Months passed. By now the two farm children had been moved on to live with relatives from a distant town. I couldn't help but feel they were shier around Riv and I now than they were when they first arrived. Still, I wished them well and gave them copies of their records before departing.

Based on Riv's record, at least from what we could tell, he had his birthday. I tried to put in some extra time for assignments in the weeks leading up to it to finally get him some nice things: A couple new changes of clothes and a stuffed bear of his own. Daniel bought the boy a nice ream of paper and a new box of crayons and pencils. Even Ulimi stopped by to bring over some of those pastries Riv likes so much. Together with Kuri and Tamani we had a small get-together of our own come a neighboring Saturday when we all had time. To seal the deal we spent much of the time outside-- though it was a bit chilly, as long as he had a jacket he didn't seem to mind.

Seeing those big eyes light up from all the people and the nice things he got just melted me. He never asked or wanted for much, but it made me smile when those things could be done regardless. He was a sweet boy who'd made big strides against a harsh environment and deserved better than what he'd been dealt. As much as I could, I would try to give him a life more like what he should have.

Of course, despite getting a bit older, he was still just as affectionate and cuddly as he'd always been. I really hoped that he'd always be, both for his enjoyment and, admittedly, my own comfort. I'd grown so used to it that being without it for very long was strange and distressing. There were times when the staring of the staff got to him and he'd hide away in his room, but I was so fortunate to have Daniel here to help console him. It pained me that I couldn't do it myself, but I needed to work during most of those times. He was a child and couldn't understand these things and I know he felt pushed aside by this, but...my hands were simply tied.

If only I could, Riv, I'd forego all this mind-numbing work and keep you as close as possible.

There were occasions when I'd let him sit behind the desk with me, cushion on the floor, just to keep my tail around him and hold him close. While he didn't seem to mind this much I didn't like having to go to this extent just to keep him shielded from the pervasive eyes of staff I did not control. Even then I had gotten reprimanded a number of times for doing this as it either made the staff uncomfortable (and thus Morissey by extension) or it bothered the visitors. Riv being out in the lobby perturbed them, but this was not something I was so willing to give up just to appease strangers in my home. A stern look with my large doe eyes was usually enough to dissuade them from bothering me too much about it.

Over those months I wondered if he might want a haircut. His hair was already quite long when he arrived and often got in his face, but every time I asked he declined. After a while I just stopped asking, figuring he'd request it on his own should his mind change. Plus he seemed to enjoy the brushing and I was more than happy to oblige when asked-- and I was always asked.

Some weeks later I started noticing the door left ajar again. Maybe I just hadn't picked up on it for a while, but at least I thought it had been left alone until recently. Sometimes it was just Riv using the bathroom in the middle of the night, but it was those times he couldn't recall that worried me. He didn't seem too bothered and there appeared to be nothing wrong with him, though, so it was shrugged off as his just having been too sleepy to remember.

There came a morning, though, when something didn't seem quite right. Riv was still asleep so I went downstairs to make breakfast. Strangely, even after everything was finished and set on the table he hadn't come downstairs. Certainly there were mornings when he was more tired than others, but something about this bothered me. I returned upstairs and opened his door, kneeling next to his bed and gently nudging him awake. The most I got in response was a scrunched face and weak groan as he curled up.

Something was wrong.

"Riv, are you okay?" I asked, rubbing his arm.

"I don't...feel very good..." he slowly mumbled. "...My stomach hurts."

A feeling of dread struck me. I put my hand up to his forehead and he was running quite hot.

"Please stay right there, I will be back in a second," I said, racing to the bathroom.

I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under cold water, wringing it damp and returning to his room.

"Can I get you to lie on your back for me?" I asked.

He blinked his tired eyes open enough to see what he was doing, shifting around to lie supine as he hugged his stuffed bear. His discomfort was all over his face, tense and pained. I carefully laid the cold cloth over his forehead, perhaps a feeble attempt at mitigating whatever this could be, but there wasn't much I could do until Daniel arrived. In the meantime I held his little hand and brushed my thumb against the back of it as he squeezed my fingers in pulses of malaise.

Before long I felt eyes on me. I turned around to see one of the staff watching from the doorway. It was the one shy staffmember from long ago, back when I hired our nurse. Before she could scurry off I called back to her, she slowly shuffling back and poking her head around the doorway.

"...I'm sorry to bother you, but could you please go downstairs and find Daniel?" I asked quietly, trying to stay calm. "Riv is sick and this is about the time he'd be showing up. I really need him."

"...Y-Yes sir," she said as she briskly walked away and down the stairs.

Within the next few minutes I heard a familiar heavy rhythm of footsteps up the stairs and through the hallway. A soft knock on the door turned my attention to a large man in the doorway, looking down to us with a firm expression.

"Howdy there," he said in a soft voice. "Mind moving over so I can get a better look?"

I quickly did as requested, Daniel taking my place as I stood behind him. From a hard case in his pocket he withdrew a thermometer and stuck it gently in Riv's mouth.

"Okay, kid, just let this sit under your tongue for me," he said. "Try not to bite down. Just hang on a bit."

Daniel lightly stroked the child's head, holding the thermometer upright until the line stopped moving.

"Alright, that's good," he said, removing the thermometer and quickly reading the mark. "Hundred and one. Yeah, that's pretty high."

With a small bottle of alcohol and a cloth he cleaned the mouthpiece and returned it to its hard case.

"Has he eaten yet today?" he asked, turning his head a bit toward me.

