Pnu-flu-culosis Part Two
Kor hastened back to the hut, not because he was worried, not wholly because he was worried, but because he just knew he was going to find Aphid out of that bed. He just knew it.
The little brother made it to the cabin door and flung it open.
Only to see Aphid jolt up from his relaxed position… still in bed.
Kor had his mouth open ready to berate his brother being up and about, but instead, it merely held open with a little shock.
"Must you always burst in like a troll on the prowl?" Aphid berated him instead as he settled back down from the startled.
"…Sorry…I…," Kor started to stammer out an apology, but Aphid cut him off with a truly aggravated sigh.
But then he, too, apologized.
"Ah, I'm really sorry for the snippiness, little brother," he said, "That startle was just a bit much with this headache cropping up…"
"You're getting a headache?"
"Mhm, probably just sinus pressure--"
Kor nearly startled his brother again when he seemed to inexplicably appear right at Aphid's bedside, his hand immediately upon the older brother's forehead. Aphid managed not to snip at him again, but he certainly gave him an eye. Kor ignored it.
"Have you had the cool rag on your head?" he asked, "…wait, where is it?"
Kor had then noticed the rag was no where in sight… and Aphid suddenly looked a little bit like a cat caught with the canary.
Kor's eyes scanned around, noticing the tin pot he had tossed towards the bed earlier was now back on the table and the cool rag was draped over the back of a chair.
The younger brother's gaze pulled back to the older one, with a sternness as equal to all the practice the younger has given the older through the years.
Aphid would have jokingly remarked his pride, if he didn't feel the heat searing into his skull from that gaze…. or perhaps it was just this fever…
"Aphid--"
"Mazub stopped by," Aphid quickly explained, "...He was looking to see if anyone had any ginger root to spare, apparently Gunndar isn't doing well? Vomiting? Or something?...I'm surprised the Orc was looking for an actual remedy…though he's probably going to mix it with some sort of excrement-- what's wrong?"
Aphid had noticed the worried expression setting in on Kor's face.
Kor tried to blink it off.
"oh..uh," he stammered, "Umm. Yeah, Gunndar is… Skunk told me he was, um…"
Kor was fumbling trying to find a way to downplay it.
"Kor….," Aphid pressed, "…..C'mon now, brother, out with it. Just how bad has it whooped him?"
Kor relented with a sigh.
"Gormund found him this morning nearly choked of life," Kor explained, "Skunk said Gormund told him a ball of bloody phlegm came up--"
"Ah, I'm sure it's just Gunndar..," Aphid casually commented.
"What?"
"Gunndar the only one spitting up chunks of his lungs?"
"…As…as far as I know? …But he's such a young, hardy guy--"
"Gunndar's main job, before taking over the hauling from Yargrin, was wood staining," Aphid explained, "Remember? When we first got here, he was staining..… Yeah, apparently Gunndar has been a wood stainer since he was a lad and has not ever once used a breath guard. That permanent mark on his bicep isn't a birthmark; it's where Gormund has hit him every time he caught him without a neckerchief—which was every single time….Staining chemicals are certainly not something to sniff like a daisy, much less have under your nose all the time. It's a wonder Gunndar hasn't already blown out a lung. I suspect pieces chip out every time he blows his nose…"
"So you think his lungs are just weaker?"
"I think so," Aphid replied, "That raspy voice of his I don't think came about naturally. Suppose he's reaping what he sowed on this one….It's not that Windhelm flu, baby brother, cease your worrying."
Puh. Pot kettle black.
Kor knew Aphid was worried in there somewhere; the big brother was just trying to pretend otherwise for the little brother's sake.
Kor was however relieved to know that Gunndar's condition was very likely his own doing.
"You think he's gonna be okay though?" Kor asked.
"Hope so," Aphid responded, "And probably. I mean, he's still a pretty hardy fella, so hopefully this is just gonna be a good lesson for taking care of himself better."
Kor's expression suddenly turned into something cheeky at that remark.
"Heh, yeah," he said, "Perhaps he'll add a better variety to his diet…"
The cheek didn't slip pass Aphid.
"I suggest sweet potatoes," he cheekily tossed back, "They're rather nutritious, really."
Kor rolled his eyes, but Aphid gave his arm a gentle pat-pat.
"Hey," the older brother said in a more serious, but soft tone, "I'll eat some of that chicken soup, alright?"
"Ha, you don't have a choice," Kor shot back, "Funnel, remember?"
