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Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Never did. I don't even own the flu. Response to the 'Broots Sick Day' Challenge, at Mickey's.
A/N: Hopefully this will become a series! Portrait readers, I'm still with that project, too! This has nothing to do with the Hemmingway book, except the title. The two liner poem below belongs to me...
For Whom the Bells Toll
By RRP
1/?
“Alas!, the bells, ever on they toll
Cursed am I, for I have sold my soul.”
Debbie Broots pulled on her shoes, and grabbed her backpack from it’s spot near the door. She wandered back through the kitchen, ignoring the dirty breakfast dishes, and climbed upstairs to her father’s bedroom. Debbie nudged the door open with her foot, and stepped inside.
Broots was stretched out on the bed, covers pulled up under his chin, medicine, water and a cup of tea on a near-by table. Debbie sighed, and tiptoed over to him.
“Debbie?” He asked hoarsely. “Thought you left for school.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here?” She inquired worriedly. He shook his head, and forced a smile for her.
“I’ll be fine, honey. Go on, so you don’t miss the bus.” Debbie frowned at the floor, and shuffled out of the room. One last glance towards the half-closed bedroom door, screamed at her to stay home from school anyway, but she obeyed her father and continued down the stairs.
Miss Parker entered Broots’ tech room on SL-5 in full speed, holding a small brown box-- and came to a dead stop. The room was empty, no sign of the techie anywhere. She would have guessed that he had slipped off to the bathroom, or to grab something from the snack machine, but the computer wasn’t even on. Miss Parker looked around, and shook her head, turning around and heading back the way she came.
She entered her office a few minutes later, brown box still in her hand, and she sat down behind her desk. She had been getting ready to pick up the phone when it rang- she answered in the usual manner (for her, anyway).
“What?”
“Hey, Miss Parker.” The voice on the other end croaked. She knew it as Broots’, but just barely. Miss Parker tried to hide her worry, and inquired,
“What’s wrong, Broots?” There was a cough, then he answered.
“I’ve got the flu, and a temp of 103. I’m gonna take a sick day.” Miss Parker frowned. So he was allowed to take a sick day when he had the flu, but she had to get shot? Something was clearly wrong with the picture. (Miss Parker entirely forgot that the decision to go to work with the flu was hers).
“Come in, anyway. I’ve got some stuff I need you to do.”
“But-” Broots began to protest, and she interrupted him.
“Today, Broots.” And with that, she hung up. Immediately afterward, she felt horrible. What exactly had she just done?
Broots stumbled out of his car, and towards the large building in which he worked. He usually rode his bike, but hadn’t enough strength to even try today. The car wasn’t much better. He couldn’t stop feeling dizzy, and had nearly wrecked twice. He struggled to make the world stop swimming, and managed to make it to the elevator.
In his tech-room on SL-5, Broots was met by Sydney and Miss Parker, and he nodded to them, and collapsed into his seat without so much as a stutter. Sydney looked on in worry, and Miss Parker simply looked up once.
After a few minutes, he came to the conclusion that it would be best to turn the computer on if he was to get any work done. At the sound of the beep, Miss Parker stood up, dropped some things on the desk, and spoke.
“This stuff is pretty clear on what I need you to do. Just run through this, and get the results from the forensic lab when the results on Jarod’s package comes back.” This time, he didn’t even feel like nodding. She left the room, quickly barking over her shoulder at Sydney, to follow. He shot Broots a sympathetic look, and trotted after her.
Broots took a deep breath, and opened the first file. When he finally made the words stop dancing, he concentrated on reading and comprehending them.
Further autopsy of the shark’s stomach revealed…
He got no farther- he instantly vacated his seat, and made a mad dash for the bathroom.
“Where’s Broots?” Miss Parker stormed into the room on SL-5, and looked around. Sydney looked up from a file, anger in his eyes. Miss Parker raised an eyebrow, and stepped back a step. “Something wrong, Syd?”
“He’s in the bathroom.” Sydney replied. “For the fifth time in three hours. This is ridiculous, Miss Parker. He hasn’t even had anything to eat since he got here, and I don’t guess he had much last night, which means he’s probably dry-heaving. Do you even have a valid reason for bringing him in today? Don’t answer that. You can’t. There is no excuse. Did he call in sick?” She slowly nodded, wincing during the description of how Broots’ time was currently being spent.
“He called this morning.” Miss Parker replied.
