Chapter Text
Getting sick wasn’t something Jess had wished to happen only a few months after moving to Stars Hollow. Well, preferably he didn’t want to be getting sick at all but if he really had to, he would’ve preferred it once he felt more comfortable with his new environment. Sure, Luke had tried his best to help Jess integrate, but he had also pushed the boy into a lake and yelled at him on multiple occasions. Their coexistence was still fresh and unstable and Jess sure as hell wasn’t comfortable enough to let Luke see him vulnerable.
Hence, at the first sign of his flu-like symptoms, Jess decided he needed to hide his illness. He figured it wouldn’t be too hard since he was always hiding stuff anyway. The first few days had been easy enough. His body ached uncomfortably but he managed to help out in the diner in the morning and then catch some shuteye during the boring classes at school. His head throbbed and his movements were slower than usual, but no one seemed to pay too much mind to him. He wore a thick sweater to keep the shivers at bay and napped on the couch while Luke worked. He even successfully pretended he had been reading a book rather than sleeping when Luke came to the apartment to keep all suspicions away.
But as Jess was rudely awoken by his uncle on day three, he could feel that the day wouldn’t be good. The body pains were relentless, and Jess felt like he hadn’t slept a wink despite being knocked out cold for ten hours that night. He shivered under his comforter and his skin felt clammy and gross. It would be tough to pretend nothing was wrong now.
“Jess, get up. You’ve already slept in, and I need your help in the diner”, Luke told him and pried the comforter off Jess. The boy whined at the lost warmth. Jess wasn’t sure if he could do this. His body felt two hundred pounds heavier. He felt like he had been exposed to the cold arctic air despite being in the stuffy apartment that barely had any ventilation.
Jess rubbed his eyes to get rid of the ache in them. “Can I at least shower first?” He figured showering could help his aching muscles and get him fully awake. It also wouldn’t hurt to get rid of the sweat plastered on his clammy skin.
“No, you don’t have time for that. Just get dressed and come down.” With that, Luke left the apartment.
A sigh escaped Jess’s lips as he contemplated his options. If he told Luke he wasn’t feeling well, the man would definitely let him stay home from school. Jess could sleep all he wanted in his warm bed and he could let his body rest and heal itself. But Luke would also fuss over him, constantly ask him questions like if he was okay and if he wanted soup or medicine. It would also mean Jess would have to admit to Luke that he wasn’t feeling well.
Jess glanced out of the window and saw it was raining. It was only a few minute walk to school but he knew getting wet while having the flu wasn’t ideal. He also wasn’t thrilled about the idea of walking, let alone having to deal with all the idiots at school. That thought made the decision for him.
He pulled the comforter back on him and curled up on his side. A small smile crept onto his lips as he heard the rain hitting the windows, knowing that he wouldn’t have to suffer that discomfort today. Relief washed over him as he closed his eyes, ready for sleep to take him over again.
But his relief was short-lived. Soon, he heard the door to the apartment being slammed open and the angry footsteps of the flannel-wearing man making his way next to his bed. “What the hell Jess?! I told you to get down there twenty minutes ago. I needed your help with the morning rush”, the older man yelled at him and yanked Jess’s comforter down yet again. He shivered as cold air touched his fevered skin.
Jess hesitated for a while. Luke was angry and he knew for a fact that people weren’t the most forgiving or permissive when they were angry. But Jess was determined to stay home that day, and that meant telling his uncle the truth. “I’m not feeling well”, Jess said with a quieter, less defiant voice than normally.
“Oh, I’m sure you’re not. You probably have pneumonia measles and diphtheria all at once. And you’re so ill you cannot possibly go to school or help me out but you can of course watch TV and read your endless books”, Luke ranted mockingly.
Jess was taken aback by the man’s reaction. He hadn’t expected Luke not to believe him. He thought that the second he peeped something that lightly suggested he was sick, the man would be fussing right over him.
Before he could say anything, Luke was throwing his clothes on the bed. “Get dressed. Now. I’m dragging you to school personally. They need me to sign a paper anyway since you’re late”, he hissed.
Jess looked at his uncle with clouded eyes but the man seemed to miss the look of them. He also missed the way his body was radiating with unnatural heat and they both missed the red spots that had started to form on his chest and stomach.
