Every Summer Has A Story

Ch. 25 - Timothy Gibbons

"Bye, mommy," he sang, "I'll write you lots of letters."

"Good for you, dude," Eve thought with a small smile.

"That's so sweet," she said aloud as Mrs. Gibbons waved goodbye one more time.

"He is a very sweet boy," Mrs. Gibbons replied with a proud smile.

The pair took a seat and Eve opened Timothy's file, ready to take notes.

"So," Mrs. Gibbons dove in, "as far as his dietary needs, the kitchen should already have his soy products and know what to do with them. My concerns are with Timothy getting his hourly sunscreen application and inhaler treatments every four hours."

Eve jotted that down and fought valiantly to maintain a neutral expression,

"Any particular reason for the ample sunscreen I should be aware of?"

"He will blister within minutes," Mrs. Gibbons replied with wide, worried eyes, "it's quite painful."

Eve nodded,

"Got it. Any sensitivity to mosquito bites?"

Mrs. Gibbons paled a bit,

"Not that I'm aware of... why, should I be concerned?"

"Way to give her ideas, dumb ass! "Eve inwardly chastised herself.

"Not at all. I just want to cover all of the skin irritation bases."

Mrs. Gibbons seemed to relax a bit.

"I have his morning, afternoon, and evening medications color coded," she explained, "he will need to be reminded to take them."

Eve smiled,

"I do medication calls at every meal," she assured Mrs. Gibbons, "and for his inhaler treatments I will go to wherever he is on camp grounds."

For a moment Mrs. Gibbon's eyes got a bit misty,

"I appreciate this so much, Eve. I know I probably sound like a mama bear, but Timothy was born with so many problems related to prematurity. He was a micro-preemie, actually," she sniffled, "I do whatever I can to alleviate his discomfort, but it's a lot to handle on my own."

Eve gave her a genuine smile and tried to convey utmost confidence.

"While Timothy is here I'll be his camp mama bear," she jested, "and if anything comes up I will absolutely give you a call."

Mrs. Gibbons rose to her feet with another sniffle and a satisfied smile.

"Thank you, again Eve. He is so looking forward to his week at camp. I'm glad we are able to make it work for him."

Eve stood as well and began leading Mrs. Gibbons to the front deck,

"He is going to make amazing memories."

They said their goodbyes and Eve shuffled back into the lodge, feeling a bit dazed. She didn't notice Zayne's presence until he cleared his throat.

"You handled that beautifully, Evie," he said, emerging from the office.

She startled at his appearance and had to chuckle.

"That was slightly overwhelming," she confessed with a laugh, "but hearing Mrs. Gibbons say how thankful she is for Timothy to be here reminded me why I love medicine."

Zayne broke into one of his dazzling smiles.

"That's the beauty of camp life, Evie! We sincerely make a difference for our campers."

"I am starting to get the idea," she concurred. 

Zayne casually slung an arm around Eve's shoulders as they walked toward the infirmary,

"You're going to have an awesome week," he assured her, "it's pretty cool seeing camp in full swing."

Eve appreciated the encouragement.

"First I need to organize this mountain of medication."

Zayne checked his watch and shrugged,

"I've got some time until we need to go down for swim tests, I'll help." 

"Really?" Eve stumbled over her own feet in surprise.

"It's no problem," he chuckled, squeezing a steadying arm around her shoulders, "I like helping in as many areas as I can."

Eve lifted an eyebrow coquettishly,

"Oh really? In any area...?"

There was a pause as Eve's joke hung between them.

"You really are becoming one of us," he commented dryly at her masterful innuendo. 

"Lord help me, you may be right."