"…..yes, boss, I remember…"
Kor got to work on getting that chicken and broth together after he rewet that rag and got it back to Aphid. He briefly thought about shoving his brother's head into the ice chest, the meatlocker they've had enchanted with frost, but Kor figured the cool rag was sufficient for now.
He took out the needed butchered chicken, and leftover chicken bones from previous meals to bump up that broth, and got to work.
He saw Aphid hold a stare on him at first, until Kor shot him down with a firm "No."….. He knew his brother was going to offer to help. Shor's bones, the man couldn't just take a day off, and what on Nirn would he help with anyway? Wobbling in the way? It's just tossing the chicken and bones in a pot of some water. Geez.
Though Kor sarcastically thought he'd get a bit risky and add some carrot and ginger. Gonna need all hands on deck for that….
"You didn't give Mazub all of our ginger root, did you?" Kor asked.
"No sir," Aphid replied, "just enough to help Gunndar. Didn't see the point in sending the whole thing off just to be peed on."
"Fair enough," Kor responded as he found the remaining root in the cupboard, "…I'm gonna put what's left in the pot to infuse with the broth."
"Good idea, little brother. Oughta settle that queas in my stomach from this sinus drainage…yuck…"
It remained quiet for a short time as Kor went about shaving the ginger root to plop in the pot, and as he located the carrots to add next.
Aphid had begun coughing some, and Kor could tell he was trying to stifle it, but it didn't sound too awful either way.
Hopefully this all blew over like a twenty four hour bug.
And Aphid seemed rather in good spirits so far, even still trying to rise a laugh out of Kor.
"You know, we can all say what we will about Mazub," he said, "…but at least he's not boaring."
Kor paused in his chopping of those carrots to almost literally jump in the air to catch that joke.
He did go as far as letting the knife drop from his hand onto the chop board, as if having been literally disarmed.
"Really…?" Kor remarked unamused, "Did you really--the context for that might as well have been days off now!"
"Puh, alright, I'll give ya that," Aphid replied, "I'm a little sluggish at present."
"Ha," Kor continued to remark, "what's the excuse for all your other terrible jokes?"
"Wow….," Aphid feigned offense," ……what ever did I do to you? You know, other than my very best raising you, all by myself, for the last decade?"
"Eh, minus the week we got completely separated and that nice couple watched out for me. They totally wanted to adopt me."
"Think they'll still take you?"
"Probably. I'm adorable."
Although Aphid did agree, they continued on with giving each other playful verbal jousts while the soup simmered and broth steepened.
It was going to take at least a couple hours to get a decent meld of broth enough for a starter bowl. Kor would feed Aphid that, or force feed if that wrangly potato muncher tried to back out, and then they'd have a really good brothy soup later tonight. And enough for couple days should this stuffy head still be giving Aphid some sniffles. But hopefully some good ole homemade remedy would knock this back.
Aphid drifted off during this wait for the first serving though.
Kor wasn't too eagle-eye on that. Aphid was known to take a little micro-nap here and there; he was an overworked fella.
But Kor did go check on that fever, just to keep tabs.
Warmer.
Aphid was certainly warmer, with an even more rosy flush upon his skin. More clamy, too.
Kor rerouted the little nip of worry of an ever increasing fever into perhaps this was the fever breaking.
It was possible Aphid had been displaying symptoms sooner than they thought, and this was the climax…
Kor carefully removed the thicker blanket off his brother, and he set the wet rag on the nightstand after giving a gentle swipe of Aphid's forehead. Maybe they should just let the fever break, Kor thought, and went back to idling near the soup pot…. And yet again rereading another book.
Aphid was still asleep a couple hours later, which was quite unusual, as his micro-naps really were usually micro.
But hey, he was a little under the weather.
Kor had checked his fever a couple more times and it felt the same: no better, no worse.
He was just going to let him rest as long as his body needed, but as he walked away from the second check-up, Kor had a fleeting and impatient hope that this fever would just go ahead and break….He didn't care for this knotted feeling over his brother being sick and the guilt of knowing this is only a chip in the mountain that Aphid feels and has felt with the caretaking of this rather rollicking, …and sometimes unruly…, little brother.
Kor just wanted his big brother to feel better. If that dang fever would just break maybe--
Suddenly Aphid erupted into a coughing fit, startling Kor into accidentally knocking his leg into the table he had neared.
Which caused a cascade of noises joined in with that hacking…
Kor's startled yip, his hissing expletive at the bang of his knee, the thump and rolls of the tin pitchers that were set upon the table, the clumsy reflexive grabs as the cursing Nord tried to save the pitchers from diving to the floor, and the loud clangs surely to set dents, as he failed this rescue.
