White Dog was eyeing me suspiciously. "Do you feel all right?" she asked. "Yes, fine, why do you ask?" "Nothing, just wondering." She sniffed my eyes.
The rest of the Army was hanging very close to me in the office. I could feel their glances and looks.
Midafternoon I began to feel sweaty and hot. I held my arm up to test the swamp cooler; the vent was still issuing air. The WDA got restless. "It is beginning," White Dog whispered to her siblings.
And just like that the sickies bug hit.
I jumped up and rushed from the room...surrounded by everypup except Nilla (who stood at her gate wishing). They jockeyed for position in the bathroom to be close to me.
"Kids, I am feeling icky and wobbly. Please do not crowd so close. I am going to go sit in the living room. Come with me but give me air." The pack moved with me and sat around me when I dropped into the momma chair. Their looks were of concern and love. I felt green.
"Looks like I am not going to get much done this afternoon," I told them. To guarantee that, WD jumped up to sit on the arm of my chair. Zso laid between my feet. Bai pressed against the right leg; Opal the left. Roman took the spot to block the exit and Tizenegy laid across the door to the hall.
"Sweet Boy," I said to Tiz, "I am not sure that blocking the way to the bathroom is a good idea." He shifted to lie closer, in front of the sofa. The reality was that ALL of the WDA would need to move with me in a hurry should nature call.
Bella gently licked my ankle from under the chair. Pearl came down from the watching chair to sit next to Opal and even Nilla rested against the gate in the kitchen so she could see me.
We shifted quite a few times but by then had developed a team rhythm when I needed to move quickly. I had a smart nursing staff who was not about to just let me go by myself as i suggested.
And that is how Steve found us when he came home a bit early, concerned that I was not reachable on the computer. "Wow! Your face is very hot." he unnecessarily told me and then confirmed with the thermometer that I was, indeed, feverish. "Just leave everything to me and the White Dogs."
I smiled and sank back into the pillows to await our traditional "Beige Sickies Dinner" of mashed potatoes, chicken and broth. "You might not think you want to eat," WD told me. "But try. I bet you ARE hungry because you are empty. Just a little...and LOTS of water."
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