As could be expected, after a big battle it's the leader of the battle that gets the most attention afterward. After Kuvira was arrested, most of the attention went to Korra, to make sure she was okay. Which of course, no one protested. They were all worried about her, after she was so off for so long. But people should never overlook the others who fought, because while they may seem okay on the outside, there could be a serious problem growing internally. That was case with Mako. After shooting the spirit vines with lightning, everyone, himself included, thought that he had just a few small cuts and bruises, and a burned arm, which had blistered while they looked for Korra after the new portal opened up. He didn't notice the wound on his stomach from the spirit blast –adrenaline was too high for him to really register the pain.
Insisting he was fine and that there were others who were more hurt, he decided that he would wait until everyone else was treated before getting his arm looked at. Besides, it had already blistered, and he already knew it was going to scar. Tenzin's water bending sister finally called him a moron and basically forced him to sit down and let her treat it. Because of the way the burn had come to be, with a mix of his own lightning and the spirit energy, it wouldn't be able to be totally healed by water benders. They most they could do was ease some of the pain of it and give him a lotion to rub on it that should help with the blistering.
It was that night, in Asami's house with Bolin and the rest of their family –or at least, the earth kingdom side of their family- that they realized a burned arm may not be all that was wrong. Soon after Team Avatar had split up for the night to rest after the hellish day they all had, Mako had mentioned to Bolin and Asami about having a headache. Asami asked if he had hit his head at any time in the battle, but Mako had assured them it was only from stress and he would be fine. Not wanting them to worry more, he didn't mention the slight burning he was beginning to feel in his stomach either.
Just as Bolin and Mako were getting ready to turn in for the night, Mako groaned and put a hand on the wall, his good arm wrapping around his stomach.
"Mako?" Bolin turned around at the sound, and at the sight of his brother's obvious pain, headed back over to him. "You okay?"
"I'm a little dizzy." He admitted, and was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm gonna puke."
"Uh.." Bolin looked around frantically for something for his brother to puke in, and spotted one of those weird fancy jar-things that rich people seem to like to use as decorations. He grabbed it and held it front of Mako just in time, as the firebender emptied his insides into it. Bolin sucked his breath in. While this was definitely gross, and he would probably have to get Asami a new bowl-vase-jar thingy, it was what he saw at the corners of Mako's mouth that scared him the most: blood. But if there was blood coming from his mouth that would mean he must've either bit his tongue in the past few minutes or something inside was bleeding.
He noticed Mako's sagging shoulder's, the rings that had seemed to appear under his eyes in just the last few hours, that distant, almost foggy look he would get in his eyes whenever he was most exhausted. He remembered when he had gone back to Mako before the vines blew up –he had been completely out cold. Had he hit his head? Had he hit his head on their way down maybe? Because of their pro-bending careers a few years ago, they both knew the dangers of a concussion, and how sometimes the effects of one won't start right away. Puking was one of those signs. Mako was struggling to keep his eyes open and stay on his feet. Whatever was wrong with him was hitting him hard and fast now.
Bolin dropped the jar to catch Mako as he fell forward. The jar shattered, the sound echoing through the halls.
"Oh, that's just gross." Bolin made a face, and adjusted his grip on Mako so he could carry him bridal style, instead of just an arm over his shoulder. He started moving quickly down the hall, not running because he didn't want to risk bouncing his brother's head around anymore in case it was a concussion.
Asami, who must've heard the crash of the jar, rounded the corner and almost crashed into them.
"What happened?" She asked as she took in the sight infront of her.
"Mako got dizzy, was leaning on the wall, he puked in a little jar thingy you had, and then passed out. There was blood. He needs a doctor." Bolin explained quickly.
"I'll drive." She said, turning around and leading the way. As quickly as the pair could, they got to the car and lifted Mako into the back seat. Bolin rode in the back with him, to hold him steady. Half way to the hospital they realized that most of the doctors probably wouldn't be back in the city yet, since the railroad was destroyed.
"Air Temple Island. Korra or Tenzin might be able to help." Bolin suggested. Asami radioed them, waiting impatiently for an answer as she started driving in the direction of the island.
"Hello?" A very sleepy male voice answered on the other side.
"Tenzin?" Asami asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "It's Asami. Sorry to wake you, but we have an emergency. Mako's sick, and we think he has a concussion. He puked and passed out, according to Bolin."
"Bring him here right away. We'll meet you on the dock."
They both hung up and Asami stepped on the gas as they came to a straight road. As carefully as she could, she stopped the car and helped Bolin get Mako out as they got to the dock. Already a flying bison was in view.
The next few hours seemed to pass in a blur for Bolin. Once they had landed on Air Temple Island, it seemed the whole island was already awake, and Tenzin had taken Mako away from him, into the small medical bay where they seemed to spend forever trying to heal him. Bolin wasn't allowed in, because they thought he would distract the healers. He paced outside the door, thinking about how their whole life, at least since their parents had died, Mako had always been the one to take care of him. Bolin had gotten so used to Mako being the more mature one that sometimes he forgot that his brother needed help sometimes too, even if he didn't want it.
Pema walked past around dawn.
"Why don't you go lay down for a while? You have to be exhausted after yesterday." She suggested, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop pacing.
"But what if Mako-"
"Your brother will be alright. Come have some tea and try to rest. Getting yourself worked up isn't going to help Mako. If anything happens, someone will wake you up." She didn't give him a chance to answer before she turned him around and lead him away from Mako's room and in the kitchen, where she poured him a cup of tea and brought him to the sitting room, where a large couch was against the wall –a demand of Bumi's. After drinking the tea, Bolin couldn't help but start to doze off, no matter how hard he tried to stay awake for his brother.
