Fallen Ill
Summary: Clive falls horribly ill after moving in with Layton and company. Luke, Layton, and Emmy all decide to take care of him until he recovers.
Slight warning due to the fact that Clive vomits. Otherwise, it's all fluff mixed in with hurt/comfort.
It had only been a few days since Clive had moved in with Layton when he noticed something off about him. Clive had been seemingly different, and it wasn't due to the sudden change in environments. Layton took note of everything that seemed odd and would go over it in private. He noticed that Clive was lying much more than he usually would, and that he would get all nerve racked when he was questioned about it. He had a slight cough that worsened each passing day, up to the point in which it became a coughing fit rather than a regular cough. He lost his voice for a day and even after he got it back, he still sounded ill. He slept much more than he normally did, and he would speak of odd things. He'd point to the phone and quietly say it was ringing, when the whole room was silent, and the phone wouldn't be ringing at all. Then he'd blink a few times and ask what was going on. It confused Layton to say the least. After about a week of watching Clive's condition worsen, he finally decided to inquire with him about it.
He approached Clive, who was resting on the couch, half asleep, and sat down next to him. He lightly shook him, snapping him out of his sleepy state. "Clive, I wanted to talk to you about something." Clive stared blankly at him for a few seconds, then shook his head, focusing back to Layton. "Um... what is it... Professor?" Layton calmly placed a hand on Clive's shoulder. "Have you been feeling all right lately? You've seemed ill recently." Clive looked down at his hands, rubbing the line scar on his hand nervously.
"No... I've... been fine..." He seemed short of breath, like he was going to faint any second. Layton grew concerned hearing Clive short of breath. "Clive, I'm being serious. Have you been feeling alright?" Clive didn't make eye contact, glancing around at the table in front of the couch. "Yeah... I, uh... I'm fine..." He wavered in consciousness for a moment, his breath quickening. Layton sighed, trying to keep himself calm. "Clive please, be honest with me, are you ill? Please, just be honest with me." Clive felt a rush of fatigue wash over him. He couldn't stay conscious much longer. There was no point in fighting back. "No... I... I've been feeling... ill... lately..." He put a hand up to his head, holding himself up. Layton reacted immediately, positioning himself to catch Clive if needed. Clive wavered in consciousness for a moment, then collapsed, slumping over, completely unconscious. Layton caught him, making sure to set him down gently. He turned towards the stairs. "LUKE! EMMY! CAN YOU TWO ASSIST ME WITH SOMETHING?" He heard a door opening and the pattering of feet above him, followed by Luke and Emmy bolting down the stairs. When they reached him, both had a terrified look on their faces.
"Professor, what happened to Clive?! Is he ok?!" Luke looked like he was going to cry. It was scary to see Clive ill like this. It just wasn't like him. Emmy placed a hand on Clive's forehead. "He's burning up. How long has he been like this?" Layton shook his head, attempting to shift Clive into a more comfortable position. "He was acting odd just a day or two after being here. I fear his body didn't adapt to the change as well as he thought it would, and he got sick." Luke glanced at him, then looked down at his shoes. "But why would he hide it from us?" Layton stood up, walking over to the kitchen. "I believe he did not want us to worry about him, as he has already had us worrying about him enough. He hid it because he thought he would recover quickly and remove some of the worry from us, but in turn, he made it worse." Emmy turned to Luke, pointing to the stairs. "Professor, me and Luke can go and get blankets and towels for him. You... do whatever you're doing." She dashed upstairs, Luke at her heels. Layton quickly began to prepare tea.
After a few minutes, Emmy came running back down, multiple blankets in hand, and a small pail of water with ice cubes in it in her empty hand. Luke came running after her, pillows in his hands and a few stuffed animals squished in between, as well as a small bag that hung over his shoulder. The two got to work covering Clive with blankets and surrounding him with pillows and stuffed animals, getting the small space as comfortable as possible. Layton walked over, setting a tray of tea on the table. Emmy grabbed the bag Luke had and pulled out a thermometer, multiple bottles of medicine, an ice pack, and a box of small pills. Layton glanced over at her as he put the final touches on the tea. "Emmy, what in the world did you and Luke grab?" She looked up at him, then continued opening up things and messing with them. "We got a thermometer, cold medicine, cough medicine, ibuprofen, some medicine to help with insomnia, an ice pack, and some drowsiness pills." Layton stared at Emmy in confusion. "Drowsiness pills?" Luke looked up from his work, glancing at him. "They're pills that help induce sleep. Emmy lets me take them when I can't stay asleep." Layton nodded, going back to the tea. Out of nowhere, Luke made a loud squeak. "Hey! Clive's awake!" Layton and Emmy glanced over at the unconscious Clive, who was now beginning to wake up.
