Savannah Nights
a Wild America story
by Hermione Eveningfall
It was so hot that anywhere on the set seemed unbearable. Scott, Jonathan and I sat on the grass in front of our model of the Stouffer house, attemping to catch whatever breeze we could during our break between scenes. For once, the three of us werent surrounded by swarms of squealing fan girls, and could enjoy each other's company.
Jonathan let out a small groan, flopping down on his stomach, and pulled out one of the thin, green blades. I sat with my knees against my chest, attempting to muffle my sniffles into my arms. Scott had just gotten over a nasty cold, which seemed to be traveling throughout the rest of the cast and crew. Now, just my luck, I caught it.
"I could really use a swim," Jonathan murmered, deciding to use Scott's lap as a pillow, smiling when Scott massaged his head. Jonathan was our boy, and we cared for him as though he were our own real brother. Scott treated the both of us almost as a surrogate father, due to the fact that he was thirty years old.
"Yeah, I don't think we can without permission from the director, kiddo." Scott leaned on the heels of his hands, humming to himself. "How are you feeling, Devon?" he added, looking at me with concerned eyes. I sighed, rubbing my throbbing forehead.
"I'm surviving." Before I could say anyting else, or before I could get a chance to hide, I snapped forward, sneezing loudly. "HuhSHEEEH! "
Scott smirked as Jonathan pulled a tissue out of the pack he had in his pocket and handed it to me.
"Thanks," I croaked, only proceeding to sneeze again. "HuhESHHHH!"
"Bless you." Scott and Jonathan told me in unison, and I fell back on the ground.
"Thanks." I watched as Jonathan suddenly hopped to his feet and hurried towards the big oak tree where we'd hung a huge tire swing. He crawled into it on his stomach, letting out a "WHOOP!" as he flew forwards, then backwards.
I sat up again, swaying a little with dizziness. "Dammit." I blinked until my world came back into focus. "Why is it when the three of us are alone he decides to loosen up and be a kid?" I asked, wanting to run into the tree head first. Scott shrugged, helping me up so we could go and continue Jonathan's fun streak while he had it.
"How high?" Scott asked, pulling the swing back, until Jonathan yipped.
"That's fine, that's fine! Whoa!" he cheered as he let go, and I hopped out of the way just as he brushed past me. "Sorry!" he apologized as he passed me again, only in reverse. I smirked, coughing a little and folding my arms as I felt a chill go through me. Scott didn't see this luckily, because he was trying to tag Jonathan, chasing him about the yard. He finally caught him in a tackle, hoisting him into the air.
"Hey!" Jonathan kicked his legs out as Scott swung him around, and finally let him go when the director came over to tell us to get ready for the upcoming scene.
"How are you doing, Devon? Are you sure you want to continue today?" Mr. Dear asked, taking notice of my slightly flushed cheeks. I nodded, not wanting to postpone an entire day of filming over a stupid cold. Well, it was a "stupid" cold that had put Scott in bed for nearly three days, and that prospect lingered in the back of my mind. But honestly, except for the seemingly constant coughing and sneezing, I felt as though I could continue working.
"Good man. All right, guys get in your places, please, and cameras, prepare to roll!"
The scene went remarkably well, I thought, though my nose itched horribly through most of it. The three of us lay on our "beds" in the Stouffer bedroom: Jonathan on the top bunk with the owl on his knee, Scott on the bed by the window reading, and I was attempting to lift weights on mine. Great thing to do while sick, I thought, though the extra strength couldn't hurt.
However, the urge to sneeze was growing more and more powerful by the minute, and before I knew it, the cameras stopped as I began doubling over with my latest fit. "HuhCHHHH! EhTSHHHHH! HuhTESHHHH!" Jonathan and Scott hurried over to sit on either side of me, preparing to catch me in case I passed out.
I finally managed to catch a breath, though instantly, Scott's hand was resting against my neck. "You're warm," he announced, and I was aware again of the fact that I was shivering. "He has a fever," he added when the director hurried over to make sure I was all right.
The last thing I remember doing was telling Jonathan to say hello to Amy for me, before I dissolved in blackness.
When I finally came to, my brain was so fuzzy that I had absolutely no idea where I was.
"Oh, you're awake!" I heard a voice gasp with relief, and turned to it. Jonathan sat beside me, his eyes wide and filled with worry. "Scott went to get a cup of coffee, but he'll be back soon. How are you feeling?"
"What time is it?" I croaked, noticing then that I lay in a flimsy hospital bed.
"Nine thirty in the morning," Jonathan replied, and I blinked.
"I was out for that long?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Scott was here all night with you, but he wouldn't let me stay...I just got here about a half hour ago."
I couldn't believe it. "He did?"
Jonathan nodded, just as the door opened, and Scott entered, carrying two cups. He handed one to Jonathan before glancing at me, and grinned. "Hey...about time you woke up." He reached over to feel my forehead...normally I would have jerked away, embarrassed, but I was too exhausted to fight it this time. "Temperature has definitely gone down. Did he just wake up, Jon?"
"Yup. Just barely five minutes before you came back."
"So, how are you feeling? You don't look too great."
I groaned, glancing at the door. "I feel just as I look, then. What the hell happened to me, anyway? I don't think I've ever passed out before like that."
"I don't really know yet, but they were running tests at least every two hours last night."
It didn't surprise me at this point that I hardly remembered anything that occurred in the past twenty-four hours, and anything that came into my head was slightly fuzzy. When the nurse came in on her rounds, Scott ushered Jonathan away, so she could do her work without distraction. I wanted to beg them not to go, but they were out the door before I could say anything.