“Then it’s settled. You acted like the heartless monster they want you to be.” Sydney picked up the file again, and Miss Parker gasped with the pain of the emotional spear he had thrown.
“Sydney!” She finally managed to speak. He didn’t lift his head. “Sydney, I’m sorry.”
“Tell Broots that.” Was the response.
“What should I do?” She lowered herself into a nearby chair, the full weight of what she had done falling upon her. She had been heartless- calling in someone who was supposed to trust her, when she knew they were ill and incapable of fulfilling any job. Sydney dropped the file, and looked at her again.
“You can’t erase what you told him this morning, so I suggest you do the next best thing. Take him home. You should drive him, because he’s in no condition to drive. Pick up Debbie after school. Actually, I can pick up Debbie if you need me to. Get him home, and help as much as you can.” She slowly nodded, and Sydney gave her a small smile. “You’re willing. That’s the first step. And Miss Parker?” He continued, with her name, as she stood to leave.
“What, Syd?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”
“It’s okay, Syd. I think I needed it.” Miss Parker shot him the same small smile, and left the room. Her destination? The bathrooms.
Unlike many others, she was unafraid to enter the bathroom of the opposite sex. So, when she arrived, she knocked on the door. Getting no answer, she pushed it open and went inside.
The room was empty, except for a closed stall at the end, and a shadow sneaking out from under it’s door. The form that the shadow belonged to was still, motionless. Miss Parker hesitantly stepped forward, and whispered,
“Broots?” The figure moaned in an affirmative response. She paused, trying to decide what to do, and then grabbed some paper towels, stuck them under the faucet, and turned the cold water on. She wrang them out, and strode over to the stall door. Miss Parker tapped on it twice, and the lock slid over. She pulled the door open, and knelt down on the floor of the men's bathroom.
She handed Broots the paper towels, and he used one to wipe his mouth off, and put the clean one on his forehead, sighing in relief.
"Thanks." He mumbled, eyes closed.
"Yeah." Miss Parker replied. "I'm sorry, for making you come in today." Broots said nothing in response, and after a few minutes, she stood back up. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
Broots used the wall for support as he stood up, and she grabbed one elbow to steady him when he started to sway. His face was gaunt, and mostly pale- Miss Parker couldn't tell if the slight flush was just the fever, or the tell-tale sign of embarrassment as well.
Either way, she helped him all the way to her car, true to her word- ignoring the curious stares and questioning glances along the way. She didn't see Sydney at all, and the only person who spoke to them the whole way up was Sam. He spotted her several feet away, and had walked up to ask,
"Miss Parker? Do you want me to help?"
"Broots' keys are on top of his computer. Take his car home."
"Yes, Miss Parker." Sam had nodded, and gone the opposite direction.
As Broots eased himself into her passenger seat, and once again closed his eyes, she fought back bitter tears. What in the world had possessed her to treat someone she considered a friend in such a way? The only answer that would come to mind was simple yet cryptic- it wasn't anything in the world. It was for all of hell.
Sydney pulled up into Broots' driveway, passing Miss Parker's car and parking behind Broots' little Honda. Debbie hopped out of the back seat, and took off at a sprint for the house. Sydney followed at a calmer pace.
He entered the house only thirty seconds after Debbie, and found Miss Parker stirring soup, and Debbie munching on peanut butter crackers. He allowed himself a small smile, and walked over to the stove.
"Want me to help?" Miss Parker turned to him, and held out the soup spoon.
"Please, stir."
"How has he been?" Sydney asked, accepting the spoon and stirring.
"Well," Miss Parker frowned, and continued. "Since I got him home, he's been in the bathroom twice, but other than that, he's just been sleeping."
"Fever?"
"Still about 103. And Syd?" Miss Parker sneaked a glance at Debbie, then leaned closer to Sydney to whisper. "I'm not a nurse, and you are never going to make me do something like this again!" She spat out, words more desperate than venomous. Sydney chuckled, and stirred the soup.
"Miss Parker?" Debbie's voice rang out, and Miss Parker turned to see the little girl pushing the half-finished plate of crackers away. "I think I'm going to go lay down. I don't feel too good." Miss Parker put a hand to Debbie's forehead like an expert, looking like she had been doing it her whole life.
