Just Friends?

Chapter 4: A Sick Kitty

Connor lay down in bed and groaned. He wasn't wearing his blue jacket and had an ice pack on his head. His head had been spinning all day and his throat felt scratchy. Maybe he was coming down with something.

Christine stuck a thermometer into his mouth. After a while, she took it out and checked it. "You've got a fever, young man," she said. "You'll have to stay in bed and rest up till you're better, okay?"

"Yes, Mom," he replied. He didn't even feel like leaving the bed anyway - he felt weaker than normal.

"Don't feel bad, kiddo," said his mother. "Your friends are coming over to visit."

After hearing what she had said, Connor sat up with a smile on his face. "When?"

"In a couple minutes," said Christine with a laugh. She headed for the door. "If you need me or Dad, just call for us, you got it?"

"Got it!" replied Connor. He was starting to feel better about all this. "I can't wait for them to get here!"

Earlier that morning, Connor woke up feeling a lot more tired than usual. He tried to shrug off the feeling and convinced himself that he probably didn't get enough sleep the night before.

His friends were worried for him though. "I don't think you should come to school if you're not feeling well," said Greg.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, you guys," replied Connor with a shrug. "I'm just a little tired. That's all."

Throughout the first part of the school day, everything went fine. He only felt queasy or tired every once in a while, and it didn't last very long.

But at lunchtime, he wasn't sure if he was all that fine anymore. As soon as he sat down at one of the lunch tables with his friends, his head started to spin. "Ugh, my head..." He pinched his eyebrows together.

"Are you okay?" asked Amaya, a worried look spread across her face. She placed her palm on his forehead. "You're burning up."

"I guess you guys are right." Connor lay down his head on the table. "I don't feel so good..."

"I'll go get Teacher!" volunteered Ivan as he wheeled off into the school building.

Greg ran after him. "I'm coming too!"

Amaya gently rubbed Connor's back. "Don't worry, we've got your back."

Connor gave her a weak smile. "Thanks. I needed that."

As soon as Ivan and Greg had come back with Teacher, Amaya took Connor to the nurse's office while Teacher called his parents to pick him up.

"You need to lie down," Amaya told Connor, who was sitting up in one of the beds in the nurse's office. "You need rest."

"Okay, okay." Connor lay down. "I'm sorry I made you and the others worried."

"It's okay," said Amaya. "I know you never meant to."

Now, sitting in bed back home, he couldn't wait for his friends to ring the doorbell, walk into his room and keep him company.

At that moment he heard a knock at his bedroom door. "Come in!" His smile got wider when he saw who came over. His friends - "Amaya, Greg and Ivan! You're here!" he said.

"Hey buddy," said Greg, patting his hand. "Sorry you're feeling sick."

"We'll come over to visit you every day until you're better," Amaya jumped in. "We'll also help give you the homework Teacher gave us to do."

"Thanks, you guys." Connor really felt lucky to have friends like them. "Um... where's Newton?"

"Oh, he's at the library," said Ivan. "He said something's going on at the moon and he needed to find out more."