"N-No, I had just finished making breakfast when I came up here to find him still in bed," I answered. "He seems to be in some kind of pain, saying his stomach hurts. I felt a fever so I tried to help cool him off a bit, but that's the most I could think to do."

"S'alright, Reverend," he assured. "Riv, you say your stomach hurts?"

"...Yes," he barely said.

"Do you feel nauseous? Like you're gonna throw up?"

He slowly nodded his head, his ears harshly raked back as he seemed to feel another wave of pain.

"Are ya hungry at all?"

Riv shallowly shook his head as his feet fidgeted. Daniel noticed the fidgeting, turning his head slightly.

"...Let's get you to the bathroom. As weird as this is gonna sound, I need you not to flush."

I moved aside as Daniel lifted Riv to his feet, cautiously walking him across the hall and to the bathroom. Pushing open the first stall the little boy turned around to lock the door as both of us stood outside in the hall.

"I'd have carried him but didn't want to put pressure on his stomach and possibly make him puke," he said. "As gross as it is there's some things I'll need to see in his excrement to get a better idea of what's going on. Unfortunately, if it's affecting his stomach, it's going to affect his whole GI, and looking at this is one of the better ways to find clues."

"It's alright...I figured there was a point to it," I said, my hand on my forehead. "I trust you."

"Heh, thanks," he said, crossing his arms. "Just, I know it sounds really weird, but you get pretty used to dealing with gross things in this field. I may need direct samples if I don't get a likely definitive symptom in a few minutes, and that can take a day or two."

"Do you have any idea what this might be?" I asked, scratching my head.

"Could be a few things, really. Could be viral gastroenteritis, could be salmonellosis, could be E. coli. Some of these are better or worse than others, some are easier to recover from than others. What concerns me here is that there's different means of treating these, and treating something as one thing when it's actually something else can cause bigger problems."

"...That makes sense, I suppose."

"Do understand, Reverend, that from the looks of this it's not gonna be anything too severe and certainly not irrecoverable. He'll feel pretty miserable and it'll last anywhere from...probably three to seven days, but he'll be alright. Please try not to worry about it too much or you'll get sick, too."

I sighed, trying to calm myself down.

"I do suggest washing your hands after everything here gets situated," he uttered, hearing the stall lock disengage.

A soft beat of small feet against tile and the squeak of a stall door let us know he was finished. The poor child looked horrible and disheveled and it was so hard for me to not come running over to hold him. Daniel walked into the bathroom to investigate the waste, eliciting a loud sigh I could hear even from outside the room. With a flush of the toilet he turned back, walking Riv by a hand on his shoulder to the faucet to wash his hands. Daniel did the same, with my following right after.

"I'm gonna need him to come to the infirmary," Daniel said, hoisting the small boy up into his arms. "While I certainly wouldn't like looking in a soiled toilet normally, I'd prefer one without blood."

"...B...Blood?" I stammered. "W-What is--"

"Shh, please let me get him to the infirmary first," he turned toward me. "No offense, but parents who get riled up often get their kids riled up and nervous, too. I promise I'll tell ya everything I find and what I'll be doing, just sit tight for a bit. This is currently my top priority."

"...R-Right, I'm s--"

"Don't apologize for caring about your kid," he said, beginning his walk to the stairs. "You can walk with us but I'll need to take him in alone. I'll be monitoring him for the day after that, but will be doing so in the infirmary. He won't be far if you feel you need to check on him."

We walked in silence down the stairs, past Morissey who was here to pick up the prior day's work. He looked back to me in question.

"...I'm sorry, Morissey, I will be right with you when I can," I said quietly. "Please give me a few minutes."

We continued walking to the infirmary. Daniel allowed me an opportunity to part with a touch of my snout to the boy's clammy head before the heavy door locked in front of me. My heart sank further as I slowly turned to see Morissey standing on my porch, watching me. I picked up my pace to meet him as he walked back inside.

"Might I inquire as to what that was about?" he asked as I reentered the lobby.

"I-I'm so sorry, Morissey," I stuttered as I made my way to my desk. "...Riv is ill. I just...I just wanted to be there for when he was taken into the infirmary. I will get started shortly; I didn't mean to be late. Please give me just one moment so I can clean up the--"

"My staff said they have already tended to the food in the lounge," Morissey said in a low tone. "Please don't worry about it."

"O-Oh, um...alright, thank you," I said, my ears falling back again and my tail resting on the floor. "I didn't...I didn't mean to make a mess."

"Things happen, Reverend," he said, advancing on me and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Sometimes children get hurt or sick. We are only trying to look out for you as our member."

There was something in his tone that chilled my spine, but I tried to ignore it.

"As the farm children have moved on, I will be sending more surveys for this part of the region to see if there are any more children in need of care," he continued. "Depending on how far the town, the longer it may take to hear back, so I ask for your patience."

"...Yes, that is fine," I said, my eyes to the floor. "...Thank you for your help."

"Of course-- that is what we do. Your work has been beneficial to us all the same. I quite appreciate the extra time and care over the past while. Might I ask your motivation?"

"I wanted...to give Riv some nice things for his seventh birthday," I whispered, tugging at my sleeve. "I was able to get him some nice new clothes and a stuffed animal. If I can, I...I'd like to also get him a new change of sheets soon."

"...Ah."

From there he turned away and walked back toward the door. I couldn't help but notice that his ears had slightly fallen back and his gaze seemed concerned, almost pained. Was it something I said?

"...Nevertheless, thank you for your time," he said, departing the home.

I stood just in front of my desk, unsure how to feel. Looking back to the assignments in my inbox folder I sighed, lifted the heavy desk arm, and began today's work.

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