I don't own.

Blood Gulch Bakery:

Fever pt2:

Tucker hated Caboose being ill. He hated hearing screaming, sobbing, coughing and retching from the room next door. Knowing about the nightmares he already suffered and knowing how much worse they were in the delirious state.

The 11 year old already had a childish mind and was often detached from reality. Knowing he was in pain and that his safe place wasn't safe was heartbreaking.

They would never admit it but they missed their hyper, absent minded friend. He was their brother. Their little brother. Their little brother who needed help. Help they couldn't give.

They kept themselves busy with the bakery and patisserie. They found many customers were just a concerned for the youngest blue. They asked where he was, how he was and wished him well. It was nice to know people didn't just come for bread and biscuits.

He remembered when they first realised Caboose was ill. He hadn't come down for breakfast so Tucker and Church went to knock on his door. When he emerged minutes later his blond hair was disheveled, his face was pale and he was crying. He swayed on his feet for a few seconds before falling. The two older brothers caught him and laid him down. Church then called for Flowers who came running. Caboose groaned, "Stop yelling. You're hurting my head."

It was petrifying seeing him that way. He was pale and shivering and curled up in their arms when Flowers arrived. He coughed and cried and it broke their hearts. They'd then found he had the flu. They did as much research as possible and found the symptoms matched:

Fever or feeling feverish/chills.

Cough.

Sore throat.

Runny or stuffy nose.

Muscle or body aches.

Headaches.

Fatigue (tiredness)

Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea.

Caboose had all of them except diarrhea. They felt so sorry for him. So scared for him. The fever was the worst. They also had to research what a fever did.

'Fever is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set-point. The increase in set-point triggers increased muscle contraction and causes a feeling of cold. This results in greater heat production and efforts to conserve heat. When the set-point temperature returns to normal, a person feels hot, becomes flushed, and may begin to sweat. Rarely a fever may trigger a febrile seizure. Which was apparently more common in young children and fortunately wouldn't affect Caboose. Fevers do not typically go higher than 41 to 42 °C (105.8 to 107.6 °F).'

A week later and he was finally improving. His flu was finally going away. His temperature had lowered to 39°C or 102.2°F. He wasn't even vomiting anymore. He was still pale and he still had a sore throat and cough. His headaches had lessened but the fatigue was still there. He still couldn't stay awake for more than a few hours.

The best thing was they were able to see him again. He wasn't contagious anymore. The problem was that, despite recovering, the fever dream memories were still in his mind. He would sob uncontrollably in their arms after a particularly bad dream or just if he remembered something that scared him.

They had quickly adapted to the more fragile-minded Caboose. They had also seen Grif and Donut helping him. Even Sarge, if the situation called for it. Not that they saw the red boys as much. They were often with Sarge at the hospital.

They were going to look after their youngest. No matter what.