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Disclaimer: We do not own Digimon, we just like writing about them.
Pandora's Icebox Chapter 2 By Fenris5000—AngelicaTK sat up as best he could in his giant parka and wiped the snow out of his face. It didn't help very much, it was really coming down. He glanced over at Matt who had not yet moved. "Hey Matt." He reached over and shook his brother's shoulder.
Matt groaned, still not moving.
"Matt?" TK scrambled closer. "Matt. Matt, are you okay? Say something. Say anything. Yell at Tai." He rolled Matt over, the older blond clutched his side, groaning and rolled over the rest of the way, gasping; his face contorted from pain. "Come on Matt, what hurts?" TK asked quietly, trying to keep the fear from his voice. He had never seen his brother in this much agony before. His face had gone stark white.
Matt lay still, trying to get his breathing steadied.
Tai crawled over with a concerned look. "Gee Matt, you don't look too good."
"No… kidding." Matt gasped, slamming his eyelids shut. It hurt so much he felt like he was going to throw up.
"Matt?" TK whispered. "Tell me what to do."
Tai stood up as he watched Matt flinch at TK's gentle touch.
"We've got to find shelter guys." Tai replied, eyeing the ski hill. It was deserted. Darn it, shouldn't the ski patrol be out looking for stragglers? If they waited until after the storm passed, they would just find three frozen icy-pops. "Do either of you know this area?" Tai asked hopefully.
TK shook his head absently.
Matt took as deep a breath as was possible in his current condition and struggled to sit up with TK's help. A small whimper escaped him as he realized it hurt even more sitting up. His vision started going dim. "There's… a cave… that way." He gasped, wrapping his arms around his midsection. His head pounded in tempo with his heartbeat.
"Which way?" TK wrapped his arms around Matt's shoulders.
Matt's head tipped forward. No, he couldn't pass out. He pointed out the direction. "It's close." He added in the same hissing voice.
TK quickly looked up at Tai with imploring eyes. "Tai, we're going to have to carry him. I don't think he'll make it on his own." He felt Matt slump into him. "He's passed out." TK felt his own breath quicken as he pulled his brother into a tighter embrace. This was all his fault! Matt would never have gotten hurt if they had stayed in Odaiba. What a dumb idea, going snowboarding. He felt the tears starting to form in the corner of his eyes.
Tai took a deep breath and took a hold of Matt's arm that was not enfolded in TK's parka. "Come on Dude, let's find that cave." He offered TK a hand up.
* * *
The cave was close. They had nearly missed it though; the snowdrift had almost rendered it invisible. If they hadn't been desperately looking for it, they would have passed by it completely.
They laid Matt down in the furthest corner of the cave and looked around in the dark. "We need to build a fire." Tai replied, watching TK try to gently remove his brother's leather jacket. "Leave it on him. It'll keep him warm." He advised, shaking the snow from his own jacket and hair.
TK wiped his eyes with his fists. "I wanted to see how badly he's hurt. I just needed to unzip it." He started lightly probing Matt's right side, the one he had seemed to be trying to protect earlier.
Matt groaned, trying to roll away, only to stop with a choked whimper.
"Ribs." TK muttered. He felt Matt's skull and found a bump near his temple. Probably a concussion. Great. He looked up and noticed Tai had gone back out. For firewood? He hoped so. It was so cold, and Matt wasn't dressed for it. He unhooked the packsack, which had slid to the side and eased it off his brother's shoulder. Matt was starting to shiver. TK sighed in frustration; did that mean he was cold or could he be going into shock? No, he did not want to go there. Not yet.
"Matt?" TK smoothed his brother's blond hair off his forehead gently. "Matt? Please wake up." He gently squeezed Matt's hand.
Tai lumbered back in carrying an armload of broken branches and twigs. "I sure hope these are dry enough." He commented as he set them down near where TK and Matt were resting. "And please tell me you've got a box of matches in your packsack."
