A/N: Made practical use of knowledge gained in the course of writing this and made myself some thyme tea for my sore throat.
It worked longer than the other things I'd tried, but it's not something I'd recommend for regular drinking (maybe that's just me).
Gaius was busy grinding more goldenseal when he heard a knock on his door.
"Enter." He instructed, expecting one of the knights or Arthur- all of whom had been chased out earlier by the physician. They were supposed to have been occupied with Sarrum and the treaty negotiations, but the physician knew it was only a matter of time before one or more of them returned.
However, the door opened a bit hesitantly to reveal the unexpected presence of the druid boy.
"You..." the old man trailed off, realizing he didn't actually know the boy's name.
"Daegal, sir. I had to see how Em-Merlin was doing."
"Come in- here, sit down." The elder motioned to the stool at Merlin's bedside.
The youth must be tired- he had walked a great distance and arrived only a few hours after the Camelot party who had had horses.
Daegal sank into the seat gratefully, eyes fixing upon the body on the cot.
"How is he?" He asked, voice quiet.
"His condition hasn't really changed since you last saw him, but I think he may wake again sometime soon."
The brunet turned, hazel eyes seeking out the physician's.
"What can I do to help?"
It was well into the afternoon when Merlin woke.
Gaius was carefully heating a potion in a crucible and Daegal was carrying a rack of medicines over to the patient bed when the screaming started.
Despite leaping a bit in fright, Daegal managed to keep hold of the vials- until the contents of the crucible Gaius had upset hit the fire and made a small explosion.
Vials tumbled out of the now-airborne rack and smashed on the floor one by one as the physician rushed toward the cot, absently putting out the bit of fire on his robes with a wet cloth.
The elder lightly grasped his ward's shoulders.
"Merlin! Merlin, calm down!"
This screaming was surely doing no good for his throat or his likely-aching head.
The yell choked off after a moment or so, strained breathing indicating a return of the swelling.
Jaw clenched and mouth sealed tightly, Merlin was the very image of suffering as his brow furrowed in pain and small whimpers escaped his tense frame.
Gaius was about to speak when he noticed his patient's stomach and throat working.
The healer's words came to mind- "once he regains consciousness his body will purge itself of the poison."
"Turn him." He and the druid youth succeeded in getting Merlin on his side just in time for him to vomit into the bucket Gaius had hastily kicked underneath.
Amidst the worryingly red liquid was what appeared to be a black stone the size of a nectarine pit.
The poison?
"Don't touch it."
He doubted the boy was particularly tempted to do so, but better to be safe.
His surrogate son hadn't moved, arm dangling limply over the side of the bed, but he had to check.
He knelt and looked up into that beloved face.
"Merlin? Are you awake? Can you open your eyes for me?"
There was a slight delay before the pale lids began, tentatively, to rise.
Gaius stared in dismay at the empty orbs facing him.
It was clear that Merlin could not see him, especially after a heartbreaking sound of confusion escaped the slightly down-turned lips.
"Oh, my boy..."
The servant's forehead wrinkled further, then he flinched and shivered slightly.
Daegal leaned over and placed a comforting hand on Merlin's side, causing a wince.
"Sorry." The druid apologized quickly and sat back.
A few moments of uncertainty passed, neither observer sure what to do at this point, and then Merlin began to twitch slightly.
"Merlin?" Gaius reached out, not quite touching the young man.
Beside him Daegal grasped his head in pain, his scrunched expression mirrored on Merlin's face before the latter went completely limp once more.
"Daegal?"
The boy rubbed his temples.
"He was yelling- at Morgana."
The physician looked back at his charge, apprehensive about the meaning behind such a call.
Still, there was little to be done about it at this point.
"Well, best get to cleaning this mess up."
He picked up the cloth from a bucket of water nearby, wrung it out, and began to gently wipe the warlock's face and mouth.
That done, he settled his charge into a more comfortable position and assisted Daegal in sweeping up the glass shards littering the floor before turning to the singed remains of potions and instruments atop his worktable.
"Almost completely immobilized and you still manage to create chaos."
He said fondly, dearly hoping this would not be the last occasion he had to tease his precious ward.