Page 65 of Country Charm

I smile to myself.Such a mother.I am relieved that she got the medicine in her, but I am worried about her keeping it down. She hasn’t had anything in her stomach all day and I’m afraid she’ll throw it up, which would meanour efforts were in vain. She settles back into her sleep, and I think we might be lucky.

Looking over at Jake, I see his tear-stained face.

“I bet you she’s just dog tired, Jake. She works just as hard as you, and to catch a bug probably just forced her to get some deep sleep.” I grasp his hand over his mother’s and give a gentle squeeze.

“Let’s let her sleep. We’ll check her temp in twenty to see if it’s coming down.”

He nods a few times, and I stand to let him get her situated in a fashion he’s comfortable with. Leaning on the doorframe I see him lean down and kiss her cheek. It makes me think of my own mother.

I wouldn’t have kissed my mother’s cheek in high school while in front of others if my life depended on it. Or maybe I’ve never been as scared for my mother as Jake is right now.

I sit at the bar top in Jake’s kitchen with him as he watches the clock for twenty minutes. He tells me that she’s worked more doubles this week at the diner than single shifts. That woman couldn’t say no to that sleazeball of a boss if she wanted to. He dangles her job in front of her like he’d take it away, but everyone knows he can’t. That place would fall apart without her.

At twenty minutes on the money, we head back into his room and her temp is down in the 101 range. I’m pleased, but Jake isn’t.

“It will keep going down, Jake. Just gotta give it some time.”

“What will go down?” Sharon’s rubbing her eyes and looking at Jake and me standing over her.

“Mom!” Jake yells as he rushes over to her. “You had a fever and Mr. Hill gave you medicine. You have been asleep all day.”

Sharon chuckles. “Of course, I slept all day. I’m sick, boy. Ain’t no thang.” She rubs his knee. “You didn’t have to drag your boss out here.” Sharon is as independent as Cassidy. I know it will hurt her pride if I say too much.

“He didn’t know how much to give you, and I was dropping him off from work.”

“Oh good, you went in. I told you I would be fine.” She smiles and closes her eyes. “If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to sleep a little more. Kick this cold to the curb.” She smiles lightly and turns her face away from us, closing her eyes.

I nod and look over to see Jake feeling relieved, but still tightly wound. I doubt he’ll be able to get any decent sleep tonight. Now that he has that thermometer, he may rely on it as a lifeline until she’s better.

I make my way out of his room and stand in the living room waiting for him to come out. When Jake comes out, he brings out the plastic bag with the Pedialyte and an unopened box. He starts placing the items on the counter before he crushes the plastic bag up into a ball.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Hill.” He meets my gaze and suddenly he looks a little older. The realization that help from others isn’t always a burden may be happening for him.

“Anytime. On my farm, you’re family. Take tomorrow off, and don’t be afraid to give me a call if y’all need anything.” I nod twice and give him a gentle smile.

“Thank you, sir.” I can see he has a small inner battle going on. Hopefully, his worry isn’t about money. I know it’s always tight for them. I won’t press because it’s not my place, and the kid has been through enough today. If he ever opens that conversation, I’d let him know I wouldn’t mind giving him a helping hand until she was better.

I make my way back to my truck and start it up right away. I don’t want to linger too long so Jake can get to whatever he needs to and worry less about company. On my drive back to the house, I call Cassidy and fill her in. She is both relieved and worried. I like her soft spot for the two.

Back on the property, Harrison is waiting for me on the porch at my place. I forgot that he said he would wait for me. He has made mention of something he wanted to talk about a few times now. I’m hoping he won’t mind tabling the conversation tonight. I’m suddenly dog tired from all the worry today; Cassidy at work, Jake missing, Sharon being sick.

Whatever Harrison wants to talk about seems like something that may take more than five minutes of my time, and I want to give him whatever he needs.

“The boy alright?” Harrison asks as I walk up.

“Yeah, Sharon caught a cold or flu. He was trying to figure out how to take care of her.”

“They alright now?” He stands as I walk up the steps.

“Yeah. Can whatever we need to talk about wait? I’m beat.” Harrison looks a little defeated at my immediate brush-off. I hate that he looks that way, especially after him being so understanding about the whole Cassidy thing.

“You know what, tell me while I eat.” I open the door and leave it open for him to walk through first.

“Your food’s in the microwave. I already ate mine.” Harrison all but skips into the house. “What’s all this shit, by the way?” He motions toward all the items I recently bought at the flea market.

“Homemaker shit,” I chuckle.

“Because you’re a homemaker now.” He slaps me on the back.

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