It was winter in Burbank, and Yakko was the last Warner standing. The rest of the Warner children had fallen prey to an illness. He was tasked with taking care of them. He's been doing it for two days now, checking on Wakko and Dot's fever, comforting them, cleaning the water tower, and trying his best not to fall asleep.
Currently, Dot was hunched over the toilet, retching towards the hole below her as Yakko gently rubbed her back, making every effort to comfort her. Dot was suffering from vomiting and a high fever. She was miserable as she puked for the fourth time within that hour. She mourned upon resting her red-tinted cheeks on the toilet seat. Yakko stood up from his kneeling position and went to the sink to wet a washcloth. He returned to Dot's side and touched the damp cloth to her forehead. This action made the ailing sister moaned softly, as though her skin was so feverish that the cool water hurt her. Yakko bit his lip in worry, and even though he had never experienced a terrible fever such as Dot's. He had no clue if it hurt Dot instead of helping her. It was the best idea he had at the time. After a few minutes of wrapping her brow, he started to dab her mouth to get rid of the puke on her lips.
His little sister had got the sour end of the stick compared to Wakko. Who only had a cough and a low fever. Wakko would be fine; it was Dot who he was most worried about. He signed again as Dot's head once more went to the toilet. He hated when one of his sibs got sick, but this time around, it was both. It was twice the work for him, twice the worry, and twice as tiring. He looked up towards the bathroom mirror and saw himself for the first time in two days. He looked utterly exhausted, having not gotten a wink of sleep at all. He noted that he was developing dark circles beneath his eyes from lack of sleep. He sighed and looked back at Dot, rubbing her back once more.
"Tell me the story."
He looked at Dot with a confused look on his face, "What story?"
Dot puked once more and turned to Yakko, "The story about our fictional parents back in Wakko's Wish. I always liked that story."
Oh, that story pondered Yakko. He reflected on the last time he told the story to his sister. After filming Wakko's Wish, she asked him repeatedly to tell the tale every night at bedtime. His theory was it was a way to cope with the ending of Animaniacs. He narrated that story for almost a year. Since then, he hasn't thought about it in all that time. He had practically forgotten all about it till his ailing sister asked for it. He couldn't recall all of the parts, though. His long thought process was paused when he was aware of Dot retching again. He sighed.
Once Dot was done with that, she settled her head back onto the seat. In comparison, Yakko was back dapping the washcloth on her mouth. Despite being sick, she could mustard the cute method on her older brother, "Pweeeeese tell me the story? Pwetty pwease with a big red cherry on top?"
In response, Yakko gave a small chuckle, and her cute smile dropped to a frown as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"How can I say no to a person looking like a big red cherry." If she weren't so sick, Dot would have hit him in the face, but all she could do was turn her head the other way. Seeing this, Yakko frowned and pulled his hands in the air, "Oh alright! I'll tell you the infamous story, but not here in the bathroom."
With that, Dot gave a weak smile to him. He smiled back at her, throwing the used cloth aside from them. Yakko got to his feet and carefully scooped his little sister up into his arms, cradling her to his body like he was holding a small child. They walked out of the bathroom. Yakko headed in the direction of the living room. He chose not to go to their bedroom, not wanting to wake up Wakko, despite being a heavy sleeper. Once in the living room, he settled Dot on the couch. He snatched a nearby blanket and placed it over his sister's lap. Yakko made sure that Dot was comfortable and even went so far as to tuck the blanket around his younger sib before jumping on the sofa beside her. He handed her a bowl.
Yakko snuggled close to Dot like in the film. Yakko mumbled, "Alright, let see if I remember how to tell the story." It took him a couple of minutes, and such like turning on a switch, he remembered the story, "Once upon a time, a brave knight married a beautiful princess, and they had two sons."
"But they wanted a daughter, too."
Yakko nodded while Dot curled against him, "Bingo! So they planted a garden all over the kingdom, and on the first day of spring, every flower in that garden bloomed. And out of the prettiest flower came..."
"Me!" gushed Dot, popping up from her blanket pointing towards her chest.
"Yup," Yakko said once more. He continued to tell the fictional story to her, "And so the knight and his bride - Mom and Dad - took you home. And every night at bedtime, they're come in and say, 'Who's the cutest girl?' and you'd say-"
"I am!" She started to jump up as if she wasn't sick, leaving the bowl to hit the hardwood floor. Yakko gave her the look, signifying her she did something that he didn't like. With that, the bouncing conceased, looking at her oldest brother.
