Work Text:
Wesley Crusher was sick.
He’d known as soon as he’d gotten up at oh-seven-hundred and wanted nothing less than to leave his bed. Unfortunately, he had a quantum spectroscopy exam scheduled for the afternoon, and a boatload of videos to watch for his other classes. The only saving grace he could see was that in light of the exam, he didn’t have a bridge shift or engineering shift. The other silver lining was that he was staying with Commander Riker, who always left at oh-six-hundred for a morning workout and trusted Wesley to get himself wherever he needed to be.
He hadn’t left his bedroom all day, but he’d muddled through his review, skipped the vids, and forced down soup from the replicator. The test was in ten minutes, and he hauled himself over from his spot under the blankets to his desk, wearing the blanket like a cape. Wesley wanted desperately to turn up the heat, but he knew what his mom would say if she were here.
She wasn’t here, and Doctor Pulaski wasn’t in favor of the kid the captain allowed on the bridge, and he had to remember the difference between variational and perturbation theory in regards to multi electron wave functions.
By the time the Five Minute Warning window popped up, Wesley had answered every question, and without re-reading them, hit submit . All of the awfulness increased ten-fold, his joints feeling like jelly and his head pounding worse than it had all day. He stood, and his legs shook and his vision spun.
Must have a higher fever than I thought, he decided. Suddenly, he wished his mom was there, and that she’d tuck him in and bring him a hypo and a cold glass of water. It was stupid and childish and all too overwhelming, and the world spun again. He sat down hard in his desk chair.
The Enterprise operated on GMT, but his mom was in Beijing, so she’d be asleep right now. He didn’t want to bother her with this anyways. However, Alpha shift would be getting off soon. If he waited just a bit longer, he could go to sick bay after Pulaski was off shift and hopefully one of the nurses would give him something. Yeah, that was a plan, Wesley decided, letting his head rest on the cool desk.
He awoke sometime later to a cool hand on his forehead. Another rested firmly on his shoulder, shaking him gently.
“Mom?” The word grated on his throat, and something about it didn’t seem right, but he didn’t want to question it. He just wanted his mom.
“Sorry kid, you’re still stuck with me.”
“C’mander?”
“Yep. That’s a hell of a fever you got, kid. Can you make it back to bed?”
“Mm,”
Riker sighed. “Alright. C’mon, up!” With the last word, he pulled Wesley to his feet. Wesley swayed, but didn’t crumple. The blanket had fallen from his shoulders, but Wesley was beginning to feel too warm, anyways.
He made it the three steps to his bed before curling back up. The bed dipped next to his head.
“How long you been sick?”
“Jus’ this morning,” Wesley mumbled.
“Ok, I’ll comm Pulaski and we can get you all set up, and then you can go back to sleep.”
“No,” Wesley decided. “Don’ want her.”
“Wesley, you’ve got a fever around 39 degrees. You need a doctor.”
“I want my mom,” he said with the most authority he could muster. “Please?”
Riker sighed again, and the bed slowly reinflated. He heard voices, and let himself drift for a while, before the door opened. Wesley squinted and made out Riker with Nurse Jara, who’d worked with his mom before they’d boarded the Enterprise . Satisfied that it wasn’t Pulaski, Wesley allowed himself to be scanned and prodded. He heard something about a “Tarkalean Flu” and “3 days of sick leave,” and then something cold was against his neck and the door closed and he was alone.
Now in more control of his thoughts, Wesley felt a pit in his stomach. Commander Riker had found him like this, and almost carried him to bed, and now Wesley was somewhere between mortified and wishing that Riker would come back and stay with him until he fell asleep. That’s what his mom would do, even though he was sixteen. He was sixteen . He shouldn’t want his mom quite so much.
He threw the covers off and made his way out of his room. At the very least, he could apologize to Riker and maybe lie on the couch for a little, and enjoy some company.
Unfortunately, Riker was yelling at someone through the little in-quarters view screen.
“I know her time is important, but I think this requires her attention!”
“Sir, it’s five in the morning and I don’t think-”
“No, you don’t. Now I want my sub-space connection and I want it now, or else I’ll file an official complaint that will mention your name specifically.”
“Very well, I’ll patch you through. Five minute call only.”
The screen changed and Riker looked back at Wesley, standing shakily in the doorway.
“Sorry, kid. That was a bit loud.”
“S’okay,” Wesley made his way to the table, suddenly too exhausted to make it the rest of the way to the couch.
“Whoa,” Riker’s arm was around his back, Guiding him away from the glass table and actually over to the couch. “Non-breakable landing zones only, please.”
“Aye sir.” Wesley offered Riker a smile, but he could tell it didn’t exactly pass inspection.
The screen blipped. “Connection established,” The computer said. Video and audio loading.
“Will Riker, you better have a damn good reason for waking me up!”
Wesley had never been happier to hear that voice. “Mom?”
“Wesley? Are you alright?” Beverly Crusher’s bright eyes had lost any remnant of sleep as she looked between her prone son and the man she’d trusted to watch him.
“A bit of a virus, Dr. Crusher,” Riker said with all diplomacy, “But nothing our medicine and some rest won’t fix.”
“What’s the diagnosis?”
Wesley smiled to himself. The transmission was costly, he knew, and Riker had to pull some strings just to get these few minutes. He had needed to hear his mom, though, and something in his chest warmed at the thought that Riker would think to call her.
“Wesley?” His mom was watching him through the screen.
“Yea?”
“How are you doing?”
“Been better, but it’s okay. Good to hear you, too.”
A tight smile crossed her face. “I wish I could be there.”
“I chose to stay, mom. I just miss you, ‘s all.”
“I miss you too.” She smiled, most of the fear replaced with exhaustion. A thirty second warning blip appeared on the screen. “I love you, okay? Make sure you stay hydrated and rest a lot and don’t go back on duty until you’re properly cleared, or else I’ll come back and wring your neck.”
“ Yes mom,” He sighed. “I love you too.”
She smiled, and the view screen disconnected.
“Thanks,” Wesley looked at Riker.
“Anything for my favorite Ensign,” Riker paused. “Well, Ensign Gimor has been bringing me coffee in the briefing room recently…”
Wesley threw a pillow at him, which bounced against Riker’s shin.
“Definaley top three Ensigns, I’ll give you that,” Riker declared, settling on the end of the couch to stay with Wesley. It might not be his mom, but it was the next best thing, to be sick and be with someone willing to fight customer service for you.