So guys, it's been a little while hasn't it? I get tired of making excuses for my absence, but the fact you guys get idgy when I don't update for a while is kind of inspiring, so I have no trouble giving you one now. I hope the way I ended the last chapter didn't kill you, and I hope this chapter makes up for it at least a little. It turned out a little shorter than I'd like, but maybe that'll mean a quick update.
- Five –
After hours of consulting with Dr. Patel, Logan had to withdraw from the room, beginning to feel the effects of working on very little sleep. He technically wasn't on the clock, but his conscience wouldn't let him leave Charlie, not when the little boy was sick with very, his chest about to collapse with labored breathing. Instead he left with the intention of dosing up on caffeine only to return in a few minutes to continue monitoring the situation.
On his way to the break room, he passed the nurses' station, where James was waving him over. Handing him his own mug of coffee, he asked Charlie's condition before motioning toward the waiting room.
In all the chaos, Logan forgot that he hadn't arrived alone. For a moment, he found it amusing that for the first time in weeks he had actually forgotten about Kendall. An outside observer would think the man looked bored, thumbing through a magazine in the waiting room, but Logan was becoming very observant of his movements and noticed the tenseness of his muscles and the wrinkle between his eyebrows that showed his concern.
Approaching the distracted man, he sat next to him, glad for a few moments of rest. Kendall glanced at him, sensing the oncoming exhaustion, and let the shorter man lean against his arm as he spoke. The contact would usually have awoken Logan's senses, but today only made him more tired, and he took another swig of the bitter liquid.
"James already told me what he knew," Kendall started. "But he hasn't been in there. What's going on Doc?"
Logan caught the allusion to his professional life, separate from his personal life in all ways but this one, and took a deep breath before explaining, "Infection is most prominent in the very young and the very old, and we'd hoped he was out of the danger zone, but we were wrong. All we can do now is dope him up on antibiotics and wait for the fever to break. If he makes the night, he should be fine. But it's still early yet."
"It sounds like there's not a lot you can do," Kendall said darkly, and Logan could see that his hope was running low.
"Medically, no," he confirmed, but tried to comfort him, "But as long as his body fights and fights hard he will make it. I just wish…"
He stopped, unsure of his request, but Kendall's eyes urged him to go on.
"Well, it's fairly common knowledge that coma patients can still feel the presence of someone at their bedside. And sometimes they even hear the people who come to visit them. And as much as I try, I can't be there for him all night. I'm hoping to get my shift switched to tonight so I can sleep through tomorrow and keep tabs on Charlie until the fever breaks. But that means that I can only be in to check on him maybe once an hour," he explained regretfully. "But it's my opinion that having somebody near him will help pull through."
"It's my night off," Kendall offered, hoping Logan would go on, and when he didn't he added, "I wouldn't mind sitting with him. He's come too far to let go now."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Logan said, giving his first genuine smile since he'd been updated on Charlie's condition.
Kendall stood, and Logan followed, giving instructions, "His bandages are off because of the swelling. I say that to warn you for what you're about to see, but also because we're trying to keep the environment sterile. I have an extra set of scrubs that should fit you. This is pretty much entirely against hospital policy, but my duty is to my patients, so if anyone asks who you are, just say you're my intern. If they make a fuss, tell James to find me."
Corralling the larger man into the locker room, he rifled through his locker, which was cluttered and unkempt, unlike his apartment. Pulling out a pair of scrubs that he'd intentionally bought too large, he handed them to Kendall, who started stripping before Logan could stop him. After catching a glimpse of toned tan skin, he turned to avoid embarrassment.
Shoving Kendall's clothes into his locker, he led him down the hall and into Charlie's room, where he heard a sharp intake of breath from beside him. It was unprofessional of him, but he reached down to squeeze Kendall's hand, and the larger man squeezed back. It was a lot to take in.
His skin was almost entirely a gruesome red, peeling and revealing muscle in places, and was blackened in some of the worse areas. He refused to tell Kendall that this was after nearly a week of healing and constant care, and had been much worse when he was brought in. His legs were a sickening purple, from where the infection had taken root. The effect was heartbreaking, especially when the boy was sweating from every pore, whimpering a little from the fever.
Surely using more courage than he'd ever mustered during a fire, Kendall closed the distance between himself and the bed, pulling up a chair, before carefully lifting a small hand. The back of the hand was still blistered beyond recognition from when Charlie had protected his face during the blaze, but the palm was still a soft white and he gently ran his fingers over the creases. Logan watched dazedly for a moment, before realizing that he was staring.
Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was much later than he'd thought, nearly an hour to his usual shift, and to get it switched he'd have to get ahold of another doctor. He felt bad leaving Charlie, but saw that he was perfect safe in Kendall's care. Putting a hand on Kendall's shoulder, he found that the green eyes were sparkling with tears, and he wanted to make both of them better, his instinct getting the better of him. Choking back his own concern, he cleared his throat.
"If something happens that doesn't seem right, push the button over there," he directed, motioning to a clearly marked button behind Charlie's bed. "I'm going to be in to check on you guys as often as I can, but Friday nights are always a little busy so I'm not sure when. Are you sure you'll be okay in here?"
Kendall nodded slowly, before a look of recognition dawned on his face, "You should have them get ahold of Ellen. She's his caseworker. She needs to know what's happening."