"Of course I've got matches." TK spluttered. "That was the first thing I packed!" He dug into the bag and pulled the box out. He also grabbed his mini flashlight and first aid kit. He handed the matches to Tai and shone the flashlight over Matt's quivering form and scowled at his utterly useless little box of band-aids and tube of topical antibacterial ointment. He weighed the bottle of aspirin thoughtfully in his hand. Hadn't he read somewhere it was dangerous to give a person aspirin if they'd hurt their head? He couldn't be sure. Better to err on the side of caution. He sighed, putting the bottle in the kit again. One band-aid would cover the little cut above the bump on Matt's temple. Matt's eyes fluttered open when TK pressed the band-aid lightly.
"Hey Matt, welcome back." TK whispered softly, reaching into his bag for the thermos.
Matt smiled briefly. "What happened?" He took a breath and started coughing, his face contorting in pain again as he rolled onto his right side, clutching his ribs. He stopped, sagging back with a long groan.
TK pulled his zipper down and took his parka off. He draped it over Matt with a worried frown. "Tai, is that fire coming or not?" It was a lot colder without his coat on.
Tai fanned the tiny flames gently. "Yeah it's coming, it's coming." He watched it, crossing his fingers. It had better keep burning. By the looks of things, poor TK was on the verge of panic. The flames finally took and began to crackle. Success! He joined TK at Matt's side and watched TK rummaging through his packsack.
"Eureka!" The younger blond shouted, pulling a tall stainless steel thermos out.
Matt looked up with weary eyes. No wonder that pack had been so heavy. TK must have packed everything but the kitchen sink in it.
TK opened the thermos and poured some sweet smelling steaming liquid into the lid. "Hot cocoa." He said, offering it to Matt first.
Matt shook his head. "No thanks TK. I'm not thirsty." He pushed TK's parka off. "You'd better put your coat back on, we don't want you getting sick too." He started coughing again.
Tai gulped, just watching was painful enough.
Once it subsided, Matt collapsed back down again shivering. TK frowned and gently placed his hand on his brother's sweat beaded forehead. "What do you mean too? Aw Matt, you're burning up." He brought the thermos lid to Matt's lips. "You may not think you're thirsty Matt, but you are going to drink this whether you like it or not."
"Yeah." Tai agreed.
Matt shuddered.
TK sighed. "Man. How did he get sick so fast?"
Tai shrugged. "Well, he didn't take those vitamins." Though he had never heard of a person getting sick just because they missed taking their vitamins for one day. He'd have to ask his mom. She knew a lot about vitamins. Too much actually. The awful taste of fungus cookies still lingered in his mouth sometimes, even though he had not eaten one in over a year.
Matt's eyes drooped closed.
"Matt!" TK yelped, causing his brother to jerk, opening his bloodshot blue eyes slightly. "You can't go to sleep. You hurt your head."
Matt winced. "Not so loud, huh?" He coughed some more.
"Drink this." TK ordered, lifting Matt's shoulders and head. "Drink this or I'll tell Jun you think she's a real hottie."
If possible, Matt grew even paler. "You wouldn't." He scowled.
TK grinned. "Ah, brotherly love…"
Matt turned his scowl on to Tai. "Hey watch it, the last one to made a crack like that got a real eye-opener."
TK took that opportunity to force some of the warm sweet beverage into his brother. Matt was too surprised and feeble to argue. After a few sips however, he brought his hand up to indicate he was done.
"A little more, Bro." TK said.
Matt sagged back. "I'm not joking here TK, that's all I'm having. If you want me to drink something, figure out a way to make it water. I'm a little queasy here."
TK frowned. "Are you dizzy?"
Matt sighed, letting his eyes close again. "A little."
Tai grunted. "That's some cracked rib job." He looked closer. "Aw nuts, did you say he hurt his head too?"
TK nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think that would cause his fever and cough. I knew he wasn't dressed as warmly as us, but I figured it was warm enough." He bit his lip.
