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Chapter 17: What´s wrong, buddy?
Lou ran his hand lightly from Danny´s forehead to both sides of the crook of his neck. "Crap." Definitely the first clues of a fever. Lou gently uncovered the sheet from Danny´s torso and folded it as quietly as possible at his friend´s waist, attempting to free some of the heat emanating from him. The gown, already showing signs of sweat, was fastened against the wet skin and leaving in evidence the thin and bony structure of his friend´s gaunt body.
After pulsing the button to call the nurse, Lou went to retrieve a basin, filled it with water and picked up a few small towels from a corner shelf. He was very used to this kind of procedure. Steve and he, having been given special permission from the hospital due to Danny´s special situation, had been taking shifts to, along with the professional medical staff, care for and accompany the feverish and restless men for almost a week until the vicious high temperature finally receded. The weak body had had a very difficult time dealing with it. Now, they couldn't afford another round against it. They should stop the fever before it reached higher levels, so as soon as Lou noticed the first vestiges of temperature, he didn´t waste any time to apply coldness to the skin.
Draining the wet towels well, he went back to Danny´s side. He found him slightly awake and agitated. It was obvious that Danny woke disoriented. Very probably he must have been dreaming about being on that awful humid place, imprisoned again, without any friendly face to help him. In addition, those nightmares always were plagued by cruel smiles denying him any kind of assistance; denying him water, and food; totally careless of his needs. Many had been the times since they had rescued Danny in which he woke just like this, or worse, disoriented and scared. Sometimes terrified, needing the life depending presence of his friends to help him relax and feel safe, until the nightmare finally was distinguished and separated from reality. The fact was, actually, that Danny took his time falling into the account that he was not back in that horrid place, for real, but instead he was being taking care of and in company of his loved ones, people who really cared about him and people who worked really hard to make his current state of life a little less miserable.
"Hey, Danny." Catching his friend´s troubled attention, Lou smiled sympathetically and showed him the wet towel by waving it in the air in front of Danny´s clouded eyes.
"Lou?" At the lack of understanding from the detective´s part and the misery reflected through his eyes, Lou hastened to explain, to avoid any unwanted and aggravated agitation from the ill man. Grabbing the tentatively arm flailing clumsily towards him in an attempt to make a grounding physical contact, the ex-SWAT tenderly stroked it while putting it back in place, on the bed.
"Yeah I´m here. Relax, ok? You have a slight fever, again. We have to keep it down. I just called the nurse. The doctor will be here soon, too." Reaching forward he untied the knots of Danny´s hospital gown. Pulling it down to rest along with the previously folded sheet, he cursed as a violent shiver travelled through his friend´s body, shaking him viciously and aggravating his discomfort.
"No…" The weak plea was heartbreaking. Swallowing a hard lump, Lou fought his own feelings to stay at bay.
"Shhh… we have to do this. You know the drill. We can´t risk a high fever, ok?".
"…m cold…"
"I know, I know you are. But listen, remember what I just told you?" Trying to keep Danny´s mind occupied, Lou grabbed the humid and fresh towel and began washing and soothing the hot and sweaty skin. Starting with the sunken eyes, as he had been taught, he refreshed the feverish face, dabbing it ant taking the sweat away. "Mm? Remember?".
"What you told me?..." Grover´s tactic was successful. Danny, although still uncomfortable with the shivers and coldness he felt, allowed Lou to treat him as he tried to remember with his confused brain what he had been told. Something apparently important. Lou run the towel down Danny´s neck, washing away the sweat concentrated there. Going downwards, he dabbed his chest and belly before rewetting it and placing it to rest on his friend´s pectoral area. Going for the other towel and rewetting it as well, he explained as he folded and rested it on Danny´s forehead, pressing it to stay in place.
