For Tsari alternate prompt: Asleep on the Couch with a sleepy Scott and your choice of caretaker. Instead of Day 28.
They took it in turns.
Gordon was the first. He found Scott collapsed on the couch, fast asleep. He smiled fondly at his brother and pulled a blanket over him. When Scott didn't stir Gordon frowned and used the back of his hand on his brother's forehead. He had a slight temperature.
He looked a little closer. Scott was pale, drawn even. He looked sick, and Scott never looked ill. Gordon bit his lip. Virgil and Grandma was shopping. John was busy directing Alan and Kayo on a space rescue.
It was up to him.
Gathering the Medscanner from the infirmary, he scanned his brother. A cold, some suspicious spots in his lungs. There was a very slight wheeze to his breathing. Gordon carefully shifted Scott's head onto his lap, and sat there waiting for Virgil to come home, keeping Scott warm and comfortable.
By the time Virgil came home a couple of hours later Scott had begun shivering and his temperature had shot up. He still hadn't woken up, and his breathing was becoming more laboured.
Virgil had taken one look and gone to fetch a stretcher. They moved Scott onto it and took him to the infirmary, where Virgil became the caretaker.
Scott got worse. Double pneumonia. At his worst they were close to transferring him to the mainland hospital, but there was nothing that a hospital could do that Virgil and Grandma could not. Steroids and antibiotics, assistance with oxygen when his breathing was laboured. His consciousness came and went.
Five days Scott was like this. They all took turns to sit with him. And as he got better they still sat with him.
Virgil took the first 'couch watch', Scott curled up with him while they watched a film. Or rather, attempted to watch. Scott was asleep before the first fifteen minutes were up, his head gradually drooping onto his brother's shoulder. Virgil put his arm around Scott's shoulders and gently pulling him close.
The next day it was Kayo's turn to sit with Scott. No one was stupid enough to believe the man when he said that he didn't need 'babysitting' – the man was bound to disappear to the desk and attempt to work.
Kayo sat with him, the two watching a couple of documentaries. This time Scott managed to stay awake for a couple of hours at a time, but he was still weak and still ill, frustrated that he couldn't stay awake, let alone work.
Alan took day three. Scott wanted to get up, be a little more active, so they went for a walk along the beach. They didn't get very far before Scott was wheezing and struggling. They returned, slowly, and by the time the two sat down Scott was dead on his feet.
In an unusual turnaround, within minutes of sitting down his big brother was asleep, leaning on Alan's shoulder. He gently manoeuvred Scott so that his head was in Alan's lap, and he sat, playing one of his zombie games on silence.
When Virgil and Gordon returned from their rescue Scott was still out of it, and Virgil gently covered Scott with a blanket while Gordon sorted out some food for all of them. They all settled down to a movie.
The next day they were all called out to a large warehouse fire. Scott sat in on comms, but the nature of the goods stored there and the sheer size meant that they were going to be there for a long time.
Scott offered comments and generally felt more helpful than he had been for two weeks, but by the time they had been there for three hours his comments had slowed and a couple of times his speech slurred slightly.
He didn't hear John come down. The first he knew of it was when John's hand appeared on his shoulder, but Scott was too tired to even jump. He helped him up and over to the couch, where once again a tired Scott gradually fell asleep on a brother. John continued to oversee the rescue until they all came home.
The next morning Scott woke up feeling more like himself than he had for a while. John walked around the beach with him. Alan and he slaughtered countless zombies. Gordon swam with him in the afternoon. Virgil played piano while Scott sat and listened.
And for the first time in five days, Scott didn't fall asleep on the couch.