Logan made a note to alert the nurses' station, before reminding him one last time, "There should be nurses in here to check on him every few minutes. Just stay with him. Talk to him. Sometimes I even sing to him."
Kendall smiled, and he had to remind himself to stop admitting one of his deepest secrets, though he found he couldn't keep it to himself with Kendall around, "But again, you didn't hear that."
Nodding, Kendall asked quickly, "Well if you did sing to him, what song would it be?"
"'The Fighter'," he confirmed quietly, taking one last look at his patient before forcing himself to walk away. He could feel a pull back to the room, but resisted, making it all the way to the nurses' station, where James was waiting for him, dressed in street clothes.
"Are you off for the night?" he asked quickly, reaching for the duty schedule to see which doctors were on duty tonight. Reaching for the phone he began to dial, but listened to what James had to say as the phone rang.
"Technically I was off an hour ago," he admitted. "But I'm really worried about the kid. Is Kendall with him?"
Logan nodded as he explained the situation to the other doctor, who confirmed that he would rather work the next night anyway, and that he understood why Logan was unwilling to leave. Every doctor had a case like this, and the older doctor wished him and his patient the best before hanging up.
"Listen, I want you to let me know what happens. I don't care if the fever breaks at four in the morning. I want to know. Hell, I doubt I'll be able to sleep until I know," James said, running a hand distractedly through his long hair.
Logan smiled consolingly, "He got to you to, huh? I'll let you know. Hey, can you make a note for someone to contact his caseworker? Make sure they mention that Kendall is with him. From what I can tell, she trusts him."
"He seems to have that effect on people," James praised, adding, "You really got lucky with him Logan."
"I haven't gotten anything with him yet, and tonight I'd rather use my luck on that kid. Can you make that note?" he answered quickly, trying not to admit that James was right.
"I'll call her myself," he conceded, ducking behind the desk and searching for the proper file. "But Logan, you need to get your head together. I know it's hard, but you have other patients, and you need to remember that their health is as important as Charlie's."
"I know that James," he said, trying to hide his annoyance.
"I know Logan, I just thought you needed a reminder," he answered, his eyes apologetic. "After I place this call I'm going home. Good luck."
Logan nodded, quickly changing his shift on the schedule, before marching off the ER, where he would have a long night of menial cases. He diagnosed no fewer than twelve viruses, pumped two stomachs, laced up four sets of stitches, and set one broken bone. Each patient reminded him a little more of the boy down the hall, and he took off every forty-five minutes to check on both of them. Kendall looked more tired with every check-up, but he soldiered on, unwilling to fall asleep on his watch.
Once, he'd walked in on Kendall, his head obviously bent in prayer, and he had once again pulled out the gold chain that hung around his neck. The pendant, which was indistinguishable from this distance, was pressed to his lips as he whispered under his breath. Logan made note to ask him later, before backing out of the room and promising to himself that he'd come back in a few minutes as not to interrupt what he imagined was an Our Father.
Saying his own silent prayer, he'd run through the motions of his job the rest of the night, and the sun was inevitably rising when he was finally paged. Finding Kendall at the doorway, pacing the hallway, he entered to find the doctor usually assigned to the ICU bent over Charlie, a smile on his face.
"Dr. Mitchell," his colleague turned, shaking his hand as if he were a proud father. "The fever broke. He's out of the woods."
Logan sighed with relief and exhaustion, the intensity of what they'd all gone through finally hitting him. Calling Kendall back into the room, he informed him of the circumstances, and Kendall excitedly wrapped long arms around him. He curled into the embrace, letting go of the stress and worry he'd experienced that night, and Kendall ducked his head into the curve of the smaller man's neck, smile pressed to his temple.
Pulling away, he chuckled; still holding onto Kendall's toned arms. While they were both overjoyed, they were both obviously suffering signs of exhaustion. He didn't want to leave Charlie, but they were both running on empty, and his shift was very nearly over. Thankfully, Ellen walked in, concern all over her wrinkled face.
"I got the message when I woke up this morning and came right over. Is he okay?" she asked, her voice panic-stricken.
Kendall took over, calming her, like he was so good at it, explaining that Charlie had pulled through thanks to Logan. Logan took the praise lightly, considering that it had mostly been the work of antibodies and antibiotics, but had no trouble taking the hug Ellen gave him. Leaving Charlie in her caring hands, he pulled Kendall to the locker room, shoving his clothes to him before insisting he drive them home.
"I don't live far," he encouraged. "You shouldn't be driving like this, but I can't stay here any longer. When we get to my place, you can take my couch. I wish I had something better, but I'm not letting you drive home when you can barely keep your eyes open."
Kendall didn't argue with their circumstances, digging through the pile to find his keys as they got to his car. Driving the mile to Logan's apartment building, he commented on the comfort of scrubs, which Logan attested to.
Entering the apartment, Logan quickly went to his bedroom to retrieve linens, but when he returned Kendall was already curled up on his couch, fast asleep. Laying the blanket over his long body, Logan took one last look at how beautiful Kendall looked while sleeping, deep down hoping it wasn't the last time he'd be able to take in this sight, before regretfully trudging off to his bed.
Remembering that James was waiting for news, he sent off a quick message, ignoring the attractive firefighter asleep on his couch for a later time, before curling up into his bed, unable to resist the pull of unconsciousness. By the time James texted back, he was already snoring, fast on his way to sweet dreams.