"We were getting worried there for a little bit," she told me as she began flipping through my charts and jotting a few things down. "How are you feeling?" Her hand felt cool against my cheek, and she checked my pulse.
"Exhausted," I replied. "And everything aches."
"Well, that's to be expected for someone who has the flu."
The flu...was she serious? "Are you serious?" I asked, understanding now why I'd passed out. Clearly I had been worse than I thought when I left for work the previous morning, but the energy of the set kept me shadowed from the truth. She nodded, but wouldn't allow me to speak, as the thermometer went into my mouth a moment later. When she removed it, I started coughing and cringed...my throat was burning.
"Yeah," she replied, after writing down my temperature. "That's what came up on our tests. You'll be able to go home tomorrow, but I'd still like to keep you one more night for observation. It isn't safe to let you leave yet, so soon after you came back."
Unfortunately I understood, but I refused to let Scott spend another night in the hospital again. I told him this when he came back in, and he looked as though he wanted to protest, but thought better of it. "Are you sure?" he asked, and I nodded.
"I'm fine. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Well of course, but..."
"I mean it," I added, as Jonathan came to the head of the bed so I could see him more clearly. He sighed, defeated at last, and came up behind Jonathan to pull him in a hug. "You two need a night to hang out," I suggested. Usually we were too busy, or the age difference between those two proved a bit awkward. When a few moments of silence passed, I laughed.
"You look like someone's just died! Get out of here," I ordered, naturally teasing, and Jonathan gave me a hug.
"See you tomorrow," he promised.
"See ya," I replied, waving, and after Scott left, I was alone. I gazed at the ceiling above me, thinking it was probably some kind of strange fate that brought the three of us together. No one expected Jonathan and I to share a project, and yet here we were. Not only that, but all three of us had formed a bond so tight, that I was sure we would remain friends long after filming ended. Yawning, I decided to put all thoughts out of my head, and drifted into as restful a sleep as I could.
Though I knew it wasn't much, the advice I gave Scott and Jonathan did help them considerably. In the evening the two decided to sit by the pond, and said absolutely nothing at all as they gazed at the water. A quacking duck caught their attention, and the bird stared at them with it's beady black eyes.
"If I could," Jonathan breathed, "I'd live outside. Everything's so peaceful and quiet, and I wish we could have this kind of weather everywhere all the time." It was just warm enough not to be too stifling, but the breeze that ruffled past made it perfect.
"Are you sure you're not getting chilly? You're just in a t- shirt," Scott asked, worried about my comment earlier. Jonathan blinked his deep blue eyes and shook his head.
"Not really. Are you? Scott, you're looking at me weird." Jonathan frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just worried, that's all." He ruffled Jonathan's hair, and accepted a hug.
"About me?" Jonathan asked, rubbing his nose with the back of his wrist. "Or Devon?"
Scott shrugged. "Both of you. Devon, naturally, and I will be until he gets out of the hospital. And you, because everyone else has been getting sick, and I don't want to see you suffering through this."
Jonathan stood, stretching, and yawned. "If it makes you feel better, we'll go inside so you can be sure I'll be nice and warm."
Scott laughed. "If you don't want to go in, that's okay. I'm just being a worry wart."
Jonathan shrugged. "We could watch a movie or something. Something stupid that'll distract us."
They both agreed, and made their way back to the hotel.
Meanwhile, back in the hospital, I slept most of the time. My temperature varied every hour, though it was not nearly as high as it had been. I awoke for dinner, not feeling particuarily hungry, but allowing the nurse to offer me a bowl of chicken soup. "You should be all right to go home tomorrow," she told me as she watched my progress with the food. "You'll still be fairly weak for a bit."
I looked at her. "It's just so bizarre that I fainted from this. There had to be some other reason that caused it," I said, and she smiled.
"Well, the doctor thinks you might have been allergic to something and that interfered with your breathing. Your friend said you were sneezing a lot right beforehand, and that's pretty much what he remembered."
I nodded. "Yeah. Maybe. Funny, because I'd been around that area several times over the past month and never reacted that strongly." Not that allergies were uncommon with me, but they were usually fairly mild.
"Well, sometimes when you're not feeling well, your immune system weakens, so it is more susceptible to allergic reactions. That's my reasoning. Is there anything else I might get for you? Or are you all right?"
I nodded, taking another spoonful of broth. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."
"Well, my name is Katie if you need me." She shook my hand, and went to check on other patients. I broke down into coughing after she left, and stole a glance out the window. The sky was darkening, and I wondered what Jonathan and Scott decided to do. Usually, if we were all feeling perfectly fine, two of us will take walks into town at a time. Jonathan is usually not feeling up to going out late, though occasionally he's come along.
I shivered, burying deeper beneath my blankets, and closed my eyes again.
As the nurse predicted, I was fine to go home the next day. My fever was still there, but I wasn't feeling nearly as lousy. Scott came to pick me up, and when I asked why Jonathan hadn't come with him, he just looked at me.
"He's not feeling good, is he?" I asked, allowing him to help me into the passenger seat of the truck.
"Not too good, no." Scott made sure I was warm enough before shutting the door, and hopped into the driver's seat. "He's sleeping right now. We'll have to see how he feels tomorrow."
I sniffled and folded my arms, watching as the scenery passed us by. "Thanks for being there," I added, when a few moments of awkward silence passed. We turned a corner, making our way towards our hotel.
"No trouble at all, Devon." His response, I knew, was sincere.
Characters names and places obviously belong to the actors themselves, though I am just molding them into what ive read about them via articles and by watching the movie itself. I have no personal connections to either of them.
This particular fic is told in Devon Sawa's point of view. This is something I've been doing for years, using him as the storyteller, so I hope it turns out okay :o)