It seemed he had only been asleep for a few minutes before someone was waking him up. He looked up to see Asami standing over him.
"Mako's awake. He's asking for you."
Bolin wasn't sure he had ever gotten up faster in his life. Just before he opened the door to Mako's room though, Tenzin grabbed the back of his shirt and made him look at him.
"He has a pretty bad concussion. He's awake, and he keep asking for you, but he doesn't remember everything and he may be very confused. There's also some internal bleeding. We've slowed it down, and Korra went through the spirit portal to go get Katara to see if she can heal it faster. She'll be back soon, and you'll probably have to leave the room again. For now, don't let him sleep. He has to stay away for a while longer." The air bender explained. Bolin nodded, and Tenzin let him go. Bolin entered the room slowly. Mako was laying in a bed, shirtless, sheets pulled up to cover from his waist down. The healers had probably stripped him down completely to check for any other possible injuries. A water bender from the White Lotus had his hands over Mako's stomach, water glowing beneath them. Mako seemed to watching with half-focused eyes. He didn't show any signs of hearing Bolin come in.
The water bender sighed, and the water was pulled back into the bowl on the nightstand. A large, painful looking burn was covering Mako's stomach and part of his chest. When had that happened? Mako looked up only when Bolin approached him and the water bender left. It seemed to take the fire bender a few seconds to recognize Bolin, and that was a heart breaking moment for him.
"What happened? No one will tell me." He asked, head tilting almost like a confused puppy. "I know there was a fight with Kuvira, and a giant metal thing, but that's about it."
"You...used your lightning to destroy it. I tried to pull you out before the whole thing exploded, but couldn't. You must've hit your head at some point during that fight. Last night, you got sick and then passed out." Bolin explained as simply as he could. Hopefully Mako would remember it all soon. He didn't want to have to explain it all again. Mako just nodded, and rubbed his head.
"I have such a head ache…"
"You have a concussion."
"That explains a lot."
They didn't really say much after that. Bolin, for once, wasn't sure what to say. If Mako didn't have the concussion and was just sick to his stomach or had a few burns, it would be easier. But now he wasn't sure what he would remember, and how can you have a conversation with someone with a severe concussion? Thankfully, they were saved from the awkward silence by Katara knocking and coming into the room. Mako grabbed Bolin's shirt.
"Stay." He said, in that same tone of voice he used to use when they were younger and Mako would have a bad day or a nightmare and didn't want Bolin to leave his side. Bolin looked at Katara, who simply nodded that he could stay. Thankfully, the old water bender didn't pull the sheets away –there were some things Bolin could go his whole life without seeing and be perfectly fine with it. They sat in silence as Katara worked, the only sounds being the gentle hum of the spirit water, and the occasional hiss of pain from Mako.
"Is it supposed to hurt?" Bolin asked after the 5th time Mako showed he was in pain.
"It hurts because the spirit energy from the vines is still trying to fight me. It will stop hurting soon." She assured them. After a few more minutes passed, Mako's body seemed to relax, and he leaned his head back as Katara pulled the water away. "Better?"
"Much." Mako gave a thumbs up.
"And I hear you have a concussion, too?"
Bolin nodded for Mako, since his brother didn't seem to have the energy to do so. Katara turned her attention back to the fire bender, bending her water to cover Mako's forehead and the back of his head, and again it started to glow as she started to work on the concussion. That seemed to be much easier and less painful.
"There." She said after a few minutes, her water returning to the little pouch she wore. "You'll still feel a little achy for a few days, and you should take some time off from work and just take it easy for a while. That lightning was a huge strain on your body, and if you push yourself too hard, you'll just hurt yourself and I can't keep coming back here to heal you all."
"Thank you, master Katara." Bolin grinned, then noticed Mako was already falling asleep. "Uh, is he allowed to do that now?"
"You're welcome. And yes, let him sleep. He's exhausted. I wouldn't be surprised if he slept through the whole day and woke up at noon tomorrow." She said, getting up. Bolin and Katara bowed politely to each other before she left the room, and Bolin looked back over at Mako, who was fast asleep already, the ever-so-familiar snores –a very quiet, barely noticeable raspy snore- escaping him, and drooling a little as well, as he did every night for as long as Bolin could remember. Of course, whenever Bolin tried to tell Mako he drools in his sleep and snores, he denies it, even when Bolin has proof or witnesses. Not quite ready to leave his side yet, Bolin decided to stay in the room with him. When Mako had passed out in the hall way, Bolin had been terrified –he was sure he was going to lose his big brother. The relief that Katara had healed him was almost overwhelming.
Later that afternoon, when Korra and Asami decided to go check on the boys, they found both of them fast asleep, Bolin half on the bed and using Mako's good arm as a pillow. Mako was on his side, facing Bolin, while his burned arm was cradled against his chest. His legs appeared to be bent, as if he had been trying to curl into the fetal position but stopped halfway. Both were snoring, although Bolin was slightly louder. The girls smiled.
"Should we wake Bolin up and get him a bed before he hurts his back?" Asami asked.
"Nah. Let's let them sleep." Korra shook her head, and carefully used some of the warmer water from the small healing pool in the room to make a make-shift bed for Bolin, to at least keep him from hurting his back. She froze the bottom half and around the edges, so the water wouldn't just splash back down after she left. She made a thin sheet of ice, just strong enough to hold his weight and still mold to his body (like a how a water bed feels) just under him so he wouldn't drown.
"Wont that make him cold?"
"No, the spiritual qualities in the water will never actually change temperature. It's kind of hard to explain, but basically it doesn't matter if you boil it or freeze it, it will always feel the same. And it stays frozen for a very long time. He'll be awake before it melts."
And they left the brothers alone to rest after pretty much being awake for the past 48, extremely stressful hours.
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