His eyes very slowly opened, he weakly glanced over at Luke, mumbling something. He reached for him, barely grabbing onto him. Luke went to hug him, happy he was awake and alert, but was held away by Clive's hand, which was weakly pushing against him. Luke, back up, sitting back down, a discouraged look on his face. Luke glanced up at Layton. "Professor, is Clive ok? He won't let me hug him!" Emmy sighed, walking over to Clive and leaning in so she could hear him talk. He turned a bit so she could hear him better.
"I'm... sorry... for not telling... you sooner... I have... pneumonia..." Emmy backed up, a terrified look on her face.
"You have pneumonia?! Clive! What in the world made you think to hide this from us!" He sighed, making a small gesture for her to move closer so she could hear him again.
"I didn't... want to bother... you guys... I had... gone out and... asked the doctor about... all of this... and..." He paused to catch his breath, clearly too worn out to speak quickly. "He told me... I had... pneumonia... or at least... the beginning... symptoms... of it..." He paused again, taking a deep breath. "I knew... I'd probably... be able to... recover... if I waited... long enough... so I just... didn't tell you... I'm sorry..." He sighed, finally taking calm and slow breaths, rather than sporadic ones. Emmy stood up and turned to Layton and Luke.
"He has pneumonia. He went to the doctor earlier to check, and found out there. He didn't want to bother us, and he thought he'd be able to recover, but it just got worse." Layton shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Luke looked horrified. He had known about pneumonia from school, and knew how deadly it could be, but he had never seen it in person. Layton put a hand on Lukes shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Don't fret, Luke. We can care for him and help him recover. He won't die, I promise you that." Luke nodded, a determined smile on his face.
"What can we do for him right now? I wanna help!" Layton looked at Clive, then back at Luke.
"I have an idea. Why don't you help get him propped up so he can at least get some food and water into his system? And Emmy, how about you get the ice pack, medicine, and towels ready for him? I'm sure he'd appreciate having something to help him." Both of them nodded, quickly getting to work. Layton went upstairs, looking for things to help Clive with.
Luke had already gotten Clive propped up against pillows and blankets for support, since he wasn't able to keep himself upright for very long before falling back onto his side. Emmy got the medicine she had ready, grabbing multiple spoons and such to put the medicine in. Clive sat in a daze, staring at the floor, unaware to what Emmy and Luke were doing. Luke got Clive the tea Layton had made for him and handed it to him. Clive's shaky hands slowly reached for it, barely grasping it. Luke helped make sure the cup didn't fall out of his grasp of tip over from the shaking. Clive took tiny sips, attempting to not upset his stomach.
He'd been sick before, not to this extent of course, but sick enough that he had an upset stomach. He had quickly learned that taking in things too quickly always caused him to throw it back up later, which was never fun, so he'd resorted to taking things in tiny amounts at very slow paces. He especially despised it at that moment, as he was extremely dehydrated, and desperately needed to eat. However, he didn't want to risk needing to sprint to the nearest bathroom, so he decided he'd suffer a little bit more than he wanted to in order to keep himself from suffering even more.
Once he had finished drinking his tea, which took over 15 minutes, he handed the cup back to Luke. Once Luke had set the cup back on its little saucer, Clive shakily pointed at the soup, then at his slightly open mouth. Luke stared at him blankly, utterly confused. Clive pointed at the soup again, then made a small gesture that resembled him eating with a spoon. Luke stared for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Ohhh! I get it! You want to eat some soup, right?" Clive slowly nodded, a very weak smile on his face. He pointed at himself and shook his head, then pointed at Luke and then at himself, nodding. Emmy glanced over, then put the medicine bottle she was holding down. "He can't hold the soup bowl and feed himself because he's scared he might drop it or spill the soup. He wants you to help him and feed it to him."