The commotion hardly settled when a strangled voice found some footing through and under the coughs.
"A-are you o..okay?" Aphid's voice piped up, raspy and hoarse.
"Am I—Am I okay?! You're the one hacking more than a lumberjack."
"Just gunk tickling my throat," Aphid replied as he rubbed at said throat, "...How long was I out?"
"A couple hours."
"That long, huh?" Aphid responded and immediately yawned as if he could go right back out, but instead, he cleared his throat and shimmied up into a sitting position.
Kor didn't understand why the man wouldn't just go back to sleep. It wasn't like he was going to let him out of that bed.
But if he was going to be up…
"You ready for a little soup?" Kor asked.
"Yes, sir, I'm hungry," Aphid replied.
Kor actually paused for a moment.
"…Wow, that was…really compliant…," he commented.
Aphid tossed an arch brow his way at that remark.
"Really compliant?" he repeated in question and proceeded to tease, "….Would you rather I not be?...Give you the huffy puffy you always give me when I ask you to do one little measly chore of absolutely no inconvenience or struggle, and would only serve to lighten the load on your dear old worn out big brot--"
"Not what I meant, starch-breath," Kor retaliated.
"Oooo, why don't you come over here and wash my mouth out with….soup," Aphid retorted.
"Aaw, I think the fever has you delirious. And actually better at jokes," Kor countered.
"….Be nice to me. I'm sick."
"You started it."
"I did not! You said I was compliant! Really compliant!...Souper..compliant."
"Yeah, well, I take that ba--wait," Kor paused as his brain registered the pun.
He actually broke out into a laugh.
"Oooh noo," he chuckled through, "Oh no, Aphid. Is this fever going to progressively make you funnier? I don't want to be laughing as.you.die."
"Heh. I'm not gonna die, baby brother," Aphid assured, "…..unless it's of starvation. Where's my soooouuup?"
"Is that whine suppose to be me?"
"I'm so huuungryyy. And boooored. Even though there is sooo much to dooo, but I don't waannaa dooo it."
Kor clanked an empty bowl on the table.
"Oh, you must be all better now. The funny fever is all gone! Guess you don't need the soup!"
"Ah, come on, little brother. I am actually hungry…."
Kor ignored the lame jabs and got him that soup. The broth wasn't quite steepened yet, but it should do well enough for now.
"Make sure you eat that chicken," Kor instructed with a little sternness, "Not just drink the broth."
Aphid gave his order a smirk but nodded his head regardless.
"Yes, sir, little brother," he said.
He took the bowl from Kor, but then nodded his head towards the soup pot. He couldn't help his big brotherly bossing, sick or not.
"You better be eating you something too," he said.
Kor gave him a dead stare before replying with the utmost sarcasm.
"Ah no, see, I figured I'd just starve. What with being SO busy taking care of your overly needy sick arse."
Aphid only returned it with an unamused stare and a clear of his throat.
Which at this moment, was very hard to distinguish from him actually clearing his throat or subtly alerting Kor he was trailing into pushing it territory.
Kor decided to play it safe and assume it was the latter, so he turned his tail to go ladle himself a bowl too.
They ate their lunch in peace, Kor only having to snap his fingers for Aphid to keep eating only once, though Aphid assured him he was only pausing to use the steam from his bowl to sooth his sinuses.
Kor was pleasantly surprised though, when Aphid outstretched his arm a few minutes later to reveal his emptied bowl.
"What sorcery!" Kor smiled, "How'd you make it disappear?!"
"Ha.Ha," Aphid feigned the laugh, "Thought you'd be proud I'd given that--what's it called? That…eating thing a go."
"I am!" Kor replied and set his bowl down to retrieve Aphid's, "…Thank you, Aphid."
"I wouldn't thank me just yet," he responded and suddenly clutched his stomach, "…..My magic trick might reappear in a moment…"
"Wha-uh-whoa," Kor stammered as he quickly put the bowl upon the table and rushed back to Aphid, "Really? Are you okay??"
Aphid took a moment, holding a hand to his stomach and one on his mouth, but then took a breath and nodded.
"Yeah…," he said, "…Yeah, I think I'm alright. Probably just took my stomach by surprise, is all."
Kor let out a little chuckle.
He, however, wasn't chuckling later that evening when Aphid hardly touched any of the soup…
"Steaming your schnoz?" Kor asked, having stepped over to check on him.
