you gather all these young’uns up and come to the office. How are we doing?” he asked as he approached Camille and Torie.
“We seem to have two sick ones. Caroline is running a fever, too, we think.” She nodded her head toward the little girl cuddled in Griffin’s arms.
Doc pulled up a chair next to the rocker and extended his hands for Torie. “We’ll start with this little one and then we’ll get to Caroline.”
Camille hoped Doc was okay working with an audience. Even Elizabeth stopped eating her toast to watch him examine her cousin.
“Well, now, little girl, you’re going to be just fine,” he muttered, and Camille breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s not bad?” she asked.
Doc chuckled. “Oh, it’s going to be bad for you two. Torie has chicken pox. She’s going to be mighty fussy before it’s all over. And so will the rest of them. Toby, you had chicken pox in kindergarten, didn’t you?”
Toby frowned. “I think so. Is that when you get bumps all over your body?”
“That’s right.”
Camille remembered her own childhood bout with chicken pox and shuddered. “What can we do to help them?”
“There’s a special oatmeal bath you give them twice a day. Calamine lotion will help ease the itchiness, too. Mittens will keep the little ones from scratching too much.” He paused and looked at her and Griffin. “Mostly, you just have to wait it out.”
“Should we call their parents? I hate to ruin their vacation,” Camille said.
“Naw, no need to do that. You got enough help here?”
“Yes, we have two ladies coming every day to clean, and Red cooked a lot of meals and froze them. We should be all right.”
Griffin didn’t sound as sure. “Do you mean all the kids are going to come down with chicken pox?”
“Well, now, Toby shouldn’t, though I’ve heard of some kids getting it twice. But the other five probably will. Looks like Torie’s having a light case of it, but you never can tell. I’ve seen kids get scabs in a lot of strange places, even inside their noses.”
“Don’t you think I should stay home and help?” Toby asked anxiously.
Camille held her breath, hoping Doc would deal gently with the little boy’s concern.
“That’s a mighty nice offer, Toby, but the babies are mostly gonna sleep. Your mom will want you in school. Then when you get home, you can help these two.”
Griffin stood, handing Caroline to Camille. “Finish your breakfast and I’ll drive you to the bus stop. We might even let the twins ride with us, since they’re not sick yet.”
“We’ll need the bath stuff and lotion for the girls, Griff,” Camille reminded him.
“I’ll get someone from the drugstore to bring out what you need,” Doc suggested. “We can just put it on the regular bill.”
With a nod of acknowledgment, Griffin rounded up the three boys and headed out to the truck.
“There’s coffee already made, Doc. Would you like a cup?” Camille offered.
“Don’t mind if I do. No, stay down, I’ll get it. This little lady is just about asleep,” he added as he stood and placed Torie in the daybed, tucking her blanket around her. “Can I get you a refill?”
“Yes, please.”
He returned with two cups of coffee.
Caroline, too, was falling asleep, and Camille laid her down. Then she turned her attention to Elizabeth, still gnawing on a piece of toast. As she cut up some banana for the little girl to eat, Doc asked, “So, what do you think of the newest Randall?”
Many answers went through Camille’s mind. Finally, she chose the most innocuous. “He’s a fine man. Quite like his cousins, in spite of never having met them until recently.”
“He sure looks like Jake, don’t he?”
“Yes, he does.”
“I remember Margaret, his mother. A strongheaded little lady if there ever was one. Spoiled by her daddy. She cut a wide swath through the men when she reached puberty.”
Camille offered a polite smile in return but said nothing. She was
“We seem to have two sick ones. Caroline is running a fever, too, we think.” She nodded her head toward the little girl cuddled in Griffin’s arms.
Doc pulled up a chair next to the rocker and extended his hands for Torie. “We’ll start with this little one and then we’ll get to Caroline.”
Camille hoped Doc was okay working with an audience. Even Elizabeth stopped eating her toast to watch him examine her cousin.
“Well, now, little girl, you’re going to be just fine,” he muttered, and Camille breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s not bad?” she asked.
Doc chuckled. “Oh, it’s going to be bad for you two. Torie has chicken pox. She’s going to be mighty fussy before it’s all over. And so will the rest of them. Toby, you had chicken pox in kindergarten, didn’t you?”
Toby frowned. “I think so. Is that when you get bumps all over your body?”
“That’s right.”
Camille remembered her own childhood bout with chicken pox and shuddered. “What can we do to help them?”
“There’s a special oatmeal bath you give them twice a day. Calamine lotion will help ease the itchiness, too. Mittens will keep the little ones from scratching too much.” He paused and looked at her and Griffin. “Mostly, you just have to wait it out.”
“Should we call their parents? I hate to ruin their vacation,” Camille said.
“Naw, no need to do that. You got enough help here?”
“Yes, we have two ladies coming every day to clean, and Red cooked a lot of meals and froze them. We should be all right.”
Griffin didn’t sound as sure. “Do you mean all the kids are going to come down with chicken pox?”
“Well, now, Toby shouldn’t, though I’ve heard of some kids getting it twice. But the other five probably will. Looks like Torie’s having a light case of it, but you never can tell. I’ve seen kids get scabs in a lot of strange places, even inside their noses.”
“Don’t you think I should stay home and help?” Toby asked anxiously.
Camille held her breath, hoping Doc would deal gently with the little boy’s concern.
“That’s a mighty nice offer, Toby, but the babies are mostly gonna sleep. Your mom will want you in school. Then when you get home, you can help these two.”
Griffin stood, handing Caroline to Camille. “Finish your breakfast and I’ll drive you to the bus stop. We might even let the twins ride with us, since they’re not sick yet.”
“We’ll need the bath stuff and lotion for the girls, Griff,” Camille reminded him.
“I’ll get someone from the drugstore to bring out what you need,” Doc suggested. “We can just put it on the regular bill.”
With a nod of acknowledgment, Griffin rounded up the three boys and headed out to the truck.
“There’s coffee already made, Doc. Would you like a cup?” Camille offered.
“Don’t mind if I do. No, stay down, I’ll get it. This little lady is just about asleep,” he added as he stood and placed Torie in the daybed, tucking her blanket around her. “Can I get you a refill?”
“Yes, please.”
He returned with two cups of coffee.
Caroline, too, was falling asleep, and Camille laid her down. Then she turned her attention to Elizabeth, still gnawing on a piece of toast. As she cut up some banana for the little girl to eat, Doc asked, “So, what do you think of the newest Randall?”
Many answers went through Camille’s mind. Finally, she chose the most innocuous. “He’s a fine man. Quite like his cousins, in spite of never having met them until recently.”
“He sure looks like Jake, don’t he?”
“Yes, he does.”
“I remember Margaret, his mother. A strongheaded little lady if there ever was one. Spoiled by her daddy. She cut a wide swath through the men when she reached puberty.”
Camille offered a polite smile in return but said nothing. She was
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