Having to stop the story, for now, Yakko took a hold of her arm softly. He spoke, "Woah! Be careful, Dot. I don't need you to puke all over me because you decided to jump up and down." He tenderly guided Dot back under her blanket.
"You're such a mother hen," scarfed Dot.
"Yeah, well, say that again once my sibs aren't sick." Yakko started to lean back against the couch, wrapping his arm around his sister. He cleared his throat, "Alright, where did we leave off... That's right. And they'd ask, 'How'd you ever get so cute?' and you'd say-"
"I was born that way."
"And they'd say, 'Tell us your name, young lady,' and you'd say-"
Taking a big breath, Dot paired herself for saying her full name" I am Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fana Bobesca the Third. But you can call me Dot.
Yakko giggled a little and then said, "Yep, and they asked, 'Can we call you Dottie?' and you'd say-"
"No! Just Dot. Call me Dottie, and you die."
He uttered his line, "And Mom and Dad would laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and they'd tickle you-" This part of the story Yakko loved because he got to see her happily laughing. he started to tickle his ailing sister. Dot started to giggle. After a while, the eldest Warner took a hold of Dot's small hands, "And then you'd laugh, too."
The giggles and the tickle continued till Dot's laughter started to turn weak. She began to yawn as she rested on Yakko's lap. She mumbled, "Thank you, Yakko." She drifted off to sleep, curled tightly into the soft blanket.
"Anytime, sis." He murmured, petting her hair. He gently placed a kiss on the top of her forehead. Yakko relaxed against the sofa while thinking back on the last couple of days. Dot's fever was bothersome to Yakko. He remembered the day his sibs got sick.
Wakko was the first one to get hit by the illness. Being the older brother he was, he took notes on everything his sibling did, and on that morning, he noted that Wakko coughed more than once. He would later ask his younger brother how he felt which all he got was a shrug. The second thing that he noted was Wakko's appetite. The boy was like that of a black hole; whatever he saw food, he sucked it in never to be seen again. When there was still food in the fridge halfway through the morning, Yakko knew for a fact that his brother wasn't feeling well. He marched his way to their bathroom and got the thermometer. He located the little Warner by hearing the coughing fit's sound and shoved the thermometer in Wakko's mouth. His temp revealed that he was also suffering from a low fever.
Next was Dot, who came sobbing to Yakko, telling him that she threw up and that she didn't tell him that she wasn't well because she didn't want him to worry about her too. At first, Yakko was ashamed that he didn't notice that Dot was also feeling under the weather, but on the other hand, he didn't see her the whole day. He managed to calm her down and felt her temple for a fever. As he feared, her fever was worse than Wakko's, which didn't help with his anxiety at all. Eventually, Dot fell asleep in his arms while he wiped the traces of tears from the corners of Dot's closed eyes. He carried her to his own bed and peeled back his covers to lay Dot down, tucking her in.
That night long after he made sure that Wakko and Dot were taken care of, he went straight towards the kitchen. He was all alone, caring for his siblings. He couldn't go to Dr. Scratchansniff's house for help because he was attending a toon medical conference across the country. The Doctor wouldn't be back in another three weeks. And then Heloise Nerz was somewhere in the world in that program of hers. He was all alone again, and he felt like he was back being trapped within the water tower with no one to help him. His anxiety started to grow once more. Yakko remembered that Dr. Scratchansniff gave them his number for emergencies ONLY! He grabbed the phone number on the refrigerator door and pulled out his iPhone from his hammerspace. The second that Yakko heard Dr. Scratchansniff's groggy voice, he started to break down, telling the Doctor everything from Wakko's idea of swimming in a river to them being terribly ail they were to how he was the worst brother ever.
The Doctor talked through Yakko's anxiety attack with deep breathing and reassurance. After a while, they spoke about the situation. At one point, Dr. Scratchansniff had offered to back early. Yakko had declined his request, saying that he had cared for his little siblings for 90 years. Heck, before the original show had aired he did it alone. With that being said, the old Doctor could only give Yakko advice. Yakko happily wrote all of the information down on a nearby notepad. Yakko said thank you for Scratchy's help, and the Doctor said to call him when Wakko and Dot were feeling better. The eldest Warner promised to do so.
