Author:
Reva
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Date Posted: Saturday, September 15, 2012, 12:39: am
and here's part III
WEDNESDAY: 2 days to Halloween
“Starr. Starr. Get up. Didn’t you hear the alarm? Come on we have to get up,” said Caitlyn shaking her sister.
Starr rubbed her eyes lazily, and got out of bed. She was momentarily dizzy, but it quickly passed. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Then she did her forehead check. Uh, oh. She felt a little warm. She saw that her mother was downstairs preparing breakfast, and decided to sneak into Abigail’s room to get the oral thermometer and check her temperature. She brought it to the bathroom and placed it under her tongue. When it beeped, she took it out and saw that it read 98.9°. Whew, normal. She snuck back into Abigail’s room and returned the thermometer to the night stand. Unfortunately, Starr didn’t know that an oral temperature was usually low in the morning (around 97.6°-98.4°) and she forgot to take into consideration that she had just brushed her teeth and rinsed with cold water, and therefore the reading was not accurate, and a fever had already started its climb.
Starr went downstairs and quickly gobbled down two glasses of orange juice (filled with Vitamin C - good for your health). She ate her scrambled eggs and went out to the bus stop with Caitlyn.
*****************
Later that morning, Mrs. Ambrose walked into Abigail’s room and placed her hand upon Abigail’s forehead. “You feel much cooler, Honey. Shall we see what your temperature is this morning? Open up,” directed Mrs. Ambrose. When she turned the thermometer on, she noted the last temperature recorded was 98.9°, however, Abigail’s temperature hadn’t dipped below 100°.
“Abigail, were you playing with the thermometer? I was just starting to trust you,” asked Mrs. Ambrose.
“No Mommy. I didn’t touch it,” Abigail responded.
Mrs. Ambrose couldn’t explain the unusual reading. She placed the thermometer under Abigail’s tongue. When it beeped, Abigail confidently read it aloud “99.1°”.
“Lucky girl. It looks like your temperature is getting close to normal. If it stays this way for the day, you may be able to go trick-or-treating on Friday. But, you need to rest up today and tomorrow to have enough energy. Deal?” asked Mrs. Ambrose.
“Deal,” said Abigail smiling with delight.
******************
Starr wasn’t quite as lucky. She had a difficult morning at school. She found it hard to concentrate and after running around in gym class during fourth period, she needed to take a shower as she felt all sweaty. She also was quite thirsty, and went to the bathroom during each class break. When she did her forehead check at 10:30 am, she definitely felt warmer than this morning. She did not want to go to the nurse’s office. The nurse would discover her fever and call her mother. As both of her sisters were sick for more than two days, Starr would probably still be sick on Halloween and her mother then wouldn’t let her go trick-or-treating. Starr decided that she would do her best to hide her illness from her mother. As she passed her locker, she remembered that the last time she was sick, her mother had given her Tylenol to bring with her to school in case she started to feel bad. She didn’t need it at the time, but now it would come in handy. Starr searched the back of the locker and found the little plastic bag in which it was wrapped. She went to the bathroom once again, and quickly downed the pill with some water. It seemed to work quickly and she was able to get through the rest of the school day without difficulty. However, as the end of the school day neared, her forehead started to feel warm again and she almost fell asleep on the bus.
****************
Starr and Caitlyn arrived home to find Abigail dressed in her Halloween costume (she was the witch, naturally). She was jumping up and down and happily told them that she was going to be able to go trick-or-treating. Starr acted happy for her, but then grumpily walked into the kitchen and sat down to attempt her homework. Mrs. Ambrose called out from the den that she was going to run out to the dairy to pick up some milk and other groceries, and that she would be back shortly. Starr usually enjoyed these brief opportunities to babysit for her sisters, but she wasn’t feeling good. She felt her head again, and it was hot. She needed to see what her temperature was to see if she really had a fever. After making sure her sisters were busy watching their cartoons, she climbed the stairs and found the thermometer in Abigail’s room. She quickly placed the thermometer in her mouth and took it out after it beeped. Upon seeing the read-out of 100.9°, she started to cry. If her mother saw this, she definitely wouldn’t be able to go trick-or-treating. Starr had to do everything she could to keep her mother from finding out. She went into the bathroom, opened the bottle of Tylenol, and popped two in her mouth. She washed her face with cool water, returned the thermometer to Abigail’s night stand, and went back downstairs.
