As Tessa hurried out of the room, Duncan leaned over the bed and started to pull the teen out of it. Richie, however, had other ideas. Waking at the motion, he instinctively backed himself against the headboard and away from Duncan.
"What?" Blinded by the light in the room and disoriented from fever, Richie turned unfocused eyes on Duncan.
As if trying to calm a wounded animal, Duncan moved slowly to sit down next to the teen. "It's all right, Richie."
"What's going on?" Richie, slightly more focused, was slowly beginning to process where he was. "Did I oversleep? Is it my turn to open the store?" Frantically, he began to climb out of the bed.
"No. Stay put, partner." Quickly, Duncan put a gentle hand on the teen to restrain him. "You're pretty hot. Do you hurt anywhere?"
"No, no." Richie replied quickly, starting to shake his head but quickly realizing it was a bad idea. "I'm okay, just give me a minute and I'll be out."
"Richie." Duncan didn't even know where to begin. The teen was drenched in his own sweat, bright red and his coordination was obviously gone. Why on earth he thought he could pass for healthy was beyond the Immortal. "Rich, you're burning up."
"I'm just hot from the covers." Richie replied, after a delay the teen didn't even notice, but which was more than apparent to Duncan. "I'll be right there."
"Richie, you aren't working today." Duncan replied and then admonished himself for even carrying on the conversation.
Richie, however, seemed greatly relieved by his statement. "Oh. I'm going to sleep then. Night, Mac."
"Okay." Duncan mumbled under his breath as he watched the teen lean back in bed and curl up in a position that the Immortal couldn't possible believe was comfortable. Momentarily convinced Richie was asleep, Duncan once again leaned over to carry him out to the car.
Unfortunately, Richie was not yet totally unaware of his surroundings. Sitting up abruptly, the teen came within inches of ramming his head into Duncan's chin. Only the Immortal's quick reflexes stopped the collision. "What's going on?"
"It's okay." Duncan told him, calmly. Obviously, Richie was not in the right frame of mind to simply allow the man to carry him without question. Desperately, he attempted to reason with the semi-delirious teen. "We're going out, Richie. Time to get to the car."
"I gotta get dressed." Richie replied groggily, once again attempted to stand.
And, yet again, Duncan restrained him. "No, it's okay. Just let me carry you."
"Why?" Richie replied, staring up at him.
Duncan frantically racked his brain for a reason that Richie accept in his current state. "Tessa's waiting outside for us. We can't be late."
"Oh, okay." Richie said contently.
If only the teen were this cooperative on a daily basis, Duncan thought as Richie allowed himself to be scooped up. However, partway to the door, the teen became aggravated. "Mac?"
"Yeah, partner?" The man replied quickly, struggling to keep a good grip on the now squirming teen.
"Where are we going?" Richie questioned.
Duncan thought about it for a moment before replying. He wasn't entirely sure that telling Richie the truth was a good idea. He had no idea how the teen would react. "The candy store."
"Good." Richie replied, once again relaxing in Duncan's grip.
Moving through the store and to Tessa's waiting car, Duncan was relieved not to be questioned further. Temporarily relieved, that is. "Mac?"
"Yeah, Rich?"
"Can I have a Kit Kat?"
Duncan smiled slightly as he settled the teen into the back seat. "You can have as many as you want, Richie. As many as you want."
Pacing nervously across the length of the waiting room, Duncan was struggling to maintain his composure. "What on earth is taking so long?"
"He's fine, Duncan." Tessa replied shortly, as she sat rigidly in a chair, tapping her fingers as she, too, anxiously awaited the entrance of someone, anyone, to tell them what was happening with Richie.
Duncan, whose intention had been to stay at the teen's side, was not handling being left in the waiting area well. That was evident to any casual observer. Even the overworked ER doctor could see how anxious the man was. "Mr. MacLeod?"
As both Duncan and Tessa swarmed upon him, the physician knew his first order of business: calming the fears of the overprotective parents. "Richie's fine."
After allowing the pair a few moments to digest the news, the doctor continued. "He did have a pretty high fever and was a bit more disoriented than I would have liked, but we've got everything under control."
"Where is he now?" Tessa questioned.
The doctor smiled before replying. "He's still in an exam room, ma'am. We have his fever down pretty low but we're trying to get some fluids into him. He was actually quite dehydrated."
Duncan could have kicked himself upon hearing that. Of course Richie was dehydrated. After hiking across state, he certainly had lost a lot of water and neither he nor Tessa had even thought about pressing him to drink the day before. No wonder he was so quick to crumble. Focusing back on the situation at hand, Duncan pressed the doctor for more details. "What's his fever at?"
"Hovering somewhere between 100 and 101. Not bad, really. Just be sure to check it often and cool him down with wet clothes if it starts going up." The man replied.
"Can we take him home?" Duncan asked anxiously, taking the instructions to be a good sign.
Fortunately, that was exactly what the doctor was intending. "Once we've got some fluids in him and make sure his temperature is stable, I don't see why not. If I give you a prescription for an antibiotic, how soon do you think you can get it filled?"
