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This too Shall Pass
A Musketeer story by Deana
I just did the worst thing ever to Aramis…I gave him my kidney stone. I'm so sorry, my lovely Aramis! *sniff* I had surgery to remove it, (which was an awful experience) so at least mine is gone now, thank God!
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*thump thump*
Porthos woke at the unexpected sound, and laid there in bed trying to figure out what it was. When it came again from the room on the other side of the wall, his eyes popped open.
Aramis.
Porthos leaped out of bed and hurried out of his room and to the next door. He found it unlocked and went inside, finding the room lit by a candle and Aramis in his bed with his back to him. The position was strange, as Porthos knew that Aramis never slept facing the wall.
Porthos quickly headed over to him and sat on the bed. "Aramis?" he said. "What's wrong?"
Aramis' eyes were closed and he opened them at the sound of his friend's voice. His face was pale as he lay tightly curled up. "I don't know," he answered, his voice soft and sounding strained. "Woke in pain...keeps getting worse..."
"Where?" Porthos demanded.
"Left side…around to the back," Aramis answered. He suddenly gasped and closed his eyes again with a wince.
Porthos nervously squeezed his shoulder. "Take it easy, I'll send Athos in here and have Treville send for a doctor."
Aramis nodded, eyes still closed.
A chill shot down Porthos' spine when Aramis agreed so easily to see a doctor, and he quickly ran out the door and hurried to Athos' room on the other side of Aramis'. He knocked frantically and the door opened to reveal a concerned Athos.
"Something's wrong with Aramis," Porthos told him. "I'm having the captain fetch a doctor."
Without a word, Athos headed for Aramis' room.
Porthos continued down the hall to Treville's office, but before he could knock, the door opened.
"What is it?" Treville asked. "The whole garrison could hear you coming!"
Porthos inwardly winced at that, having forgotten about the rest of the sleeping men. "Aramis needs a doctor, he's in terrible pain."
Treville's eyebrows shot up. "I'll send for one; go stay with him."
Porthos quickly headed back to Aramis' room and found Athos sitting beside him on the bed. Aramis was in the same position, and Porthos could hear his shuddery breathing even before he reached them. "Doctor's comin', Aramis."
Aramis said nothing.
A few minutes later, Treville joined them. "What happened?" he asked.
"He woke in pain and said that it keeps getting worse," Porthos told him.
Treville put a hand on Aramis' arm and could feel light tremors shaking him. "Aramis," he said. "Show me."
Aramis had both hands pressed to the left side of his abdomen. "There's...nothing...to see..." he said.
His difficulty in speaking showed them just how agonizing the pain was, and their anxiety rose.
Aramis suddenly groaned and shifted slightly. "Up," he gasped.
Athos and Porthos pulled him into a sitting position, where Aramis groaned again and hunched forward, moving his left hand to his back.
Treville sat behind Aramis to brace him, a hand on his shoulder as the other two held onto his arms. "Move your hand," he said. Just because there was nothing to see in front didn't mean there was nothing to see from the back.
Aramis slowly obeyed, and Treville lifted his shirt. Bright light suddenly illuminated the air, as Athos grabbed the candle from the bedside table.
All they saw was smooth, unblemished skin, and Athos put the candle back.
Aramis suddenly hunched over further, making a noise that nearly sounded like a sob and placing his hand on his back again.
Porthos shifted so he could pull Aramis against him, gently wrapping his arms around his suffering friend as Aramis laid his forehead against his shoulder. "Where's the doctor?!" Porthos exclaimed with frustration.
Ten minutes passed while they anxiously awaited his arrival, and Aramis' pain increased even more. He remained leaning against Porthos, gasping and groaning from the pain.
The other three were beside themselves with worry. Treville had started rubbing Aramis' back over the area of the pain in a desperate attempt to soothe it. He was glad when Aramis hadn't flinched from the contact, and he didn't stop even when his arm began to ache.
Finally, the doctor arrived and entered the room. Treville quickly explained what had happened, and the doctor nodded.
"Lie him flat," he told them.
Treville and Athos gently pulled Aramis out of Porthos' arms and carefully laid him down.
The doctor moved Aramis' hand away from his abdomen and placed both of his own hands there. He pressed down, which made Aramis flinch and give a cry of pain.
The others flinched with him, especially when the doctor moved his hands and continued to press down in different places.
Aramis didn't give the same reaction, which was a relief.
The doctor checked his patient for fever before standing and observing him, noting the paleness, the shallow breathing, and the unshed tears in his eyes. It was obvious that the pain was agonizing, especially for a musketeer who was accustomed to pain.
"Do you know what's wrong with 'im?" Porthos asked, sitting on the bed again and grasping his friend's hand.
"I believe so," said the doctor. "I've seen the same symptoms before."
"Is it serious?" Athos asked.
"Yes and no," said the doctor. "It's serious considering the extreme level of pain that it causes, but if the desired outcome is reached without complication, then no. What your friend appears to be suffering from is a stone that formed in his kidney and has migrated out."