"Maybe he caught a bug." Tai murmured, taking a glove off and placing his hand on Matt's forehead. "Hmmm, still hot."
Matt's eyes popped open and he proceeded to glare at his companions. "Do you guys mind not talking about me like I'm not here? If you must know, I've just gotten over a cold. It's back, okay?" He squirmed painfully to sit up and lean against the wall.
TK put the parka back on his brother, wrapping it around him securely. "Matt, I've got two sweaters and snow-pants on here. I don't need that… that house on me too." He reached into his first aid kit and looked for some cough medicine. "Here." He gave it to Tai. "Make him take some of this." He took the thermos lid and dumped the cocoa. "Thank goodness I brought the thermos with the metal lid." He said as he got up to get some snow. "I'll be back in a minute."
Tai looked at the bottle doubtfully. "I don't suppose he's got a spoon in there, huh?"
Matt rolled his eyes, reaching for the bottle. He took the lid off it and sniffed cautiously. It smelled like poison. He could feel that tickle at the back of his throat re-emerging. He sighed. So he had a choice. He could A: Die from ingesting poison, or B: Die from pain in the ribs due to coughing. Too bad there was not a 'C' to choose from. He shrugged, holding his nose and shot back an estimated one-teaspoon of the poison. He gagged it down, feeling his eyes water. "Oh please tell me it's one of those 'one dose will do you' remedies." He gasped, getting nauseous on the lingering aftertaste.
"Good boy Matt." Tai grinned like an imbecile.
TK came back with the lid full of snow. "Pretty gross isn't it." He made a face. "I put it in the first aid kit after my last cold. Mom bought it for me." He put the tin lid near the glowing embers in the fire.
Matt was still running his tongue around in his mouth. Was it his imagination, or was his tongue going numb? "It tastes like paint thinner. What are you trying to do, kill me with the cure?"
Tai chuckled. "Since when have you tasted paint thinner, Matt?"
"Ha ha." Matt replied.
TK brought the lid to Matt. The snow was mostly melted. "Drink. Pretend it's a slushy."
Matt obeyed. Water he could deal with. The cocoa just irritated his throat. Besides, he just had to get that awful aftertaste out of his mouth. He managed to drink the whole cup.
"That's good Matt." TK grinned, taking the cup back. He watched his brother's eyes start to droop closed again. "No Matt. You can't sleep yet."
Matt yawned. "Aw come on TK, have a heart. I just need a little power nap here. Please?"
TK sat back on his heels. "Sorry Matt. I know you're tired, but I'd never forgive myself if you died in your sleep." He glanced over at Tai. "Come on Tai, we have to get some type of conversation going here or he'll go to sleep."
Tai sat up. "We could tell jokes."
Matt shook his head. "Not if you're going to make me laugh we won't. My side hurts."
Tai grinned. "Ha! There. You admitted that I tell funny jokes." He took a sip from the thermos.
Matt laughed a bit. "Ah. I never said you told funny jokes. TK. He tells funny jokes." He was clutching his side grimacing. "But I guess you make funny faces."
TK frowned. "Okay, no jokes. No funny faces. What does that leave?"
Tai sighed. "I know how to keep him awake and relatively pain free."
"What?" Matt asked, his breathing still a bit ragged.
"How come you missed my game?" Tai asked softly, watching Matt intently.
Matt looked down. "I told you that already." He stated firmly. "I said I forgot. I do that sometimes."
TK rubbed his eyes. "You guys both agreed on a truce, remember?"
Tai smiled thinly. "Hey, you wanted me to come up with a way to keep Matt alert, didn't you? Laughter hurts physically, so the next emotion to play with is anger."
Matt sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. His bloodshot blue eyes regarded Tai sadly. They looked funny next to the paleness of his skin and the dark circles around them. "I'm not mad at you Tai. You're mad at me."
