Chapter Title: Virus

Series Title: Unlikely Brothers

POV: Dashen

Ages in this chapter: Tanner (11) Dashen (17)

Chapter Summary: A virus knocks Tanner for a loop.


The smell was horrid. The sight was horrid-er. Sure, not a word, but it worked and it was truth.

Tanner was covered from head to toe in browny-greeny gunk; specifically vomit gunk.

Yup, he'd been puked on. A lot. His fault. He was insistent on going to school today, even though half the kids were out with the latest fad-virus. The rest of the kids were bound to have been exposed and carrying contagions. But there was Tanner, not willing to miss a day of class voluntarily. His brain never took a break and wanting and needing to learn as much useless information as it possibly could.

And here he stood. Outside the school. Coated in all the nasty colors of the spectrum, staring at me as I laughed my butt off, holding my sides it hurt so much.

I'd gotten the call, not from him, but from his teacher asking me to come pick him up. And herein lay the tricky part. There was no way he was getting into the land-speeder I'd borrowed from Colton. Colton would have me murdered in my sleep if I let that disgust-covered child into his precious vehicle. Those were stains and odors that could last a lifetime.

"Okay, Tanner. I'm done laughing now. Sorry. Have to figure out how to get you home. I guess we walk?"

Scuffing feet in the dirt – unlike him – and wiping his filthy face with an equally filthy tunic sleeve, he began sludging – literally – in the general direction of home. Of course by the time we reached home, an hour later, my sense of humor in all of this had tamed as it looked like Tanner was actually becoming as sick as he looked. The virus was running ragged in the kids of Kaolin. It only seemed to affect the younger ones too. There had yet to be an adult case or one with any teenager. Something about immune systems still developing or something. I don't know. Colton's healer, Quin, had rambled on about it and I'd lost interest after twenty minutes. Tanner was a young eleven and his age was a prime target for the thing.

He stopped his pathetic slumped walk at the entrance to Colton's estate, debating if he should even enter the grounds, much less walk into the house.

"Come on, Mouse. We'll go in our private entrance. He won't even know."

The front door opened. A very tall, very broad man with long blond hair framed the doorway. Damn it.

"Okay, so maybe he will know."

Colton pointed to his right. Yup, definitely going in through our private entrance. How the hell did he know? Oh, he had people everywhere. I forgot at times, with the stealth and shadows with which they moved. Eyes, ears all over the town and beyond. Who knows how large a staff the man actually had, it was substantial though.

"Over that way, kid. Let's avoid the angry blonde man."

We did. Tanner trudged uncomfortably up the stairs to our apartment door. Just inside the door and I sent my little brother directly to the bathroom. "Put a towel on the floor and toss your vomit clothes on it. We may have to burn those things, I don't think that smell is coming out. I really don't think the stains are. I'll be in to help you in a minute."

"I can do it myself, Dash." He could. But he couldn't. Not right now. He was failing fast, the virus taking hold.

"You can't and you won't. The only question is, do we wait to get you clean after you've puked up your own guts, or do we clean you up and then just hang you over the toilet? Go on, hurry. I'm right behind you."

I was too, though by the time I got there, my decision had been made for me. Tanner was hanging over the toilet, losing everything he'd eaten in the last twenty-four hours. Hadn't even gotten one shred of clothing off, save for a boot and half a sock. I halfway felt sorry for making fun of him a while ago, but it was hilarious at the time, so I didn't fret over it too much.

"At least you aimed well," I said as I knelt down. "Tanner, give me your arm." In no condition to oppose the request, his right arm was presented to me and I tugged layer one off that arm, then reached around to remove it from the other. Second layer followed, this one came over his head.

"Dash, 'm cold now." He whined to me, bare skin exposed from the waist up.

"Finish puking and then we get you warm."

"Quin is here." The big voice came from the door. Colton. Somewhat stealthy for his size. "Dash, let her see to him, then you can filter back in."

Enter the gray-haired healer with the kind face and the take-no-crap attitude. Average in size, large in experience, Quin was all things good about the healing game, even if she was paid a handsome sum to be Colton's personal physician for he and his people. That money also covered enough so that she never even thought twice about ratting Tanner out, though I don't think she really cared one way or the other about his past. Tanner had a great relationship with her and she in turn treated him with doses of gentleness and respect.

"I'll give him back to you in moment, Dashen," she told me, taking my spot on the floor. Her skilled hands moved quickly. "Nothing more than the same virus, but I wanted to be certain. Here," a hypospray in the arm, "It'll lesson the violence of the nausea, but it's not a cure all. Riding it out is the only option, I'm afraid."