All three of the others blinked.
"A stone?!" said Porthos, not understanding.
"That's what we call it because of its resemblance to a pebble," said the doctor. "Do you know of the existence of what we call 'kidneys'? They are the organs that create urine, which exits the kidneys and flows down a tube to the bladder."
"So this stone is where? In the tube?" Treville asked.
The doctor nodded. "On its way to the bladder, where it then exits the body."
Everyone looked down at Aramis, whose eyes were open as he listened. He was wincing and squeezing Porthos' hand tightly.
"Has this ever happened to you before?" the doctor asked.
Unable to speak, Aramis shook his head.
"How long will the pain last?" Porthos asked, hating to see his closest friend in such agony.
"Hours or days," the doctor said. At the looks of horror from the others, he explained, "Not this much pain. A stone can pass right through in a matter of hours, or it can get stuck. The pain usually reduces or even stops then because the stone is no longer moving, but you may get twinges that remind you of its presence," he told Aramis. "Also, if there is a blockage of urine, you may continue to feel pain in your back or side from the kidney."
"What about the actual passing of the stone?" Athos asked.
"It can pass easily if small," said the doctor. "But the level of pain at this stage may indicate its size."
"How big are they usually?" Porthos asked, dreading the answer.
The doctor lifted his hand and indicated a size with his thumb and finger. "The ones I've seen were around this small. Tiny to our eyes, but not tiny to the even-smaller tube between the kidney and bladder."
Everyone thought about that for a moment.
"Should he stay in bed until it passes?" said Treville.
The doctor shook his head. "On the contrary, walking can help it move since being upright can help it go downward with the pressure caused by urine. On that note," he said, shifting his gaze to Aramis. "You need to drink water constantly, young man, to try to flush it out."
Aramis nodded, before closing his eyes with another groan.
"Is there anything we can do for him?" Athos asked.
The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid not, beyond making him drink. When the stone passes, keep it so I can see it."
"What if we don't know that it did?" Porthos asked.
The doctor watched Aramis, whose eyes were still closed as he trembled from the pain, one hand clutching Porthos' and his other hand fisted in the sheets. "You'll know. He'll know. Get him up; walking might help."
It took all three of the other musketeers to get Aramis upright. The terrible pain had sapped away all of his strength, and his legs were wobbly. He shakily stood slumped in Porthos' hold, an arm slung around the bigger man's shoulders as Athos held onto his other arm. Walking him around was very slow, but they were glad to see that he was managing with their help.
Eventually, Aramis couldn't walk anymore and they sat him in bed, holding a waterskin to his lips and forcing him to drink as much as he could. Aramis chose to remain sitting up after that, arching his aching back and holding himself up with his hands behind himself on the bed. His arms shook from the strain, and the others held onto him lest they buckle.
Aramis grew paler the longer he had to endure the agony, and sounds of pain constantly passed his lips. Tears spilled down his face at one point, and Athos gently wiped them away.
Porthos' heart was beating a mile a minute with anxiety as he watched his friend suffer. He felt helpless, and wished that he could trade places with Treville, who was rubbing Aramis' back again.
Sunrise came and went with no relief, and Aramis had reached the end of his rope. The pain was preventing him from taking full breaths, and he felt that he might suffocate...part of him wished that he would, if that was the only way to escape the pain.
At one point, the others asked him if he wanted something to eat, and Aramis' face had turned green. He'd quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, and Athos had dashed for the chamber pot. A minute of controlled breathing through his nose erased the nausea, and no one mentioned food to Aramis after that.
The morning passed slowly, with the pain not abating. They tried to walk Aramis around again but he didn't get very far, too weak from the sheer amount of pain. Once back in bed, Aramis couldn't lie down but was too weak to sit up, so Porthos enveloped him in his arms again and started to rock him, desperate to provide any comfort that he could.
Some time later, Porthos suddenly noticed that the sounds of pain that Aramis kept making had decreased. "Aramis?" he said. "Any better?"
"A…little…" Aramis whispered.
The sound of his voice, which they hadn't heard in hours, was like a balm to everyone's soul.
The pain steadily decreased, until Aramis stopped making the pained sounds and the trembling in his body slowly faded. He was eventually able to take fuller breaths without the pain spiking too much, and by early afternoon, he was able to lie flat again.
Treville, Athos, and Porthos looked down at Aramis as he lay blinking with exhaustion.
"Sleep," said Treville, placing a comforting hand on his head.
Aramis closed his eyes, and minutes later, his body relaxed in slumber.
Porthos gave a sigh of relief, dropping his face into both hands. Twelve hours had passed since Aramis had banged on the wall for help, and it had been torture to watch him suffer such agonizing pain. He was so tired, and knew that Athos and Treville were too. He opened his eyes again to look at them, and found them looking just as relieved as he was. "Do you think the stone went into his bladder?" he whispered, so as not to wake Aramis.
Treville sighed. "We'll find out when he wakes."
TBC
