FicWad

Three more kids were down with a cough a week later and Quinn did her best to keep up their spirits as they laid in their hammocks. While she was grateful for the distraction from everything that had happened with Seamus, she was starting to get concerned; this seemed like more than a regular cold.

She was brewing another pot of tea when Jax came into the galley. He could see the tension in her forehead and hopped up onto the counter beside the kettle.

“How are they doing?” he asked.

Quinn leant against the counter across from him, brow creased. “Their symptoms seem to just indicate a cold, but Cai has had a bad cough for two weeks now, without a sign of getting better.”

Jax looked at her suddenly. “Is it a dry cough?”

“Yes?”

He grabbed her hand and nearly ran into the doorframe in his hurry. Quinn, confused, scrambled after him as he led them to the forecastle, where Cai and the others were lying in their bunks.

Cai was in the middle of a coughing fit and between coughs, he gasped for air, high-pitched in a way that made Quinn wince sympathetically.

“What is it?” Quinn asked Jax, whose jaw tightened at the sound. He moved farther away from the sick kids.

“I think it’s whooping cough,” he said quietly, so only she could hear him.

Quinn frowned. “Whooping cough? But there’s a vaccine for –” Her realization struck her like a punch to the gut, followed by a wave or rage at the Auradonian establishment unlike any other she had had. “There’s no medicine on the Isle,” she said quietly, more to herself than to Jax. She closed her eyes for a moment and drew her hand through her hair, then looked at Jax. “How bad is whooping cough? Have kids caught it here before?”

He nodded. “Every few years there’s a bunch of bad cases. One year, a while back, three kids died.” Quinn’s heart plummeted like a rock to the bottom of her stomach. “But if you have a vaccine, you won’t have to worry about catching it,” he said.

Quinn nodded. “Alright, if it’s this bad, we need to separate the sick people as well as everyone who helped me take care of them.”

“We’ll move them above the shop,” Jax said.

“I’ll move them,” Quinn said. “You need to be careful too. And the younger kids especially. If I remember correctly, it’s more dangerous for young children.”



They were not happy to have to move, but Quinn got everyone who was sick up to the room above the shop. Cai, she moved last and every so often, they had to stop when a coughing fit overtook him. Once, when they were nearly at the door of the shop, the fit was so bad that he vomited. Quinn jumped back at first but stroked his back as he retched through his coughs. “It’s alright,” she murmured.

She led him up the steps to where several make-shift beds lay spread around the room.

••


Quinn was not extremely familiar with whooping cough since it was mostly eradicated in Auradon. But if it was reasonably common here, perhaps there were records of it, and hopefully some treatment instructions.

“Jax?” she asked one morning as they got ready for the day. “Where would I find an archive or records?”

He frowned thoughtfully. “The library at the school, maybe? It’s the largest collection of books on the Isle that I know of.”

An hour later, Quinn and Sheela were inside. “You know,” Sheela said, putting her lockpicking supplies back in her pocket. “I never thought I’d be breaking into school.”

Quinn smiled. The school was dark and empty – it was the weekend – and they crept through the corridors.

“Library’s this way,” Sheela said, leading her into a room filled to bursting which shelves and tables piled high with books, as well as stacks of books on the floor.

Quinn whistled. “This might take a while.”

Sheela smiled. “There is some rhyme and reason to it. I suggest we start over there.” She pointed to the left back corner. “That’s the ‘practical information we might actually need’ section.”

They spent over an hour searching until Sheela called out, “I think I found something!”

Quinn rushed over to her side. Sheela held a handwritten notebook entitled Common Illnesses. They flipped through until they found a page on whooping cough. Quinn skimmed over the symptoms, checking them off in her head: red watery eyes, runny nose, dry cough; then as the illness worsens: more coughing which may provoke vomiting, result in a red or blue face, cause extreme fatigue, or end with a distinctive high-pitched whoop.

“But there’s no cure or treatment,” Sheela said, having skimmed to the bottom.

“Rest, fluids, smaller meals to discourage vomiting, clean air,” Quinn read. “But teens and adults often recover no problem – although they’ll be weak for three to six months.”

“Three months?” Sheela repeated. “That won’t be good for morale or defending ourselves from attacks. Although I guess everyone will be having the same problem once it starts to spread.”

Quinn nodded and closed the book. “Well, this was a bit of a waste of time – it’s basically the same treatment as a regular cold.”

“At least we know for sure we’re not missing anything,” Sheela said encouragingly.



When they returned to the shop, Harper, Corinna, and Jade were sitting at the counter speaking in low tones. Quinn would not have given them a second glance if their expressions had not been so serious. The three Powder Monkeys often hung out together but usually gossiped or pulled pranks.

“Is everything alright?” she asked them.

They all hesitated before Corinna spoke up. “We heard that Maleficent started the sickness on purpose and that she has a cure.”

“It’s whooping cough,” Quinn said firmly. “It comes around every few years, and it doesn’t have a cure.” At least not on this island.

“Apparently there’s medicine on the ships from Auradon,” Harper added. “And she’s hoarding it to herself.”

Quinn exchanged a look with Sheela. These types of rumours would not help morale either.

“If there was medicine, we would’ve found it with our tunnel,” Sheela said.