"You've got a fever." Miss Parker sighed. "Put your pajama's on." After the little girl had trudged out of the room, Miss Parker turned back to Sydney. "I was going to let you take a turn with the deathly ill computer geek," She spoke, tone dripping with sarcasm. "But-" The sarcasm disappeared. "If she's sick too, I can't leave you to take care of both of them." She sat down on a stool at the counter, and Sydney looked over at her.
"Miss Parker,"
"What?"
"You're doing the right thing. Think about what would have happened if Broots had been here alone, and Debbie got sick. Or worse, if he had stayed at work?" Sydney sipped the soup to test it, and Miss Parker nodded.
"I know, Syd...I know..."
Broots entered his tech room on SL-5, feeling a bit shaky but otherwise okay. Debbie had gotten better considerably faster than he had, and was already back at school. He sat down, and turned the computer on. It beeped joyously, as if excited to be used after nearly a week of non-use.
Broots was working busily, typing at a quick pace, when Mr. Lyle entered the room and made him jump.
"M..mr. Lyle!" He exclaimed, eyes widening. Mr. Lyle sighed, and sat down on the edge of a vacant desk.
"It's just me and you today, Broots."
"What?"
"Seems Sydney, my Sister, and her Sweeper all called in sick." Broots shot out of his seat, and grabbed his coat. "Where are you going?" Lyle demanded. Broots mind flashed back to the past week- Miss Parker and Sydney staying at his house virturally the whole time, occasionally calling Sam to pick something up from the store.
"I've got to go." Broots replied hurriedly, not wanted to explain.
"Why?"
"Um...I'm calling in sick." Broots nodded, and darted out of the room. Lyle frowned. Something was going on, and he was out of the loop. And if that loop had anything to do with the flu, he didn't mind staying out of it. He left the tech room, vowing to investigate- after a couple days, of course.
Broots started his car, and debated his options. He could go to Miss Parker's house, and probably wind up dead. He could go to Sam's place, but he didn't even know where Sam lived, much less know enough about him to feel comfortable with helping him out. Or he could go to Sydney's, and be safe either way.
He was going to Sydney's.
Jarod hummed, and finished cleaning up the small kitchen. He put a note on the counter that simply read, 'Check the stove'. The stove was on 200, just enough to keep something warm, and there was an empty bowl and spoon set out next to the note. A glass of water, and a fresh pot of tea were next to the bowl and spoon.
Then, next to the pot of tea and the water, was a tiny medicine measuring cup with two small ordinary looking pills in it. Jarod stepped back, and smiled at the counter lineup.
He left, purposely slamming the door behind him to attract attention.
A few minutes later, a figure staggered out of the bedroom hallway, and looked around in surprise.
Miss Parker was surrending her stomach contents to the porcelin god, trying not to cry, to keep her hair out of the way, and cursing Broots, all at the same time. Suddenly, there were gentle hands holding her hair back, and rubbing the space between her shoulder blades in a comforting motion.
When she finally stopped, and was able to breathe normally again, she looked up into the face of her 'hero'. Her eyes widened in surprise, when she found herself looking into the warm, chocolate, and concerned eyes of Jarod. She opened her mouth to protest against his being in her house, or his existance altogether, but he shushed her.
"Quiet, Parker. Just calm down. I'm only here to help." He handed her a washcloth from the sink, and filled up the sink while she was wiping her mouth off and flushing the toilet. She was too weak to try to stop him from doing whatever he wanted, but was surprised when he pulled a chair into the bathroom, and set it next to the sink. Wordlessly, he set her in the chair- an action that required picking her up, and lifting her off the ground, but she found the experience uplifting (no pun intended).
"Lean your head back." He instructed gently, and she did so. Tears filled her eyes as he grabbed a bottle of shampoo and quickly washed her hair, the remains of what had happened before he came disolving and washing away.
Jarod grabbed a towel, and carefully dried her hair, then carried her back to her bed. He tucked the covers up under her chin, and she finally managed to croak out one word.
"Why?"
"Because, Miss Parker." He replied, setting a cool cloth on her head. "No one deserves to be alone." He left the room, and Miss Parker was surprised at herself when she found she was scared he wouldn't return.
But return he did, only a few minutes later, with a glass of water and some medicine.
"Swallow these." Jarod handed her the two pills, and set the glass of water on her nightstand. "You feel like going to sleep?" He asked next, after she obediantly swallowed the medicine. She shook her head.
"That's all I've done for fourteen hours."
"Shall I stay here and bore you with tales of my adventures, or would you like to be alone?" He offered with a grin.