Aphid tossed his head up and made a disgusted noise.
"Oh that sounded—urgh…never liked that word…," he replied, "And no…I'm sorry, baby brother, but I'm just not that hungry."
Aphid's voice had grown more hoarse throughout the day, but his fever had dissipated, and for that, Kor was relieved.
"What, the nicely steeped flavor too much for you?" Kor somewhat teased but shifted into a more serious tone, "…You feeling rough?"
"Just tired is more like it," Aphid replied and handed the bowl to Kor.
"…I wish you'd eat a little more than that," Kor said, "You haven't eaten anything else since that bowl earlier…"
"I'll be alright, baby brother," Aphid assured, "Just on the tail end of the gunk. Remember when you broke that fever when you had strep and you wouldn't even touch a sip of water until the next morning?"
"Yeah," Kor nodded, "But my throat felt like diced meat…"
"Eh, yeah, well, mine's a little scratchy right now…," Aphid replied, "But you remember you were fit as a fiddle that next morning."
Kor nodded along again, but held the bowl back out to Aphid.
"At least drink the broth…," he suggested.
Aphid gave a little smile, a tiny sigh, but nodded in return.
"Alright, boss…"
As they laid down for the night, Kor felt a little better about Aphid's little cold.
He may have sounded more hoarse, but his fever was gone, and after drinking that broth for supper, he regained a bit of energy.
Kor could see it in his walk, when Aphid had to get up to do things he must, although maybe it was just the wobbliness having gone with the fever.
Either way though, he looked headed for a return to himself in the morning.
As they shimmied down into their beds and said their goodnights, Kor felt a little silly for having got himself so worked up over this. Although, maybe a little guilty for realizing he never quite paid such close attention to Aphid when Aphid had been sick.
He had wanted him to feel better anytime he noticed Aphid was sick too, of course, but Aphid was good at covering up just how sick he was, and to little Kor in those times, he just assumed Aphid knew exactly what to do and would be better in no time.
Now that Kor was older, he knew a little better, at least knew when Aphid was trying to downplay things, but the fever was gone…. He couldn't fake that, at least Kor didn't think he could.
Kor drifted off to sleep with the hope the older brother would maybe be feeling welling enough in the morning to get back to his usual of pestering the little brother's lazy bones awake.
But that would not be so.
He was awoken instead, in the middle of the night, by the sound of Aphid hacking terribly…then turning silent.
And then… a loud thud upon the floor.
Kor shot up to see Aphid scrambling on his hands in knees in the dark.
"Aphid!" Kor just as quickly scrambled from his bed to get to his brother, "Aphid!! Are you--!!"
Aphid's frantic scrambling found his hand under the bed and yanking a basket out from under it.
He vomited within it.
"Aphid!" Kor said again, too wound up to utter anything else, and he dropped to his knees next to his brother, "…Aphid?"
Aphid was hacking again, but the fit seemed to be simmering down with each cough, finally allowing him to take in some breaths after a moment.
"….Urgh….Gods…," he said, his voice shaky and strained.
"Aphid?..."
"….Urgh, that was gross…," the older brother continued, "….I'm alright…I am."
Kor slipped a huff of disbelief, considering what he just witnessed, and put his hand to Aphid's forehead.
Well, no fever. He felt pretty cool, actually.
"Broth and snot don't mix well, Kor…" Aphid said, "….I'm gonna go clean this…"
"Get back in bed," Kor nudged, "I'll clean--"
"Uh-uh!" Aphid snipped and suddenly, quite surprisingly, scurried across the floor like a skeever with basket in hand, "You…might get sick handling--"
"Aphid, I'm most certainly already contaminated, you know…"
"Well….I made the mess, I'll clean--"
"You've cleaned my messes--"
"I'm the big brother! It's my job--"
"Aphid,…are you embarrassed?"
Aphid sat where he was on the floor, near the wall, and propped his back against it.
He was winded….and no wonder after that hurried scurry.
"….M-maybe…," he wheezed as he reached up to the dresser next to him, taking the extinguished candlestick and matchbox from its top.
"Aphid, just get back in bed," Kor said as the older brother lit the candle and examined the contents he tossed in the basket, "I'll clean it. Your image of doofy big brother has not been tarnished--"
"No," Aphid quickly responded and sounded firm, "I'll clean it…."
Kor sighed with a little agitation.
"…Fine, if it'll help you feel better…," he conceded.
Aphid nodded but reached over and pulled a shirt from the dresser, that he then draped over the basket.
