Early that morning Ethan woke up to the sound of Cal crying. He ran down the stairs to find his brother sat on the floor of the bathroom sobbing. He pulled him into a hug.
'What's the matter Caleb?' He asked
'It hurts, it really hurts. Please help me, I can't deal with it anymore' Cal cried.
'Alright, let's get you out of here first' Ethan murmured.
Cal shook his head, he then hauled himself up off of the ground and began to throw up into the toilet.
'Oh, Cal. You won't be able to take any painkillers if you are throwing up' he told his brother. Cal sank back onto the cold tile floor.
'I'll take you to the hospital and we'll get you some IV pain relief, alright' Ethan murmured. He lifted his brother off of the floor and into his wheelchair. He wheeled his brother outside, as he tried to lift Cal out of the wheelchair, Cal yelped in pain. It would be easier to keep him in the wheelchair.
A short while later they arrived at the ED. Cal was getting quite upset and the pain in his foot, chest and shoulder was getting worse. He was sobbing quite loudly as Ethan took him to a cubicle. Zoe followed them into the cubicle.
'What's happened?' She asked them.
'Cal's injuries are getting quite painful and he can't take any oral painkillers because he has been throwing up' Ethan explained.
'What brought on the throwing up. Was it the tablets?' Zoe inquired.
'No, he had hit his head last night and I ended up having to give him some really strong painkillers and he didn't eat much last night and I think that might be what has caused it' Ethan told her.
Zoe shook her head. 'We can give him some IV antibiotics but they won't be strong because it can be dangerous. We'll give him paracetamol' Zoe informed them before leaving to get the medication. She returned a few moments later with the medicine.
'I'm sorry but Ethan will have to give you the medicine, we've got incoming' she told them before leaving. Ethan stood beside the bed and prepared the equipment. He helped his brother get comfy before he began. He tied the tourniquet tightly around his upper arm and inserted the needle into his arm. He taped it into place before injecting the medication. He sat beside his brother, who hugged his waist tightly, burying his head into his lap as the pain slowly lessened.
He put his brother on fluids to make sure that he didn't get dehydrated. He could see the colour draining from his brother's face as he started to feel nauseous. Ethan helped his brother sit up, being mindful of his ribs, and other injuries. He reached over to a nearby equipment trolley and grabbed a cardboard bowl from it. He held it underneath Cal's chin for him as he began to retch. Ethan rubbed his back soothingly. Cal's face grew red as his tears streamed down it.
Ethan held his brother carefully in his arms as he cried. It was difficult for him to see how vulnerable his brother was.