Chapter Text
Wowwww.” Zack sighed. “You should let us eat out more often Carm!”
The gang had just pulled off their latest caper, protecting a secret recipe from a very high end restaurant, and returning it unharmed, conveniently without any interception from law enforcement. Normally they’d take off after that, but the plan had gone so smoothly, Carmen had agreed to let them try out the food the restaurant was so well-known for.
Carmen had to admit it, the food had been incredible.
“Come on you two, we’d better head out before we press our luck.” Carmen said, standing up and leaving a generous tip on the table. Zack mumbled something about how he’d wanted to try one of the other desserts, but after a sharp punch in the arm from Ivy, he dropped it.
The air outside was brisk with a bit of a breeze and Carmen shivered, pulling her coat tighter around herself. Zack and Ivy seemed unbothered, but they’d always handled the cold better than her, even if she’d never admit it.
They walked slowly back to the hotel together, enjoying the feeling of a walk and cool air after such a heavy meal. Carmen’s stomach twisted. She tried to ignore it. She must’ve eaten more than she’d realized.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about Carmen?” Ivy asked, sliding up beside her and grabbing onto her arm. “Just glad we got in and out without much trouble.” Carmen replied.
Her stomach was hurting more now, more than it should. She grimaced, trying to hide it. Zack and Ivy were having such a good time, she couldn’t ruin it for them. And besides, she had to be a strong leader for them. They couldn’t see her show weakness. Luckily, neither of them seemed to notice Carmen’s discomfort.
Ivy had let go of her arm and was now balancing on the edge of the sidewalk. Carmen concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, trying her best to keep up with the siblings. She just wished Zack would lower his voice, and Ivy would slow down.
A sharp cramp hit Carmen in her gut. She let out a soft gasp, clutching her stomach with both hands. Zack and Ivy noticed that. Ivy rushed back over to her, Zack turned around and reached down to support Carmen.
“Carm! Carmen, are you alright?” Ivy asked, trying to get the other girl to look at her. Carmen groaned and shook her head, biting her lip hard in an attempt to stop herself from making more sound. Both of the siblings were now trying their best to keep her on her feet. After a few more seconds of pain, the cramp faded back into the ache it had been before. Carmen straightened up. A wave of dizziness hit her hard and she leaned onto Ivy again.
“Sorry guys,” she choked out, “I’m not sure what’s happening.”
“Carmen, we’ve gotta get you sitting down.” Zack told her. She shook her head again.
“I’m fine, really. Just need a moment.” Ivy rolled her eyes.
“You are FAR from ok. Come on, do you think you can make it to that bench?” Without waiting for a response, Ivy began the tedious walk to get Carmen over to a park bench a few meters away. “Zack, run to the hotel and grab the car please.” Ivy said, taking charge.
Zack nodded and sped off. Ivy helped Carmen down onto the bench. The red-clad thief was shivering like mad now. Her stomach felt like it was tying itself into knots inside her abdomen. The nausea was becoming overwhelming.
A few passerbys on the street looked over at them, concerned. Ivy knew Carmen would hate the attention, so she waved them on when a few looked like they were thinking about stopping. “Ivy?” Carmen whispered. “Ivy I, I don’t feel well.” She murmured.
Ivy kinda laughed at that, despite her concern. “Oh yeah Carm? I never would’ve guessed.” She said gently. “It’s gonna be ok. Zack will be here soon with the car and we can get you back to the hotel and call Shadowsan. He’ll know what to do.”
“Ivy I think i’m gonna be sick.” She moaned, hand over her mouth and leaning forward.
Ivy supported her the best she could, holding her steady while Carmen, tough, brave, always so composed Carmen, vomited onto the pavement in front of them.
Shhh, you’re alright, you’re okay.” Ivy whispered, trying to sound comforting. She gathered back as much of Carmen’s auburn hair as possible. Carmen coughed a bit more before slumping back onto Ivy.
“Don’t worry, Zack will be back with the car soon, and then we can get you back to the hotel and call Shadowsan. He’ll know what to do.” Ivy said.
Shadowsan was off on a mission of his own, Ivy just hoped he’d have his laptop on him.
Zack pulled up to the curb, looking shocked to see how fast Carmen’s condition had gone downhill. Ivy carried the other girl into the car, gently placing her on the backseat before sliding in next to her and placing her head on her lap. She stroked her long hair, and Carmen leaned into her touch. The streetlights above made her head pound.
“Please drive carefully Zack,” Ivy said. “she’s really sick.”
As she said this, more stabbing pains gripped Carmen’s midsection. She pulled her knees up close and cradled her stomach.
“Should we bring her to the hospital?” Zack asked. “She looks really bad.”
At this, Carmen shook her head violently and through gritted teeth groaned “No. No hospital.”
Ivy nodded. “As much as I hate to say it, she’s right. We can’t risk bringing her to the hospital unless it gets really bad.” She sighed, brushing some more hair out of Carmen’s face. “I just hope it doesn’t get to that point.”
They drove in near silence after that, the quiet punctuated only by Carmen’s painful little noises, which she’d given up on trying to hold back. She was in so much pain, she couldn’t even bother to be embarrassed.
Zack pulled the car up to the entrance nearest their room. “Do you think you’ll be able to get her up on your own? I’ll pull the car around and meet you in the room.” Zack said.
Ivy nodded and lifted the sick girl out of the vehicle. Getting from the car to the hotel room was painful. Ivy was strong, but she was only one person, and Carmen was like a ragdoll.