"Stay here and bore me." She replied, smiling a little herself. He nodded, and pulled the chair out of the bathroom, over to her bedside, and sat down on it.
"Well, for starters, Broots feels awfully guilty about making all of you sick. I think I almost gave him a heart attack when I stopped by Sydney's house."
"He was at Sydney's?" She asked, brow furrowing.
"Well, he said that he was afraid you would shoot him if he came here. He's keeping an eye on Sydney, and I came here to help you. After I stopped at Sam's, and left some soup."
"You stopped at Sam's?" Miss Parker asked in surprise.
"He doesn't know it was me, but yep. All three of you caught the same flu Broots had." Jarod leaned closer to her, and whispered, as if someone else was in the room and listening. "If it's that contangious, I saw we invite Mr. Lyle over for a few hours." Miss Parker couldn't help but laugh, and winced when her echoed back with a sharp pain. Jarod's expression immediately changed to concern.
"Are you okay?" Miss Parker nodded, and studied him, trying to figure him out. She chased him all over the world, and when she got sick, he showed up at her house to take care of her. He had to be the world's most confusing man.
They sat in silence for a while, and Miss Parker finally drifted off to sleep again, without quite intending to to. Jarod stayed beside the bed, and watched her sleep.
Sydney entered the tech room on SL-5, and sat down behind a desk. Broots sat at the computer, typing away, and Sydney spoke up.
"Thank you, Broots."
"No problem, Syd. You'd do it for me, right? Heck, you did do it for me." Broots shot the older man a smile, and Sydney returned it. Sam entered the room a few minutes later, and Sydney looked up from a file he had been skimming.
"Sam?"
"Miss Parker told me to come down here and wait for her." Sam explained, shrugging.
"How's everyone feeling, boys?" Miss Parker's voice chimed out a split second after Sam finished. When there wasn't really a verbal answer, she smiled and stalked over to Broots. She looked at the computer screen, and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"Have you gotten over the shock yet?" The way his eyes widened nearly made her laugh. Instead, she just smiled. "Sam!" She snapped, straightening.
"Yes, Miss Parker?"
"How was the soup?" She asked, a devious smile hidden within. Sam's face was a mix of horror and surprise.
"Um...it was, fine." He replied hastily. Miss Parker nodded, and shot him a rare smile as well.
"Good. Wonderboy usually messes up with the liquid foods." She was afraid for a split second that Sam was going to pass out- all the color drained from his face as the weight of her statement sunk in, and he realized who it was that had left the soup.
"Sydney?"
"Miss Parker?"
"What did he say when he stopped by your house this morning?" The grin that had been growing as Miss Parker questioned the other two men disappeared, and Sydney looked at her in shock.
"How'd you..." Sydney couldn't finish the inquiry, and Miss Parker shot him the same smirk-like smile he was used to seeing on Jarod's face.
"I know Wonderboy pretty darn well, Syd."
"He just said he was glad everyone was feeling better..."
"And?"
"That'd he'd almost enjoy it if you had the flu more often." Sydney finished. It hit Sam and Broots about the same time, that she had known about Jarod because he had been at her house- and she had been conscious. Miss Parker blushed at Sydney's comment, and tried to fight it off, while Broots turned to his computer to hide his stupid grin, and Sam was suddenly and suspicously coughing into his sleeve, head and eyes averted.
"Back to work." Miss Parker suddenly snapped, finding her voice again. "Where's Lyle?" It wasn't a question she usually asked, but Jarod has disappeared for a brief hour while taking care of her, and he had taken some of the damp washclothes she had used, with him.
Broots looked at her innocently, a smile still tugging on the corners of his mouth.
"He called in sick."
"Poor him." Sam muttered. There was a brief period of silence, as once again, everyone tried to hide idiotic looking grins. The phone rang, making most jump. Miss Parker picked it up.
"What?"
"Miss Parker," Jarod's voice, hoarse and strange sounding, greeted her. "Please don't get sick again any time soon. I don't know if I can take the stress." There was a geniune cough, and a hurried, muffled, "Gotta go." But the phone didn't click off- instead, there were the sounds of it falling a considerable distance, and a retching sound in the background that made Miss Parker's stomach lurch. She hung up the phone, and turned to Sydney.
"Did he ever have the flu while he was here?" Sydney shook his head, and started laughing. Miss Parker left the room, and Sam followed her. Broots chuckled, and turned back to the computer- almost glad to be back at the Centre.
