The sun was slowly coming up over the mountains as the water tower came into view, welcoming Bill home. He had taken a quick trip to Benson Hills, after receiving a call from a friend who needed help. While he enjoyed helping people, especially those close to him, he hated being anywhere but here. Home. Such a small word, for something so wonderful. As he came into view of the buildings, his Mountie senses started to tingle. Something was wrong. Once he reached the main street and noticed Lee and Rosemary' car in front of the infirmary, his suspicions were confirmed. Digging his heels into the sides of his faithful horse, and giving the command, Hero took off towards the building.
Rosemary and Lee, having seen Bill ride by, hurried out the door of the Valley Voice, where they'd been staying, waiting on news of Little Jack.
"Bill," Rosemary called, just as he charged into the infirmary. "Wait."
But he'd already opened the door, and disappeared into the building.
"What's going on?" Bill asked, louder than he expected to, but when he saw Nathan, asleep next to Jack on the bed, Jack looking very flushed, and Elizabeth sitting in a chair, her hands clasped in front of her and her head down, as though she was praying.
Having been startled by the abrupt entrance and question from Bill, Elizabeth quickly stood up and turned towards him, attempting to wipe the tears from her face. It was the tears he was not ready for, they were tears he hadn't seen in a very long time. It didn't make sense, after the joy he saw in them the day before.
Nathan also opened his eyes at the noise, but hesitated and instead of acknowledging Bill, placed his hand on Jack's forehead. He was burning up again. He looked up at Elizabeth, the fear back in his eyes.
Elizabeth, having seen Nathan's actions, turned towards the back of the room, where a door led to some stairs. Those stairs went to the second floor, where the small apartment Faith had been living in before she moved to the Café, was. Just as she opened her mouth to call for the doctor, she heard footsteps racing down the stairs.
Thankfully, Bill had alerted her to his presence and was hurrying down to tell him about the quarantine. Once she entered the room, her first glance was to the bed, as she asked, "What's wrong?" Seeing Nathan, untangling himself from Jack and getting off the bed, and Elizabeth placing a cloth on the little boy's head, she didn't need them to answer.
"He's burning up again." Elizabeth cried.
"Faith," Bill called again, "What's going on?"
Turning to Bill, Faith asked the older man to leave, "Bill, you shouldn't be here. Please don't ask questions right now, please just go to the Café, or the saloon and get as much ice as you possibly can."
"But…." Bill stammered.
"No Bill, just go." the doctor ordered, placing her stethoscope on Jack's chest, listening to his lungs.
Seeing the pleading look on Elizabeth's face, he turned and went to do as instructed.
Once she was finished listening, Faith placed her fingers on Jack's neck and began searching for his pulse.
"Faith," Nathan said, "He wasn't this hot fifteen minutes ago."
"I know." the doctor assured him. "Elizabeth," she called, "if there is still ice in the bucket can you get it in the tub and then turn the water on, we need to do another ice bath."
Elizabeth went to the tub and, glancing at the other bed, she saw Allie sitting up, fear on her face.
"Is he okay?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"Allie, can you please wait outside?" Elizabeth pleaded. "I think it would be safe for you, right now."
Allie nodded and quickly slid off the bed, and hurried out the door, pulling softly behind her.
Soon, Nathan had Jack in his arms and was lowering him into the tub, with Elizabeth and Faith ready to help. Suddenly, Jack cried out, and began twisting and turning, attempting to get away from the cold. His eyes opened, and he began to cry even louder.
Nathan quickly pulled him out of the water and began talking to him, hoping to calm him down and assure him his mother was there as well, and that he'd make sure nothing happened.
No longer feeling the surrounding cold, Jack began hearing Nathan's voice, along with Elizabeth's and started to calm down.
Elizabeth noticed the streak of red going down her son's arm and cried out. Faith, having also seen it, explained that the IV tube had come out, and that was the reason for the blood. After quickly wrapping the arm with a cloth to stop the bleeding, she indicated for Nathan to take Jack back to his bed. Hoping to calm the boy down enough to try the bath again.
Once he was back on the bed, Elizabeth climbed up beside him, gathering him in her arms. She slowly began rocking him back and forth while soothing him with her words.
Finally hearing his mom, Jack took a deep breath and opened his eyes again, looking around. Once again, he tried to talk, but no sound would come out. Noticing the fear coming back into his eyes, Elizabeth reminded him to whisper. He shook his head and buried it deep into his mother's side.
After a few hiccups and shuddering breaths, he again looked around. Feeling another hand moving on his back, he turned and saw Nathan. A small smile ghosted his lips as he closed his eyes and sank back into Elizabeth's side, allowing her to kiss his forehead and check his fever. Shaking her head at Faith, letting her know it was still just as hot, she began to feel helpless again.
Thankfully, Faith used this time to let Jack know what was going on.
"Hey Jack," she said, quietly, reaching out a hand to place on his leg, hoping to comfort him as well, "It's Dr. Carter."
