Characters: T.K. Strand, Carlos Reyes, Nancy Gillian, Tommy Vega
Warnings: Vomiting
Summary: A day of work at a festival takes a sudden turn when a certain policeman succumbs to the heat of the day. It's a good thing his boyfriend is a paramedic. Written for the @badthingshappenbingo prompt: Dehydration.
All the love in the world to @bluenet13 who beta reads everything, comments on everything, and is just the actual best.
Read on AO3
“It feels like we’re standing directly on the surface of the sun,” T.K. griped as he reached for his thousandth water bottle of the day. “How has this entire state not melted off the face of the earth yet?”
“Yes because being buried in four feet of snow sounds infinitely better,” Nancy shot back as she handed a cooling towel to a teenager.
“It does right now,” T.K. told her. “I would pay a lot of money for a blizzard to roll in and dump snow and ice and mayhem on us all.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Tommy said, prepping a bag of saline for a middle aged man on the cot next to her.
“Cap, it’s Texas,” Nancy said. “When is it ever gonna snow in Texas?”
Tommy smiled enigmatically. “Just saying, you never know.”
They had volunteered to take a shift in the medical tent at the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival on what was turning out to be the hottest day of the summer yet. The thermometer read 110 degrees and even in the shade of their tent they were feeling the effects. They were handing out water and cooling towels and taking care of a steady stream of fallen event goers who were succumbing to the heat with everything from sunburn to heat stroke.
“I think my shoes are melting to the asphalt,” T.K. said, picking up his feet to check.
“Ugh, Cap, seriously I’m going to strip off and go naked in a minute,” Nancy said, pulling at the collar of her sweaty t-shirt.
“Drink some water,” Tommy advised, immune to their childlike shenanigans and whining. “The sun should start to drop in an hour and that’ll cool things down a bit.”
“By a bit do you mean like forty degrees? Because that’s about what it’s going to take to get anyone comfortable,” T.K. told her.
“Hey,” Nancy caught his eye and nodded toward something outside the tent.
T.K. followed her gaze and his complaints about the heat vanishing as he spotted his boyfriend across the way. Carlos was working security today, but T.K. hadn’t seen him since they’d arrived. There had only been time for a quick hello and then they were busy setting up their tent. Carlos had disappeared into the crowd and now T.K. watched as he knelt beside a little boy who had dropped his cotton candy and appeared inconsolable, the sweet sugar melting immediately into a sticky puddle on the ground.
“Whew, I think it just went up another few degrees in here,” Tommy teased. “The way you two look at each other could melt an iceberg.”
T.K. rolled his eyes at his boss’ teasing, but the silly smile he was wearing stayed in place. He loved being able to spot his boyfriend when they were both working. There was something comforting about seeing the little pieces of each other’s days.
The little boy’s dad appeared, a new cotton candy in hand and Carlos rose as they walked away, putting his hands on his hips and looking in the direction of the medical tent. T.K. sent him a wave, but Carlos didn’t seem to notice. T.K. watched as his boyfriend pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. A wisp of concern threaded its way through T.K.’s center. “Does he look weird to you?” he asked.
“What?” Nancy said, distracted by a stack of ice packs that had just gone tumbling to the ground.
“Carlos, he doesn’t look right.”
“It’s like a thousand freaking degrees out here. If Carlos looks slightly less god-like today than usual, that’s not his fault,” Nancy huffed, wiping a strand of sweaty, limp hair from her forehead.
“No, I think something’s wrong,” T.K. said, taking a few steps toward the edge of the tent.
Carlos leaned against the side of a food stall and T.K.’s concern doubled. “Cap,” he said, turning to ask for permission.
“Go,” Tommy told him with a nod. “We’re good in here for a couple minutes.”
He didn’t hesitate, moving quickly through the crowd, sidestepping the puddle of cotton candy and weaving past a man carrying a large cloud of balloons to reach Carlos’ side.
His boyfriend didn’t look up as he approached, eyes closed, his face pale, breathing labored. “Hey,” T.K. said when he reached Carlos’ side.
Carlos opened his eyes slowly, like it was taking him a lot of effort. “Oh, hey,” he said, giving T.K. a lopsided smile.
“Are you okay?” T.K. asked, putting a hand to Carlos’ forehead and reaching for his wrist to take his pulse.
“I’m uh, I don’t know,” he admitted, eyes squinting against the light. “I feel a little off.”
T.K.’s felt his own pulse quicken. It was very unlike Carlos to admit he was unwell, especially when he was working. “Off how?” he asked, although he already had a creeping suspicion. At the very least his boyfriend was dehydrated, and based on his symptoms it seemed like he was quickly heading downhill toward something more serious.
“My head is…” Carlos kind of trailed off, swallowing hard again, a hand going to his stomach.
T.K. cupped his cheek. Carlos’ eyes were slightly glazed and he seemed unsteady on his feet. “Let’s get you out of the heat, all right?” T.K. said, sliding an arm around his waist and pulling him close.
“I need to get back—“
“Not right now you don’t,” T.K. said firmly. “Just a few minutes okay?”
