Hey guys sorry I missed last week's update! I'll be back to my normal update schedule on Wednesday at midnight.
Eventually Kaz fell into a fitful sleep, images of the torture he'd endured when his father decided to play doctor haunting his dreams. His father had set every broken bone -usually correctly- and even stitched him up when he got a bad cut, but the bad part had been that he'd never had anything for any sort of pain. They hadn't been able to afford even aspirin for a headache.
"Jordie..." He buried his face into the shoulder of his brother, wanting only for the aches to subside. "Hurts..."
"It's okay Kaz, you'll be okay." That wasn't Jordies voice. Whose voice was it?
Kaz lifted his head, nearly colliding with Jesper's nose. "Where am I?" He looked around panicked at his new surroundings.
"Just relax Kaz, you're going to be fine." Inej placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
A young woman with a stethoscope around her neck appeared in the doorway, looking around for Kaz. "Kaz Brekker?" She called in a thick Russian accent.
Nina, Matthias, Wylan, Jesper, and Inej all pointed to Kaz, who gave them the best death glare he could muster.
"Okay, Mister Brekker, come back." She waved him back.
Inej stood, holding a hand out to him. "Come on Kaz."
Kaz glared at her for a moment, before taking her hand, and limping down the hallway, Nina close behind.
Inej walked him to the exam room, helping him sit on the padded table. "You okay?"
Kaz grunted, shrugging her off. "Fine."
The woman, who Kaz guessed was Anya, turned toward him and stepped closer to him. "So what seems to be the problem?" She asked, picking up an otoscope.
"He's had a fever, aches, puffy eyes, and a runny nose for almost a week." Nina answered, listing off his symptoms.
"Have you lost your appetite? Had any rashes?" Anya turned back to Kaz, reaching out to feel his forehead.
"Get away." He rasped.
Inej pressed her palm to his cheek, her dark eyes meeting his. "It's okay."
He swallowed the lump in his throat and focused on her, letting Anya examine him.
She took his temperature, listened to his heart and breathing, and checked his eyes and ears. Everything looked like a normal cold, until she felt under his jaw. "Oh dear..." She tilted his head, revealing a splotchy rash. "Looks like you've got measles." She turned to Nina and Inej. "Has he ever been vaccinated for this?"
The girls looked at each other, before turning to Kaz for an answer.
"No." He lifted a hand to his throat, attempting to scratch at the bumps on his skin.
"Where you vaccinated for anything?" Anya cast him a concerned look.
"Not that I know of."
Inej and Nina raised their eyebrows. "You've never been vaccinated?" Inej asked.
Kaz shook his head, releasing a hoarse cough into his baggy sleeve.
Anya turned to the girls, writing out instructions for how to care for him. "I want him to come in after this has passed for his vaccinations so this doesn't happen again." She handed the list to Nina. "Give him Advil, or Tylenol for the fever. But stay away from aspirin, that'll make the rash worse. If he's not better in a week, then give me a call."
"Thank you Anya. You're a lifesaver." Nina smiled, moving to help Kaz down from the table.
"That is why I became a doctor." Anya smiled, walking them back to the waiting room.
Jesper, Wylan, and Matthias all stood when they entered, waiting to hear the verdict. "Well?" Jesper asked, draping the blanket over Kaz's shoulders.
"Measles." Nina opened the door for them, reading the note. "Hey, Babe, do we have Advil at home?"
"We have a little bottle, but not much." Matthias placed an old hat on Kaz's head, hoping to keep him from getting cold in the winter air. "Why, is that what he's supposed to have?"
Nina nodded. "We're gonna have to get some more then."
"The Slat..." Kaz croaked, thinking of the havoc that had to have happened to the crooked little house in his wake.
"Pim's taking care of it." Inej opened the car door, letting him crawl inside.
"And the Crow Club?"
"I've been keeping an eye on it." She smiled. "Just relax. We've got it handled."
Kaz rested his head against the backseat of Matthias's car, his eyelids growing heavy already. "The paperwork..." He yawned, fighting off the sleepiness.
"Wylan and Jesper have it covered." Nina stretched the seatbelt over Kaz's lean frame, buckling him in.
Kaz didn't hear Nina or Matthias get in the car, he didn't feel them start to move, the only thing he registered was when Matthias carried him into he and Nina's home and laid him in the bed.