With slow movements, Jess started dressing. There was no point fighting it, Luke wouldn’t believe him anyway. Luke had turned away from the boy to give him at least a fraction of privacy in the tiny apartment the two men shared. Jess slid on the hoodie thrown on his bed on top of his sleep shirt and although he liked the warmth of it, he knew the feeling wouldn’t last once he was out in the cold. The heavy fabric of the jeans he put on felt rough and uncomfortable against his tender skin and his whole body protested when he bent down to tie his shoes.
Luke shoved his backpack towards Jess and they walked down the stairs without a word. Jess slugged behind the older man as they walked through the now empty diner and out the door into the rain. Distinctively, Jess wrapped his arms around himself and pulled the hood up his head as he was met with the cold autumn air. Luke growled something about keeping up as they made their way toward the high school.
By the time Jess got in, Luke had already signed the paper for Jess being late given by the receptionist. As he turned to go back, he gave Jess a serious look. “Don’t miss any classes or I’ll come and personally escort you to each one”, he threatened Jess. “We’ll talk about this when you get home.”
The receptionist gave Jess a dirty look as Jess passed her, but he ignored her. He dragged his feet to his first lesson, which he had already missed 15 minutes from. He reluctantly slipped the note to his teacher and collapsed on a desk at the very back of the classroom. He wasn’t even sure which subject this was, and he couldn’t care less. His whole body ached, and his eyelids were as heavy as lead.
He was mad at Luke for not believing him. He was mad that instead of resting in his bed, Jess was forced to sit through excruciatingly boring classes while he was under the weather. It had taken him a lot of courage to admit he wasn’t feeling well and to just be disregarded hurt more than Jess wanted to let on.
Jess rested his head on the desk, hoping that the teacher wouldn’t call on him. They all practically hated him, so he wasn’t holding his breath though. The bright lights were making his headache even worse, and he hadn’t had a chance to take a pain med earlier like he had done on the previous days.
As Jess sat there, he couldn’t help but notice the uncomfortable itch spreading in his middle. At first he thought it was a bug bite or something, but as Jess slipped his hand under his shirt to scratch the spot, he realized it wasn’t just one place that was itching. His entire torso felt like tiny sparks flickering just beneath the surface of his skin.
That was new. Normally his flus didn’t come with the additional present of itching. Jess wasn’t sure if the itchiness was connected to his other symptoms, but he did know that it was adding to his misery.
When the class was finally dismissed, Jess dragged his feet to the nearest bathroom. He locked himself into a stall and pulled his shirt up to investigate. He frowned as he saw tens, maybe even hundreds of red spots littering his chest and stomach. He cursed under his breath and pulled his sweater off completely to see the damage on his arms. Fortunately, the spots hadn’t reached there. He also peered under the waistband of his pants and found nothing. Yet. He stepped out of the stall and studied his face in the mirror. No spots on his face, but he could see them forming around the collar of his shirt.
Jess knew he had to get out of school. The mocking would be relentless if other students saw him with a million red spots on his face. But he knew he couldn’t just bail. Luke would be notified immediately if Jess didn’t show up for class and the threats, he’d made earlier didn’t exactly make Jess feel at ease. Luke wouldn’t believe Jess. Someone else needed to tell him Jess was sick.
His next class was English, to his relief. His English teacher was the only one who liked him. Jess figured he could stop by the classroom and tell her he’d go to the nurse before the class started. That way he could avoid having the whole class hear it.
Luck seemed to be in his favor, as when he peeked into the classroom, Ms. Franklin was already sitting by her desk, writing down notes. There were a few kids sitting in their seats, but it was better than a full classroom.
Jess cleared his throat before talking. “Hey, Ms. Franklin. I think I’m coming down with something. I’m gonna go to the nurse.”
Ms. Franklin turned to look at him with a soft smile. “Of course, Jess. You do look unwell. Do you need someone to come with you?”
“No thanks. I’ll be fine.”
Ms. Franklin nodded. “Take care of yourself, hun.”
Jess made his way toward the nurse’s office. He had barely been at school for an hour, and he was ready to conclude the day. As he knocked on the door, he just wished he could go home soon.
A short and thick woman opened the door and welcomed Jess in. She eyed the appearance of the boy and questioned in her mind how he had even been sent to school that day. Jess sat on the examination table and dropped his bag on the floor.
“So, you feel ill. What symptoms do you have and when did they start?” the nurse asked.
“I started feeling kind of bad two days ago. My body and head aches, I’m cold all the time and feel really tired”, Jess listed, not meeting her eyes.
