Chapter 15 Closer
The day has come that the guys have to get ready to go to work. All heavily protested when Mrs. Knight told them they had to. But they need to earn money somehow. Plus, they need to get out of the house sometime.
So now it's morning and everyone is running around like crazy. All except for one.
"Logan, come on! Your hair is not long enough to spend so much time in the bathroom!" James yells as he pounds on the bathroom door again.
"Katie, are you dressed yet?" Mrs. Knight adds to the chaos as she knocks on her daughter's bedroom.
"Hurry up, Logan, we're going to be late!" Kendall yells now as he rushes down the hallway. He stops in front of the last bedroom door, hesitating on what to do. He holds up his hand, prepared to knock, but sighs before letting it fall down again.
He walks back to the bathroom door, rolling his eyes as James pounds on it again.
"Logan, you better not be using my Cuda products again!" Kendall tries to stifle his laughter. It's been so long since James has even used the products himself, it's nice to see things slowly going back to normal.
"Come here, I'll handle this." Kendall quietly says as he pulls James away from the door.
"Oh no! Someone stole all your medical books!" he yells, putting his hands around his mouth to increase volume.
They wait for a moment, when the door finally opens.
They both gasp as they see Logan. He looks even paler than usual, while his eyes look bloodshot and he breathes heavily as he leans against the doorframe.
"Dude, you look like crap." Kendall exclaims. Logan just glares at him.
"Yeah, thanks." His voice croaks as he coughs loudly. They wince at the sound of it. He groans and grabs his throat.
"Logan, my god. Are you okay?" Mrs. Knight suddenly asks from right beside them. She immediately grabs his arm. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you to bed."
"But I need to go to work." He protests, but doesn't have the strength to fight her as she leads him to his bedroom.
Kendall shakes his head at them and then moves to step into the bathroom. But before he has a chance to, the door shuts in his face.
"James!" he shouts angrily.
"hey, I need time to get ready. I have a modeling job!" James shouts back.
"Don't they have a hair and make-up department over there?" Kendall asks him.
"Of course they do, but I need to look good before I go outside again, Kenny." Kendall rolls his eyes when he hears the sound of a hairdryer being switched on and walks away.
Half an hour later, Kendall checks his watch again and sighs. He shakes his head, before heading up the stairs. Before he's halfway, a sudden loud shriek has him taking two steps at once. He opens the bathroom door with panic.
"What happened?" James stands in the middle of the bathroom, with wide eyes. "James, what happened?" He asks, shaking his friend's shocked shoulders.
"My lucky comb… It's gone!" He exclaims. Kendall groans and immediately lest go of his friend and heads outside. "hey! Aren't you going to help me look for it?" James' desperate voice sounds from behind him.
"It's a comb, James. It's not the end of the world." Kendall exclaims in annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose.
James gasps loudly. "It is not just a comb, Kendall. That comb has gotten me a lot of things, it is lucky!"
"James, we have to go. I am already late and you will be, too, if we don't leave in the next five minutes!" Kendall yells at his friend.
"But my comb… I can't leave the house without it!" His friend whines and Kendall groans again, before grabbing his arm and dragging him downstairs.
"We'll go look for it when we get back. Now, let's go!"
"But Kendall…" he whines again, but Kendall's grip on his arm is tight and he reluctantly lets himself get pulled out the door.
"See you later, mom!" Kendall's voice rings through the door. Upstairs, Mrs. Knight is just pulling the thermometer out of Logan's mouth.
"Ooh, 102.4 already? Oh, honey. You really are sick. Well, you just rest, I'll go make you some soup." She says, before getting up from his bed.
"Mama Knight, that's really not necessary. I'm fine." He croaks and tries to sit up. Mrs. Knight smiles at him and gently pushes him back down, pulling the covers over him.
"No, you're not. I know you don't like people taking care of you like this, but you don't have a choice. I already called your boss and told him you were sick."
"What? Why did you do that? I've already stayed away from work too long, he'll fire me…" He groans, before coughing again.
"He's not going to fire you. He understands perfectly why you haven't been to work and he said the door is open if you're ready to go back." She smiles again and heads for the door. "Now go to sleep. I'll get you that soup."
He sighs, before reluctantly closing his eyes.
He awakes much later, his head pounding and everything spinning. He can faintly hear shouting in the distance as he groans and closes his eyes again.
"I didn't take your stupid comb, James!" Katie yells as James has started to accuse everyone ever since he got back from work.
"My comb is not stupid! It is lucky and I want it back!" he shouts, his face red with anger and some panic. He has already searched the house, but it is nowhere to be found.
"Shut up, James, you're going to wake up Logan!" Kendall hisses.