******************
Mrs. Ambrose returned from shopping, and prepared dinner for them all. Starr completed her homework and sat in the den with her sisters, away from the prying eyes of her mother. When Mrs. Ambrose called them in to eat, Starr had to call upon her acting talent and did her best to eat and join in on the conversation so that her mother wouldn’t suspect anything. Her head was throbbing, but nobody was the wiser. Boy, she deserved the Emmy for her performance tonight.
*********************
At 8:00, Mrs. Ambrose sent the girls up to get ready for bed. Starr changed into her pajamas and got into bed. She knew her mother would give her a kiss good night and then discover her fever, so she devised a plan into go to the bathroom right before she came in.
Mrs. Ambrose came up the stairs and went in to put Abigail to bed. “Okay Abs. Open up it’s temperature time.” As she turned on the thermometer, however, she was startled to see the read-out of 100.9°. “Abigail, did you touch this since this afternoon?”
“No Mommy. You told me not to and I want you to use that one on me so I wouldn’t do anything to get in trouble,” Abigail answered honestly.
“Well Abby. I think then that the battery might be going bad because the temperature that is in the memory is not 99°, which is what your last reading was. This is the second time this has happened. I’m sorry but I am going to have to use the baby thermometer after I check your temperature orally to make sure it is working correctly. Your blisters have improved significantly and I promise you it won’t hurt,” explained Mrs. Ambrose.
“But Mommy. That’s not fair. I don’t want to use the baby one anymore. I want my temperature taken like a grown up and not like a baby,” cried Abigail.
“Hopefully it will be just this once, as long as the digital thermometer is not broken. Now open up,” said Mrs. Ambrose. The oral thermometer read 99.4°. “I’ll be right back”. Mrs. Ambrose returned to the room shaking down the rectal thermometer. “Roll over, and I don’t want to hear a word or this will be the only thermometer I use on you until you’re 18.” Abigail rolled over somewhat angrily. Mrs. Ambrose carefully pulled down Abigail’s pajama bottoms, and made sure there was plenty of Vaseline on the thermometer to help it slide in without hurting her. She gently inserted the thermometer and tried to keep Abigail’s cheeks pried apart so they wouldn’t rub up against it. After four minutes, she removed it and saw that Abigail’s temperature was 100°, which for a rectal temperature was in keeping with the oral reading.
“Okay, Sweetie. Thanks for your help. Pull your pajamas back up. The oral thermometer seems to be working just fine. I think maybe one of your sisters may have had a hand in this. Good night,” said Mrs. Ambrose as she kissed her and turned off her light.
Mrs. Ambrose closed Abigail’s door behind her and headed toward her older daughters’ room. She hoped that Caitlyn didn’t have a relapse, and knew how disappointed Starr would be if she were sick. Both of them seemed okay at dinner. She’d see soon enough.
Starr heard the door being closed to Abigail’s room and got out of bed to go to the bathroom. Mrs. Ambrose went in to the girls’ room and crossed over to Caitlyn’s bed. “Caitlyn, were you using the oral thermometer today?” Mrs. Ambrose asked concerned as she bent down to feel Caitlyn’s forehead, which seemed cool to the touch.
“No Mom. Why?” asked Caitlyn.
“Never you mind. I need to take your temperature,” Mrs. Ambrose stated matter-of-factly.
Caitlyn started to roll over onto her stomach when Mrs. Ambrose stated, “No Caitlyn, I am going to use the oral thermometer.” She took the thermometer out of her pocket and dabbed at it with alcohol swabs.
“Really. Oh, cool. Sure Mom!” Caitlyn said excitedly. She opened her mouth and gladly accepted the grown-up thermometer under her tongue.
“98.5°. Cool as a cucumber,” Mrs. Ambrose announced. Two down, one to go.
“Starr,” Mrs. Ambrose called out as she knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you almost done? I need to speak to you.”
“It might be a while Mom,” replied Starr trying to stall the inevitable.
“I’ll be here when you come out, so don’t dawdle, young lady,” stated Mrs. Ambrose firmly.
