Aaand here's chapter 2. By the way, thank you SO MUCH to EVERYONE who reviewed! I seriously never realized how happy reviews can make an author until I actually received them myself. Now I know why everyone begs for them all the time. [: Hah anyways, enjoy the second chapter of Trials and Tribulations. This is where it gets kinda sad…

Oh, and I forgot the disclaimer last chapter, soo…

I don't own the Chipmunks or Chipettes; plain and simple.

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TWO AND A HALF WEEKS LATER…

Theodore sat morosely on the couch, desperately trying to turn up the TV loud enough so that it would drown out Alvin's muffled cries of pain. However, it didn't work out as well as he had hoped.

Alvin was receiving the medicine that he so desperately needed, but the only way it could be administered was through a series of large, painful needles since it had to go right into his veins. That's why, every other night, the same thing happened. Theodore either left or did something to drown out the sounds coming from their bedroom, Simon comforted their brother, and Dave did the heartbreaking task.

Alvin was so sick. It was unexplainable how his health had deteriorated so fast. He went from a happy, energetic young chipmunk to a weak, helpless little lump. Now, he couldn't sit up right for more than twenty minutes. He just didn't have the strength. He couldn't even get up out of bed by himself, which meant someone always had to look after him.

The worst - and scariest - thing about this was that the doctors had absolutely no clue what was wrong with Alvin. Yes, they would come up with a new diagnosis every so often, but then, a new symptom would appear which usually ruled out whatever they thought he had.

All anyone knew for sure was that Alvin was slowly loosing the battle, and if they didn't figure out what was wrong with him soon, Alvin's body wouldn't be able to fight much longer.

Thinking about that now, mixed with the stomach-churning sounds coming from upstairs, Theodore couldn't hold it back anymore. He snuggled his head into the arms of the couch and just began to sob. He couldn't help it. Watching Alvin like that broke his heart. This was his big brother they were talking about. Well, bigger by a mere 10 minutes, but Alvin certainly played the role well enough that sometimes it was hard to tell if it was 10 minutes or a couple years. Well, to Theodore he acted that w ay anyway… when he needed him to.

Theodore recalled all the times Alvin stood up for him against bullies or people who wanted to pick on him just because he was short and sweet. Alvin was quite short himself, but that didn't stop him from telling off anybody who even dared to mess with Theodore. And for that, Theodore couldn't thank Alvin enough.

It wasn't just the bullies. Alvin was always there for Theodore. Whether his problems were big or little, Alvin was always there for comfort. A shoulder to cry on, a wall to lean on. Alvin never wavered in the moral support he dished out for each of his brothers whenever they needed it.

Suddenly, Theodore stopped crying and raised his head a little. There had been many times when he needed Alvin, but… now, Alvin needed him. And what was he doing? Laying on the couch crying like a baby? Theodore suddenly felt ashamed. This wasn't right.

So, wiping the tears from under his eyes, Theodore quietly climbed the stairs to the room he and his brothers shared. The yelps were no longer being emitted from behind the door, and that meant it was the perfect time to be the wall that Alvin now needed to lean on.