At first, Randy didn't notice anything out of the ordinary as he brought Seven back into the main room where Susan was resting and most of the other children had gone back to doing whatever they had been before the arrival of the baby. He plopped Seven onto a chair near the sofa, then paused to inspect him.

Seven's eyes were closed and he seemed to have withdrawn into himself, his little chin sunk onto his chest and he drew up his knees and curled his arms around himself as though he were trying to protect himself from the cold.

Randy gave a sound of alarm, a brief firing of clicks intended to alert Susan of what was happening. Meanwhile, he bent to check Seven's temperature and scan him for other signs of illness. As young as he was, Seven had already taken ill more times than most of his siblings--though so far, none of it seemed to have been very serious.

Seven's body temperature had dropped significantly and he barely responded to his father's examination, with a slight whimper he reached out his little hands as he often did for his mother when he wanted her to hold him....

Susan came running into the room, "What is it?" she asked.

"He's taken ill again," said Randy, lifting Seven from the chair. "Feel how cold he is."

Susan put her hand on Seven's face, "My poor baby..." Seven burrowed into his father's chest, squeezing his eyes shut, his tightly drawn lips were pallid and his face pale.

"I will take him to the doctor's," Randy offered. "I think he needs a thorough examination."

Susan nodded, "I...I hope it's nothing serious," she said.

"As do I," said Randy, though his ears were lowered in a show of concern. "You stay here and rest." He gave her a brief kiss before hurrying out the door with Seven tucked against him.

....

The doctor told Randy that Seven had and autoimmune deficiency but that there would be no telling how serious it was until he was a good bit older, until that time it was best to monitor him closely and being him in for an examination each month.

Randy agreed, and when they returned home he gave Susan the same news.

Susan hugged Seven close, "What does this mean for my baby?"

"We will have to be very careful with him, but it is too early yet to tell," Randy replied. "There is a chance he could grow out of it... but I wouldn't count on that. We are to monitor his health closely and bring him in for regular exams."

"I'm going to put him to bed and sit with him for a little bit," said Susan, "The least we can do for him is try to make him feel a little better,"

Randy nodded in agreement. "Feel better soon," he cooed softly as he gave Seven one more kiss before his mother took him off to bed.

Seven opened his eyes and gave his father a weak wave, "Night Daddy....."