Hello guys. I'm going to let you get to the chapter but first I'd just like to say a few words

As some of you may know 2015 has been very tough for me. So tough, when I look back I honestly can't remember how I got through it all. Or even understand how I did it but hey- I've got to be so strong! Hahaha, no but really.

Of course, I did get through it to the point where I am now where most of the things are solved. But I didn't get this far on my own. And that is what this A/N is for. I do know fanfiction and all of you people here have made me smile and had me getting up of bed for yet another day. So. That's why I'd like to thank you all.

So to you- yes you who are reading this. Thank you so much for being there through the year of 2015. Thank you for that tiny little review, or favorite mark or following my story. Thank you, thank you so much. I could never have gotten through things without you.

You're awesome!

Thanks to CamoGirl14, x snow-pony x, xQueen-Of-Applesx and Cookie05 for reviewing on the last chapter.

I deleted all of my tumblr-s. Including the one for this. Sorry

So, now when we've got that part covered… Enjoy!

That Saturday night I was pretty relieved that at least I had my first night shift on a weekend. All the kids were grumpy and angry for not being allowed to watch TV or use their laptops, well. That would be except for Jim and Marley and when we heard both of them laugh uncontrollably at some silly TV show or whatever they were watching. The kids seemed angrier than ever.

"That doesn't work Peityn." Mike told her when she walked by pouting towards us for about the twentieth time in five minutes. "Or do you want to make it two months?"

"UGH!"

Peityn stomped her foot and set off out of the room. But even though we could no longer see her after that we heard her stomping footsteps through the hallway and continuing up the stairs. Mike sighed and put his head in his hands- and I could almost hear what he was thinking.

"Don't even think about already letting go of that punishment old man. They all deserve this."

"Old man?"

I and Mike looked to each other for a second. Then we couldn't help but laugh together and Mike seemed to relax a bit. He stood up and got a glass of water as if that would help him to think better of something to snap back at with me. But I'd have to admit what he said at last was twice better.

"You're one of those people whose great fun to work with Emma. You've got such a sense of humor."

I couldn't hide my smile. And not stop it either. But hearing that from a person that I had actually feared I would only be a pain in the ass to. And at the same time knowing he would always be honest felt great and it just warmed my heart.

"Thanks."

Mike didn't reply. But smiled, stood up and walked out of the room leaving the dishes for me to do and I shook my head, grabbed his coffee cup and my glass that had been filled with water and went to wash it out. But for one long moment I could still hear the sound of his voice- and oh boy the way I had to think about how I could hear that voice sounded so wrong!

"You know." Mike started when he was pulling his coat on to leave and I could hear what was coming- again! "I could still stay here. Only for your first night."

"Mike stop that." I handed him his bag and tried to protest with my voice full of laughter. "I know what you think but it's only for one night. How bad could it be?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "Yeah I know. But it's not going to be that bad and the house will still be standing when you get back."

"Either way won't surprise me." He patted my shoulder as he walked by. "No seriously, don't be proud. If there is anything- anything that happens then give me a call. I keep my phone on and…"

"…And you won't need it." I walked with him through the hallway and opened the door for him. "Things will work out fine. I do know how this place works and it's not that long until the morning. Now goodbye." Before he had the time to protest again I gently pushed him out the door and closed the door.

I was feeling way too confident and I should have known better. Of course, about ten seconds after Mike had left the building something went wrong. While some of the others were getting ready for bed I took the free time to wipe off the kitchen bench before I was going to say goodnight to everybody.

I didn't have the time to get all the way upstairs, before I had even gotten to the stairs I heard a door flying open and then running steps. They led to the bathroom and while I froze and frowned the sound of retching reached my- and as it looked, everybody else's ears.

"IF ANYONE'S GOT THE STOMACH FLU I AM SO OUT OF HERE." I just barely had made my way up the stairs when as I'd expected Violet came out of her room. "YOU GUYS ARE SO DISGUSTING- AND YES I MEAN ALL OF YOU." I pushed her out of the way and continued towards the bathroom where I felt the door handle- opened. And then walked in.

"Marty." I kneeled in front of the Hispanic kid lying sprawled on the bathroom floor with his head covered by his arm. "How you're feeling hon?" He didn't reply. But the sour smell and his short, shallow breaths was more than enough for an answer. "Come on." I grabbed his shirt and gently pulled him up to sit. "Let's get you into bed."

Marty moaned when I gently forced him to put his arm around my shoulders and get onto his feet. But wasn't resistant- neither was Qwyn when I sent him into cleaning the toilet but I doubted he'd be quiet about it ten minutes later up when he and Nathan would be in the attic and Qwyn would still be heaving for the smell.