Starr was in trouble and she knew it. Her mother was sure to see that she was sick and then she wouldn’t be able to go trick-or-treating. She felt her forehead and it was hot. She went over to the sink and held a wet wash cloth to her head to try to cool it down. She popped a Tylenol pill into her mouth and washed it down with some water.
Mrs. Ambrose was waiting in her room. Starr hurried over to her bed and pulled up the covers. “What’s up Mom?” Starr asked innocently.
“Starr, did you use the oral thermometer today?” asked Mrs. Ambrose.
“No. Why would you think I would do something like that?” answered Starr defensively.
“It’s just that there was a reading of 100.9° when I turned on the thermometer, and your sister Abigail did not have that high a temperature today. I thought at first it was broken, but now I’m not so sure. I already took both of your sisters’ temperatures, and it wasn’t them. You’re the only one left. Open up, let’s go,” said Mrs. Ambrose.
Starr was defeated. She opened her mouth and knew that the jig would be up and her fever discovered. Tears were forming in her eyes, and as she washed them away, she glanced at the numbers on the thermometer as they were rising. It was already 100.6°.
The thermometer finally beeped, and Mrs Ambrose looked at it and announced, “We have a winner. 101.5°”. She then put her hand on Starr’s forehead and felt the warmth emanating from it. “Starr, why did you lie to me? You must be feeling pretty rotten. When did this start?”
“Oh Mom. I’m sorry. I thought I was sick this morning, but my temperature was 98.9°. That’s normal right? But then I felt bad at school. I took a Tylenol that I had in my locker after recess and felt better a little while later. Then, as I was coming home on the bus, my head started to hurt and I felt hot. When I got home, I took my temperature and saw that I had a fever. I didn’t want to tell you, because I don’t want anything to mess up Halloween,” and upon saying the word Starr started sobbing uncontrollably.
Now the oral thermometer readings made sense to Mrs. Ambrose. She hugged Starr close to her and rocked her slowly back and forth. Mrs. Ambrose whispered in Starr’s ear, “Oh, Honey. I’m sorry. Let me get you something for that fever,” and she arose to go to the bathroom.
“I already took a Tylenol, Mom”, said Starr between yawns. She finally laid herself down on the pillow and closed her eyes, praying that her fever would be gone by the morning.
Mrs. Ambrose turned off the girls’ light and closed the door behind her. Starr cried herself to sleep.
THURSDAY: one more day till Halloween
Starr awoke and looked over towards Caitlyn’s bed and saw that she was not there. She then looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was 9:45 am; she was usually up by 7:00. Then she remembered what happened last night. She put her hand to her forehead and could tell that she still had a fever. The door opened and her mother walked in.
“Hey Sleepy-Head,” Mrs. Ambrose announced, “How you feeling this morning?” She approached the bed and felt Starr’s hot forehead.
“My throat’s real dry and I feel rotten,” Starr answered in full complaint, now that she didn’t have to hide her illness anymore.
Mrs. Ambrose gave Starr the digital thermometer and she placed it in her mouth. It beeped and Starr removed it. She saw the read-out of 101.6° and unhappily passed it to her mother. Tears welled up in Starr’s eyes, and Mrs. Ambrose patted her back reassuringly. She then gave Starr some Tylenol and went downstairs to prepare Starr’s breakfast. Abigail, whose temperature was only a little over 99°, was finishing up her breakfast and her mother set her up in the den with several toys, coloring books, and Disney movies.
Mrs. Ambrose then brought Starr breakfast in bed. She thought that maybe if she treated her like a princess it would cheer her up some. Starr, however, wasn’t in the mood. She picked at the French toast and barely touched the orange juice. Everything hurt her throat when she swallowed. She just wanted to feel better. She eventually placed the breakfast tray to the side, and curled up under the blankets.
“I’m going to go downstairs to do some chores,” said Mrs. Ambrose. “Is there anything I can get for you?”
“No thanks Mom. I think I’m just going to rest some more,” said Starr drowsily. Five minutes later she had fallen back asleep.