Seeing Jack slowly turn his head from Elizabeth's side and look at her, she continued, "I know it hurts, but I need to ask you a few questions, can I do that? You can whisper, just like your mom said."
After seeing him nod, she continued, "Does your throat," she pointed to her own throat, "hurt really bad?"
Jack nodded.
"Does anywhere else hurt?"
Jack nodded.
"Can you tell me where?"
He pointed to the arm the IV tube had been in, followed by touching the side of his head.
"Anything else?"
"Hot." he whispered before cringing back into his mom's side.
Faith smiled, "You are very brave, Jack. Thank you for showing and telling me. That was very helpful. Now, can you do one more thing for me? Can you open your mouth really big so I can see in there, maybe find out why your voice has disappeared?"
Jack opened his mouth wide. "Well, I think I know where your voice went, Jack, so let's see if we can get it to come back." Faith said, after Jack had closed his mouth again.
Noticing the little boy's eyes begin to droop, she continued, "You said you are hot, so we need to try and cool you down a little, but we're going to need some help. I know it's cold, and scary but can we put you in the tub over there," she pointed to the tub, "It has some ice floating in the water and will be a big help cooling you down."
Not liking the thought of a cold bath, Jack shook his head, No.
Knowing that was his likely answer, she offered a different idea, "Okay, how about you stay on the bed, and we will wrap you in this sheet, and then put the ice all around you, like a second blanket?"
Slowly he nodded, as his eyes began to droop again.
Once the little boy was asleep, Nathan picked him up, allowing Faith to place a sheet on the bed, along with the remaining ice from the bucket Bill had brought. Elizabeth then wrapped him in another sheet, and Nathan placed him gently back on the bed. Thankfully, this time, the shock didn't cause him to wake up again.
Letting out a breath, Faith looked at Nathan and Elizabeth. "I'd like to give him another small dose of sedative, to help him relax, and hopefully stay asleep if this doesn't work," pointing at the ice on the bed, "and we need to try the bath again. Are you okay with that?" she asked.
Elizabeth nodded her head, not trusting her voice.
Faith placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "You're doing great, Elizabeth. Let me get the sedative and then get the IV tube placed in his arm again, and we can talk, okay?"
Once again, Elizabeth nodded, still not trusting her voice.
Nathan made his way around the bed and placed his arm around her shoulder. He leaned into her hair, taking a deep breath, before whispering, "She's right you know, you are doing great."
A genuine smile came to her lips and she buried her head in Nathan's shoulder. Thankful for the safety and comfort she felt there. Hearing Faith coming back, she pulled her head back, and wiped her eyes. Nathan let his arm slide down and took her hand.
After placing a cloth over Jack's mouth and nose, the doctor smiled as she saw his face relax. She, then, quickly placed the new IV tube and made sure the fluid was flowing correctly. Once that was done, she listened to his heart and lungs once more. Finally, she turned back to her friends, with a smile on her face. Nathan noticed a little hesitancy in her eyes, but decided to wait until after she spoke to ask her about it.
"Okay, first things first," Faith began, "I need to apologize to you, to both of you. I made a mistake. He doesn't have diphtheria. I believe it's actually an extremely bad case of tonsillitis. The symptoms he had matched those of early diphtheria, but the next progression of the disease should have occurred long before now. If you'd like, I can go into the details later, but for now let's focus on getting that temperature to start coming down."
Elizabeth sagged against Nathan, relief running through her veins, causing more tears to form in her eyes. Reaching up to wipe them away, she muttered, "You'd think I would be all out of tears."
Nathan let go of the hand he was holding, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and placing a kiss on her cheek and whispering, "Thankfully, I am not out of kisses."
Faith smiled, pretending that she hadn't heard what they'd said to each other. She felt a slight pain in her heart at seeing the love and support Nathan was giving to Elizabeth and wishing, for a moment, she had the same.
Nathan cleaned his throat, "Are you sure, Faith? I've never seen tonsillitis like this before." he questioned.
"Yes, I am sure. And you are right, it's the worst case I've ever seen as well, and I think that is because his little body reacted so strongly to the virus, causing these high fevers. Now," she continued, "he is still in danger from the fever, high fevers for an extended amount of time have been known to cause organ damage, so that is still our first priority."
"Does this mean Bill and Allie can come back in?" Elizabeth asked, hopefully.
"Yes, it does, however, Jack is possibly still contagious, so precautions will need to be taken to avoid it spreading. We can talk all about that later, but for now, let's get this fever down."
Hearing Bill knock on the door, Faith went to meet him. "Thank you, Bill," she said, reaching for the bucket in his hand.
"Now, will you tell me what's going on?" he asked, a little more gruffly than he intended.
Nathan, having heard Bill's question, decided he should be the one to talk to Bill. Faith was needed inside more than he was, at the moment.
After explaining himself to Elizabeth, who nodded in agreement, Nathan made his way to the door, and then outside. The sun was a little brighter than he expected, so it took a minute for his eyes to adjust, once they did, and Faith had gone back inside, Nathan began to explain all that happened.
