"Why don't you two run ahead and put more wood on the fire and some hot water on for cocoa?"
"Okay!" Marcia and Stephanie said. They quickly distanced themselves from the others and were soon back in the house.
Stephanie put the kettle on while Marcia put more wood on the fire.
She then gathered up blankets and set them in front of the fire to get them warm. Marcia met her little sister at the front door. As soon as they saw the others come onto the porch, they opened the door and let everyone in. There was a flurry of activity as the Monkees and Chris and Arlene took off their jackets and pulled off their shoes. Mike and Peter helped Micky off with his jacket. His teeth were still chattering. Chris knelt in front of Micky.
"Could you two hold him steady while I take his boots off, please?"
She asked Mike and Peter.
"No, I can..." Micky began.
"No, its ok, Micky. I want you to sit by the fire." Chris put in as she pulled off his ankle boots while Mike and Peter held him up.
"Yes, Ma'am." Micky replied half-seriously.
Meanwhile Stephanie went back to the kitchen to check on the water.
Marcia took one of the blankets she had put by the fire and spread it out on the floor in front of the fire.
"All ready!" Marcia said.
"All ready for what?" Micky asked as he was led to the fireplace.
Chris helped him sit down on the blanket.
Immediately he felt the warmth of the blanket go through him.
"Ahhh!" Micky smiled.
But then Marcia put another hot blanket around his shoulders from the back and Arlene put another hot blanket around his shoulders from the front. Almost at the same time, Chris took another hot blanket and wrapped it around Micky's legs and feet.
Too much heat at once! He tried to push the blankets away.
"Ah No! Please I don't...."
But thinking Micky was disoriented or frightened from his recent ordeal, Arlene and Marcia got on either side of him and held him close.
"Shh, shhh. Its ok, Micky." Arlene soothed, "You're safe, you're among friends." She gently ran a finger down his cheek.
"You're supposed to be here." Marcia said, hugging Micky. "You're supposed to meet with our Dad Gerry Anderson today."
But Micky was thinking of the sudden heat wave on his body. "I'm burning up!" He said. "I'm dyin'."
Mike, Peter and Davy, sitting next to each other on the couch nearby, giggled at Micky's 'torture'.
"Not likely." Chris said smiling, kneeling at his feet. She gently took his stocking feet in her hands.
"Wiggle your toes. Can you feel them?" She asked.
"Yeah." Micky replied, wiggling his toes. "I can also feel you tickling my feet too." He giggled and pulled his feet away.
"Hmmm. Ticklish." Chris said with a smile. "I'll have to remember that." She covered Micky's feet up.
"Chris is gonna be a nurse in a year, Micky." Arlene said, "She's just checking you for frostbite."
Chris reached under the blankets, took Micky's hands and looked at them. They were a little red, but it didn't look like frostbite had set in. If Micky had been out a little longer, though....
"Your hands look fine." Chris said, "They just need rubbed a little to get the color back in them."
Arlene and Marcia took that as their cue to take each of Micky's hands and rubbed them gently.
The fire in front of Micky was roaring now with all the wood Arlene had put on. Micky began to sweat.
"So, you'll be a nurse in a year?" Micky asked.
"That's right." Chris replied, "I'm working at General Hospital. By the way, I don't think we'd been properly introduced.
I'm Chris Anderson, to your right is Arlene, and at your left is Marcia. The littlest Anderson is Stephanie."
"Oh, I'm glad." Micky said dramatically, "I thought I had been abducted by crazed fans that were trying to burn and tickle me."
Everybody laughed at that one. Chris got to her feet.
"I'll go check on the hot water." She said, and then walked out of the den.
Arlene and Marcia put one arm around Micky's shoulders and held Micky's hands. Stephanie now came in from the kitchen and saw her sisters keeping Micky warm. Not wanting to be left out, Stephanie sat down behind Micky and leaned against his back.
"You can lean back against me, Micky." Stephanie said.
"Good idea, Steph." Marcia said. "You can keep his back warm."
Stephanie leaned harder into Micky's back and began picking pieces of ice out of his curly hair.
"You're going to be ok, Micky." She said quietly. Mike, Peter and Davy sat on the couch silently laughing had Micky's ordeal. They would tease him about this for weeks afterwards!
Micky felt a cough coming on. But since he was wrapped up and the girls were holding his hands, he coughed into his shirt. This of course brought pats on the back from the girls.
"I hope you don't catch a cold from this Micky." Arlene said seriously.
"Maybe we should've put him in bed." Stephanie said. Micky swallowed at the thought of lying in bed while these three junior Florence Nightingales swaddled and buried him in blankets. He was growing more and more uncomfortable. The heat from the roaring fire, plus the blankets, plus the three girls, were now making him too hot. Instead of telling the girls to move away and possibly hurt their feelings, (he knew they meant well), Micky decided to make a joke and hoped the girls got the point.
"You know, I feel like a TV dinner." Micky said.
"How so?" Arlene asked.
"Well, first I was frozen, now I'm all heated up!"
The three girls laughed at this.
"You're funny Micky!" Stephanie exclaimed, kissing the back of his neck. Arlene and Marcia kissed his cheeks.
"Let's take the front blanket off him." Marcia said.
Marcia and Arlene took the blanket away from Micky and put it aside.
Unfortunately for Micky, his body decided to give an involuntary shiver.
"Oh, he's still shivering!" Arlene exclaimed. "Quick, put the blanket back on him!"
The blanket was quickly wrapped around Micky again and the three girls hugged him tight.
"You poor thing." Stephanie said.
Micky wanted to cry. But finally salvation came when Chris brought in a tray with three mugs of hot cocoa and a bowl of soup. She stopped in the doorway and looked at the scene before her.
"What are you three doing to him?" She demanded.
"Micky's still shivering." Marcia replied, "We're keeping him warm."
Exhaling slowly, Chris walked over to the couch and presented the tray to the other three Monkees.
"I have some hot cocoa for you guys and a hot bowl of soup for Micky."
"Thanks, Chris." Peter said, as he and Mike and Davy took their mugs. Chris walked over to Micky and her sisters.
"I have some hot soup for you Micky." Chris said.
"I'll feed him!" Arlene, Marcia and Stephanie said together.
Chris rolled her eyes. "Uh, unless his hands fell off since I've been away, Micky can feed himself. Please get that top blanket off him."
Arlene and Marcia obeyed. Chris put the tray on Micky's lap.
"Thank you." Micky said in a way to let her know he was thanking her for more than just the soup.
"C'mon, girls," Chris said, "Lets get some cocoa for ourselves."
"You gonna be ok, Micky?" Stephanie asked.
"I'll be fine, darlin'...and thanks for keeping me warm girls." Micky replied.
"You're welcome, Micky." Arlene said happily.
"We'll watch him, luv." Davy said, smiling broadly.
As soon as the girls left the room, Davy walked over and patted Micky on the shoulder.
"Are you ok, Micky? Are you ok?" Davy teased.
"Shut up, Jones." Micky said only partly in jest.
"Micky's got a girlfriend; Micky's got a girlfriend..." Peter started to sing.
"What're you gonna tell Samantha?" Mike asked laughing, referring to Micky's steady girlfriend.
Micky just shook his head and drank his soup.