Yakko popped his head to look at Dot's sleeping form. He was still petting her hair, and he halted in his tracks. Gazing down at Dot's red- face, Yakko felt his heart begin to ache deep inside his chest, like someone was squeezing it too hard. He reached out and cupped a hand over the top of his sister's head, softly petting the feverish fur beneath his fingertips.
Even in her dormant state, Dot leaned in Yakko's hand, feeling the coolness of his glove. He could feel the warmth coming from his ailing sister's fever. Her fever was less warm than this morning, which was the first positive news this week. He rotated his head towards the clock on the wall, and it was time to get Dot into bed. He gave a heavy sigh and picked her up, bridal style. He cautiously carried her back into their bedroom.
Once in the room, Yakko was greeted with the sound of Wakko's wheezing breath and a cough here and there. He tiptoed towards the lower bunk, Dot's temporary bed. The oldest Warner, peeled back his covers on the bed and laid his sister down. He thoughtfully tucked in Dot as tightly as he could, humming a quiet lullaby.
After that, he went to Wakko's side, atop of Dot's bed. Picking up the dry cloth and reaching over with his opposite hand, he checked his brother's fever. It was good for now. Having the dry cloth, he leaped to the flood. Yakko rewetted Wakko's washcloth alongside Dot's and lovably placed it on them. He walked back, admiring his siblings as they slept on. Yakko let his arms drop to his side. He stood there in thought. He thought about going to the store later today for medicine and other supplies. He thought about the different meals he would have to make for his sick siblings, something easy on the stomach. He thought about a lot of different things. He moved to the chair and sat down for what felt like the first time in years.
His hand pulled out the book that he's been reading. It was the Hunchback of Notre Dame written by Victor Hugo. Yakko read it back in the '90s and decided to reread it. The book was a lot sadder than the last time he read it. But it was good, nonetheless the story was interesting. He started to read, taking his mind off of his siblings for the first time that day.
~~~~~~~
He didn't want to say it — especially not when Wakko might be awake — but Dot's fever was getting worse. Her fever had intensified, burning Yakko's skin even more as he gripped his baby sister's hand. He gave a small exhale of air as he watched his sister move once more. Noticing that her movements grow weak, and her faint moans and whimpers seemed to be quieter than before. Yakko frowned at this notation.
As the night dragged on, Yakko continued to care for Dot's face in cool water, hoping that it brought a little relief to his ailing sister. Occasionally Dot woke for a few seconds asking for water or that she was cold. Every time Yakko would be there to help her drink from a sports bottle, he kept at his side or scrounge around for blankets. Afterward, he would check on Wakko and continue bathing Dot's forehead during her feverish dreams.
It was well over midnight at this point. The only sound coming from the water tower was wringing out water into a bowl and rewetting it. Yakko couldn't stop himself from closing his eyes once and a while. Whenever this would, the feeling of his head falling would only jolt him awake. This time around, he dabbed the washcloth onto his tired face. That felt good against his face, but he still felt exhausted. He imagined that he looked older beyond his youthful appearance. Nonetheless, the eldest Warner child continued caring for Wakko and Dot.
He got up from his chair and climbed the ladder up towards Wakko's bunk, finding him dead asleep. His breathing had lighted up some. A smile tugged on his cheeks, fixing Wakko's blankets a little and kissing him on his brow. Yakko jumped down from the ladder to the chair. Grabbing the wet washcloth, he started once more to try and lower Dot's fever.
A half-hour later, he wrung out the cloth and dabbed at the sweats on Dot's brow, feeling his sister sigh at the brief relief that the water brought her. He moved the material down to the sides of Dot's neck and under her chin. Then a breath caught his ear, followed by a faint movement against the pillow, "Yakko?"
Yakko leaned in, "Yeah, Dot?" he said quietly. "What ya need?"
She pointed to the bucket on the floor. Yakko nodded and grabbed the bucket beside him. He handed her the bucket, and she vomited in it. On queue, the oldest Warner rubbed her back. It took a few minutes till Dot lifted her head while Yakko switched it with a water bottle.
"Take a sip and wash your mouth with it." He declared to Dot. He helped to hold the bottle to Dot's lips, being mindful about how slow his little sister drank. He pulled the water bottle away from her and told her to spit in the bucket. She did so.
After that, Yakko put the bucket back onto the floor. He turned around to Dot and asked, "Do you want more water?"
