"Ali," a voice whispered.
"Mm." she mumbled.
"Alison." the voice said again only louder this time.
Alison slowly opened her eyes when she heard her name and felt someone nudging her. Focusing her gaze on the person hovering over her, she sat up.
"What do you need Chris?" Ali whispered, careful not to wake the other sleeping bodies around the tent.
"Lance isn't looking so good. He's sweating, but he's shivering." Chris pointed to Lance who did indeed look to be pretty out of it.
Ali got up and carefully stepped over JC and put her hand to Lance's forehead. Ali's heart dropped--he was burning up.
"He's got a fever. We need to move him over to the corner." Ali said as she moved all of her stuff out of the way.
"How?" Chris asked, his face showing concern for his young friend.
Ali bent down and touched JC's shoulder.
"Josh." She whispered.
JC just grunted and shrugged her hand away.
"JC," she said touching his cheek this time.
Before she knew it, Alison was caught in JC's arms, laying next to him. Her breath caught in her throat when he tightened his arms around her.
"Chris a little help here." she whispered.
Chris just looked at Ali and laughed.
When Ali tried to sit up, JC held on to her, preventing her from doing so.
"JC!" she said louder.
"Sleep." he mumbled.
"No, JC, wake up." she said pushing against him.
JC opened his eyes and saw Alison laying in his arms. He tried to remember what happened when she spoke.
"JC, let go. You have to get up and move for a second." Ali said trying to get up.
"Why?" JC looked at her confused.
"Lance needs to be moved over there and we need you to move." Ali stood up and motioned to where she'd slept.
"Whatever, I'm gonna go wizz." JC said getting up and shutting her out.
Ali looked at Chris who just shrugged his shoulders.
"Let's drag him over." Ali said grabbing one side while Chris grabbed the other.
Together they managed to move him to the end then Ali remade JC's spot as well as her own.
"We have to get him cooled off." Alison said as she started to unzip his sleeping bag.
"But he's shivering." Chris looked at Lance who was shaking.
"I know, but we have to reduce the fever." Ali said as she toossed the top of the sleeping bag to the side.
She grabbed his blanket and covered him with that. She walked out of the tent and got a washcloth from her pack. She wet it with cool water that had collected after the storm.
"What are you doing?" JC asked as she stepped back inside.
Ali ignored him for a moment while putting the cool wash cloth on Lance's forehead. She stepped back outside and filled a bowl with the cool water and went inside.
Chris went back to bed leaving Ali alone with JC, who kept watching her.
Ali kept the washcloth cool as she continued to rewet it and ring it out.
"He has a fever." she said finally answering JC's question.
JC just shrugged his shoulders and pretended not to care.
"Are you alright Josh? You seem quiet." Alison asked quietly.
"Fine." JC nodded.
"Are you sure" she asked searching his eyes.
"I said I'm fine." he snapped.
Ali nodded then turned her back to Lance and tried to think if she'd done anything to upset him.
JC stared at her back and tried not to think about the hurt he'd just seen in her eyes. After all, why would she be hurt when she was obviously interested in Lance.
He lay down on his sleeping bag and looked up at the ceiling. This was turning out to be an interesting trip. First the storm, then Lance, and he was finding himself falling in love with a woman who had interest elsewhere.
"What's wrong with him?" Justin asked from ht eother side of the tent.
"He's got a fever." Ali answered before Lance started coughing.
"Is he going to be alright?" Justin asked worried.
Ali nodded then rewet the cloth.
"I'm gonna go outside and look around." Justin said getting up.
"Be careful and stay close, don't go so far that you can't see the tent." Ali warned.
"Don't worry Alison. I'll be fine." Justin smiled.
"Hey, Justin, hold up. I'll come with you." JC said jumping up.
Alison watched them walk out then sighed.
"Lance." she said quietly trying not to wake the others.
"I'm so cold." he whispered.
"I'm sorry, I can't put the sleeping bag back over you. You have a fever and your body needs to cool down." she explained as she once again replaced the wash cloth.
"What's wrong with me? My throat is burning and I feel the constant need to cough deep in my chest." Lance whispered deliriously.
"You're sick Lance, we spent too much time in the rain yesterday."
"I think you should know, before we left a girl that I know was diagnosed with mono."
"And let me guess, you kissed her."
Lance just barely nodded his head, but it Alison was able to catch it.
"Lance, why do you think it's called the kissing disease." Ali chuckled.
"I know, but I never get sick." Lance replied weakly.
"Here drink this." Alison handed him a little cup of NyQuil.
"Gross."
Alison took the cup back and rewet the cloth on his forehead.
"In about five minutes I'll give you a glass of water."
"What's the deal?" Mike said walking over.
"Lance here is sick. He was mackin before he left and he might have mono. Hopefully it's just a cold but theres a chance,"
"Is it really contagious?" Mike asked pointing to Joey whose condition mirrored Lances.
