Prompt 22 - Common Cold / Flu
Having the flu is a miserable experience, the fact that a basic stomach flu is contagious only reinforces the concept that misery itself is contagious.
A simple stomach flu sucks for any school but it is also a normal thing that society is just used to dealing with. You can't escape illness after all. However, there is one family that had an outbreak of the common flu that was closer to a nightmare then not. That family would be the Sohma family.
One of the worst stomach flu experiences in Hatori's years as a doctor, would be the days immediately after the beach trip with Torhu.
Everyone had been tired but pretty happy on the drive home. The younger ones left last and were happy to end their time with the wonderful fun of fireworks the night before. The drive home became an unhappy experience for the tiger though, she ended up nauseated and carsick enough they all agreed to stop at Shigure's house for the night.
They didn't all need to stay but poor miserable Kisa certainly didn't want to keep driving. Staying with Torhu one more night was an appealing inducement even if she had been feeling well. Once Kisa needed to stay then Hiro wasn't going anywhere, Momiji wanted to join the group then and Haru saw no point in leaving if he could help with the herd of little ones.
All in all, Torhu, Yuki, and Kyo quickly located extra futons and soon had a large portion of the zodiac settled in for the night. The tiger slept in Torhu's bed while Torhu insisted on sleeping nearby on her bedroom floor.
The rabbit and the sheep roomed with the cat, as kyo didn't have a bed frame and there was plenty of floor space. The cow invaded the rat's room with surprisingly little argument from the rat. Shigure settled in that night rather pleased to have so many sheltered under his roof for the night. The next morning though, all Shigure could feel was unease.
Morning dawned, sunlight waking Torhu early. Mindful of the greater number of mouths to feed she crept out of the room to prepare a large amount of breakfast for the hungry hordes she was expecting.
The smell of fresh food and the sounds of Torhu bustling around the kitchen was a pleasant wake up call for Shigure. Ambling out around the normal breakfast time he was surprised Kyo was the only other person awake. Sort of awake anyway, his head was buried in his arms on the table. He hadn't yet started eating the veritable feast that had been created either.
"Good morning Torhu, Kyo." Shigure said cheerfully.
"Oh, good morning Shigure-san!" Torhu answered, still busy cooking.
Kyo just gave a muffled sound that could have been works or might have been a groan.
"What an exciting way to greet the day, Kyo, " Shigure teased, seating himself across from Kyo at the low table.
Torhu brought out two trays of delicious breakfast, beautifully arranged in the various bowls on each tray. Placing one set of dishes in front of each with a proud little smile, she started to return to the kitchen. She didn't make it three steps before Kyo bolted past her heading for the bathroom.
Staring in shock, she and Shigurer winced in sympathy at the uncomfortable sounds of Kyo's stomach emptying itself.
On his feet, Shigure headed to the bathroom to check on the sick boy, exchanging glances with Torhu as she hurried up the stairs, tripping as she went.
To her dismay, Torhu found Kisa in her tiger form, feverish and a puddle of vomit off the side of the bed. Entering Kyo's room, Hiro and Momiji were thankfully still child shaped but fevers had already begun to climb.
Shigure was leaving Yuki's room as Torhu left the younger boys to fetch wet cloths.
"Them too?" Shigure asked, walking back down the hall.
"Ye- yes, all three have fevers. Kisa is a tiger already too?" Torhu informed him worriedly.
Shigure's mouth pressed into a thin line, " Can you make some food easy on upset stomachs?
Following Shigure down the stairs now, Torhu started putting most of the food away as Shigure made a phone call.
Before the next hour ended, Hatori arrived. He found things well set up to nurse the ill already. Shigure and Torhu apparently worked well as a team in a crisis. For ease of care Torhu had set up futons in the main room and Shigure had carried each feverish individual downstairs. It was a little tight but much preferable to separate rooms all upstairs.
Yuki and Haru had refused to be carried, but were forced to lean on Shigure for support. Yuki hadn't even made it down the stairs before he transformed into a rat.
By the time Hatori walked in, Kyo, Yuki, and Kisa were all in their animal forms. Shigure was dealing with vomit clean up, each patient having some kind of container nearby. Torhu was changing wet cloths on each head and had some clear broth simmering on the stove.
Knowing his help was needed Hatori jumped into the job of nursing six feverish kids. Before dinnertime Hatori had to force Torhu to rest on a futon as well.
After calling the estate and warning them about the flu, Hatori and Shigure were kept quite busy. Grateful Torhu had so many leftovers in the fridge, they did not have to cook. Instead they nursed the big and little kids, each zodiac eventually shifting to their animal form leaving Torhu the one feverish human in the middle of a menagerie of sick creatures.
Next morning, Shigure and Hatori were looking worse for wear. Unable to actually sleep they just kept moving. A couple hours after sunrise they were baffled to hear the doorbell ring.
Before Shigure reached the door Ayame had let himself in. Loaded with a collection of things he had deemed useful, included were extra blankets and breakfast breads for easy snacking. He also carried a bag of fruit Shigure sniffed appreciatively.
Taking in the worn out appearance of his two best friends, Ayame didn't say a word, he moved past them to dump everything on the kitchen table. Rolling up his sleeves he set to work, making sure to check on his brother first.
Hatori blinked in surprise, and let out a sigh of relief.
"Shigure, I can do this with Ayame's help. You go lay down and we can rotate." Hatori suggested using his doctor's voice to discourage disagreement.
Looking tired, Shigure eyed Hatori, aware Hatori hadn't slept either.
Motioning towards his bedroom again, Hatori insisted, " With three of us we can rotate shifts. With any luck maybe we can avoid getting sick too, though I won't hold my breath."
Surrendering, Shigure sighed, " Fine, but wake me in a few hours so you can get sleep too."
So the day continued. An endless rotation of fresh damp towels on hot foreheads, Cleaning vomit from those who were sick, Hatori monitoring the animals who could not vomit for signs of distress.
By the next morning Kisa's fever was improving, and she was able to keep down the clear broth Torhu had made. Unfortunately, by the time Kyo was improving, Shigure had succumbed and joined the sick, taking Kisa's place on the floor.
This flu, as miserable as it was, thankfully passed after only a couple of days. As Kyo and Haru improved and regained their human shape, each person was rapidly improving.
Except for Shigure. Soon enough though, as the children recovered, Hatori and Ayame were forced to join Shigure on the floor. Though still feeling the leftover effects of being ill, Kyo and Haru were able to step up, joined by Yuki later in the day.
The three boys made Torhu rest until her fever actually went down, by then Momiji and Kisa were happily helping nurse Torhu and the sick adults in every way allowed. Hiro helped just because it made Kisa happy.
As Torhu rested she watched the busy room of tired people, marveling at how they all came together. Yuki was quite attentive to Ayame even if confused at how to nurse a feverish snake. Kisa was collecting all the dirtied bedding into a neat pile with Hiro's help. Momiji carried cups of water or fresh towels to each patient in turn.
Once Hatori recovered a few days later, he grumbled and acted annoyed at being stuck as Shigure and Ayame returned to their careless ways. He was proud though, proud of how the kids had stepped up and cared for the men who had nursed them.
The memories of the challenges of nursing so many would still be a nightmare, but it would also be a fond memory of how they worked together as well.