All she could do was nod. Yakko handed her the sports bottle back. She drank the once full bottle to leave it one-fourth empty, heading it back to her brother. She lowered herself back against the pillow. Yakko turned to retrieve the cloth laying in the bowl, expecting Dot to be asleep once he turned back. But to no reveal, her eyes were open. They remained fixed on him.
"Yakko?" Dot uttered.
He lowers the wet cloth. "Yeah, sis?" He said it with that iconic big brother tone, soft and gentle.
Dot opened up her mouth but stopped, looking hesitantly up towards Yakko. It took a couple of minutes for her to speak, but the words came out. "Thank you for taking care of... of us," Dot breathed. She lowered her head away from him. She couldn't hear anything from him, but a moment later, the feeling of water was on her forehead. She closed her eyes, falling for the smoothing feel against her feverish face. "I know you've been here all this time..." She lifted her head to face Yakko once more.
Yakko raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"
"I may be sick, Yakko Warner. But I can still sense things around, ya know."
"So, you weren't always asleep?" asked Yakko.
"You know for a toon who acts like he knows everything you sure do ask about questions."
He gave Dot a big smile, "Even in sickness, you still have your wit." With that, he leaned over her and hugged his baby sister. Yakko broke the hug following the five minute mark.
He pulled back, saying, "You gotta rest up. It's the only way to get you better, okay?" He pulled the blankets up to Dot's chin and kissed her feverish temple.
She yawned as she nodded, showing her understanding. Following her eldest brother's command, Dot nestled herself into her pile of fleece blankets. She let herself drift back into oblivion. Once Yakko was sure that Dot was fully asleep, he gave yet another sigh. He neatly folded the washcloth in his hand and laid it on Dot's brow.
He was also tired, but he still had to watch over Wakko and Dot. It was one of many, many responsibilities that came with being a big brother and caretaker. Dot could never understand it. Wakko maybe… probably not. It was one of the many downsides whenever he talked about the "Big Brother Code." At least, he also needed a break from lower Dot's fever, hence why he placed the cloth above her forehead. So with that thought, he rested on the wooden chair. He grabbed his book from the nightstand. Before Yakko started to read, he lifted his head to double-check on them. After all, he was their big brother. At the end of the day he was the last Warner standing.
--/--
The next Warner sibling to wake was Dot when she rapidly got out of bed and puked in the bucket beside the bed. Yakko immediately got out of the chair, leaving his book to fall to the floor. Crouching down in front of his ailing sister, he started to speak very softly to Dot, trying all he could to comfort her.
Once she finished puking, Dot turned to face her brother and asked with a sad face, "Am I dying, Yakko?"
Yakko gave her a warm smile, "No, you're not dying, not even close."
"Then why do I feel like I am?"
"Because you're sick, you have a bad fever. You have to let your body do its thing like puking up in a bucket," With the mention of that, Dot put her head inside the bucket once more, "Like you are now." Yakko began running his hand in a circular motion around his baby sister's back to comfort her. He hated to see her like this, all weak and miserable. There isn't much that he could do about it besides being there and making Dot comfortable. "You gonna be sick again, sis?" questioned Yakko.
A few minutes of silence passed. Yakko took it as a no, for now at least. He laid a hand on Dot's shoulders; peering down, he asked in a tender tone, "Do you think you can handle some broth if I made some?" Dot had remained muted, only nodded to Yakko while she hung her head low. He patted her back, standing up and turning his head to wake up Wakko. Yakko started to tap on his younger brother's shoulder. With a groan, Wakko slowly opened his eyes. He sat up to face Yakko while yawning. The eldest Warner whispered if Wakko wanted to eat some toast. He said yes and rested back on his bed.
"How come Wakko gets to eat toast and not me?"
"Wakko's not puking up his meals every 10 seconds, and he only has a cough and no fever, unlike you. That's why," said Yakko as he exited the room. It was the first time that week that Dot truly complained about something other than her sickness. It made his anxiety go down some. He would first go to the bathroom and pick up some pills for Dot and cough syrup for Wakko. Dot and Wakko had been toppled into a freezing river in the middle of winter. The two younger Warner children had been ill for nearly a week now, the dunk in the river manifesting in various flu-like symptoms. A bad cough and fever were now gone for Wakko, and his sister now was vomiting less and less, and hir high fever turned into a low one. It was his fault that they got sick by the dumb river. If only he could have been more stubborn with them, then maybe they didn't fall in. Once Yakko had everything he needed in his hammerspace, he headed straight through to the kitchen to cook.
