(no subject)
This is part of halfway_nano. Or will be, eventually. I'm going to try and segue back into it once 14valentines is over because I promised I would and I'm determined to finish it. To be honest, the entire thing seems incredibly daunting to me on my own, which is ridiculous, I know, but with the security of someone to keep me in check gone... I dunno. I'm nervous.
That being said, I am trying to get back on the horse. This is kind of the start of the reveal of... I guess it's a plot point? I'm not quite sure how to describe what it is, possible because I feel pretty sick and I'm kind of in the mood to murder my parents for putting the goddamn teevee so loud.
eta: HA. I never hit publish! I'm awesome!
***
Gideon knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. He usually woke up alone, with a note from Mirek on the bedside table, so Mirek's body pressed up against his back with the sun already creeping up in the sky was not only out of the ordinary, but slightly distressing.
"Hey, Mirek?" he said, clearing his throat and running a hand over the crown of Mirek's head. He was burning up. Last night's headache and cough seemed to have coalesced into a grisly cold, at the very least, and when he stirred, his eyes were red and bloodshot.
"Není mi dobře," he murmured, curling closer to Gideon.
"Don't know what that means, honey," Gideon said gently, brushing back Mirek's hair.
"I don't feel well," Mirek said. He closed his eyes. "I'm... cold." Gideon didn't know much about medicine, but he knew that chills and fever weren't a good combination. He was hesitant to leave Mirek alone, but he didn't see any other way to get help.
He leaned over and kissed Mirek's forehead. "I'm gonna go downstairs and get you a motrin, okay? Maybe call the doctor?" Mirek made a small noise of distress and looped an arm around Gideon's, tugging him weakly back against the bed.
"No," he mumbled. "Stay. Please?"
He hated saying no to Mirek, especially when he was hurting, but he didn't really have a choice. He pressed another kiss to Mirek's forehead and brushed his hair back. "I'm sorry, Mirek, I have to," he whispered. "I'll be right back, okay?"
He pulled himself away from the bed and didn't bother getting dressed before taking the stairs two at a time down to the kitchen. Karuka, Bailey, and Seth were sitting at the table, picking at scrambled eggs and not saying much of anything. They all looked up when he entered the room.
"Hey there, sleepyheads," Karuka said, grinning a little, and tilting her head to see around Gideon. She seemed thrown when Mirek wasn't with him, and added, "Is Mirek still in bed?"
Gideon bit at his thumb. "He's... he's sick, I think. He's burning up and he can barely sit up. I... have no idea what to do." He remembered vague things about pain killers and tea and keeping hydrated and breaking the fever, but nothing specific and none of that seemed good enough when Mirek was lying in bed upstairs too weak to keep his eyes open.
His anxiety must have showed on his face, because before he knew it, all three of the others were standing next to him, offering their help.
"I'll brew a cup of tea," Karuka said. "I have some sleepytime, which should be good, right?" Gideon shrugged helplessly.
"Yeah," Seth said to Karuka. "Tea is a good idea. You'll also want some motrin or something to try and bring the fever down and some extra blankets. Keep him drinking fluids and you might want to call the doctor based on what his other symptoms turn out to be." Gideon, Bailey, and Karuka all stared at him. "Uh... wow," he said. "I don't know where that came from."
"It sounds like good advice, though," Karuka said. "Why don't you go call the switchboard and have them send a doctor, Gideon? I'll make some tea and toast and Seth can raid the medicine cabinet and we'll bring it all up to Mirek, okay?"
It seemed sensible, much more sensible than Gideon's low-level panic, so he embraced it. He picked up the phone in the other room and was connected to Ivan, who promised to bring a doctor with him when he drove over for group a few hours later. Gideon quickly told him what Seth had suggested and he confirmed that it was the correct course of action.
"Keep him comfortable and warm," Ivan said. "It might go away on its own, but we'll have a doctor make sure it's nothing serious. And I know it will be hard, Gideon, but, ah... do your best to make sure you don't catch it too, okay?" Gideon snorted, but he felt his ears burning.
"I think it's a little too late for that, doc," he said wryly.
"Still," Ivan said, "don't go out of your way to make it worse. We'll be over soon, son."
