In Sickness And In Health

The wind has shifted and is gusting from the north. Nothing or no one wants to be outside longer than absolutely necessary.

I've been dressing in layers and trying to keep my chest covered. JB apparently comes from tougher stock, because he seldom sees the need for a coat--but that's a man thing.

Nonetheless, he became ill on Sunday afternoon. Since then, the living room has become a sickroom.

He went 24 hours or better with nothing but juice. You know something is desperately wrong when the man of the house has no appetite.

I have stocked the frig with the all the essentials. I tempted him with his favorite foods, to no avail. I did this in an effort to get him to eat... something...anything.

I phoned him as I was leaving school Monday to check for requests. Tomato soup and orange sherbet is what he wanted. He began nibbling on Monday evening.

I have encouraged him to rest and allow his body time to mend. My efforts to make him comfortable have, for the most part, been appreciated. The times he has become exceedingly grumpy, I slipped off to work on homework. As I struggled through frames and animation for my Web Design class, I could hear the beeping of the digital thermometer as he checked his temperature.

His temp has ranged from 100 to almost 102, but he has repeatedly refused a wet washcloth for this forehead. I don't know if this actually helps, but Momo always did it for me when I was sick as a kid.

A couple of evenings, I have taken a place at his feet on the couch and watched bad movies well into the night. Inevitably, as the night grew longer, I would look over and catch him snoozing. But the moment I tried to slip off to bed, he'd awaken and ask me to stay.

Today, we have a breakthrough! As I am posting, JB has driven himself to the local store. I'm taking that as a sign that he feels much better.

I hope so... because now I am beginning to feel ill.