----- Friday

You know by not that I didn't sleep good Thursday night. I was feeling ill. In the morning I was shivering under the covers. Julie felt my head and then found the thermometer and took my temperature.

"My God, Sam! You're temperature is a hundred and two."

"Just give me some aspirin. I'll be ok."

"You just had some aspirin an hour ago."

"Then I'll have acetaminafen."

"I'm calling the doctor."

After a few minutes she came back and started gathering some clothes for me.

"Put these on. We're going to the hospital."

"Is that what the doctor said?"

"Yes, that's what the doctor's office said: get him to the emergency room."

"But you have to go to work."

"I'm taking off."

Erin wanted to come too. Julie thought it was a good idea in case they needed someone who was family. Off we went.

By the time I settled into a room I was feeling even worse. I recall that they gave me a chest x-ray and a bunch of other stuff but my memory was fuzzy. I fell asleep. Or rather, knocked out unconscious would be a better description.

I woke up sometime later -- I don't know when, time was a blur -- with tubes going into both of my arms from the crook of my elbows and from the tops of my hands. I was alone. I was weak and didn't even feel like lifting my head up. So I just fell back asleep.

The next time I awoke a nurse was in my room.

"Ah, you're awake. Let me finish taking your vitals.", she said.

She took my temperature, pulse and blood pressure.

"How am I?"

"Better."

"What happened?", I said. My chest hurt when I talked.

"You have pneumonia."

"Is it that bad?"

"It's worse. You've been diagnosed with sepsis too."

"What's that?"

"You have an infection in your blood."

"How bad is that?"

"It could have been very bad. Luckily we were able to give you antibiotics."

"Am I cured now?"

"Almost.", she smiled.

"How long will I be here?"

"I don't know. The doctor will have that say. We're monitoring you. But you are getting better."

"How long have I been here?"

"I'm not sure. A day or two."

"What day is it?"

"Saturday."

"Shit. I missed Mike's. And I missed work. I have to tell them about the job."

"What job?"

"The new job. Uh, don't worry about it. Is anyone here?"

"Lots of people."

"I mean do I have visitors?"

"Oh, yes. You're in the ICU and you're not allowed visitors though. Not yet. We need to get you into another room first."

"When?"

"You're recovering. Maybe this afternoon. The doctor will have to order it."

"When can I see the doctor?"

"Soon."

"Can you tell my visitors I'm doing better?"

"Don't worry. I'll get word to them."

I could only imagine how worried Julie was. Sepsis didn't sound good. I was to find out later that my temperature spiked at one hundred and three and my blood pressure was very low. They said I could have gotten brain damage from it if not outright have died. I was lucky that I got to the hospital when I did.

Finally, by that night I was in a regular room and was allowed visitors. Dad, Erin and Julie showed up first. Three was the maximum that was allowed in the room with me but there were plenty of others waiting their turn out in the waiting room.

"Hi, Dad. It's really good to see you."

"It's good to see you, Son. We were all worried. Even your mother."

"Right. Just tell her that... well, tell her I'm doing better."

"Don't worry, Sam. I'll take care of it when I see her."

"Thanks, Dad. Hey, Erin. How's it going?"

She was nearly in tears.

"Please get better."

"I am better. I'll be out of the hospital soon. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Julie, I love you."

"I love you too, Sam. We all do."

"There's about a hundred people out there that want to see you.", Dad said.

"Dad's joking, Sam. There aren't that many.", Erin retorted.

"There's all the people from the clinical trials and people from your work."

"Fred's here too."

"I'm glad he's here for you, Erin.", I said. "How did the people from work find out?"

"I called them."

"Thanks, Julie."

We made small talk for a while but they each left and a new person would show up in their place. It lasted for a few hours. When visiting hours were over I was exhausted. When the nurse showed up to take my vitals that night I asked about Teagan.

"When did she show up here?", she asked.

"Thursday night, I'm sure."

"I can check. What's her full name?"

"McIlroy. Teagan McIlroy."

"And what would she have been brought here for?"

"I'm not sure. I had to rescue her from a tree. She was wet and cold like I was."

"Did she have pneumonia?"

"I don't know. She was very depressed and well, she was threatening to kill herself."

"Maybe she's in the psych ward."

"Maybe. Can you find out?"

"I'll see what I can do."

One of the on call doctors, a resident I suppose, came to see me that night.

"I see you have Borgford's disease. How are you feeling right now?"

"Not too bad. My chest hurts a little when I talk."

"Don't talk."

"Uh, sure."

"That's humor, Mr. Cook."

"Oh."

"Your chest should feel better soon. Pneumonia will do that. All in all I think you're lucky. Especially with that virus running inside your system."

"Did the cold weather and rain give me pneumonia."

