Chapter Text
Cody rolled over in his bed, snuggling his head deeper into his pillow and pulling his covers closer over himself—his alarm had gone off for the third time just a minute ago, and he could hear the footsteps teeming in the hall of his family preparing for another day of rescue work, and usually Cody was eager to join them. However, this morning he was fighting between getting up and staying curled under his luringly comfortable sheets, and so far the sheets were winning.
He was feeling pretty awful today; he knew he had a fever—the heightened warmth was roasting his skin like he was sitting right next to an open fire, and he pulled on the covers again as an achy tremble racked his body. His throat was also feeling rather sore.
Every inch of his body was dreadfully telling him to stay in bed, including his better judgment, but Cody was trying to build up the motivation anyway because he still really wanted to go to school… sort of.
Today there was going to be a presentation detailing a new invention from the Mainland, and for the past few weeks Cody and his best friend Frankie had been raring with excitement for it. It was always thrilling whenever a new piece of tech popped up on the island (even if most of the time they ended up causing emergencies), and the best friends loved to talk about all the cool ways the technology could help people and the planet, or simply just how cool it was in general. It was kind of their bonding thing, and Cody didn’t want to disappoint Frankie by skipping today.
But man did he feel like crud.
Cody tossed in his bed again as he wrestled with himself to get up, but it wasn’t a very fruitful effort.
Just then there was a bang at his door.
“Yo Code! If you’re not up in the next five minutes, you’re gonna have to find another ride!” Kade barked in that agitated tone that left no room for negotiation, and surprisingly it was just the push Cody needed to move his body upwards.
He let out a whimpering groan as he started his attempt to stand. “Coming Kade.” He weakly mumbled, finally managing to pull himself upright. And at least if anyone got on his case about going to school sick, he could maybe get away with blaming Kade for nagging him. But that was a very slim maybe.
Cody dragged his legs out of his blanket and hung them over the bed. His vision swam when he tried to plant his feet on the floor, and he sat back down for a minute. Taking a stabilizing breath through the nose, he reapplied the pressure on his legs, and successfully stood up. He threw on a new set of clothes, then stumbled out the door.
Walking downstairs, Cody caught the whiff of food being cooked. He entered the kitchen to see his dad at the stove. The older man turned to his son with a smile.
“Morning, Cody.” Chief Burns greeted. “I know I haven’t done this in a while, but I had some time this morning and thought I’d make you some breakfast.” He presented Cody with a pancake, an encouraging chocolate chip grin stretching across it and two plump blueberries forming its eyes. His stomach twisted at the sight of it, but his heart swelled with memories of little Cody sitting at the table excitedly waiting for his dad’s special smiley-face pancakes, mesmerized with the goofy grin facing back at him when given his plate, and suddenly Cody felt like launching himself into his father’s arms and begging Chief to stay home with him.
His dad let out a light chuckle. “Hope you’re not too old for Mr. Smileycake.” Though when Cody didn’t answer him immediately, his expression crinkled with concern. “Cody?”
Cody snapped back to attention. “No, never! But uh… I’m sorry, Dad. I’m not very hungry…”
Chief Burns put the plate on the counter as he eyed his son worriedly. “Really? Are you feeling alright?”
“Uh, y-yes, it’s just that, we uh, had a big dinner last night. A-and besides, uh, Kade’s waiting for me, so I better go before he leaves me.” Cody rushed towards the fireman pole, waving as he went. “Bye Dad!”
“Bye, son!” The chief returned as Cody slipped down the pole into the garage.
Landing on the lower level, he felt dizzy when he let go of the pole, and grabbed back ahold of it before he could collapse to the ground.
“Cody, let’s go!” Kade hollered out Heatwave’s open window.
Cody took a deep breath, then walked to the transformed bot on wobbly legs he tried to keep stable.
Cody waved to Kade and Heatwave as they drove off. He then looked to the school’s entrance, and a sense of dread started to rise up in his stomach, making it ache. He was beginning to regret his decision to keep quiet about his ailment, but he reminded himself of the whole reason why he’d decided to come to school in the first place, trying to hype himself back up. So taking a breath of confidence, he marched through the doors.
He made his way to the auditorium. When he arrived, the room was already packed with students taking their seats. He stopped and looked around for Frankie, but she found him first.