A/N: Hopefully this will become a series! Portrait readers, I'm still with that project, too! This has nothing to do with the Hemmingway book, except the title. The two liner poem below belongs to me...
By RRP
1/?
“Alas!, the bells, ever on they toll
Cursed am I, for I have sold my soul.”
Debbie Broots pulled on her shoes, and grabbed her backpack from it’s spot near the door. She wandered back through the kitchen, ignoring the dirty breakfast dishes, and climbed upstairs to her father’s bedroom. Debbie nudged the door open with her foot, and stepped inside.
Broots was stretched out on the bed, covers pulled up under his chin, medicine, water and a cup of tea on a near-by table. Debbie sighed, and tiptoed over to him.
“Debbie?” He asked hoarsely. “Thought you left for school.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here?” She inquired worriedly. He shook his head, and forced a smile for her.
“I’ll be fine, honey. Go on, so you don’t miss the bus.” Debbie frowned at the floor, and shuffled out of the room. One last glance towards the half-closed bedroom door, screamed at her to stay home from school anyway, but she obeyed her father and continued down the stairs.
Miss Parker entered Broots’ tech room on SL-5 in full speed, holding a small brown box-- and came to a dead stop. The room was empty, no sign of the techie anywhere. She would have guessed that he had slipped off to the bathroom, or to grab something from the snack machine, but the computer wasn’t even on. Miss Parker looked around, and shook her head, turning around and heading back the way she came.
She entered her office a few minutes later, brown box still in her hand, and she sat down behind her desk. She had been getting ready to pick up the phone when it rang- she answered in the usual manner (for her, anyway).
“What?”
“Hey, Miss Parker.” The voice on the other end croaked. She knew it as Broots’, but just barely. Miss Parker tried to hide her worry, and inquired,
“What’s wrong, Broots?” There was a cough, then he answered.
“I’ve got the flu, and a temp of 103. I’m gonna take a sick day.” Miss Parker frowned. So he was allowed to take a sick day when he had the flu, but she had to get shot? Something was clearly wrong with the picture. (Miss Parker entirely forgot that the decision to go to work with the flu was hers).
“Come in, anyway. I’ve got some stuff I need you to do.”
“But-” Broots began to protest, and she interrupted him.
“Today, Broots.” And with that, she hung up. Immediately afterward, she felt horrible. What exactly had she just done?
Broots stumbled out of his car, and towards the large building in which he worked. He usually rode his bike, but hadn’t enough strength to even try today. The car wasn’t much better. He couldn’t stop feeling dizzy, and had nearly wrecked twice. He struggled to make the world stop swimming, and managed to make it to the elevator.
In his tech-room on SL-5, Broots was met by Sydney and Miss Parker, and he nodded to them, and collapsed into his seat without so much as a stutter. Sydney looked on in worry, and Miss Parker simply looked up once.
After a few minutes, he came to the conclusion that it would be best to turn the computer on if he was to get any work done. At the sound of the beep, Miss Parker stood up, dropped some things on the desk, and spoke.
“This stuff is pretty clear on what I need you to do. Just run through this, and get the results from the forensic lab when the results on Jarod’s package comes back.” This time, he didn’t even feel like nodding. She left the room, quickly barking over her shoulder at Sydney, to follow. He shot Broots a sympathetic look, and trotted after her.
Broots took a deep breath, and opened the first file. When he finally made the words stop dancing, he concentrated on reading and comprehending them.
Further autopsy of the shark’s stomach revealed…
He got no farther- he instantly vacated his seat, and made a mad dash for the bathroom.
“Where’s Broots?” Miss Parker stormed into the room on SL-5, and looked around. Sydney looked up from a file, anger in his eyes. Miss Parker raised an eyebrow, and stepped back a step. “Something wrong, Syd?”
“He’s in the bathroom.” Sydney replied. “For the fifth time in three hours. This is ridiculous, Miss Parker. He hasn’t even had anything to eat since he got here, and I don’t guess he had much last night, which means he’s probably dry-heaving. Do you even have a valid reason for bringing him in today? Don’t answer that. You can’t. There is no excuse. Did he call in sick?” She slowly nodded, wincing during the description of how Broots’ time was currently being spent.
“He called this morning.” Miss Parker replied.
