Laughter filled the parlor as Jonathan crawled on his hands and knees with Heidi on his back. She had on a pink cow girl hat with a draw string on it to hold it on her hand, and was holding on the back of her uncle�s shirt. �Fasser,� she yelled, then laughed more as he bounced her, crawling just a bit faster.
Jonathan crawled over to the couch then stopped lowering himself to the ground. �I think this Horsie needs a break,� he said.
�Up up,� Heidi said as she wiggled around on his back, pulling on his shirt.
Before she could blink, the bright eyed toddler found herself on the floor being tickled, and laughed more. �Sop Sop,� she finally screamed. When her Unc Jon let her go, Heidi got up and ran calling out to him, �I fas, not det me.�
Not knowing where she got her energy, and wishing, that he had some to spare, Jonathan got up and chased after her, running into the dining room where she was hiding under the table. �Now where did my little Pixie go?� he asked. He walked over to the China Cabinet and looked in there, getting giggles from his little niece, then looked in other obscure places for her.
�I here Unc Jon,� she yelled.
Jonathan knelt down. �You are too good at this game,� he said, hoping that Aunt Maggie would arrive so that he could get some rest.
�I dood at it,� she said as she crawled over to him, letting him pick her up. �Do up tairs, have tea potty,� she said as she patted his cheeks.
As he stood up, they heard Maggie calling for them, and very quickly Heidi wanted down. She ran from the room, ready to have some girl time with her Auntie.
Relieved of his duty, Jonathan went into the kitchen finding Alex sitting at the table eating peanut butter cookies that Marie had made. �Could you spare one of those for me?� he asked as he sat down at the table, and let his head rest on the smooth wooden surface.
�Aunt Maggie here?� he asked through a mouth full of cookie, hoping he could get away before she found him and kissed his cheeks, leaving her red lipstick as a mark. Before he could get away however, she walked in with Heidi at her side.
�Now you two put those cookies away until after dinner,� she said as she walked to the table and kissed Alex, then took away the plate of still warm cookies.
Before he said something snide, Alex left the room to wash the red lipstick from his face.
~*~
It was supposed to be beautiful in Switzerland, but since their arrival a day ago, the rain had not stopped falling. The rain however had not left them without things to do. From the large bathroom Evelyn emerged, fresh from a bath, finding her husband still in his boxers, laying on the bed, with his eyes shut. Quietly she walked over to the bed trying to be sneaky, then screamed as his hand reached out and pulled the towel from her body. In a quick moment she found herself beneath him looking up at his face, a face she never grew tired of seeing. �I thought we were going out for dinner, or perhaps you want dessert first?� she asked.
Rick silenced her with a kiss, and for another few hours they spent their time in bed.
~*~
Something woke Jonathan from his sound sleep, and he sat up waiting and listening. The only noise he heard was the steady patter of rain falling outside, and as he settled back against the Down filled pillow, he heard the unmistakable sound of someone coughing. Quickly he slipped from his Sister�s bed, and walked out of the room. He waited at the door for a minute, wanting to see who was doing the coughing, but nothing more came.
Quietly he walked down the hall way and found Alex�s door cracked open. As he was about to step into his nephew�s room he heard the coughing coming from Heidi�s room, and went in there. His little niece was laying on her belly in her crib, with her arms and her legs pulled beneath her, and it was evident that despite the coughing she was still very much asleep. Her blanket was laying on the far left side of her crib, so very carefully Jonathan picked it up and draped it over her then leaned over kissing the back of her head. He stood there for a few minutes, and when she continued to sleep, he went back to bed.
By morning, Heidi had a runny nose, and the coughing continued, each time rattling her chest. Other than those two things, she was as energetic and as playful as she normally was, and in a good mood, so Jonathan didn�t worry all that much, though kept a watchful eye on her.
Today Megan was there keeping her best friend company. It was raining again, so their activities were limited to the house, which was quiet due to Heidi having her nap. As they sat in his room working a puzzle they had worked hundreds of times, Jonathan knocked on the door and stuck his head in.
�If you two don�t mind to listen for Heidi, I�m going to the apothecary to fetch a bottle of cough medicine,� he said, hoping that a few doses might clear her up.
�As long as I don�t have to change her nappy,� Alex said.
�Chicken,� Megan called out.
�Hey have you ever changed one?� he asked as Jonathan left. �Let me tell you it is not a pretty site especially when she makes a messy one,� Alex said as he fit another piece of their puzzle into place.