She gave him a tight look. “And why didn’t you tell anyone earlier?”
“I thought I could handle it”, he said quietly. “But I feel worse now. I noticed some itchy spots forming and I figured that wasn’t normal”, Jess admitted finally.
The nurse cocked her eyebrows at the revelation. “Itchy spots? Where?”
Jess shifted uncomfortably. “On my stomach and chest. Probably back too but I couldn’t see there.”
“Lay down honey. And lift your shirt. I’ll take a look at the spots.”
Jess did as he was told. He cringed as he exposed his skin to the cold air. The nurse gasped as she saw the state of his middle. “Oh dear.” That freaked Jess out.
“Have you ever had chickenpox?” the nurse asked as she gently examined him. Jess shook his head. Not that he knew of anyway. He had been sick all the time as a kid but he never remembered any spots.
“Well, it seems like you caught that now hun. Chickenpox is a type of disease that you can only have once in your life. Usually, kids have it when they are relatively young. But it seems like you managed to avoid it back then.” She put a thermometer under his armpit.
“I thought you can only have chickenpox as a kid”, Jess said. The nurse had finished her examination and Jess pulled his shirt down, wrapping his arms around himself to preserve some warmth. The thermometer beeped and the nurse grimaced again.
The nurse looked at him with a small smile. “It’s the most common in children, yes. But adults who’ve never had it can catch it. Chickenpox is a mild disease for children. However, adults and older teens can get very ill from it. I’m going to call your uncle straight away and have him come get you. We need to get you to bed as soon as possible.”
Jess curled up on the examination table. He was nervous about how Luke would react. But more than anything, he was tired. He just wanted to go home.
He thought he had dozed off, because the next time he opened his eyes, Luke was kneeling beside him. Jess struggled to sit up and he felt Luke’s hand on his back. He looked worried.
“Hey, kid. Ready to go home?” Luke asked, studying his nephew’s face. Jess just nodded and jumped down from the table. Luke took his bag and thanked the nurse before heading out, going firmly only as fast as Jess could manage.
“Sorry I didn’t believe you”, Luke said as the walked down the corridor. Jess didn’t answer. He was preserving his energy to walking. He also didn’t want to discuss the topic of trust with Luke at the moment.
It was still raining when they stepped outside. Luke opened an umbrella and gave it to Jess. He decided not to share it with Jess but instead give the boy some space. He didn’t mind getting wet anyway. He’d never get sick.
“You know what? I need to pop into Doose’s to buy some supplies. You just go ahead and go home”, Luke said as he remembered that he had no medicine nor even a thermometer in his apartment. Like said, he never got sick.
Jess didn’t bother answering but instead continued walking, trying to avoid the puddles forming on the streets. He tried to ignore how tired and out of breath the short walk had made him. He could barely hear the pattering of the waterdrops on the umbrella over his heavy breathing.
He was only a few feet from the door of the diner when he saw a certain Lorelai Gilmore walk out the door. “Hey, Jess. Any idea where Luke is? The diner’s all empty and I need my coffee before I can even think of working.” Typical Gilmore.
“Doose’s”, Jess answered in one word. He had his doubts about the woman, and she was about the last person he wanted to see now that he was feeling like burning his own skin off.
He pushed past her and dropped the umbrella on the ground before gathering all his strength to walk up the steep, narrow stairs.
“Will he be back soon?” he heard her ask. “And shouldn’t you be in school?” Jess ignored both questions. Not that he could’ve even answered anyway. He was way too out of breath to talk and only halfway up the stairs.
To his surprise, he made it all the way up the stairs without collapsing. He kicked off his shoes and stripped off the uncomfortable jeans before diving under covers. He didn’t bother putting on any pajama pants nor did he even dream of showering. He was in bed and that’s all he could ever want right now.
Luke was quick with his shopping. He got some pain and fever reducer, herbal tea, lotion for itching, and a thermometer. He carried the items in his hands as he entered the diner. To his surprise, he found Lorelai sitting on the counter.
“Hey”, she greeted him. “Wow, what's with the itch cream, Luke? You got a secret poison ivy hobby I don't know about?”
Luke gave the woman a slightly irritated look, but then again, that was his standard. “Jess is ill. Apparently, he has chickenpox.”
“Chickenpox? The children’s disease?” Lorelai asked skeptically. For all she knew, she was certain Jess would fake just about anything to get out of school.
