Sick Days: Chapter 12
Sick days is back people! Poor Alan 😅😂
This chapter was going to be longer but then I realised that it was probably getting too long, so I cut it short. But yeah, the following chapters are already sort of written but ain’t edited yet, but hopefully soon I can post those as well!😄
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Rest of the chapters can be found here.
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Scott pov
His eyes widened as Alan burst into tears, starting to cry like he hadn’t seen him cry in a long time. “Alan!” He cried, launching forward, swooping Alan up into his arms.“What’s wrong?!” He questioned in alarm, sitting down on the bed.
Alan didn’t answer him. Instead, the kid cried harder, wrapping his arms around his neck, sobbing hysterically.
He grimaced, biting his bottom lip, feeling so overwhelmingly worried and scared for his baby brother. “Shhh, shhh, it’s alright, it’s alright…” He whispered, his voice shaking slightly as he started to rub Alan's back. “I’m here, shhh, I’m here…”
Alan choked on a sob, and started to cough and sputter between each sob. Alan needed to calm down, or the poor kid was going to make himself sick, he thought worriedly, his blue eyes filled with concern.
He gently made Alan look at him, his hand caressing Alan's cheek, “Baby, what’s the matter?” He asked softly, rubbing his thumb soothingly up and down Alan’s cheek, his hand getting soaked from tears. “Why are you so upset?”
Alan’s bottom lip trembled, his face all scrunched up and flushed pink, “I..I couldn’t s-” Alan sobbed, more tears falling down his face. “-S-Sleep! I...I've been up-up all night, everything is hurting!” Alan wailed loudly, burying his face back into the base of his neck.
He felt himself gasp slightly, horror colouring his face as he looked down at his crying baby brother. “Oh baby…” He cradled the back of Alan’s head, hugging his baby brother close as he started to rock him gently. “Your medicine must have worn off…”
He pressed his eyes shut, feeling like the worst guardian possible. “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry…” He whispered, his voice filled with sorrow and guilt.
He had just assumed that Alan would sleep through the night, partly because the last time he had checked on Alan, the kid had been sleeping soundly (or as soundly as you can get with a bad cold), but he should have known better.
He should have known better! He thought with a grimace, looking down at his sobbing baby brother. “Shhh, it’s alright, it’s alright...shhh..” He whispered softly, rubbing his hand up and down Alan’s back “I’m here baby, Shhh, it’s alright, I’m here...”
He had been doing this parenting thing for years, and he was still messing it up, he thought with a sigh, feeling incredibly mad at himself. Alan was the child he had raised single-handedly (well almost single-handedly, he wasn’t deny his brothers did pitch in at times, which he was ever grateful for) since toddlerhood, and in turn, Alan had become the closest thing he had to a child of his own.
And it hurt, oh it hurt, to see his baby like this, he thought as he lightly kissed Alan’s feverishly hot temple, his eyes stinging ever so slightly. It was true parental torture…
“Scott?”
He looked up, finding Virgil standing in the doorway, his eyes filled with concern as he regarded them. “What’s going on here? Is Allie okay?” Virgil asked, stepping into the bedroom.
He shook his head. No, Allie wasn’t okay.
“He had a really bad night, Virg...” He explained sadly as he gently stroked Alan's hair, his baby brother’s cries starting to soften. “Poor thing didn’t even get a wink of sleep…”
Virgil’s eyes filled with sorrow at the news, “The poor kid…” Virgil sighed softly, making his way over to them and sitting down on the bed next to him. “I’m guessing his medicine wore off sometime last night?”
He nodded, closing his eyes briefly as the guilt and self-loathing washed over him again. Why hasn’t he checked on Alan? He has been doing this for long enough that he should know better-
“Scott…” Virgil was looking at him with that familiar look, knowing exactly what he was thinking and wasn’t liking it one bit. The look clearly said, ‘Do I have to have this conversation with you? Again?’
He shook his head, gesturing down at Alan, silently saying ‘Not now, Later...’
Virgil’s eyes narrowed at him before softening as they looked at Alan, who had lifted his head slightly and was watching them with teary, feverish eyes. “Hey, Allie…”
Alan only groaned and coughed weakly in response, tears cascading down his cheeks. The kid was truly unwell, he thought with a pained frown, starting to gently rock Alan in his arms again.
“He looks worse than he did yesterday...” Virgil spoke softly to him, his voice coloured with horror as he laid the back of his hand against Alan’s cheek. “And his fever has definitely gone up…”
“I know…” He whimpered sadly, his hand resting against the back of Alan’s head as he rocked him. “Speaking of that, would you be able to measure out his medicine for me?”
Alan snuffled a sneeze into his shoulder, starting to cry harder, “It’s on the bedside table…” He finished with a grimace, pulling his sick brother closer, whispering sweet comforts into Alan's ear. “shhh, I’m here baby, shhh...”
