Through The Ups & Downs
Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn
Rating; Mature
Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020.
9) The Deployment Call
It was six weeks later from the day Harrison and the other members of the Wind Rider Platoon had begun teaching the American soldiers about dragons. Much to Harrison's surprise, it only took three weeks to show them the dragon classes and all the dragons in each. Starting the following Monday, January 12th, 2015, Harrison gave them a test on the dragon classifications and when they passed that, they got to move on to Drake Laws & Regulations. Everything in that section was the rules to follow about approaching, bonding, owning, training, and Riding a dragon. It also covered permits and licensing, so all of that took six weeks total.
Now, it came the exciting part that they had all been waiting for; the portion of the teaching where they could be outside and working with the dragons! Yes, Harrison was going to have them begin with Terrible Terrors, it was a great beginner dragon because the Terrors were small and simple to train. Also, it would work in Harrison's favor to be able to teach calls, commands, and hand signals; a crucial part of dragon training. Harrison did make it clear that while most dragons were trainable, others would be harder than others and require more effort to make listen.
So today was February 16th, 2015, and it was supposed to start the Basic Dragon Training with the Terrors. Currently, it was four in the morning, and Harrison felt horrible. Since 3:20 am, Harrison felt warmer than usual and all around achy with a headache. Harrison decided to grab one of his pain killers/fever reducers off the dresser top, then the water bottle he kept there and took two.
"Harrison, you alright?" Syrus asked while sitting up in bed.
"Yeah, I'm all right, Sy. Just have a headache," Harrison replied as he shielded his eyes from the light Syrus's phone gave off. "Go back to sleep," he added. Syrus nodded as he turned off the flashlight and put his mobile down, then went back to sleep. Harrison took another drink and laid his head on the pillow, then drifted back to sleep by 4:45 am, thankfully, they didn't have to be up until 7:30 am at the latest.
[10:40 am]
Harrison began to feel worse around this time; he was tired, the headache had turned into full body ache, and to top it all off, he felt like he was going to throw up. Glenn had come over to watch the training; he was standing with Major General Wright, the two were talking a bit about how things were going.
Glenn watched Harrison for a few minutes because he looked miserable and tired. Glenn finally moved towards his soldiers. "Private Bazirk," Dexter looked over at Glenn now, "Lead the class. Haddock, come with me please," Harrison nodded as he followed Glenn in the opposite direction away from the trainees and platoon.
"You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?" Harrison began after giving his commanding officer a respectful salute.
"That I did, lad. I've been watching you for a few minutes; I wanted to see if anything was bothering you and make sure you're okay because you don't look it," Glenn informed.
"I'm just feeling under the weather today and didn't sleep well last night," Harrison admitted.
"Why don't you go to the infirmary and get checked out, Harrison? If you are sick, you'll be needing some rest. So see the medic and keep me posted?" Glenn ordered. Harrison sighed and nodded to him.
"Sir, yes sir," Harrison saluted again as he continued walking back towards the Alpha Barrack since it was near the infirmary.
[Infantry & Dragon Trainer Headquarters-Infirmary; 10:50 am]
After a ten-minute walk, Harrison arrived where he'd been ordered to go by his Lieutenant. Harrison entered the headquarters and found the infirmary on the right side of the corridor; then he walked in.
"Can I help you?" came a sweet voice. Harrison found the voice belonged to a young woman with short light brown hair in back, longer on top with side swept bangs and blond highlights through out it, she also had amber eyes.
"My CO told me to come here and find out what's making me not feel well," Harrison answered.
"Come have a seat over here, and you can tell me what's going on," the woman smiled and led Harrison over to one of the cot-like beds near the desk. Harrison sat down on the side while the female grabbed her clipboard and few sheets of paper. "Can you start with your name and age?"
"Harrison Haddock, eighteen but turning nineteen at the end of next week," Harrison told her.
"Well, Harrison, I'm Illiana and one of the lead nurses here. Dr. Zane Burton is the one who will diagnose you. I just get the information for a visitor file, I know you're one of the Arc Isle soldiers," Illiana smiled, and Harrison nodded. "So, why don't you tell me everything you're feeling symptom wise and when did it start?"
"Woke up again at 3:20 am feeling warm, body and head aching. At 4 am, I took a fever reducer, and pain killer then had trouble getting back to sleep. Around 10:15 am, I been feeling everything including nausea and dizziness," Harrison explained. "And my throat started hurting on the walk over," he added. Illiana wrote it down, checking off boxes too before she grabbed the thermometer and ran it across his forehead. When it beeped, she looked at the screen.
"100.9," she said then wrote it down and checked his blood pressure next. "That's where it should be," she said gently before getting up and checking his ears, mouth, throat, and listening to his heart and breathing.
