Free A Fine Mess by Kristy K. James

that his father-in-law looked a little pale.
    “Annie just called. Maddie’s running a fever and I need to meet them at the oncologist's office.”
    Ian got to his feet immediately. He’d grown very fond of Maddie and worried about her more than he cared to admit.
    “I’ll drive you.”
    “You don’t have to-”
    “I want to. Let’s go.” He fished his ring out of his pants pocket on the way out to the car. “What’s wrong?”
    “It might be just a summer cold. But with the chemo, her immunity is compromised. There's always a chance it could turn out to be serious.”
    “What will they do for her?”
    “I don’t know. We’ll have to see what they say at the clinic.”
     
    ~~~~
     
    The ‘clinic’ proved to be an experience for Ian. He’d never really known anyone with cancer and had no idea how time consuming treatment could be.
    Annie explained that this particular clinic was different than traditional treatment centers because they combined traditional therapies with vitamins and herbs and other alternative treatments.
    After seeing three physicians, one a naturopath, Maddie was sent home with a bagful of herbs and vitamins, and instructed to return every other day for something called fever therapy. If she didn’t show signs of improvement in a week's time, she would probably be hospitalized.
    When they finally arrived home, Annie seemed drained. But she still intended to make supper. Ian caught her hand as she pulled a skillet from the cupboard.
    “Why don’t we just order a pizza?” he suggested, knowing it wouldn’t be as good as hers but not liking the thought of her tiring herself more than she already was.
    “No. It doesn’t take long to make,” she assured him with a slight smile. “I’ll have it finished before the delivery guy can show up.”
    “Yeah, but you could be resting between now and then.”
    “I’ll probably fall asleep if I do that, and I‘d rather eat something first,” she said with a laugh. “I’m starving. Besides, I’ll wake up a little if I’m cooking.”
    “You want me to help?” He grinned when her eyes widened at his offer. “Seriously. Tell me what to do and I’ll help.”
    She might have been surprised at the words coming out of his mouth, but he was more so. And stunned to find he actually meant them.
    “Okay. Would you mind filling this pot up to here,” she pointed to a place about three inches from the top of the big kettle, “with hot water?”
    “No problem.”
    They worked in companionable silence and she was right. In less than an hour the meal was ready, complete with mashed potatoes.
    “I’ve never had pasta with potatoes before,” he said after a few bites. “But I think I like it.”
    “Mom loves it. You’d think I’d get tired of it as often as I’ve made it for her but I’m rather fond of it myself.”
    For a few minutes neither one of them said anything. But Ian had to ask the question that demanded to be asked.
    “Is it always like this with your mom? Since she got sick I mean.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Spending so long at the doctor's.”
    “Sometimes. Sometimes we’re there all day. It just depends on what’s going on with her. When they do the fever treatments, she and Dad will probably be there three or four hours. They like to keep her for awhile afterwards. Just to make sure she’s not going to have problems with her blood pressure bottoming out.”
    “It’s dangerous then?”
    “Well-” She seemed to be gathering her thoughts before answering him. “It can be. Some people have died. But only because they did it unsupervised at home. They can pass out and then they’ll drown. When Mom goes in, she’ll have a nurse with her for the entire time, and they’ll keep a close eye on her and make sure everything is okay.”
    “Good. I like your mom. Your dad, too.”
    “Yeah, so do I,” she said. Then yawned.
    “I’ll clean up here when we’re finished. You need to get some sleep.”
    “I can do