Horseflies by Bonnie Bryant Page B

Mrs. Bacon that she had taken her son out for a wonderful time at the fair and brought him back with an upset stomach and chicken pox.
    “Sure.” Carole fished Jamie’s prizes from the back of the car while Lisa carried Jamie against her shoulder.
    When Mrs. Bacon came to the door, Lisa told her the story. “Then, when I cleaned him up, he felt awfully hot, and on the way over here, I noticed all these red spots on his stomach.” She swallowed. “Mrs. Bacon, I think Jamie might have chicken pox. The daughter of the owner of Pine Hollow has it, and I think Jamie might have been exposed to it when I took him over there on Monday.”
    “Oh no,” said Mrs. Bacon. She took Jamie to the sofa and laid him down. He looked at his mother and again groaned sleepily. She pulled his shirt up and inspected his stomach. Just as Lisa had said, pinpoints of red prickled his stomach and chest. “Look.” Mrs. Bacon pointed to three new spots on Jamie’s cheek. “They’re beginning to pop out on his face, too.” She looked at Lisa. “I think you’re right. I think he does have chicken pox.”
    “I’m so sorry,” said Lisa, giving Carole a panic-stricken look. “I would never have taken him to Pine Hollow if I’d thought it would give him chicken pox!”
    Though Mrs. Bacon’s eyes were still full of concern, she smiled at Lisa and put an arm around her shoulders. “I know that, Lisa. And I don’t want you to worry about that for a minute. Jamie couldn’t have caught chicken pox at Pine Hollow. It takes a lot longer than two days for a disease like that to develop.” She looked at Carole. “He probably got it from one of his classmates at Fenton Hall before school wasout. Poor little guy. He was so excited about going to the fair with you two and Stevie.”
    Though Lisa realized she wasn’t to blame, she still felt awful. “Is there anything we can do to help?” she asked.
    Mrs. Bacon thought a moment. “Well, it would be wonderful if you could help me get Jamie settled in his room.”
    The girls followed Mrs. Bacon as she carried Jamie down the hall to his bedroom. Lisa pulled the covers down on his bed while Carole arranged the space helmet on the teddy bear’s head and sat it in a rocking chair. Mrs. Bacon untied Jamie’s sneakers, laid him on the bed, and went into the hall to call the doctor’s office.
    Just as Mrs. Bacon began telling the nurse his symptons, Jamie opened his eyes.
    “Hi.” He blinked at Lisa and Carole, still groggy from his nap. “How come you’re here?”
    “Remember getting sick at the fair?” Lisa asked.
    Jamie nodded.
    “Remember getting into my mom’s car?”
    He nodded again.
    “Well, you fell asleep after that. We brought you home and put you to bed. Your mom’s just called the doctor.”
    Mrs. Bacon hung up the phone and came back into the room. “Well, Jamie, it seems that Lisa was right. You’ve got chicken pox. Dr. McLean says you need to stay in bed and get plenty of rest.”
    Jamie yawned.
    “Do you think you could go back to sleep now?”
    He nodded. Mrs. Bacon tucked the covers over him and kissed him on the cheek. “Then say good-bye to Lisa and Carole.”
    “Bye,” Jamie murmured. “Thanks for taking me to the fair.”
    Lisa smiled. “Bye, Jamie. I hope you feel better real soon.”
    “Let me see these girls to the door, Jamie, and I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Bacon motioned for Lisa and Carole to follow her out of the room.
    The girls tiptoed out into the hall. “Thanks so much for all your help,” Mrs. Bacon whispered as she closed Jamie’s door. “I know you tried your best to see that he had a good time today.”
    “I just hope he gets better in a hurry,” Lisa said as they walked to the front door.
    Mrs. Bacon turned to Lisa. “The doctor says Jamie will have to stay at home until he stops breaking out, so I’ll have to stay home with him. I guess I won’t be needing a baby-sitter for a while.”
    “Oh.” Lisa’s heart sank. In all the