First it was cold.
Then it was hot.
After that he felt clammy only to feel sweaty the next minute. If the car ride had been hell it was nothing compared to the agony he was going through right now. It was as if his body was at war and the pain he felt in his stomach was reaching new heights all the time. The nausea was still there and after the last bout he'd sworn that he would do his best to keep his stomach contents down even if it killed him. The fact was that every heave felt like a knife had been jabbed in his stomach and there were times when Ryan contemplated if he would make it without passing out. Miraculously however the stabbing feeling in the pit of his stomach had dissolved and left instead a sore feeling in his side. This puzzled him but he decided that he'd pulled a muscle while heaving his guts out. What else could it be?
The strange feeling in his veins made him suspect that Kirsten had been right; he was running a temperature and judging from the temperature swigs he was having it wasn't a low one either.
The last nap had done him some good and for the first time he showed some interest over what was going on around him. Looking at the clock on the nightstand he saw that it was a quarter past nine which meant that Zach was probably there and that his foster brother was in the midst of having his Comic night. Ryan sighed, feeling bad over that he'd once again managed to let the Cohen's down, especially since he knew how much Comic night and Seth/Ryan time meant to him. With that in mind he felt that he'd better go and see what his friends were up to and do his best to save the rest of the night.
But if he felt rather good laying down it was a whole different story standing up. The second he attempted to straighten his hunched over body a searing pain unlike anything he'd ever experienced before ran through his side and he sank down on the bed, holding his stomach with a death grip.
"Fuck," Ryan gasped as tears started to well up in his eyes. Never in his life had he felt worse, pain hit his gut and he started to regret his decision to walk into the main house. Putting his legs high up under his stomach provided some comfort. Putting his hand against his forehead he found that it was a bit clammy and he was certain there for a minute that he was about to pass out. Putting his head down, just as Trey had instructed when he was little and had been kicked in his head by one of Dawns boyfriends, the structures started to take form again and the grey vision started to colour again.
"You're such a pussy Ryan," The teen told himself over and over again as if it would encourage him to try and stand again - soon it showed results. Holding his arms around his stomach he did another attempt and to his relief found that the searing pain that struck him so hard was gone and now it was just a very uncomfortable stretching feeling inside his gut. Happy that the worst ache seemed to be over Ryan moved with slow careful moves over to the main house to see what Seth and possibly Zach would be up to.
The moment the blonde opened the door to the main building he regretted his decision.
Badly.
There were loud noises coming from the family room and if Ryan hadn't been so set in making Seth not feel neglected he would have turned on his heel and left the place. The loud noises were making him feel even worse than before and the nausea that had thankfully gone was coming back. It didn't help that the room smelled like a pizza parlour too.
Trying not to walk too hunched Ryan made his way over to the family room only to find Seth and Zach sitting there on the floor, cross-legged, munching on a pizza each. The whole room was swamped with all kinds of piles of comic books. The TV was on and a really old cartoon movie was playing loudly at the same time as Death cab was blasting the speakers on full volume. In the middle of this noise both his friends seemed to be engrossed in a lively conversation about wonder woman.
He shook his head. No wonder that he was feeling as sick as he did.
"Hi guys."
Two pair of heads jerked at his words and he was instantly met with their greetings.
"Ryan, man?" Seth blurted out in surprise. "I thought you were in bed."
A shrug. "I was."
"I didn't see ya come in. How you're feeling? Still feel as if you're about to toss your cookies?"
If his foster brother was blunt with his comments Zach acted a tad more friendly, "Hi man, how you doing?"
Ryan shrugged. "Okay...and to answer your question Seth. No I'm NOT gonna toss my cookies."
It was nothing but a lie that he knew, but he couldn't stand listening to their endless comments about his health and that it was better to go with a white lie. Besides he hadn't told the Cohen's that he'd thrown up earlier either. He didn't think it was any of their business, besides in the past when he was sick Dawn hadn't paid that much attention to him so it never occurred to him that anyone would be concerned if he hurled his guts out.
"Really? That's not what mom said."
Ryan pretended not to hear what his foster brother had said but inside there were so many thoughts. When had Kirsten found out that he was sick? He'd done his best to hide it even if they suspected something was wrong. But then you didn't have to be a genius, he thought, to see that he was both looking and feeling crummy. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Seth's eager voice.
"Dude we've got some pizza if you want." The dark boys hand waved with a slice of pizza in front of Ryan's face. "It's really good. Try it."
Upon the scent assaulting his nostrils Ryan did his best not to gag. Blocking out the offending smell while breathing through his nose he did his best to keep the nausea at bay. It was a hard task to do and he had to swallow hard before croaking out, "Nah thanks. I think I'll pass for now."
"Okay." Seth looked at him with concern. "You know I think you should sit down since you really look as if you're about to pass out any second."
"Thanks Seth but I'm fine."
