Work Text:
When he woke up that morning, he did feel a bit rough but of course he ignored it, he had to go to work. Now, late afternoon, Maxi regretted ever getting out of bed. He felt awful and probably wasn’t in a fit state to work but they were short staffed so he was needed. Luckily, he was in the tower so he could at least sit down and be out of the sun but deep down he knew that wasn’t going to last. Jesse was out on the Jet Ski and every time Maxi looked over at him, he had at least a person on the back of the ski. North Bondi was thankfully quiet. Maxi wished he could say the same for the rest of the beach. Harrison was running in and out of the water like a headless chicken saving people left, right and centre. Kerrbox was doing a bit less running but he still had his hands full. One of them would need a break soon and Maxi would be the one going out there then.
Soon enough it happened. He had to swap with Kerrbox since Box hadn’t had his lunch yet. Kerrbox trudged into the tower with a scowl. He was starving and tired and was looking forward to having a bit of a rest. Maxi on the other hand was not looking forward to be going out of the cool tower. Kerrbox sat on one of the chairs with his lunch.
“You best get out there, mate” He mumbled, taking a big bite of his sandwich.
“Suppose so” Maxi mumbled back.
Kerrbox frowned. Maxi was usually in a good mood and he was this morning he thought. Maxi stood up and a wave of dizziness hit him. He grabbed the desk to steady himself. Kerrbox looked confused and a little worried. Maxi quickly played it off as getting up too fast and for being sat down too long. He did some stretches and made his hasty exit. Kerrbox decided to keep a close eye on him, just to be sure. He knew Maxi had bad days and he hoped this wasn’t one of them. He did notice the kid looked a bit pale but shrugged it off.
Maxi jogged down the beach to where Kerrbox was situated. As soon as he got there, he saw that 3 people were in trouble. Sighing heavily, he took off his shirt and ran into the water with the rescue board. Jesse backed him up by grabbing 2 of them. Maxi rode a wave back to shore with his person. He was glad that Jesse was on the ski and not him.
It was approaching 5 pm and the beach-goers slowly departed. It was beginning to get overcast as well. Jesse had packed the Jet Ski and was now cruising the north end of the beach. Harrison had headed back to the tower for a quick drink. Maxi, meanwhile was feeling even worse than he did a couple of hours ago. He felt hot but he blamed the sun for that. He also felt weak and tired. He knew he should head back to the tower and say he wasn’t feeling great but he was still kind of needed on the beach. He hadn’t done that much today, less than the others so he should stop complaining. Another wave of dizziness hit him and he groaned. He came to the conclusion that he was just dehydrated and needed some water. Being in the sun wasn’t helping. He put his hand on his forehead. It was hard to tell if he had a fever or not, stupid sunshine. He decided that he needed to go back to the tower. He radioed Kerrbox.
“Hey, Box, just coming back to the tower for a sec”
“No worries mate, it’s pretty quiet down south now anyway and Jesse’s on the beach”
Maxi began walking back to the tower; each step feeling heavier than the last. Kerrbox had picked up on how mumbled Maxi’s voice was through the radio and he could tell something was wrong as he watched Maxi walk back up the beach. Harrison was by the door watching the water and he too could tell Maxi wasn’t himself. With every ounce of effort, Maxi climbed the stairs of the tower where Harrison greeted him.
“Alright, mate?” Harrison asked in his usual tone of voice.
Maxi nodded before his legs gave way and he lost consciousness. Harrison reacted quickly, catching the kid before he hit the ground.
“Maxi?” Harrison tried not to sound panicked. He picked Maxi up bridal styles and rushed him into the tower “Box!” he yelled. Kerrbox spun around in his chair only to see Harrison carrying an unconscious Maxi. He lept off the chair and joined Harrison next to the bed they had in the tower. Harrison lay Maxi down and gently shook him; he got no response. Kerrbox placed his hand on Maxi’s head and confirmed what he thought; Maxi had a fever.
“He’s burning up. The daft kid has got himself ill and kept it to himself” Kerrbox shook his head “Harrison, stay with him and try to wake him up. When he’s awake, take him home will you?”
“Will do” Harrison replied.
After about 15 minutes, Maxi stirred. He felt absolutely awful. Harrison was by his side in a flash with a glass of water. Maxi slowly drank it as he tried to stay awake. Kerrbox told him off for even coming into work today and that he could have endangered lives by doing rescues while sick. Maxi apologised. Harrison did as he was told and got Maxi home to their place they shared together. Maxi was out like a light as soon as they got home. Harrison chuckled, Maxi looked 10x younger when he slept and it was hilariously adorable.