"Oh no," Ali whispered seeing Joey.
"Can you help me move him?"
"Sure." Mike nodded then picked up Joey.
Ali quickly moved his sleeping bag next to Lance's, putting the zipper on the opposite end so they wouldn't interfere with each other. She sat between the two sleeping bags and motioned for Mike to put Joey down.
"Can you move Chris that way so these two are by themselves?" Ali asked motioning to Chris.
Mike rearranged everybody, pulling Chris nest to Justin's bag. Mike would sleep next to Chris with JC on his right and Ali would sleep between JC and Joey.
"Sorry this trip has turned out this way." Ali said as she pulled out another wash cloth and proceeded to start the cool down process on Joey.
"It's not your fault. You can't control the weather, or their health." Mike answered. "Where did the other two go?"
"To explore."
"I'm gonna go check on them. Did you need anything?"
"Can you refill this?" Ali handed him the bowl. "There's a water pool between those rocks."
"Sure."
After Mike returned then went off in search of the others, Ali turned her attention to the sick men in her care.
"Lance?"
"Time for that water?" he asked opening his eyes a crack.
"Yeah, here let me help you. "
Ali lifted his head as he swallowed the precious liquid then started coughing. The coughing indicated his chest was indeed congested.
Getting Lance settled, she turned her attention to Joey.
"Joey." she said trying to wake him.
"Where am I?" he croaked.
"In the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. You've caught a bug." she explained.
"My head is hammering." he sighed.
"And you have a fever and your throat is raw, and your probably congested just like your buddy Lance here. I know you guys do a lot of things together, but did you have to get sick together? Here drink this."
Ali handed him a little cup full of NyQuil and like Lance, he had a similiar reaction.
"Nasty."
"I know but it'll help."
"Can I have some water?"
"In a few minutes."
"They're both sick?" Chris said looking over at Ali who was between the two of them.
"Yeah, if you want the others are outside." Ali motioned to the entrance.
"Thanks."
"Oh, Chris?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll be there to make breakfast in a few minutes."
Ali turned to Joey and helped him down some water, then changed both of their cloth's and went outside.
Alison couldn't see the boys as she rekindled the fire. She checked the supplies and saw they had enough for the week they were supposed to be here for. She decided to skip breakfast for herself to preserve some, just in case.
She whipped up a batch of pancakes and sausage. She was serving the food onto four seperate plates as the boys came beack with wet heads.
"That smells heavenly." Justin sniffed appreciativly.
"Thank you," Alison smiled handing him a plate.
"There's a small lake with a waterfall close by." Mike said before he dug into his food.
"Is there? Well, at least I know where we are now." Ali smiled.
"Wheres Joe?" JC asked.
"Sick with Lance," she nodded toward the tent.
"What is it?" Chris wondered.
"Well, I'm hoping its just a cold, but Lance did say he was in contact with someone who had mono before he left. Just in case, I want you guys to stay out here as much as possible."
"What about you?" Justin asked.
"I'll be in there taking care of them."
"What are we supposed to do?" JC looked at her.
"Whatever you want to do. Play football, catch, hide'n'seek, swim. The possibilities are endless, be creative."
"Why aren't you eating?" Chris observed.
"I'm not hungry." Ali shrugged praying they didn't hear her stomach.
JC saw right through the lie, but chose not to say anything. He nkew what she was doing--she was conserving food just in case they were here longer. He admired her for that. It added to the growing collection of things he liked about her.
"Man, I'm stuffed." Justin said setting the empty plate down next to him.
"I hear ya." Chris said imitating his move.
"You guys go ahead. I'll clean up." Ali nodded to them.
Justin and Chris took off, Mike following them, but JC hung around a little longer.
"Are you okay?" Alison asked softly as she gathered the dishes.
"Fine." JC noded.
He looked at her before putting his plate down on the stump he was sitting on. He followed the others and called for them to wait.
Ali looked at his plate and felt a warmth spread through her. He knew. She didn't know how, but he knew what she did. On his plate sat the biggest pancake she'd given him and one peice of sausage.
After eating what was left, Alison washed up the dishes and put everything away.
She checked on Lance and Joey, rewet their clothes, then went to get wood. She started humming as she grabbed as much as she could, from the pile that was always stacked, the very one that she and Lance had went to yesterday.
She walked back to camp and dropped off the wood and made one more trip. She loved being in the mountains, it was so peaceful and there was something almost spiritual about it.
On her second trip back, she started prayin for Joey and Lance. By the time she made it back, she was in the Spirit. She laid the wood down with the first pile she'd gathered then walked into the tent.
She lay one hand on each man and began to pray for them once more.
"Heavenly Father, thank you for the healing you are going to give my friends Lance and Joey. In the bible it says that by His stripes we are healed and I claim that healing for these two in Jesus' Name."