"You were outside in the woods, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"So, the pneumonia is likely due to catching some bug out there in the wild. The rain and cold didn't help. And neither did the virus. That may be a factor in the infection getting into your whole system"

"Do you think I can leave soon?"

"In a few days maybe, if your vitals are stable. We need to finish the antibiotic treatments, which should be done by Monday."

"I can leave by Monday?"

"We'll see. Only if things go well."

"I can't wait to get home."

"You need to take care of yourself. How was the hospital food tonight?"

"It sucked."

"Glad to hear. I'll pass the word to the cafeteria that they've done a fine job."

"You're just a barrel of laughs, aren't you, doc?"

"I do my best. You get some rest tonight."

"Yeah, I'll do my best."

I spent Sunday in the hospital too but really wanted to get out of there and I let them know it. They decided I could leave Monday. Yipee!


----- Monday

I was ready to be wheeled out Monday afternoon -- yes they made me sit in a wheel chair -- when a nurse came up to me with a message.

"Nurse Brown asked me to give you some information about a girl."

"Oh, good. Is it about Teagan?"

"Yes. Teagan McAvoy.

"It's McIlvoy."

"That's it. Teagan McIlvoy. She's in the psych ward."

"Can I see her?"

"I doubt it."

"Darn."

"But I could ask. Would you like that?"

"I would. Julie, can you wait for us to go?"

"Sure. But don't be too long."

"Well, let's see if I can get to see her first, at least."

"Sure. No problem."

After a few minutes the nurse came back and gave me the good news.

"Yes, you can see her. But only you. They asked her if she wanted to see you and apparently you're the first one she's agreed to see, which is a good thing. They're very excited to have you."

"Great. Can I get up out of the wheelchair?"

"Sure. But let's wheel you over to that section first."

When we got there Julie had to sit outside the door. I was let in and led around a couple of corners to a room with a closed door. It wasn't locked, but it seemed like it could have been. They said I only had a few minutes and they would be listening in on us, then I went in.

"Hi, Teagan."

"Hi, Sam. They told me you were here sick."

"I had pneumonia."

"I'm so sorry. You got pneumonia because of me."

"No, Tee. You just get it sometimes. You know?"

"You're trying to make me feel better about it, Sam. That's not going to work."

"Tee, I want you to get better."

"This is crazy shit, Sam. I'm fucking shrinking."

"I am too."

"I know. I guess I'm selfish."

"It's ok. I know how you feel."

"I wish I can call bullshit on that remark but I guess I can't. You take away all the fun."

"I'm not the only one that wants you to feel better. Think of your parents."

"I know. Think of Sharon too. That's what you're going to say, right?"

"They all love you."

"Fuck it."

"Not a nice thing to say."

"I'm scared."

"What are you so afraid of?"

"Being short."

"That's nothing to be afraid of."

"Spoken like a true optimist, Mr. not a care in the world."

"You think my life is so rosy?"

"No. You should know how bad it is for me."

"I do."

"So tell me then, what the hell do we have to live for?"

"Everything."

"No. Nothing."

"Are you religious?"

"No. Mom and Dad might have something different to say."

"Ever heard of Buddhism?"

"Yeah, it's weird."

"Try telling that to a Buddhist."

"Whatever. Why do you ask?"

"Zen Buddhist masters know a secret about life and I want to tell it to you."

"Oh great. My life is going to be turned around now. I'm going to grow again."

"Don't be so sarcastic. You're not going to grow; face facts."

"Fine. Shoot, oh great Buddhist master."

"This is serious stuff, Tee."

"Alright. What do have for me?"

"Thoughts."

"You have thoughts for me?"

"You do. You can control what you think. You think sad, you get sad. You think happy, you'll become happy. Don't let circumstance dictate your thoughts; let your thoughts dictate your circumstances. Think the right things."

"That's Buddhist bullshit."

"There's only one way to find out."

"Fantastic. I'll think tall, then I'll grow tall. Right?"

"No. It doesn't work that way. You should be thinking 'I can handle this. It's not going to kill my life of fulfillment. I won't let it.'"

"Then it's not worth it."

"It'll help you cope."

She turned her head away.

"Teagan."

"What?"

"Can I hold you?"

"No."

"Like I did out on the tree?"

"No!"

"I know you want to. You didn't want to let go when I gave you to the rescuer."

"Well, I, I didn't want to be rescued."

"You cried in my arms."

"Don't do this, Sam."

"Please."

She started crying again. I reached over and hugged her.

"Remember, I told you that it was going to be alright? It will. You have everything to live for. Trust me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Say that you'll try."

"Alright."

"Say it."

"I'll try."

"Good girl. Now don't let me down."

"Okay."

