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Rooster walked around the crowded house, red solo cup held high over his head as he attempted to squeeze through the masses of people, who were all dancing or talking. Nearly all of them were intoxicated, to which Rooster would add himself to that tally. He lost track after five drinks and was now starting to feel those effects rather quickly.
He finally managed to squeeze into a spot in the corner and lifted his cup to his mouth and downed the rest of it. The taste was something he wasn’t quite expecting and made a face, chalking it up to having it sit for a while on the counter while he had taken a leak.
“Rooster!”
Rooster turned his head and couldn’t help but smile as he saw Phoenix and Bob walking towards him, Phoenix with her own drink and Bob with a Diet Coke.
“Hey,” Rooster exclaimed over the music and brought Phoenix in for a hug. “I didn’t expect to see you guys here.”
“Thought you could’ve gotten away from us that easy.” Phoenix gave Rooster a friendly nudge when he pulled away. “Thought more people that we may know would be here, but I guess maybe we’re on the wrong side of the Navy on this one.”
Rooster shrugged. That could very well have been the case, especially since it wasn’t uncommon for there to be a sort of rift between the pilots that flew for the Navy, and the sailors who felt most at ease on a ship. It was a rift that Rooster had known about his entire military career, and there was certainly nothing anyone could do besides embrace it.
“Is there any good food here,” Bob pipped up, holding his Diet Coke close to his chest as a guy accidentally stumbled into him before laughing and staggering away.
Phoenix rolled her eyes. “I told you to eat before we came. Parties like these don’t have decent food, and the food they do have I doubt you want to eat.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust just thinking about them. “You have no idea how unsanitary places like this can get.”
Bob couldn’t suppress a full body shiver from traveling down his spine. “On second thought, I’ll probably just pick something up on the way home.”
“Good choice,” Phoenix told him as she took another long swig from her drink.
Rooster did the same, though he was only able to drink a few sips before he felt his stomach churning. His arm came down to wrap around his midsection, eyes slightly narrowed at the wave of nausea that suddenly struck him. He wasn’t exactly known for holding his liquor, but he was no lightweight either.
“Bradley, you okay,” Phoenix broke in when she saw her friend begin to sway.
Phoenix blinked his eyes deliberately as he saw two Phoenixes almost floating in front of him. Her eyes were stark white, like shards of glass in a mosaic. Although she spoke, her mouth didn’t move. A permanent and frightening smile stretched across her face as she bared down at Rooster.
“Rooster!”
Rooster turned to look at Bob, who was staring at him with a mix of concern and apprehension. “Are you okay,” Bob continued.
“Yeah, yeah, just drank too much.” Rooster lifted a hand and rubbed at his forehead. He swallowed thickly before pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “Just gonna use the bathroom real quick. I’ll be right back.”
Before Bob or Phoenix could argue, Rooster was gone.
Mercifully, the bathroom was completely empty. He slipped in and closed the door behind him without locking it.
Rooster took one more step sideways before falling face forward. It was only his quick reflexes that had him bracing his arms forward so that they took the brunt of the impact instead of his face. He whimpered as he fell and crawled toward the toilet, back arching as he vomited into the bowl. His entire body shook and his stomach convulsed in pain.
“Fuck,” Rooster hissed as he spat out more bile and slumped back onto the floor, eyes stretched wide in pain. He managed to roll himself to his back with his eyes facing the ceiling. His body gave a strong cough and he tried to lift his hand to rub at his nose only to find himself unable to.
Terror clutched at Rooster’s chest as he tried to will his body to cooperate. Neither his arms nor his legs moved, and it was suddenly getting a lot harder to breathe.
“Phoe,” Rooster croaked, well aware that she wouldn’t be able to hear him. He let out a gasp as his throat begin to close. Tears shown in the corners of his eyes as he felt as though he was drowning, and there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it. Pain surged through his entire body as he was left choking, gasping, crying out for breath.
Suddenly, the door was forced open and Rooster heard a scream. He tried to keep his eyes open but he found himself virtually unable to. His body was completely out of his control and the pure fear that he felt had him tipping dangerously close into unconsciousness.
“Oh my God,” Phoenix screamed as she knelt to the ground over Rooster, hands shaking as she held them over his chest, palms down.
“What’s wrong with him” Bob cried as he came behind her, dropping his Diet Coke can and hardly reacting as the dark caramel colored liquid poured across the room.
Phoenix leaned forward and pressed her ear to his chest. “Shit!” She immediately reached down and began to go through his pockets. “Where is it? Where is it?!”
“What are you looking for?” Bob dropped down beside him.
Phoenix turned to face him with tears streaming down her face. “Call 911, Bob.” When Bob didn’t move, she reached out and yanked on his color. “Now!”
When she released him, Bob fell back and immediately pulled his phone from his pocket and started to pace in the small space as he made the call.
Phoenix then turned back to Rooster and felt the cylindrical object in one of his pockets. “Yes!” She pulled it out and went for his zipper, wrenching it open before pulling his pants down so that his thigh was exposed. She took off the cap and slammed it down into Rooster’s thigh, pushing the top and waiting ten seconds for good measure before pulling it out.
