Alexander sat by Hephaestion's sickbed as the man slept, memorizing his love's features, as the multiple doctors that Alexander had brought to Ecbatana to tend to his Phai had all said that he would not last.
For weeks Alexander had stubbornly not believed them, casting them aside. But after weeks of no improvement from his dear Phai, Alexander was starting to accept the inevitable, even though doing so tore his heart to pieces.
Right now, Alexander was carding his fingers through the long, tangled, and sweaty locks splayed out on the pillow underneath his Phai's head. Suddenly, the sick man woke up screaming, at the same time curling in on himself and clenching the bedclothes with a fist. As this had been going on for several weeks already, Alexander did not startle, but instead made shushing noises that he knew Hephaestion couldn't hear while easing his arms underneath Hephaestion to ease him at least halfway upright, all while reaching down the bed for the clean basin at Hephaestion's feet. As soon as he steadied the bowl in Hephaestion's lap, black bile began to pour from Hephaestion's mouth as he sobbed.
"I know, I know my Love..." Alexander whispered into Hephaestion's ear, "Just let it come... It's all right, I have you..."
Hephaestion screamed again as his legs began to shake uncontrollably, not because it was painful, but because the shaking was very violent.
After a minute of Alexander trying to hold his legs down on the bed with only mild pressure, Hephaestion cried out in panic.
"My legs! My legs are going numb! I can't feel them anymore! Help me, Xander! I can't feel my legs!"
"Shit!" Alexander did not even take the time to fully process this new development before he was flying across the room to the door, screaming for a doctor.
Bagoas, who had been just outside the door, saw the unadulterated panic in Alexander's eyes and ran to fetch the doctor. In moments, the doctor breezed into the room, and came to the bedside. After accessing the situation, he spoke.
"I am going to take some blood. Hopefully, it will allow his humors to realign."
Hephaestion panicked upon hearing this. There was one thing he was deathly afraid of, and that was leeches. Knowing this, Alexander was quick to sit on the bed and turn Hephaestion's face into his shoulder, whispering comfortingly to him as the doctor pulled back the bedsheet that had been covering Hephaestion's still shaking legs and prepared the leeches.
Alexander pet Hephaestion's hair and kissed his crown gently as the first leech was attached to the inside of his left thigh, earning a sob and a moan from Hephaestion as it bit into his skin and began to feed. This was done eleven more times, so that there were a total of six leeches on each of Hephaestion's legs.
"We will do this until he starts to bleed-"
This earned a louder moan from the sick man in the bed, and Alexander the king glared up at the doctor as Hephaestion clutched Alexander's chiton in both hands like a babe does to it's mother.
"Not another word, or I will have you escorted from the palace and executed by dawn."
The surgeon shut his mouth in compliance, his beady eyes wide in fear.
Feeling an extra weight in his arms Alexander looked down at his lover as Hephaestion began to faint, whether from the bloodletting or his fear Alexander could not tell.
"Bagoas!" knowing his faithful servant was nearby, Alexander did not call for him too loudly, not wanting to causing more fear or injury to the man laying in his arms. The young man came without any qualms, and Alexander whispered his request once he had come to the bedside, "Can you please fetch some more cold water? He is feeling faint. Such a good boy..." Alexander praised quietly as Bagoas went off to do his bidding without a word.
Bagoas was back soon enough with a fresh pitcher of cool water. Once he had filled Hephaestion's cup that was on the table next to the bed, he handed Alexander the cup, who in turn put it to Hephaestion's parched lips. Hephaestion did not drink as Alexander had hoped he would.
"Drink, Love. Just a little. Please?" Alexander knew he was begging, but these last several weeks had frayed his nerves, and seeing Hephaestion not take the water had brought the ruler of the known world nearly to tears yet again.
"Alexander, maybe he is too weak to drink on his own," Bagoas suggested, a statement that was met with a tearless sob from the king, "I have an idea. Let me just..." he saw the leeches for the first time, "Oh, for the love of Ahura Mazda, get those things off of him!" with that, he left the room to fetch whatever it was that he needed to care for Hephaestion.
This burst of anger from the servant stunned the doctor, but at the slight nod from Alexander, he started to detach the vile animals from Hephaestion's legs, earning moans and short yells of pain that were hushed by Alexander from his patient.