By the time he was off the phone, Seth was waiting for him. He had a tray with the tea and toast Karuka had made and a bottle of ibuprofen.
"I thought I'd go up with you," he said. "I figure... I dunno, maybe some more medical stuff will come back to me." Gideon nodded and led the way upstairs, not entirely surprised to see Mirek curled in the same position he had been in when Gideon left. He wasted no time in sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing Mirek's back.
"We brought you some tea and toast. Do you think you could eat?" he asked. Mirek cracked an eye open and shook his head, then winced.
"Je mi nevolno," he whispered, fingers snaking out from under the sheets and reaching for Gideon's.
"Language barrier, babe," Gideon murmured.
"Sick to my stomach," Mirek said, voice rough and quiet. "Not hungry." Gideon glanced up at Seth who was still standing in the doorway, holding the tray.
"He should take the ibuprofen anyway," Seth said. "And drink something. He'll probably dehydrate fast."
"You heard the man," Gideon said to Mirek. He slid an arm underneath him and levered him upwards. Mirek protested, not with actual words (at least, none in English), and seemed to have trouble holding himself up. He clung to Gideon, eyes squeezed shut, and Gideon felt something around his heart tighten. Seth held out two ibuprofen and a glass of water. "C'mon, Mirek," Gideon whispered. "Just do this for me and you can go back to sleep until the doctor comes. It will probably make you feel better."
Mirek consented, looking up just long enough to swallow the pills before curling up against Gideon again, eyes closed tight. Gideon looked up at Seth helplessly.
"Uh, thanks, man," he said. "Could you maybe... bring that other stuff back downstairs? And send the doctor up when he gets here?" Seth nodded and disappeared, murmuring an affirmative and telling Mirek to get well soon. Mirek didn't seem aware enough to be listening.
"Okay, let's lie down," Gideon said. There was a string of indecipherable Czech as they reclined back onto the pillows. "Ivan's bringing a doctor when he comes for group and he'll take care of you, all right?" He wasn't sure what he was saying, or if his words were any comfort whatsoever, but he didn't know what else to do. He didn't like this helpless feeling, but he wasn't about to abandon Mirek, plus he was pretty sure that would just make it worse. For now, he figured he'd just have to hunker down, letting Mirek hang off of him, and hope that the doctor showed up soon.
That being said, I am trying to get back on the horse. This is kind of the start of the reveal of... I guess it's a plot point? I'm not quite sure how to describe what it is, possible because I feel pretty sick and I'm kind of in the mood to murder my parents for putting the goddamn teevee so loud.
eta: HA. I never hit publish! I'm awesome!
***
Gideon knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. He usually woke up alone, with a note from Mirek on the bedside table, so Mirek's body pressed up against his back with the sun already creeping up in the sky was not only out of the ordinary, but slightly distressing.
"Hey, Mirek?" he said, clearing his throat and running a hand over the crown of Mirek's head. He was burning up. Last night's headache and cough seemed to have coalesced into a grisly cold, at the very least, and when he stirred, his eyes were red and bloodshot.
"Není mi dobře," he murmured, curling closer to Gideon.
"Don't know what that means, honey," Gideon said gently, brushing back Mirek's hair.
"I don't feel well," Mirek said. He closed his eyes. "I'm... cold." Gideon didn't know much about medicine, but he knew that chills and fever weren't a good combination. He was hesitant to leave Mirek alone, but he didn't see any other way to get help.
He leaned over and kissed Mirek's forehead. "I'm gonna go downstairs and get you a motrin, okay? Maybe call the doctor?" Mirek made a small noise of distress and looped an arm around Gideon's, tugging him weakly back against the bed.
"No," he mumbled. "Stay. Please?"
He hated saying no to Mirek, especially when he was hurting, but he didn't really have a choice. He pressed another kiss to Mirek's forehead and brushed his hair back. "I'm sorry, Mirek, I have to," he whispered. "I'll be right back, okay?"
He pulled himself away from the bed and didn't bother getting dressed before taking the stairs two at a time down to the kitchen. Karuka, Bailey, and Seth were sitting at the table, picking at scrambled eggs and not saying much of anything. They all looked up when he entered the room.