Luke nodded, picking up the bowl and getting a small spoonful of soup. He stifled a laugh as he made small swerving motions as he directed it towards Clive. "Here comes the aeroplane!" Clive laughed quietly as he opened his mouth, eating the small spoonful of soup. Emmy couldn't help but laugh. Clive looked like a toddler being fed like this.
Layton walked back down, a few books and puzzles in hand, only to see Emmy covering her mouth with her hands, her face a bright red, and Luke spoon feeding Clive. Luke glanced over at him, a big smile on his face. "Professor! I didn't know you came back down! Don't mind me, I'm just helping Clive." Emmy let out a stifled snort, trying her hardest to not look at the adorable, yet hilarious, sight before her. Luke gave her an angry glare. "What's so funny, Emmy? You try being sick like this! It's not fun from what I know of, and not being able to eat isn't fun either!" Emmy nodded, getting up and walking off towards the stairs. "Alright, you're right, but it's still funny to see a 14 year old kid feeding a full grown adult as if they were a toddler, and you can't change my mind on that." Luke scoffed, going back to spoon feeding Clive as Emmy dashed upstairs.
Layton smiled, seeing as Clive was enjoying himself. However, after a few minutes, Clive's smile faded, he began to stare off, occasionally breaking into a coughing fit. Layton became worried and asked Luke to stop feeding him for a little while. The coughing fits became much more frequent after just 5 minutes. Clive had pushed most of the blankets off of himself, despite the efforts being taken to keep them on him. Suddenly, during one of his coughing fits, he sprung up and dashed towards the bathroom at full speed. He slammed the seat of the toilet up and then began to vomit. Layton quickly ran in after him, Luke scrambling to keep up behind him. Emmy came running down, only to cover her mouth in shock from the sight of Clive.
"OH MY GOD CLIVE ARE YOU OK?!" She knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his back. He managed to gain a moment of rest, giving her a very weak thumbs up before he began to vomit again. Layton tapped on Luke's shoulder, then quietly pointed towards the closet. Luke nodded and quickly ran out of the bathroom, opening the closet and grabbing a bucket he had nicknamed the "barf bucket". Its name stated it's purpose; to be used in case one cannot make to the bathroom in time. He dashed back and set the bucket down in a corner. Clive had stopped vomiting by the time he came back, and was recovering from the experience. Emmy was rubbing circles on his back and checking him to make sure he was ok. He had his head resting on the seat and his arms were weakly propping him up enough so Emmy could check him. She turned to look at Layton, a tiny bit of blood on her fingers. "Can you grab some bandages? Clive hit his nose on the seat and sliced it open. He's fine, I just don't want him bleeding everywhere." Layton nodded, calmly heading out of the bathroom to grab some bandages from the upstairs bathroom. Emmy carefully picked up Clive, making sure he was comfortable in her arms, and hauled him back to the couch, wrapping him up in blankets and fixing the pillows he had knocked over. She grabbed one of the towels and wiped off his mouth, then set it aside, making a note to clean it later.
Luke grabbed the bucket out of the bathroom and set it down near the couch, keeping it out of the way so Emmy could work on Clive's makeshift bed. She managed to get him propped up enough so he could be comfortable, yet still able to eat and drink if needed. He yawned, slumping over a bit. Emmy frantically pushed him back up. "No no no no! Don't go to sleep yet! I need you to take some medicine first. It'll help in the long run." She grabbed the first cup, which was filled with an oddly colored liquid. Clive thought he was hallucinating for a moment when he saw the medicine was a brownish red color, but was quickly reassured by Emmy that it was just cherry flavored and much darker in color than normal. "It's cold medicine. It should help you not be stuffy or cough so much." She carefully held his chin and put the cup to his lips, cautiously pouring the liquid into his mouth. He swallowed it almost as quickly as it entered his mouth, spatting out anything that didn't get swallowed. Emmy sighed, putting the cup down. "I know, it tastes absolutely disgusting. However, it'll help, even though it tastes like rotten stuff." He pouted, glancing over at the rest of the medicine, then curled up into the blankets, clearly not wanting to take any more medicine.
