rachbob
I loved this chapter and I love this story! Can't wait for the next update :) x
Thankyou!:)
Tato Potato
Brilliant chapter! I love how in some parts Cal forgets how ill his brother is! Such a sweet story. Please update soon :)
Thank you! I feel as though Cal would do that because he's so used to Ethan looking after him!:)
beckyboogle
Another great chapter, can't wait to see what happens next!
Thank you, if you have any ideas of what you would like to happen, feel free to leave them in a review! Xx
Teeloganroryflan
Really good chapter x looking forward to the next one!
Thanks:)
Becs2202
That was great. Love caring cal and ethan has a double whammy of illnesses
Thank you! I was thinking I might start to let Ethan get better, as I don't want to drag this story out for ages. If you've got any suggestions, though, I'd love to hear them!:)
Right, so this chapter has taken me ages to write, as I sort of just kept waffling and I don't really know how it turned out. It's not really written that well and I'm starting to run out of ideas. Therefore, any suggestions left in the reviews would be really really appreciated!:)
9.
"Here we go," Cal said, placing the medicine bottles on the counter and smiling fondly as his eyes flickered to the sight of Ethan relaxed amongst the bubbles. "Right…" Cal muttered, fumbling around with the pills. "You need one of these," he stated, handing Ethan one of the beta-blockers, "aaannd… you can take two of these." Cal waited until Ethan had swallowed the first pill, then handed him the two Ibuprofens and a glass of water.
"Right, bottoms up!" Ethan joked, before downing the glass of water and the three pills. He winced, however, when he felt the pills scratching at his sore throat.
Cal smiled in sympathy, he knew from experience that Ethan hated being drugged up on all this medication, and thought how sad and frustrating it must be for him.
"Cal, I think I'll be okay for a bit now," Ethan said, he just wanted to relax in the bath for a bit whilst he waited for the medicine to hopefully make him feel a bit better.
"Okay, give me a shout when you need me to bring you some pyjamas to put on," Cal said. On second thoughts, Cal figured that Ethan probably shouldn't be shouting in his condition. But he knew that Ethan was probably aware of that and the fact that it was a figure of speech, and decided not to comment as he left the room.
"Eth, what do you want for lunch?" Cal called from the kitchen.
Ethan had long since gotten out of the bath, and Cal had set him up on the sofa with a blanket watching pointless day time television, where he'd been settled for a couple of hours now.
"I'm not really too hungry, Cal." Ethan replied as Cal walked over from the kitchen, towel slung over his shoulder. "Have you been washing up?" he asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Yes, actually! You okay?" he exclaimed, before perching himself on the arm of sofa and studying his brother.
"I'm fine, Cal," Ethan said in response to his staring, "I just feel a bit rubbish, and the idea of food doesn't seem to appealing."
"But eating will make you feel better," he said, "and I'm your big brother, so you have to do what I say anyway."
"You can't know that, it might just make me sick again, and since when were you my sensible older brother, Caleb?"
"Well…" Cal gave up, and decided on simply throwing the towel in Ethan's face. He wasn't appreciating his efforts.
"Ow, Caleb! Would you treat a patient like that?" Ethan squeaked, removing the towel from his head and chucking it back to Cal.
Cal snickered at the state of Ethan's voice; it just made his reaction to the towel even funnier. "If they were as annoying as you are, yes I would."
"I'm allowed to be annoying, I don't feel well." Ethan mumbled.
"Aww Nibbles, I'm just teasing you."
"I'm well aware that's what you're doing, and I'd like you to stop please. Why are you even here anyway, you're supposed to be at work?" Ethan grumbled, pulling the blanket higher up to his chin.
"Yeh, well thanks to you, I have the day off. Mrs Beauchamp insisted I stayed with you today to make sure you're settled." Cal explained.
"Oh joy, she insisted did she?" Ethan said doubtfully.
"More likely it was the other way round, but who cares? You still get the joy of my company either way Nibbles!"
"I think I'd prefer it if you just went back to making lunch, get me something small if you have to. At least it'll mean you leave me alone." The younger said in defeat, grumbling and burying himself completely under the blanket.
"Ah, Nibbles finally gives in!" Cal cheered. "You do know the kitchen is only across the room, so I'll still be able to annoy you just as easily." He added, smirking.
Ethan groaned, coughing pitifully from under the blanket.
"I'll take that as a 'shut up Caleb' then shall I?" Cal said, acting offended as he stalked off back into the kitchen in search of something to make for Ethan's lunch.
Ethan hummed in confirmation, still coughing. It sounded extremely chesty and painful, like it was coming from the bottom of his lungs, and Cal couldn't say he was surprised that it was triggering his asthma so much. The coughing had definitely returned in full force from his flu two weeks ago, and Cal couldn't deny that it had actually gotten worse.
He did snicker to himself, though, when Ethan emerged from his blanket with scruffy hair in search of his water.
"Alright?" he questioned, eyebrows furrowed in concern.
Ethan nodded. Cal didn't miss that he was biting his lip, though, and he seemed a lot more subdued than he had just a few moments ago.
"Sure?" Cal pried.
"Yes," he whispered, laying back on to the sofa and closing his eyes.
Cal decided just to leave him be until lunch was ready. He knew from experience that Ethan was either grumpy and tired or sensitive and seeking comfort when he was ill. Cal had never really experienced anything in between.