"I don't care who I wake up! No one is moving until I have my lucky comb back!"
"What is all this shouting about?" Mrs. Knight's voice rings through as she walks through the front door. Her arms are filled with grocery bags. "I can't leave to go shopping for one hour without you boys getting into trouble?"
"We're not in trouble, mom. Pretty Boy here has lost his lucky comb." Kendall tells her as he grabs some bags from her and they walk into the kitchen.
"I did not lose it. Someone took it!" James accuses again as he starts to point his finger towards Kendall now.
"I didn't take it, James. Why would I want your comb?"
"You want your hair to get as awesome as mine." James says, while Kendall shoots him a look that says 'are you kidding me?'.
"I did not.." Kendall starts again, when his mom interrupts.
"Boys!" They both look at her. "Stop shouting at each other. You're going to wake up Logan and scare Carlos." This time, James finally gets the message and keeps his mouth shut.
"This isn't over, Knight!" He whispers harshly and points at Kendall. "I'm watching you…" He says as he walks away, making Kendall rolls his eyes at him.
"How'd your modeling job go anyway?" Kendall asks him, pretending they never fought in the first place.
"It went fine." Is all James says. Kendall looks at him with a frown.
"That bad, huh?" He replies. James sighs.
"It just… I thought they just wanted me, you know. Turns out I was hired as an extra, while some guy way more handsome than me got to play the lead." He solemnly says as he puts away some groceries.
"I'm sorry, man." Kendall tells him and pats him on the back.
"Yeah, well. Welcome to the real world, I guess?"
"Come on, why don't we go see how Logan is doing and then it's your turn to get Carlos to eat something." He says with a sly smile as he takes one corndog out of the oven and puts it on a plate.
"You really think he's ready to eat corndogs yet? So far he's only eating fruit loops and other cereal." James tells him as they trudge up the stairs together.
"We can at least try, can't we?" Kendall shrugs.
They slowly mount the stairs, but when they get to the threshold, they sprint forward. In their line of vision is Logan. He is on his knees on the carpet while he throws up violently.
"Jesus, Logan… What happened?" Kendall puts the corndog out of his sight as he kneels beside Logan and rubs his back soothingly.
"I'm sorry… I tried to make it to the bathroom…" Logan mutters when he is finally done. James in the meantime has gone to look for a towel to clean p the mess. He scrunches up his nose, but starts to clean up, while Kendall gently gets Logan on his feet and to the bathroom.
"It's okay, Logan. It can happen to anyone." He offers his friend as he pulls his dirty shirt over his head.
"Not to me. I don't get sick, Kendall. I usually take care of you guys. I feel like a child." Kendall smirks a little. "It's not funny." He whines as he sits on the toilet.
"It is a little funny, Logan. I mean, all those times you were whining about us acting like kids when we were sick. Now you know how it feels." He jokes. But when Logan just glares at him in misery, he clears his throat. "Okay, maybe not so funny. Just try to wash up a little, I'll get you dry clothes." He hands Logan a wet washcloth as he retreats into his bedroom.
When Kendall comes back, Logan is looking more miserable than ever and is swaying while sitting down.
"Kendall, I don't feel good…" he quietly says and Kendall winces.
"Yeah, I know, bud. Come on, let's get you in these dry pajamas and back to bed." Logan doesn't have the strength to argue as Kendall helps him undress and then dress again. He tries to stand on his own, but find himself almost meeting the floor, before Kendall catches him. Everything begins to turn, when he feels himself being swooped up in strong arms and carried off towards his bed.
He moans softly when the covers are gently pulled over him again and a cool washcloth brushes his forehead.
"Kendall…" He mutters as he shivers a little suddenly. The covers are pulled even further over his body.
"Shh, just get some sleep." Kendall's voice soothes him and he closes his eyes again.
Kendall walks out into the hallway where James is trying to rub out a stain on the carpet.
"Dude, this is really nasty." He complains, but his looks soften at once with concern. "How is he?"
"Back in bed now. I think his fever is going up. I'll put a bucket next to his bed, just to make sure." James nods as he walks away.
"Guys, what happened?" Mrs. Knight's voice exclaims when she comes up the stairs and finds James cleaning up.
"Logan had a little accident." James explains.
"But don't worry, we already covered it." Kendall assures her when her eyes widen in concern. "He's already back in bed with the covers drawn up."
Jennifer Knight goes to stand in the doorway of the boy's bedroom for a moment. She watches in concern at the sweat drops now glistening on the boy's forehead.
"I think his fever went up." Kendall tells her and she nods ever so slightly.
James gets up when he's finally done cleaning. He's about to go to the bathroom to rinse out the towel again, when he looks up in small shock.
