Bucket fell asleep in the car on her way to her house.
When the car stopped, her mother turned in her seat to get a peek at her child. "Wakey, wakey sleepy head." She said sweetly.
Bucket's eyes started to flutter now. When they were open she was looking right at her mum in the seat before her.
"We're here darling." Mrs. Pinnock unbuckled her seat belt and then opened her door to climb out of the vehicle
Bucket was unbuckling her own seat belt when her mum opened the door for her.
"Come now." Her mum held a hand out for her and then helped her out. After that she picked up her daughter's bags and held them while walking the girl to the door.
They were now inside, moving upstairs.
"See that Lee-Lee? That's evidence to prove that mummies always know best. I knew that you probably wouldn't be able to last for the full day darling. That was why all of us were willing to drop what we were doing to stay home with you."
Leigh rubbed her eyes and started walking past her room down the hall.
"Sweetie don't you want to go to your own room? You should change." Debbie called.
But Leigh kept moving and then went into her mum's room.
Her mum followed her and then set her bags on the floor. She went to her daughter now and observed as the girl removed all of her clothes to lie in her bed. The girl lay there in just her panties now.
"Want to rest in Mummy's bed?" She asked as she sat at the edge to rub the girl's back. She sensed the fever still there so got up to get a thermometer. She brought it back and told her daughter to lie on her back so she could put it in.
Leigh-Anne cooperated and let the thermometer stay in her mouth.
The mother waited a while before she pulled it out and checked. "It's quite a high fever so you have the right idea in not wearing clothes Lee-Lee. It's one-hundred and two." She started to fan at her child's face. "Now where did that come from?" She wanted the temperature to go down. It was quite unhealthy to be that hot.
Leigh lay down and allowed her mum to fan her. She felt the breeze become more intense.
Debbie was using a flier to fan the girl now. "If you'd stayed home you'd probably be better by now Lee-Lee. Nothing heals the body like some good rest you know." She sighed feeling silly for letting Leigh decide to leave for school. According to what the principal had told her, her daughter had been sick in class so requested to go home. It could have been even worse. It was just that, she had thought that it would be mild since her daughter insisted that she was fine and because there had been no fever. She gets seizures from high fevers so I really ought to monitor her. "Give me a second. I'm going to wet up a towel to place on your forehead okay Lee-Lee?"
After maybe thirty minutes of trying to cool the girl down, when Debbie checked the thermometer again it finally looked less frightening. "Okay. You should be better now I suppose." She brushed a hand over the girl's forehead gently before kissing her.
The mother set the thermometer on the bedside table and then stood. "Alright. Is there anything that you'd like Lee-Lee? You must be hungry after puking up your animal crackers."
Leigh was lying on her front now.
"Come on now." Debbie sat close to her again and rubbed her back in the gentlest way that she could. She'd figured out a method which never disturbed the girl or made her uncomfortable. "Not hungry?"
Leigh moaned, sounding like a young child in pain.
"No? Not hungry? I'll go get you a glass of water then." The mother started getting up.
