Whooping cough, the doctor said she had. Kathy would have to be watched carefully. So Emma gave her her medicine on time. She checked her carefully during the day. Taking care of her during the day was not too bad. It was the nights Emma found difficult.
Tom moved the lazy-boy into Kathy’s room. It crowded the room. Emma used it at night with a blanket. She would doze off and on for a few minutes. Then suddenly she would come fully awake. For a moment or two fear would take over. The fear went into the pit of her stomach. She was afraid to look, afraid to listen. Then she would look and Kathy was all right. By Christmas week Kathy was running around the house. The doctor told Emma she had fully recovered. Kathy would tire more quickly than usual. He told her not to worry as that was normal. Kathy was fine now, but Emma was not. She was exhausted.
There was still so much to do for Christmas. Everything seemed to take longer than usual. Emma didn’t watch her soaps that week. She didn’t have the time. Mainly she was afraid she would fall asleep. She was surprised she hadn’t really missed them. She felt more depressed every day. Part of the trouble was that she had not gotten any rest. The other part was the radio.