“It’s not just for children. The nurse said it can be really dangerous when teens and adults have it.”
“And you’re sure he’s not faking it?”
“Why would he fake something like this?” His irritation was growing. She was yet again calling his nephew a liar. Luke knew Jess hadn’t made a great first impression with Lorelai but sometimes the woman was just unfair towards the kid.
“I don’t know Luke. To skip school?”
“The nurse said he had a fever of 101.3°F degrees (38.5° C) and his whole torso was covered in red spots. Plus the kid seemed absolutely miserable during the short walk home, so no, I don’t think he’s faking it.”
“How come you didn’t notice anything this morning if he was so sick then?” Lorelai challenged.
Luke sighed. The kid had tried to tell him he was sick, and he hadn’t believed him. Guilt was eating him alive as he thought about how he forced the ill boy to school. “I didn’t take a good look at him. He was saying that he didn’t feel good but my first instinct was that he was lying. He probably went to the nurse only because he knew I wouldn’t believe him unless someone else would tell me that he’s actually sick.”
Lorelai’s gaze softened at that. “Okay. I’m sorry for doubting him”, she said. “Now go take care of your sick kid. I’ll serve myself coffee.”
Luke made his way upstairs. There was an unmoving lump on his nephew’s bed. Luke went over to the kitchen table and set the items he’d bought there. He quickly scanned the instructions for the ibuprofen and popped out a pill. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water and walked over to his nephew.
“Jess, I need you to take this”, he said and shook the boy’s shoulder. Jess groaned in annoyance. He had just fallen asleep, and he wasn’t happy about the giant shaking him awake.
His eyes ached as he tried to make out what Luke was holding in front of him. He reluctantly grabbed the glass and swallowed the pill without a problem. “Can I sleep now?” he asked angrily.
“Yes, you get some rest now. I’ll be down at the diner if you need me.”
Jess grunted as a reply and buried himself back under the covers. He didn’t need Luke. He didn’t need help from anyone. He just wished he could stay curled up in bed without anyone disturbing him until he felt better.
He was so damn tired, but the itching wouldn’t let him sleep. He scratched his stomach furiously and cursed himself for biting down his nails. He could’ve really used them now. The nurse had told him not to scratch them or the spots could scar, but the itching was driving him insane, and he wasn’t looking at becoming a mental patient as well.
He threw the blanket over his head and tried to get his mind off the terrible itching. Fortunately, the remote for the stereo was right next to his bed, and with a single push of a button, loud heavy metal started blasting through it. With the help of the mind-numbing music, Jess managed to fall asleep.
It was late afternoon when Luke returned to the apartment. He lowered a plate of steamed vegetables and salmon next to Jess’s bed and turned down the music. The teenager had successfully buried himself under the bedding so well that not even a strand of his black hair could be seen.
As Luke pulled down the blankets to reveal Jess’s face, he visibly gasped as he saw the state of his nephew. The red spots had reached his face and hundreds of them were covering his cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, and neck. Even his eyelids had spots on them. And although Jess looked peaceful as he was asleep, Luke knew it would end when he woke up the boy. He could only imagine how uncomfortable the spots were.
The nurse had asked Luke whether he’d had chicken pox before and although Luke couldn’t remember much from his childhood, he did remember the time he was nine and Liz was seven and both of them suffered through the illness at the same time. Back then, his mom was still alive and she stayed home and took care of them. She forced them to wear mittens so they couldn’t scratch the spots and she made them soup and let them sleep in her bed. Luke remembered the itching, how it never seemed to stop and he remembered the smelly lotion his mom made him put on. But she also sang them lullabies and rubbed their aching bodies and gave them popsicles. Luke remembered how tenderly his mom cared for them, with so much love and compassion.
Luke didn’t think Jess could be comforted by the same things as he was back then. He probably wouldn’t want to sleep in Luke’s bed and hearing him sing lullabies to Jess would more likely give him nightmares than lull him to sleep.
The older man had to brace himself for waking up Jess. He knew he needed to do it. Jess needed more liquids in his system, as well as some food and medicine, and Luke needed to check his temperature. The rational thinking didn’t ease his guilt though.
Gently, he reached out and shook Jess’s shoulder. A sound of disapproval escaped the boy’s lips but he didn’t open his eyes. “Come on Jess. I made you lunch, and you need to take more drugs”, Luke encouraged him.