Yakko started to make Dot's meal. First, he went to their pantry to grab the box labeled "Chicken Broth" and swiftly poured the bouillon into a small pot. He put the vessel onto the oven on medium heat, and Yakko went over to the breadbox. He took out two pieces of bread and popped them into the toaster. After that, Yakko stood there, rubbing his tired black eyes; he was so tired. Yakko hasn't slept for over 17 hours. The eldest Warner turned to Dot's broth to check if it was warm enough, not yet. With that news, Yakko headed to the sink, turned on the faucet and put his face in the cold water. Wow! Now that did wake him up somewhat. At that moment, the toast popped out of the toaster. Quickly, he grabbed a plate and placed the toast onto the plate. He went into the cabinet and started to coat the toast in a thin layer of peanut butter. Putting the finished dish on to the tray, he headed to the pot with Dot's broth; it was ready. He poured some into a pink bowl and put the rest in the refrigerator for later. He put the pink bowl on the same tray as Wakko's dash. He headed back to where his siblings were.
While making his way back to the bedroom, Yakko could hear his siblings mumbling to each other. Asking how the other felt, if they were okay, how Yakko was good to them, and how sorry they were for causing this. He kicked the door open with a warm smile, with his feet greeting the two sick Warners by yelling, "Bon appetit, sibs!" in a fake French accent. Both of them moaned at the loud noise, "Oh right, sorry." He walked towards them, setting the tray down onto the bedside table.
Giving a plate to his younger brother, he uttered the words, "Alright, sister sibling, first things first, I have to check your temp," He took the thermometer and put it in his sister's mouth, telling her not to move it! After a minute, the beep came signifying Yakko to take the thermometer out of Dot's mouth, "Young lady, your temperature is," Yakko did a fake drum roll with the thermometer still in hand, "101.4. Congratulations, your prize is an all-paid trip to stay in bed still." Dot had rolled her back away from her older brother with a dramatic sigh, "Hey, come on now, sis. Look at it this way, on a positive note, your body is fighting off the illness. I bet by tomorrow you'll graduate to having solid foods like toast! All you need now is a little more rest, and that's it," uttered Yakko as he sat in his chair holding Dot's broth.
"Promise?"
"I promise and cross my heart. Now come and eat your soup while it's still warm." encouraged Yakko. With that, Dot turned to face her brother, opening up her mouth. Yakko got one spoon into her before Wakko called for him. He turned to set the bowl on the nightstand. Before going to his brother's aid, he smiled at Dot and left. Yakko climbed the ladder towards Wakko, "Yeah?"
"I'm finished my toast," said Wakko as he started to lay back down while coughing.
"Oh good, before you go back to sleep, can you take cough syrup?" Yakko asked, and Wakko nodded NO. "Too bad, pal, you're taking it if you like it or not." Already pouring some cough medicine onto a spoon and forcing it into Wakko's tightly squeezed mouth. Wakko started to gag from the sour taste, and Dot could be heard in the background. The gag triggered a coughing fit, but each cough sounded a little softer because of the cough medicine. Once the coughing fit ended, Yakko handed his little brother a cup of water from his hammerspace. Wakko started to lay down, and Yakko tucked him in. Within minutes Wakko was asleep.
Climbing down the ladder and returning to the chair beside Dot's bed, Yakko picked up the pink bowl to continue where he left off. He began by stirring the warm bouillon, gently lifted a spoon full of it, and moved it towards Dot's open mouth. The whole ordeal was silent save by the breathing made by Wakko's sleep right above them. Dot was too exhausted, and Yakko was too focused on the task at hand to have any conversation with his sister. It would take an hour later where the broth was gone, and Dot kept the soup down this time. Yakko got her to take the pills for her fever and was already tucking her in. Giving a kiss on her temple, he quietly replaced the used bucket with a new one closer to the bed, just in case she puked the soup back up.
With the used bucket in one hand and a bowl in the other, Yakko turned to face the bunk bed one last time, giving a small smile. His siblings were getting better, but it would be another one or two days before things would start to go back to normal. Another couple of days until his siblings were 100% again, Wakko was at 75% now. With that heavenly thought, Yakko made his way back to the bathroom dumping the remains of whatever his sister decided to throw back up down into the toilet and flushed it. It will not be miss, thought Yakko as he quite literally throws the now-empty bucket into the tub, deciding that his future self can clean it later.
