Emerging Compassions

Chapter 23: Taking Care of Sheen (Harder Than It Looks...)

(Libby's POV)

The following day, it seemed as though Jimmy wasn't any closer to Sheen's cure than the previous one. Every little bit of data about the illness confronting him seemed to be even farther away than the last, which clearly made him even more annoyed than the previous day. But he still kept hard at work, for the minutes were ticking by rapidly & that meant time was quickly getting shorter for that hyperactive cutie.

Sheen should've stayed in bed the whole day, but his game kept distracting him, as usual. When he thought no one was looking or listening, he snuck over to the television & activated his game again. And there he was... again.

With that, I marched over to him & shut the TV off, saying firmly, "Sheen, ya need to be in BED, not playin' some mindless video games! You're sick, & you need to rest so you can get well!"

"But Libby-," he began, but I wouldn't let him finish.

"C'mon, Sheen! It's back t' bed with you!" I snapped as I grabbed his wrist & dragged him back to his bed, almost forcing him back under the covers, "Sheesh, yo' strength is still with ya even though you're sick!"

Cindy walked up to us & commented, rolling her eyes, "Wow, he's still trying to sneak around, huh? Well, it ain't gonna work, Ultra-Loser! We've got ya all figured out! Don't even think about trying that again, cuz I will act brashly!"
Coughing sporadically, Sheen protested, "Okay, Cindy! Dang!"

After I finally got him under control & settled down in the bed, I could finally relax & listen to my music for a while. Cindy sat next to me & wrote some more in her diary. After several minutes had passed, I looked around to see what everyone was up to. Nothin' outta the ordinary... I mentally observed after a good look around, Carl's asleep, snorin' like a freight train... Heck, even Sheen's asleep now! Dang, that's a first!

Then I saw Cindy get up from her seat next to me & head towards Jimmy... again. "Dang, that girl's startin' to obsess over that guy...," I muttered under my breath, "Geez..."

After a while, however, I myself even got pretty bored. Dang, Sheen's starting to rub off on me. With a yawn & a big stretch, I retreated to my bed while Sheen slept on the couch, & was soon fast asleep.

I didn't know how long I was asleep, but I was awakened by someone shaking my shoulder impatiently. I sat up to be facing Carl, donning a worried look on his face. "Can I help ya, Carl?" I asked him.

"It's Sheen! He feels even warmer than yesterday!" he anxiously informed me, pointing over at him.

"Oh, no!" I breathed, & quietly hurried over to him, then felt his forehead gently. "Oh, great!" I accidentally exclaimed rather loudly, causing Sheen to stir a bit with a groan, but still remain asleep, "I gotta tell Neutron!"

Jimmy apparently saw me running up to him, cuz he wanted to know, a touch of concern in his voice, "Libby, what is it? Is Sheen alright?"

"He feels even warmer than yesterday!" I told him anxiously, glancing over at him repeatedly.

"I was afraid of that! C'mon!" he urged, dashing over to him with me not far behind. Cindy & Carl soon joined us.

Then Jimmy added, facing Goddard, "Goddard, thermometer, please!"

Goddard barked & produced one from out of his back hatch, then handed it to him.

"Thanks, boy!" he thanked him, & gently placed it in Sheen's mouth for a few moments, then took it back out when it beeped. "One hundred one point five degrees. Ugh..."

"That is definitely not good," I noted aloud with a sigh, "Worse than yesterday."

"Taking care of him is gonna be harder than we thought it would be," Cindy said, a tad concerned.

"You're not even helping out, Cindy!" Jimmy scolded her, then went to get some extra blankets to keep him warm. When he returned, he handed them to me & I gently unfolded them, tucking them around him gently but firmly.

He woke up just long enough to say, "Thanks, Libby." Then he went back to sleep.

Jimmy then turned to Goddard again & instructed, "Goddard, keep a constant eye on him & alert us if his condition worsens, remains stable, or improves, okay?"

He barked & remained by his side for the rest of the day. Sheen only got up once to get a drink of water & take some Advil to ease his symptoms, then went back to sleep. Carl got an ice pack from the freezer & gently placed it on his head to keep his head cool for a while.