a few years ago!" Anah said.

"I told you, Anah, never bring up that flu again!"

"And I said, 'no promises!'"

Tully looked at Dietrich. "I never thought I'd be watching a man and a snake argue about puking."

"Honestly, it makes me feel a little queasy," Dietrich said.

Tully raised his voice. "Hey, can we all focus on Hitch, please? Argue about this later?"

"Could we stop talking about vomit in general?" Dietrich rubbed his face and sighed.

"Are you sure you didn't have the egg salad, too?" Troy asked.

"I had everything except the egg salad."

Moffitt gave a sigh of his own and rolled his eyes. "Alright, that's enough. No more arguing. No more talking about puke or egg salad or what have you. Just… focus."

Tully stood. "I'm going to the store to get ginger and mint. I'm pretty sure there's rice in the kitchen somewhere."

"What are you going to say if you run into the wives?" Moffitt asked.

"I'll think of something. See you in a few minutes." Tully left without another word.

"There are dandelions in the yard," Anah said. "Troy, you and Dietrich should be able to handle collecting some."

"How many do you need?" Troy asked.

"At least three. Make sure they have the stem, leaves, and flower attached."

"Okay. Whatever you say, Anah." Troy grabbed Dietrich's arm to haul him up from the couch and drag the reluctant skinny German into the backyard to pick flowers.

Moffitt turned to Anah once the back door was closed. "I guess that leaves me with getting the coconut water."

"I will stay here and prepare the cauldron," Anah said. "This trip certainly is not panning out as well as we hoped."

"No, it's not." Moffitt checked his pockets for his wallet before putting his boots on. As he was tying his laces, he looked up to see Hitch stiffly shuffling from the bathroom. He was shaking as he leaned against the wall.

"Hitch, dear, sit down somewhere," Anah said.

Moffitt looked at her after studying Hitch's listless expression. "Is this what I looked like with that flu?"

"It is about the same, yes."

"I think I'm good now." Hitch gave the weakest smile Moffitt had ever seen.

"I don't think so." Moffitt helped him sit on the couch, and brought a trash can over, just in case. "You need to rest. We're putting together a cure for you."

Even sitting up seemed like a challenge. Hitch groaned while slumping onto his side, taking up the entire couch. A confused look came over his pale face when he looked out the window in the backyard. "Am I feverish? I see Sarge and Dietrich picking flowers."

Moffitt felt Hitch's forehead. "I can't really tell if you're feverish or if your blood pressure is slightly elevated from how much you were vomiting. Either way, Troy and Dietrich are actually outside, picking dandelions. We need dandelions for the potion."

The smell of peppermint filled the kitchen when Anah poured the contents of a tea bag into a cauldron set up on the stove. "I will keep an eye on Hitch, Moffitt, you had best get going."

"Right." Moffitt finished tying his bootlaces, then left the house.

It wasn't hard to find coconuts since it was the middle of summer, and nearly every fruit stand Moffitt came across had coconuts. He bought three, just to make sure Anah had plenty. When he returned to the house, he found Hitch retching into the trash can, with Anah on his shoulders, talking to him reassuringly and trying to keep him calm. Outside, Dietrich was standing on a picnic table and pointing at something while Troy was holding a shovel menacingly and beating a dandelion with it.

Moffitt stared, unsure what to comment on first. "Uh… Anah?"

"There was a spider on the dandelion," Anah said.

"Oh. Okay. Makes sense. I feel the shovel is a bit excessive, though."

Anah gave Moffitt a look. "This is Troy we are talking about."

"Right. I really shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore."

"It is still moving! How is it still moving?!" Dietrich hollered.

"I don't know!" Troy struck the dandelion again. "Got it!"

Moffitt handed the coconuts to Anah and took over monitoring Hitch. While rubbing Hitch's back, Moffitt glanced at Anah. "Should one of us go tell those two idiots to bring the bloody dandelions inside?"

Before Anah could respond, Dietrich threw open the back door and ducked inside, dropping a bundle of dandelions on the counter. Troy followed after putting the shovel away, and said, "That was exciting."

"It crawled on my hand!" Dietrich shouted. "That was not exciting! I swear, ten years were ripped from my life when I saw that thing on my hand!"

"You'll be fine." Troy patted Dietrich's shoulder. "Go relax."