He made a quick stop at the kitchen, cleaning everything up, and made himself a turkey sandwich. Now in the living room area, he plopped down on their red couch, putting his feet up onto the coffee table. He took the hugest sigh in his life; he was so tired. He yawned as he took his first bite. He thought of his next game plan for tomorrow. First, there was Wakko, who was feeling much better today. His appetite was coming back, and he'd be needing to eat more food. For the last week, all he did was to shelf toast into Wakko's throat. Yakko can't give his little brother toast forever, and it was good to see Wakko feeling a lot better. Even with a rare cough here and there. It was a lot softer and gentler compared to hearing a monster of a cough.
The water tower was too quiet and turned on the television to full in the void of the soundless and voiceless metal they called home. Last but not least was Dot. The worst one to get sick, she was alot better. Still puking, but it was least frequent than before. At the very start of this whole ordeal, he was most worried about her and her high fever. On the fourth night, he believed he would bring her to the hospital because of that damn fever. So he stayed up all night in a second row, and that helped her a lot. Dot was more relaxed and comfortable. He took another bite of his turkey sandwich and watched one of the programs on the History channel. Tomorrow he would have to test as he promised. He needed some light so that it could stay in her stomach. He thought about the different recipes to cook her. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that peanut butter on toast would work, and it was easy to make. With that thought, he took a final deep breath; feeling more relaxed, Yakko succumbed to the exhaustion that had been looming over him all day.
--
Wakko rose like a zombie into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He was thirsty. He started to look to the side of him, expecting to see his brother in the chair. But Yakko wasn't there; only his book was resting on the chair. He couldn't remember much, but images of black and the warm voice that he grow to hear looming over him, with cool towels and extra blankets, hazed in and out of his minds' eye. Yakko has been taking care of him and Dot.
Shaking his head to clear the sleep out of his mind, he jumped off of the middle bunk. A moan could be heard around Wakko, turnaround he saw Dot moving in bed. The sound from the landing must have awakened her some. Luck was his side this time around, and Dot settled back down. With this, he tip-top his way to the door.
Peeking into the hallway, all he saw was blackness saved for one light source coming from their little family room. The television had to be on, meaning Yakko had be there. He silently started to walk to the kitchen, trying not to make a sound if Yakko was awake, not wanting to cause more trouble for his brother.
Wakko quietly crept out of the room, closing the door as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake up his baby sister again. Then he made his way to the living room, where he saw Yakko sitting leaning against the couch, dead asleep. One handhold a half-eaten sandwich while the television was turned on low. Wakko couldn't help but smile through his weariness. It was hard to believe that the peaceful and innocent looking toon on the couch was his smart-mouthed sarcastic, and witty brother he was used to. The middle child went nearer, eyeing at the unfinished food with one lick on to the hand. It was gone.
The sandwich was turkey... no wonder Yakko fall asleep. Turkey has tryptophan, which makes to promotes good sleep and a healthier brother too. The older Warner needed his rest after taking care of him and Dot. Turning off the television set and grabbing the dish from the coffee table, Wakko marched his way to the kitchen sink.
Placing the dish on the bottom, he silently made his cup of water. Wakko sat in utter darkness till the lights came on, blinding the middle Warner. With a hiss, he turned to the entrance.
Standing at the doorway was his older brother, Yakko, looking at him with tired eyes, "Wak, why are you up so late?"
Sitting up on the chair more straight, Wakko replied, "I was thirsty. I needed a glass of water."
Yakko mumbled something incoherent back at Wakko as he approached the coffee machine. "You look beat," Wakko stated bluntly, taking another sip of his water.
His brother leaned against the counter, sighing, "Well, I feel more tired than I look. I only got an hour's sleep so far." Yakko quickly yawned, then turned to meet his ailing sibling's eyes, smiling wearily at him.
"You were asleep for an hour? Sorry that I woke you up."
"You didn't wake me; the light from the TV woke me up." Wakko put his head down farther down, looking at the tabletop. Sensing Wakko's dolefulness, Yakko continued with his statement, "Yeah, after I fed you guys, I sat down and started to watch some history documentaries. Must have dozed off while watching..." Yakko watched his little brother only nod to him. He turned back to the coffee machine.
