A/N: Hey readers, just a short little hurt comfort story to let everyone know that I am still here. I've been insanely busy as of late and haven't really been able to update some of my other stories. My depression has gradually been subsiding so I've been feeling a little more capable of focusing on what I write instead of just staring at my screen or feeling like hitting the 'self-destruct' button.

I know this type of story isn't really my M.O. but I couldn't get this story out of my head until I wrote it so here it is. I don't think I need to remind people that this is purely a work of fiction and as such flames will be deleted because I won't tolerate a bully. If you don't like then don't read.

Rated T to be safe


Virgil sat at his desk and grimaced, he hated to hear any of his brothers suffering through pain or sickness, but he really hated it more when there wasn't much he could do to help. Case in point, he'd been listening to Alan moan in total agony for the last five days because of having kidney stones. Their grandma had always said drinking water wasn't just good for the soul but great for the body. Alan was now suffering the repercussions of not drinking enough fluids. For the first three days, Alan hadn't been able to lay down let alone sleep for his back continuously spasmed , then came the nausea and occasional vomiting. Once those symptoms were pretty well passed by, Alan had reached the point where he was starting to pass the kidney stones and Virgil kept his family away from the infirmary where Alan had been since he'd started. Their father had told Virgil that until Alan could be cleared for duty or had passed all the stones, he'd need Virgil to stay behind if there were any rescues so he could monitor Alan.

"Ah…holy mother of…!" Alan started to yell, thereby making Virgil wince. "God!"

Virgil stood from his desk and went to the bathroom door, hesitating ever so briefly as he tried to figure out a way to help his brother. Knocking, Virgil waited to get a response. When he didn't immediately get one, Virgil spoke up.

"Hey Alan, how're you doing?" Virgil waited a beat before he spoke again. "I know the last thing you want to do is talk to someone while you're in the can, but I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help you out."

"Go…away. Oh my god!" Alan cut off mid sentence and Virgil could hear Alan trying to not only breathe through the pain but he was also struggling through passing yet another stone. "Please dear god, just make this stop."

Virgil frowned, knowing there wasn't much he could do to ease Alan's pain. He'd been forcing water into Alan every chance he got and Alan had become ornery because he insisted his eyeballs were already floating and he couldn't go enough to release the pressure building up. Another couple of minutes passed by before he heard Alan cough in the bathroom. Clearly Alan was back to the nausea stage, poor kid never did have a very strong pain threshold. Deciding he'd face Alan's wrath, Virgil used his key and opened the bathroom door. There he saw Alan, leaning his head over the toilet as he threw up.

"Hey kiddo, can I get you anything?"

"What part of go away did you not get?" Alan asked in answer to Virgil's question in between gagging.. He didn't want to talk to anyone, let alone have an audience to his shame.

"I'm not going to look, I could hear you barfing and wanted to know if there was anything I could get for you?" Virgil replied, staying right in the doorway of the bathroom.

"No, there isn't anything, now can you please just…" Alan leaned over the toilet and started to dry heave.

Feeling like he needed to do something, Virgil went to Alan and put his hand on Alan's back which made Alan lurch away.

"Please don't touch my back, it hurts like a mother-" Alan started to say.

"Okay, not touching. Sorry." Virgil said as he held his hands up.

"Virge, I get that you're trying to help…I do but please just leave me alone. I'm already embarrassed to be having to go through this and the last thing I want is someone watching me. I don't need an audience. Please for the love of all that is good and holy just leave me alone." Alan started to beg. He was in intense pain and he knew that he'd snap and say something he'd later regret when this was all over.

"Okay, but please let me know if there is anything and I mean anything I can do to help you get through this." Virgil said as he also set a bottle of water on the bathroom counter. Alan needed to keep drinking if he was going to pass these stones relatively quick.

Virgil left the bathroom and locked the door behind himself. Heaving a sigh, Virgil decided he could go for a cup of tea. Hearing Alan give another cry of pain, reinforced his desire to step away. He may be a medic, but even he had his limits and listening to his brother be subjected to absolute agony had his nerves at their limit. Stepping out of the infirmary, Virgil locked the room with his door code and went to the kitchen. He rummaged through the fridge and found a plate of sandwiches that had been prepared in case himself or Alan got hungry. It was approximately three in the morning and Virgil was on his last leg. If only he could get Alan comfortable maybe they both could get some sleep and Alan would begin to feel better.

After a half hour away from the infirmary, Virgil returned to find Alan no longer in the bathroom but laying on one of the cots. He had his arms wrapped around his midsection and a grimace adorned his face. Virgil walked over and put a hand on Alan's forehead and felt the warmer than average skin. Alan opened his eyes to look at Virgil and the medic couldn't help but to feel bad for his youngest brother. Barely even twenty and already had to deal with mostly adult problems. Though to be fair, Alan had always been bad about drinking water.

"Feeling any better kiddo?" Virgil inquired as he glanced across at the almost empty water bottle.

"Can you please just kill me? That would be a mercy." Alan mumbled before inhaling a sharp breath.

"No can do, dad and Scott would just as soon have my head on a silver platter if I killed you and between you and me…I kind of like living." Virgil said as he grabbed the half empty bottle and refilled it from the tap. Recapping it, Virgil set it in Alan's line of sight and watched the crestfallen look on Alan's face. "I know you don't want to, but the more you drink, the easier it will be to pass those stones."

"I know, I know…you're preaching to the choir. I'll keep drinking, but I feel like I'm about to pop." Alan replied before he started trying to get up, Virgil helped Alan to his feet and made sure that Alan made it through the door to the bathroom. Virgil made sure to tune out Alan's continued groans of pain and discomfort. After another half hour, Virgil heard the toilet flush and soon saw Alan in the doorway, his face was dripping with sweat and his cheeks were ruddy but he gave a pained smile.

"So…?" Virgil asked. That was the first smile he'd seen on Alan's face in days.

"I think I might have just passed the last one…the spasms have subsided for the most part and yeah everything still hurts, but nowhere at all like it did." Alan said between gulping air.

"Good, I think it's time for you then to try to get some sleep. God only knows you have barely gotten much sleep." Virgil said before he gently guided Alan back over to his cot. The younger didn't object this time to having his back touched and Virgil felt glad to resume normal contact. They were a handsy bunch, always hugging, grabbing each other in a headlock, cutting up and goofing off. After seeing Alan off to a hopefully restful sleep, Virgil felt it safe to kill the lights in the infirmary and retire to bed as well. It wouldn't do for Alan to feel drastically better in the morning and be called out on a rescue while being exhausted. Not that Virgil would release him just yet.

Needless to say both brothers slept until early afternoon at which time Alan asked if he could go stay in his room. His bed was more comfortable than the infirmary cots and he felt like he could sleep for a week if not longer. Virgil felt safe in allowing Alan to leave the infirmary especially since it'd been a couple hours since Alan thought he passed the last stone. His fever had broken and his color was better and he had been to the bathroom a handful of times and it'd been fairly quiet. No shouts or expletives, not at all like the last five days. It was such a relief and Virgil was more than happy to release his brother but with a strict promise that he wouldn't fall behind on drinking water and put them both through this again. Virgil swore he'd kill his little brother if there was a next time. Sometimes his brothers younger and older could be a royal pain in his...

End