Chapter 2

 

“Mrs. Littrell, it looks like Harold has pneumonia,” the pediatrician, Dr. Turner, told Jackie after examining Harry.

 

Jackie nodded, her eyes wide with concern.  “How do we treat it?” she asked.

 

“I think it’s best that he check into the hospital,” Dr. Turner advised.  “He can receive antibiotics there.”  Jackie nodded again.   “I’ll call ahead to St. Joseph’s and get a bed for Harold, and you can take him over right away, okay?”

“Okay.  Thank you, Dr. Turner,” Jackie said, glad that she had not waited to take Harry to the doctor.  She hadn’t realized how sick he had become.  She knew that pneumonia could become quite serious if it was left untreated.

 

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Littrell,” the doctor replied.   He looked down at Harry, who lay weakly on the examining table, and gently patted his shoulder.   “Feel better soon, kiddo,” he said, smiling at the nine-year-old, who looked up at his mother with wide eyes.

 

After Dr. Turner had left the room, Harold asked in a wavery voice, “I have to go to the hospital?”

 

“Yes, honey.  Just for a little bit.  Probably only a couple days,” Jackie replied calmly.   Yet she knew he was afraid, and there wasn’t much she could do to calm his nerves.  Hospitals were scary enough to children anyways, and after all that Brian had been through recently, she knew Harry was even more scared.   “Come on, sweetie.  We have to get going now.”

 

She helped Harry climb off the table and watched as he put his shoes and coat on.  

“Come on, Babyduck,” she said to Brian, who sat forlornly in a chair in the corner of the room.  “We’re leaving now.”

 

Brian scooted eagerly off the chair and followed his mother and brother out of the room and down the hall. 

 

***

 

The ride to the hospital was an uneasy one.   Harry sat slumped weakly in the backseat, staring pensively out the window.   He didn’t say anything.   Meanwhile, Brian sat next to him, gazing out the opposite window, watching the urban scenery pass by.

 

Jackie drove around the hospital parking deck, trying to find a spot.   She finally found one and pulled in, shutting off the engine.

 

“We’re here,” she said, getting out of the car.   She opened the door for Brian to climb out and then went around to Harry’s side.   He climbed out grudgingly, dragging his feet as he walked slowly beside his mother to the entrance of the hospital.

 

***

 

Half an hour later, Harry was in a room of his own in the pediatric ward, and Jackie and Brian sat in with him.   Jackie struggled put Harry at ease, all the while trying to keep Brian occupied.   It was difficult.

 

After awhile of sitting there, Jackie stood up.  “Harry, I need to go call Daddy at work, okay?  You sit tight, and I’ll be right back.”

 

Harry nodded, but he looked on the verge of tears.   He didn’t want to be left alone.

 

Jackie glanced at Brian, who sat in a chair, staring up at the TV, which was playing a late afternoon episode of Romper Room, one of his favorite children’s shows.   “Bri, Mommy’s going to make a phone call.   You stay right here with your brother and don’t move.  Okay?”

 

“Okay,” Brian mumbled, his gaze never leaving the television screen. 

 

Jackie just smiled and left the room to find a phone.

 

***

 

Ten minutes later, she came back into Harry’s room to find a nurse hovering over him.   Brian was watching with wide blue eyes from his seat.

 

She heard Harry whimper and saw a needle in the nurse’s hand. 

 

“What are you doing?” Jackie asked, stepping up to the other side of Harry’s bed.

 

“Just starting an IV of antibiotics,” the nurse replied.  To Harry, she said, “I need you to hold still for me, hun.”

 

Harry’s eyes immediately looked to Jackie, and she saw the fear in them.   She smiled sympathetically at him and took his hand.   As the nurse slid the needle into a vein in his arm, Harry’s grip on Jackie’s hand tightened.   Jackie saw that although he was near tears, he was holding perfectly still and trying to be brave.   She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

 

“There,” the nurse said, as the IV was properly hooked up.   “All finished.”   She smiled at Harry.

 

He offered a tiny smile back, relaxing a bit.

 

“A doctor will be in to check on him later this evening,” the nurse said to Jackie and left the room.

 

“You okay, baby?” Jackie asked her oldest son, bending over to kiss his hot forehead.

 

Harry nodded.   “It wasn’t so bad,” he claimed bravely. 

 

Jackie just smiled.   Suddenly, she felt a tug on her sleeve.  She looked down to see Brian standing beside her. 

 

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” he said.

 

Jackie glanced at the clock on the wall.   It was almost five o’clock.   “Well, there’s a cafeteria downstairs that-“

 

“No, Mom, please don’t go,” Harry interrupted, looking at Jackie with pleading eyes.

 

Jackie nodded.   She turned back to Brian and said, “We’ll get you some dinner later, when Daddy comes.”

 

“How long till Daddy comes?” Brian whined.

 

“He should be here soon,” Jackie replied simply.  “How about we see what’s on TV?”

 

She sat Brian back down in his chair and started flipping through the TV channels. 

 

***

 

 

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