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These were several hard rotations. With Coric out of commission after his run in with the Blue shadow virus Kix was the only senior medic on board. 212th was coming for them to help with the situation but it would take them at least another rotation to get here.
For now Kix had 3 junior medics and 13 patients. 3 of whom were still in critical condition. And of course the captain was one of them. And with him out all the command was in disarray. Though, troopers were nervous about their alor'ad not pulling through.
"Jesse, just lay the kriff down!" This was one of those moments. Kix hated it.
"I… " His friend coughed wetly, "I need… to know… how is he…"
"He is getting better so udesii. He wouldn't be happy to know that you relapsed because of this."
"But… will you… will you tell…"
"If anything changes. Now lay down and try to sleep a bit more."
-*-*-*-
The night was the worst. Kix made sure to send two of the juniors to sleep and the last one was stationed in main medbay while CMO stayed with worser cases in the back room.
Coric woke up first. With his damaged lungs and fever he was in no way fit for duty. It took Kix several minutes to check on him and make sure his colleague drank some warm tea.
"How is Rex'ika?" Coric turned to see the cot near the other wall.
"Not good… His fever spiked yesterday, but we were able to break it for now. He hasn't woken up since that."
Coric sighted and climbed out of the cot to get to the fresher. Kix didn't stop him, though he wanted to. He checked on the other trooper and moved to the captain.
Rex was asleep but not calm. He was a bit feverish, but not dangerously. The problem with the Blue Shadow was that it weakened the immune system so fast and hard that even if the patient was treated the consequences might be quite severe. And Rex caught all the best of it.
"Poor Rex'ika," Coric came back and carefully ruffled what little hair their captain had, "wake me up, if you need a break, Kix'ika."
"Yeah," as if he would do it. Nope, Coric needs his rest.
-*-*-*-
Several hours later Kix was woken up from his daze by a quiet moan. Rex was tossing and turning in his sleep, moaning weakly.
"Rex?" Kix sat on the edge of the bed, "do you hear me?"
The only answer was another quiet moan and then… sob? Why would his captain be sobbing? Kix lightly scratched Rex's hair.
“Are you with me?” he didn’t want to worsen the mindstate his captain was in all this time. No use though. Rex stayed unconscious, still slightly moaning. Well, not the first time Kix had to comfort a brother through the nightmares. And he had seen how commander Cody did it several times for the captain. He can do the same.
Kix gently picked his captain from the bed to sit down and hug him. And it made him feel wrong. Rex was too light, too fragile, even considering his illness. Something wasn’t right. He gave Rex a closer look. Before this Rex usually was treated by Coric (because Coric knew more of his hiding places) and Kix never watched really closely as there was no need. But now he saw it. A bit ganglier limbs, a bit smaller stature, a bit younger face. If he didn’t know that Rex was on the frontlines since Geonosis he would have mistook him for shiny.
Kix felt the feverish forehead near his throat and weak breaths under his hands. Rex was doing better but still ill and tired.The medic curled around him and started humming one of the songs he knew. Old togruti lullaby he learned from their young commander. Ahsoka liked it and taught him when he couldn’t fall asleep after a hard battle. Well, it worked. Rex calmed down and was breathing almost steadily with fewer coughs.
With the captain calm and steady in his arms, Kix let his mind drift again, rocking slightly. His captain was a baby. They picked shinies on Rishi moon, Fives and Echo, and they were maybe a slightest bit younger if he was right. Like, the same batch but Rex was from the beginning and twins were from the end. But that meant that his captain was 9 and a bit now… He didn’t like the implications with the war going for a year and a half already. And now he understood what commander Cody’s reaction was about.
Rex started flinching again. Kix just sighed and held him clouser speaking quietly in mando’a.
“Udesii, Rex’ika… Gar morut’yc… Gar sha yaim… Udesii… Kur, vod’ika… Ni olar… Gar lise udesiir… Ni ven’baati be gar… Kur…”
It took Kix some time to calm him down and by then he was too lazy to move. So he let himself take a nap right there, hugging his captain. If something changes he will wake up so why not to keep company to someone who needs it.
-*-*-*-
[Chat opened <Kid reports>]
Blue_Medic attached kidandKix.img
[a picture of Kix holding Rex while both sleep. Kix is definitely tired and Rex is sick looking.]
Blue_Medic: they are so cute.
Red_ori’vod: how are you all doing?
Blue_Medic: better, but not good. Kix is exhausted and this is the first time he has a nap since all the shit in the lab. And Rex is still feverish and barely conscious.
Grey_ori’vod: and you?
Blue_Medic: alive, have some trouble breathing and sometimes feel like my muscles will give out under my weight. But it’s better than before.
Gold_ori’vod: we will randevu with you in 24h. Helix wanted to check on you
Blue_Medic: good. I’ll setsexdrcyfvgbhunij
Yellow_ori’vod: Coric?
Blue_Medic: Coric is banned from the screens. So I confiscated his datapad.