The two of them had made a good dent in the puzzle building when they heard Heidi cough several times before she began to cry. Both of them left Alex�s room going across the hall to her�s, and as Alex lifted his sister out of the crib he made a face.
�Why me?� he asked as Megan went to get the things they needed. Heidi for once was still, and even laughed as her brother held his nose while Megan cleaned her off.
Once she was clean, she ran out of her room, coughing just once as she sat down and slid her way down the stairs, ready for more fun and more play.
Behind her, Megan and Alex followed and both sat with her playing tea party. Alex held his cup in the palm of his hand purposely and when Heidi saw that she fussed at him.
�Dot hold it dis,� she said as she held her cup the proper way, with her pinkie held out.
�Oh you mean like this?� he asked as he held his hand around the side of the small cup.
�Silly Bo, dis,� she said as she tried to mold his hand the way it should go. Once he was holding it properly she stood up, pausing for a moment to cough a few times then ran toward the steps and past. In the kitchen she had Marie give her three cookies, then brought them back to her tea guests.
�So Heidi, what�s my name?� Alex asked, knowing that his baby sister liked to pick out who he would be.
�Old Shoe,� she said as she pretended to pour more tea into her little cup.
Megan did her best not to laugh. Both of them knew that Heidi meant Alex was the Old Woman in the Shoe. �Who am I?� she asked as she held her tea cup in the proper fashion, sipping the pretend tea from it.
�Queen Picky, and I baby Picky.� What she had meant to say was Pixie, however she couldn�t quite grasp the sound of the �x�, in that particular word.
Megan looked around and found a handkerchief on the coffee table. She leaned back picking it up, then gently wiped Heidi�s nose.
It was there a few minutes later where Jonathan found them, hiding the bag with the cough medicine behind his back. �May I join your party miss?� he asked.
�No boy here, Bo gone,� she said as she took her brother�s cup, and shoved against his chest.
�Fine, then Megan comes with me.�
Megan stood up and Heidi grabbed her leg and began to cry, as well as to cough.
Jonathan could tell she hadn�t gotten enough nap to do her any good, and it was evident when he picked her up and didn�t get any protest from her. �Let�s go get a nice warm glass of milk with cinnamon in it,� he said as he carried her into the kitchen. Evelyn always put the cough medicine in there when she needed to take it, and so far Heidi didn�t know their little secret.
�Want a bot bot,� she said as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. In the kitchen, Jonathan slipped Marie the bag of cough syrup, then asked her if she would make a bottle of warm milk for Heidi, and carried her back to the parlor to read to her.
~*~
Despite the wet weather, Alex and Megan saddled up Seti and Bernard, Heidi�s three year old mare, and road them through the field letting the rain pelt down on their face. When they arrived back at the barn they, and the two horses, were filthy, and Henry, their stable master took the horses for them to clean them off and put them back in their stalls.
�We have to do that more often,� Megan said as they walked down the hill from the barn. She didn�t see what Alex was doing behind her, and the next thing she knew something wet and cold it the back of her head, before he was running full speed ahead of her. Megan reached back and found he had thrown a mud ball at her. �YOU WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU,� she yelled as she ran after him.
~*~
Inside Jonathan had Heidi dressed for bed in a thin cotton gown. The gown was pink with flowers embroidered across the front. He was rocking her as she cried for Evelyn, angry at him because he had taken her temperature, and that had not been any fun for either one involved. �Shhh, your mum will be home sooner than you think,� he tried as she continued to cry.
�Momma momma,� she said as she lifted her head from his shoulder. �Det Momma,� she said then cried harder. Jonathan continued to rock her until she had cried herself to sleep, then put her to bed, hoping that the cough medicine and the two tablets of baby aspirin he had given to her would go to work on her cold and fever.
As he stepped out of her room, after putting her down in her crib, he found Alex and Megan walk upstairs wrapped in towels, both soaking wet. �You two need to keep quiet, Heidi has a fever and she needs sleep,� he whispered.
�Maybe you should call mum,� Alex said as he stopped just in front of the door leading in to his room.
�She should be getting better, and your parents need this time to themselves don�t you think?� Jonathan asked.
Alex nodded his head, then pulled Megan into his room to finish working their puzzle.
~*~
Heidi only awoke once that night, and Jonathan put her in bed with him after giving her a bottle with milk and her medicine. By morning her fever was gone, and her cough wasn�t nearly as bad as it had been the day before. She ate all of her breakfast, and by Lunch she was begging Jonathan to take her to the barn to see Bernard.
