"What the hell could cause this?" Jenny was looking over Kaden as I ran warm water over his legs. With another gasp she ran to Aden and sighed in relief as she examined his legs.
"Aden is fine," She looked up. "Where have you been without Aden?" Kaden shrugged and looked to his legs.
"They feel itchy…" He shrugged again as I rubbed soap on his legs.
"Lift your top." I said and as he did, I inspected his stomach and back. "It seems to be only on your legs and feet…" I sighed and cleaned his other leg. "It must have been something you stepped in…" I took him from the draining board to the stool then looked down. "How's everyone else's feet?" I watched as everyone began to look.
"When the fuck did this happen?" Dean glared and stood up. As he came around the island, I could see the same strange rash over his feet spreading up from between his toes and a smudge on his lower leg. Thankfully no one else seemed to have a reaction.
Lilly suddenly squealed in anger and tossed her drinks cup across the room as Mathew offered it to her. She began to cry and her little face scrunched up. Mathew rubbed his face.
"Back to normal…" He sighed and grabbed the cup from the floor by the door to the garage.
My mind went dark and I looked to Mathew. Everyone sensed the change and looked to me slightly alarmed.
"Danica?" Jenny asked and I opened my mouth a few timed but said nothing as I walked to Mathew and took the little cup from him and looked inside. My face drained of colour and my head snapped to Lilly as she staired at the cup her lower lip trembling.
"I need… to borrow someone's feet." I grabbed Mathew and dragged him up the stairs.
"Wait? What?" I could see everyone looking confused but I didn't care. I took him to my bathroom the floor still wet.
"Walk around on the white stuff." He shrugged and did as I asked.
"Now what?" He looked around as Jeff stood in the doorway and watched.
"We wait. Step over there." I pointed to where a little pool of formula still sat. He walked over and slapped his foot in it a couple of times.
"What is this stuff?" He sniffed. "Is it baby formula?" I nodded and kept my gaze to his feet then looked to my watch.
"Keep stepping in it." He rolled his eyes then looked to Jeff.
"What about you?" Jeff shrugged.
"You're doing fine." He grinned then walked over to Mathew and dipped one foot into the formula. "Feel better now?" Mathew crossed his arms.
"Now it just feels weird." I nodded and pointed.
"But you're turning red…" He looked down and pulled one of his feet up.
"What the hell?" He examined his foot, where the formula had sat the longest his skin was turning red. I walked to the sink and grabbed a glass then squatted by their feet.
"Move over, I'm going to collect this." They did and I tried to scoop as much of the formula into the glass. "Does Lilly get the same formula?" I stood and looked at Mathew and he nodded then his face fell.
"She reacted to the milk…" I nodded.
"And Maggy is always ill." His face went a lighter shade as he took the glass from me.
"I'll take this to the pack doctors." He stopped at the door to the bathroom. "Don't tell Derick just yet. I'll tell him when he wakes up." He looked around and saw the baby monitor. "That includes you lot downstairs. Let him sleep for now. God knows he needs it." He sighed and I grabbed his wrist as he was about to touch his face.
"Don't touch your face… you've just had that on your hands." He nodded then sighed.
"Shoot… Jeff what're you doing?" I looked back to see Jeff had put his foot back in what was left of the formula.
"Seeing how bad this stuff can get. I've been fighting a long time and have had a few strange things used against me. My wolf might be able to identify it faster than the doctor." Mathew nodded then turned and left.
I sighed and pulled the chair from the desk in the bedroom around and offered it to Jeff. He nodded and sat keeping his foot in the formula. With nothing left to do I went downstairs and looked to the faces of the others.
The rest of the day went smoothly as the warriors returned to duty while Jeff kept sitting in the bathroom. Jenny and I took care of the kids while amazingly Derick slept soundly.
I looked to the baby monitor as Jeff began to complain about being hungry. I shook my head and got up. Jenny stroked Lilly's head as she napped on the sofa. Carefully I picked my way past the boys as they too took an afternoon nap. I entered the kitchen and put a plate of food together then went upstairs checking in on the Alpha as I came close to the room he was in.
He was still in wolf form and his massive wolf was like a black blob on the bed hiding in the shadows and in parts overflowed the bed as he breathed heavily. He didn't even move as his limbs hung limply in deep sleep. Quietly I went to Jeff and gave him the plate of food. He smiled and began to eat.
"How's the foot?" He swallowed the food in his mouth.
"Hurting. But not too badly…" He frowned "I can't smell anything recognizable from the empty tub." he held the formula tub up. "And it's not reacting like normal things. How's the kids?" I smiled.
"Kaden is practically healed. There's a little redness but it's fading and Lilly seems to be good too." I sighed. "Maggy… she's a lot better. By tomorrow this stuff should be out of her system and she can get better faster." He nodded and looked to his foot.
"I don't think I can learn anymore from this." I nodded and he pulled his foot out of the drying puddle. "It got to the stage of burning and a blister. Kind of like wolfsbane but not fully. However…" He shook his head. "I guess if I ate this I'd have a different reaction." He seemed to think of something then handed me the food plate.
"I don't like that look…" He shrugged and walked over to the sink then grabbed the formula tub and put a little water into it. "You better not…" He swirled the water then drank. My eyes opened wide as he seemed to have an instant reaction to the stuff and rubbed his throat.
"That burns on the way down…" He went white then doubled over. I dropped the food to the dresser top as I grabbed him before he hit the ground. I heard him whine then go limp.
"Fuck…" I lifted him and carried him out of the bedroom then down the stairs. Jenny was already on her feet looking up at us as I brought Jeff and the tub to the front door. "The idiot drank the stuff." She nodded.
"I heard over the monitor… But we don't have a car and the hospital is in the town." I rolled my eyes.
"I'll just have to carry him there." She nodded and grabbed her phone.
"I'll call Mathew and have him meet you." I nodded and began to run as fast as I could, carrying the rather large and awkward Jeff.