“Cody! Over here!” Cody smiled wide when he saw her, waving back and rushing over to where she was sitting.
Frankie patted the last open seat next to her. “Here. Saved you a spot. I was wondering if you were ever going to show up.” She added with a smirk as Cody sat down. “I didn’t know you as one to be fashionably late.”
Cody rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh, sorry. Was having a slow morning.” Though the throbbing of his throat was a painful reminder of the truth.
“So, uh, do you know anything about the new tech?” He asked Frankie, hoping to distract himself from how unwell he felt.
Frankie nodded. “My dad said it has something to do with dissolving greenhouse gases to help with air pollution, but he didn’t know any details.”
“Noble.” Cody looked over at the stage as the school principal was walking up to the mic.
“Students, thank you all for attending this seminar discussing the latest in Mainland technology to be tested on our humble island: the Greenhouse Vac!” The room erupted in praise as the curtain behind the principal was opened, revealing the brand new machine.
“Now please welcome Dr. Stella Monroe, the woman behind this groundbreaking device!” More clapping ensued as the honored scientist replaced Principal Nevis at the stand.
Dr. Monroe began to explain her invention, and Cody listened on in earnest. But a tickling feeling was starting to build up in his throat, and he recognized he was about to cough. He tried to hold back the action, swallowing in an attempt to push the sensation away, but he wasn’t successful.
Cody let out a few dry bursts, still trying to keep the full fit at bay. He glanced over at Frankie to see if she had noticed, but her eyes remained glued to the presentation unfolding.
Cody sat stiffly in his seat, managing to stay quiet again for a good few minutes, but as his throat and sternum tightened and bulged, he couldn’t hold it back any longer.
His arm flew up to his mouth as a loud cough exploded out of him, throwing him into a hack attack without a sign of stopping.
“Cody, are you okay?” Frankie finally tore her gaze from the stage and grabbed her friend’s unoccupied arm worriedly.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He was able to croak before he had to cough into his sleeve again.
People were staring now—the scientist had even paused her presentation to eye the boy choking on his lungs in the front row. Cody really regretted not staying home now.
“Come on, let’s go into the hallway.” Frankie pulled Cody to his feet and led him out of the room.
Still coughing like crazy, Frankie guided him to a water fountain. “Here, drink some water.” She pressed a button, and Cody dove his face into the fountain, scarfing down the water like he hadn’t drank any in days.
When he was finished, he pulled his head out, gasping a bit, and Frankie shut off the water.
“Does that feel better?” She asked, a soothing touch on his back.
Cody nodded, still leaning over the fountain. “Yeah, a little. Thanks.” He met her eyes, which were now narrowed as she observed the state of her best friend.
“Cody, are you feeling okay?” She questioned, her lifted tone reflecting concern, along with the scrunch of her brows. “I mean, that cough didn’t sound too good, and you look a bit pale. Plus you’re sweating a lot.”
“Uh…” Cody knew he should just come clean, that there was no point in lying to Frankie—she always saw through him—but he also didn’t like to see her worried, and that thought won out.
“Y-yeah, I’m okay. You don’t have to worry. I think the cough’s passed now.” But of course, as he said that he felt the tickling again, and a couple small hacks leapt from his mouth.
Frankie’s lips tightened in a frown. She held Cody with a piercing, not-at-all-fooled glare, silently demanding him to confess the truth.
“Okay. I guess my throat is feeling a little scratchy, but it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
She crossed her arms.
“Uhhh…”
Frankie outstretched her arm, pinching the sleeve of her jacket. “You know, I’ve been working on a new invention myself.” She pulled back the sleeve to reveal a watch on her wrist, and Cody was very aware he was about to be in big trouble. “I call it the MedWatch. It’s a faster alternative to a medical kit that scans a person to analyze their condition, like their vitals, or temperature.” Her glare got even sharper.
Cody expelled a nervous laugh. “Wow, that’s real noble, haha. But you don’t have to use that on me-!”
Frankie activated the watch and a green light shot out of the device, washing Cody’s face in the color as it scanned him from forehead to chin.
When it retracted, a beeping sounded, and Frankie gasped at the reading that flashed on the screen.
“Cody! You have a fever of 102.5 degrees!” She looked back at him with distress. Cody sent his gaze to the floor, guilty he’d still caused her worry, and likely a lot more than if he had just been truthful to begin with. He suddenly felt even sicker.
