Mabel opened the linen closet and took out a set of clean sheets and some towels. “Barbara and her son are in the room at the end of the hallway.”
The acid smell of vomit met them at the bedroom door.
Jesse’s mom had taken off his T-shirt and was cuddling him on her lap. “I took the sheets and blankets off the bed. I’m really sorry this happened.”
Willow didn’t know whether Jesse’s skin was flushed pink from crying or if he had a temperature.
“Don’t worry about it, Barbara,” Mabel said reassuringly. “We’ll have this cleaned up in next to no time.”
While Mabel took the bedding and dirty clothes out of the room, Willow knelt beside Jesse. “How long has he been unwell?”
“He wasn’t himself this morning. He hardly touched his breakfast and he didn’t want to play with the other children.”
Willow placed her hand on Jesse’s forehead. His skin was scorching hot. There were no spots on his stomach, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have measles or something equally dangerous.
“Is this the first time he’s vomited?”
Barbara shook her head. “He was sick twice this morning and once after lunch. I thought he had a tummy bug, but his temperature is getting worse.”
“Can I have a look at his back?”
Barbara moved Jesse forward. “I looked to see if there were any spots this morning. He hasn’t had measles or chickenpox.”
When Barbara saw his back, she was distraught. “I never thought to look again. Jesse has been so hot that I—”
“It’s okay,” Willow reassured her. A red pin-prick rash covered most of Jesse’s pale skin. “We’ve seen it now and that’s all that matters.” But that wasn’t the worst of his symptoms. Jesse was so limp he was like a rag doll.
Mabel came back into the room with a glass of water. “Give him this to drink. The poor baby will be dehydrated after vomiting so much.”
Barbara lifted the glass to Jesse’s mouth, but he barely took a sip.
Willow looked into Barbara’s worried face. “He needs to see a doctor.”
Tears filled Barbara’s eyes. “We don’t have medical insurance and I don’t have any way of getting to Polson.”
Leaving Jesse like this wasn’t an option. “I’ve got another idea.” Quickly, Willow pulled out her cell phone and found Zac’s number. The call went straight to his messaging service. “Hi, Zac. If you hear this before I find you, can you call me right away? A little boy is sick at The Welcome Center and I think you should look at him.”
Mabel sent her a worried glance. “Zac could be anywhere.”
Willow picked up a hand towel. “I think I know where he is. Soak this in cold water and lay it on Jesse’s forehead. We need to cool him down. I’ll be back soon.”
She rushed out of the room and ran across the parking lot to the church. If Zac hadn’t come to the PTSD meeting, she didn’t know where he would be. If she couldn’t find him, they’d have no option but to drive Jesse into Polson.
She just prayed the road had been cleared.
Chapter Nine
By the timeZac arrived at the church, Pastor John was standing in front of the barbecue, cooking enough food for an army.
“You made it,” John said with a smile. “Come and meet everyone.” He handed a pair of tongs to a woman standing beside him. “Zac, this is Deirdre. She came to her first meeting last month.”
Zac reached out and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here. It’s good to know I’m not the only newbie.”
John smiled at another person who walked onto the deck. “That’s James and the person giving him a drink is Wyatt. They discovered Sapphire Bay a few years ago and decided to stay.”
Deirdre sighed. “There must be something about the lake that draws people here. Before I left Las Vegas, I had no idea Sapphire Bay existed. What about you, Zac? What brought you to this part of Montana?”