*****************
Mrs. Ambrose looked in on Starr at 11:00; she appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but was hot to the touch. She brought Abigail upstairs for a nap at 12:00, and was concerned that Starr was still sleeping, as she had only been up for a short period of time for breakfast. She laid her hand on Starr’s forehead. She was burning up. Mrs. Ambrose gently stirred Starr and quickly placed the thermometer in her mouth to get a reading. Starr gagged and cried out that it hurt. The thermometer read 103.9°. That was a very high oral temperature. The Tylenol wasn’t reducing the fever, and Mrs. Ambrose had to get it down fast. She searched the medicine cabinet for the fever suppositories; she found them in the back, behind the bottle of Pepto-Bismol. She remembered how much the girls hated them, and laughed at their attempt to hide them from her. She knew Starr wasn’t going to like it, but it was necessary. She found the jar of Vaseline and returned to the bedroom. She rolled Starr over onto her stomach and pulled down her pajama bottoms.
“What are you doing?” Starr asked groggily placing her hand on her bared bottom.
“Starr, I’m sorry. You need a fever suppository. I have to get your fever down now,” said Mrs. Ambrose anxiously. She put some Vaseline on Starr’s anus to make the insertion easier. She then grabbed the end of the suppository and inserted it, pushing it in with her finger. Starr initially clenched her cheeks and then tried to expel it. “Please relax, Starr. I promise this will be done in a minute,” Mrs. Ambrose said. Mrs. Ambrose kept her hand on Starr’s bottom until the suppository was safely inserted and started to dissolve. She then went into the bathroom and wet a wash cloth under the faucet. After wringing it out, she returned to Starr’s bed, and dabbed at her body. Starr shivered slightly, but didn’t protest. Mrs. Ambrose moved the wash cloth around Starr’s body, and rolled up Starr’s sleeves to do her arms, as well. Starr smiled up at her mother and was soon asleep. Mrs. Ambrose kissed Starr’s hot forehead, covered her up with a light sheet, and left the room.
While both girls were sleeping, Mrs. Ambrose decided to plan a surprise. As she knew there was nary a chance that Starr would get to go trick-or-treating, she devised fun activities that they could do in the house should she feel up to it. Although it wouldn’t be the same, Mrs. Ambrose would try to make the day memorable.
****************
Abigail awoke at 1:30. Her fever appeared to be totally gone, and a temperature check revealed a healthy 98.7°. Mrs. Ambrose brought Abigail downstairs, gave her some macaroni for lunch and played with her a bit. She then went upstairs to bring Starr her lunch. She entered Starr’s room carrying a tray of soup, apple juice, and pudding. Starr was in her pajamas, sitting up in bed watching some cartoons and absentmindedly scratching at her neck and face.
Mrs. Ambrose put down the tray on the night stand and crossed over to Starr’s bed. “Starr, let me see your face,” said Mrs. Ambrose.
Starr looked up at her mother and Mrs. Ambrose was startled to see that Starr’s face appeared to be taking the brunt of the Chicken Pox. There were several blisters forming around her eyes, many by her nose, a few by her ears, and several going down her neck. She pulled up her pajama top, but saw only a few red marks there.
As Starr took a sip of the juice, she burst out crying in pain, “Mom. My throat. My throat.”
“Open up, Starr. Let me see the inside of your mouth,” said Mrs. Ambrose. When Starr opened her mouth, Mrs. Ambrose saw many small blisters forming on the sides and some appeared to be going down her throat.
“Starr, I’m going to have to call the doctor. I can’t put Calamine Lotion in your mouth and I want to see if maybe there’s something he can suggest. But before I call him, I want to take your temperature so I can tell him what it is. Now, I know you’re not going to be happy about this, but I don’t want to burst any of the blisters in your mouth, so I am going to have to take it rectally,” Mrs. Ambrose advised Starr.
“In my behind?” Starr cried. “No, Please, Mom, not that way!”
“Starr Hilary Ambrose,” said Mrs. Ambrose exasperated, “I need your cooperation. This is very important, especially if there’s any chance for you to enjoy any part of Halloween.”
With the mention of Halloween, Starr became more upset. Mrs. Ambrose hugged her close, and when Starr calmed a bit, Mrs. Ambrose went in to the bathroom to get the rectal thermometer. She shook it down and placed it in the Vaseline jar on Starr’s night stand as she returned to Starr’s bed.
“Starr, turn over now,” Mrs. Ambrose said brusquely.