With the doctor thanked for his services and sent away, Bagoas came back into the room with bandages, herbs, and clean rags.
"Here," he handed Alexander a rag, "Dip that into the water and let him suck on it. It will keep him hydrated until he can drink on his own again..." Alexander could tell his fiesty but faithful servant and advisor was distracted as he moved down the bed to start cleaning and bandaging the cuts on Hephaestion that the leeches had left behind.
However, just as Alexander dipped the rag into the water to let Hephaestion drink, Hephaestion convulsed, screaming in pain over Bagoas' reassurances that he would take the pain away.
Alexander glared at his servant, who was situated at the foot of the bed and was in the process of washing his ankles before bandaging them, "What did you do?!" was asked menacingly as Hephaestion curled into Alexander chest, once again clutching his chiton in both hands as he cried and whimpered quietly.
"I was just washing-"
"I don't care what you were doing! You hurt him, and I will not tolerate that! Do it gently or I will do it myself! Good gods, isn't he in enough pain already?!"
Hephaestion began to smack his lips and was trying to lift his head up, which caught Alexander's attention, and the king shushed him with a whisper and gave him the wet rag to suck again.
Hephaestion took it greedily, sucking it dry, much to Alexander's delight.
"Good job, my Love! More?" as he dipped the rag into the water, soaking, before letting Hephaestion take it between his lips again.
Soon, after drinking a pitcher and a half of water, Hephaestion feel asleep. Alexander sat back in his chair with a happy sigh, as it finally seemed as if Hephaestion was recovering.
"If I had known it would take only you to heal him, Bagoas, I would not have wasted time seeking out every ignorant doctor as far as Macedon. I am sorry I got angry at you."
"You were worried, my lord. It is understandable."
"But not excusable. You were only doing what you thought was best. And because of you, I will get to be with him a little longer."
Bagoas smiled, "It was my pleasure, my lord. We will stay with him through the night to see that he does not get worse."
"Yes."
That night, Hephaestion woke up calling for Alexander and nearly in tears.
"I'm here, my Love," keeping his voice soft, Alexander took Hephaestion's searching hand, only to find his skin hot to the touch.
"Hot, hot..." Finally, the unshed tears in Hephaestion's blue eyes spilled over, running down his imflamed cheeks.
"No reason to cry, Love. Bagoas, ready a lukewarm bath."
With a single nod, Bagoas ran off to do as ordered. Meanwhile, Alexander started to undress his suffering lover.
"Hot, hot..." Hephaestion repeated over and over, somewhat delirious.
"I know, my Love, I know. Shh..." Alexander tried to avoid Hephaestion's pawing hands while trying to undress him as well.
After a few minutes, Alexander had succeeded in undressing his ill beloved. Still delirious, Hephaestion clung to Alexander as the king took him into his arms to carry him to his bath. Once in the bathchamber, Bagoas came to help support Hephaestion as Alexander set him in the bath.
Hephaestion cried out as the lukewarm water touched his heated skin, feeling cold to him.
"I know, my Love, I know," Alexander accepted a jug of water from Bagoas, which he very gently started to pour over Hephaestion's matted hair. Thinking it was cold in his feverish state, Hephaestion began to frantically try to climb out of the tub, hands clawing at the edge of the tub. However, his feet kept slipping in the water, trapping him inside the basin.
Both Bagoas and Alexander were quick to calm him down before he injured himself. Once he was gently restrainted to the basin by them, he let out a cry and tried to struggle, shivering. Finally, he stopped fighting, exhausted.
"There you go. Just relax, shh," Alexander pet Hephaestion's newly wetted hair. Tears in his eyes, Hephaestion laid his head on Alexander's clothed chest, "I know. I know. Just a little longer."
Hephaestion whimpered and shivered in Alexander's arms in answer.
During the night, Alexander stayed vigil, mopping his beloved's brow with a wet cloth, at the same time making sure he was covered by the several blankets keeping him warm. Finally, around dawn, Hephaestion began to sweat. And then, as the palace became a place of hustle and bustle that came with a new day, Hephaestion joined them, eyes clear and smile bright. And Alexander knew he had only Bagoas to thank for being his Phai back to him. For this miracle of miracles.