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To say that Aaron was exhausted would be an understatement. He softly cursed himself when he yawned from the umpteenth time, paperwork having gotten the best of him. He had lost track of time, and didn't go to bed until about two in the morning, which wasn't a spectacular idea if your last alarm to wake up was at five.
At least, at the old age of 16, his son didn't have to be wrestled out of bed anymore, and could do it himself. Or, that's what he thought, when 6.30 rolled around, and Jack was yet to show his face.
Aaron decided to count ten more minutes, maybe Jack was taking a long shower, or had decided to sleep in a little longer. Which clearly wasn't the case, when those ten minutes passed, and he couldn't hear anything coming from Jack's room.
With a deep sigh, he put his cup and the washing machine, and began his walk upstairs. Knocking on Jack's bedroom door, he was annoyed by the lack of response.
He opened the door, walking inside, eyes narrowing when Jack was buried deep under his covers.
"Come on, up and at 'em. You're going to hate yourself if you have to rush to reach school on time" Aaron gently shook his shoulders, Jack simply groaning at that. "Seriously kid, you have to get ready for school, and I have to get to work" Aaron insisted, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"'M sick" Jack softly murmured, Aaron rolling his eyes.
"You were climbing on the walls yesterday, don't give me that" Aaron rebutted, moving some of Jack's long hair from his face. He stilled, his hand grazing Jack's forehead.
Gently, he lowered his face, lips pressed against the teen's- No, child's forehead, Jack grumbling at having been moved ever so slightly.
"You do feel warm" Aaron murmured in his hair, giving him a quick kiss.
"Hurts" Jack whined, folding in on himself, his arms holding his middle.
When the time had passed, Aaron took the thermometer, reading the temperature.
"Almost 39 Celsius. You qualify for staying home" he tried to lighten the mood, Jack seemingly having none of it. "Alright, I'll call out of work, and bring you some water. Best to keep hydrated with a fever this high" he scratched the kid's scalp, who barely nodded, walking out of the room.
"If something comes up I'll just video call. Please make sure the office is not set on fire, Dave" he spoke on the phone, as he searched in a drawer for the paracetamol.
"You know I can't handle the children as well as you do" David rebutted, grin evident in his voice.
"Unfortunately, it's time for you to take some responsability" the Unit Chief chuckled before hanging up.
Once he was back in Jack's room, he cringed when he heard the child evidently throwing up. He quickly set the water and medicine on the nightstand, hurrying into the bathroom.
Jack was hunched over the toilet, clearly sweating, crying silently.
"Make it stop" Jack whined, showing his face back in the toilet, when he felt another lurch. Thankfully for the kid, he was just dry heaving.
"I know, baby boy, it sucks" Aaron quickly comforted, rubbing the kid's back, holding his hair to ensure it wouldn't get dirty. "Let's get back in bed, see if you can drink a little?" he gently offered, Jack nodding.
He helped his kid back up, the teen's legs shaking, Aaron holding him up from the elbow, helping him get back in bed.
"Slow, tiny sips, alright? Only way to chance keeping some water down" he instructed, Jack doing as told, managing two sips, before setting the glass back down.
"They have medicine to stop you from puking" Jack pointed out, glaring at his blanket.
"Yeah, and you'll puke those back up" Aaron informed him, glare moving to him, before the kid closed his eyes, leaning back.
Aaron helped him get back under the covers, tucking in him, smiling when Jack grabbed his hand as he was about to walk out of the room.
"Stay" the child begged, Aaron kissing his head again.
"I need to grab a bucket, so at least you won't have to get up everytime. I'll be back soon. Try to get some sleep, alright?" his father told him, Jack groaning again but letting go.
"Noroviruses hardly give you a fever of 39" Aaron pointed out over the phone.
"Yeah, you can have the flu and the stomach flu at the same time. Influenza weakens your immune system, which allows for other viruses to take reign" Spencer pointed out from the other end of the phone. "If Jack can't keep anything down, especially water, under any circumstance, or if he keeps throwing up after 48 hours from now, that's when you take him to a hospital"
"He won't be able to keep medicine for his fever down, either. Am I supposed to dunk him in an ice bath? I doubt his troubled stomach would appreciate that" Aaron groaned.
"Wet towel on the forehead, monitor his temperature. If it hits 40, time for a hospital. In healthy individuals, both influenza and viral gastroenteritis disappear on their own, because the immune system is strong enough to deal with those viruses. The biggest threats are a temperature that is too high, which will fry the brain, not being able to drink water, because dehydration happens far more quickly than anyone thinks, especially if you keep expelling through sweat and vomiting, and not being able to eat, because food is necessary for a healthy immune system" Spencer patiently explained.
"How did I forget all this stuff in the hour I found out Jack is sick?" Aaron mumbled to himself.
"Do you want the actual scientific explanation? Because I have it" Spencer's grin was evident in his voice.
"No, thank you, I know it already. Besides, Jack will kill me if I'm not back with him in the next thirty seconds" Aaron smiled.