We hugged for some time then I had to let go. I didn't want them to come drag me out. It was time to leave.


----- Homecoming evening

When I got home there was big sign hung up in the living room that said, "WELCOME HOME". Cindy, Sue and Gail were there. So was Michele from the group and Marie and Joe. Jill was there, as was Sharon. Erin had to work, but I understood. It was pretty awesome.

Dad was there too.

"I'm so glad your here, Dad. How's mom?"

"Good, I suppose."

"So, where is she now?"

"I don't know."

"Ha, you always know."

"Sam, we need to talk. Your mother and I, ... we've decided to split up."

"You're separated?"

"Yes, we are."

"Congratulations. It's about time."

"When I looked at how she treated you and when I realized how she manipulated me, well, it was a no-brainer, Sam. I hope you're not too upset about it."

"Upset? Are you kidding? I'm ecstatic."

"I knew you'd understand but I didn't think you'd take it like this."

"It's ok, Dad. We're all going to be better off."

"I hope you're right, Son."

"It'll be ok. Are you sticking around?"

"No. I have to go. I didn't want to miss this though. Your sister wanted to be here."

"I'm sure she did. Don't worry, I'll make it up to her."

"That's good. I'll see you around. Ok?"

"Ok, Dad. It's good to see you."

"You too."

I was getting my strength back a little but it still hurt a bit to breathe. Jill made me a cup of hot tea. Boy did that feel good going down. I meandered around the room talking to everyone. First up, Michele.

"Sam, guess what?"

"What, Michele?"

"Yo offered me a job. We're going to be working together."

"That's so cool."

"Isn't it? I can't wait."

"When do you start?"

"In two weeks."

"Hoo boy."

"What is it?"

"Michele, I got a new job too."

"Oh?"

"I couldn't tell anyone before. But I'll be giving my two weeks notice tomorrow. Er, not tomorrow since I need to stay home until the doctor lets me work. Well, maybe we will work together but only for a little while I guess. I'm sorry."

"No, that's ok."

"Do you have a security clearance?"

"No. That's a weird question. Why do you ask?"

"If you did I'd try to get you a job where I'm going to be working."

"Oh. Can you do that?"

"I can try. But you'll need to get that clearance."

"That's ok, I guess. I'm still excited about the new job."

"And you should be. It's a good place to work. I'm only leaving because this was a big opportunity for me and they made the offer."

"Is it top secret stuff?"

"It is."

"And you know what you're going to do there?"

"Not exactly. A little bit though."

"You can't tell me?"

"Nope. Sorry."

"Good luck."

"We can still see each other, right? You'll come by to see me at Mike's?"

"I'd love to."

"You can come over here too. You know that Cindy might be staying with us for a little while?"

"She mentioned it. She's really happy about that. You're really helping everyone out, Sam. You're a guardian angel."

"Nah. I just like helping."

"So what's with this girl you rescued?"

"I just helped to search for her."

"That's not what I heard."

"She has the virus too."

"Borgford?"

"Yep."

"Why isn't she in the group?"

"She's very depressed about it and it's disabled her will to go on."

"Sounds tough."

"It is. I paid a visit to her this afternoon. She's in the psych ward at the hospital."

"Doesn't sound like she's getting any better."

"She seemed better."

"Don't kill yourself over her."

"Too late. I almost did.", I laughed.

"Think of yourself next time. You won't be able to be here for these people that love you if you get hurt, or worse."

"Don't worry, I'll be ok. Thanks, Michele."

"Don't mention it."

I mingling some more and found my way over to Gail.

"You did it again, didn't you?", she said.

"Did what?"

"Got a girl to fall for you."

"Teagan?"

"Who's Teagan?"

"The girl in the ... never mind. Who are you talking about?"

"Michele."

"Michele? I just helped her get a job. That's all."

"Didn't you see how disappointed she was when she heard she wouldn't be working with you."

"Well, that's to be expected. Right?"

"Nyu unh."

"Gail, she's not that into me and we'll still see each other. She knows that."

"Not every day."

"Sorry, I still don't see it."

"I do."

"What should I do? Quit my new job?"

"Tell me about this new job?"

"You heard, didn't you?"

"A little. When did this happen?"

"I just got word, yester, oops, I mean, uh, Thursday, I think. Yeah, Thursday. I went into the hospital Friday, right?"

"Yes, it was Friday. We missed you at the clinic and we were all worried. It sounded bad."

"It's ok. I'm better."

"Thank goodness. You have a clearance now?"

"Yep."

"So you're going to be a spy?"

"No."

"A military undercover intelligence specialist?"

"What's that?"

"I don't know, but it sounds cool."

"I'm going to be programming and operating computers."

"Oh my God, Sam. Shush. You're giving away state secrets."

"No, I'm not."