"What have we got, Illy?" asked a tall male with black hair and blue eyes who had walked over. Illiana handed the doctor the clipboard for him to scan over. "Safe to say we can call this the flu, Mr. Haddock. I suspect that it will get worse over the next few days too. The best cure would be to drink water, eat light, and if the vomiting starts, stay close to the bathroom. Tylonel should take care of any pain and keep the fever down," Dr. Zane informed.
"So I guess that I won't be working?" Harrison asked.
"I wouldn't advise it, son. The flu gets worse before it gets better. I would suggest you get back into bed and take a few days off. Or in this case, I would stay on the couch," Zane stated. Harrison nodded as the doctor filled out a sheet of paper and signed the bottom. "Take this to your CO and then go rest up," he said.
"I will. Thanks," Harrison got up slowly and tucked the paper into his pocket.
"Oh, and take some of these," Illiana stopped Harrison, then handed him two packs each of Dayquil and Nyquil, and even a small bag of cough drops. "If you end up getting a stuffy, runny nose, or a cough, those will help," she smiled. Harrison offered one back before leaving the infirmary and returning to the Dragon Training Field. Of course, by this time, it was 11:20 am.
"Harrison, there you are! Where'd you go?" Trevor asked when he and the other friends saw Harrison making his way towards them. "You just vanished after Belmore pulled you aside,"
"Sorry," Harrison paused and closed his eyes while keeping the vomit down that was rising in his throat. "Where...is he anyway?" he finished his sentence.
"You don't look so good, my friend," Dexter pointed out.
"Lad, back from the infirmary I see," Glenn stated while walking up to Harrison and the group. "So, what is the final verdict from the medic?" he asked, Harrison got the paper from Dr. Zane out of his pocket and handed it to Glenn.
"You were in the infirmary?" Olivia wondered, and Harrison nodded to her.
"What's up, why aren't you talking?" Syrus question.
"Trying...not to...throw up," Harrison admitted. Glenn put the paper in his pocket and sighed.
"Well, doctors orders, Haddock. Yer on bed rest for the remainder of the week," Glenn said.
"Bed rest? What for? What's wrong with him?" Trevor asked.
"Harrison has the flu so that he won't be working until next week. That puts you in charge of training, Private Bazirk. You, Haddock, better be getting a move on back to the barrack. I'll bring by some water bottles to keep in your mini fridge and light foods to try and keep down," Glenn informed.
"Aw, man. That sucks, Harrison. You need any help getting to the room?" Dexter wondered.
"No, I'll be...okay," Harrison forced out as he turned to start the walk back to the barrack. Another ten to fifteen minutes before he could lie down.
"I hope you feel better, Harrison!" Stephanie, Chelsea, Olivia, and Ella called to him. Harrison raised a hand to wave but continued walking; he just wanted to get some more sleep and hopefully make it back before he threw up his breakfast.
[11:50 am-A Barrack; Rm. 2]
It took twenty minutes to reach the barrack due to Harrison needing to stop so he wouldn't throw up on the pathway. Finally, he got there and immediately went to the bathroom to puke three times. Afterward, Harrison sat against the wall until 12:10 pm where vomited again once before wiping his mouth and flushing the toilet, Harrison brushed his teeth and used mouthwash to get the taste out, then he finally got a pair of sleep pants and light long sleeve shirt on. By 12:30 pm, Harrison was finally lying down on the long couch with a water bottle on the table and his phone charging with the held of his external battery charger.
After closing the blinds and shutting off the light, Harrison took a deep breath and pulled the covers up to his neck, then turned on his left side and closed his eyes. Harrison was fast asleep by 12:45 pm.
[Hours Later At 3 pm]
Harrison woke up when Trevor, Syrus, and Dexter entered the room around 1 pm; they were bringing the things that Glenn asked them too for Harrison. Of course, the three of them felt horrible when they realized they woke Harrison up by barging in loudly. The sudden movement didn't agree with Harrison's stomach, and he threw the covers off and hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door and puking a few times. Harrison didn't blame them, after all, the four of them shared the room together. Around 1:20 pm, the boys left, and Harrison tried to eat a few crackers, but it made it worse, so he settled on just going back to sleep.
Harrison was starting to get chills and a stuffy nose, things he had been warned about at 2 pm. Harrison knew he wouldn't be going to dinner with the others and had no appetite, either way, so he used one of the throat lozenges, then took two Nyquil pills. Harrison gave that fifteen minutes to kick in; then he laid back down to get some more sleep.
However, now it was 3:00 pm and the boys were returning from an early day because it decided to start storming outside and spooked the Terrors. Of course, they remembered that Harrison could be sleeping so to enter the room slowly and quietly, so they didn't disturb him at all. Dexter opened the door slowly and peered in to see Harrison asleep on the couch, his back turned to them and knocked out.
"Safe to turn the lights on?" Syrus whispered questioningly.