The conversation ended there. Wakko continued to drink his water, looking at Yakko once in and while. He noted how often his brother yawned or closed his eyes in a second or two than to be jolted awake as he waited for his coffee to finish. Wakko felt sorry for him, having to tend to them and all. Even from looking at his brother, he could tell that Yakko was sleep deprived. Every time he woke up, Yakko was always there sitting on that damn chair doing one of three things: reading his book, trying hard to bring down Dot and Wakko's fever, or having sympathy for their sister whenever she puked. He was always there for them.
He was always taking care of them, never himself. His brother was such a worrywart, pessimist, nervous nellie when it came to his siblings. Some of the things that he and Dot would pull around him gave his older brother a heart attack. When Wakko and Dr. Scratchansniff got trapped in an elevator, he had passed out on hour 14, which made Yakko have a field day with the stuff. He had to go to the hospital afterward to be checked over and be told that he had Hypoglycemia. Wakko took the news better than Yakko, who went into a frenzy. Dr. Scratchansniff had to pull Yakko aside and calm him down, which worked to an extent . Later Yakko would take upon it himself to research everything about Hypoglycemia. What to do if an individual would pass out, how can the individual prevent low blood sugar, a typical day's diet, or how often does an individual need to check their blood sugar? His older brother would stay up past midnight reading all kinds of articles. At one point, Dot had to literally yell at him to go to sleep!
Yakko could also be a Debbie Downer sometimes, but he had good reasons to be. The fact that Wakko and Dot were both sick was a magnificent example of it. Wakko took the last sip of the water, thinking back to his and Dot's action leading up to being bed-bound for nearly a week. The sore reason that they went swimming in a cold river was to going against Yakko's wishes. The idea popped into his mind from watching a Youtube video of swimming's benefits in cold water. Once he announced his great idea to his siblings, Dot was all in, but Yakko did to shot it down quickly. Saying that they'll get sick and that he would have to care for them. Wakko and Dot both said it was unlikely that it will happen. His brother put his foot down, saying that they'll regret doing so. They scarfed at his warning and went off to the nearby river in the dead of winter.
Once they returned to the water tower, Yakko was waiting for them with towels plus Yakko's lecture. Of course, Yakko had to be right; a day later, Wakko woke up with a terrible cough and a fever. With an "I told you so" from his older brother, he was sent off to bed and Dot to stay away from him. That night he would wake up to see Yakko carrying their ailing sister to the eldest's bed.
Snapping out of his memories, he popped his head to his brother, who was looking at him with a concerned look. Yakko quickly turned away to grub a small mug from the purple cabinet. All was silent before Yakko broke the ice, "How's your cough?"
"Not coughing as much," he shrugged. "I can't remember much...I think I actually coughed up a lung yesterday...or...was it the day before..." He pondered. Wakko coughed a little.
"It was two days ago. I had to shove it back into ya, wasn't fun."
"Sorry."
"Yeah, well, who cares now. Is your throat sore by any chance?"
Come to think of it, his throat was killing him. Wakko gave a small nod back at Yakko. Yakko hummed in response, heading towards the refrigerator, leaving his mug of coffee on the counter. "Honey would help with it."
Wakko cocked his head in question, "Honey?"
"Honey is one of the best remedies for a sore throat due to its natural antibacterial properties that allows it to act as a wound healer, immediately offering relief for pain while working to reduce inflammation." vocalized Yakko as he kicked the refrigerator door shut, holding a tortilla bag and butter. He located the honey where they stored the tea-related stuff at. He outstarted off by spreading the butter across a tortilla then covering it with a profuse count of honey. He rolled it up and nicely placed it on a small plate. Yakko traveled across the kitchen with his brother's honey roll and coffee in hand. Setting the plate in front of Wakko, Yakko sat horizontally from him. Wakko looked up from his plate, eyeing at Yakko as his brother partakes in his coffee. He lifted the rolled tortilla and took a bit of it. It was good. It was silent again, saved for only Yakko's breathing and Wakko's chewing.
This time it was Wakko who talked, "Sorry." His brother didn't move an inch. "Yakko, did you hear me?" Yakko still didn't move. Wakko lowered his head a bit, looking at Yakko's face, finding him asleep. Of course, Yakko's asleep. He needs his rest too, thoughted Wakko as he moved his hand onto the eldest Warner's hand.
Yakko was jolted awake. He spitted out, "Wha'?"
"I said that I was sorry."
