For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) (48 page)

“
Really? I felt like I bungled the whole thing. I didn’t know how to get her off the fixation of why other people do what they do. I just wanted her to fix her eyes on Jesus instead of everyone around her.
”
The young woman rolled her eyes.
“
Oh, honestly. Why couldn’t I have said that!
”

“
Because, Aggie. Murphy’s Law is alive and well and adapts itself to any occasion
--
particularly anything remotely related to parenting.
”

“
Don’t I know it,
”
Aggie agreed dryly.

Friday, September 19
^th

“
Aggie? Aggie, wake up.
”
Luke’s voice jerked her from a dead sleep.

“
Wha
--
what is it?
”

“
Mom and I just got here, and Vannie was doing everything she could to keep things quiet, but Ellie is running a raging fever. She’s just coated with pox. Mom thinks you should take her to the clinic. She would have, but
--”

“
No,
”
Aggie tried to drag herself from the bed.
“
They won’t let her.
“
I need to do it.
”

“
Sorry, Mibs. I didn’t want to wake you.
”

“
I know. Thanks. I’ll be right down.
”

Minutes later, she whizzed down the road, trying to stay close to the speed limit, but with the sight of her niece in her rearview mirror, the needle crept higher and higher.
“
We’ll be there in just a minute. They’ll know how to make you feel better.
”

The doctor took one look at several of Ellie’s pox and shook his head.
“
She’s scratching in her sleep. Several of these are infected. That explains why her fever is still high.
”

He made a few notes, wrote out a prescription, and called for one of the nurses to call it into the pharmacy in Brunswick. Then, he wheeled an IV pole over to the table.
“
We’re going to have a hard time finding a good place to do this, but she’s a little dehydrated. We’ll get
an
antibiotic started too.
”

Aggie frowned.
“
She’s been drinking. Every glass we bring her is empty when she returns.
”

Ellie’s already red face became even redder.
“
I didn’t drink it,
”
the child admitted in a whisper.

Aggie noticed the girl’s cracked lips and sighed.
“
Where did it go?
”

“
Tavish drank…
”

“
Does it hurt your mouth?
”
Dr. Sanderson seemed to understand.

“
Yes. I’m sorry.
”

“
It’s normal, sweetie. We’ll send you home a special water bottle that’ll squirt the water at the back of your throat. That way, you can drink without hurting so much.
”
He patted the child’s hand as he spoke.
“
Just swish a bit around your mouth once in a while so you don’t get too dry.
”

The morning dragged into afternoon as they watched
“
Miss Elspeth
”
as the doctor liked to call her, improve enough to leave. To help alleviate her pain, they gave her a swish of liquid lidocaine and explained to Aggie how to mix Mylanta and Benadryl for a similar effect at home. Before they left, the doctor made Ellie promise to squirt all liquids Aggie served her down her throat.

On the way home, Ellie sighed contentedly.
“
Dr. Sanderson is a very nice man. I love doctors.
”

Aggie shook her head, amused. Her children never failed to prove, at just the right times, that she would never be able to predict anything ever again.
“
The only thing predictable about children is their unpredictability,
”
she muttered.

“
What was that, Aunt Aggie?
”

“
I was just saying how unique each of you are.
”

Ellie beamed.
“
I love that word. Unique. It’s a cool word
--
like angst. They both sound like the thing they are.
”

“
My point exactly.
”

~*~*~*~

Once Tavish was the only child pox-free, Aggie quit trying to keep the children separated. Her most recent attempts were limited anyway, but at that point, it seemed silly. Just before dinner, she glanced in the mirror, saw a fresh outbreak of pox, and wondered if her body was going to erupt every few weeks for the rest of her life. Was she so contrary that she insisted on proving Luke wrong about the pox vs. acne thing?

Meanwhile, despite the fact that Vannie’s videos were already en route, all hopes of beginning a minimal school week were gone with her new outbreak. She knew there was no way she’d be able to concentrate on making assignment sheets and with Ellie so sick and unable to start, everyone would end up on different schedules. It made sense to bump it back another week. She glanced at Libby as she made the decision, and sighed.
“
Remind me that they wouldn’t be having much in the way of education even if I didn’t send in that notice of intent.
”

“
They wouldn’t. Even with her books here, Vannie had a hard time concentrating. Illness and education don’t mix will.
”

Luke carried boards through the mudroom and downstairs, making Aggie curious about what he was doing, but Ian wailed upstairs in his crib.
“
Ugh. He’s being difficult about his nap today. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. I thought he was feeling better.
”

“
I’ll get him, Aggie. You rest. I think that’s why you keep breaking out. You aren’t resting.
”

As Libby climbed the stairs, Aggie glanced around the room. It was littered with Popsicle wrappers, pillows, childish drawings, and half-finished puzzles. There were socks, blankets, pillows, and calamine bottles everywhere. Relaxing wouldn’t work. Until she had their home-school plan up and running, she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of another visit from the
“
attendance officer
”
showing up and finding things chaotic as they were. So, ignoring Libby’s prior admonitions to rest, Aggie stood, grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen, and began picking up the room
--
about five minutes too late.

“
Knock, knock.
”

The sound of William’s voice sank her spirits. It seemed as if he had internal radar for arriving at the worst possible time.
“
Come in.
”
She shoved another handful of popsicle wrappers and used Kleenex in the bag before grabbing several glasses and carrying them to the kitchen.

“
Are you feeling better?
”
Aggie turned and put her hands on her hips. One look at her face told him all he needed to know.
“
I guess not.
”
His eyes roamed over the room. His discomfort with her home was much less than it had been only weeks earlier, but he still seemed to steel himself against the ghosts of his past before making himself at home. He grabbed the trash bag from where Aggie had left it and began gathering all the children’s scattered pictures. Before she could stop him, he shoved them into the bag and set it next to the front door.
“
How was the first day of school go?
”

“
Ellie woke up miserable. I had to take her to the clinic, I broke out in more pox myself, as you can see, so I gave up on that idea. We’ll just have to change the planned vacation days and maybe add in a few Saturdays or something.
”
Aggie’s mind tried to calculate a new idea to revamp the school schedule, but to no avail. Her brains were on sick leave.

Disapproval flooded his face. He grabbed several bottles of lotion, Benadryl, and Tylenol from the end table.
“
Where do these go? You shouldn’t leave them laying around like that.
”

Protest rose in Aggie’s heart, but she chose to ignore him. Becoming defensive wouldn’t solve anything.
“
Here, I’ll take them.
”

“
They should be put up somewhere out of reach
--
locked would be best,
”
he added helpfully.

Aggie returned with an empty laundry basket for discarded socks, towels, and other various things in need of washing. She tossed a couple of pillows on top and carried the whole thing to the mudroom. Upon returning, she glanced around. The room needed a vacuuming, desperately needed dusting, but at least it wasn’t cluttered anymore, so she sank onto the couch
--
beat. That move set off a chain reaction that she could never have anticipated.

“
You’re tired.
”
It was almost an accusation.

“
I am. I can’t believe how exhausting it is to be spotty. It’s like my body gets worn out creating those stupid things.
”

“
If you’re this tired, if you’re already weeks behind the school calendar, what makes you think you can actually
do
this home-school thing?
”
As plain as William’s concern was, there was a slight air of patronization in his tone that rankled.

“
I think you’re forgetting that none of those kids would be in school before Monday regardless of where that school is. At least if I keep them home, we can start from any date and
do
all the work rather than missing it. They wouldn’t have that opportunity in a regular classroom.
”

“
That may be, but today’s delay just makes me wonder, again, if you should even be doing all this. It’s too much for one person.
”