Marty fell into bed and I watched him close his eyes and then moved over a trash can from under the desk to next to him. Marty didn't seem to take much notice I was there. And I didn't know what to do and stood frozen for a few seconds before I looked up hearing more heaving from another room. This time Wheezy's.

Realizing it came from his room and not from the bathroom again my stomach clenched. And I sure wouldn't have wanted those imagined pictures that he would have drenched his covers in that sour smelling junk. Especially when I came in and those pictures proved to be wrong when I saw him heaving over a plastic bag.

"It's okay hon." I kneeled by him where he sat on his knees on the floor and placed my palm towards his back. "It's alright. Just breathe."

It's alright? I knew that well… wasn't it one of these things you were supposed to say when someone was being sick? Well, whether you were supposed to or not it was a completely idiotic thing to say- throwing up, something obviously was wrong.

I was ripped back to reality and realized I had been concentrating too much on myself when Wheezy, still holding onto that bag slumped to sit down on the floor and leaned back against the bed frame. And there was one of those other idiotic things that you were supposed to say.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Wheezy coughed weakly. "I must have caught that bug… ugh!" He got onto shaky legs and I got up by him. "I'll just throw this away…"

"Nope." I protested against him. "I'll take that one, is there anything you need?" The young male sunk down onto his bed and shook his head. And I put the bag in his trash can and took out the bigger bag, before I shouted for Ashton to come and take it for me. She didn't seem way too happy, but didn't protest when I shot her a meaning look and I could turn back to place the trash can by the bed that Wheezy was just pulling the covers around him in. Stating that he didn't need anything and seeming half asleep, I got a glass of water from the kitchen and then left.

I sighed walking out into the hallway. Every person that had any kind of normal in him or her would freak out over an epidemic of the stomach flu. Maybe especially if you'd seen the Swedish one- the winter vomiting disease that could be quite a bad case of the stomach flu. And I had always been kind of afraid of this kind of bugs and wanted to run away to the other side of Sweden whenever one at school had it. (It probably wouldn't have helped. Half of Sweden came down with that stomach flu every year) but now I couldn't run. And thinking of it, once more sighing. I knew very well I couldn't. Here I was the adult, and the one to be there and comfort.

"Hey." When I came into the kitchen the lights were on and Marley sat on the island with a glass of water. "I thought you'd gone off to bed. You're not sick too are you?" She shook her head no and took a last sip of water before putting it in the sink. "Are you alright? Is there something bothering you? You know you can talk to…"

"Will you shut up and give me a chance to answer?"

"Sorry."

"No. I don't feel sick. I'm fine. I just can't sleep. I know I can talk to you but I'm fine. Honestly. I'll just go back to bed now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight"

I let her leave without any further notice but could feel something clench in my stomach. It was like I knew that from now on Marley would lie for hours. See the scenes from the day her parents and brother died in front of her over and over. Throw herself from one side to another. Just to get a break from all the pictures that would haunt her for so very long.

But I didn't know, so with that I did the dishes and then went upstairs to check on everybody finding that Jim had gotten an invitation to sleep in the room with Shawn and David now that Marty was ill. And I smiled when I saw him lying on a bunch of pillows and blankets and the kindness the other young boy and the teenager had showed for the new one.

"Hey." I almost whispered having spread Jim's covers over him and moving over to Shawn who sat with a reading lamp by the desk with his French books. "You should go to bed soon you too." Shawn gave a small nod but didn't look up and I patted his shoulder. "You're old enough to decide yourself when you should go to bed. But don't sit up for too long. Your health goes first in front of any grades okay?" Another small nod. And I checked so David was asleep before I backed out of the room. "Goodnight."

Shawn still didn't talk or look up before I closed the door. And I felt a pinch of worry in my stomach, even though I tried to tell myself that he would be old enough to come to me, Mike, George or Luce if something wasn't right. But still- I must have known that he wouldn't. That he would have been too afraid to be a bother.

I sighed deeply. Then checked everybody's room. Most of them had the lights turned off and the children would either be asleep or awake with a book or something like that. At last I hoped I would hear it if Marty or Wheezy got sick again or if something new happened and walked to the staff bedroom where I decided to just take one short little nap. I was going to stay up when Marty and Wheezy were ill and…

I woke up with a start when an ear- piercing scream sounded loud through the house. At first I didn't know where or even who I was. Then everything about Marty and Wheezy and Violet and everybody came crashing down on me. Yet it took me a second to realize that the scream was Emily's.

I jumped down from the kitchen bench and sprinted through the house. But even with that all of the children- except for Marty and Wheezy stood around the door just as Nathan and Qwyn came running. And I knew there was nothing else I could do.

