“Where’s your mom?” Travis asked, his blood pressure absolutely not fine.
“What’re you doing here, Uncle Trav?” Kellan asked, his eyes wide.
“He asked where your mom is.” Gavin said, turning off the television so they had to give him all their attention.
“Um…” Brady looked to Kellan.
“In her room sleeping,” Kellan said. “I think. That’s where she was when we took her lunch.”
“We brought her toast,” Brady added. “She wanted it plain.”
Travis hurried to her room. He didn’t bother knocking, just pulled open the door and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.
“Rach?” He said her name low, gentle, and did his best to keep the building feeling of terror from his tone.
She groaned from under the blankets.
He moved to her. “Rach, sunshine, it’s me.”
The two pieces of toast were on the nightstand, untouched. The boys had also, apparently, brought her an apple juice box. Also untouched, since the straw was still in the wrapper.
“I’m gross, go away.” Rachel didn’t move, and the words were raspy.
He knelt beside the bed, careful not to move the mattress, and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. He did it just like she’d done for him at the lake. Her forehead was slick with sweat, and her skin was on fire. “How long have you been like this?”
“Really sick.” Her words were a croak. “Just need to get better. Don’t look at me.”
She wasn’t gross. She could never be gross. “I’m going to look at you because you’re beautiful, and I’m worried.”
He started to lift her in his arms so he could get her into his car. Take her someplace where there was a doctor and medicine and people who could help fix whatever was wrong with her.
“What are you doing?” She pushed away from him.
“Taking you to the hospital.”
She batted his hands away, but there was no force behind the movement. “It’s just a bug. I don’t need to go anywhere. I just need my bed and the dark and sleep.”
“Rach, you’re burning up.” He set her back down on the bed and pressed his hand against her forehead again. Still slick, still hot, and her skin was pale and flushed.
She sighed, pointing to the thermometer on the nightstand. “I’ve been watching it. It’s not bad.”
He grabbed the thermometer and ran it over her forehead. “It’s at a hundred and one. We need to get you to a doctor.”
His thoughts were all jumbled. He needed to do something. Something that would make a difference. Something to make Rachel healthy again.
“Travis says it’s a hundred and one.” Gavin spoke from the hallway, just outside the door.
He was speaking into his cell, hopefully to a physician who could fix this. Because they needed to find a solution, so Rachel could go back to being Rachel again.
“Brady says she’s been like this since right after they got home.” Gavin nodded at something whoever was on the other end of the line said. “Yeah, the house is a total train wreck.”
Rachel groaned at that announcement.
“We’ll help the boys clean it up.” Travis kept his tone soft, because he was pretty sure if she felt like he had when he’d had the bug, she probably had a decent headache happening along with the fever.
“What did the doctor say?” he asked when Gavin was off the phone.
“Mama says to get a cool washcloth for her head, ibuprofen for the fever if she can keep it down, and a popsicle for dehydration.” Gavin shifted on his feet.
