Chapter 33
I grab the thermometer as I head over to Cole and Damian. I give Damian a smile as I speak to Cole.
“This is a real simple temperature check. Just stay still for me.”
He lifts his arm as if to stop me when I place the reader in his ear. Thankfully he stops part way and simply makes a face at the brief process.
“100.5 Angela.”
“Still low but at least it’s holding steady. We need to get him back in bed. I’ve turned everything down so it doesn’t cook him but instead of a sheet the bed is covered with a heated blanket, plus the two pillows and another heated blanket to cover him with. I’m hoping that he’ll sleep better if he’s warm.”
“I need to move you back to the bed. I also need you to try and at least drink a little bit of a protein drink. Eating something right now would be too difficult for you but I’m hoping you can stomach at least half a small bottle of a nutrient rich protein drink. We have chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. I’d recommend starting with vanilla as it has the lightest taste but I’ll help you drink any that you choose. Cole?”
He appears to be drifting in and out of sleep again as I push him the short distance to the bed.
“Cole, I need you to stand long enough to get in the bed.”
I wrap my arms around him like before and he responds with the same. The only thing bothering me is the lack of control he has for his head. I do my normal count before pulling him a bit more than he could push to get him up. I move him easily to the bed before sitting behind him.
“What do we have in the fridge that he can drink now?”
“Chocolate”
I hear Damian call out. He starts making his way over to the bed with two drinks in hand. He opens one for himself as he hands the other off to me. I get Cole in a good position for drinking without choking before opening it up.
“Cole, we werewolves can’t go very long without eating. The most is about a day and with you as sick as you are I don’t want to wait that long. I need you to drink at least half of this drink. I want you to hold it so you can control how much you get but I’m also going to hold it since you have a lot of tremors going on.”
His lack of response to my request is worrying so without waiting for him to grab the bottle I place it gently to his lips. His harsh reaction to get away from it stuns Damian and myself to the point that it takes a moment to recover.
“Open your eyes Cole. This is the same stuff that Damian is drinking. I need you to try it.”
I can feel him stir around as Damian sits on the side of the bed but I can’t tell if he actually looks.
“Hey” I hear Damian speak with a smile. “This stuff is actually really good. It’s formulated for werewolves when they’re sick or can’t eat regular meals for whatever reason that may be preventing them from eating.”
“What’s.... in it?”
“You know I actually don’t know.”
I smile when Damian rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepishly at Cole. Then, as if he realizes something, Damian’s eyes drop to the container in his hand. Spinning it slowly in his hand.
“You asked what is in it. I was thinking ingredients but now that I think about what little bit we do know about you.”
His voice trails off and sadness laces his eyes.
“What are you thinking, Damian?”
I can’t help but ask him for the question I haven’t thought of yet.
“It would be pretty easy to slip Ativan or some other dissolving medication into this and no one would know until you knocked out or got sick from it.”
He states as he roughly gets up from the bed. He comes back with another, unopened bottle. Sitting back on the bed with Cole and I, he hands Cole the bottle.
“It’s not open. I know you're tired but it’s important that you eat so look it over and when you’re satisfied that it hasn’t been tempered with you can watch one of us open it.”
Cole starts slouching over against my arm before he struggles to right himself again. I’m pleasantly surprised when, instead of having the new bottle opened he reaches for the one in my hand. Unfortunately he’s also struggling badly to keep himself upright.
“Cole, I’m not taking this away.”
I speak gently so as not to relay any anger or frustration.
“I’d like to adjust how I’m holding you so you stay upright a little better without the struggle.”
He lightly nods his head as I move him around.
“Are you left or right handed?”
He raises his left as I gently drape my right arm across his right shoulder and chest.
“Lean into my shoulder. I’m going to bring the drink to your mouth again. Meet my hand so you have control of how much you get.”
He reaches up and gently takes my hand as I help to slowly pour a small amount into his mouth. I can feel him take a few small mouthfuls before whining and pushing it away.
“What’s wrong, Cole?”
“Stomach..... always..... sick.... when.... stressed.”
“Hmmm, I see.” I hum lightly.
“Angela, do you have anything for nausea?”
“Yes, we can try that.”
As Angela walks over to us with the medication I notice that Cole has started panting hard on top of his wheezing.
“Cole?”
I ask quietly. I’m concerned about this sudden pain.
“Stomach..... cramps..... bad.... after.... bruising.”
He struggles through the comment as he pulls his legs to his chest. I watch Angela return to the cabinet and start pulling out everything we use in a blood draw as well as the feeding tube kit. My heart sinks for the young man. It seems Dr. Carter was half right on what he needs.
“Cole'' I'm speaking gently as his whimpers increase. “I need you to cooperate. We are going to put a feeding tube in since you're having such a bad reaction to the protein shake. I’m going to adjust your body position so I can hold you and help you through this.”
My legs are already on each side of his body making it easy to turn him to the side. He’s panting bad with the pain of the cramps and wheezing even harder.
“Damian, can you grab the mask while we wait for Angela?”
He jogs over and barely takes a few seconds to get it to me. I take it from him with a nod of thanks and slowly put it to Cole’s face. He fights it hard enough that I take it off twice before he’s able to accept it. It’s only a minute later that Angela comes over with everything she needs for him.
“Cole, has Dr. Carter ever given you any medication in your nose?”
I remove the mask as he shakes his head no.
“I can’t imagine doing the feeding tube without any kind of numbing medication so hopefully the discomfort of the numbing spray makes the tube going down a little easier.”
Cole is barely moving, making me wonder if he’s even still awake.
“Cole, are you still awake?”
“Barely”
I barely hear him whisper as he tries to get up. Angela steps in and stops his movements. The cramping seems to have relaxed at the moment so it’s easier to get him into a comfortable position.
“I’m going to have Demetri hold you similar to how we hold the kids when they have to have one of these.”
I can feel him nod his head slowly.
“Now, the spray can be a little uncomfortable but I think it’s a lot easier to handle than this tube going up your nose and down your throat. I know you’ve had several of these but hopefully this one ends up being the easiest one you’ve had. It’s still a bit rough until the tube gets past the gag reflex but after that you should be able to relax.”
He nods again even slower as it seems he’s still quite sedated.
“Alright Cole, two sprays on each side.”
Angela moves quickly so as not to encounter any fight getting the spray into his nose. It’s as she finishes the second side that he has a strong reaction, pulling away right after the second spray coughing hard.
“Breathe through your mouth and swallow anything in your throat. It will numb the back of your throat reducing the gag reflex. He’s already in a good position for me to work with, I just need you, Demetri, to hold his hands down in his lap and Damian, I need you to hold his head still.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Come around to the back of Cole. I want to keep him in his current position since he’s comfortable enough to barely be awake. All I need is a gentle hand keeping his head against your father’s shoulder. He’s already resting against it so I just need your hand to keep him there.”
Damian does as instructed and positions himself behind Cole placing his hand near the top of his head.
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