Brian Quinn rubbed his friend's back in a circular motion with his free hand, and sighed softly as he gazed at the red tinged mucous in the towel Sal was holding under Joe's mouth.
Q was setting on the couch, Joe's head resting on his leg. One arm supporting his friend's chest, the other constantly rubbing his back in reassurance. He knew Joe's fever was back, he could feel the heat radiating through the sweat dampened t-shirt.
Sal kneeled in front of his friends, holding one damp towel to Joe's brow, and another one was used to wipe the vomit from his mouth.
Taking a second to glance down at his watch, he moved the towel from Joe's head to the floor and put his hand under Joe's trembling chin. Lifting gently, he spoke softly and reassuringly to the man he saw as his brother.
"Joey, just another hour man and you can take the medicine to make this shit stop. I know how hard it is."
He stopped talking for a second and looked into the pained, red rimmed blue eyes, pleading with him for help. He spoke again.
"No, man. I don't know how hard it is. I can't imagine. But I do know if I could take your place for a while and we could split the pain, I would. I'm so sorry, buddy, that this is happening. But just stick with us, we'll get through it."
Joe, generous to a fault, in every way possible, managed a smile and small nod. He would do anything to help his friends and family, and he knew Sal was hurting right now. He didn't want his friend to hurt because of him, and right now smiling was the only thing he could do to try and comfort him. To let him know he was going to be okay.
Quinn saw this and smiled sadly, bending over to kiss his best friend and brother on the forehead. He noticed again just how hot Joe was. "I'd take my turn too, buddy, and I think it's safe to say that Murr would be lined up to take his turn, and together we'd all whip this thing's ass faster. But we're still going to whip it, don't you worry."
Joe tried to smile again but got sick instead, retching violently as Q's strong but gentle hands held him steady, Sal kneeling in front of him, one hand gently massaging one thinning shoulder, the other wiping his friend's mouth with the soft towel.
Joe had been sick for three to four hours straight. Vomitting until there was nothing left but acid and blood born from a raw throat. Along with the nausea and vomitting came the incredibly high fever and body pain.
"Sal, want to grab the thermometer and see what we are dealing with here? He's hot. "
Sal nodded, patting Joe's and then Q's shoulder before getting up.
"I'll go get it, I'll be right back."
Minutes later Sal was removing the thermometer from Joe's ear.
"104.2. We gave him Tylonel. Think we need to call the Dr?"
Q looked down, the burden in his arms was now trying to sleep, but moaning softly and constantly shifting uncomfortably.
"I dont know, did he say how high it could get before we needed to do something?"
"I don't think so. I"m going to call. The Tylonel hasn't touched it."
Quinn nodded as Sal dialed the number.
After waiting for ten minutes to talk to the Dr, Sal explained the situation and listened quietly to the instructions given to him.
"Okay, thank you. We will bring him in if it doesn't go down."
Upon hanging up. he turned back to his friends.
"Ok guys, we take a cool bath."
Brian Quinn had moved Joe's head to the couch and had gotten up to get a soda from the fridge.
He walked back to the couch and touched Joe's socked foot.
"You hear that, Joey?"
Awake now, Joe shook his head in confusion and denial.
"I don't want to take a bath. I don't feel good."
"That's why you have to take a bath, bud.", Sal spoke up.
"We're just going to fill the tub with cool water. All you have to do is set in it for a while, Joey."
While Sal was still in mid sentence, Q had lifted his ailing friend gently and easily into his arms and headed towards the bathroom.
"He's right, Joey. It won't take long. Maybe it will knock the fever out and by the time we are done it will almost be time to take the medicne again."
"That's right, buddy, then you can rest."