A/N: So I just wanted to apologize to everyone who's been patiently waiting for me to update Rising From the Ashes, I've been incredibly busy with work and now that college finals are done...I've got a little bit of time to write again. I should be able to get another few chapters written for that story, the only reason I've gotten this one done is that I was searching for inspiration to continue on with Rising From the Ashes as I also had a bad bout of writer's block. I am currently working on Ch 10 since I've finished revising ch 9. Here's this chapter to The Miserable hopefully to tide you over until I can finish ch 10.
Alan lay awake in his bedroom, gazing at his ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He'd had a not so wonderful fall down the stairs earlier today and his head was pounding thanks to the back of his head being what stopped all movement. His family had been on a rescue at the time and Alan hadn't felt it necessary to tell his family that he'd hit his head. He wasn't a fragile doll that needed to be wrapped in bubble wrap, and he hadn't wanted to be treated as such. Thus he'd decided to suffer in silence and just try to ignore the world around him until the throbbing pain quit pounding away.
Sighing loudly, Alan threw back his blankets and climbed from his bed in search of some relief for his headache. Tugging on a tank top so he'd be considered decent, Alan left his bedroom to go down to the infirmary and get some medicine. He had to do something for his headache and he didn't know how much more he could take of the throbbing. He was halfway considering dealing with Virgil's wrath and waking him up to check him for a concussion, but he'd have felt bad if he had. Virgil and each of his brothers that had gone on the rescue had been completely and totally bushed and deserved sleep. Virgil couldn't recharge his batteries if Alan was waking him up for something as minor as a headache.
Holding a hand to his head, Alan closed his eyes and relied on memory to get him to the infirmary. The lights in the hall were incredibly too bright, though to his family they might think the lights were dim. But they weren't Alan dealing with a pounding headache. He'd nearly cried in relief when he heard the 'swish' of the infirmary doors. He was close to finding relief for his headache. Cracking his eyes open, Alan tried to ignore the pulsating pain behind his eyes as he strode to the medicine cabinet to get a headache tablet. When he'd finally gotten the key in the lock, Alan just about trashed Virgil's medicine stash in search of the coveted pain medication and he'd groaned when he'd discovered the bottle to be empty.
"Virgil must still be waiting for his order to come in." Alan muttered to himself as he tried to figure out something else that could get rid of his headache. Turning away, Alan decided he'd check the kitchen…John once told him that chocolate fixed his headaches, or was it chocolate caused headaches? Alan couldn't remember but he'd do anything for some relief. Going back up the ramp, Alan moved into the kitchen and was shocked to find Tin-Tin sitting up at the table with a mug. He could see it was tea, judging on the tea bag tag hanging over the edge of the mug's lip.
"Alan? What are you doing up?" Tin-Tin asked as she motioned for Alan to take a seat beside her at the table.
"I couldn't sleep." Alan said as he sat at the table, not bothering to hide his discomfort from Tin-Tin. She'd figure it out soon enough. Laying his head on the table, Alan stifled a groan as the movement made his head throb.
"Got a headache, huh?" Tin-Tin asked as she understood Alan's gesture. Over the past couple months; she'd gotten really good at reading Alan's body language.
"Like you wouldn't believe." Alan mumbled from within the shelter of his arms.
"Here." Tin-Tin gently slid her mug of tea over to Alan, making him take a sip.
"Gross, what is that stuff Tin-Tin?" Alan wiped his mouth after taking a sip of the tea and he'd wrinkled his nose at the mug.
"It's peppermint tea…take another sip. It'll help." Tin-Tin started to lift the mug to Alan's lips but Alan refused.
"Why does it taste so bad?" Alan asked with disdain.
"There's no sugar in it…that's why." Tin-Tin said before forcing Alan to take another sip of the tea. Alan gave a cough, before humoring Tin-Tin and finishing the last of the peppermint tea. When he'd finished it, he'd laid his head on the table top with a groan. The last thing he'd expected was Tin-Tin rubbing his neck firmly. It wasn't until Tin-Tin began rubbing his neck that Alan realized how stiff his neck was from the fall. "Geez, you're tense Alan."