His foster brother frowned with disbelief. "Are you really?"
"Uh huh." Talking proved to be a hard task but it was nothing compared to standing up. Ryan felt a need to bend over so bad that for a moment he feared as he would do as Seth had feared: pass out.
Seth had been right. He had to sit down right now and with that in mind he walked small careful steps so he wouldn't cause more stabbing sensations in his gut. He knew that his friends were following his actions yet he didn't care and when he reached his target he sat down on the sofa while holding his midsection in a tight grip. The action didn't go unnoticed.
Zach was fast on his feet with a helping hand. "You alright?" Concern shone in his eyes.
Ryan shrugged. "Yeah." He didn't really feel like talking, beside he didn't know if he could afford to open his mouth. It was no telling what could reappear if he did so.
Seth gave him an eye. "Dude I don't believe you. You really look like crap." He paused, "You sure that it's just a flu bug? I mean I've seen you sick with the flu before and it's never been as bad as it looks right now. You positively green in the face."
"Thanks Seth. You've really got the knack of making a guy feel better. " A tight smile was forced on his lips. Noticing his foster brother's concerned eyes he added, "Don't worry man. I'm fine. It's just my stomach that's a bit upset. "The words came stumbling as if he had no control over them. "It must have been something I ate."
"You? Ate?" He hadn't managed to convince his friends that a bad case of food poisoning was all that it was. "Dude I hardly saw you eat anything today."
Ryan gave no answer. He knew when a battle had been lost, besides at that moment his stomach decided to show him who was the boss again and a big cramp came, folding him over in the process and he let out a moan in pain. When the worst attack was over he saw that both of his friends were standing beside him, hovering, and concern written in their eyes.
"Man that looks really bad." Seth placed his arm around Ryan's shoulder for comfort. "Maybe I should call mom and dad and tell that that you're feeling this sick?"
His words were merely a mumble but Ryan caught them instantly. "No...No," he objected. "You don't have to do that. It's just a stomach ache. Nothing to be concerned about."
"Dude. That looks far worse than just a stomach ache. I've seen you sick but never as bad as now. Heck you can barely sit up straight."
Heopened his mouth to object again when he felt another rush of nausea well up inside of him and he swallowed hard. "It's...it's...not as bad as it...it. Looks."
The words did nothing to convince his both friends that urged him to lie down again. Feeling as if his gut was about to rip apart if he had to sit up any longer he did as the two teenagers said and lay down on the sofa only to notice that laying on his back made him feel even worse. Rolling to his side he tried to find a much better position and he wasn't satisfied until he had his legs drawn up high to his stomach. Curled up in the foetal position.
His two friends were talking to each other in a high tone but it was so blurry and foggy that he had a hard time making out what they were saying and while doing his best to listen he noticed that he was so tired that he had a hard time holding his eyes open.
"Suddenly calling mom and dad doesn't sound like such a bad idea."
That sentence made Ryan jerk. He didn't want to be a burden to any one of the Cohen's. They had been so nice to him and he knew how much the charity event meant to him and he didn't want to ruin their party. Still one side of him wanted Seth to go ahead with his actions. The pain in his stomach was getting worse by the minute and his side was absolutely killing him. He didn't hear what the response was but when he opened his eyes he noticed that Seth was nowhere to be seen and that Zach was hunched next to him on the sofa.
"Hey," he smiled. "I thought you'd passed out."
"No..." Ryan shook his head slowly only to find out that any movements made his stomach hurt even more. Licking his lips he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper, "Where...where did Seth go?"
"He had to make a...a call."
The last sentence caused a reaction within the blonde teen and if his stomach hadn't hurt so much he would've objected. This time however another searing bout of pain made him let out a long groan and when the worst had let up he felt himself dosing off.
Ryan had no idea how long he'd been out when he felt a soft hand on his forehead.
"Sandy he's really warm. I think he's running a high fever."
Another hand, a much rougher one, came to touch him and in his hazy mind he had a hard time making out what the voices were saying. The words sick and fever made him aware that he was really bad off and once again he forced his eyes open only to see the face of Kirsten come into vision.
"Hey." She smiled gently at him but her eyes betrayed her. She was worried over the state he was in and wiping away the sweat soaked strands of hair from his forehead she asked, "How are you feeling?
Ignoring the question Ryan blinked several times. Confused. "Shouldn't you be at the charity event?" He shivered despite of the burning sensation in his body. The fever had to be taking a toll on his system and he was sure that it was all an illusion until Kirsten answered him.
"Honey, Seth called us and told that you were sick...and we came home as soon as we could."
Those words confused him even more. "You...you came home?"