Blue_Medic: this is Kix by the way
Gold_ori’vod: hi, Kix. Helix wanted an update on you all. answer his messages, vod’ika
Blue_Medic: he will get it in 24h anyway
Grey_ori’vod: scary. But cute
Blue_Medic: I don’t care if you are all commanders. I still have the right to sedate you or tell some interesting things to your medics :)
Grey_ori’vod: example?
Blue_Medic: your fractured wrist is bothering you and you never reported it to your CMO
Purple_ori’vod: Wolffe? Explain.
Grey_ori’vod: nope
Blue_Medic: okay, I'm going to give them all a check up. Then maybe Coric can have his pad back. Or no.
-*-*-*-
Coric was not pouting. Kix made him stay in bed for the whole kriffing day without his datapad. So he was reasonably angry. Though he got some pleasure after all. 212th made it faster to the randevu point so Kix was actively put to sleep by very angry Helix. Though this change didn't mean anything for Coric. He was still on bed rest without his datapad.
But later that evening he had witnessed one of the most heartwarming scenes. Cody, of course, made it his job to stay with his vod’ika. And that was the moment Kix got to him.
“Commander, I have a question.”
“What is it baar’ur’ika?”
“How old is Captain?” The fact that Kix ignored the nickname was showing his determination to get his answer.
“Does it matter?”
“For my respect to him? No. For the way I work with him outside official duties? Very much.”
“He never told you, right?”
“Never told me what?”
Helix sighed from the other side of the room, “the fact is that Rex is younger than command track troopers he graduated with.”
“How much younger?” The youngest medic stood up and started pacing.
“He is still under deployment age,” the commander ran his hand through the captain’s hair, “we kept it quiet, because for him it was front lines or labs. My batch raised him and we refused to give him up that easily.”
“You mean to tell me that my captain is 9 years old?” Kix stopped in the center of the room.
“Not even with a half,” confirmed Helix, “he was less than 8 at Geonosis.”
“Kark!” Kix was almost steaming. With several fast steps he reached the wall and punched it promptly.
“Kix!” 212th’s medic hastily hugged his vod’ika, ”udesii. He will be alright in about 2 weeks, you know it…”
“He was a child! And they made him go to the bloodbath! And he is still a kid and… we… I… We almost… Almost lost him…”
Coric actually decided to insert himself into the situation, “Kix’ika, udesii... Take a breath. You won't help him like that. So why don’t you take a bit more sleep?”
“Coric you karking hear yourself?! The hell I should be calm! He was a kid and at least Teth and Geonosis were nightmare! And he went through it! Taking care of us! Not asking for help! He was hurt again and again! And we were there, not seeing it! I never noticed it! And you want me to calm down?!”
“Hey…” it was Cody who spoke as he herded Kix to sit on the chair left near Rex’s bed, “do you think I don’t feel like that? Do you think I’ve never feared he would break? He is my vod’ika, Kix. I know how hard it is to accept the fact that he took all the burden so young even for us. All we can do is to take care of him. Udesii, baar’ur’ika, an ven’cuyi jate… Kaysh kotyc, kaysh ven’koti… Kur, Kix’ika, udesii…”
And the dam broke. The younger medic was crying silently. Coric was just there for him if he wanted it. Helix left, probably to take care of the things in the medbay and let the other medics find their footing again.
“Think you can fall asleep now? Or do you want a downer?” Cody moved to help Kix lay down right besides Rex. Kix shook his head and hid his face in captain’s blond curls. “Then take some rest. One of us will be here as you wake up. Udesii, Kix’ika, an morut’yc…”
Coric smiled as he watched the interaction. Rex was a kid for most of the veterans in 212th and 501st and the medic himself remembered the day he found out about his age. Like watching a soldier silently crying in pain through his growth spurt and having to keep it quiet was not the best memory. But well, they got through it, right? They will be fine even if Coric now was going to think of it again and…
“Udesii, Coric…” Cody smiled, petting their vod'ike's hair, “don't overthink it too much.”
Yeah, right. Not over thinking. Coric signed and well, the commander never said he couldn't. Now Cody was a pillow. And he would have to live with it.
-*-*-*-
212vod attached cuddledtosleep.img
[a picture of Kix, Cody and Rex asleep on the cot in the medbay. Kix and Rex a laing down and Cody is slamped on the chair, head on the edge of the pillow. Kix is holding commander's hand like a plushy to his chest.]
104vod: is it a way to make your commander sleep?
212vod: one of. Works for mine. And kih'vode are a good way to ensure they stay still.
327vod: good to know
327vod: but is your little blonde shit okay?
212vod: not my. He is Coric's and Kix's trouble
104vod: but?
212vod: yeah, he will be fine
501ori’vod: I'll kill you. All. As soon as I have the strength to do it. U r lucky I'm ill.
212vod: go to sleep
212vod: if you wake any of them, you will be on the bedrest for 2 more days.
501ori’vod: kar kyou