Rosemary and Lee, having seen Nathan come outside, hurried over as well.
"So it's not diphtheria?" Lee asked, still a little confused.
"Faith seems certain, and I trust her, so no, he doesn't have it. No quarantine for you guys after all. She did say it's still very contagious, so we all have to still be careful. But he is still in danger with this fever so until that is under control, no visitors, just yet, I am afraid." Nathan explained.
Seeing Allie's crushed face, he added, "You may come in, Allie."
Allie grinned and ran through the door.
Hearing that Jack was going to be okay, Rosemary threw her arms around Nathan, startling him.
Lee, seeing the surprised look on his face, grinned and explained, "You better get used to it Nathan, Rosie's middle name is spontaneity."
Bill chuckled, agreeing with what Lee had said. He then invited Rosemary and Lee to join him for breakfast at the café, promising to bring something for breakfast to the Grant family later on.
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As morning turned into afternoon, Jack's fever continued to go down, as he continued to improve. A few scoops of ice cream helped as well. That evening, Faith attempted to convince Nathan and Elizabeth to go home and rest for a few hours, but Jack was once again adamant about Nathan staying with him. Elizabeth and Allie decided they would go home and freshen up, but then come right back, allowing Nathan to then do the same.
As the door closed behind them, Elizabeth took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She smiled at Allie, and extended her hand. Together they started walking to the row houses.
Seeing Allie begin to chuckle and shake her head, a silly grin appearing on her face, Elizabeth asked what she had been thinking about that made her smile like that.
"Oh, I was just thinking about how excited Jack was when he heard about having ice cream, and how Dad was just as excited." Allie explained.
Elizabeth smiled, it was true. When Jack's fever became less of a concern, Faith had removed the IV tube, and explained that now he would need to drink plenty of liquids and also try and eat some soft food. Seeing the confused and worried look on the little boy's face, the doctor explained that he would be allowed to have foods that wouldn't hurt when he swallowed them. She also mentioned that sometimes ice cream is helpful as well. Hearing that, ice cream was acceptable, he perked up, and quietly said he would be fine eating just ice cream. "What about a shake, mama?" he asked, "That wouldn't hurt to swallow either." Seeing the excitement in Jacks' eyes about having permission to eat sweets, Nathan jumped into the discussion, and offered his suggestions for what kind of flavors would be best. Bill had walked in at the end of the conversation, with a small bowl of ice cream behind his back.
"Hey, Jackaroo," he said, bringing the ice cream into Jack's view, "When I was a little boy, I had a sore throat too, and this combination of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream made things feel so much better."
"Bill," Elizabeth exclaimed, "I am not sure that much ice cream is what Faith had in mind."
Grinning like a little boy, he walked to the bed, and handed Jack the bowl, along with a spoon. "Elizabeth, trust me, this is the best medicine there is."
"Thanks Uncle Bill." Jack cried, surprising himself by being able to speak again.
"See, Jack," Faith told him, "I knew your voice would find you again."
Jack smiled and then started digging into his ice cream.
Coming back to the present, Elizabeth released Allie's hand, and put her arm around her shoulder. "I'm glad I have you to help me keep an eye on those two, Allie. I think they are going to be trouble."
Allie giggled in agreement.
Elizabeth stopped, forcing Allie to stop as well, she turned and looked at her teacher, curious about why they'd stopped. She was shocked to see the tears in Elizabeth's eyes, and the smile on her face.
"Allie, thank you for being here with us, with me. You have such a quiet strength about you, that helped me so much during the last few days. I know it's been kind of a whirlwind for all of us, but having you with me has meant so much. I love you, Allie." Elizabeth said, pulling her into a hug.
Surprised at the emotions that whirled around inside, Allie just stood there, enjoying the hug. Her dad had always been affectionate with her, and she loved every minute of it, but something felt different with this hug from Elizabeth. She couldn't quite put her finger on why it was different, but it was. When she felt Elizabeth begin to pull away, she tightened her hold, not wanting the feeling to end.
After a few moments, she reluctantly let go and looked up sheepishly at Elizabeth before dropping her arms.
"Allie," Elizabeth asked, "What is it?"
"It's silly."
"I doubt that. Please tell me." Elizabeth asked.
"Your hugs feel different from any other hugs I've ever had. I don't know how to describe it." Blushing, she looked down at the ground. "See, I told you it was silly."
Hoping to keep the tone of the conversation from becoming too serious, Elizabeth placed a hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow. "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing, I wonder." she asked.
"Defiantly, good." Allie assured her, before starting to walk again.
By this time, they had reached the Grant's row house, and Allie went inside, promising to meet Elizabeth at her house in a little while. Once she was inside, she took a deep breath, trying to contain the emotions that came over her. She'd always wondered, secretly, what it would feel like to have a hug from her mom. It couldn't be any different from a hug from her dad. A hug was a hug, she told herself, still not quite believing it. With a sigh, she went upstairs to her room, and pulled out her journal. She had a lot of feelings and wanted to get them all out, so she could be strong. Strong for her family.