Anah picked up the dandelions with her tail. "Wonderful! Now, we just need to wait for Tully."

As if on cue, the front door opened, and Tully walked in holding a paper bag. He sighed after setting the bag on the counter. "You know, I could hear someone screaming as I was coming back down the street. What the hell's going on?"

"Spider," Troy said.

Tully shook his head, then looked at Anah. "I got ginger roots and mint leaves," he said, gesturing to the bag. "You need anything else, ma'am?"

"No, dear. I have everything. Just keep Hitch comfortable until this potion is done," Anah replied.

Moffitt was already with Hitch, holding him steady with each retch and heave. He took the trash can away in order to allow Hitch to breathe. The whole house smelled herbal and minty as the potion brewed, and the tropical scent of coconut soon mingled as Anah poured and stirred the fruit's water into the mix. "Surely that's a pleasant smell," Moffitt said.

"No." Hitch gagged. "Smells like food. I don't want—"

Moffitt thrust the trash can back in his lap. He winced when he noticed nothing more was coming out of Hitch. "I think you're on the dry heaves stage."

"We gotta get that to pass before we give him the potion," Tully said.

"The ingredients are mixed and properly stirred," Anah said. "It just needs to simmer for about ten minutes, then cool for a bit. You have time."

"Alright." Moffitt gently took Hitch's shoulders. "Tully, take the bin. We should have Hitch sit up for a little while."

That slight movement prompted Hitch to grab his stomach with one hand, and reach for the trash can with the other.

"Easy, easy—" Moffitt grunted. "You've got nothing to throw up, and leaning over and taking in the scent of it won't help you."

"Okay…" Hitch said weakly. He managed to relax a little, letting Moffitt ease him into sitting.

"We should get some water in him," Tully said after a few minutes passed.

"The coconut water in the potion is meant to assist in rehydration," Anah said. "It should only be a few more minutes, dears."

"I'm concerned he's just gonna throw the potion up once it's introduced."

"We will introduce it in small doses first. That should be easier on his stomach."

After the next several minutes of waiting and bracing himself each time Hitch gagged, Moffitt decided he wasn't going to eat for quite a while. He tried to think of something else, but his thoughts were constantly interrupted by a gag or retch from Hitch. Tully's eyes were closed, clearly trying to put his mind elsewhere as well. Troy was looking a little pale, but seemed otherwise fine. Dietrich looked to be suppressing gags of his own, but then whispered a soft apology before going outside for some air.

Anah ladled the first potion dose into a small glass. "Moffitt? Give this to Hitch. Go slow."

Moffitt took the glass. He didn't have to say anything to Tully, who carefully held Hitch's head so Moffitt could administer the potion. "How many will we have to give him?" Moffitt asked.

"Four," Anah replied.

"Alright." Moffitt handed the glass back. "He's taking it well. Hasn't come back up yet."

"Normal color's coming back to his face," Tully added.

They were patient as they continued giving the potion to Hitch. With each passing moment, he was looking better. After the fourth was given, Anah bottled the rest of the potion, to save for another incident.

"How're you feeling?" Tully asked.

Hitch sat up a little, taking a moment to process what was going on. "Well, I don't think I'll ever have to brush my teeth again," he said. "I've never had anything that… minty before."

"It's good to have you back," Moffitt said, smiling.

"What exactly happened?"

"Food poisoning," Tully explained. "We narrowed it down to the egg salad."

"I made the egg salad." Hitch swore under his breath. "Damn it. I'm sorry, guys."

"It's alright. Only you and Troy ended up eating that anyway," Moffitt said.

Hitch's eyes widened. "Is Sarge okay?"

"I'm right here, Hitch." Troy walked over. "For whatever reason, I'm perfectly fine."

"Where's Dietrich? Is he okay?"

Tully pointed to the door. "He's getting some air. Watching you losing your lunch kinda made him want to lose his, too."

"I guess this is the last time I'm getting trusted with making any food," Hitch muttered.

"Oh, no, you're still a much better cook than Troy," Moffitt laughed. "Besides, it was an accident, and at least no one else became sick."

"Yeah. I'll be more careful next time." Hitch looked over at Anah. "How the heck is Sarge okay, though?"

"I have no idea," Anah said. "What is the meaning of life? It carries the same mystery."