"Hey there, sleepyheads," Karuka said, grinning a little, and tilting her head to see around Gideon. She seemed thrown when Mirek wasn't with him, and added, "Is Mirek still in bed?"
Gideon bit at his thumb. "He's... he's sick, I think. He's burning up and he can barely sit up. I... have no idea what to do." He remembered vague things about pain killers and tea and keeping hydrated and breaking the fever, but nothing specific and none of that seemed good enough when Mirek was lying in bed upstairs too weak to keep his eyes open.
His anxiety must have showed on his face, because before he knew it, all three of the others were standing next to him, offering their help.
"I'll brew a cup of tea," Karuka said. "I have some sleepytime, which should be good, right?" Gideon shrugged helplessly.
"Yeah," Seth said to Karuka. "Tea is a good idea. You'll also want some motrin or something to try and bring the fever down and some extra blankets. Keep him drinking fluids and you might want to call the doctor based on what his other symptoms turn out to be." Gideon, Bailey, and Karuka all stared at him. "Uh... wow," he said. "I don't know where that came from."
"It sounds like good advice, though," Karuka said. "Why don't you go call the switchboard and have them send a doctor, Gideon? I'll make some tea and toast and Seth can raid the medicine cabinet and we'll bring it all up to Mirek, okay?"
It seemed sensible, much more sensible than Gideon's low-level panic, so he embraced it. He picked up the phone in the other room and was connected to Ivan, who promised to bring a doctor with him when he drove over for group a few hours later. Gideon quickly told him what Seth had suggested and he confirmed that it was the correct course of action.
"Keep him comfortable and warm," Ivan said. "It might go away on its own, but we'll have a doctor make sure it's nothing serious. And I know it will be hard, Gideon, but, ah... do your best to make sure you don't catch it too, okay?" Gideon snorted, but he felt his ears burning.
"I think it's a little too late for that, doc," he said wryly.
"Still," Ivan said, "don't go out of your way to make it worse. We'll be over soon, son."
By the time he was off the phone, Seth was waiting for him. He had a tray with the tea and toast Karuka had made and a bottle of ibuprofen.
"I thought I'd go up with you," he said. "I figure... I dunno, maybe some more medical stuff will come back to me." Gideon nodded and led the way upstairs, not entirely surprised to see Mirek curled in the same position he had been in when Gideon left. He wasted no time in sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing Mirek's back.
"We brought you some tea and toast. Do you think you could eat?" he asked. Mirek cracked an eye open and shook his head, then winced.
"Je mi nevolno," he whispered, fingers snaking out from under the sheets and reaching for Gideon's.
"Language barrier, babe," Gideon murmured.
"Sick to my stomach," Mirek said, voice rough and quiet. "Not hungry." Gideon glanced up at Seth who was still standing in the doorway, holding the tray.
"He should take the ibuprofen anyway," Seth said. "And drink something. He'll probably dehydrate fast."
"You heard the man," Gideon said to Mirek. He slid an arm underneath him and levered him upwards. Mirek protested, not with actual words (at least, none in English), and seemed to have trouble holding himself up. He clung to Gideon, eyes squeezed shut, and Gideon felt something around his heart tighten. Seth held out two ibuprofen and a glass of water. "C'mon, Mirek," Gideon whispered. "Just do this for me and you can go back to sleep until the doctor comes. It will probably make you feel better."
Mirek consented, looking up just long enough to swallow the pills before curling up against Gideon again, eyes closed tight. Gideon looked up at Seth helplessly.
"Uh, thanks, man," he said. "Could you maybe... bring that other stuff back downstairs? And send the doctor up when he gets here?" Seth nodded and disappeared, murmuring an affirmative and telling Mirek to get well soon. Mirek didn't seem aware enough to be listening.
"Okay, let's lie down," Gideon said. There was a string of indecipherable Czech as they reclined back onto the pillows. "Ivan's bringing a doctor when he comes for group and he'll take care of you, all right?" He wasn't sure what he was saying, or if his words were any comfort whatsoever, but he didn't know what else to do. He didn't like this helpless feeling, but he wasn't about to abandon Mirek, plus he was pretty sure that would just make it worse. For now, he figured he'd just have to hunker down, letting Mirek hang off of him, and hope that the doctor showed up soon.