Even though it was Winter, and they should be back in school, Mr. and Mrs. Potts decided to let May and Andrew stay home during their first year together. They thought they would let them get to know each other this year, and the next year they would start Andrew in May's school fresh and early.
It was nearing December and that meant Christmas! It was May's favorite time of year, and she was excited even more when they received news that their Grandparents were going to visit them for Christmas. They had heard about Andrew, and wanted to meet their new Grandson.
When he heard this, Andrew was excited too. He had never known what it was like to have Grand- parents because his died before he was born. This was all new and exciting for him.
The weather became uncomfortably chilly, and Andrew caught a cold.
He had to stay in bed and keep handkerchiefs handy to blow his nose on, for it ran endlessly.
One very cold morning, Andrew woke to the delightful singing of birds by his window. May came bursting through the door a moment afterward, and told him the good news that their Grandparents were to arrive in one week!
One week! How long that “one week” seemed to both of them.
Andrew's cold, however, didn't get any better. He began to have a cough, and one night he broke into a terrible, shivering fever.
One moment, he was burning hot, but he had to stay under the covers for as soon as he pushed them away, he began to get cold and would pull them back over again.
This went on all the night.
The next morning was the day before their Grandparents arrived. But, it was not a happy day for Andrew.
Amelia brought him breakfast on a tray. Opening the door with her hip, she entered the room where Andrew was tossing in a sweat.
“Andrew dear. I've brought you some food. I hope you slept well―” she broke off when she saw the boy. He was very ill. Worse than she had thought, and she rushed to his side, quickly setting the tray on his dresser.
Feeling his forehead, she instantly recognized that he had a fever.
With her motherly instinct, she prepared a cloth and warm water. Then, sitting beside him, she patted the cloth onto his head, and stayed at his side, changing the cloth now and then, until he awoke.
May wondered where her mother had gone, after some time, and came to Andrew's room to find her.
“Oh dear. What's wrong with him?” she asked her mother as soon as she saw him.
“He has a fever. Now, hurry and get your father. Tell him to fetch our doctor at once.” she wiped sweat from her face. “I'm sure it's nothing, but just in case, I need to make sure he hasn't caught anything.” she smiled at May, and May hurried downstairs, concern on her young face.
George got on the phone as soon as the message was passed to him, and asked the doctor to come take a look, adding, “It's no real emergency, but Amelia is concerned.”
The doctor, Mr Roberts, soon arrived at their door, and May escorted him upstairs to Andrew's room.
Amelia left the room to tell Mary to make a cup of tea for the man. When she returned, the doctor stood up to greet her
“Mrs. Potts. It looks like he has a mild case of the flu. I must say he's taking it very nicely. A very healthy child indeed, very healthy.” he muttered a little to himself and then began to leave the room. “Oh, and there isn't any need to be worried. Just try to keep his fever down, and feed him liquids only.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Amelia opened the bedroom door to let him out. “There is tea downstairs. If you can stay that is.”
“Oh thank you, I will Mrs. Potts. A cup of tea will do me some good.” and with that, he began making his way down the staircase.
He was a stout man, and he wore a black vest that was much too small for him. So small in fact that he had to leave it open instead of buttoning it up. A gold watch chain hung from the front pocket.
Later when the doctor had left, May went in to see if Andrew was awake. He was, but his eyes were closed when she came in.
“Andrew?” May tiptoed up to the bed, and sat down on the edge of it. “Are you awake?”
Andrew moaned, and turned over. “Yes.” he coughed hard.
May flinched when he coughed. It was a terrible sound, and she was worried that it would be a long time till he got better. “Andrew, I was thinking about the...” she bent over to whisper it in his ear, “The mysterious room that we were investigating.” she sat up again, and smiled.
Andrew coughed again, and rubbed his eyes. “What about it?” he pulled himself up to a sitting position.
“Well, when will we go back to see it. And I want to know what that thing we saw was.” she looked worried. “Will you ever get better?”
Andrew tried to smile reassuringly, “Hey, it's okay. I think the worst of it is over. I might get better soon. You shouldn't be so worried. Leave that to me.” he put his hand on her arm.
May wiped her eyes, and sniffed. “When I heard you were terribly sick, I thought of my big brother,” she looked out the window, as if thinking about times far away now “I was worried I would lose you like I lost my brother. I never knew him you know. I was born later...after he died I mean.”
Andrew was thinking too now. “Do you know much about it? I mean about how he died?”
May hesitated. “I—Mother doesn't like talking about it. But I do know a few things.” she leaned closer and whispered, “but you must promise never to tell Mother that I said anything. She would be sad. It always makes her sad to think about him.”
“Alright. I promise.” Andrew's words were broken off by a cough. When he had recovered, he continued.
“So, what was his name?”
“Well, Mother called him Oscar once. I think it was when she was talking to Father about missing him. I was only a baby then, but I remember that back then they talked about him a lot.”
“That's a nice name.” Andrew mused.
“Yeah. I wish I had known him.” May looked out the window again.
“I wish I could've met him too! He would've been my brother also.” Andrew tried to console May. “So, what else do you know?”
“Well, I think that he was also most thirteen when he died. It happened before his Birthday and I only know a few details about his death.” May paused.
“Go on.” Andrew smiled. “I'm very interested. And besides, it will keep my mind off being sick” he grinned mischievously, and punched her in the arm.
“Okay.” she grinned back. “It was about 15 years ago when it happened. They were on a cruise, going to the Bahamas for the summer.
“He was always a sickly child, and Mother and Father were trying to help him soak up some sun. He was always pale, like in that picture of him. And the doctor had advised them to take him somewhere sunny, and with fresh air.
“After a few days on the ship, he began to get better, and he even got a tan. They were glad of that, and so they decided that when they got to the Bahamas they would celebrate him getting healthier. A few days later, something happened, and he died suddenly. And, that's all I know.” she leaned back against the bed post, and sighed. “It's always been just like that. I've tried to get Mother to tell me more; but she always ignores my question, and goes on to another subject. It's just a mystery to me.”
Andrew and May sat thinking, and talking for a while more. Then Amelia came in and shooed May out, saying Andrew needed to rest now.
The sun went down on the old mansion, and the cold of winter set in again.
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