Frankie took his hand. “Come on, let’s get you to the nurse.” She gently led him to the nurse’s office on the other side of the building.
Entering the room, they walked up to Mrs. Price’s desk.
“Good morning Frankie and Cody.” The woman greeted them with a smile. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine. But Cody has something to say.” Frankie gave him a nudge.
“C-Can I call my dad?” The question came out alarmingly weak.
“Of course.” Mrs. Price turned to her phone. “Not feeling too good, are we?” She asked with an understanding frown. Cody shook his head, again diminished of his usual pep.
Mrs. Price typed in his father’s number, then handed him the phone. Cody took it and held it to his ear as it rang.
“Griffin Rock Emergency. Chief Burns speaking.” Cody wanted to cry at the sound of his dad’s voice.
“H-Hey Dad.”
“Cody? What’s the matter, son? Is everything alright?” There was a clear anxiety in his tone.
“Y-Yes, well, the school’s fine, but… Can you come pick me up…? I don’t feel good…”
“Oh, I’m sorry, son. But I’m kind of in the middle of something right now…”
“So you can’t pick me up?” He didn’t plan on the disappointment that slipped into his voice, but he couldn’t help it—he really wanted his dad right now.
“Well… I’ll see what I can do. But if not me, then it’ll be one of your siblings, hopefully. Is that alright?”
“I guess…”
“How bad are you feeling?”
“Pretty bad.”
“I’m sorry, Cody. But I promise somebody’s coming to get you, so just hold out a little longer, okay?”
“Okay…”
“I love you, son.”
“I love you too. Bye.” The call was ended, and Cody gave the phone back to the nurse.
“Is he coming?” She asked as she returned it to its spot.
“He said he’ll try to, but he’s busy with something else at the moment.” He scuffed his foot on the floor in disheartenment. “If not him it’ll be one of my brothers or sister.”
Mrs. Price nodded in acknowledgment, then stood up. “Do you want me to take your temperature or anything?”
“No thanks, I already did.” Frankie informed. “And trust me, he needs to go home.”
“I can tell.” The older woman frowned at Cody as she walked towards another door that opened into the front office. “You can wait out here to be picked up.”
Cody and Frankie entered the room and sat down in a row of chairs. Cody let out a sigh at the relief of sitting on his ailing body.
“So how come you didn’t stay home today?” Frankie inquired. “I don’t think you’ve ever come to school sick before.”
“Yeah usually I do stay home. But I didn’t want to today cause, well… we were both so excited for this presentation, and I just really didn’t want to miss it, or let you down by not being able to listen to it together…” He stared at his shoes.
“Aw, Cody.” Frankie wrapped her arms around him. “But I would never be disappointed with you taking care of yourself over spending time with me. You’re way more important than learning about some new tech.”
Cody smiled. “I know.” Then his mouth curled back down. “I just felt kinda bad about it, and I guess I was having a bad case of FOMO.” He felt a bit sheepish at that.
Frankie giggled at his pink cheeks. “Yeah, well, I hope you’ve at least learned your lesson now.” She teased.
Cody snorted a genuine chuckle. “Definitely.” Though the humor deserted him as quickly as it had come, leaving him with the throbbing aches and suffocating heat. He rubbed his hand against his sweat-soaked face, letting out a miserable moan.
“Here, Cody, how about you take off your jacket.” Frankie suggested, already tugging down the collar. Cody raised his arms so she could pull the jacket off them, too tired to really help beyond that.
When it was off, he leaned back against his chair, closing his eyes to vainly stave off the discomfort gripping his body in a chokehold.
“Are you going to be upset if your dad isn’t the one to pick you up?”
“No, I guess not. But it would make me feel better to see him right now.” Cody curled his legs to his chest, hugging them close.
“I know how you feel.” Frankie supplied. “I always want my dad around when I’m not feeling well, too. He always knows how to make me feel better, and he was all I had before Anna came along, so I just feel more comforted when he’s there.”
Cody warmly smiled at his friend’s understanding, but then a shiver rattled through him. “Well now I’m cold.”
Frankie huffed amusedly and held out her arms. “Here.” Cody leaned into her offered embrace, resting his head on her shoulder.
“Um, thanks for looking out for me.”
