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Unit11.ADay'sWaitE.HemingwayHecameintotheroomtoshutthewindowswhilewewerestillinbedandIsawhelookedill.Hewasshivering,hisfacewaswhite,andhewalkedslowlyasthoughitachedtomove.What'sthematter,Schatz?I'vegotaheadache.Youbettergobacktobed.No.I'mallright.Yougotobed.I'llbeyouwhenI'mdressed.ButwhenIcamedownstairshewasdressed,sittingbythefire,lookingaverysickandmiserableboyofnineyears.WhenIputmyhandonhisforeheadIknewhehadafever.Yougouptobed,Isaid,You'resick.I'mallright,hesaid.Whenthedoctorcamebetooktheboy'stemperature.What'sisit?Iaskedhim.Onehundredandtwo.Downstairs,thedoctorleftthreedifferentmedicinesindifferentcoloredcapsuleswithinstructionforgivingthem.Onewastobringdownthefever,anotherapurgative,thethirdtoovercomeanacidcondition.Thegermsofinfluenzacanonlyexistinanacidcondition,heexplained.Heseemedtoknowallaboutinfluenzaandsaidtherewasnothingtoworryaboutifthefeverdidnotgoaboveonehundredandfourdegrees.Thiswasalightepidemicoffluandtherewasnodangerifyouavoidedpneumonia.BackintheroomIwrotetheboy'stemperaturedownandmadeanoteofthetimetogivethevariouscapsules.Doyouwantmetoreadtoyou?Allright.Ifyouwantto,saidtheboy.Hisfacewasverywhiteandthereweredarkareasunderhiseyes.Helaystillinthebedandseemedverydetachedfromwhatwasgoingon.IreadaloudfromHowardPyle'sBookofpirates;butIcouldseehewasnotfollowingwhatIwasreading.Howdoyoufeel,Schatz?Iaskedhim.Justthesame,sofar,hesaid.IsatatthefootofthebedandreadtomyselfwhileIwaitedforittobetimetogiveanothercapsule.Itwouldhavebeennaturalforhimtogotosleep,butwhenIlookeduphewaslookingatthefootofthebed,lookingverystrangely.Whydon'tyoutrytosleep?I'llmakeyouupforthemedicine.I'dratherstayawake.Afterawhilehesaidtome,Youdon'thavetostayinherewithme,Papa,ifitbothersyou.Itdoesn'tbotherme.No,Imeanyoudon'thavetostayifit'sgoingtobotheryou.Ithoughperhapshewasalittlelightheadedandaftergivinghimtheprescribedcapsulesateleveno'clockIwentoutforawhile.Itwasabright,coldday,thegroundcoveredwithasleetthathadfrozensothatitseemedasifallthebaretrees,thebushes,thecutbrushandallthegrassandthebaregroundhadbeenvarnishedwithice,ItooktheyoungIrishsetterforawalkuptheroadandalongafrozencreek,butitwasdifficulttostandorwalkontheglassysurfaceandthereddogslippedandslitheredandIfelltwice,hard,oncedroppingmygunandhavingitslideawayovertheice.WeflushedacoveyofquailunderahighclaybankwithoverhangingbrushandIkilledtwoastheywentoutofsightoverthetopoftheblank.Someofthecoveylitintrees,butmostofthemscatteredintobrushpilesanditwasnecessarytojumpontheice-coatedmoundsofbrushseveraltimesbeforetheywouldflush.Comingoutwhileyouwerepoisedunsteadilyontheicy,springybrushtheymadedifficultshootingandIkilledtwo,missedfive,andstartedbackpleasedtohavefoundacoveyclosetothehouseandhappythereweresomanylefttofindonanotherday.Atthehousetheysaidtheboyhadrefusedtoletanyonecomeintotheroom.Youcan'tcomein,hesaid.Youmustn'tgetwhatIhave.IwentuptohimandfoundhiminexactlythepositionIhadlefthim,white-faced,butwiththetopsofhischeeksflushedbythefever,staringstill,ashehadstared,atthefootofthebed.Itookhistemperature.Whatisit?Somethinglikeahundred,Isaid.Itwasonehundredandtwoandfourtenths.Itwasahundredandtwo,hesaid.Whosaidso?Thedoctor.Yourtemperatureisallright,Isaid.It'snothingtoworryabout.Idon'tworry,hesaid,butIcan'tkeepfromthinking.Don'tthink,Isaid.Justtakeiteasy.I'mtakingiteasy,hesaidandlookedstraightahead,Hewasevidentlyholdingtightontohimselfaboutsomething.Takethiswithwater.Doyouthinkitwilldoanygood?Ofcourseitwill.IsatdownandopenedthePiratebookandcommencedtoread,butIcouldseehewasnotfollowing,soIstooped.AboutwhattimedoyouthinkI'mgoingtodie?heasked.What?AbouthowlongwillitbebeforeIdie?Youaren'tgoingdie.What'sthematterwithyou?Oh,yes,Iam,Iheardhimsayahundredandtwo.Peopledon'tdiewithafeverofonehundredandtwo.That'sasillywaytotalk.Iknowtheydo.AtschoolinFrancetheboystoldmeyoucan'tlivewithforty-fourdegrees.I'vegotahundredandtwo.Hehadbeenwaitingtodieallday,eversincenineo'clockinthemorning.YoupoorSchatz,Isaid.PooroldSchatz.It'slikemilesandkilometers.Youaren'tgoingtodie.That'sdifferentthermometer.Onthatthermometerthirty-sevenisnormal.Onthiskindit'sninety-eight.Areyousure?Absolutely,Isaid,It'slikemilesandkilometers.Youknow,likehowmanykilometerswemakewhenwedoseventymilesinthecar?Oh,hesaid.Buthisgazeatthefootofthebedrelaxedslowly.Theholdoverhimselfrelaxedtoo,finally,andthenextdayitwasveryslackandhecriedveryeasilyatlittlethingsthatwereofnoimportance.1.一天的等待我们还没起床时，走进房间关窗，我注意到他看起来病了。他颤抖着，脸色苍白，走得很慢，似乎一动就疼。“怎么了，我的宝贝”“我头疼”“你最好回去睡觉。”“不，我没事”“你睡觉去，我穿好衣服去看你”等我下了楼，他已经穿好了衣服，坐在火炉旁，看起来就是一个病的不轻很痛苦的九岁男孩。我把手放在他的额头上。知道他在发烧。“上楼睡觉去，”我说“你病了”“我没事，”他说。医生来了，良好了孩子的体温。“多少度？”我问。“102”下了楼，医生留下了三种不同颜色胶囊的药，并告知如何服用。一种是退烧的，一种是泻药，另一种是用来去酸的。流感菌只能在酸性环境中生存，他解释说。他们似乎对流感无所不知，说如果没烧到104度以上，就没什么可担心的。这不过是流感轻微症状，如果避免了肺炎就没有危险。回到屋里，我写下孩子的温度，记下了服用各种药的时间。“想让我给你念点什么吗？”“恩，如果你愿意，”孩子说，他的脸苍白，眼窝下有黑晕。他静静地躺在床上，对发生的一切漠不关心。我大声的朗读着霍华德.派尔的《海盗的故事》，但我看得出他没有在听我读什么。“你感觉怎么样了，宝贝？”我问他。“现在还那样，”他说。我坐在床脚，等着他服用另一种胶囊，自己看了一会儿书，正常来说，他该入睡了。可我抬起头时，他正盯着床脚，看上去很怪异。“你为什么不睡呢？吃药时我会叫醒你的”“我宁可醒着。”过了一会，他对我说，“爸，如果这样打搅你，你不必和我在一起。”“这不打搅我”“不是，我是说如果这将打搅你，你不比待着。”我想或许他有点神志不清，11点钟给他服过开出