“Rooster,” Phoenix begged as she leaned forward and began to tap on his cheeks rather harshly. “Bradley, you need to open your eyes for me. You gotta wake up. Bradley!”
“They’re on their way,” Bob announced suddenly as he walked over toward Phoenix, eyes round and unblinking. “What’s happening?”
“He’s going into anaphylactic shock,” Phoenix replied as she hunched over him and braced both hands on his chest, one fist rested in the center while her other hand wrapped around it. She began to push rhythmically, counting to herself. “Someone must have slipped something into his drink. He’s allergic to most medications.”
Bob couldn’t believe what he was hearing or seeing. He felt his legs begin to take him forward as he paced, hands beginning to shake in front of him. “What else can I do?”
Phoenix shook her head as she pressed two fingers against Rooster’s neck. There was a pulse, however faint, which was something that she could work with.
Suddenly, Rooster began to gasp and wheeze.
“We need to get him onto his side,” Phoenix announced, motioning for Bob to help her.
Bob didn’t hesitate to jump down and hold his legs steady as they turned him while Phoenix got the shoulders and head. When Rooster was on his side, Phoenix tipped his chin upward, relieved when he was able to take in a few breaths without immediately gasping.
“We’re going to need another Epi-pen.” Phoenix turned back to Bob. “Can you go and ask anyone if the have one?”
Bob took a moment to process what Phoenix asked him before nodding vigorously and scrambling to his feet. He then turned and bolted from the bathroom.
“You better not leave us,” Phoenix begged as she sniffled in fear.
It didn’t take long for Bob to stagger back in, looking beyond disheveled as he held four Epi-pens in his trembling hands. “I got some.”
Phoenix couldn’t help but chuckle as she reached for it. “Yeah, I’ll say that you did. Great job,” Phoenix praised as she motioned for them.
Bob set the handful in her open palms and she set them beside her. She grabbed a second one and was quick to inject it in Rooster’s thigh and held it there for a few moments. When she was finished, she set it in the sink with the first and kept Rooster’s chin tipped upwards, silently begging for him to be okay.
Suddenly, Rooster let out a sudden gasp and frantically tried to raise his hands to his face.
Phoenix was quick to grasp Rooster’s arms and hold them down at his sides before he could try and stand. “Easy, easy, you had an allergic reaction,” she soothed, trying to keep the worry from her voice.
Rooster didn’t speak, though he did go limp in her grasp. Part of her wanted to rouse him again, force him to stay awake and alert. However, she had learned from experience how much these allergic reactions took out of him, depending on exactly how much he had taken.
“He’s okay,” Bob questioned softly.
Phoenix looked back to him and gave a reassuring smile. “Yeah, he should be. Once the ambulance gets here they’ll give him some better medication. But, we caught it early, which helps. I just wish I knew exactly what he took.”
“You think that he willingly took drugs?” Bob looked horrified when he looked to Rooster. “He would never take anything that would take him out of the air. Right? He’s not that reckless and we are drug tested regularly.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Phoenix reached forward and nudged Bob’s leg fondly. “I’m pretty sure his drink was spiked. Rooster would never take something like this.”
That caused Bob to relax as he blinked some tears from his eyes. “Oh, right, right. Rooster wouldn’t do that. But, who would do that to him?”
Phoenix sighed and offered Bob a kind smile. “I can almost guarantee that whoever did this wasn’t aiming for him, but they were going for someone and it just happened to be his drink.”
Bob still didn’t look fully convinced, but he didn’t argue it. His gaze traveled back down to Rooster just as the sound of sirens echoed from outside. Relief showed on his face as he looked to Phoenix. “I’ll go and get them.”
“Thank you. I’ll call Maverick. This is something he’s going to want to know about.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rooster groaned as his head fell to the side. Something cumbersome pressed around his mouth and nose as he turned his head against a pillow. His hands instinctively came up to push the mask down only for hands to frantically reach up and grasp Rooster’s wrists gently to stop him from touching it.
“Kid, you gotta leave it there,” a kind and familiar voice told him.
Exhaustion still pulled on him, but Rooster managed to squint his eyes open, a blurry face floating in front of him. He let out a sharp cough as panic overtook him.
“It’s alright.” Fingers slid through his short hair and Rooster felt his body lean into it. “You’re safe. You just have to stay calm for me, okay? If not they may ask me to leave.”
That was the farthest thing from what Rooster wanted. A small whimper echoed in his throat before he coughed, the mask over his face hissing as he did so.
Low murmuring continued until Rooster realized that the person in front of him was shushing him so softly that he barely heard. He could still feel fingers in his hair and he couldn’t stop himself from closing his eyes against it, now breathing from his open mouth. Greedily he gulped air, feeling like he could never have enough in his lungs no matter what he did.
“That’s it. Just breathe. Breathe, Baby Goose.”
