Day 18 - Headache
A/N: Doc sometimes get too absorbed in his projects. A short piece set a few years prior to Part I.
By some miracle from the heavens, he'd managed to arrive for work early.
For fourteen-year-old Marty, given how often Strickland seemed to bombard him with tardy slips and trips to detention, it was most definitely a rare occasion. He was grateful that even when he was running late, Doc never spoke harshly to him or even acknowledged it half the time.
I just hope he doesn't mind that I am early for once…
The young man rang the doorbell twice before letting himself inside. "Yo, Doc!" Marty placed his skateboard next to the doormat, shuffling his backpack off his shoulders. "You here, Doc?"
Although he still didn't receive a response, he wasn't that concerned. Sometimes Doc was so wrapped up in whatever he was working on that until Marty tapped him on the shoulder, he had no idea he was there. This had resulted in a number of unintentional jumpscares until Doc decided to finally fix his doorbell, giving Marty a tool to announce his arrival. "Doc?..."
What did make him concerned was the sudden appearance of a frantic Einstein, barking and whining as he sprinted towards Marty. The faithful canine jumped towards the teenager, wailing as he tried to grab a piece of his shirt in his mouth.
"Einstein!" Marty attempted to calm the furry companion, failing to dodge the projectiles of spit flying at him. "Einstein, it's alright boy! Where's Doc?"
A sudden clattering from the back of the house made him jump, causing Einstein to abandon his obsession with the teenager and charge down the hallway, barking furiously as he went. Now starting to feel worried, Marty cautiously followed the canine into the depths of the house. "Doc? You okay?"
If the scientist did respond, Marty couldn't hear his reply over Einstein's wails. "Geez, Einy, calm down!" He ducked his head into the kitchen as he passed, though he found himself doing a double take as he realised there was an uneaten bowl of cereal and glass of milk adorning the kitchen bench. One sniff was enough to confirm his suspicions that it'd been out of the fridge for several hours, and he frowned in disgust. Did Doc even have breakfast this morning?…He's always telling me how its bad for you to skip food.
Einstein's yapping drew his attention back to the present, and Marty found himself trailing behind the dog as he led the teenager towards the back living room, and his panic only rose as he noticed the lights were off. "Doc?"
He went to flip the light switch when a strangled noise of protest made him jump. "Doc!"
Squinting through the dim light he managed to make out a familiar shape curled up on Einstein's dog bed, still dressed in a lab coat that desperately needed a run through the wash. Doc's hands were clutching at his hair, his fingers absently massaging his scalp through the strands as he kept his face firmly buried in the depths of a pillow.
It didn't take Marty long to work out what was wrong; he'd seen Doc in this state enough times to know the drill. "Another migraine?"
The scientist could only manage a low hum in response and Marty sighed numbly. That's the second one this month! And it's only the tenth!…
For God's sake, Doc, I told you that you gotta look after yourself! You can't work for twenty-six hours straight!
Marty leaned against the doorframe, glaring at the linoleum floor with He felt guilty for being so frustrated with the situation presented before him. Doc was an adult, after all, and therefore capable of looking after himself.
At the same time though, all he could see in that curled-up profile on the couch was his mother after a couple of bottles of wine.
At least Doc had the decency and humility to thank him after each episode had passed. His own mother usually didn't remember him cleaning up her vomit or placing a damp cloth on her forehead.
I'm getting too good at this whole 'nursing' bullshit.
Deciding to keep his thoughts private, Marty gave Einstein a thankful pat before he turned towards the kitchen. "I'll grab your water, Doc."