Sicktember Day 23: Ear Infection
Word Count: 1220
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: K/G
Characters: Kain Fuery
Warning:
Summary: Kain Fuery's ear is hurting, and he's not sure why. Lucky for him, the doctor has a clue.
Notes:

Ear Infection

Fuery reached up, and then aborted the motion, resisting the urge to pull at his ear. It had been hurting him for a few days now, but there hadn't been time to go get it looked at. It was just an earache, after all. It would go away in time, he was sure. Besides, the days had been full, busy, as they steaked out in a building, keeping watch. He had been on the radio most of the time, monitoring communications and coordinating people. There hadn't been time for going to the doctor.

But it was killing him.

He winced as pain went through his ear again, and he squeezed his hands as he tried not to let on about how bad it felt. Sure, he had ear pains here and there as a child, but he didn't remember it hurting this much! Then again, that had been a long time ago, so his memory might have been dulled. Another stab of pain went through his ear and he changed his mind. This might be worse than what he had experienced in childhood.

"Kain Fuery?"

Fuery heard his name, and stood up, not quite able to hide the wince that the change in elevation brought him. "Yes!" he called out and headed towards the nurse who had called his name. She smiled at him, greeted him, and then escorted him to the back where she gathered some basic information before sitting him a room that was far too cold.

He was left alone for a while—or maybe it just seemed like a while, in this room that seemed separated from the flow of time—and he looked at the posters on the wall, glancing over the basics of joint pain, the problems of unhealthy eating, and the dangers of smoking. He shifted awkwardly on the examination bed, the paper under him crackling, trying to listen and figure out if anyone was coming near.

He was having a little trouble with that.

Finally, the door opened, and a doctor strolled in.

"Sergeant Fuery?"

"Yes, sir," Fuery replied.

The doctor reached out a hand, and Fuery did as well, returning the handshake.

"Hello, Sergeant. I'm Dr. Spalding. What can I do for you today?"

Fuery sat back down on the table. "Well, sir, my ear has been hurting me. Normally I'd just wait for it to go away on its own, but it's starting to effect my work."

"I see," Dr. Spalding said. "May I?"

Fuery nodded.

Dr. Spalding stood up and gathered a tool or two. Fuery stayed put.

"Can you describe the pain to me?" the doctor asked.

"Most of the time it's an ache. It's the kind that you can't quite stop noticing and it hurts a lot. Sometimes, though, it's more like a spike of pain and those really hurt."

"Any effects on your hearing?"

"Yes. It's been harder to hear things out of that side. Sounds and voices sound kind of muffled."

"Any fever?"

"…Yes. I didn't even notice it, but one of my commandings did, and she insisted that I come here."

"I see." Dr. Spalding had been looking in Fuery's ear while they spoke, feeling his neck, and looking in his throat. "Tell me, do you have allergies?"

"Yes, sir. They call them seasonal allergies, but they last all year, really."

"And have you been around a lot of smoke recently?"

Fuery thought back. Havoc had been stationed with him often, and he had been chain smoking most of the time. "Yes. A colleague of mine smokes a lot."

The doctor nodded as if that explained things, but he went back to Fuery's ear. He stopped asking questions and instead did something.

Something that hurt.

"Ow!" Fuery said, trying really hard not to jump.

"Sorry," Dr. Spalding apologized, and pulled back. He sat on one of the rolling stools that all doctor's offices seemed to have and sighed. "It seems, Sergeant, that you have an ear infection."

Fuery blinked at him. "A what? I thought only kids got those."

Dr. Spalding shook his head. "They're more common in children, but adults can get them too." He glanced around the room for a moment, then pulled out a half-hidden poster of the ear. "There are three major kinds of ear infections. Outer ear infections are in this part," he pointed on the poster to the area in front of the ear drum, "and are generally from bacteria that form if water doesn't clear out well, of if bacteria get in a scratch in the ear. It's usually called swimmer's ear."

He pointed to another part of the ear. "This is your middle ear," he gestured from the ear drum to something that looked like a shell to Fuery and was labeled cochlea. "It's a common area for ear infections to form, usually from a blockage of the Eustachian tube. Fluid builds up behind the ear drum and can't drain. Children's Eustachian tubes are less slanted and more horizontal, which is why they get ear infections more frequently."

He indicated the last section of the ear. "This is the inner ear. Infections there aren't common, and they're usually signs of something more serious."

He put down the poster. "I think you have a middle ear infection brought on by exposure to an allergen. I'll prescribe you some anti-biotics which should help. I'd suggest keeping some anti-inflammatories on board as well, and if you have an antihistamine or decongestant, to take that. Give it a week and if it isn't better, then come back and see me." He handed Fuery a script.

Fuery nodded, taking in all the information that the doctor had given him, as well as the script. He shook hands with the doctor. "Thank you. Hopefully, this will clear it up."

"It should," Dr. Spalding said. "Just give it a bit of time."

Fuery nodded. "I will."

Fuery left, stopping by a pharmacy that was close to Central Command to drop off the script, and then continued back to work. When he opened the door to the office, everyone looked at him.

"Sergeant?" Mustang said. "What's the word?"

"I have an ear infection, sir," he said.

"An ear infection?" Breda said.

Fuery nodded. "Yes, sir." He made sure to be looking at the Colonel when he said his next words. "The doctor said that he thinks it was brought on by an exposure to smoke."

All eyes turned to Havoc who blinked, and hastily removed the cigarette he had in his mouth. "Ah, you don't say?" he said.

"Well then," Hawkeye said. "That just gives you another reason to cut back. It won't do us much good if you affect the hearing of our communications officer—especially if you two are on a mission together."

Havoc had the grace to look abashed.

"I assume he gave you a prescription?" Mustang said.

Fuery nodded. "Yes, sir. I dropped it by a pharmacy. I'll pick it up on the way home."

Mustang nodded. "Good. Alright then, everyone back to work."

They all slipped back to work, and Havoc gave Fuery a clap on the back and an apologetic look. Fuery just nodded his acceptance and thanks.

After all, he was going to get as much milage out of this as he could, at least towards Havoc.