She set an aged hand on the nape of his neck and massaged there briefly. A signal to me, I thought, an action that may help him feel a little less miserable. "A few days, Tannerlin, to feel better. Let your brother take care of you until then."

Tanner nodded into the toilet as he gagged up a few chunks of whatever was left inside.

Quin stood and addressed me next. "Once he's empty, his stomach will settle down. Clean him up, get him warm and let him rest and sleep. No food for twenty-four hours. Water is fine. Some broth-soup after that if no vomiting. The schools are shut down for the week, so tell him not to worry about missing lessons. I know he frets when he can't get to class."

I was impressed that she knew that, but she and Tanner did sometimes have interestingly mind-numbing conversations. The kid could talk to anyone. It was a gift he had. One I lacked, or better yet, had no need to want.

"I'll look after him," came my promise.

"Good. Call me if things go backwards, but he shouldn't have any complications other than the normal progression of the virus."

Promising words. Quin was rarely wrong.

She was wrong this time.

I'd gotten my brother into a bath, clean and into bed. For a week. The end of that week, there was no sign of improvement. Not what I was expecting or hearing from the chatter around town. Tanner should've turned a corner by now, instead he was stalled in one.

It came to a head early morning that seventh night when a chirp on my comm alerted me that Tanner needed me. Launching out of bed and to his room, I flipped his light on the dim setting. "Hey, Mouse, what's going on?" I position sideways on the edge of his bed, feeling forehead and arms and not liking what I felt.

"Dash. My chest hurts when I breathe."

That was new. That was worrying. I kept my voice calm. "Yeah? Is that new?"

"Started a couple hours ago. I don't like it."

Water formed in his eyes. Tanner was extremely pain tolerant for a kid his age with his ability to toss his discomforts into his magic Force land and refocus it. It worked more often to dull pains then remove them, but it usually helped. So when he actually complained of pain, that was a signal that he was in a bad way.

"How bad does it feel? Can you breathe okay still?"

"Yeah, but it's harder to do it."

Harder to breathe. That wasn't right. Action time. I hustled from the room, pulled on my boots and a jacket, grabbed Tanner's sleep robe from his closet and sat him upright. Robe on, I then scooped him into my arms like a small child and carefully stepped my way downstairs.

"Colton!"

Yelling at the top of my lungs in the middle of the night was sure to tick him off, but I needed help now. I'd worry on the consequences of waking him later.

"COLT!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Yup, he was awake and zen-focused on me. Eyes softened when he saw the eleven year old bundle in my arms.

"Tanner's bad, he needs a hospital."

My tone, my face, both serious. He knew this was no joke.

"Put him in the speeder, I'll get Quin on the comm."

We made the hospital in record time. Quin was called in from home, her trusted assistant Fen met us at the door. "Follow me. Has he not improved at all?"

"No, well, he's not vomiting, but says he has bad pain his chest when he breathes and it's hard to breathe. Fen, what's going on? I thought this virus just needed to run it's course and get the hell out of him, why's he's getting worse?"

"Unclear so far. There have been several other children who have not yet improved. Like Tannerlin. The only thing the others have in common so far is that none of them were born on Terra. All four - five with your brother - were born elsewhere and came to Terra no earlier than age five. It may have some affect on their immunity, not being exposed as an infant to the atmosphere of the planet. We're not certain, it's a working theory and one we are taking seriously. Over here."

Fen's green skin glittered slightly in the soft light, her black eyes, despite their singleness of dark color, showed concern. She was young, but talented. Quin trusted her so I did as well. She pointed to the last room on the right. Single bed, soft light. I set my brother down, flinching as he moaned in pain.

"It's okay, Mouse. We're at the hospital. Fen is here. Quin is on her way. They'll take good care of you. Colton's here too." He grabbed my hand before I could move. "Yeah, I know, I'm not leaving. Promise. Just getting a blanket for you."

Fen began her exam. Quin hurried in moments later. And for that I did have to step back to give them room.

What seemed like hours - but was really only about twenty minutes - passed. Fen came to Colton and me while Quin stepped out of the room for a moment.

"We gave him a drug that should help tightness in the chest. He's breathing a bit easier now. He'll stay here so we can treat his symptoms as they happen."

"Those other kids that are sick. Are they here? Are they getting better?"

"They are here. They are not improving yet, but stable. We'll be running blood tests on all of them, including Tanner, looking for sameness and similarities. That will help direct treatment. Be patient. Stay with your brother now."