"I'll go right now." Tessa replied quickly, wanting any job that might help ease Richie's suffering in any small way.
"Thanks, Tess. Could you bring some clothes for him too?" Duncan asked, relieved that he wouldn't have to leave the teen.
"Of course; I'll be back in an hour." She replied resolutely.
Her response received a satisfactory nod from the doctor. "Good. Just be sure he takes this." He scribbled frantically on a pad and then passed it over to Tessa. "Gets plenty of fluids and rest and be sure you keep a close eye on his temperature."
"Of course." Duncan nodded, readily agreeing with all the man's instructions.
But the doctor's reply surprised him slightly. "Don't get too confident."
"Pardon?" Duncan replied.
The doctor smiled at him. "Richie wasn't exactly thrilled about our nurses trying to bring his fever down."
"I can only image." Duncan said, now returning the smile as he got a clear picture of how Richie would react to that care.
The doctor broke into a wide grin at that. "Well, I'd like to keep him another couple of hours, just to make sure he's on the right track."
"Of course." Duncan replied, readily agreeing with the cautious care. "Could I sit with him?"
The doctor turned at that. "Come on, I'll take you to him."
After a brief kiss and promise to return quickly, Tessa headed out as Duncan followed the physician down the hallway.
Duncan couldn't help but smile as he stepped behind the partitioned area. The sight of Richie, resting peacefully, was quite welcome. Silently lifting a chair into the small area, Duncan settled down next to the teen, content to wait for the boy to wake on his own.
Unfortunately, that contentment was not universal. A nurse abruptly drew back the curtain and began fiddling with the needle coming from Richie's hand. Slowly, Richie peeled his eyes open to look up and see who was disturbing his dreams. "Come to steal more of my blood?" He questioned softly.
"Just checking your IV." She replied shortly. "You've taken most of it in." She replied; referring to the hydrating liquid attached to the other end of the needle. "I'll be back soon to take this out."
"Thank God." Richie retorted.
Smiling slightly, the woman left as abruptly as she had barged in. Only after the sound of her retreating footsteps subsided did Richie notice the Immortal to his right. "Mac?"
"Hey, there." Duncan replied, leaning over to put a hand on the teen's forehead. "How're you feeling?"
"Peachy." Richie replied, sarcasm evident in his voice. Duncan smiled slightly; glad the teen was well enough to be sarcastic. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Duncan retorted. "I'm here with you."
"Social services not shown up yet?" Richie replied, turning away from Duncan as he spoke.
Duncan looked down at him, far from pleased to see how far Richie was emotionally withdrawing as he spoke. "Social services isn't coming, Rich."
"Of course they are." The boy replied tonelessly. "The hospital had to call them."
"Why would the hospital call?" Duncan questioned patiently.
Richie looked over at him. "I'm a ward of the state, Mac. My records scream it. They have to call."
"You're not a ward of the state, Richie." Duncan told him matter-of-factly, holding his gaze and giving away as little emotion as possible as he spoke. When Richie just blinked up at him, the Immortal leaned over to grab a glass of water off the side table and lifted the teen's head, confusing Richie all the more.
"I'm not thirsty, Mac." Richie replied finally, beginning to pull his head out of the Immortal's hand.
Duncan would have no argument, though. "Drink, Richie. You're dehydrated."
"Mac, I'm…"
"Just a sip, Richie." Duncan calmly interrupted.
When the teen appeased him, Duncan eased the boy's head back down, redeposited the glass on the tabletop and grabbed a Kleenex. He suppressed a smile at the shocked expression he received from the teen as he wiped the boy's mouth off. Richie was responding exactly how Duncan had hoped he would to the pampering; with awe and confusion.
Unfortunately, however, it didn't deflect the teen's original confusion. "I am a ward of the state, Mac. You know that."
"Richie." Duncan paused momentarily before continuing. He had hoped to sidetrack the conversation until Tessa arrived and was disappointed to see that wasn't going to be possible. His desire to ease the teen's concerns quickly won out over his plans to include the woman in welcoming Richie into their family, however. Debating how to phrase the news to make it as non-traumatic as he possibly could, the Immortal finally gave up and went with the direct approach. "You've been adopted."
"Say what?" Despite how physically exhausted he was, Richie was now fully alert.
Duncan looked down at him, making it clear that he was quite serious, before he continued. "You aren't a ward of the state anymore, Richie. You've been adopted."
"By who?" Richie finally managed to question.
"The Catholic Church." Duncan replied flatly before leaning in to ruffle the teen's hair. "By who?' By me, who do you think?"
"What?" Richie replied, thoroughly confused. "How? Since when?"
"I took care of it yesterday while you were busy hiding being sick." Duncan replied, adding a slight scold in where it seemed appropriate.
Richie's response was hardly what he had expected. "Why would you do that?"
"Do what?" Duncan asked, somewhat confused.
But that confusion was nothing compared to Richie's. "Adopt me. That's legal, Mac."
"So?" Duncan replied.
The teen stared at him, still in a state of disbelief. "So you barely know me. Adoption isn't something you can just take back."
