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Eddie helps Buck shuffle from the car into the house. He’s still pale-- too pale, but it’s nothing like the sickly grey he’d been just a few days ago. Now at least there’s a little colour back in his cheeks.
“Couch or bed?” Eddie asks as they get inside.
“Couch,” Buck instists, reaching out to grab the armrest and ease himself down. “I want to stay out here.” His voice is still so rough, and there’s a breathlessness to it that has Eddie on edge. If it had been up to him, Buck would still be in hospital, but once his fever had broken and he was no longer on supplemental oxygen, his doctor had been satisfied they could manage at home. He’s under strict instructions to rest though, and Eddie intends to make sure he follows them.
“You sure? You’ll sleep better in bed.”
“I’ve done nothing but sleep the last few days,” Buck complains, coughing weakly into his elbow, before reaching for a tissue to spit out the gunk his lungs are still producing.
“Because you’ve been really sick,” Eddie reminds him, his mind flashing back to finding Buck in his apartment, unconscious and burning with fever. By the time paramedics had arrived he’d barely been breathing, his lungs filling up with fluid from the pneumonia he’d been fighting unawares.
Eddie drops Buck’s bag by the coffee table and digs out the paper bag with his antibiotics, setting them on the table.
“How about this,” he suggests, “we’ll set the couch up with blankets and I’ll grab some pillows, but you’ve got to stay there. No getting up for the kitchen or because you’re bored or whatever. You’re on strict bed rest.”
“What if I need the bathroom?” Buck asks, some of his usual cheeky humour returning.
“You call me and I’ll help you.”
“Fine.” Buck’s head tips back against the couch cushions, his eyes drifting shut. Eddie imagines he must be exhausted, all his energy used up changing into a clean pair of clothes at the hospital plus the trip home.
“You can’t sleep like that,” Eddie says, nudging Buck gently. “Do you think you can manage your shoes while I grab some things from the bedroom?”
Buck’s eyes blink open and he stares down at his feet for a moment before bending to reach for them with a wheezy sigh. “Mm, I got it.” He glances up when Eddie makes no move to leave the room. “I promise you I can handle this.”
He doesn’t sound annoyed which is a relief. Eddie knows he’s hovering but he can’t help it. God, Buck could have died, all alone in his apartment. He would have if Eddie hadn’t decided to go check in on him. He almost hadn’t. Buck had been okay the day before, sick and miserable maybe, but not hospital grade sick but then he’d gone downhill so quick.
Eddie forces himself to walk away, heading down the hall to his bedroom to grab the pillows Buck uses when he stays over. On his way back he pulls the spare quilt from the hall closet and carries it all out to the living room.
Buck has kicked his shoes off and pulled his long legs up onto the couch. He’s too tall to stretch out properly so he lies with his knees bent, toes pressed up against the opposite armrest. Eddie drops the quilt on top of him, startling a soft laugh out of Buck which quickly dissolves into another wet cough.
Eddie grimaces at the sound. “Jesus, you sound awful.” He hands over the pillows and fixes the quilt. “Hen said we should wrap you up in cotton wool and never let you outside again, and I’m inclined to agree with her.” He nudges Buck’s legs and sits on the end of the couch before resettling Buck’s feet in his lap.
“All my favourite things are outside,” Buck mumbles, shifting to get comfortable.
Patting one of the feet in his lap, Eddie says, “I know. It’s too bad really.”
Buck sticks his tongue out at him and it’s good to see him so animated, even if he looks like he’s seconds from falling asleep.
“I’m going to put a movie on, any preferences?” Eddie asks, leaning forward to grab the remote.
“Whatever’s fine,” Buck replies, picking at the bandaid on the back of his hand. “I don’t think I’ll be awake long enough to enjoy it.”
Sure enough, by the time the opening credits have finished rolling Buck is fast asleep. Eddie turns the volume down a little so it won’t disturb him, kicks his feet up onto the coffee table and finally lets out the breath he’s been holding for the last three days.