Carlos nodded and leaned heavily on him, both of them walking slowly toward the medical tent. T.K. felt the moment his knees gave out, sending both of them sagging toward the ground. “Whoa, Carlos hey!” he shouted, struggling to keep them both upright.
Nancy vaulted over a picnic bench and came running toward them, putting her arm under Carlos’ other shoulder so they could walk him toward the tent and deposit him on a cot. “I’m okay,” he mumbled as they got him situated.
“No babe, you’re not,” T.K. said worriedly, reaching for his stethoscope.
“Carlos, I’m about to get a little frisky with you, but I don’t think T.K. will mind, all right?” Nancy said as she began unbuttoning Carlos’ uniform.
His Austin PD t-shirt underneath was soaked with sweat, which was better than the alternative in this case, but still not great T.K. thought grimly as he took his boyfriend’s blood pressure.
“T.K. what do you need?” Tommy called out from the other side of the tent where she was dealing with a woman in a similar situation.
“I think it’s borderline heat stroke,” T.K. called out. “Pulse is rapid and weak, skin is clammy.”
“Get him started on saline,” Tommy directed. “And if he can keep some liquid down we’ve got Gatorade over there.” She nodded toward a large Igloo cooler, full of ice, water, and sports drinks.
“I got it,” Nancy said, grabbing a bottle as T.K. prepped a line and deftly inserted it into his boyfriend’s arm.
“Let’s get some wet towels too,” T.K. said.
“On it.” Nancy was already moving, reaching for a stack of folded towels brought for just this purpose.
They put cool cloths on his forehead, into his armpits, around his groin. Carlos shivered eyes tightly closed in discomfort, but he didn’t complain.
“How you doing babe?” T.K. asked, hands cracking open a water bottle and pouring it over another towel until the entire thing was damp.
“My head’s spinning,” Carlos said, eyes closed, breathing shallow and fast, causing his chest to heave.
“I’m sorry,” T.K. said sympathetically, sparing half a second to press a kiss to his forehead, frowning at the heat rolling off his skin. “You’ll feel better soon, I promise. This IV is going to help with the dehydration and we’re going to use these wet towels to cool you off. Just hang in there.”
Another volunteer medic arrived at the tent, a gurney in tow. “Got another one for you Gillian!” he called.
Nancy looked at T.K. who nodded. “I’m good,” he said. “Go ahead.”
He settled onto a folding chair by Carlos’ head. “Let’s see if you can drink some of this, okay?” he asked, opening a bottle of Gatorade.
He helped Carlos lift his head and take a few sips. Carlos winced as the flavor hit his tongue. “Sorry,” T.K. said. “I know it’s not your favorite, but this is what they gave us.”
“It’s fine,” Carlos said, his voice breathy and strained.
T.K. took a wet towel and ran it gently across his forehead, over his cheeks, down his neck. “Feeling any better?” he asked, glancing up at the IV to make sure it was still doing its work. A quarter of the bag was gone so hopefully Carlos would feel the effects soon.
“Maybe?” Carlos said, his face still tight with discomfort. “I just feel weird.”
He grimaced and stiffened. “What’s wrong?” T.K. asked.
“My stomach.” He swallowed hard. “I don’t feel good.”
T.K. grabbed an emesis bag just in time, propping Carlos up so he could empty the Gatorade from his stomach. He groaned as he laid back down and T.K. began replacing the now warm towels with cooler, wetter ones.
“Deep breaths,” T.K. encouraged as Carlos swallowed and frowned at the acrid taste now in his mouth. “This is going to pass, I promise.”
He resumed running the cool cloth over Carlos’ face. “What happened babe? You’ve clearly been feeling like crap for a while. Why didn’t you say something?”
“I don’t know,” Carlos said, closing his eyes. “It’s been busy. Lost kids, lost purses, teenagers looking for trouble.”
“I know, but you still have to take care of yourself,” T.K. said.
“Save the lecture T.K.,” Tommy said quietly as she walked by with a box of mini sunscreen bottles.
T.K. closed his mouth. She was right. Carlos wasn’t in any shape to be told he’d messed up, the consequences were enough of a reminder.
T.K. threaded his fingers through Carlos’ sweaty curls. “How’s the stomach?” he asked.
“Better,” Carlos said.
Color was coming back to his face and his breathing had slowed. “Let’s try some more Gatorade okay?” T.K. suggested.
Carlos wrinkled his nose but nodded. This time the liquid stayed down and T.K. left him to sip it on his own, while he tended to a few other patients who had begun to trickle in.
He dealt with a skinned knee, a teenager who’d overindulged on corn dogs, and a man who thought he was having a heart attack but it turned out he’d also overindulged on corn dogs. “Heartburn’s a bitch,” T.K. told him sympathetically as he doled out Pepto Bismol.
“Dude, where do you think you’re going?” T.K. heard Nancy ask from behind him.
He turned to find Carlos re-buttoning his uniform shirt, his legs hanging over the edge of the cot. “I’m still at work,” Carlos was telling her. “I need to get back.”
