“I don’t feel good. I’m hot then cold, and my stomach feels sick,” Carmen told me as I felt guilty for being two floors down. Nick said that she was confident about getting around the house, only stressed about setting the house alarm when I was going to move about, but I still felt bad.
I was covered in sweat, and I frowned before I picked her up. “I am gross but let’s go upstairs and take your temperature, okay? You might have a bit of a fever.”
Carmen was running a little hot, something that the thermometer proved to me within just a few moments. I got her some medicine to control it as well as a glass of ice water to keep Carmen hydrated before I sat on the bed. She’d changed into fresh pajamas, and her blankets were pushed down as she let out a sigh, closing her eyes.
I sent Mom a text, asking if I did everything right. She said yes and just to keep checking her in case, she got too hot, in which case she’d need to be seen by a doctor. Her hospital was a few miles away, and while I’d make it if necessary, I wanted Carmen to rest.
I watched her sleeping and looked around to see the full-sized futon that was in the playroom. I scurried up to my room to change into some clean yoga pants and a t-shirt after splashing myself with some cold water. I didn’t have time for a shower right now, but maybe if she felt better tomorrow, I would attempt that. I grabbed a blanket from the closet in my room and made myself at home on the futon with my Kindle for the night. Since it was already eleven, I didn’t expect that Carmen would make it to school in the morning. I felt my phone vibrate and glanced beside me, expecting to see Mom’s name, but it was Nick. He often sent texts to check in on Carmen, and I frowned as I told him that she was sick with a bit of a fever.
Nick called immediately, and I assured him that I was in touch with my mom, whom he adored. I also told him that I’d given her something to help her sleep and I was on the futon to keep an eye on her. “You’re a good woman, Celia. You take excellent care of her.” His voice was gruff, and I sensed that he had more to say as I waited.
“I had a great example in my own parents,” I reminded him as Nick fell quiet for a moment. “How is everything in Florida?”
“It’s going smoothly, though I want to be home. Especially now,” he responded, making me feel sorry for telling him that Carmen was sick.
“She’ll be okay. Mom will come over in a heartbeat if she’s needed.” Mom had grown close to both Nick and Carmen lately, inviting the family to Thanksgiving in a couple of months.
“I just want to be in my house, my bed,” Nick’s voice was low as he spoke, making me frown. “It’s felt more like a home lately than it has in some time.”
“It has?” I asked, wanting to know more. We’d talked on the couch, but it was just general things about life. I didn’t know too much about his relationship with his wife, and his words made me wonder if he was unhappy before that.
“Yes,” Nick replied, making me smile in the dim room. “The house is locked with the alarm on, Celia?”
“Of course,” I told him as he let out a sigh.
“Try and get some rest,” his words signaled the end of the conversation. “Good night. I’ll call tomorrow morning to talk to Carmen.”
“Good night,” I told him, ending the call before I set my phone on the futon. There were nights that this house felt empty and this was becoming one of them as I settled back into the pile of pillows, intending to read for a while before I dozed off.
Carmen cried out sometime during the night, and I blinked before making my way to her room. She was shivering now, making me wrap her blanket around her before reaching for the thermometer again. I glanced at her clock and saw that a couple of hours had passed since I tucked her in again. She was wavering between one hundred and one hundred and one degrees. I knew that Mom said I could alternate medicines, so I grabbed the next one and woke her up just enough to get her to swallow it, offering her some water to get it all the way down.
Carmen settled back into sleep, and I waited half an hour to check her again. She was down to one hundred degrees, and I let out a breath as I stroked her damp hair back softly.
I ended up falling asleep curled up on her bed for another few hours before I woke up to the sound of her whimpering, reaching out to feel her skin clammy and damp. It was just past four, and I knew that this little girl was not going to be going to school in a few hours.
I dozed until it was time to call her in sick and then the phone rang again. It was Mom calling to see how Carmen was and I told her all about my night as I sipped coffee in the kitchen. She told me that if Carmen got some rest, she’d probably be fine but assured me that she’d get started on some homemade chicken noodle soup and bring it over in a couple of hours.