"You'll still remember us little people when you're out saving the world for freedom and liberty I hope."

"Oh, stop it, Gail."

"But I like teasing you."

"I'm still recovering from pneumonia and sepsis and you're teasing me?"

"Sorry. Your recovery makes me happy."

She hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"You get better.", she said. "Then we can have lots of fun."

"Ok, Gail."

Cindy and Sue were very affectionate too. They both wanted to sleep with me tonight.

"I don't think I'll be up to anything other than just getting a good nights sleep, girls."

"It's ok. I like to cuddle too.", Cindy said. "How about a naked cuddle?"

"Sure."

"Can we spoon?"

"Sure, Sue. We can spoon."

I wasn't sure what Julie would say about this. But I was sure that all four of us could not fit in that bed.

Erin arranged for Fred to get her from work and they didn't get home until around 10:30. When she arrived she grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I didn't want to let her go either. I don't think even Julie could have pried us apart at that moment.

We hugged and hardly said a word. We didn't have to. By this point in our lives and how close we had become, we understood each other and were grateful to have each others company. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry for making her worry but I didn't have to. But I had to ask about Mom.

"Did Dad tell you about Mom?"

"Yes, Sam. I don't want to talk about it."

"Did you know?"

"Not until you were in the hospital."

"Erin, everything's going to be alright."

She shrugged, then she hugged me even harder.

"Whoa. Not so tight. My chest hurts."

"I'm sorry."

"No problem, you didn't know. I'll be better tomorrow though and you can hug me as tight as you want."

"Ok. Can you spend the night with me tonight?"

"I don't know where I'll be sleeping. Cindy and Sue want to be with me tonight and I know Julie does too. We'll see, Erin. Let me figure this out."

Everybody wanted to claim me. I finally had some time to talk with Sharon.

"Hey, Sharon. I got a chance to see Tee today."

"You did?"

"They have her in the psych ward at the hospital."

"I was told they took her in to the hospital for exposure, Sam."

"I don't know what happened but they're keeping her there for now."

"When will she get out?"

"I don't know. She doesn't look good. Sharon, she's shorter than I am."

"She looked pretty small."

"She is. I'm sure it's the virus. We have to get her out and get treatment started for her."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I wish I knew. Did you hear anything from her parents?"

"Nothing of consequence."

"I hope something comes up."

"How are you doing, Sam?"

"I'm fine."

"They told us you almost ..."

"Almost what?"

"That you weren't ... weren't going ..."

"Sharon, it's ok. I'm here now. I'm ok."

"I was so worried."

"It's ok. Nothing to worry about."

"You didn't have to do that for Tee."

"No. But I couldn't leave her. It could have been a lot worse."

"I know."

"You know that the branch that she was on broke."

"How did you get her?"

"It was her mostly. It may have been the lighting flash but if she wasn't scared about losing her life she wouldn't have crawled to me."

"Julie told me you crawled to her."

"A little of both. What I'm trying to say is that she really didn't want to take her life. There's still hope for Tee."

"I'm trying to talk about you and here you are turning it around again to someone else. You're really something, Sam."

"Nah. I just did what anyone small enough to climb that tree without it breaking would have done."

"Sure, they would. I love you."

"I love you too, Sharon."

"Can I stay over tonight?"

"You'll have to sleep with Jill."

"But I want to sleep with you?"

"My chest is hurting. I wouldn't be fun tonight. I'll just be going to sleep and that's it."

"I could hold you."

"I don't know, Sharon. I think Julie has dibs on me tonight and if not, Cindy and Sue and if not them, Erin."

"I understand.", she said right before giving me one of those fabric ripping pokemon kisses.

Decisions, decisions. Sometimes life is so hard.

I got up to go to the bathroom and everyone wanted to help.

"Guys, I'm fine. I'm only going to the bathroom."

"I could help you hold things."

"That's ok, Cindy. You've already helped enough there."

"It's my turn.", Sue shouted.

"I don't need help, Sue."

Everyone was laughing at the two of them. But it was Julie who followed me.

"What are you doing?"

"You're still getting over a major illness. I'm just making sure you're alright, Sam."

"I'm fine."

When I turned around to talk to her I was looking into her thigh. I had to look up at Julie's crotch. Looking up?! Shit. Did she grow or did I shrink? I just got out of the hospital. I could have shrunk but not that fast, right?

"I'll be just a minute. You can wait outside.", I said.

"Fine. But I'll be right out here if you need me."

I did my business and came out. I just had to find out and I knew what I had to do.

I walked over to Cindy and gave her a kiss. When I did we were looking eye to eye. She got one of those scared looks on her face.

"Sam? You've ..."

"Hush, everyone will hear. Yes, I know. I shrunk again."