CHAPTER 11 -
Little by little Brian began to feel worse. He knew the boys were probably in their own bedrooms by now, Kevin told them they had to sleep early. To rest. Did Kevin really say anything besides this? Brian shook his head. It was throbbing badly and he felt hot. He knew he had fever.
At least he was being able to handle it alone. He just didn't want to bother anyone else with this. He was sure he'd be fine. In case it got worst he would go to Kevin's room. But only if it was really necessary.
Brian laid on his bed and tried to sleep. His breath was unsteady and he felt as if the world was lying above his head. It was heavy, he felt sick, like throwing up. His eyes burning, making him wanna close them but still sleep wouldn't come. He was just too hot and too cold to sleep.
He rolled on the bed several times and decided to remain quiet, not moving, shutting his eyes.
"Hammm hm...." - Brian moaned feeling his body shiver and burn in fever. Always at night... its when it gets worse. But again? He got over it yesterday...
"It will go away..." - Brian tried to convince himself.
He looked at his clock. It was a quarter past midnight. He couldn't lay anymore, he was damn sick.
Brian stood up and took a glass of water, his throat was dry and his mouth had a weird taste. Something between blood and a metal one. Just when he finished the drinking Brian pressed his hand to his mouth and ran to the bathroom.
The water in his empty stomach was the one thing needed to have him throw up. As Brian was finished a weird and bad feeling took his body. He knew he was burning but at the same time he was cold. He sat against the wall of the bathroom with no strength to move. He couldn't get up, it was just too hard...
Nick knew he had to sleep, but his eyes insisted on being opened. He wondered if Brian was really fine... Maybe he needed help, maybe he should stand up and go check him... Or maybe he was being overprotective, maybe he was turning into Kevin.
He shut his eyes and tried to sleep.
Brian was into a fight to breath as sweat ran down his face while he was laid against the wall. Something was wrong... very wrong with him. His vision was fuzzy and his thoughts confuse. He knew he needed help. Brian forced himself to stand up. If he didn't do something he would probably die there alone.
"Kevin..." - Brian whispered leaving the bathroom, the fever within his body. He needed to reach his cousin, Kevin would know what to do.
Tripping on everything and holding on to the walls, Brian opened the door of his room and stepped out. He began again that fight to walk as sweat and chills were forcing him to give up. His heart... his heart was aching. Could it be...? Maybe, he had this when he was a child, but he was cured now!
Anyway, it just didn't seem so. Brian stopped in front of the first door beside his own. He knew it was Nick's room. Brian tried to ignore it and keep going, Kevin's door was only a few steps away. He couldn't bother Nick! He had kept him up last night, his friend needed to sleep! Brian wouldn't make him stay up during all this night cause of him. It wasn't fair.
Breathing was so difficult it was only making his headache even worse.
Nick opened his eyes to think better. Was he really hearing noises coming from the hallway? Yes... it seemed so. Nick stood up and headed to the door.
"Brian!" - he exclaimed in shock seeing his friend there, fighting to breath.
"Oh, God, Nick!" - Brian walked towards him and passed him by, entering his room and heading immediately to the bathroom. He needed to throw up again.
Nick watched him and closed the door before following him.
"Brian, what happened? You bad again?"
"Y-yes..." - Brian was washing his mouth in the sink. - "But don't worry, I'll go to Kevin's room. You go back to sleep, Nick..."
"No way! You're gonna be here, come'on..."
Nick helped Brian walking to the bedroom. He wanted to go only coz he needed to. He couldn't bother Nick again. But... but it was so good... Brian wanted to be there with his best friend, he wanted Nick to take care of him, he knew he could feel better with him. But the guilty feeling of keeping him from sleep was killing him. And on his state he wasn't capable of doing much thinking. He just put in his mind that although he didn't want to, he had to leave that room.
"Nick, no... please... Kevin... he's my cousin, he'll take care of me."
"And I'm your best friend! I can take care of you too!"
Nick wasn't willing in letting Brian go. Of course he trusted Kevin to take care of him, but the truth was he wanted to do it himself. He wouldn't sleep anyway knowing Brian was bad.
Brian weakly struggled against Nick, he was trying to reach the door and go away but Nick was keeping him.
"Brian, stay!"
"No! No, I have to go, I have to go... you need to sleep, Kevin. Kevin... lemme go, Nick... let me go."
"No!"
"Let me!"
"No, Brian!"
He didn't know what he was doing, he just knew he couldn't bother Nick. He had to get away, and the way he was Brian didn't even think of what he did when he slapped Nick on the face.
They looked at each other in shock for some seconds. Nick specially. Brian soon walked away and headed to the door. Nick didn't turn around. He was in awe.