"Yeah, that I just called the nurse and we´ll get the doctor to sort this out. You´ll get better again." Not at all the interesting thing Danny was waiting to hear. Getting nervous and unable to use his hands, Danny tried to push away Lou´s attempts to refresh him by lifting a clumsy elbow to innocently try to block any entrance to his vulnerable body. He couldn´t help feeling betrayed by his friend attracting medical attention to him and not respecting his desires to be calm and not touched and moved the less as possible. The fact was he never manifested verbally this wish, in part because deep down he knew his friends, nurses and doctors meant well, and also because he also knew he needed it a lot. So, although still feeling nervous and agitated, his resistance and fighting attitude left him completely, allowing Lou to place his arm in the mattress, for the second time. Lying flat and unmoving, Danny´s chest started to rise and fall accompanying his elevated heart rate. He couldn´t control anything, so that made Danny completely scared and, again, miserable.
"What´s wrong, buddy?" Catching Danny´s tearing eyes, he read him through his vulnerability as an open book. Grabbing his forearm and placing his other hand on the top of Danny´s head, Lou bent down and spoke so clearly and with such fondness, directly maintaining eye contact so his friend really felt he was not alone and neglected anymore.
"I know you´re nervous and scared, but we can´t allow the fever to rise any more, you´re still too weak. Listen to me, the Doc told us you have many possible sources of infection, from the wounds you have that have been exposed to dirt and germs, and still aren´t healed. Tomorrow, they will surely take care of that, because they will take you to the OR and check it all out, alright?" Keeping both supporting hands in position, Lou didn´t know if he did well telling Danny, a bit disguising, the truth about the new surgeries and all that annoying and tiring process he´ll have to endure, again. But he thought the truth was Danny´s best friend, because he always have considered that not knowing was the fiercest enemy when having to remain calm. Danny was a bit confused but wasn´t stupid at all. His detective side of him intact, caught the meaning of his friend´s words at soon as they left Lou´s mouth. Lou saw the exact moment when realization hit Danny and the anxiety was replaced by something like surrender, like he have been doing a lot lately. He had to give in to others and let them be the ones to try to reduce his misery. Totally done and fed up with the compassion he was receiving, Danny closed his eyes and allowed the shivers to take control of his body while Lou straightened and resumed his previous task of refreshing the fevered skin. Danny was used to it now. When he couldn´t control something, and that was happening quite often lately, he would completely rely everything on his friends.
The nurse entered the room and gave Lou a nod after hearing his concerns. She hurried to take Danny´s vitals and temperature and paged Doctor Kalama to consult.
"Doctor will be here in a few minutes sweetie. Let´s take this down so he can check you out ok?" Without waiting for approval, she peeled the sheets completely back, allowing the elevated body temperature to scape but giving Danny an unpleasant coldness that made his skin get notorious goosebumps. "I´m sorry but we have to keep the temperature at bay. It´s going up and that´s not good. Try to relax."
The request of the nurse went completely lost before reaching Danny´s ears. He was focused on another matter that was making him try to get up.
"Danny what are you doing? Stay calm…"
"Lou? I´m going to be sick..." Panic in his eyes, Danny´s attempts to sit up were taken over by the nurse, who embraced him from behind, lifting him up higher and allowing him to reach a more upright position. Placing a hand on his forehead, she helped Danny to keep his head up. "Quickly get the pan."
"Right at it, hold on." Moving quickly, Lou had the pan below Danny´s mouth at a heartbeat, giving him time to take three deep breaths before the first gag uncompassionate rip his throat open and everything he and Steve had worked so hard and managed to feed him made a reappearance and ended up on the pan, along with high amounts of bile and saliva, product of many heaves Danny had to endure although his stomach emptied quickly. The nurse motioned Lou to reach for the cloth and rewet it. Doing so, the big man handed it to her while she massaged Danny´s back on a circular motion while low moans unwillingly left his raw throat and the skinny body finally succumbed to shock and started shaking like a leaf. Grabbing the small towel, she run it on Danny´s neck, shoulders and upper back, hoping to bring a bit relief. Totally spent, Danny leaned on her. She used this motion to guide his body back to the mattress.
"Doctor will be here soon now, relax." The last thing Danny felt before dozing off was a firm squeeze on his forearm and a cold cloth being placed on his forehead.