Alison flet both of their foreheads and saw no change. She replaced their wash clothes and grabbed her bible out of her pack and started reading.
~*~
"This is intense." Justin said thinking about the trip so far.
"I know what you mean." Chris nodded in agreement.
"Who would have known that we'd have gotten stuck in a storm and that Lance and Joey would get sick." Justin threw a rock into the water and watched it skip a few times.
"Things happen for a reason." JC added.
"I suppose your right." Justin shrugged.
"What do you think will happen now?" Chris wondered.
"We'll camp like we are now and hopefully by the time the week is up, Joey and Lance are better." JC answered.
"What if they're not?"
"Then we'll wait til they are. They can't travel if their sick and you know it."
"I know."
Justin sighed and threw another rock into the water.
"What do you think about what happened in the cave last night?" Justin turned to Chris.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, last night, the song." Justin motioned.
"It was cool." Chris nodded.
"Do you know what it was?" JC asked Justin.
"I don't know. Its just when we started singing that song it felt so peaceful in there. I couldn't help but stand and raise my hands."
"It was The Holy Spirit moving. When people are worshipping, they get filled with the Spirit. He's also called the comforter and that's exactly what he was doing last night. Remember the Psalm 91? It's a prayer of protection. God was protecting us and sent his Spirit as a comfort to know everything was going to be okay." JC tried to explain the best he could.
"How do you know all this?" Chris asked.
"Well, I am a christian. I know I don't go to church as much as I should, but I used to go all the time before Nsync."
"This is what Ali believes too?" Justin asked him.
"Yeah."
"Cool."
"If you have any other questions Justin, feel free to ask." JC encouraged him.
"If you're a christian, why did you write a CD full of sexual content?" Justin smirked.
"Oh shut up. Just because I'm a christiaan, doesn't mean I'm perfect." JC said pushing him.
"Y'all wanna go see what Ali's up to?" Chris asked.
"She's takin care of the sickly's." JC said, not really wanting to face her.
"So, let's go anyway." Chris jumped down from the rock he was sitting on and waited for the others to join him.
~*~
"What are you reading?" Lance whispered.
"One of my favorite passages out of Isaiah 40 & 41." Ali answered.
She set down her bible and adjusted the cool clothes on both guys still seeing no change in their conditions.
The others walked in just as Lance asked Alison to read her passages outloud.
"Please read it out loud." Lance requested.
"Alright. It starts Isaiah 40 vers 28 through the end of the chapter then jumps to Chapter 41 verse 10 through 13." Ali said quietly.
She glanced at the other four who by now sat around forming a half circle around Joey, but still keeping their distance. They all waited for her to begin.
(Isaiah 40:28-31)
Do you not know
Have you not heard
The Lord is the everlasting God,
The Creator of the ends of the earth
He will not grow tired or weary,
And his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
And increases the power of the weak;
Even youths grow tired and weary;
And young men will stumble and fall
But those who hope in the Lord
Will renew their strength,
They will soar on wings like eagles:
They will run and not grow weary
They will run and not grow faint
(Isiah 41:10-13)
So do not fear, for I am with you,
Do not be dismayed for I am Your God
I will strenghten you and help you.
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced
Those who appose you
Will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies
You will not find them
Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
For I am the Lord Your God,
Who takes hold of your right hand
And says to you
Do Not Be Afraid
Ali whispered the last line for added effect then closed her bible and looked down at Joey and Lance who for the first time, semed to be sleeping peacefully.
"That was good." Justin whispered.
"It's one of my favorites," Ali nodded with a smile.
"You certainly made it come alive when you read it." Mike nodded his head.
"So what are you guys up to?" Alison asked.
"Just came to see what you were up to." Justin shrugged.
"I see. And now that you know what I'm doing what are you going to do?"
"You said something about a football." Chris reminded her.
Ali dug in her pack and handed him a football as well as a regular deck of playing cards and a pack of UNO cards.
"UNO?" Chris looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Don't you be dissin UNO boy," Alison warned pointing her finger in his face.
"Ma'am yes ma'am," Chris said backing out of the tent.
For the next couple hours the four of them engaged in a serious game of catch. Ali, checking on them every once in a while to make sure they didn't hurt themselves.
Ali kept waking her patients every half hour or so to make them drink some water, this was to ensure they didn't get dehydrated.
Around five o'clock she made food and again she served the boys a normal size portion, but just a small amount for herself.
She was getting a little worried that they really did have mono when thhier fevers still hadn't went down.
Alison stepped outside and walked away from everyone in order to go to the bathroom and when she returned the boys had resumed their game of catch.
She heard someone yell her name before she fell to the ground, a sharp pain to her head. JC's concerned eyes were the last thing she remembered seeing before everything went black.
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