Starr rolled over but held on tightly to her pajama bottoms. When Mrs. Ambrose tried to pull them down, Starr held on even more tightly.
“Starr, let go now! I’m not kidding,” Mrs. Ambrose shouted.
Starr eventually surrendered. Mrs. Ambrose inserted the thermometer, and a minute later Caitlyn came bursting into the room.
“Why are you using that on Starr?” asked Caitlyn smugly as she pointed to the thermometer sticking out of Starr’s bottom. She couldn’t believe her “big sister” was having her temperature taken with a baby thermometer, while her “baby sister” had hers taken with a grown-up thermometer. Everything was all mixed up around here.
Starr quickly pulled the thermometer out of her bottom, throwing it onto the couch, pulled up her pajamas, and sat up. “GET OUT OF HERE CAITLYN. MOM GET HER OUT NOW, ” Starr cried out indignantly. She was mortified. Not only was she having her temperature taken with a baby thermometer, but her younger sister knew about it, as well.
“Caitlyn, please leave the room,” said Mrs. Ambrose as she rose to usher Caitlyn out of the room. “And don’t you say a word to Abigail about this. Understand?”
“Yes, Mom. Sorry, Starr,” Caitlyn called out as she left the room.
Mrs. Ambrose returned to Starr’s bedside. “Sorry, Sweetie. I didn’t realize how late it was,” Mrs. Ambrose said apologetically.
“I can’t believe she saw me like ‘that’,” sobbed Starr. “She’ll probably tell everyone at school. How am I ever going to live this down?”
“Starr, you’ve seen me take Caitlyn’s rectal temperature,” responded Mrs. Ambrose.
“Yeah, but it’s not the same thing. She’s eight and I’m twelve,” huffed Starr.
“I promise I will talk to her,” reassured Mrs. Ambrose. “Now, please lie back down and let’s quickly finish this up.” Mrs. Ambrose picked up the thermometer from the couch and re-inserted it in Starr’s behind, this time pulling Starr’s bed sheet over it to protect her privacy.
After the four minutes elapsed, Mrs. Ambrose removed the thermometer and noted Starr’s temperature to be 103.4°, down a little from before, but still higher than she’d like, especially seeing that she had given her the suppository two hours earlier.
Mrs. Ambrose left the room to call the doctor. She informed the nurse of Starr’s high fever and the cluster of Chicken Pox in her mouth. After consulting with the doctor, the nurse informed Mrs. Ambrose that she could bring Starr in at 5:30; she would be the last patient of the day and therefore there would be no other children with which Starr would be in contact. She also suggested that she bring the other two girls in as well, so the doctor could check to see how they were healing.
Mrs. Ambrose told Starr of the doctor’s appointment for later. “Do you want to come downstairs, or would you prefer to stay in your room?” Mrs. Ambrose asked.
As she was still embarrassed by the thermometer incident, Starr chose to stay upstairs. Mrs. Ambrose gave her a kiss and told her to change into her sweat suit for the doctor’s. Then she went downstairs to talk to Caitlyn.
“Caitlyn, come in to the kitchen please,” called out Mrs. Ambrose.
“What’s up Mom,” asked Caitlyn.
“I need to talk to you about what happened up there,” said Mrs. Ambrose.
Caitlyn squirmed in her seat remembering seeing Starr with the baby thermometer, and had to stifle a laugh.
“As with Abigail who had many blisters in her rear, Starr has many blisters on the inside of her mouth and down her throat. They are beginning to pus and are very painful. Her fever has been quite high, and so as not to cause her any more pain in her mouth, I had to take her temperature rectally. Starr was very embarrassed by having to do this, and you walking in on her only made things worse.”
“Mom. I didn’t mean to. It was an accident,” said Caitlyn as tears rolled down her face. “It was just that I didn’t expect to see that, and so it was kind of funny.”
“I know it was an accident. I just hope you use your maturity and don’t mention it again to her or to Abigail, and please don’t say anything to your friends at school,” warned Mrs. Ambrose.
“I promise I won’t,” said Caitlyn.
“Thank you, Sweetie,” said Mrs. Ambrose as she kissed Caitlyn’s cheek. “You can go back in the den and watch television with Abigail. I made a doctor’s appointment for all of you for later.”