No answers. Waiting. Be patient. Not my strong point. Frustration was my strong point, especially when it came to little brothers being sick. But I did it. I was patient. I waited. And hated every last second of it.

A few days slogged by. No change for the better or for worse. None of the kids made any progress was the bad news. That they didn't lose progress was the good. They kept Tanner an the others gently sedated. Tanner was still conscious of the world around him, but he slept mostly. Giving the body a chance to fight the virus while the healers worked.

A hand touched my shoulder. My normal reaction would have been to jump upright startle everyone around me. I was so exhausted from worry and no sleep, I barely even registered a reaction. Rolling over in the spare bed the healers had allowed me - I owed them big time on this - Fen's space-black eyes blinked at me. Her short dark hair covered today with a dark blue rag - a custom of her healing people - to cover the head when on duty. She and Tanner had discussed the custom in depth a few months prior. He'd been curious about the yellow one she'd worn during rounds while we were in for checkups. Who'd have known a yellow hair covering would mean an hour long yak session. Only Tanner.

"Dashen, you must wake."

That sounded a tad ominous. Didn't it?

"What's wrong? Tanner?"

"What is right, you mean. Your brother is improving. Finally. The other children are as well. We isolated a treatment based on the immunity vaccination they were not provided as infants since they were not born on Terra. From that, we created a booster. It's already showing improvement. See, your brother's chest is falling easier now."

My legs fell off my bed and stumbled me to Tanner's. He did look a smidge less horrible. That had to be a good sign, right? I set a hand on his chest. Easy rise and fall. Not perfect, but less ragged and tight than before. I sighed. Relief.

Fen continued as she stood next to me now. "We will keep him here until for a few more days to prevent setbacks. But we foresee no additional complications."

"You and Quin are miracle workers, Fen. I am forever grateful."

"Your brother is well regarded, Dashen. But all children deserve the finest treatment. I am very pleased Tannerlin will be well. I look forward to our future conversations."

Tanner's, not mine, of course. I smiled as Fen set a hand on my shoulder once more before leaving the room. Colton replaced her.

"I have some damn good healers on my payroll."

I laughed. "You do. The best. And Tanner has wormed his way into their hearts too. Sneaky little thing."

"He can worm his way into anyone's heart, Dash. When can we take him home?"

"Not for a few days. They're being extra careful. I need to stay with him. Can you cover my runs for the rest of the week?"

Colton came to stand with me, towering over Tanner's bed, but grinning gently down toward him. "Already done, kid. You'll go back to work when your brother is on his feet. I can't have you in the field worrying to death over him, now can I? "

"Defiantly not a good idea. I get into enough trouble when my mind is singularly focused."

"I'll not comment on that. And you're welcome. I'll have Vera drop you some breakfast before she opens the bar. I've got a day to run. Call me if anything changes with your brother."

Yeah, he cared. He liked to be weird about it sometimes, but he liked us.

There were no further complications in Tanner's recovery. It took time and effort, but three days later he was released. Naturally, he hugged Quin and Fen on the way out. Weakened state or not, it was impossible for Tanner to deny who he was.

"Okay, Mouse, leave the healers to healing. Too much hugging will exhaust you. We're going home and getting you resting."

"But... wait," he protested, "Fen, how are the other kids that were sick? Are they recovered? Are they all right?"

As I said, he could not deny who he was. And what he was... was just a good and decent kid.

Fen grinned. "They are all well, Tannerlin. Three left yesterday. The other will leave today. Full recovery's for each, including you. Thank you for being concerned."

"I'm glad. I felt horrible, so I know they must have too. Oh and I like your orange damask."

Dama...what? I was missing something, wasn't I? As usual.

"Thank you, young one. Orange is a happy color for when sick patients go home. I am pleased to wear it today."

Ah, okay, Damask. Must be a word for her head cloth, rag, whatever the hell it was on her head. Apparently she had colors for moods or emotions or I don't know, why I bothered to keep up with Tanner's conversations about things I could care less about - no idea. Onward!

"Come on, Tanner. You can discuss headgear next time."

"It's not headgear, Dash, it's a spiritual piece of her people who are healers and long ago they evolved from..."

"Okay, yes, don't care. Let's go home. I'm tired of hospitals. You should be too. I'm also exhausted. I need my own bed."

"Dash, you're so boring sometimes."

"Boring and bored. Come on!"

"But I still love you."

"Back at ya, kid. Can we go home now please?"

Another hug. For me this time. Quick and warm. Then released.

There. All was right with the planet. Now we could go home.


END