"Carlos…" He exclaims and the two Knights turn around. Their eyes go from concern to surprise when they find Carlos standing in the hallway looking nervous.
He looks at the floor, but eyes them cautiously from time to time, barely lifting his head.
"hey, buddy. Oh uh, here. This is for you." Kendall says with a smile as he retrieves the plate with the corndog from the floor. He holds it out for the younger boy, who only looks at it with a small frown. "yeah, I guess it's cold now. I'm sorry. I guess I forgot about it when I was helping Logan."
A small moan comes from Logan's room. To everyone's surprise, Carlos' turns his head towards the sound and without hesitation moves towards the doorway. There, he stops and looks into the room with some confusion. He stares at the feverish looking form in the bed and his eyes fill with concern.
"He suddenly felt sick this morning. His fever has gone pretty high, but he'll be okay." Mrs. Knight assures him and the other two boys keep their eyes on their younger friend. They are waiting for him to make a move, any move. But after a small while, Carlos just turns around and suddenly seems very much aware that they are staring at him.
He hurries away, but not before Kendall sees him taking the plate with the now cold corndog with him. It takes them a minute, but then something clicks into James' mind.
"Was he wearing his helmet?" He exclaims.
"Yeah. Yeah, he was." Kendall nearly whispers, trying to stop the huge smile from appearing on his face.
Later in the evening, everyone is sitting at the dinner table. All minus Logan, who is still tossing and turning in bed. And of course Carlos, who has not come out of his room again.
"I can't believe he took the corndog with him." Katie laughs as the others relay the story again.
"And he was so sneaky about it, too. I mean, Kendall was still staring at him, but he just walked up to him and slowly pulled the plate out of his hands." James says with excitement in his voice.
"And you really saw him wear his helmet?" Katie asks again.
"Yeah, he was actually wearing it. I don't know how or why, but he was wearing it." He says, still in disbelief himself.
Just then, some loud noises are coming from upstairs. Mumbling followed by shouting. Mrs. Knight rushes to stand up, but Kendall puts a hand on her arm, also getting up.
"I got it." James doesn't hesitate to follow him and Kendall doesn't stop him as they hurry up the stairs together.
Logan's dream seems to be getting worse. In it he is trying to save his friend's lives. A madman is chasing the three other guys and he is running after them to stop him. But he stumbles and falls to the ground. When he lifts his head, he can see the man has gotten Carlos. The young man struggles in his grasp as the madman drags him off into the woods.
"No… Carlos! No… Let go… Let go of him…" He mutters, his voice increasing and decreasing in volume as his feverish nightmare continues.
He can hear Carlos screaming in the distance. He tries to get up, but he realizes he can't move. In horror he can hear Carlos' cries for him.
Suddenly, warm arms envelop him. He looks around, but can't see anyone. He struggles as he continues to yell for Carlos' safety.
His body shivers as he suddenly feels freezing. But then, it starts to feel warm again. A warm body is pressing into him, making him feel more comfortable than he has in years.
"Shh… It's okay, Logie…" A voice whispers into his chest as the figure snuggles into him, holding him close, protecting him.
His shouting dies down to mere whimpers as he starts to feel safe again. Then, silence remains as the nightmare goes away and he finally sleeps.
James and Kendall are halfway up the stairs when they notice the sudden silence. They share one look before racing up the stairs and towards Logan's bedroom.
The sight they are greeted with stops them dead in their tracks.
Logan lies on the bed, still feverish, face glistening with sweat. But right there, holding onto him like his life depends on it, is Carlos. His head lies on Logan's chest. Both are fast asleep, looking more comfortable than ever.
"Oh my god…" James mutters and Kendall has to put a hand over his mouth and drag him out to the hallway. He puts a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" He asks in a whisper, a sudden smile appearing on his face. James just nods as he also starts to smile.
"That… He's…" James utters, not able to make any coherent sentences.
"I know…" Kendall chuckles. "Come on, let's go back downstairs. I can't wait to tell mom and Katie about this." James is still to stunned to speak. Kendall starts to drag him down the stairs, while he keeps his eyes on the door in shock.
A/N Hi!
So sorry for the long wait. It's been a little hectic with finishing up my internship and starting school again a few days later.
Anyway, I want to thank two people in particular for their idea for this chapter: BTR'slovesong & Carla. I really liked the idea of getting someone to be sick in this chapter. Normally I would have chosen James, but I wanted to show some fluff with the other guys, too. So, thanks guys
And thanks to everyone else for reviewing again. It means a lot and I couldn't do it without you
Keep the ideas coming and the reviews too of course ;) I'll try to update sooner this time. But until then;
Love to you all, Baxxie