�See Bernard,� Heidi said as she tugged at Jonathan�s hand trying to get him to stand up.
�We need to stay inside today. Why don�t we make a fort?�
Heidi crossed her arms in front of her. �No.�
Despite her objection, Jonathan got some blankets then pulled two chairs closer together and draped the blankets over them, while she watched him with growing interested. When he finished, Jonathan crawled into the fort. �See Heidi this is fun,� he said not seeing her as she ran past the stairs to the kitchen.
There she tried the side door and easily got it open, running outside in her stockings, getting them wet but not caring. She wanted to see her horse, and nothing was going to stop her. She was just about to duck under the fence, and screamed when she was lifted into the air. �GO GO me,� she yelled as Jonathan tossed her gently over his shoulder and carried her back toward the house.
�Not on your life, you need to rest my little pixie,� he said as he entered the kitchen.
�NOOOOO,� she screamed struggling for him to put her down.
�How about some milk and a sandwich?� he asked as he tried putting her in her highchair. Her kicking feet prevented him from having any success, and finally he decided putting her down for a nap was his best bet.
~*~
The weather in Switzerland finally improved enough for Rick and Evelyn to take a gondola ride up the mountain from the village they were staying in, and hike down a marked path, where they had a picnic lunch at one of the stopping points.
While Evelyn rested her head on her husband�s lap, Rick fed her strawberries which he was dipping in powdered sugar, and after each one he would kiss her lips to lick the powder from them.
�Mmm, I think I could spend the whole summer here,� Evelyn said after he parted from her lips.
�Sounds good to me,� he said, and before she could object he kissed her, leaving her mind to his train of thought, which was right now, very focused on her.
~*~
A few days passed, and Heidi was apparently all better, well enough for Alex and Megan to take her outside so she could ride Bernard. �Heidi, why did you name her Bernard?� Megan asked as she held on to the small toddler, while Alex led the horse back to the barn.
�Like daddy horse. Daddy horse Barney, mine Bernard, like daddy,� she said as she sneezed.
When they arrived in the barn, Henry took the reins, allowing Alex to lift his baby sister off of her horse. He waited as Alex unfasten the helmet their father had custom made for her tiny head, and took that as well, watching as they walked out of the barn.
Inside, Aunt Maggie was waiting, and Heidi willingly went with her upstairs for a bath before her nap.
�I see momma soon,� Heidi said as her Auntie helped her get her tiny riding pants off.
�Yes, in a couple of weeks,� Maggie said as she offered her great niece a smile.
�I seep wif momma and daddy,� she informed as they went into Heidi�s bathroom to run the water into her tub. Once the tub was filled to the desired level, Maggie put the little girl in and let her have some play time.
�Unc Jon up soon?� she asked.
Jonathan had come down with her cough, and Maggie had quarantined him to his wing of the house, hoping to keep the others from getting sick, and Heidi sick again.
�I have to go check on him, but first we need to get you clean so that you can have your beauty sleep,� Maggie said as she began to soap up a washcloth with a jasmine scented soap Evie used for Heidi.
�You have bootie ress wif me,� she said as she yawned.
�I think I might, but I must go see how that Uncle of yours is fairing before I do that,� Maggie said as she began to soap her nieces body.
Heidi pushed her ducks around the tub while Maggie got her clean then let her Auntie take her out of the bath. By the time she was dried off, and in a clean dress, she was half asleep, and when Maggie put her in the crib, she didn�t make any sound, ready for her nap.
~*~
One morning a two weeks before they were to return home, Evelyn sat up wide awake, waking her husband.
�Evie, what is it?� Rick asked as he two sat up, taking her into his arms.
�We need to get home, something is wrong with Heidi,� she said as she started to get out of bed.
Rick watched as she ran to the dresser, and began to pull out cloths. �Evelyn, they would send word to us if there was a problem,� he said, though something inside him, nagged at him. Evelyn was usually able to tell when one of their children needed her. �Look, why don�t we send a wire to Sam, and have him check on things at the house. If there is something wrong we will leave as soon as I can book passage,� he said.
Evelyn stopped her packing and sat down. �He won�t be in the office today,� she said, knowing that on Saturdays most people stayed at home. She watched as her husband smiled at her, and offered a weak smile of her own. �Sam works seven days a week. All right, please go send a wire,� she said as she stood up and walked over to the bed. She settled beside him and let his kisses and his touch wash away the fear which had wormed it�s way into her heart.
~~~***~~~****~~~~****~~~
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