Chapter 93: Summer Cold
*I finally found out what’s worse than the man flu. A woman who has a summer cold and two men who are lost without her. – Doc*
Tank woke up with his chest burning up. He moved away from where he was spooned up behind Evie. Ink also moved away from her.
She whimpered and shivered as she sought out their warmth. Ink pushed her hair off her face.
“She’s burning up.”
“I’m calling Doc.” Tank said grabbing his phone. He didn’t care that it was four in the morning. His woman was sick.
“Yeah…” came a groggy greeting from the speaker phone.
“It’s Tank.”
“Who’s dying?” Doc asked as he yawned.
“Our woman is burning up.” Ink said.
“What is her temperature?” Doc asked and the two men looked at each other in confusion. “You don’t know where the thermometer is, do you?”
“No, we don’t.” Ink admitted.
“Okay, I’m on my way.” He yawned again. “I don’t need sleep.”
Tank grunted and ended the call. Ink pulled on a pair of Disney pajama pants and Tank pulled on black athletic shorts. Both had been bought by Evie and both showed the difference in their personalities.
Ink headed downstairs turning on lights as he went. He opened the front door and turned on the outside light. To keep himself from watching for Doc, he went and started coffee.
Doc knocked on the storm door and Ink quickly let him in. “She’s upstairs in bed.”
“That’s where most people are at four thirty in the morning.” He smirked as he followed Ink’s back through the house.
The upstairs hallway light was on but the bedroom only had a bedside light on. Tank was on the bed propped against the headboard. Evie was in his lap, wrapped up in a blanket.
“If she has a fever, she needs to be cooled off. Not warmed up.”
Tank glared at his friend and brother. “She was shivering.”
“Because she has a fever, not because she’s cold.” The PA countered as he put his back pack on the bench at the end of the bed. He pulled out his temporal thermometer and ran it across her forehead.
“She’s got to come out of that blanket. Ink, do you have room temperature bottled water?”
“Yeah.” He stood there until Doc looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. “Oh. Yeah. Be right back.”
As the smaller of the two men left, Doc turned his attention back to the larger one. “She can stay in your lap, but she has a high fever. She’s got to come out of the blanket.”
Begrudgingly, Tank allowed her to be unwrapped. Under the quilt was a comforter and then Evie. She was a little bitty thing compared to the man holding her. Skinny, but not skin and bones thin. She had well defined muscles.
And beautiful tits with black barbells in the nipples.
Had it been any other brother, they would have put a night gown or t-shirt on her. But these two never consider covering her naked body. Only their own.
“Here.” Ink said handing Doc a bottle of water.
Opening the bottle, he sat on the edge of the bed. “Here go. Little sips.” He carefully tipped the bottle against her lips allowing her to get a drink. A little bit dribbled down her chin.
“That’s a girl.” Doc encouraged. Once he’d gotten a quarter of the bottle in her, he put the lid on and sat it on the table. “You’re still so hot.”
He rummaged through the bag and found his box of medicine. Since he was barely getting the water in her, he wasn’t going to try any pills. Instead, he found his children’s liquid Tylenol and gave her a large dose.
“Ink, I want some damp rags.”
“Cold?”
“Cool is better. It’s still going to feel cold to her.” He said getting the water bottle again. “Come on, let’s have a little more.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
Tank spoke so softly that he was almost unheard. Doc had never seen him like this before. Nothing ever rattled him. Nothing before this woman.
“I’m not sure, brother.” Doc admitted as he began to wipe down her body with the damp cloth. “I want to get her fever down first.”
Tank nodded and then pressed his lips to her head. Doc thought it best not to mention the tear that landed on her hair. Ink got on the bed on the opposite side and sat next to them. Fear and concern were clearly written on his face as well.