******************
At 5:15, Mrs. Ambrose and the girls left to go to the doctor’s office. Starr was awfully groggy and had little energy. The effects of the suppository were wearing off, and her fever appeared to be in full-force. While waiting for the doctor, the nurse took the girls’ temperature with the ear thermometer, once in each ear. Caitlyn’s temperature was 97.6° in the right ear, 97.8° in the left. Abigail’s temperature was 98° in the right ear, 98.5° in the left. The nurse then came over to Starr. She put the thermometer in Starr’s right ear and it registered 103.4°, and then 104.2° in her right ear.
The doctor came in and called Caitlyn over first; her pox marks appeared to be healing without complications. Then he looked over Abigail. With her mother’s help, her pants were lowered so the doctor could inspect her rear. Abigail thought the doctor was going to take her temperature rectally and began to put up a fight. Mrs. Ambrose assured her that he was checking her blisters. She calmed down and laid down on the exam table. The doctor noted that the pox in her rear were still oozing a bit, and so he wrote her a prescription for an antihistamine to reduce her itching and inflammation.
When it was Starr’s turn, Mrs. Ambrose told Caitlyn and Abigail to go out to the waiting room so that Starr could have more privacy. The doctor took his flashlight and looked inside Starr’s mouth. He was quite concerned with the swollen pus that was forming as it might constrict her breathing and ability to swallow. Looking over her chart, he noted her high temperature recordings with the ear scan and decided that he wanted to get a rectal reading as a high fever could be a sign of a secondary infection.
He called the nurse in and directed Starr to lay down on the examination table. Starr didn’t want to make a fuss in the doctor’s office, and so she cooperatively laid down and let the nurse take her temperature without protesting. The nurse told Starr to roll over to her left side and to bring her knees up towards her chest. The nurse then gently tugged at Starr’s sweat pants and underwear and lowered them only enough to be able to safely insert the electronic rectal probe. She placed the monitor on the exam table and Starr watched the numbers climb: 99°, 100.4°, 101.7°, 102.7°, 103.8°, 104.2°. After about 30 seconds, the nurse removed the thermometer probe. Starr started to pull up her pants, however, the nurse told her to wait. The nurse then showed the read-out on the unit to the doctor.
“104.9°,” announced the doctor to Mrs. Ambrose. “She’s going to need a shot. We need to bring that down immediately. Eleanor please prepare the antibiotics.”
The nurse rifled through the top drawer, prepared the antibiotics, and flicked at the syringe. She then gave it to the doctor. He walked over to Starr and calmly spoke to her saying, “This shot goes in your bottom. I will try to be as gentle as I can, but it is going to hurt. The more you clench, the more it will hurt. So try not to clench, okay Starr?. Mrs. Ambrose, do you want to come over and hold Starr’s hand?”
The doctor then rubbed some alcohol on Starr’s left cheek, pinched it a bit, and then stabbed her with the syringe. Starr squeezed her mother’s hand tightly and Mrs. Ambrose squeezed back. Then Starr let out a howl. The nurse finished up and helped a crying Starr pull up her pants.
“Mrs. Ambrose,” said the doctor, “You’re going to need to keep a close eye on her tonight. If she doesn’t start taking any liquids within the next few hours, you may have to bring her to the hospital where they can insert an IV line. I’m afraid she may become dehydrated. Here is a prescription for a nasal antihistamine which should reduce the swelling in her mouth and make it less painful when she attempts to swallow. Take her temperature rectally every hour, at least for the next four hours, and if it goes over what it is now, rather than decreases, bring her to the hospital immediately. Also, continue to give her the Feverall every 6 hours, until her temperature is below 102°, and then if she can take the Tylenol, you can give her that.”
Mrs. Ambrose thanked the doctor, and then, even though Starr was 12 years old, Mrs. Ambrose picked up the sick child and carried her out to the waiting room, and then to the car. With the three girls buckled in, Mrs. Ambrose went to the pharmacy to fill the girls’ prescriptions. She then drove to the pick-up window at at the fast food place and ordered dinner for herself, Caitlyn, and Abigail. On the drive home, she constantly checked her rear-view mirror to make sure Starr was alright.