In truth, before he got back to Jack, he did a quick detour to his room, changing in more comfortable clothing, namely joggers and a t-shirt.
He silently opened Jack's bedroom door, letting out a content sigh when he realized his son was sound asleep. He stepped in, careful not to wake him up, placed the bucket near the bed, before he climbed in bed next to him.
Dad sleeps when baby sleeps, after all.
Except, Aaron should have guessed it would have been more of a nap than some actual sleep, when he was woken up by the dulcet sounds of Jack puking up his guts.
It had been maybe four hours since he discovered his son's illness, and he was already going into overdrive with worry.
"Hey, you're fine, try to take deep breaths" Aaron gently told him, as Jack kept dry heaving in the bucket.
"I fucking hate this" Jack complained, spitting in the bucket, before plopping back down onto the bed, shuffling close to Aaron.
"I know how it feels, trust me. It shouldn't last more than 48 hours" Aaron tried to comfort him, smiling apologetically when Jack gave him a bewildered look.
"Oh fuck no, I'd rather die" Jack instantly told him, Aaron huffing a laugh.
"Drink some water, I'll see if we have crackers to dry up your stomach" he kissed Jack's head, Jack turning to the keep with narrowed eyes. "It won't bite" Aaron told him.
"It will make me throw up" Jack rebutted, looking defiant.
"You need to hydrate yourself, you can't just avoid drinking or eating" Aaron tried to reason.
"If nothing's in my stomach, then there is nothing to throw up" Jack insisted, hiding under the covers. Aaron closed his eyes, counting to ten.
"Please, kiddo" he opened his eyes back up, voice pleading. "You don't have to finish the thing, but you've got to try and get something down. You won't get better if you neglect yourself, you'll only get worse"
With effort, Jack slowly peeled the blankets off, looking at his dad with pleading eyes. And Aaron felt his heart squeeze in his chest, hurrying to engulf Jack in a tight hug. He wasn't sure how long they had stayed that way, when Jack finally pulled off, grabbed the glass, took a tentative sip.
Turning to his dad, Aaron have him an encouraging smile, Jack deciding to test his luck and take a couple more sips.
Satisfied that his child had somewhat replenished his fluids, he helped him get comfortable under the covers again, before walking out.
"I have my doubts" Jack eyed the plate carefully.
"It's white rice with lemon and Parmigiano. It's actually good for when you're nauseous" Aaron shrugged, setting the tray on Jack's lap, grabbing his own plate.
"I'm really not hungry" Jack moaned, placing his head against his dad shoulder.
"One bite, at least to get something inside of you. Having an empty stomach is worse, trust me" Aaron gently pressed. "Besides, it actually tastes good" he added, touching Jack's nose with his index finger. Jack's scrunched his face playfully at that, but grabbed the fork.
Aaron mentally slapped himself. Jack had looked drowsier the more the afternoon came by, had thrown up two more times.
So when Aaron checked his temperature, and had seen the thermometer tell him that it was now 39.5 Celsius, he felt his heart drop in his stomach.
He wrapped a bar of ice in a towel, walked upstairs to place on Jack's face.
As soon as he stepped into the room, Jack shuffled away from the center to give his dad space. To answer that, Aaron grabbed Jack's laptop, intent on putting on a movie, keep Jack distracted by the fact that he was sick. Or, at least, try.
"I should have cooled a towel before you got to this point, I'm sorry Schatzi" Aaron apologized, ensuring that the ice wouldn't slip away, wrapping Jack in his arms.
"'S okay" Jack shrugged, clearly exhausted, but unwilling to go to sleep. Or unable, Aaron thought.
"You want to try and get some shut eye?" he gently offered, brushing Jack's hair with his fingers.
"Not tired" Jack replied, cuddling closer against Aaron, placing his ear right against Aaron's heart.
His father nodded silently, turned on the laptop, waited for Jack to put in the password. As Coraline started playing, Aaron kept cuddling Jack absentmindedly.
He came back to earth when he felt Jack lightly graze his right forearm, Aaron looking attentively. When Jack spoke up, Aaron knew that the slight delirium brought on by the fever was the only reason why Jack would even ask. Chances are, he wouldn't remember the conversation.
"Do they hurt?" Jack whispered, trailing his fingers across the faded pale lines.
"No, they don't" Aaron whispered back, kissing the child's head. He felt his heartbeat pick up. That's not exactly the question he was expecting.
"Is this why you don't like short sleeves?" the child asked again, getting more comfortable against his father's chest.
"Yeah, pretty much. I was young, I thought it was going to work" he replied, blinking his tears away.
"I'm glad it didn't" Jack managed to let out, before falling asleep.
Aaron simply held him closer, the movie playing out without anyone paying attention to it. He had never really told anyone about it. And how could he, a man in his position wasn't allowed weakness, and if it were to be discovered, his whole life would be over. And yet, even in a feverish delirium, Jack had tried to approach it gently, not focus on the pointless questions of "why would you do that", rather chose to stick to the facts.
"37.8" Aaron read the thermometer. "How's the nausea?"
