Page 36 of Class Clown

On Monday morning, the first day after a fresh batch of campers had arrived, one of our camp counselors dropped with a stomach bug. I examined her and sent her off to the recuperation and quarantine room in the health center.

“Hope you’re prepared for a barf fest,” I told Kristy as I left the room and made my way back to the main exam area where I washed up thoroughly. “There’s no way that bug isn’t going to rip through camp.”

“You don’t think we caught her fast enough?” Kristy asked as she sanitized the exam table, wearing a mask and latex gloves that matched her blue pants.

“The problem is that she spent the whole night around people and slept in the same cabin with everyone. I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve seen it happen before.”

A knock on the doorjamb had me and Kristy looking that direction. I assumed it was already our next patient, but Cole stood in the doorway with his clipboard and a frown. I’d be frowning too if I was running a camp from printed out schedules and clipboards, but Cole insisted the ancient methods served him best, especially considering the WiFi situation.

His black hair was rumpled, which really complimented his wrinkled shirt and shorts. The guy had a serious need to pull himself together, but I’d kept my mouth shut because the measure of a man isn’t in his clothing,and camp was running smoothly so far. If his insides were a mess, I’d have staged an intervention.

“Can one of you go on today’s hike with cabin six?” he asked, flipping pages fast enough that I doubted he was able to read any of them. “We’re short one counselor thanks to sickness, and no one else can get away.”

Hiking? I could hike, but I was much better at meandering. Kristy was fit and chipper, and would probably enjoy the chance to leave the health center and socialize a bit. I looked her way, expecting her to jump at it, but she was looking down at her feet and frowning.

Cole stopped flipping papers and glanced between us. “Okay. Since neither of you are jumping in here, I guess Kristy? Can you go? That way Ruby can stay here to staff the health center.”

“How long is the hike?” Kirsty asked hesitantly.

Confused, I gave her a thorough once-over. Kristy was usually up for anything, and asked no questions. Why would she be hesitant about this hike?

“It’s about a four hour round trip, but it’s not hiking the whole time. They go slow, they eat lunch and explore for a while. There’s a lesson on the native plants and animals. The other counselor will cover that. It shouldn’t be strenuous,” Cole replied, obviously as confused as I was.

Kristy blushed and held out her ankle. “The thing is, I sort of twisted my ankle on a hike Saturday. It’s okay for regular activity, as long as I sit a bit, but I’m not sure if I can push it that hard yet. I’m walking with a limp.”

Oh boy, I was winning oblivious award. How had I not noticed her limping around this morning? I looked at her ankle to give it my own assessment. I didn’t see swelling or bruising, but I also wasn’t right up against her ankle area with a magnifying glass and she had on boots.

“I feel bad leaving you to handle anything that happens in here today,” I said. And just to be extra clear on what that meant, I mimicked someone heaving.

She smiled at my antics. “I’ll be fine,” she replied.

“You okay with me being off site for half the day?” I asked Cole.

He tapped his foot. “I don’t like it, but I don’t see much of a choice. It’s a girl’s cabin, which means we need a woman to step in.”

“Alright.” I nodded. “What do I need to do to prepare?”

“Nico is in the cafeteria helping the campers pack their lunches. You have time to run back to our cabin and change into your hiking boots, grabyour day pack, and meet him there. I’ll let him know you’re coming,” Cole instructed as he scribbled something on his clipboard.

“Nico? Is he leading the hike?” Kristy asked.

Cole nodded, still looking down at his papers. “Yeah. He enjoys hiking so he’s the official trail guide. It leaves the two counselors free to focus more on the kids rather than map reading.”

It explained why I didn’t see him a lot during the day. It also explained his general chill level. If I spent all day hiking, I’d be more Zen, that’s for sure. Or at least too tired to make trouble.

Kristy sank down onto the stool near the exam table. “Who is the other counselor going?”

“Gina,” Cole stated.

This was good news for me. I’d planned to get to know her better, but she’d been gone all weekend. Now I’d been thrown a bone. It would be good to see how her and Nico interacted too.

Kristy’s body language, however, screamedcrestfallen. Nico aside, Gina was her best friend up here and it would have been a fun opportunity to hang out mid-week.

Cole popped out abruptly after that and I gave Kristy a commiserating glance. “I’m so sorry. Are you sure your ankle can’t handle it?”

She nodded sadly. Poor Kristy. She was about to miss out on a golden opportunity, and then get to hear all about it from her friend. Gina had been low level flirting with Nico for weeks now, and he’d been oblivious to it. I had a feeling that today she was going to turn up the heat and I would have a front row seat. Best day ever.

“Well, have fun,” Kristy moped. “I can’t wait to hear about it.”

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