“Go away”, came the mumbled reply. His hand reached out from under the blankets and the boy scratched his cheek lazily. Luke noticed that the spots had made their way to Jess’s arms and hands as well. He sighed, knowing that probably every inch of the boy’s body was now covered in itchy red spots.
Luke grabbed Jess’s wrist to stop him from scratching. Jess took offense to this and yanked his wrist free. He even managed to open his eyes to the disrespect. “Can you fuck off? I don’t need your help”, he hissed angrily.
Luke sighed. He expected the hostility, after all, Jess had not once let his guard down with anyone during his stay in Stars Hollow. The fight wouldn’t die down just because he had a fever and couldn’t stop scratching himself for more than twenty seconds at a time.
“Fine”, Luke complied. “But make sure to eat and drink some. The meds and thermometer are on the kitchen table. I’ll get out of your hair.”
With that, Luke disappeared back into the diner. He had offered help and Jess had refused. He couldn’t exactly force himself on the boy, even when he was weak and obviously needed some help. But Luke let him figure things out on his own. Maybe he’d ask for help when he realized he needed it. Well, that was a distant thought, it was Jess they were talking about.
Jess rubbed his tired eyes and slowly sat up on the bed. He noticed the spots on his hands now and he could only guess that they had made their way to his face as well, judging by the itchiness. Sitting up was making him dizzy and he groaned and buried his head in his hands. Fuck this was terrible.
The food sitting on the bedside table didn’t raise his appetite one bit. The water glass, however, looked very inviting to his dry and achy throat. He gulped the water in one go. He figured he really could’ve used the medicine, but the seven or so feet to the kitchen table was way too daunting of a task for him to achieve, let alone opening the cap of the pill bottle. He decided that he could just sleep it off. He definitely wouldn’t ask Luke for help. No way. He could deal with this alone.
He turned the music back on and lowered himself back on the thin but comfortable mattress. He felt so worn out, and he couldn’t believe that only a few hours ago he had been in school. Not even waterboarding could make him go to school now.
Jess passed out not long after closing his eyes. The persistent itch could only keep him awake so long before the fever and fatigue took over him.
Luke felt helpless when Jess sent him down from the apartment. The words the nurse said kept playing in his head. “Chickenpox can be severe in teens and adults”, “he might require hospitalization” and “you’ll need to keep a close eye on him” were sentences said in the small treatment room in Stars Hollow High while Jess lay passed out on the examination table.
But how was Luke meant to keep a close eye on the boy when he wouldn’t even let him take care of him? Jess was too stubborn for his own good. He barely tolerated Luke in the same room as him. How could Luke possibly know if things were going south if he wasn’t even in the same room?
Sometimes he cursed his luck with Jess. Or mainly, he cursed Liz for not taking care of her kid and dumping him on Luke. He knew the town hated Jess and even when Luke tried to ignore them, he knew that Jess was a handful, usually even more than a handful. In the last two months that Jess had been living with him, Luke barely got a full sentence out of the kid. He didn’t respect Luke or any rules set for him, he stole from people and wreaked havoc with his stupid pranks. And now, he was refusing any and all help Luke offered for him when the boy clearly needed some.
But also, maybe it wasn’t the kid’s fault. It wasn’t his fault his mom had abandoned him to a strange small town where everyone smelled like vanilla and carved pumpkins together. It wasn’t his fault he had never know stability or unconditional love. It wasn’t his fault he had been left to fend for himself from a young age and now he was unable to accept help.
Luke tried to be understanding, he really did. But he didn’t know the extent of things Jess had experienced growing up. Liz would keep it hidden and Jess wouldn’t tell him. The boy barely told him anything. And when he told Luke he was feeling sick, Luke didn’t believe him. Damn it. He really fucked up, didn’t he?
With only a few customers in the diner, Luke decided to check on Jess again. He found the glass of water empty by the boy’s bedside, but the food looked untouched. The medicine and thermometer still sat on the kitchen table and Luke assumed Jess hadn’t used them. Luke grabbed the thermometer and marched towards the still lump laying on the bed.
It was harder than Luke thought, to get the thermometer under Jess’s arm while the boy was asleep. Though Luke was pretty certain it would’ve been even harder if the boy was awake. He would’ve fought Luke on it for sure.