He worked silently in the kitchen for a while, keeping an eye on Ethan's sleeping form. He rummaged through the cupboards, trying to be as quiet as he could as he scrabbled about in the mass of tin cans. Eventually, he found a can of spaghetti hoops near the back of the group and, smirking to himself, he decided to delve straight into heating them up on the hob.
Cal made sure to be extra careful. He wasn't that experienced in cooking, to say the least, and he knew for a fact that Ethan would be squeaking in disapproval and shooing him away from the cooker if he were awake now. And rightly so, after the ever so slight disaster he'd in food tech at school where he'd attempted to make soup. The outcome hadn't been pretty.
But, this would be fine. After all, he wasn't even making anything, just heating up some spaghetti hoops in a saucepan.
Once he had the hoops heating up happily and safely on the hob, Cal switched his attention to making his own lunch. One can of spaghetti hoops on the hob seemed almost too adventurous for one day, so Cal settled for simply grabbing the bag of chicken tikka salad from the fridge and stuffing it into a sandwich, chucking a bag of crisps into the mix as well.
Deciding that Ethan probably needed more warm liquids, Cal boiled the kettle so he could make two mugs of peppermint tea for himself and Ethan.
This had turned into a complete cliché now, as peppermint tea and spaghetti hoops was always what their mother had made whenever either one (or both) of them had been ill.
Cal flicked the hob off, biting his lip. He didn't often think about his mum or his and Ethan's childhood. Mostly because it reminded him of other things, like his father for instance. But it hadn't all been bad. He did remember the good times too; like being off school because of the snow, curled up under blankets with mugs of hot chocolate, or going to the beach in the summer, splashing around in the waves with his little brother. Or when he and Ethan used to escape up the hill, watching the stars until the younger fell asleep and Cal had to carry him all the way back to his bed. All that wasn't bad.
Moments later when Cal was satisfied with Ethan's bowl of spaghetti hoops and his own plate of food, Cal pushed the memories away, as he always did, and carried the lunch over to the living area. He had to go back for the tea, and it was the sound of the mugs being placed on the table that caused Ethan to stir, he had always been the light sleeper of the two.
"Cal?" he rasped, sniffing as he sat up, brushing his floppy hair from his eyes. It was usually pretty short and smart, but he hadn't had it cut for months.
"Yeh?" Cal replied, lifting Ethan's blanket and sitting himself on the sofa underneath it.
Ethan just shrugged his shoulders, sniffing again and wiping his nose on his pyjama sleeve. It wasn't something he would usually have done but he was too tired to search for a tissue.
"Eth, I thought you of all people would've used a tissue," Cal sighed in disapproval.
"I don't have any, and I'm too tired to get up and look for one…" he admitted, sniffing repeatedly.
"What's that? Mr Allergic-to-everything doesn't have any tissues!" Cal exclaimed, "here," he said, grabbing the box of tissues, "you definitely sound like you need one."
"Thanks," said Ethan, taking a tissue so he could wipe his nose properly. "I think" he whispered, breath beginning to hitch. He pressed to fingers firmly under his nose, sniffing and squeezing his eyes shut so that they stopped fluttering.
Cal immediately recognised that Ethan was trying to stop himself from sneezing. "Eth…" he sighed, "don't do that," said Cal, pulling Ethan's wrist away from his nose, he didn't want him falling back into old habits. He patted Ethan's back gently, "I don't care if you sneeze, it's only me." Cal said softly, knowing that Ethan had always thought that everyone thought he was disgusting if he sneezed, and he'd hated being the centre of attention. At some point Cal had gotten him to feel comfortable with it (if little stifled kitten sounds even counted as sneezing), but in front of Cal and Cal only, with the occasional exception of their mother. He wasn't sure why Ethan was refusing to sneeze now, though.
Ethan whimpered, shaking his head as tears gathered in his eyes. He pulled away from Cal, letting out the tiniest sneeze Cal had ever heard. Or rather, not heard, it was that quiet. He wouldn't have even noticed it if it weren't for the small jolt of Ethan's back. The second followed, just as small of the first, and Cal knew it definitely didn't do Ethan any good, holding in his sneezes all the time, it must hurt him as well.
Breath hitching, the younger went to hold off his sneezes again, but frowning, obviously struggling with himself, stopped himself from doing it, and let the little sneezes tumble out rapidly into his wrist.
"See? That's what you get for holding them in Nibbles," Cal chuckled, rubbing Ethan's back as it shook with the sneezes. He had to admit Ethan looked kind of cute, and although Cal was slightly jealous that Ethan could stifle his sneezes when Cal's were so loud and unattractive, he thought the kitten-like sounds probably suited his younger brother better.
"Done?" he asked a few moments later.
"Yeh," Ethan breathed, watery eyes wide as he scrubbed at his nose with a tissue. Cal couldn't tell whether his brother was shocked or relieved.
"Alright… lunch, then?"
"Yeh," Ethan replied slightly awkwardly, coughing a bit and blowing his nose softly on a clean tissue. "Sorry, yes, thank you, Cal."
Cal handed Ethan his bowl of spaghetti hoops and the younger chuckled slightly, shaking his head fondly, though he was inwardly touched by Cal's actions.
Cal grabbed his own plate and the two ate in a peaceful silence, until Ethan's eyes became heavy again and Cal had to remove the mug of tea from his hand, fearing that he would drop it as he dozed off to sleep.
He shuffled around on the sofa so that he could lay with Ethan's head in his lap, just to make sure the younger didn't sleep in an awkward position that would no doubt cause him further pain.
"Night, Nibbles," Cal whispered, fully aware that it was half past one in the afternoon.