When Brian touched the door he lost it. His knees got weak and strength fled from his body.
"Nick..." - he called softly.
He wouldn't have turned around haven't it sounded to weak, so pleading... And when he did Nick still had the time to hold Brian's body when he fell fainted into his arms.
"Oh, damn! Brian! Brian!" - Nick laid him on the floor and slapped his face slightly, trying to make him open his eyes. He kept this up for some minutes and as he didn't succeed he carried Brian to the beds that were still joined together and laid him there.
Minutes later Brian seemed to come to, but he didn't seem to be conscious.
"Hm... huh....." - Brian moaned with closed eyes, his body lifting a little from the bed.
"Oh, God... you're burning in fever again!" - Nick touched his face and Brian was shivering at the same time he was hot.
His breath was so hard his body shook whenever he inhaled deeply. Nick ran a hand through his wet hair and tried to call him. Once, twice, but Brian was in another world.
"No... where goin... here, back, gotta leave..."
"What?" - Nick asked, trying to understand the words Brian was half whispering and half moaning.
"Can't... wrong, right. Today...we'd go..."
"Brian, what are you you trying to tell me?" - Nick leaned down trying to decipher the meaning of those words.
"Hmmm!!" - Brian moaned closing his eyes.
Nick knew he was in delirium, having no idea of what he was saying. Just like he had been in the car. He said he loved him... Nick smiled slightly. Poor Brian, was so bad he didn't even know what he was saying.
As Nick saw the sweat on his face and his eyes rolling at the back of his head he immediately stood up to do the same thing Kevin did with him yesterday. He took some clothing and a recipient to put water. He went to the freezer and took some cubes of ice to throw into the water. He needed to fight this fever. And for sure Brian would have to see an hospital after this. This kind of thing doesn't happen so powerfully without a reason.
When Nick had everything he wanted he climbed on bed and sort of got himself atop of Brian. He unbuttoned his shirt. Sweat was covering his chest as his friend kept babbling some nonsense words.
"Calm down, Brian... you are gonna be ok..." - Nick watered the clothing and looked at the clock. Two in the night.
Softly he pressed it to Brian's chest and let the water run freely. Brian moaned and shuddered at the cold feeling. His body was freezing at the same time his head was burning. Sometimes he fought to open his eyes and be aware of what was going on, but the feeling of being sick was just terrible.
Nick let water drop into Brian's neck, the younger boy's eyes widened in fear. He had never seen Brian like that! What should he do? Kevin? Yeah, Kevin!
"Brian... Brian can you hear me?" - Nick cupped his face.
"Huhmmmm"
"I'll go get Kevin, he'll know what to do."
"No!" - Brian exclaimed loudly.
"But... he will know what to do!"
Brian opened his eyes and stared at him. For the first time he seemed to be aware, although his breath was still heavy and his eyes closing in fever.
"Don't go... don't leave me, please... I'll be all right, I will... stay here."
"But you need someone!"
"I already have someone. Kevin won't do anything you aren't already doing yourself..." - Brian finished with a heavy sigh and closed his eyes again. His breath increasing, his chest now burning under Nick's hands, those same unreal words playing on his lips together with those painful moans.
"Oh, Brian! Damn it! I'm afraid I can't help you! You are so bad! I wanna do something, but I don't know what!"
Nick felt tears forming on his eyes. He hardly cried but he had never been so scared as he was now of losing Brian.
"Please... please get better..." - Nick's sobs shook his body and he buried his face on Brian's neck and cheek.
He felt the burning fever against his face burning together with his tears.
"I love you... please get better..." - Nick cried.
Slowly he lifted his head and looked at Brian. He softly leaned down to press his lips against his friend's. They were also hot, Nick could feel it through the brief time his lips were pressing against Brian's.
When he pulled away he dried his own tears. Brian's breath was a little easier now, but still the fever wouldn't leave his body. From time to time he would moan and try to open his eyes, that ended up shut again.
Nick took a small cube of ice and ran it over Brian's forehead, hearing his sighs and seeing his lips open in his fight to get over what he was feeling.
Slowly Nick dried the sweat and the water from his body. It was three o'clock now. He sat there on the bed watching Brian, touching his forehead and controlling as the fever slowly let go of his body.
Time was nothing but that. Brian in his painful sleep while Nick was just there staring. Ready to call whoever to help if he got worse. But he didn't. Slowly Brian stopped moaning and at some time really late that night his eyes closed and didn't open again, his breath was easy and he was no longer hot.
When Nick realized he was finally fine he allowed himself to lay down too. He got into the sheets and cuddled Brian's head in his chest, so that he could control whether the fever decided to come up again. But it didn't and they slept those last hours peacefully in each other's arms.
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