“Sure, no problem...” Virgil stood up, brown eyes soft with worry for their littlest brother. “It’s normally 4.5 ml, isn’t it?” Virgil double-checked as he picked up the medicine bottle, looking over at him.
“Yeah, that's what I worked out...” He nodded, continuing to rock Alan in his arms.
Alan was way too tiny to have the recommended dose that a seven-year-old would typically have, so they had to figure out the dosage using his weight instead.
It was a lot tricker, but they had a doctor for a Grandma growing up, so they knew the basics…At least he, John and Virgil did, Gordon and Alan not so much, they were too young when she died.
He watched as Virgil meticulously measured the medicine out into the small cup, holding it up to the light to make sure he measured right. None of them wanted to accidentally give Alan too much…
Virgil handed him the small cup, filled with the pink syrup-like liquid.
“Thanks..” He nodded as he took the cup, turning his attention to Alan, rubbing soothing circles into Alan’s back. “Sweetie, It’s time for your medicine, baby…” He gently shifted Alan, supporting his baby brother with his arm.
Alan blinked up at him with a sniffle, his blue eyes bloodshot and teary.
The lines around his eyes increased as he took a proper look at his baby brother, bringing the medicine cup up to Alan’s cracked lips. Alan’s nose was looking even more inflamed than it had yesterday, glistening with moisture; his lips starting to follow, becoming sore and dry.
And to top it all off, Alan had deep shadows under his eyes, a true testament to what a horrible night he had endured.
Virgil was right; Alan did look so much sicker now, he thought sadly as he gently tilted the cup up as Alan weakly drank his medicine, barely reacting to the foul taste.
He shared a concerned look with Virgil. It wasn’t like Alan not to complain that his medicine tasted terrible, he thought as he lowered the cup and handed it back to Virgil, wrapping his other arm around his still upset baby brother.
“You did good, sweetie…” He whispered, gently stroking Alan’s fringe to the side, letting his fingers linger for a moment. “I know your medicine doesn’t taste good, but I’m proud of you for drinking it like a champ..” He gave Alan’s forehead a little kiss, smiling softly down at his baby brother.
Alan looked up at him with a wet sniffle, eyes glazed over with fever, his head resting lightly against his shoulder. Alan’s nose was a mess, snot dripping all the way down to Alan’s bottom lip. And it didn’t seem to want to stop, he thought with a slight grimace.
“Hey Virgil, can you pass me a tissue?” He asked, his hand stretched out for said tissue, starting to rock Alan in his arms again, keeping his attention on Alan. “Allie’s nose is all gunky…”
“Sure- ur… um, small problem with that, Scott,” Virgil replied, sounding unhappy and displeased, “Or well, more of an empty problem…”
He turned his head around to see what Virgil was going on about, only to see Virgil holding an empty tissue box. “Oh...” He winced, realising the same thing Virgil had.
Alan had been out of clean tissue for who knows how long...
“I...I ran out of..of tissues a while ago…” A small spoke up weakly, drawing their attention. “I...I didn’t know where-” Alan hitched slightly, his red nose starting to flare.
“-W-Where th-the other tissues were, and...and I was just so t-tired that I just been using the...the dirty tis-tis-” Alan sneezed, wet and messily. “-tissues, ugh...” Alan groaned weakly, shivering. “My n-nose hurts!”
“Oh, baby…” He pulled Alan close with a deep sigh, a pained expression on his face as he leaned his cheek lightly against Alan’s head. “Shhhh, I know...I know…”
No wonder Alan’s nose was even more irritated this morning, using those dirty tissues must have been like using wet sandpaper. Not an experience he would ever wish on his brothers, let alone his baby brother.
“I’ll get another tissue box...” Virgil sighed, making his way out of the room, calling softly behind him, “I’ll be right back!”
He nodded as he cradled Alan in his arms, watching Virgil disappear into the hallway, out of sight.
He looked down at his baby brother and sighed. “Allie, why didn’t you wake one of us up?” He asked, stroking Alan’s cheek with the back of his hand. “We wouldn’t have been mad, sweetie…”
Alan blinked up at him, skin horribly washed out, “I...I don’t know..” Alan sniffled, rubbing at his eyes weakly, “I...It didn’t cross my mind, I just felt so, s-sick..” Alan groaned, pressing deeper to his side. “I...I’m sorry?”
The vice around his heart squeezed painfully at those two words.
“Oh sweetheart, don’t be…” He ran his fingers through Alan’s hair; his voice soft and tender. “I should have checked on you, and I’m truly sorry that I didn't…” He whispered, nuzzling his nose against Alan's hair.
Alan coughed, “It’s o-okay, S-Scotty..”
He smiled bittersweetly, knowing it wasn’t okay but touched that his baby brother was so quick to forgive him, he didn’t deserve it…
Virgil chose that moment to return.