“Then it’s settled. You acted like the heartless monster they want you to be.” Sydney picked up the file again, and Miss Parker gasped with the pain of the emotional spear he had thrown.
“Sydney!” She finally managed to speak. He didn’t lift his head. “Sydney, I’m sorry.”
“Tell Broots that.” Was the response.
“What should I do?” She lowered herself into a nearby chair, the full weight of what she had done falling upon her. She had been heartless- calling in someone who was supposed to trust her, when she knew they were ill and incapable of fulfilling any job. Sydney dropped the file, and looked at her again.
“You can’t erase what you told him this morning, so I suggest you do the next best thing. Take him home. You should drive him, because he’s in no condition to drive. Pick up Debbie after school. Actually, I can pick up Debbie if you need me to. Get him home, and help as much as you can.” She slowly nodded, and Sydney gave her a small smile. “You’re willing. That’s the first step. And Miss Parker?” He continued, with her name, as she stood to leave.
“What, Syd?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”
“It’s okay, Syd. I think I needed it.” Miss Parker shot him the same small smile, and left the room. Her destination? The bathrooms.
Unlike many others, she was unafraid to enter the bathroom of the opposite sex. So, when she arrived, she knocked on the door. Getting no answer, she pushed it open and went inside.
The room was empty, except for a closed stall at the end, and a shadow sneaking out from under it’s door. The form that the shadow belonged to was still, motionless. Miss Parker hesitantly stepped forward, and whispered,
“Broots?” The figure moaned in an affirmative response. She paused, trying to decide what to do, and then grabbed some paper towels, stuck them under the faucet, and turned the cold water on. She wrang them out, and strode over to the stall door. Miss Parker tapped on it twice, and the lock slid over. She pulled the door open, and knelt down on the floor of the men's bathroom.
She handed Broots the paper towels, and he used one to wipe his mouth off, and put the clean one on his forehead, sighing in relief.
"Thanks." He mumbled, eyes closed.
"Yeah." Miss Parker replied. "I'm sorry, for making you come in today." Broots said nothing in response, and after a few minutes, she stood back up. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
Broots used the wall for support as he stood up, and she grabbed one elbow to steady him when he started to sway. His face was gaunt, and mostly pale- Miss Parker couldn't tell if the slight flush was just the fever, or the tell-tale sign of embarrassment as well.
Either way, she helped him all the way to her car, true to her word- ignoring the curious stares and questioning glances along the way. She didn't see Sydney at all, and the only person who spoke to them the whole way up was Sam. He spotted her several feet away, and had walked up to ask,
"Miss Parker? Do you want me to help?"
"Broots' keys are on top of his computer. Take his car home."
"Yes, Miss Parker." Sam had nodded, and gone the opposite direction.
As Broots eased himself into her passenger seat, and once again closed his eyes, she fought back bitter tears. What in the world had possessed her to treat someone she considered a friend in such a way? The only answer that would come to mind was simple yet cryptic- it wasn't anything in the world. It was for all of hell.
Sydney pulled up into Broots' driveway, passing Miss Parker's car and parking behind Broots' little Honda. Debbie hopped out of the back seat, and took off at a sprint for the house. Sydney followed at a calmer pace.
He entered the house only thirty seconds after Debbie, and found Miss Parker stirring soup, and Debbie munching on peanut butter crackers. He allowed himself a small smile, and walked over to the stove.
"Want me to help?" Miss Parker turned to him, and held out the soup spoon.
"Please, stir."
"How has he been?" Sydney asked, accepting the spoon and stirring.
"Well," Miss Parker frowned, and continued. "Since I got him home, he's been in the bathroom twice, but other than that, he's just been sleeping."
"Fever?"
"Still about 103. And Syd?" Miss Parker sneaked a glance at Debbie, then leaned closer to Sydney to whisper. "I'm not a nurse, and you are never going to make me do something like this again!" She spat out, words more desperate than venomous. Sydney chuckled, and stirred the soup.
"Miss Parker?" Debbie's voice rang out, and Miss Parker turned to see the little girl pushing the half-finished plate of crackers away. "I think I'm going to go lay down. I don't feel too good." Miss Parker put a hand to Debbie's forehead like an expert, looking like she had been doing it her whole life.
"You've got a fever." Miss Parker sighed. "Put your pajama's on." After the little girl had trudged out of the room, Miss Parker turned back to Sydney. "I was going to let you take a turn with the deathly ill computer geek," She spoke, tone dripping with sarcasm. "But-" The sarcasm disappeared. "If she's sick too, I can't leave you to take care of both of them." She sat down on a stool at the counter, and Sydney looked over at her.