This was something he wasn't used to. In the past when he'd been sick Dawn had never taken the time to stay home with him. Work had always come in first place and Ryan remembered one time when Trey had been the one that had been so sick with pneumonia. He had a very high fever and was so delusional that Ryan had a hard time getting any sense out of him. Ryan knew that he had to be around five at that time and Trey just a few years older than him. The vague memory of him calling the strip joint where Dawn worked as a waitress at that time popped up and he remembered how mad she was that he was calling. He'd begged her to come home afraid and cried that he was afraid that his big brother was going to die only to be told not be such a pussy and that it was all nonsense. Dawn had then told him not to call her again since her boss had threatened to fire her if she was disturbed once again at work. This left Ryan having to deal with the situation the best he could and he had a vague memory of sitting beside his brother's bed all night, afraid that if he fell asleep or even left the place to go to the bathroom, Trey would die on him. That made him sit like a guard all night and to his relief the fever broke early in the morning and one week later his big brother was back in being his old wild self again.
"Of course we came home." Kirsten said as if there were no other answer to the comment. She placed a wet washcloth on his forehead before continuing, "Why wouldn't we Ryan? We care for you. You're our son."
At that moment Ryan wished he could have answered her but another wrack of pain caused him to curl up even tighter and he had panted hard. When he got his breath back again Sandy's booming voice could be heard. "Ryan can you tell me where it hurts the most?"
Pinching his eyes closed against the attack of pain he mumbled, "In my...my stomach."
"Where in your stomach?" Sandy asked as he folded the blanket back, making Ryan shiver even more as the cool air hit his feverish skin.
"Everywhere...but...but mostly my...my side." Ryan panted as another attack struck him and he had to do everything to keep him from crying out loud. Rolling even tighter into a foetus position he did his best to fight away the tears that kept trickling down his cheeks.
Sandy's hands had been there, prodding him and he had to do his best not to scream out for the pain as his foster dads fingers kept pressing down on his already sore stomach. If it was bad when he pressed down it was nothing compared to when he let up and Ryan cried out he thought he was going to pass out.
Shit this was the worst feeling ever."
"I think it's his appendix." Sandy said as he'd finished his brief examination. Folding back the blanket over Ryan's shivering body he went on, "We need to take him to the hospital before his appendix bursts. If it hasn't already!"
Upon hearing the word hospital being spelled out Ryan tried to sit up only to be pushed down again by Seth. "No...No hospital."
If there was one thing that could make Ryan shiver from fright it was having to go to a hospital. He hated it when doctors poked at him and god knows he'd done it enough times in his life to know what it felt like. His mom's boyfriends had a like for violence and it was more than one time that he'd been the target for their anger.
"No brother. You're sick. You gotta stay down. Let the rents take care of ya."
Zach seemed to agree too. "Yeah Ryan. If it's appendicitis it can be bad, beside my sister had it and she was curling up in a ball just like you do." He pointed at the teenager's foetus position. "Sandy's right. You need to go to the hospital right away."
In the corner of his eye Sandy was barking out orders. "Seth go and call the ambulance and tell them to come here right away. We need to get him to a hospital. Pronto." Ryan was too weak and dizzy to hear what the answer was but actions were taken and soon he felt Kirsten's soft hand on his cheeks again.
"Oh sweetie why didn't you tell me that you were feeling this sick?" There were a hint of accusation in her voice at the same time as he noticed how worried she was. "Why didn't I see how sick you were?"
He wanted to tell her that it was not her fault but talking proved to be too exhausting beside his stomach was doing summersaults again and it felt as if he would be sick again. Before he could even lift his head his stomach gurgled and started empty itself of the contents. It wasn't much due to the fact that he'd been heaving all day and all that came up was bile and some transparent fluid.
"Oh honey." Kirsten was there, hovering all over him and when he opened his eyes he noticed that the last bout of throwing up had happened so fast that he didn't have a chance to let go over the bucket. This resulted in him heaving all over himself as well as the couch and it was far from pretty.
"I'm so...so...sorry," he stuttered when he saw the mess that he'd created. With shaking hands he tried to hide away the mess on the couch but Kirsten was there again.
"It doesn't matter and you couldn't help it." Her tone was gentle and she hugged him the best as she could given the situation he was in.
"I ruined your couch." Ryan mumbled as she helped him to get out of his soiled tee and into a new one. Moving hurt but at the same time he felt that he deserved the pain, mainly because he'd totally ruined the night for his foster family in such a devastating way.
"No you didn't." Kirsten smiled down at him. "I'm certain that the spot can be taken away with a wash, besides you shouldn't worry about that now. Just concentrate on getting better."
Ryan didn't know if it was those last words or the fact that she was stroking his hair to get him to calm down but he could feel his eyes getting heavier by the minute. His stomach was still doing flip flops and he felt a tad better than he'd been before, still there were this gnawing ache but it was nothing that he couldn't handle. His stomach felt strangely full though and he pondered if he should say something to Kirsten about it, but decided not to since she was too busy folding up the clothes and the blanket that he'd ruined. With that in mind he closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would at last get to him and when he woke up this was nothing but a bad nightmare...