"I know." Alan mumbled when Tin-Tin hit the sweet spot in his neck, practically turning Alan into a lump of jelly.
"What'd you do? You're never this tense." Tin-Tin asked as she kneaded Alan's neck and shoulders.
"Promise you won't get mad?" Alan asked.
"Maybe…" Tin-Tin replied, her voice tensing.
"I might or might not have taken a spill down the stairs earlier." Alan admitted.
"I thought you fell down the stairs today." Tin-Tin muttered under her breathe, obviously angry with Alan for hiding it.
"How'd you figure?" Alan asked.
"I'd heard a crash earlier and when I came to investigate I found you moving slowly up the stairs, but I didn't say anything because I thought maybe you'd knocked something over." Tin-Tin replied as she slowed the massage to Alan's neck and shoulders. "You're an idiot sometimes Al. You could have been seriously hurt."
"I know, but I didn't want to say anything when Virgil came home. He looked ready to collapse and I just wanted to let him get on to bed." Alan replied morosely.
"But Alan, you know that if you hit your head you should maybe mention it. I mean how do you think Virgil and everybody else would have felt if you went to sleep and we couldn't wake you up because you went to sleep with a concussion?" Tin-Tin squeezed Alan's neck tightly, making Alan moan when she'd squeezed too hard. "How do you think I'd feel?"
"I know, I'm sorry Tin! I promise I won't do it again." Alan whimpered as he tried to beg off the chewing out Tin-Tin was giving him.
"You're darn right you won't. That's why we are marching up to Virgil's bedroom to have him check you over. I don't care if he gets pissed with me; it's your health that we should be concerned with." Tin-Tin said as she hauled Alan none too gently up from the chair he sat in. "I'd feel even worse if you went to sleep and fell into a coma because that rock hard head of yours was broken. Get going."
"Yes ma'am." Alan replied, knowing that Tin-Tin could be scary when she felt like it and though she didn't look it…she was furious with Alan.
… … … … … …
Virgil growled as he handed Alan some headache tablets he'd told Tin-Tin to go retrieve from Thunderbird Two. It was clear that Alan had a decent sized goose egg on the back of his head, which was paired with a grade two concussion. He was not at all happy with having been woken up by Alan and Tin-Tin, but his irritation was overruled by his concern when he'd glimpsed and felt the goose egg on the back of Alan's head. The goose egg was probably about the size of a grapefruit and that was putting it mildly.
"Because of your foolishness, I am keeping you here to be monitored by Brains and myself until we are sure you won't suffer any adverse effects from that little introduction with the marble floor you mentioned." Virgil said, his voice clearly angered at Alan's delay in mentioning that he'd been hurt. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes…sir." Alan replied but yelped when Virgil smacked him in the arm.
"Don't call me sir." Virgil said as he took the glass of water from Tin-Tin and passed it to Alan before watching him drink down the tablets and water. When the pills had been taken, Virgil took the glass and manhandled Alan back to lay down. "You are going to stay there until Brains or myself deems you fit to be up moving around."
"Yes Virgil." Alan replied, his voice like a kicked puppy
"Try to get some rest." Virgil's voice softened before he pulled the blankets up over Alan. "Tin-Tin honey, can I trouble you to keep an eye on my idiotic baby brother while I go let Brains know about Alan's accident?"
"Sure thing Virgil…then please go help yourself to some chamomile tea and get some more sleep yourself." Tin-Tin said as she mentioned one of Virgil's favorite nighttime drinks.
'Thanks Tin-Tin. I will." Virgil left the infirmary and that left Alan and Tin-Tin alone.
"You're not still mad at me are you Tin-Tin?" Alan asked meekly.
"I am not too happy with you, but I'm not overly mad at you either." Tin-Tin leaned in and kissed the tip of Alan's nose before leaning back. "Close your eyes and follow the doctor's orders."
"Yes ma'am." Alan said softly before closing his eyes and making an effort to go to sleep like told.
"Don't call me ma'am." Tin-Tin whispered fondly as she gently brushed Alan's bangs from his eyes before leaning back over and giving him a light kiss on the corner of his mouth.