She smirked at him. “Hey, like I hold you, CB: I’ve got your back.”
Cody smiled again; his eyelids were starting to grow heavy, and he shut his eyes, feeling himself starting to drift out of consciousness.
That was until he was jerked back awake by a familiar ding. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. On the screen laid a text message, and his heart soared a little to see it was from his dad.
But the joy quickly deflated as he read the text:
“Sorry kiddo, just can’t be pulled away right now, but Kade’s on his way.”
Cody released a whine. “Ohh, not Kade.” He put his hands on his face; Frankie placed a sympathetic touch to his back. “He’s gonna yell at me.”
“I’m sure he won’t yell at you.” Frankie attempted to reassure. Cody passed her a glare.
A couple minutes went by—then the office door came swinging open.
“Cody!” Kade burst through and ran across the room to his brother. Cody braced himself for the scolding he was about to receive.
Kade came to a stop and knelt in front of Cody, and the younger boy almost jumped when Kade grabbed his shoulders.
“Are you okay?” The fireman asked in a rush, his eyes frantically combing over his brother.
“Um, well… not really...”
Kade removed his hands. “How long have you been feeling sick?”
“Um… since… this morning…”
Kade’s expression flipped from concern to anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Because… I’m sorry, I just…” Cody had no energy to explain himself.
Kade’s demeanor softened at the dispassion of his little brother. He took off a glove and pressed it to Cody’s forehead and cheeks, his frown growing deeper.
He put the glove back on. “That’s okay.” He stood up. “Let’s just get ya home, now.”
Cody started to stand. “Bye Fran-KIE!” He squealed in surprise as he was suddenly yanked off his feet and hoisted into Kade’s arms.
“Kade!! What are you doing?!?!” But his brother gave him no answer, already heading to leave.
“See ya Frankie! Thanks for lookin’ out for him!” Kade called over his shoulder.
“Bye Cody! Hope you feel better!” Cody didn’t get a chance to answer her as Kade had just exited the room.
Kade shoved through the double doors to the blinding light outside, stomping down the steps.
“Kade, this is unnecessary! I can still walk!” But his complaints continued to go ignored.
“Heatwave, open up!” Kade shouted to the firetruck parked in front of the school as they passed. Heatwave instantly obliged.
“This is embarrassing.” Cody whined as Kade lifted him into the open cabin, setting him in the seat and buckling him in. “I can buckle myself.”
Kade just smiled at him and closed the door.
Cody groaned loudly. “Heatwave.” He turned to the floating head of the firebot, his eyes begging for help.
“Are you comfortable? Is it too hot in here? I’ll roll down the windows.” And he did just that.
Cody slumped against the leather in defeat.
Kade entered the driver’s side of the cabin. He shifted to Cody, his mouth still upturned in a grin. “Don’t worry, Cody-Wody. Kadey-Wadey’s gonna take care of you till ya feel all better.” He ruffled Cody’s hair, and for once the blonde wished for Angry Kade back.
Cause if there was one thing worse than Angry Kade, it was Smothering Kade.
Heatwave started his engine, and began the drive back to the firehouse.
Cody resolved to stare out the window; admittedly the cool air blowing through did feel nice on his heated skin, and as he watched the world blur past, he felt himself nodding off.
When they were home, Cody sluggishly unbuckled himself and made to exit the cabin, but stopped when he saw Kade standing there. His brother smiled with care and held out his arms, and exhausted and secretly thankful, Cody flopped into them.
Kade carried him to his room. He settled Cody on the bed, then went to the drawers and pulled out a comfy pair of pajamas, helping his little brother put them on before laying him down and tucking him in.
“Alright, you get some sleep now, okay?” Kade said, patting the covers where Cody’s chest was.
“Mhmm.”
“Hey, uh, sorry I was a little mean to you this morning.” Kade looked a bit guilty.
“It’s okay.”
“Yeah, well, um… You know I love ya, right?”
Cody nodded.
Kade rose a brow. “Even if I’m a jerk sometimes?”
Cody managed to chuckle. “Yeah, even then.”
Kade let out a small laugh. “Well, love ya, squirt. Call me if ya need me.” He walked towards the door.
“Okay. Thanks, Kade.”
Kade looked back at him, smirking. “Anytime, baby bro.” He left Cody to sleep.