"Please don't say that word" Jack groaned, covering his face with his hands. Aaron chuckled, putting the thermometer back, handing Jack the glass of water.
The first day, Jack's fever was too high for the kid to even notice how sick he was, small blessings. The second day, with a fever fluctuating between 38 and 38.5, he had puked a couple more times, but was definitely doing better, and had managed to keep something more down.
The fact that Jack hadn't thrown up at all that night was a good thing.
"I can feel you vibrating" Jack ripped him from his thoughts.
"You still have fever, it might raise" Aaron told him. "And we're not letting go of the rice just yet, but a ginger tea will probably do you a lot of good"
"Can't I have some caffelatte?" Jack whined. "And a cigarette, I haven't smoked in two and a half days!" he kept complaining.
"Yes, let's have three things that are renowned for irritating the stomach lining right after you've gotten better from a stomach bug" Aaron quipped.
"Come on, I've barely moved from this fucking bed- I need a shower" Jack made a disgusting face, as he smelled himself.
"I would let you take a shower, if it wasn't for the fact you use boiling water" Aaron deadpanned. Jack glared at him with bleary and half asleep eyes, Aaron's mouth quirking up in amusement.
"If it makes you feel any better, I have barely smoked too" Aaron added with a shrug.
"What? Why?" Jack's glare turned to curiosity. If Jack couldn't figure out the why, it meant he didn't remember that small bit of conversation, and Aaron was glad.
"You get clingy when you're really sick" he explained, flashing Jack a teasing smile.
"Thought you said you were bringing me tea" Jack instantly cut him off, his glare back. Aaron broke in laughter, but raised his hands in surrender, walking away.
That night, Jack's fever spiked to 38 again, but remained stable. In a frenzy, he had called Savannah, who had told him that no, a spike of 0.2 wasn't indicative of anything, diagnostically.
So here he was, Jack's head pressed against his chest, right over his heart. Jack had loved that position since he was a teeny tiny thing, and Aaron couldn't help the smile appearing on his face at the memory, only for it to die down when the fact that he was seen as "safe" by his son hit him like a train.
Never had he felt comfortable enough to have that closure with his parents, never had he been allowed to stay home, unless the fever was so high he could barely move. And he sure as hell doesn't remember receiving comfort.
But Jack? At 16, he had still begged Aaron to stay close to him, hug him tightly, "keep me safe". Moving slowly, making sure not to wake up the sleeping child attached to him, he settled more comfortably, closing his eyes, willing for just one night not filled with nightmares.
And finally, on the dawn of the sixth day, Jack woke up extremely groggy, extremely confused, but not looking like someone who was still sick.
"Good morning" Aaron greeted, still half asleep. Jack blinked.
"I really need to shower" was the first thing the teen said, feeling absolutely disgusting.
"Temperature first" Aaron eyed him knowingly, Jack groaning.
"Holy fuck" the teen breathed out, joining his father downstairs. "That was awful, I had to scrub for what felt like hours- Don't laugh!" he cut himself off, Aaron covering his mouth.
"I'm sorry, I know, you hate being dirty" he quickly apologized, soon looking at his son with a fond expression.
"Can I have coffee now?" Jack ignored his father's eyes, eyeing the moka pot.
"And milk!" Aaron excitedly exclaimed.
"And cigarettes!" Jack matched the energy, bursting in laughter at his father's disgruntled expression at the mention.
"If you must" Aaron relented, pouring Jack his milk, placing the cup in the microwave, hushering him to sit.
"I do have hands, pater" Jack informed him. Aaron chuckled.
"I like taking care of you. Before I realize, you'll be in college- Shit, you might even be in a different country for it" he shrugged, placing the cup in front of Jack, the man lightning himself a cigarette.
Jack took a sip, melting when the flavor finally hit his senses, the drink tasting even better after he had been forbidden from it.
Aaron watched him with a fond smile for a few seconds longer, missing how he had been able to keep his child so close to him these days, safe from whatever was outside, before he turned, tidying up the kitchen.
"You know" Jack began suddenly, Aaron turning to him, the teen giving a tiny smile. "I really am glad it didn't work. I do like hugging you" he told him, Aaron looking at him with wide eyes, tears pricking. "I love you, you know?" Jack added, eyes glinting with unshed tears.
Aaron didn't trust his voice, not yet, but did trust himself enough to walk closer to his kid, hugging him tightly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his hair, Jack holding tightly onto him.
"I love you, more than I could ever voice" Aaron finally spoke up. "I'm glad it didn't work out, too. I'm glad you're here" he continued, ignoring the wet spot that had began forming on his shirt, Jack's hold tightening around him.
Sometimes it hit him, how smart Jack was. Kid could read between the lines, better than most adults. He could understand things without being told, merely needing context clues.
And sometimes it hit him, how hurt his dad was. Fiercely protective of his space, carefully analyzing everything, avoiding conflict as much as he could.
Right now, as they settled on the couch, with a dumb show and enough snacks to not just ruin their lunch, but also their dinner, they were simply glad to be able to keep each other company.