"Best if we don't. Let's just use desk lamps or phone flashlights," Trevor offered as the other two nodded to him and they all made their way into the room, trying to be as quiet as possible.
"Why do you think he's sleeping on the couch rather than his bed?" Dexter wondered.
"If I had to take a guess, it's so he isn't fumbling down the stairs of the bed to get to the bathroom if he throws up," Syrus shrugged as the others nodded, seeming to agree. However, Harrison's cell phone started vibrating against the table, and Harrison groaned a little, shifting. Syrus having been the closest to the table, grabbed it and Harrison stayed asleep as the boys stepped out into the hallway, then checked the caller ID.
"It's his mom," Dexter stated.
"Should we answer it?" Syrus asked.
"We shouldn't, but Harrison mentioned last night that it's been about three days since he talked to them last so maybe it would be a good idea just to let them know he's sick and sleeping it off?" Trevor said in an unsure tone.
"I'll answer it, just so they don't worry," Syrus pressed answer and put it to his ear. "Hi, Mrs. Haddock. It's Syrus," he greeted.
"Syrus? Why are you answering Harrison's phone?" Spencer questioned.
"Because he's asleep, Mr. Haddock," Syrus replied.
"It's...three in the afternoon, why is he sleeping so early?" came Addilyn's voice.
"Harrison came down with the flu this morning; he's on ordered bed rest from the medic in our section," Syrus informed.
"Aw, poor guy. Well, we just wanted to see how he was doing but don't wake him. Let Harrison know we love him and to call us when he's feeling better?" Viviana stated.
"Will do. We better go for now. Talk to you soon," Syrus smiled and then ended the call. "Alright, let's get back inside so I can put this on the table, and I suppose we can go to the Alpha Lounge until dinner so Harrison can sleep peacefully?" he inquired.
"Sounds good to us," Dexter said with Trevor nodded in agreement. Syrus put the phone near Harrison's water bottle, then the three of them slowly exited the room after shutting off the lights. The remainder of the afternoon was calm except for the storm outside. Harrison only woke up around 6:15 pm to drink some water, use the bathroom, throw up twice, then doze off back to sleep around 7 pm. Harrison repeated the same cycle at 10:45 pm when his friends returned to the room and saw how bad he looked, but Harrison just stayed on the water, tried to eat some saltines, then finally he was out for the rest of the night.
[Friday, March 13, 2015]
Harrison was officially nineteen-years-old! March 1st marked Harrison being a year older! Of course, he spent the free time he had that night on Skype with his family and friends celebrating with cake, just like Harrison's friends did the same for him in the Alpha Lounge room with the Wind Rider Platoon. Everyone wanted to be apart of it. It was now the 13th of March, a Friday and the Americans were just about done with their training. Harrison already let his family know that he might be home soon since his work was just about done and they were all excited for that, said they'd throw a big party for him.
However, that happy feeling didn't last when Glenn called all of them to the lounge room for an important announcement about their next assignment. Harrison had an awful feeling about it too, even if he didn't know what it was yet.
[Alpha Barrack Lounge Room-6 pm]
"Now that you're all here," Glenn began once the last three members of Wind Rider Platoon entered the spit they had been asked to meet Glenn in. "I know a lot of you were hoping to go back to Arc Isle and see your families, and you will get to see them for a few days, but then you have to ship out for your next duty station," Glenn said.
"Where is the next place, Lieutenant Belmore?" Ella inquired, and now they saw Glenn's face fall.
"Overseas," the whole room froze except for a few of the females who gasped in shock. "Your next orders are for deployment to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait," Glenn informed sternly. Harrison seemed to be only one who didn't freak out and demand answers, instead, he calmed the rest down.
"HEY!" Harrison yelled as the room got quiet. "Everyone chill out. So we're getting deployed, big deal. It's not like we didn't know it could happen when we made the decisions to join. Now shut up and let Lieutenant Belmore talk," he ordered. "Floor is yours, Lieutenant," he added.
"Thank you, Harrison. As I was saying, you are being deployed for a tour of duty. The bad news, you leave next month on April 12th. The good news, you will get to go home for a week as we're departing from Fort Fury, you will get five days with your families. Also, the tour is only six months long. You will have to return to the US from Kuwait, though. You're going in to help out the Americans and just as the platoon. I'm going to," Glenn let them know calmly.
"When do we leave the USA to go home?" asked Trevor.
"April 4th, it's a Saturday here but will be the 5th by the time we cross the time change and get back the island. Until then, you will continue to teach the Americans the ways of bonding and what not. Are your orders understood?" Glenn asked.
"Yes, Lieutenant Belmore," the soldiers replied, and then he dismissed them. So this was it, they'd gotten the deployment call and had to answer it. In thirty-five days, they were shipping out to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.