8. Intense Coddling
As requested by @someoneonearth2007! Hope you like it 😊
@sicktember
Finn had picked something up, and, like always, it was messing with his seizures. Steve had been informed and they were following his care plan to the letter.
It didn't make his seizures any easier, their fingers always itching for the phone. Finn stayed more out of it than not, curled in his room and trying to ignore everything. He knew he needed not to be alone, but he was an adult, and just wanted to be normal. Fresher's flu was something every uni student ended up with, so he felt slightly less shit knowing he was normal in that way - but that didn't help the nausea and pain.
Fao hated it when Finn was sick. He knew it was just a normal part of life, everyone got sick, and especially now Finn was a student it was bound to happen. The pair hadn't been living together for that long, either, and it was difficult now they were both adults. They made it work, though. They had to.
Usually, when Finn was ill, he'd end up in Fao's bed, curled on top of him feeling miserable. Now, he was holed up in his room on his own, cutting Fao off. He knew that his brother was just trying to be grown up about things, and try to cope on his own, but it was still tough for Fao. He worried about the seizures too, knowing Finn was all alone and a big seizure might be missed. Fao desperately wanted to watch Finn constantly, but of course that wasn't fair.
After an hour or so debating it, he finally knocked on Finn's door.
“Finn? Do you want tea?”
The knock startled him, having finally fallen asleep. Tea was the last thing he wanted, and he grumbled. "No."
“Sure? Even with honey?”
"No!" Fao hadn't left him alone at all, and it was driving him crazy.
“You need anything?”
"Peace and quiet." He grumbled, rolling over and re-cocooning himself in duvet.
Fao sighed. “Well, you know where I am, then.”
"Good." Fao's footsteps receded and Finn gave a relieved sigh. He just needed rest, not constant mollycoddling. Happy he'd have some peace, he settled down to sleep once more, warm and comfy.
His slightly better mood didn't last long, and he woke with a splitting headache and his arm numb from laying on it. He struggled upright, suddenly all too aware of the flips in his stomach. He whined quietly to himself, everything feeling so far from real, his body on delay from the real world. He knew he didn't have a choice, not really, and swallowed his pride. He just hoped Fao hadn't gone out.
"Fao? Fao!"
So worried about his brother, of course Fao hadn't gone out. He was sat on the sofa trying to watch TV, but realistically he was trying to distract himself from the curling dread in his stomach. He knew Finn was going to have a seizure, it was just a question of when.
When he heard Finn's shout, his stomach dropped and he rushed to Finn's room, pushing the door open.
“Yeah? I'm here, what's wrong?”
He couldn't help it, his face screwing up as tears fell. "I'm sorry."
Fao sat on the edge of Finn's bed, humming sympathetically. “Hey, don't be sorry.”
Finn pushed the duvet off the bed, moving to curl by Fao's leg. "Still, I am."
Fao ran his hand through Finn's hair. “It's okay. I've got you.”
He whined quietly, feeling rotten and sorry for himself. Fao helped, he always did.
“Feeling shit?” He asked gently.
"Fuzzy."
Fao’s stomach twisted. “Seizure?”
He hummed, pressing closer to Fao. "Mhmm."
“Alright. I’m here.”
"Midaz?"
“You can’t have it until after you seize.”
He frowned. That wasn't what he'd asked. "Midaz?"
“It’s here.”
"Fao." He whined, rubbing his face against Fao’s leg.
“You’ll be okay, I’m here.” Fao soothed.
"I'm not."
“I know it’s scary. I’ve got you, I’m right here.”
Finn pushed Fao away, his movements uncoordinated and jerky. He didn't recognise his brother in front of him, panic taking over as he struggled.
“It’s okay, nobody’s going to hurt you. Just breathe, you’re alright.”
He managed to elbow Fao hard in the stomach as he slipped. His back arched with a low groan, his arms curled to his chest.
Fao groaned as Finn’s elbow caught him in the stomach. But it hurt more to see his brother slip into a seizure. There was nothing he could do to stop it, and he hated how Finn suffered.
Finn bit his tongue early on, the blood mixing with saliva and frothing on his lips. It was easy to hear it, too, despite Finn's irregular gasps. He pushed against Fao, his arms straightening and locking out. There was a dull thud as his shoulder dislocated, not unusual but never good. His breaths caught in his chest, managing a breath in but not out. It didn't take long for his breathing to stop completely, body solid in spasm.
Fao did his best to keep Finn somewhat on his side, moving closer to his brother despite the spasms that were likely to hurt him. He didn't really care. He heard Finn's shoulder go, practically felt it, and winced. He knew that pain all too well. It would be an easy fix, but first Finn would have to come through the seizure. He listened to Finn's breathing, as it caught in his chest and eventually stopped. Seconds felt like a lifetime. Would he start breathing again?
With a low groan, he finally started to breathe, sharp gasps of air that gurgled in his throat. His seizure showed no sign of stopping, drenched in sweat and no doubt exhausted.
Fao was relieved when Finn's breathing started again, though it was far from perfect. He hated it, hated what his brother went through. They were dragging closer to the five minutes, Fao already thinking ahead to his midaz.
Five minutes came and went, Finn showing no sign of stopping. His muscles trembled between jerks, the bed wet through with sweat. Fao was caught in the crossfire again, Finn's elbow digging into his ribs.
Fao wasn’t surprised when the timer ticked over five minutes. It had felt like a bad one, even when it started. He gave the midaz carefully as he could, murmuring to his brother he knew he couldn’t hear him. The elbow to the ribs hurt, as it always did, and Fao groaned again.
Thankfully the midazolam did its job. The convulsions gradually stopped, though his gaze remained fixed. His breathing evened out, and Finn slowly but surely came back to himself.
Fao was glad as Finn’s seizure eased. “Well done, that’s it. It’s all over now. I’ve got you.” Fao soothed, rubbing his brother’s arm. “All over now.”
Finn whined, pulling away from the strange touch. He retched at the taste of blood in his mouth, letting the blood dribble down his chin.
“It’s okay, it’s just me. Just Fao.”
He stuck his tongue out pathetically, complaining wordlessly that it hurt. It took a few minutes more for him to realise his arm hurt too, and the tears quickly followed.
“Hey, hey. Don’t cry, it’s okay.” Fao murmured. “It’s alright.”
Finn screwed his face up, uncoordinatedly reaching to scrub his eyes. "'Urts."
“Yeah, I know.” He said softly. “It’s okay.”
"Really hurts."
“You did a me, dislocated your shoulder. Here, let's sit up.”
"Fix it?"
“I shouldn't, really…”
"But it hurts."
“Alright, alright. Let me have a proper look at it.”
Finn didn't move. "Make it better."
"I can't help if you're lying down, Finn. Come up, sit up." He held out his hand. "That's it, pull yourself on three. Ready?"
He at least tried to help himself, using Fao's hand to pull himself up. The change in position was enough to help, his shoulder thunking back into place. He let out a relieved groan, and let himself fall into Fao's side.
"Feel better now?"
He nodded, already starting to drift. His muscles ached and burned as they alway did post seizure, but the relief of his shoulder returning to its rightful place was bliss. Fao let him curl up on him, stroking through his hair. He was happy enough to let him sleep on him for a little while, just enough to get his strength back for a shower. Besides, they'd tried one too many times to shower after midazolam, and they never ended up working out well.