As the beep pierced the silence in the small apartment, Luke pulled the thermometer from Jess’s armpit through the collar of the boy’s shirt. The digital screen read 103.1°F (39.5°C) degrees. Luke cursed under his breath. Jess was getting worse. He gently felt the boy’s forehead to make sure that the gadget wasn’t lying. He was burning up and this at the latest, surged Luke into a panic.
He frantically searched for the number of his doctor. He knew he had it on a note somewhere. He knocked over stacks of Jess’s books as he searched the cupboards. Apparently, the search mission was so loud that Luke managed to wake up the sleeping beauty.
“What the hell Luke?!” came Jess’s irritated voice from the bed. He had sat up and he was looking at his uncle with narrow eyes.
Luke turned toward the boy but he didn’t stop searching. “I need to find a note.”
“What note? You’re acting like a maniac”, Jess complained.
“A note with my doctor’s number on it.”
“What for?”
“I thought you’re the smart one”, Luke remarked. “For you, Einstein.”
“What? I’m not that sick. I’m fine”, Jess protested. Yeah, his head ached and his body ached and his whole body was itchy and he felt like he was burning up alive, but he didn’t need to see a doctor. He’d be fine with just some rest. He always was.
“Jess, you have a high fever despite taking meds and you’re covered in red spots. I think we should play it safe and let the doctor decide if you're fine or not”, Luke tried to reason. But he knew what was coming. It was never that easy with Mr. Mariano.
Jess put on the most serious face he could muster at 103-degree fever. “I’m not going to the doctor.”
“Jess- “
“Forget it! I don’t need to be poked or prodded.”
Luke let out a heavy sigh. “So, you just wanna sit here until your organs boil? You need to take your health seriously, kid. It’s better to go now than wait until you’re too sick to even get out of bed.”
Jess was silent. He still had a challenging look on his face, but he seemed to be lost on how to answer to the older man.
“Just let me take you to the doctor, Jess. Just to make sure everything’s fine. I’ll leave you alone after that”, Luke pleaded with a softer voice now.
Jess rolled his eyes. “Whatever. But you can’t come into the treatment room with me.”
“Deal.”
Luke was relieved but he still had to find the note. He searched his bedside table and the drawers below with no luck.
Jess was caught in a coughing fit, leaning heavily into his arm as he tried to catch a breath. Luke tried to not worry too much about it, but he knew he probably should. The nurse had said that the chickenpox could easily develop into respiratory illnesses.
“Check under the bathroom sink”, Jess managed to say once he was no longer coughing.
“What? Why would it be there?”
“Just check it.”
Luke was confused, but he decided to do as his nephew said and he walked over to the bathroom. Surely enough, a stack of papers and Luke’s insurance details were under there, alongside the note Luke had turned the entire apartment upside down to find. Luke knew that he hadn’t put the papers under the sink. Why would he? It wasn’t a very logical place to put them. So that left just one person who could’ve put them there.
As he re-entered the room, he found Jess lying on his side, hiding his face under his arm that was draped over his face. “You put those papers there?” Luke asked as he approached the phone on the wall. He didn’t get an answer from the boy.
“Why’d you do it, Jess?”
“I just wanted to mess with your stuff to see if you’d notice. And you didn’t. They’ve been there since the day I came here.”
Luke shook his head in disbelief. Sometimes, most times, he just didn’t understand the boy. Everything was a game to him, something he could mess around with and not take seriously. Despite his conflicting feelings, he punched his doctor’s number into the phone and picked it up to hear it ring.
“Dr. Greg Brown speaking”, came the voice after a few rings.
“Hey, Dr. Brown. It’s Luke Danes.”
“Luke, how are you doing?” The doctor asked familiarly. He had been Luke’s family doctor practically Luke’s whole life and knew the man well.
“I’m doing fine, doc. It’s my nephew Jess that I’m worried about.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Luke glanced at Jess’s way and saw him already asleep, exhausted by the fever. “He um, he has the chickenpox. He’s seventeen and the school nurse said it could get really bad. He has a fever of 103 degrees and he’s coughing a lot too”, Luke explained, trying to keep his voice down.
Dr. Brown was silent for a while. “That sounds like he’s dealing with a lot. Does he have the rash from chickenpox as well?”
“Yes, all over his body. He’s been scratching it even when I tell him not to.”
“You should bring him in and I’ll take a look at him”, the doctor said with certainty. “Can you make it tomorrow morning at 8:30?”
“Yeah, that works. Thank you, Dr. Brown.”
“I’ll see you then Luke.”