"I'll clean it…in the morning though," he said and still sounded rather winded. Kor noticed him give a shutter too, as if a cold chill ran up his back, and Aphid drew in his lanky limbs.
"Aphid?..." Kor said.
"Just a chill…," Aphid replied and yawned, "…..Gonna go bundle up back in bed, you should too—DO NOT touch this basket, you hear me?"
"Thought I was the boss for now…," Kor jokingly replied, but his brother pointed a stern finger at him and held no humor in his tone.
"Heard what I said," he warned and he slid his back up the wall to stand.
Once he was up though, he realized he left the candle on the floor, but he quickly abandoned bending back down to get it.
"Little brother, can you get the candle…," he asked.
"Mhm," Kor obliged, but once he knelt down and took it on hand, the little brother made his move.
Completely disobeying Aphid, he yanked the shirt off the basket and quickly examined the content within.
"Kor Bjergsen!" Aphid shouted angrily, as much as his hoarse voice would allow, and ignored whatever it was that had stopped him bending a moment ago to yank his little brother up by the arm.
Kor had to quickly exchange hands on that candle or he would have dropped it from that sudden snatch.
"I oughta bust your tail!" Aphid scolded, "I told you not--"
"There's blood in it!" Kor cut him off and he sounded a bit scolding himself, "I knew you were hiding something!"
"Kor--" Aphid started to speak, but Kor quickly yanked his arm out of Aphid's grasp and turned away.
Aphid knew it wasn't in anger.
"Kor…," he said again and put his hand to his brother's back, "I hid it because of that, yes,…but only because I knew you'd immediately think of whatever had happened in Windhelm…It's alright, baby brother--"
Kor suddenly spun back around.
"It's not alright if you're gonna die!" he said and the teen actually had tears in his eyes.
Aphid smiled a slight.
"I ain't gonna die, Kor," he said, "Look again, if you must, but that is hardly any blood….More like a speckle of. Most likely just from my irritated sinuses. Goodness, little brother. Here I thought I was the worrier of us two."
"What if it's not from tha--"
"Kor. I ain't gonna die," Aphid assured with a smidge of sternness, "…At least not before I'm well enough to wallop you for looking in that basket."
He took the candle from Kor and nudged the little brother.
"Now let's get on back to bed," he said, "Worrying isn't good on even a healthy body."
"….you're one to talk," Kor mumbled.
"There we go," Aphid patted and nudged him off again, "I'll be in much better spirits with your normal riposte than you acting like a long suffering mommy."
Kor sluggishly moved to nudging, but mumbled again, in a more spirited tone, "One. To. Taaaaalk~."
He slinked back into his bed, as did Aphid, after the big brother swished his mouth out with water, but Kor doubted either of them was getting back to sleep.
It was a genuine surprise when he heard Aphid's soft snores soon after the man had laid back down.
Kor though, was sure HE was not getting back to sleep.
He wasn't one to worry, really.
He could be anxious like anyone else, but he never really got that foreboding sense unless something was surely wrong.
And he could feel it now, that foreboding sense.
The curtains lightened softly with dawn before Kor could even feel like the tug of sleep would win over his thoughts, but by then, he decided he should start on the day.
Doing what, he wasn't sure. Perhaps force Aphid, once awake, to snort the soup straight into his lungs. Have the good old remedy fight the germ directly in its bed chamber….
Though Kor of course knew that's not how it worked.
He settled on just checking on his brother for now.
Aphid had seemed to be sleeping fine since nodding back out during the night. He had coughed a bit, here and there, but nothing alarming or spewing.
But when Kor closed in, he could hear the struggling wheezes in Aphid's breaths.
And he looked flushed and clammy yet again.
Kor put his a hand to Aphid's forehead, and sure enough, the older brother was burning up.
The fever was back….and gaging from this touch… worse than it had been.
A thousand thoughts instantly flooded Kor's mind.
Should he wake Aphid?
Not wake him?
Put a rag on his head?
Let the fever break?
Search out a mender?
Let Mazub douse Aphid in a basin's worth of boar's piss?
Kor realized he had no idea what to do. How could he not know?
Aphid always knew what to do.
Maybe he should wake him after all and let his big brother unfairly handle everything like he always does.
But before Kor could do anything at all, a knock rapped upon their door.
His thoughts all instantly converted to "Who at this hour in the morn??"
He glanced from the door to his still sleeping brother before heading towards the early riser giving another knock.
He cracked the door open to see their Orc acquaintance of porky concoctions awaiting his answer.