"Richie." Duncan suddenly felt as tired as the teen looked. "I'm not going to want to take it back."
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." The teen said quietly, looking down at the IV in his hand.
The Immortal felt like he had been kicked in the gut. Standing up, Duncan crossed the few feet between his chair and the bed and sat down beside the teen. He put a hand to the boy's head and then moved it around his face and neck, a puzzled look on his face.
Finally, curiosity got the better of the teen. "Mac, what are you doing?"
"You're fever doesn't seem to have spiked." The Immortal replied.
The response earned him an odd look from the boy. "I'm okay."
"You're delirious." Duncan replied.
Richie started up at him, now more confused than ever. "No, I'm not. Really, I'm okay, Mac."
"Well, you're not making any sense." Duncan replied flatly, removing his hand from the teen's face.
Richie finally understood the reference. "I didn't mean to offend you, Mac. It's just."
"No, Richie. There are no 'buts' here. I told you before, you're stuck with me whether you like it or not. I'm not going anywhere." Duncan replied firmly.
But Richie wasn't totally convinced. "You say that now, but things change, Mac."
"Richie, I've lived long enough to know that things changed. I've also lived long enough to know what I want and what promises I can and can't keep. I promise you, you're stuck with me, no matter what." Duncan replied.
"Where's Tessa?" Richie asked.
The attempt to change the subject did not go unnoticed by Duncan. Briefly, though, he would allow the topic switch. "Getting your prescription and picking up a change of clothes for you."
"She's coming here?" Richie asked, attempting to keep his tone casual.
Duncan was, again, not fooled. "Of course she is. Tessa is worried sick about you, Richie. The only reason she left to begin with is because she wants to get you home as soon as possible. We can't have you getting sick from wearing your old, sweat soaked pajamas or because you don't have your medication."
Richie nodded at that. "When do I get to leave?"
"Me?" Duncan replied seriously. "Never. I told you that."
The teen rolled his eyes. "The hospital."
"As soon as the doctor and I both think it's a good idea." Duncan replied.
Richie did not like the avoidance. "Which would be when?"
"Well, he and I are currently in disagreement about that." Duncan returned.
That response was not what the teen had anticipated. "What?"
"Well, he thinks another hour or two but I'm not so sure it's a good idea yet." The ancient told him.
Richie was at a momentary loss for words. Eventually, he managed to question the man. "Why?"
"I'm not sure you're ready to go home. You'll need a lot of help." The Immortal told him.
Richie immediately went on the defensive at that. "I won't be any trouble, Mac. You won't have to do anything for me."
"You'll take care of yourself? Won't bother Tessa or me if you start feeling worse or need help?" Duncan questioned.
Riche nodded readily. "You won't have to do a thing. I'll stay out of your way. All I need is signed out. That's it. I won't bug you for anything else, I swear."
"Just as I thought." Duncan replied, nodding his head solemnly. "You're not near ready to come home, yet."
"Please don't leave me here, Mac." Richie pleaded.
"Richie, how many times do I have to say it? I'm NOT leaving you." Duncan replied, placing a hand on each of the teen's shoulders to emphasize his point. "But I can't let you come home and hide how you're feeling, either. The doctor said you could leave if we took care of you, but we can't do that if you hide how you're feeling."
"I won't." Richie contradicted his previous statements quickly. He was willing to promise anything to get out of there.
But Duncan was far from satisfied. "You just said you'd take care of yourself. Look where we ended up when I let that happen. This little hospital trip has made it very clear to me that you need a lot more attention than you let on. I'm not psychic, Richie. If I don't know what you need, I can't take care of it and if I can't then I guess we'll have to stay here. At least here there are machines to tell us what's wrong and doctors to tell me what you need."
"Mac." Richie whined to the man.
The Immortal wouldn't hear it, though. He had a point and he was going to make it. "I don't want to hear it, Richie. First you run off in the middle of the night because you don't want to come to me when you misunderstand something I say. Then you hide how sick you are. And to make matters worse, when I figure out what's wrong and try to help you, all you can think about is how mad I'll be about you needing taken care of."
"But, Mac..." Riche made a futile attempt to interject.
Duncan continued, ignoring the interruption. "And now you tell me if I take you home, not only won't you let me take care of you, but you won't even tell me if you start feeling worse."
"I didn't mean to." Richie tried again.
Duncan, again, ignored the teen's interjection. "I'm not a mind reader. I don't have my instincts honed yet to sense what you need. How can I take you home when you're still sick if you're going to hide how you're feeling from me? It would be dangerous and irresponsible. You deserve better."
"Please, Mac. I promise that I'll..." Richie was near tears now.
But Duncan was refusing to waver until he was completely satisfied that the teen understood where he was coming from. "I guess we'll just have to camp out here for a while. I'll have to let the doctors and nurses get you better while I figure out how to convince you to rely on me."
"Mac." Richie said pitifully. "Please, take me home." Normally, he would have been able to hold back the emotion. He had been left places before; he should have been able to handle it. But he was sick and tired and scared. And Duncan had promised to stick by him no matter what. It was just too much to take. He felt so lost; he didn't even realize that he had begun to cry.