"Not mad." Tai said, unzipping his jacket a bit. He sat back against the wall opposite Matt. "Maybe I'm just disappointed, you know?" He started playing with the clip on his glove. "I asked you all to come, as my cheering squad. I know we probably would have still lost, but since you weren't there, I felt let down. Maybe we could have beaten the other team if you'd been there."
Matt's eyes blazed. "So you lost because I didn't come?" His voice rose slightly. "Everyone else was there. I'm only one person. I've come to plenty of your games. I've missed plenty of your games. Why this one?"
"It was the last game of the season." Tai said, pulling both gloves on the dropping his hands into his lap. "I don't have all that many seasons left." He watched Matt through narrowed eyes. "I told you how important it was. How could you forget? If you had something 'better' to do, why didn't you tell me? We were actually getting worried about you out there."
"Look Tai, it's done. Get over it. I didn't show up. Life's like that. People don't always do what they are supposed to do." He started coughing again.
TK sighed, sidling up to his brother to rub his back. This wasn't working either; Tai was just getting Matt all worked up. He checked his watch. Maybe if Matt stayed up one hour, they could let him have a nap.
"Just tell me why you didn't come and I'll leave you alone." Tai stated, watching as Matt's coughing subsided and he got his breath back.
Matt sat back again. The room was dark, the shadows from the fire danced along the walls and ceiling of the cave. He looked up at Tai, but couldn't see his face. His vision was starting to blur. "You promise?"
Tai nodded. TK patted his brother on the shoulder encouragingly.
Matt sighed. "Alright. On Friday, I was at school in the morning. At lunch, I went to the nurse's office because I didn't feel so good. She kept me there because she didn't think I looked very good. I fell asleep and didn't wake up until she woke me up. It was four thirty. She wanted to go home. She called my dad to drive me home."
TK's jaw dropped. "And Dad actually came?"
Matt nodded. "If he hadn't, I would have come to the gym to catch the last part of the game." He blinked a few times.
"Well why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" Tai demanded.
Matt shrugged slightly. "I don't know." The room was dimming.
"All you had to say was: Gee Tai, I'm really sorry, but I was sick." Tai continued. "How hard is that? One little sentence."
"Leave him alone Tai." TK piped up as he watched Matt's eyes droop shut and his head tip forward. "I think he's passed out again."
Tai shrugged. "Let him sleep, I think he'll be okay."
TK turned worried eyes on Tai. "He'd better be." He moved nearer to Matt and tried to move him into what was hopefully a more comfortable position.
"I just can't believe he couldn't tell me the truth." Tai replied, scratching his head.
TK had Matt laying down. "Well maybe he was embarrassed. You know, he probably just thought it would sound lame." He tucked the parka around his brother again and sat back, placing his hand on Matt's forehead. Still hot. Maybe a little snow-pack would bring the fever down. He wished he'd melted more snow. Matt needed fluids.
"Lame? I don't know, I think: 'I forgot' sounds even lamer." Tai responded.
"Well maybe you didn't give him a chance to explain." TK muttered under his breath.
Tai frowned. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"
TK shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Sometimes you say things without thinking Tai. We're your friends. Sometimes we call you on it and sometimes it's just easier to ignore you. When you talked to Matt after the game, what did you say?"
"I don't remember that, TK." Tai responded, slouching.
"What color socks did you wear yesterday?"
"Blue. What's that got to do with it?"
TK shook his head. "Nothing."
Tai rolled his eyes. "I called him on Saturday and asked him politely why he missed my game."
"He was probably still sick on Saturday." TK reminded him. "He cancelled an outing with Sora and Mimi on Sunday."
Tai felt about three inches tall. "Okay, okay, so we've established that I'm the bad guy here. Don't rub it in, TK."
"Okay." TK smiled. "So you're not mad at Matt anymore?"
Tai smiled. "I guess I'm not." He sat forward to poke at the fire with a stick. It was starting to die down a little bit. They didn't need it to go out in the middle of the night.
To be continued…