Kor stepped outside. His finger was to his mouth to indicate the snoozer within.
"I'm sorry to have woken either of you," Mazub quietly apologized.
Kor waved a hand.
"I was already awake," he said, "Aphid's not--"
"Not well, I know," the Orc nodded, "I just had to check up on you guys."
"Why particularly?" Kor asked, having sensed the unease and slight urgency in Mazub's tone.
The Orc looked a little troubled, and he glanced towards the main town before taking in a breath and exhaling it through his nose with a shake of his head.
Kor's own expression grew increasingly concerned.
"Gunndar?" he asked.
"Gormund…," Mazub answered, "….He collapsed during the night, while I was helping him tend to Gunndar, because it was not looking good….but I hate to say….Gormund looks even worse…He must have putting on face for the sake his Gunndar, but….We sent word to Gormund's mother-in-law a town over.."
"Gods, that's terrible," Kor commented.
"Yes, it is," Mazub nodded, "Poor woman already has lost her daughter, now it seems she's to lose her son-in-law too, and possibly her grandson. I imagine she'll make haste here as soon as word reach--"
"Is it really that bad?" Kor asked, "Their conditions, I mean."
Mazub started to say something, but instead, his tusks couldn't hide the stretching frown as he nodded.
"And there's more," he then said, "…Terribly more, I'm afraid."
"What…whaddya mean?" Kor questioned.
"Grendelana," the Orc replied.
Kor tilted his head in a bit of confusion at that.
"Hm?" he grunted. Not sure of any other response he could give.
"Grendelana," the Orc repeated and then explained when Kor could only respond with an arched brow, "…The barmaid?"
"Oh!" Kor realized, "So that's her name! I didn't quite catch it right when she offered me—Nevermind, how's she? She sick too?"
Mazub's eyes went to that sort of…bad news blank as soon as Kor asked.
"Oh no," Kor didn't miss it, "...Hope the poor girl--"
"She's gone…," Mazub somberly said.
"…Gone?" Kor repeated with alarm, "You mean like--"
"She's dead," Mazub confirmed and Kor had to quickly stifle his shock, as not to shout his brother awake inside.
"She's been sick for days," Mazub explained, "But you've not been in the tavern to know--"
"Was she a stainer too?" Kor asked which made Mazub the confused one this round.
"Like Gunndar?" the Nord explained, "She's so young…like him, but he's so riddle because his lungs are--"
"No, she had great lungs far as I know," Mazub replied, "At least it sounded to me. She doubled as the tavern bard and had a good belt even when her coughs first started."
"Then how could she die??" Kor insisted, nearly betraying his lowered voice.
"Oh, Kor, I'm so sorry," Mazub replied, "We're you--"
"No," the Nord shook his head, "I only knew her that one moment. Don't get me wrong, though, I am saddened such a pretty face is now….worm grub…But urgh, how can such a young healthy woman, with a great set of lungs just die from this flu?"
"It's apparently quite the strain," Mazub sighed, "….An odd one, too….How's Aphid?"
"I don't know, now!" Kor answered a bit flustered and paced a little bit in place.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Kor," the Orc sighed again, "I didn't mean to come frighten you or anything--"
"No, just to tell me everyone with a cough is dropping dead today!" the Nord snipped.
Kor took a few breaths and steadied himself.
"I'm..I'm sorry," he apologized, "I just.…I'm sorry."
"No need," the Orc patted Kor's arm, "….But how is Aphid, hm?"
"He's….," Kor replied, "…I don't know. I really don't. He had fever yesterday morning, and then he didn't. He went to bed feeling rather okay, then woke up in the middle of the night throwing up blood—well, okay, a tiny little bit of blood and mostly broth…but still…And right now he's still asleep—oh, but his fever's come back! And pretty bad, it felt! I..I better get back in and--"
Mazub reached out to the Nord again with a careful grab of his arm.
"Take it one step at a time, Kor," the Orc said in a sympathetic but reassuring tone, "He's not dead yet and I wouldn't act like he was on his last breath until such a thing came, but do take care and precaution of him."
Kor settled just a bit, but still seemed frazzled and a bit confused.
"Engraving his tombstone in front of him," Mazub explained, "is only going to make him more grave."
Kor pulled away towards the door, but halted and placed a hand to it while his other hand covered his face.
Mazub placed a hand on the Nord's back then.
"Hey, I'm not saying he IS going to die," the Orc said, "Not at all. I'm just saying--"
"Acting as if it's a certainty is j-just going to make it one," Kor shakenly replied.
