34 Feverish Jamie

Jamie was groggy that Tuesday morning but still he went to school. His friends saw his condition and it was apparent that he was not well.

\"Jamie, are you okay?\" Tonton asked. \"You look tired and dazed.\"

They had already arrived in school. While waiting for classes to start, they dallied in the corridor and chatted. They talked about their dreams and it was only Jamie who had nothing to share. They felt that their dreams were connected and it was only a matter of time before they would get the meaning. Jamie was unusually silent, only contributing a smile from time to time.

\"Yes, dude,\" Bogart agreed. \"You don't seem fine.\"

\"I'm just okay,\" Jamie answered but was instantly thrown into a fit of coughing.

\"Oh man, you are not okay,\" Kiko said. \"Your cough is worse than yesterday.\"

\"Don't worry, I can manage. I will not come to school tomorrow if it turns really bad.\"

However, Jamie's condition only worsened. By noon, he already had high fever and his throat itched. Like him, many of the students in the school also experienced coughing, colds, sneezing, and fever. After lunch, his friends took him to the clinic. By then, Jamie was too groggy and his temperature was too high that he seemed to exhale fire everytime he breathed.

To their shock, countless children were also in the clinic with only nurse Grace tending to them. The doctor was nowhere in sight, as well as the two women who gave the flu shots yesterday. Despite the busyness, Grace was calm and systematic in assisting the kids. After twenty minutes, it was finally Jamie's turn.

\"What do you got there?\" Grace asked Jamie.

\"He had been coughing since yesterday,\" Bogart answered for him with a big smile on his lips. \"But it got worse today.\"

\"He is also feverish now, \" Kiko said, with a smile also painted in his face.\" Plus some headache.\"

\"Uhmmm,\" Grace said. \"You don't look good. How about these blisters? Are these new?\"

Grace pointed to some red dots on his arms.

\"Yes, I just got them today,\" Jamie answered. \"I think I also got some in my legs. They are very itchy.\"

\"Let me look at them.\"

Jamie pulled his loose pants up and to their surprise, there were more blisters in both his legs.

\"Oh no, honey,\" Grace gasped. \"You got chickenpox.\"

\"What?!\" Jamie exclaimed.

\"I got it when I was grade one,\" Bogart announced. \"It's very contagious.\"

\"Mom said I got it when I was still four years old,\" Tonton said.

Kiko: \"Mine was during grade two.\"

\"That's good,\" Grace said. \"It's highly likely that you boys will not get infected as well.\"

Grace gave Jamie some prescription. Since it was still hot outside, Jamie took his rest at the function hall, along with the other kids who could attend their classes because they were too sick. Some were complaining of headaches while others, like Jamie, were sleeping.

The three other boys participated in the fire and earthquake drill that afternoon. The recent calamity had taken a toll in the mayor's office that he ordered different drills to be conducted in the town to prepare the citizens. The boys were not really listening to the speakers.

\"This is really weird,\" Kiko was saying. \"We got flu shots yesterday but now, several kids became sick.\"

Tonton: \"There could be more if not for the shots.\"

Bogart: \"Or none. Yesterday, our teachers said the flu shot was to help us prevent ailments from the meteor impact. But we knew it was not a meteor.\"

Tonton: \"What are you trying to say? That the alien made them sick?\"

Kiko: \"It's possible. The alien could be bringing some disease.\"

Tonton: \"Oh no, Jamie is in danger.\"

Bogart: \"He's got chickenpox. It's not an alien disease.\"

Kiko: \"How sure are we that it's really chickenpox? What if it is another disease?\"

Tonton: \"I'm really scared now.\"

Just then, the sound system boomed and all the kids were on their feet, seeking shelter from the imagined earthquake. Quickly, the boys participated in the re-enactment.

Meanwhile, Sonny and Estella were back to Subangdaku. Their Sunday blow-by-blow documentary was a hit that the station manager gave them a leave on Monday. Yet, they declined and instead, they used the time researching about Dr. Alvarado. Apparently, the man was an exemplary citizen. He had a degree in astrophysics and meteorology, both taken at different prestigious schools; thus, he was stationed at the nearby local weather station in the next town. He had a wife and two sons. The older was in another country with a family of his own, a successful scientist like his father. The younger was still in college, studying medicine in one of the country's top medical universities. Wife was simply at home, assisting Dr. Alvarado in his business ventures. The couple was also a philantrophist involved in different charity institutions.

\"The man seemed to have no bad bone in him,\" Estella commented.

They were wandering in the streets of Subangdaku, slowly so that they could observe the subtle lives of the simple district. They smiled for the people had remained strong ang resilient.

\"But something is not right about him,\" Sonny added. \"His statement was not believable. And up until now, his team had not yet released any further statement.\"

\"And no pictures of the meteor,\" Estella said sternly. \"They could have at least shown the people what had hit Subangdaku. They owe that to the people.\"

\"Yeah, it seems that they simply want the peope to forget about it.\"

They visited Dr. Alvarado's businesses and interviewed random people. By afternoon, they had established that he was a good man based on the testimonies. Exhausted, they stopped near a street vendor and ordered sliced unripe mangoes. They were chewing on their snacks when a woman also went near. She was coughing violently while she gave her order.

\"Oh no, that cough sounds bad,\" the vendor remarked. \"My husband had also been experiencing the same since Sunday.\"

\"Yes, I think I got it during the church service,\" she replied. \"Father was also coughing while giving his homily.\"

\"Its the flu season, I think.\"

The duo hurriedly finished their mangoes and went back inside their car.

\"This flu-like sickness of the people could be because of the meteor,\" Estella said. \"Dr. Alvarado warned us about this possibility.\"

\"Let's check at the local health center,\" Sonny answered. \"We have to know how widespread it is now.\"

Sonny was about to start the car's engine when four bikes passed by them. Boys of about eleven or twelve were riding them. They were pedalling slowly, with one almost unsteady in his action. They stared at the boys, sensing something familiar about them.

\"Those boys,\" Estella spoke, \"aren't they the ones we saw in the grassland?\"

\"I'm not sure,\" Sonny answered, \"but I think they are.\"

\"Let's go to them.\"

Just as they were about to go outside, one of them fell. Instantly, his friends helped him while the crowd gathered around them. The duo hastily went to them and moved their way to get into the center. The three boys were worriedly touching and shaking their friends to wake him up while the crowd continue to look and murmur on what was the best thing to do.

\"Is he sick?\" Estella asked them.

The three boys looked up and widened their eyes upon seeing her. Estella could clearly see the shock and fear in their eyes. Immediately, she knelt down beside them.