"If that medicine tasted THAT bad, then the rest is probably going to taste terrible as well... great..." Clive thought to himself, groaning. Emmy grabbed the second cup of medicine, which was filled with a bright pink liquid. "This stuff will make it so your tummy won't be so upset. Trust me, this one doesn't taste terrible." Clive shook his head, curling up even more in the blankets. Emmy sighed, carefully grabbing his face and tipping it upwards and opening his mouth just slightly. He made a small attempt to squirm away, but Emmy meant business, as she grabbing onto him just a bit tighter and poured the medicine into his mouth. Clive shut his eyes in preparation for the medicine to taste horrible. Emmy let go of him the moment she had gotten all of the medicine from the cup into him, and once she did, he just sat there, stunned. He slowly swallowed it, then snuggled up into the blankets, a joyful smile on his face. "It tastes like bubblegum!" His voice was hoarse and raspy, but still held a joyful tone. Emmy chuckled. "See? I told you it wouldn't taste terrible!"
Luke patted Clive's head, very very happy that he was feeling a bit better. Clive snuggled up into the blankets, pulling his knees to his chest. Emmy tapped on his head lightly. "One more thing of medicine, and then I'll let you sleep, ok?" He nodded, lifting his head up a bit. She grabbed one of the pills on the table, then grabbed the cup used for the tea and filled it up with some water. "This is it for today. I got some water ready in case you need it." She popped the pill into his mouth, watching as he swallowed it almost immediately. He looked at her curiously, barely cocking his head to one side. She picked up the box and pointed to it. "Drowsiness Pills. They help you fall asleep faster." Luke beamed, pointing to the box as well. "I take them whenever I have nightmares, which is often. They're really helpful!"
Clive smiled. He yawned, already feeling sleepy. He curled up into the blankets, slumping over. Luke quickly rearranged the pillows so Clive could lie down. The moment Luke was finished, Clive let himself fall sideways, flopping into the newly arranged pile of pillows. Emmy tucked him in, patting him on the head. "Sleep well Clive." Luke beamed, waving. "Sweet dreams!" Clive smiled, then drifted into sleep.
The next few days played out in a set routine. Clive would wake up from being asleep for close to 10-12 hours. Layton would get home some tea and soup ready, Luke would help him eat (he found it to be a fun experience to feed a full grown adult like a toddler), and then Clive would get a change of pajamas. He'd sit and solve puzzles with Layton and Emmy, then he'd eat a small dinner of soup and saltine crackers, and then he'd pass out on the couch after Emmy gave him a nightly dose of medicine.
Clive's eyes opened, glancing over at the clock on the table. "8:30. The Professor should be up by now." He sat up, pushing his messy hair out of his face. He stretched, a yawn escaping him. He heard a small clatter coming from the kitchen, noticing that Layton had been making what looked like waffles from where Clive was. Layton turned and saw Clive wide awake, staring at him. "Good morning Clive. I assume you slept well?" Clive nodded, carefully getting up from his makeshift bed and shuffling over to the kitchen.
He looked like a mess. His hair hadn't been properly fixed in days, he had been too tired to change pajamas for over a day, so they were wrinkled horribly, and he looked like he had been up for 5 days straight with no sleep. Layton chuckled as he watched Clive lazily bump into the wall on his way to the refrigerator. "Clive, are you sure you don't want me to get anything for you?" Clive shook his head.
"I'm quite capable of getting it myself professor. I'm not as sick as I was a few days ago." His voice still sounded raspy, but it was much better than it was before. He grabbed himself a glass of citrus tea, then shuffled back to the couch and sat down, taking sips from the cup. Luke came dashing down the stairs, excitedly hugging Clive.
"Good morning Clive!!" He hugged him back, a smile on his face. "Good morning Luke." He sat down next to him, moving a few pillows so he could fit. Layton walked in holding two plates of pancakes, topped with syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries. Luke's eyes lit up when he saw his massive plateful, excitedly tapping his feet against the carpeted floor. Clive chuckled, watching as Luke almost began drooling over his breakfast. Layton sat down in the chair across from them, a cup of tea in hand. He watched the two as they laughed and chatted about their days, Luke devouring his food in the process. After the two had finished eating, Layton cleared his throat, getting their attention.