Corinna came to Quinn with a bad cough the next day. She quietly admitted that she had been feeling under the weather for a little while already but did not want to be separated from her friends. Quinn did not have the heart to scold her.

With both his siblings sick, Cyrus started sleeping behind the counter in the shop.



One day, as she sat in the room above the shop, watching over the sick, Quinn heard footsteps on the stairs. She looked up to see a boy, maybe ten or eleven, with blond hair, wearing red, white, and black leather.

“Can I help you?” Quinn asked, getting up. “Just stay in the doorway, we don’t want to spread it.”

The boy nodded. “You’re Quinn, right? The doctor?”

“Yeah, well, I’m not a doctor, but I am in charge of taking care of sick Crewmembers,” she clarified. “Do you need my help?”

“My friend, I’m worried that he might get sick because his dad is keeping his store open,” he said. “And then I might get sick too.”

Quinn nodded and pulled out a few cloth masks she had Crewmembers make in their free time. “I can’t guarantee you or your friend won’t get sick,” she said. “But wearing these will help.” She handed them to him. “And make sure you wash your hands often.”

He nodded earnestly. “I owe you a favour.”

Quinn wanted to protest, but this kid did not seem like he would take no for an answer. “Sure.” It wasn’t like she would need this kid’s help anyway. As he turned to leave, she called after him. “Wait, what’s your name?”

“Carlos,” he called over his shoulder. “Carlos de Vil!”



Quinn was so constantly exhausted and busy that weeks slipped by. Cai mostly recovered, though he still tired easily, which frustrated him – especially when Quinn told him to take it easy and be patient. Jax visited often and they would sit in the backroom of the shop, usually not even talking that much. He would update her on the goings-on while she rested her head in his lap.

She had not been sleeping well in their makeshift hospital wing, missing Jax beside her. So, she would often drift off, Jax’s familiar scent surrounding her, his fingers gently brushing her hair out of her face. She would jerk awake some time later, feeling a little guilty to have fallen asleep in their limited time together, but he would just smile.

On one such occasion, he said, “Cai can probably start helping with the sick kids, so you can take turns.”

Quinn nodded. “He needs something to do. Not being able to go out is driving him nuts.”

“I bet.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Let him be in charge for tonight. We can hang out – you are in dire need of a date.”

“A date?” Quinn looked up at him. “How Auradonian of you.”

“You insult me,” he said with a grin.

With Cai installed as her temporary assistant, Quinn and Jax stepped out onto the nighttime Isle streets. They were quieter than usual, most people staying home to avoid getting sick.

They walked to the far end of the Isle, where they could look out to open sea. There was a small dent in the slab of rock that formed the shore that was perfect for two people to sit in.

Quinn curled to Jax’s side as they watched the stars come out, their reflections on the sea winking up at them. She allowed herself calm for the first time in a while and did not think of whooping cough. She instead focused on how she could feel every breath Jax took, could feel his heartbeat with her head on his chest. It was so familiar, so comforting.

It was home.

The realization shuddered through her with a certainty that almost scared her. Almost. “Jax,” she said quietly.

“Mmm,” he hummed.

“I love you.”

For a moment he said nothing. For a moment, Quinn was afraid she had said it too early, or that was not how flings worked or –

“I love you too,” he said quietly.

Quinn turned her head to look up at him and saw that softness in his eyes that made her feel like melting. She kissed him and then settled against his chest once more.

The moon had risen, full and bright, its reflection on the water rippling and distorting in the waves.

But the moment could not last forever and soon they had to scramble back up the rocks and return to the shop. A wide-eyed Cai met them at the door.

“Cai, you were supposed to stay upstairs,” Quinn said. She pushed Jax back and stepped in front of him protectively. “You might still be contagious.”

“It’s Corinna,” he said.

Nothing more had to be said. Jax nodded and squeezed Quinn’s hand encouragingly before she and Cai hurried upstairs.

Corinna was curled on her side, coughing ceaselessly. Between bouts, she gasped in as much air as she could in the distinctive whoop that Quinn could never get used to, no matter how often she heard it.

Cai stood, helpless, flinching sympathetically with his sister. “Can you do something to help her?” he asked.

Quinn crouched beside her but could do nothing but rub her back and whisper encouragingly, “It’s alright. You’ll be alright.”

When the coughing finally subsided, Corinna let out a whimper. She looked exhausted. Cai helped her take a sip of water before she curled up against him.

Corinna was the one Quinn was most worried about. The book had said that children were most at risk – the younger the child, the higher the risk. She exchanged a worried look with Cai, but before either could say anything, footsteps bounded up the stairs. Harper appeared in the doorway, face fraught with concern.

“Harper, you can’t be up here,” Quinn scolded, getting to her feet.

“Is Corinna alright?” he asked, starting into the room.

“She’s resting,” Quinn said, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Go downstairs before you get sick too.” He tried to get around her, but Quinn managed to usher him to the stairs. “Harper, you can’t do anything for her right now, okay? She just needs to rest and let her body fight the sickness. She’s tough, you know that.”

He nodded, though a little uncertainly.

“And it’ll be easier for her if she’s not worried about you,” Quinn continued. “So, don’t do anything that will get you sick or hurt.”

Harper looked around Quinn to where Corinna lay. “Can you tell her I said get well soon when she wakes up?” he asked in a small voice.

“Of course,” Quinn said, with a little smile. “Now run along.”