"Miss Parker,"
"What?"
"You're doing the right thing. Think about what would have happened if Broots had been here alone, and Debbie got sick. Or worse, if he had stayed at work?" Sydney sipped the soup to test it, and Miss Parker nodded.
"I know, Syd...I know..."
Broots entered his tech room on SL-5, feeling a bit shaky but otherwise okay. Debbie had gotten better considerably faster than he had, and was already back at school. He sat down, and turned the computer on. It beeped joyously, as if excited to be used after nearly a week of non-use.
Broots was working busily, typing at a quick pace, when Mr. Lyle entered the room and made him jump.
"M..mr. Lyle!" He exclaimed, eyes widening. Mr. Lyle sighed, and sat down on the edge of a vacant desk.
"It's just me and you today, Broots."
"What?"
"Seems Sydney, my Sister, and her Sweeper all called in sick." Broots shot out of his seat, and grabbed his coat. "Where are you going?" Lyle demanded. Broots mind flashed back to the past week- Miss Parker and Sydney staying at his house virturally the whole time, occasionally calling Sam to pick something up from the store.
"I've got to go." Broots replied hurriedly, not wanted to explain.
"Why?"
"Um...I'm calling in sick." Broots nodded, and darted out of the room. Lyle frowned. Something was going on, and he was out of the loop. And if that loop had anything to do with the flu, he didn't mind staying out of it. He left the tech room, vowing to investigate- after a couple days, of course.
Broots started his car, and debated his options. He could go to Miss Parker's house, and probably wind up dead. He could go to Sam's place, but he didn't even know where Sam lived, much less know enough about him to feel comfortable with helping him out. Or he could go to Sydney's, and be safe either way.
He was going to Sydney's.
Jarod hummed, and finished cleaning up the small kitchen. He put a note on the counter that simply read, 'Check the stove'. The stove was on 200, just enough to keep something warm, and there was an empty bowl and spoon set out next to the note. A glass of water, and a fresh pot of tea were next to the bowl and spoon.
Then, next to the pot of tea and the water, was a tiny medicine measuring cup with two small ordinary looking pills in it. Jarod stepped back, and smiled at the counter lineup.
He left, purposely slamming the door behind him to attract attention.
A few minutes later, a figure staggered out of the bedroom hallway, and looked around in surprise.
Miss Parker was surrending her stomach contents to the porcelin god, trying not to cry, to keep her hair out of the way, and cursing Broots, all at the same time. Suddenly, there were gentle hands holding her hair back, and rubbing the space between her shoulder blades in a comforting motion.
When she finally stopped, and was able to breathe normally again, she looked up into the face of her 'hero'. Her eyes widened in surprise, when she found herself looking into the warm, chocolate, and concerned eyes of Jarod. She opened her mouth to protest against his being in her house, or his existance altogether, but he shushed her.
"Quiet, Parker. Just calm down. I'm only here to help." He handed her a washcloth from the sink, and filled up the sink while she was wiping her mouth off and flushing the toilet. She was too weak to try to stop him from doing whatever he wanted, but was surprised when he pulled a chair into the bathroom, and set it next to the sink. Wordlessly, he set her in the chair- an action that required picking her up, and lifting her off the ground, but she found the experience uplifting (no pun intended).
"Lean your head back." He instructed gently, and she did so. Tears filled her eyes as he grabbed a bottle of shampoo and quickly washed her hair, the remains of what had happened before he came disolving and washing away.
Jarod grabbed a towel, and carefully dried her hair, then carried her back to her bed. He tucked the covers up under her chin, and she finally managed to croak out one word.
"Why?"
"Because, Miss Parker." He replied, setting a cool cloth on her head. "No one deserves to be alone." He left the room, and Miss Parker was surprised at herself when she found she was scared he wouldn't return.
But return he did, only a few minutes later, with a glass of water and some medicine.
"Swallow these." Jarod handed her the two pills, and set the glass of water on her nightstand. "You feel like going to sleep?" He asked next, after she obediantly swallowed the medicine. She shook her head.
"That's all I've done for fourteen hours."
"Shall I stay here and bore you with tales of my adventures, or would you like to be alone?" He offered with a grin.
