Respectfully Rose (Letters Of Change Series Book 7)(COMPLETED)(Wattys2014)

Chapter Thirteen- Photo of Felix

Respectfully Rose

Chapter Thirteen

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Isaac watched as Rose walked into the room. Her deep brown eyes seemed to see right through him but she looked away glancing about things in her childhood room. He watched her almost transfixed as she ran her finger across small knick knacks that sat about the room on end tables, shelves, and her mantle. A small bit of her hair had fallen from their pins and framed her face in the most attractive way.

She was so different from Lorraine. She was different from him too, she had a way about her that he couldn’t explain, and it was enchanting. She was so completely pure that she couldn’t even be rude to her sister who single handedly ruined her life. He hated Lorraine. He hated her for breaking his heart, for lying to him, for being mean to Rose, and for even being here in the first place.

Rose walked slowly towards him and he noticed how very pale she looked as she took a seat next to him on the window seat. Perhaps seeing Lorraine once more had affected her as well.

She cleared her throat before saying “Are you alright?” in such a small voice he barely heard her. Her eyes looked to be looking far away and he reached for her as she began to go limp.

“Rose?” He said worriedly “Rose?”

She didn’t respond instead her eyes rolled back in her head and she became unconscious.
Isaac easily lifted her into his arms noting how very light she was, of course she was a small woman to begin with but he had expected her to weigh more than this. He carried her from the room and yelled for help. He ran towards the room everyone had previously been in only to almost run into Rose’s cousin Felix.

“What the bloody hell…” Felix started but his sentence trailed off as he saw Rose in Isaac’s arms.

“She’s fainted.” Isaac said panic evident in his voice.

Felix stepped forward noticing her flushed cheeks “She’s got a fever” He said taking Rose from Isaac’s arms.

“Nigel!” He yelled as he took Rose towards another room in the house. He pushed open the large French doors to a large bedroom containing furniture fit for royalty including the large bed which Felix laid Rose on gently. He opened Rose’s mouth looking at her tongue before turning to Isaac.

“Isaac, remove her dress we must bring her fever down.”

Felix rushed around the room pulling back large drapes opening all the windows in the room and killing the fire in the fire place while Isaac removed Rose’s simple travel dress.

Nigel came in just then, clearly confused as he looked from Felix to Isaac and Rose.

“I need you to fetch the doctor tell him Rose has scarlet fever and get him here as quickly as possible.”

Nigel nodded before running out the door to fetch the doctor. Isaac’s heart sped up when he heard him say “scarlet fever” many people died from that he remembered his father being quarantined at his practice as the fever was contagious and he didn’t want his family to become infected with such an illness.

Isaac removed her dress leaving her in her undergarments before covering her up with a light blanket atop the bed. Felix opened the door yelling for two footmen to bring up ice. Isaac was still in utter shock, just minutes ago she had seemed fine aside from a slight cough she had been herself and now she lay helpless and quite possibly dying before his eyes. It was all too much.

“What is all this commotion?” Lorraine’s pampered voice rang out. Her heeled boots made an obnoxiously loud noise as she walked across the hardwood floors.

“Don’t come in this room any farther Lorraine” Felix said stopping her in her tracts “Rose contracted scarlet fever.”

Lorraine looked worried as she turned and quickly left the room. Isaac thought it was most likely for herself, someone as vain as Lorraine never seemed to care for anyone aside from themselves.
“Are you certain its scarlet fever?” Isaac questioned as he looked towards Rose.

Felix nodded running a hand through his thick curls. He opened Rose’s mouth and Isaac was shocked at what he saw. Her tongue looked like a bright red strawberry. Felix then moved the blanket and Isaac noticed the bright red rash on Rose’s neck, Felix pushed on it and the tiny red spots turned white.

Rose’s cheeks were red as well and Isaac wondered if it was part of the rash. It looked odd really as the area around her mouth was so pale in comparison to her bright red cheeks.

“I’ve seen it time and time again.” Felix said in a low tone.

“Are you a doctor?” Isaac questioned.

“I was.” Felix replied before clearing his throat “Isaac, I’ve seen this fever before and it’s rare that the outcome is in your favor.”

“Rosie is a very strong woman though, and I believe she can pull through this.” Isaac said taking her hand. Rose was quite possibly the strongest woman he’d ever meant, it wasn’t a physical strength but a different strength one that came from within.

Felix solemnly nodded just before the two footmen entered the room both with buckets of bricks of ice. Felix moved quickly putting it all over Rose so as to bring down her fever. It was a method Isaac’s own father had often used to quickly bring down a high fever. Some doctors believed in “sweating out” a fever but not Isaac’s father. He had told him that sweating out a fever often killed the patient.

 The hours went by slowly as Isaac felt sick with worry. Rose remained unconscious. It seemed like ages before the doctor finally arrived- Dr. Albertson was an older portly man who had a horseshoe of white hair atop his head and round glasses on the edge of his nose.
 