"Okay kids." I said and showed the others to move away from Emily's door when the twins walked in. "It is…" I looked to my clock and winced. "A quarter past three. Go back to bed." There were spread moans and sighs of being woken in the first place. "I know guys. But there's nothing else." I followed them who were going in the same direction and peaked into Wheezy's room- he laid with his back against the door and seemed to be asleep. So I just closed the door after me silently and silently headed for Marty's.

Marty was drenched in sweat and laid with his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. But the bucket next to him was empty and at least he was asleep. I carefully ran a hand over his forehead. And even though I wasn't going to wake him up and check it. I felt for certain he did have a temperature- that poor thing!

"I hate this place." Violet moaned walking by when I came out of the room. I didn't doubt that she had waited for me to come out only to let me hear it- not that I needed it one more time though. "I can't wait until I'm out of here."

I figured it was for the best not to reply. So Violet just kept on walking but still glaring at me, and then I walked after as soon as her door was closed and walked downstairs. Where I sat down in the sofa by the stairs.

I wasn't meaning to fall asleep. But I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes the next time the early morning sun was shining through the hallway windows and the clock had moved to five thirty two. I stretched on all of my limps, a bit stiff after sleeping sitting up and then slowly got up. Brainstorming for what I should do next when I noticed something.

"That's weird…" I whispered to myself when I noticed the door to Violet's door was opened. I knew for certain she had closed it when I saw her last. But I figured she had been to the bathroom or something and then been so tired she forgot to close it so I walked there to do so. And coming closer I noticed the second odd thing.

Why were the lights on?

Coming up the stairs I noticed light flooding out into the already lit up hallway, so I opened the door a bit more. Noticing the duvet was thrown to the side and the room empty. Here I frowned while a weird kind of fear hit me. Could she really have…? If I was right about this Mike would be so angry! One night, how much trouble could it be for only one night?

I hurried through the hallway and then down the stairs. She wasn't in any of the bathrooms, in the kitchen or the living room. I even checked the basement and the quiet room but couldn't find her anywhere. And here I got really worried and at last knew that I wouldn't be able to do anything on my own. I needed to call Mike.

I quickly pulled up my phone- but then suddenly froze and hesitated. I knew perfectly well that I should have called Mike by the beginning of the night like ten seconds after he left when Marty got ill. And I knew perfectly well I was still too proud to call him and didn't want to. But this could very well be a life or death situation and I called him up quickly and waited anxiously for a reply…

"Mike. It's Emma." I said into the phone, then moaned when I heard it had gone through to voicemail and trod nervously at the place until after the second beep. "I… Marty and Wheezy have the stomach flu, Emily's had nightmares. Shawn's sitting up with homework. He seemed so stressed up and Marley couldn't sleep. And the worst is that now Violet's gone and I ca…"

There was another beep in the phone telling me that my message had been cut off in the middle of a word and stressed out I tried to keep silent as I paced back and forth in the hallway calling Mike again, and again, and again. Becoming more and more freaked out for every time he didn't answer. Then almost had a heart attack when the front door flew open.

"Emma." Mike came running in with sweatpants and a big T-shirt. "I came as soon as I got your message. I- have you found Violet?" I shook my head no. "God that girl- okay. No time for that. I'll go check on the others and you call the pol…"

We both were interrupted and looked up the stairs when there was a loud thud sounding through the house. For just a second we both froze until we let go and Mike hurried in front of me to Marty's room where I opened the door. Hoping that it wouldn't be too bad- but of course, it was.

Marty was rolling over from side to side on the floor by his bed and Mike kneeled right by the younger one. Marty moaned, obviously in a lot of pain and had his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. Mike was trying to push one of his arms away and must have succeeded somehow. Because he touched a spot on Marty's belly and so Marty just yelled.

"This doesn't seem like the stomach flu."

"That's because it isn't." Mike looked up at me after my stupid comment. "Call for an ambulance- now!"

So, Emma's first night didn't go way too well. Shawn seems distressed, Marley seems distressed. Marty had the stomach flu- but now it seems like he didn't but Wheezy had it too so it's got to be something catching… does it? And on top of it all now Violet's gone- my God that girl! But well, for the rest you have to wait until next time with that cliffhanger- I love leaving cliffhangers!

And yes, that winter vomiting disease is real. Wish it wasn't though! It's going around like crazy over here.

Random fact

Well, ehrm. Not to brag or anything. But remember the line where Mike says Emma is fun to work with? Well, that's basically the same as one of the guys I work along with said about me. The same day as I wrote it. Allow me to smile… Also this part with drinking water while the others have coffee or tea is reality. Seriously? What's so important about having something to drink? Besides, why take for granted everyone drinks either coffee, tea or both? People are weird. And so are the ones who drink those completely disgusting fluids.