***************
Upon entering the house, Mrs. Ambrose directed the two younger girls to the kitchen table and then brought Starr upstairs. She helped her out of her sweat suit and into her nightgown.
“Starr,” Mrs. Ambrose whispered to her sleepy daughter, “I need to check your temp. Doctor’s orders.”
Starr cried quietly, “Not in my behind, Mom. It hurts from the shot.”
“I promise you I will be careful.” Mrs. Ambrose then shook down the thermometer, placed it in the Vaseline, carefully separated Starr’s cheeks, and inserted the thermometer. She noted the redness and swelling by the injection site. Expecting it to hurt, Starr raised her buttocks and the thermometer began to slide out. Mrs. Ambrose gently pushed Starr’s rear back down and pushed the thermometer back in. Starr was getting antsy. The four minutes seemed to take forever and her behind was throbbing from the pain of her earlier shot. Mrs. Ambrose finally removed the thermometer. She was disappointed to see that Starr’s fever was still quite high at 104.4°. Mrs. Ambrose then pulled down Starr’s nightgown.
“I’m going to go downstairs to get you an ice pack to put on your behind to help with the pain and swelling, and I’ll also bring you up some apple juice as the doctor said that you need to drink fluids,” said Mrs. Ambrose replacing the thermometer in its case.
“Okay Mom. I just wanna sleep,” yawned Starr.
Mrs. Ambrose went downstairs, checked on the girls, filled the ice pack and poured a glass of juice. She went into Starr’s room and gently roused Starr. She gave her the antihistamine and Starr washed down the taste in her throat with a few sips of juice. It hurt her throat when she swallowed and she quickly laid back down on her pillow. Mrs. Ambrose placed the ice pack on Starr’s behind on top of a towel.
“Thanks, Mom. That feels good,” said Starr.
Mrs. Ambrose blew her a kiss, turned off the light, and closed the door.
***********************
At 7:30 pm., Mrs. Ambrose brought the girls upstairs to get them ready for bed. Abigail’s oral temperature remained normal and she excitedly thought about going trick-or-treating the next day. Caitlyn was also excited for tomorrow to come, she didn’t think she would be able to get any sleep. She closed her eyes with thoughts of tomorrow dancing in her head.
Mrs. Ambrose came in to the room and crossed over to check on Starr who was sound asleep. She had put her in a short nightgown to keep her comfortable, and also for easier access for temperature checks. Mrs. Ambrose felt Starr’s forehead, which still felt quite hot. Starr stirred slightly but remained asleep. Upon hearing her mother enter the room, Caitlyn feigned sleep. After a moment or two, Caitlyn opened her eyes to see her mother shaking down the thermometer and dipping it into the Vaseline. She then watched as her mother pulled up Starr’s nightgown and placed the thermometer in her behind. She closed her eyes again quickly as she saw her mother go to remove the thermometer. Mrs. Ambrose was relieved to see Starr’s fever was down to 103.4°. She would let Starr sleep until 9:30, and then try to get her to drink something again.
*****************
At 9:30, Mrs. Ambrose took Starr’s temperature again while she was still asleep. It was 102°. She gently awoke Starr and decided to move her into her bedroom for the rest of the night as she wanted to get some fluids in her, and she would have to do some more temperature checks. Starr appeared more alert and was willing to drink some apple juice. Mrs. Ambrose told Starr how important it was for her to drink, and so, even though it hurt, Starr downed the whole glass. She even had a few spoonfuls of jello. They watched several of Starr’s favorite episodes of the first year of Brewster’s Brew, and painted their finger and toe nails. Starr started getting drowsy at 11:00 pm. Mrs. Ambrose took Starr’s temperature once again, and although it was up a bit (102.4°), Mrs. Ambrose was not too concerned. She inserted a Feverall. Starr, who by now was used to the whole process, didn’t try to push out the suppositories this time. Mrs. Ambrose kissed Starr good night. As she herself was exhausted, Mrs. Ambrose turned off her light and went to sleep, as well.
*****************
Mrs. Ambrose awoke at 3:00 and put her hand on Starr’s forehead. She felt much cooler and a temperature check revealed her fever to be down to 101.4°. Hopefully, the worst was over. Mrs. Ambrose then rolled over and fell back to sleep.
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