“It’s bad” The Doctor said finally “I’m sorry to tell you son, but you’d need a miracle for this one.”

Isaac couldn’t believe the man before him. Coming into Rose’s house and saying that she had little chance of survival. What kind of Doctor was he? Couldn’t he at least try?

“It’s a good thing I believe in miracles then.” Isaac retorted standing up and escorting the doctor from the room “Honestly with Felix here I’m more than confident in Rose’s recovery. Good day sir.”

Once the Doctor left Felix cleared his throat “I’m not a doctor any longer Isaac” he said “My last patient… was my grandfather.”

“I’m not saying she’ll make it, I’m not saying you have to keep her alive. If it’s her time no matter what we do she’ll leave us. But if it’s not her time I know you’ll be the one to save her.”  Isaac was confident it wasn’t Rose’s time. She was young, too young. And he didn’t even get to be with her that long. He didn’t care if when she woke up if she didn’t want to be with him, he’d understand that. As long as he knew she was out there living somewhere that would be enough for him.

He took her soft hand once more praying that he would see her open her warm brown eyes once more.

“Okay.” Felix replied finally “We need bring down that fever.”


The day passed slowly, all Isaac could do was wish that it was him and not her. He kept thinking maybe there was something that he could have done to keep her from becoming ill. Rose had started to mumble, but it was as if she was in a different time and place. She sounded like she was a child again.

Nigel had joined them stating he didn’t care if he contracted the fever he just wanted to help.

“There, there Rosie old girl” Nigel said soothingly touching her arm “I’m going to read you your favorite book.”

Isaac smiled as Nigel started reading Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol.

Of course Rose’s favorite book would be about a sully old man who didn’t appreciate what he had and in the end was a better man once he saw the truth. He felt like the scrooge in that story. He had been a grumpy man before Rose. He had lost himself because of Lorraine, because she didn’t like his ranch or his traveling or him. He had tried to change himself to better suit her.

He hoped she’d leave; she had no right being her after what she had done to Rose.

After midnight Rose’s fever spiked once more, they all worked to bring it back down by once more covering Rose in ice bricks. The windows were open allowing the crisp night air in the room. Isaac had no idea what would happen to Rose and that scared him more than ever. He wished his older brother Gideon was here as he seemed to always know the right things to say, or his younger brother Josh who had a way of making people smile no matter what the situation was.

Isaac got up to and crossed the room to the small desk in the corner. Just sitting there was making him crazy and he figured it was high time he wrote his family.

Dear Gideon, Josh, Cory, and Max,

We have arrived in England. It is a beautiful country, rolling green hills as far as the eye can see. Rose’s house is more like a castle really, it has its own beauty as it seems everything in this house was made with such care, you can tell whomever built it cared about its inhabitants very much. Rose has fallen ill with scarlet fever she lays now not more than five feet from me. I don’t know what to do… I wish you were here, all of you. I just keep praying she’ll open her eyes and be alright again. I know I should have treated her better, I should have treated you all better and I am sorry for how I’ve been for the past four and a half years. How is Max? I’m sure he’s even more grown than when I saw him last. How is the baby? I don’t know if you’ve had her yet but I hope all is well. And Josh did you finally propose to Lela?
I’ll write more when I know more.
Isaac

P.S. Give my love to the others.

Isaac had never been one for long letters but he wanted his family to know what was going on. He wanted to hear from them as well. Once he sealed the letter and wrote the address on it he left it on the desk and rejoined the others at Rose’s side.

~~

“Isaac” Felix said waking Isaac from dozing off “It’s been nearly three days I think you should go get some rest.”

“No, absolutely not. I am not leaving my wife’s side” Isaac said sternly. He felt protective over her and even though there was nothing he could do he felt better being by her.

Felix nodded understandingly “Alright, I’ll have Flora bring more coffee. And maybe a cot or two.”

Nigel slept on the sofa in the middle of the room while Felix and Isaac had remained awake. Rose hadn’t mumbled in a while and Isaac wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. They had managed to feed her tea and broth by putting it into her mouth and massaging her throat so she’d swallow it. Her fever hadn’t risen for almost a day and he hoped that meant that it was almost over.

Isaac held onto Rose’s hand he spoke to her as if she were already awake, hoping that maybe it would help.

“I think Lorraine has left…” He said “Once you wake up I’d like to take a horse and maybe we could see more of the country you love so much.”

She didn’t reply, she didn’t even move. He was growing less sure that she’d make it through this fever and the thought that he’d never get to see her or be around her again made his heart ache like never before. He moved onto the bed to be beside her and finally let himself drift off into a restless sleep.

~~Author’s Note~~
I am so sorry for the wait! It’s been nearly a month I think since my last update! I’ve been utterly busy and haven’t had any time so I am so sorry! I hoped y’all liked it though! I have big plans for this story and it’s far from over. Please vote and comment!
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K.C.