"Stay here and bore me." She replied, smiling a little herself. He nodded, and pulled the chair out of the bathroom, over to her bedside, and sat down on it.
"Well, for starters, Broots feels awfully guilty about making all of you sick. I think I almost gave him a heart attack when I stopped by Sydney's house."
"He was at Sydney's?" She asked, brow furrowing.
"Well, he said that he was afraid you would shoot him if he came here. He's keeping an eye on Sydney, and I came here to help you. After I stopped at Sam's, and left some soup."
"You stopped at Sam's?" Miss Parker asked in surprise.
"He doesn't know it was me, but yep. All three of you caught the same flu Broots had." Jarod leaned closer to her, and whispered, as if someone else was in the room and listening. "If it's that contangious, I saw we invite Mr. Lyle over for a few hours." Miss Parker couldn't help but laugh, and winced when her echoed back with a sharp pain. Jarod's expression immediately changed to concern.
"Are you okay?" Miss Parker nodded, and studied him, trying to figure him out. She chased him all over the world, and when she got sick, he showed up at her house to take care of her. He had to be the world's most confusing man.
They sat in silence for a while, and Miss Parker finally drifted off to sleep again, without quite intending to to. Jarod stayed beside the bed, and watched her sleep.
Sydney entered the tech room on SL-5, and sat down behind a desk. Broots sat at the computer, typing away, and Sydney spoke up.
"Thank you, Broots."
"No problem, Syd. You'd do it for me, right? Heck, you did do it for me." Broots shot the older man a smile, and Sydney returned it. Sam entered the room a few minutes later, and Sydney looked up from a file he had been skimming.
"Sam?"
"Miss Parker told me to come down here and wait for her." Sam explained, shrugging.
"How's everyone feeling, boys?" Miss Parker's voice chimed out a split second after Sam finished. When there wasn't really a verbal answer, she smiled and stalked over to Broots. She looked at the computer screen, and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"Have you gotten over the shock yet?" The way his eyes widened nearly made her laugh. Instead, she just smiled. "Sam!" She snapped, straightening.
"Yes, Miss Parker?"
"How was the soup?" She asked, a devious smile hidden within. Sam's face was a mix of horror and surprise.
"Um...it was, fine." He replied hastily. Miss Parker nodded, and shot him a rare smile as well.
"Good. Wonderboy usually messes up with the liquid foods." She was afraid for a split second that Sam was going to pass out- all the color drained from his face as the weight of her statement sunk in, and he realized who it was that had left the soup.
"Sydney?"
"Miss Parker?"
"What did he say when he stopped by your house this morning?" The grin that had been growing as Miss Parker questioned the other two men disappeared, and Sydney looked at her in shock.
"How'd you..." Sydney couldn't finish the inquiry, and Miss Parker shot him the same smirk-like smile he was used to seeing on Jarod's face.
"I know Wonderboy pretty darn well, Syd."
"He just said he was glad everyone was feeling better..."
"And?"
"That'd he'd almost enjoy it if you had the flu more often." Sydney finished. It hit Sam and Broots about the same time, that she had known about Jarod because he had been at her house- and she had been conscious. Miss Parker blushed at Sydney's comment, and tried to fight it off, while Broots turned to his computer to hide his stupid grin, and Sam was suddenly and suspicously coughing into his sleeve, head and eyes averted.
"Back to work." Miss Parker suddenly snapped, finding her voice again. "Where's Lyle?" It wasn't a question she usually asked, but Jarod has disappeared for a brief hour while taking care of her, and he had taken some of the damp washclothes she had used, with him.
Broots looked at her innocently, a smile still tugging on the corners of his mouth.
"He called in sick."
"Poor him." Sam muttered. There was a brief period of silence, as once again, everyone tried to hide idiotic looking grins. The phone rang, making most jump. Miss Parker picked it up.
"What?"
"Miss Parker," Jarod's voice, hoarse and strange sounding, greeted her. "Please don't get sick again any time soon. I don't know if I can take the stress." There was a geniune cough, and a hurried, muffled, "Gotta go." But the phone didn't click off- instead, there were the sounds of it falling a considerable distance, and a retching sound in the background that made Miss Parker's stomach lurch. She hung up the phone, and turned to Sydney.
"Did he ever have the flu while he was here?" Sydney shook his head, and started laughing. Miss Parker left the room, and Sam followed her. Broots chuckled, and turned back to the computer- almost glad to be back at the Centre.