“Buddy you freaking passed out in your boyfriend’s arms like a woman in a regency novel half an hour ago. He’s not going to let you leave,” Nancy told him, arms crossed.
“Nance, come on,” Carlos said, flashing her that charming, sweet face that usually got him whatever he wanted. “I’m fine. You’ve got other people to worry about, let me get out of your hair.”
He stood up and T.K. watched in amusement as Nancy bodily blocked his path. “Don’t give me that look Reyes. Those eyes only work on your boyfriend,” she told him. “Sit down or be sedated.”
“Nancy—“
“You heard me.”
Carlos sat back down on the cot. Nancy nodded. “Good choice.”
She moved toward T.K. who sent her a grateful smile. “Thanks for the assist.”
Nancy thrust her chin up at him and gave him a fist bump. “I got your back.”
T.K. finished up with heartburn man, stripping off his gloves to put on a fresh pair as he walked back to Carlos’ cot. “Smart to stay on Nancy’s good side,” T.K. told him with an amused smile.
“Yeah she’s kind of terrifying when she’s working,” Carlos said, peeking around him to make sure she wasn’t listening.
T.K. took Carlos’ pulse and his temperature, before reaching for his stethoscope and a bp cuff. “How’s your headache?” he asked.
“It’s fine.”
“Fine? Or gone?” T.K. asked.
Carlos avoided his gaze. “It’s fine,” he repeated.
T.K. sighed and leveled him with a look. “Babe.”
“It’s just a headache,” Carlos said. “People get headaches.”
“Well between that and the fact that your blood pressure is still low, I’d say you’re still dehydrated. Which means you’re not going anywhere.”
“T.K.!”
T.K. cupped the back of his neck, pressing their foreheads together and dropping his voice so only Carlos could hear. “I am not sending you back out there today. You’re dehydrated, tired, and have heat exhaustion bordering on heat stroke. It’s not safe. You wouldn’t send me into a firefight unarmed, so please don’t ask me not to do my job for you, okay?”
He felt the fight go out of his boyfriend, another sign that he wasn’t feeling up to par. A clear headed and healthy Carlos Reyes would not have backed down so easily. “I have to radio my boss.”
“Okay. We can do that,” T.K. said. “I want you on another bag of saline.”
“Seriously?”
In response T.K. cupped Carlos’ chin in his hand. “I love you.”
Carlos closed his eyes. “I know. But another entire bag?”
“And a bottle of water,” T.K. said, releasing him and putting a bottle in his hand. “And then you’re going home.”
“I want a second opinion,” Carlos grumbled as T.K. detached the empty IV bag and started a new one.
“In case Nancy didn’t make it clear, we’re all of the same opinion in here. And that opinion is that you shouldn’t die at a Hot Sauce Festival. Not a good look my love.”
Why do guys always want to start trying when you’re ready to give up? I fucking told you time after time, day after day. And now that I’m throwing my shit away and making sure I have less fucking shit to pack my car up with when I leave you, now you wanna do more? Fuck that. And fuck You.
Had this sitting in my files in case I wanted to turn it into a oneshot later but I think I'll just leave it here for now. Apologies for the run on sentence!
When Alex and Maggie get married they have a huge wedding cake, completely non-traditional and so them with the words ride or die and no one could have imagined the two of them having one of those tiered white boring monstrosities except this tiny part of Alex is so disappointed and even though the cake she got was perfect in every way she was still sad she didn't get the traditional white cake. Kara knows Alex though, better than anyone else, even Maggie who never had the chance to sit up with her giggling and talking all night long when they were kids talking about their dreams and even though being married to a man never felt quite right to Alex she always did want that white ivory cake covered in flowers and Alex is so touched and so overwhelmed when Kara, everyone else distracted by Winn trying out his new stand up comedy routine (and failing horribly at it even though he does have the talent but he's just too unsure and too nervous at his first attempt) brings her this small little cake. It was this tiny little top tier sized cake but it had everything she always dreamed from the sugar flowers to the fondant satin ribbon in pinks and creams and that ivory base and two women standing hand in hand both in white dresses. She starts crying and stammering and sets it aside so she can give Kara the biggest hug and over Alex's shoulder Kara looms up and sees Maggie watching them with the softest of smiles and Kara winks at her conspiratorialy and Maggie winks back because Kara wasn't the only one who knew Alex now and it had been Maggie that had seen Alex try so hard to be enthusiastic when they chose the cake but Maggie knew what excited Alex Danvers looked like and so she had gone to Kara to ask what might be wrong and they had planned this together because Maggie wanted this day to be as perfect for Alex as it was for her.
Ok so last night I had a very strange dream There was a lot of things going on, such as I was the one playing Gabriella in HSM, but Zac Effron sang a really interesting song about his girlfriend being a lesbian and she didn't realise it yet. It wasn't spiteful, it was basically "you look better surrounded by jewellery" (an actual line my brain made up). It was more of a sad, pre-breakup song. The imagery was her in a family-portait photo with another girl, both of them dressed to the nines and laughing and honestly it was such a beautiful thing for my brain to make up I had to share