“Ma-vrick?”
“Don’t try and talk,” Maverick chided as he lowered his hand and grabbed Rooster’s, giving it a small squeeze while keeping his fingers away from the IV that was taped to the back of his hand. “Your throat is still super swollen and we don’t want to do any damage to your vocal cords.”
Swollen throat? Damage to vocal cords? What had Rooster missed?
“Someone spiked your drink,” Maverick explained as though reading Rooster’s mind. “Don’t think they were going after you, but just wanted to see the effects of a mix of psychogenic and paralytic drugs. Whoever it was just didn’t count on you being allergic to one of those ingredients and going into anaphylactic shock.”
That certainly checked out. Rooster felt like absolute shit, and the only other time he had ever felt the same way was when he had gone into anaphylaxis when he was a kid. The memory of it still caused a shiver to dance down his spine.
“You still with me, kiddo?”
Rooster managed a tiny nod.
“Are you in any pain?”
Rooster pondered it for a second before shaking his head.
“I don’t believe ya. But, if you would rather wait this without pain meds for now, that’s okay. Just promise me that you’ll say something if it gets too bad.” Maverick’s gaze was stern as he stared at him, knowing exactly how Bradley could be about divulging how he felt even at the best of times.
Rooster dipped his head before slumping back against the pillows as a wave of dizziness rushed over him. His eyes screwed up as he struggled to keep his breathing calm even as his body yowled in protest at his sudden movements. Yep, this was definitely worse than any reaction he had experienced in the past.
Through it all, Maverick didn’t let go of his hand. If anything, he seemed to grasp harder, keeping Rooster grounded on the here and now and help him not to panic.
“Phoe,” Rooster suddenly questioned, thinking that he had seen her face at the party. “Bob?”
Maverick couldn’t help but grin, nodded wickedly. “They’re here too. It was actually Phoenix that gave you the Epi-pen and Bob called 911. They wouldn’t leave your side until the doctor kicked them out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bob so angry.”
Rooster felt a flash of affection for his two classmates, who he would now considering his closest friends. They had been competition not that long ago, yet now he couldn’t imagine going through this with anyone else.
“Can I see them,” Rooster pleaded before coughing, air hitting the back of his throat and causing him to whimper.
Maverick squeezed Rooster’s shoulder firmly. “Only if you promise not to over exert yourself. The second that I see you getting worked up, I’m sending everyone out. Deal?”
Rooster gave a weak nod.
Maverick gave Rooster’s hand a small squeeze before pulling away from the bed and heading toward the door.
Rooster sighed as he was left alone momentarily. The oxygen that flowed from the mask trickled into his lungs, the feeling of being able to breathe something he could never have thought would be so reliving. The memory of being on the floor, gasping for breath before everything went black was something that Rooster feared he would never be able to shake, and sent shivers down his spine.
He wasn’t given much time to ponder it as the door creaked open. Rooster’s head fell to the side and he couldn’t stop a smile from spreading onto his face when he saw Phoenix and Bob walk in apprehensively, Maverick on their heels to urge them forward.
“Oh, Bradley,” Phoenix breathed as she came over to his bed, relief shinning in her eyes. She then struck out a fist and punched his arm, causing Rooster to wrinkle his brow in surprise. “You scared the shit out of me! When two Epipens barely did anything....I didn’t know what I would do.”
Rooster lifted his hand to grasp hers, pads of his fingers brushing against each knuckle. “Not....your....fault.”
“Don’t try and talk,” Maverick pipped up as he came over to Rooster’s other side. “Just listen, okay?”
“You should’ve seen Bob,” Phoenix continued with a look over her shoulder to her RIO, who was hanging back with his hands in his pockets. “He was the one who found the other Epipen, and called 911.”
Rooster turned his head to the side and looked to Bob. He offered a kind smile before motioning him forward. Bob shuffled forward and came to Phoenix’s side. “It was nothing, Rooster. I-I’m just glad that you’re okay.”
“We all are.” Phoenix reached out and brushed his hair back. “So, I think that we should lay off the parties for a while. Maybe start a game night or something.”
Roster gave his head a small nod of agreement as his eyes began to flutter, his grip on Phoenix growing weak.
“I think that it’s time we let Rooster get some much needed rest,” Maverick explained with a look to Bob and Phoenix. “I’ll text or call you if anything changes. If he’s up to visitors you can come back later. I think they’re going to keep him for observation just for the night.”
Although looking like she may want to argue, Phoenix thought better of it and gave her head a small dip of agreement. She looked back to Rooster and gave his hand one more squeeze before pulling back.
Bob came over and gave Rooster a pat on the shoulder before joining Phoenix’s side as the two walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Once they left, Maverick pulled a chair closer to Rooster’s bed and sat down, sighing as he reclined backwards with his eyes closing.
Rooster’s head fell to the side so that he could see Maverick, feeling a sense of ease wash over him, knowing that Maverick was right there if he needed something. Maverick may not be able to protect him from everything, but he would damned if he didn’t at least try.