He turned back around to the Orc.
"But Mazub," Kor said with eyes misty, "….He's….he's my big brother. I don't know if I can keep it together--"
"You can," Mazub assured, "For his sake, you can. And then you can bop him on the nose when he's all better. Here, start with this…"
The Orc put a small satchel into Kor's hand.
Kor tilted his head at it. The bag wasn't wet, so it couldn't have been piss—
"Dried elderberries," Mazub explained, "When all else fails, good old fashioned grandmamas usually prevail."
"Oh...," Kor replied, "Thank you, Mazub."
"You're welcome," he nodded, "I'll pray to all the Gods, yours and mine, that the berries do the trick…Now, I got to head off to give some to Skunvald too, but holler should you need--"
"Oh, not Skunk too!" Kor huffed.
"He had a little cough when he came to help with Gren—When I last saw him," Mazub said, "Just gonna give him a headstart, just in case. You go tend to your big brother and make him a good tea. I'll check in later, Kor."
"…Alright…thank you again, Mazub," Kor farewelled the exiting Orc and turned back to the door.
The Nord hesitated just for a moment on going inside, so he could collect himself and convince himself that he was not walking into his brother's tomb.
Kor quietly slinked back in once he felt settled enough to do so.
"Who was it?" a tired, hoarse voice nearly leapt Kor from his skin as soon as he had shut the door.
"Aphid!" he exclaimed, "Damn! You scared my bones straight out of my fuc-"
"Language," the older brother's hoarse voice gave what sternness it could, "….And good morning to you too…"
Kor settled his nerves once again and huffed.
"Good morning," he replied with a bit irritation still on his tongue. He then added more softly, "How are you feeling?"
"Hot. Cold. Over inflated. Flattened with a press," Aphid truthfully responded.
"I felt your head a bit ago," Kor said, "Your damn fever's back…"
"I noticed…," Aphid responded, "Feels like the house is rolling down a hill….But other than that, my wit's still about me. Who was at the door?"
"It was Mazub coming to….," Kor began but quickly decided to leave out part of it, "…give us something to help you."
"At this time in the morning?"
"Yes, at this time in the morning. I'll fix you up with it now, if you're up."
Aphid suddenly overcame a good deal of his hoarseness to very firmly warn Kor on this matter of Mazub's help.
"If you wasted even one septim," the older brother dangerously warned, "even one of our barely recollected coins, on whatever piss stained remedy of his you got in your hand…AND think you're gonna splash it on me…I WILL bust your tail, you hear me?"
Kor paused where he was for a second, but then shook his head and addressed that threat.
"Okay, four things," he said, "First…language. Second, you're not busting anything until you're better—and not even then. Third, he was as generous with this as he was that splash he gave me. And fourth, …it's just elderberries."
Aphid gave an ack sound at that last bit.
"Ergh, not much better than piss," he said cynically, "Pardon the language, bossy baby brother."
"Mara's mercy," Kor sighed, "You are in a mood."
"Fever's got me…hot headed," Aphid replied.
"Oh ha ha," Kor deadpanned back, "I see it's a return of the funny fever too….Sit up, I'm making you some tea."
Aphid huffed but shimmied himself up to a sitting position, as Kor went about setting the fireplace alight and the fire in the stove to set the kettle on.
"So what else did Mazub have to say? You were out there a good minute. I woke up just as you stepped out," Aphid interjected Kor's quiet work.
Kor paused as he did with the earlier threat, almost seeming to pale this time, but then he shuffled on to what he was doing.
"Just some things," the little brother answered.
"About?"
"About this flu, what else?" Kor did answer honestly, "He was coming to check up on us and give you something to help, like I said earlier."
"At this time in the morning…."
"Yes, at this time," Kor replied a little antsy, "as.I.said.earlier."
"How's Gunndar?" Aphid asked more directly.
He knew when his brother was withholding information to avoid lying.
Kor quietly hovered over the kettle on the stove. Damn it.
Aphid stated it plainly.
"You know I know you're not telling me something, right?" he said.
"It's…not exactly Gunndar," Kor replied but would not turn to face Aphid, "…Not just him, anyway."
"Gormund's caught it?" the older brother asked, "I mean, of course, he's been handling Gunn--"
"They're not gonna make it," Kor begrudgingly explained, "…At least Mazub thinks not. He was helping tend to Gunndar last night when Gormund collapsed…"
"Oh…," Aphid replied and gave a little pause, "…That's….Gormund's been so stressed--"
"Grendelana's dead," Kor intercepted Aphid's attempt to placate the worries.