Yakko looked surprised as he watched Wakko play with his half-eaten tortilla, "Sorry for what, baby bro?" He was rubbing his eyes.
"I'm sorry that we made you take care of Dot and me. We should have listened to your warning about swimming in the first place. It was a dumb idea," whispered Wakko. He said the apology while avoiding his brother's gaze toward him, feeling ashamed.
Yakko's face fell from exhaustion into big brother mode, soft and gentle. He put his other hand over Wakko's, giving it a small squeeze, "Wak, As your older brother, I'm supposed to be protecting and taking care of my sibs. I make sure that you and Dot are healthy, safe, and, most importantly, happy. I'm still going to be your brother if you did something dumb or go behind my back." Yakko's squeeze got harder on his younger brother's hand; his voice got softer than before, "Look, I know I should have been more stubborn with your guys. I know that sometimes I fail as a role-model for both of you. It was my fault that for you and Dot got so sick, if will I pushed harder."
Wakko stared at him, feeling a sense of regret. Had he always felt like this? How could they not have noticed, or even guessed? After a few moments, he jumped towards his brother, giving him a bear hug. His brother was slightly warm to the touch, but he didn't take note of this. Instead, he uttered, "You're the best brother ever, and nothing's going to make us think you're not. It's not your fault." Wakko's statement was accurate. He and Dot did look up to Yakko as a role-model and a parent-figure besides Dr. Scratchansniff. Heck, he was their first ever parent-figure in their lives.
Yakko hugged him back, and then a smile tugged at his face, "Thanks, bro."
They stayed like that for who only knows how long. Yakko was the first to broke it. He placed his hand under Wakko's chin and started rubbing his thumb against his brother's far. The embrace was heartwarming and smoothing between the two brothers. "You know I love you two, right? If anything happens to you or Dot, I'll be so lost…" remarked Yakko.
"I know," softly said Wakko.
Yakko quickly looked over his younger brother's shoulder, eyeing at Wakko's plate, "How about we move this party to the living room? We can watch some TV before you go back to sleep."
Wakko coughed once and then nodded. Quickly eating the remains of the tortilla, he lapped from his place on the chair. Wakko headed towards his big brother, taking his hand in his brother's. They slowly made their way to the living room. The television set was still on and muted. It had been stick on the history channel the entire time the younger Warner kids were sick. Yakko never watched it thought, to focus on caring for them. The living room itself had been barely used during that time as only when Yakko was passed out on the sofa.
Wakko wandered into the common area, looking at the couch. He turned to face Yakko, who was already sitting on the couch. Wakko cocked his head, asking, "When I walked in here, I find you asleep on the couch. Have you been using this as your bed all this time?" It was a valid question to be asked.
Yakko was patting a spot next to him, "I slept on here once or twice. Dot does have my bed currently." Wakko only nodded, his guilt coming back once more. They were making their brother sleep on the couch all because they didn't listen to Yakko. Wakko crawled up on the couch with him, curling up beside him. Yakko put his arm over Wakko, saying, "Hey, don't worry about it. Worry about taking better."
Wakko stayed muted once more. With a sign from Yakko, he turned some old cartoons from the golden age of animation with the sound on this time. They watched what seemed like a long time. Wakko turned his head at the clock to find it was 2:17 am. I've up for over an hour now. Wow! t hought Wakko. He spun back to his sibling to find him asleep once more. Wakko couldn't help what smile at the scene. He hastily skimmed the room, looking for something to cover him with, and his eyes landed on a nicely folded up blanket on the beanbag chair. First, he turned off the television. Then he quietly made his towards the blanket, picking it up and returning to his brother's resting form. Wakko guided Yakko's head to lean against the couch's armrest and lifted his legs to rest on the sofa. The eldest Warner sibling emitted several groans, but otherwise, remained unresponsive, currying in on himself, his breathing becoming slightly better. Wakko later spread the blanket across Yakko the best he could, placing a kiss on his brow. "Goodnight Yakko, you need some rest too, big bro," he whispered, then carefully made his way back to the bedroom.
Once he safely made his into the darkroom, he saw that the bedsheets were a tousled mess with a sleeping Dot shivering. Being the good brother he way he fixed the blankets, making them come up to her chin. "Goodnight Dottie, hope you feel better in the morning." With that done, he climbed his back to this bed and laid there thinking about how you could repay his brother. But it didn't take long for him to fall asleep, and he didn't know what was in store for him and Dot quite yet.