Adam dropped his bag just inside the door. They had been back at campus for a week now, but Adam had come down with a cold of sorts.


"Adam, you alright?" Guy looked up from the couch where he had been reading.


"Yea, I'm just gonna go lay down, I'm tired," Adam sailed right past Guy, without stopping for a kiss hello.


Guy sat back in his seat, and watched Adam walk past. His skin looked paler than usual, and his eyes had dark circles around him. He barely had the energy to pick his feet up properly. Guy even noticed that though they only lived on the 3rd floor of their building that Adam had taken to the elevator, he no longer took the stairs so effortlessly as he once did.


Guy put his book down, and followed Adam into their room, where Adam had collapsed on Guy's designated bed. It was closer to the door.


"Adam, you want some soup or something?"


"No," he coughed. It wasn't a little cough, it was a deep, body shaking cough, and once he started, he continued for a few minutes.


"How'd your final go?" Guy asked, once Adam's coughing fit had subsided.


"It took me forever to finish."


Guy looked on in concern, "Adam, sit up for me," he asked, wanting to see what would happen.


Adam tried to push himself up into a sitting position. Guy could see him putting 110% into it, yet Adam had barely lifted himself up.


"Adam, how many more finals do you have?"


"One, on Thursday, at 11. It's," Adam struggled to remember, "Some class."


"Well, it's Monday. I'm not letting you out of this bed until then," Guy stated, "Unless it's taking you to the hospital. Adam, something's wrong with you."


"I'm fine, I'm just tired. I'm stressed out."


"You don't get stressed about finals."


"Guy, please," Adam buried his face in the pillow.


"I'm sorry," he apologized, moving to Adam's feet to take off his sneakers that in his fatigue he forgot.


Adam mumbled his thanks and took a deep breath, that was followed by another coughing fit.


Guy pulled the blanket up over Adam, tucking him in, and went back into the living room. He picked his cell phone up off of the table, quickly called his mom.


"Mom, he goes into these coughing fits and won't stop for like ten minutes. He's so tired all of the time, I asked him to sit up, and he couldn't!" Guy was beyond worried at this point. He was downright scared.


"What about a fever? Go in there and place the back of your hand to his forehead," his mom instructed.


"Okay, give me a minute," he said, opening the door quietly. He frowned at the freezing cold of the air, the window was open and the air conditioner had been turned on since he'd left the room a few moments ago. He frowned upon looking at Adam, shivering in the cold, but sweating.


"Mom, the window's open, the air conditioner's on, he's shivering, I can see that his lips are almost blue, but he's sweating," Guy reached to feel his forehead, "He's burning up."


"Guy," his mom's voice held a sense of urgency, "Hang up with me and go get your RA, and call campus police, they'll get an ambulance. He needs to get to a doctor."


"Okay," Guy's voice was shaky. He hung up his cell phone, closed the window, turned off the air conditioning and quickly headed down the hall to his RA's room.




Within an hour Adam was being taken to the hospital, and Guy rode along in the ambulance. By the evening, Adam was admitted to the hospital and was resting peacefully. They brought his fever down, and gave him a cough depressant that would work to also break up the mucous.


Guy was sitting in a chair next to Adam's bed, going over some of his notes. He had a final in the morning, his last one.


"Guy," Adam said, his head turned to look at him.


"Hey Buddy, you're awake," Guy put his book down and scooted closer to the bed.


Adam smiled.


"How are you feeling?"


"A little better, I'm still tired."


"The doctors said you'd feel tired for the first two days or so," Guy nodded, rubbing Adam's hand. Guy's thumbed the scar on Adam's wrist.


"I wanna go home," Adam said.


"We'll be back on campus in a few days."


"I want to go to Minnesota," he said, his eyes closed.


"It's almost time. Our parents are coming out tomorrow, with a big truck, and they're gonna take all our stuff back. And us too," Guy promised, "And you're parents talked to your teacher. You don't have to take your Theology final. You're grade's gonna be as is. So once you're out of here, we're going home."


Adam gave a small nod, and was fast asleep.


Guy smiled, picking up his book again.


When visiting hours were up, Guy finagled his way into being allowed to stay until 10, so when 10 o'clock came around, he left without a complaint. He left a note for Adam, letting him know that he went back for the night, had one last final to take, and that he'd be back in the evening, as there was still a lot of packing that needed to get done.


When Guy returned the following evening, he not only brought his own parents, but Adam's parents too.


"Ooh, sweetheart," Adam's mom rushed to his side, pushing a wisp of hair off his forehead.


"How are you feeling son?"


Adam grinned, "Good. I feel a lot better than I felt in a long time."


Guy's mom wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "You did good, you got him here just in time. Any longer and he could've been seriously sick," she said softly, as Adam's parents fussed over him.


Guy smiled, "I was worried about him."


"I know sweetheart," his mom kissed his temple.


Within a few days, Adam was released from the hospital, and the two families were heading back to Minnesota. In the truck, were Adam's dad, and Guy's dad, and in a car, following them, were both their moms, and Adam and Guy.