"Who?" the older brother questioned.
"That barmaid…," the younger explained and finally whipped around, "…Aphid, she was young and healthy with a great set of lungs--"
"Kor," Aphid held up a hand, but Kor kept going.
"She was healthy and fine, Aphid! And it killed her without a regard to that--"
"Kor--"
"Aphid, I don't know how to fight something I can't see! How can I knock the sick out of you. One that can just take the life of someone so full of life like th--"
"Kor Bjergsen!" Aphid forced his interception with his scolding tone, and once that grabbed his brother's full attention, he then gently spoke with a soft beckon, "Baby brother, come here…. Right here, c'mon."
Although Aphid's order was soft, Kor's nerves had the younger brother approach as if just a little boy in trouble.
The little brother neared the side of the bed, his gaze cast down to avoid eye contact, and he nervously fiddled with the end of his shirt.
"Look at me, baby brother," Aphid said.
Kor did, but he met those sky blues with an uncertainty.
"I'm not gonna die," the older brother assured, but Kor cast his gaze back down.
"…you don't know that," he mumbled. Aphid heard it of course.
"Yes I do," he replied, "I'm the big brother. I know everything."
Kor couldn't help but give that a small chuckle.
"No you don't," he said and looked back upon Aphid with a sly eye and smarted, "You didn't know what Mazub said."
"But I knew that he DID say something, didn't I?" Aphid retorted without missing a beat.
"Okay, you didn't know what the quadratic formula was--"
"Whoa! Eh! Once letters hit numbers that's like oil on water--"
"Aphid, all it is, is--"
"Eh shush, smart aleck," Aphid huffed, "Okay, I know ALMOST everything and I am almost certain I am not going to die. And if I do, rest assured, I'm taking you with me. I won't leave this world without you, baby brother."
"How lovingly threatening that is," Kor remarked sarcastically but was smiling.
Aphid grabbed ahold of one of Kor's hands and squeezed it as he shook it about and quipped sickening sweet, "Because I love my witty bitty baby brother so much."
Kor yanked his hand away with a feigned annoyed hiss.
"…..pythagoras theorem..," the little brother then said, which caused the older brother to swat at him and fervently shoo him away.
"Ergh, get with you," Aphid shooed, "The only letter I'm concerned with mixing with numbers right now is what time that nasty 't' is comin'. I gotta warn my tongue…."
Kor went back to that work and steeped up that elderberry tea to make a nice big cup for his brother.
He made himself a cup, too, so as to have more of a reason to sit near Aphid than obviously being his warden…ensuring the prisoner did as he was suppose to.
Aphid couldn't hide his distaste for the tea, but thankfully he complied with finishing the cup over the next hour.
However, even Kor could see it wasn't setting well on Aphid's stomach. The poor guy even gagged a couple times, but Kor prayed the nasty berries would do the trick.
Like Mazub said, when all else fails…..
"You mind helping me to the door, Kor?" Aphid suddenly asked.
Kor was a bit off guard from the relative silence. "Hm?" he had replied.
"I… gotta go, little brother," Aphid replied, although Kor was being a bit daft at the moment.
Aphid crossed his legs to emphasize the point.
"Ya really wantin' me to burst, aren't ya?"
"Oh!" Kor realized, "Oh, duh. I'm sorry, Aphid. Here, c'mon."
Kor helped Aphid up and steadied his fevered wobbling towards the door.
"You need any hel--"
"Ah-ah," Aphid quickly cut Kor off from that helpful offer.
"And don't you even try to bring up," the older brother added, "the time I got that tick off you--"
"I wasn't!" Kor quickly replied but Aphid kept going with his spout, though he nearly sounded as if he was drunk.
"I'm the big brother. I take care of the worser…worser? Worst things. It's my job…you can just help me to the door."
"I am," Kor responded and then opened that said door for Aphid.
"Get out there and get it done," Kor ordered, "And then straight back in that bed, Aphid."
Aphid grunted in return and went out the door.
He returned after a couple minutes, which Kor was thankful for not having to check in on him, but…..something wasn't right….
Aphid came in, shut the door, but then clonked his forehead against it.
Kor began to move to him thinking the fever was bothering him too much, but Aphid suddenly slamming a hand to the door and the other to his chest froze Kor in place.
"Aphid? What's--" Kor started to ask but Aphid began coughing……and suddenly hacked up an alarming splat of blood upon the door.
He then dropped to the floor….
"APHID!!" Kor cried out and dashed to his brother.