"So, Clive, I've been meaning to ask you something." Clive cocked his head in confusion. "Alright, what's the issue?" Layton took a quick sip of his tea and then set the cup down. "I've been thinking of getting you a proper room. The problem with this being that there are no more rooms left in the house that aren't already occupied by one of us. So, I was wondering if you'd like to share a room with Luke. I've talked to him about it, and he has agreed that it's completely fine, so it is your decision to stay with him if you so wish. If not, I can arrange for you to stay with either me or Emmy for the time being." Clive shook his head. "No need, Professor. I'm quite happy staying with Luke." Luke practically shot up from his seat, hugging Clive, almost knocking him over. Layton smiled, quietly nodding. "Then it's settled. I'll get a second bed in there and you can get yourself moved in once you recover." He stood up, taking a small slip of paper out of his pocket and handing it to Clive. "This is a little thank you from Luke. Go ahead and open it later. I have to run out and attend a lecture my students asked me to make. Emmy had to run out early to do some work for Scotland Yard. She found some interesting files that she needs to examine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head out. Both of you be good for me, alright?" The two nodded, big smiles on their faces. He waved, walking out the door. The moment it closed, Luke excitedly pulled Clive to his feet and dragged him up to his room. He pushed the door open, revealing the room inside.
The walls were a light blue, decorated with glow-in-the-dark stickers of stars and fireflies. There was a small lamp that resembled a cat on a tree on the nightstand by the bed, giving off a soft glow. The bed was covered in forest themed sheets that had cute animals on them like foxes and squirrels. The floor had stuffed animals everywhere, as well as books and puzzles strewn amongst them. There was a large brown teddy bear sitting on the floor in a corner, a small note at its feet that read: Happy 7th Birthday!
"This is my room! I think your bed will go right there." He pointed to the right side of the room, where there was a large toy chest and multiple toys piled up. Clive could see it. If he just moved the toy chest and rearranged the toys in a better spot, he could fit a bed there. He stared at the spot, occasionally pointing at things and dragging his finger across to a different spot, mumbling what he would do with it. Luke tugged on his free arm, getting his attention. "Why don't we start moving some stuff so the professor will have an easier time getting the bed in here?" Clive thought about it, then nodded. "Sure. Just... go easy on the heavier items. I still have a headache from yesterday." Luke smiled, dashing over to the toy chest and motioning for Clive to help him. Clive walked over and began to assist.
Layton came home only to find Luke and Clive hauling a bedframe up the stairs. Clive was hauling it from the bottom and Luke was dragging it up. Clive waved a bit to him, then continued to haul the bedframe up. There was a loud clunk, Layton panicked, thinking that one of them dropped it, and ran towards the stairs. He was relieved when he saw that they had just set the bedframe down. Luke excitedly ran down and hugged Layton. "Hi professor!" Layton hugged Luke back, glancing up at the bedframe at the top of the stairs. "Hello Luke. May I ask, why are you and Clive hauling a bedframe upstairs?" Luke took Layton's hand, dashing upstairs to his room, showing off the newly cleaned space. "Me and Clive were getting his bed set up in his room." Layton sighed, looking over at Clive, who was having a coughing fit. "I wish you would have waited for me." He pointed to Clive, who was still coughing. Luke sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry professor. We needed something to do." Clive took a deep breath, finally done with the coughing fit. "Hey! Can one of you help me drag this thing into Luke's room?" Both Layton and Luke ran over and lifted the frame, helping to haul it into Luke's room.
When they finished, Clive had to take a moment to look at his new bed. It wasn't like the hard prison bed, or like the couch. It was an actual bed, in an actual room, that didn't suck. He dashed and leapt onto it, letting himself bounce on the mattress. He couldn't help but smile. He watched Luke dash towards him, landing beside him. Luke hugged him tightly, a big smile on his face. "I'm so happy! You're going to share a room with me!" Clive hugged him back. "I'm glad too Luke. I'm glad too."