Ivy managed to unlock the door, and lead Carmen inside. “Okay,” she said. “let’s get you changed and into bed.” But Carmen shook her head at the suggestion.
“No, I’m gonna throw up again.” She said weakly. Ivy processed this.
“Alright then, let’s get you set up in the bathroom.” She sighed. “I want to call Player and Shadowsan.”
She set Carmen down on the bathroom floor and told her she was going to grab a few blankets and the laptop. Carmen felt strange, somehow freezing cold and burning up and once, her skin tingling and the florecent hotel lights making her headache worst. she laid down on the floor, cool tiles pressed against her cheek. She closed her eyes, urging her stomach to calm down. She slipped into a sort of trance then, only opening her eyes when Ivy returned, with a glass of water and a blanket which she wrapped around Carmen’s shoulders.
The nausea swelled again, and she sat up abruptly and leaned over the toilet. Ivy pulled back her hair again, this time securing it messily with a rubber band, and rubbed Carmen between her shoulder blades while she heaved. The pain and exertion of vomiting forced tears from Carmen’s eyes. She tried her best to hide it, grabbing the tissue Ivy had passed her to wipe her mouth.
Zack let himself into the room soon after. Carmen faintly heard his sister tell him to call up the other two members of their team. Carmen tried to doze off again while Zack and Ivy filled in Player and Shadowsan on what had happened.
“Carmen’s really sick, we ate out and soon after her stomach started hurting. She’s vomiting and can hardly stand up.” Ivy said, her voice cracking just a little. “The food tasted fine and we all ordered the same thing.”
“The symptoms match up with some type of poison.” Player informed them, looking concerned. Zack’s goofy smile was gone, and even Shadowsan’s usually unreadable expression was worried. “Could’ve been an inside job by V.I.LE. to target her.”
“Well what do we do?” Ivy asked, panic creeping into her voice. “Does she need a doctor, will she be alright?”
“Do your best to keep her comfortable for now. If the dose was low enough she might be able to ride it out on her own.” Shadowsan said. “I’m on my way back to you three. If she gets worst, get her to a hospital.”
Ivy and Zack nodded.
“Please, let me stay here. no hospital.” Carmen mumbled. Everyone else jumped, she’d been silent for so long, they hadn’t known she was awake.
“No hospital right now Red. But if you don’t start to feel better or get much worst, we’ll have to figure that out.” Player told her.
“Don’t worry Carm, we’re gonna take care of you, alright?” Ivy said. Carmen nodded, leaning into Ivy’s warmth.
Player made plans for Shadowsan to get on the soonest flight, and Zack left again to try and find a store to get painkillers and a thermometer.
Carmen hunched over the toilet again, spitting hot stomach acid into the water. “Don’t try and hold it back Carmen.” The redhead said. “It needs to come out. You’re just making yourself sicker.”
Carmen let herself cry. Everything hurt, all over and she’d never felt this ill in her life, even when she’d passed out from altitude sickness in Equador. She felt Ivy press a cool, damp washcloth to her sticky forehead, washing away the clamminess, and the tear tracks that had made their way down her face.
Zack returned, handing Ivy a bottle of ibuprofen and a thermometer. “Carmen?” Ivy whispered, gently rubbing the girl’s shoulder. “Hey, do you think you could try to hold this under your tongue for me?”
Carmen looked up. She felt exhausted, like she hadn’t slept in days. She put the thermometer under her tongue, and they both watched the number climb, finally beeping at 102°
The feeling of the thermometer in her mouth had made the nausea even worst. As soon as Ivy had taken back the thermometer, Carmen threw up again, taking short breaths in between. Ivy continued to rub her back and stomach, telling her she was doing well. Carmen finally sat back.
“Think you could maybe try some water and an ibuprofen now?” Ivy asked. Carmen shook her head.
“No. I won’t be able to keep it down.”
“Please just try? We can’t have you getting dehydrated, and water won’t hurt as much as dry heaving.” said Ivy. Zack nodded from the doorway.
Carmen took a deep breath and reached for the pills and cup of water the siblings passed her. She didn’t realize how thirsty she was until she took that first sip of water.
She’d been right. A few minutes after the water and pills, Carmen found herself gagging again, both of the siblings helping her to sit up from where she’d been lying and bring up the water she’d drank. Ivy was right though, it had hurt much less than her empty stomach straining to bring up something, anything, that was making her sick.
“Oh, oh Carm...” Said Ivy. She looked sleepy too, she’d been trying to doze in between Carmen’s vomiting. “We really should try to get you into bed Carmen. There’s nothing left in you.”
Carmen let out a soft little noise, and wiped her mouth. Ivy shook Zack awake, he’d been sleeping too, and asked him to grab some of Carmen’s pajamas from her bag.
He returned a few minutes later carrying a pair of sweatpants and a clean shirt for her, and then left the bathroom. Ivy helped Carmen to wipe the sweat off of her face again, and turned around while she changed into the clean clothes.
“Think you can stand up?” Ivy asked. Carmen slowly nodded, her throat too painful to waste words. Ivy helped her up, and carried her to one of the beds.
“Will you stay?” Carmen asked, her voice scratchy and hoarse.
“Of course.” said Ivy, lying the other girl down on the bed and crawling under the covers behind her. Carmen felt Ivy’s arms wrap around her.
“You’re gonna be fine Carmen. You’re gonna be just fine.” She whispered. Carmen believed it.