Chapter Text
Dennis can feel the sweat drip off the edge of his nose as he bends down. His whole face is covered in sweat and his hair curls at the nape of his neck where his cap ends.
His shirt is clinging to his back unpleasantly and his feet are burning inside his shoes. There's no part of his body that isn't drenched in sweat at the moment. He crouches on the ground and readjusts his cap.
Above him the sun is burning in the sky without a single cloud in sight and barely a breeze of wind to offer any kind of relief from the unbearable heat.
The whole 4th of July weekend has been the same and the nights have only been marginally cooler. The guest room he stays in has south facing windows and by the time he's made it into bed every night the heat has made it impossible to fall asleep. The farm house is old and the AC unit is in need of replacement and it's not sufficient enough to cool down the room. The fan can only do so much when the temperature is this high.
He's pretty sure today is even hotter than yesterday with the sun blazing at his skin.
But the work still needs to be done. The animal needs to be taken care of and there's a ton of work around the farm that can't be pushed to the other day just because today happens to be unbearably hot.
He drinks some water from his water bottle and grimaces at how hot the water feels in his mouth. It was all ice in the morning but since then it has sat in the sun and the ice has melted a long time ago and now the water is warm. He can feel his stomach turn slightly as he swallows and he grimaces against the queasiness. He brings his hand to his forehead rubs a thumb between his eyebrows to soothe his pounding head. The headache has been building slowly but now it feels like his head is going to split open.
He should get inside, or at the very least seek some shade. In the back of his mind a voice is telling him he's dehydrated and that he needs to drink and eat to restore his electrolyte balances. They are probably shit with how poorly he's eaten in the last couple of days. He went to bed with a headache yesterday from not getting enough water and today has been even hotter from the early morning and now that the sun is at its highest it's probably over 95 degrees.
The problem is that he doesn't get hungry when it's this hot outside. Ever since he was a kid he's lost his appetite during the hottest summer days and he remembers his mother forcing him to eat and drink to make sure he did not pass out.
Now as a grown up it's not gotten any better and he knows he neglected himself yesterday and went to bed dehydrated and so far he's done a poor job replenishing himself.
It's way past noon and he knows that he should head inside to eat but he's not hungry. Quite the opposite in fact. He feels sick at the thought of eating. All he wants to do is lie down in a pitch black room and have the AC blasting cool air on him. He forces himself to drink another small sip of the warm water. He should have refilled the water bottle by now but he's still not finished the one Amy brought to him God knows how many hours ago.
She made him some eggs in the morning and he drank water and juice with them in addition to his coffee. Since then he's not eaten anything and the large bottle of water is still not empty. Maybe a third of it is still left. He takes another sip. Then another. By the time he takes the third sip in a row his stomach turns wildly and he gags, almost dropping the bottle.
He closes his eyes for a few seconds and takes a couple of steadying breaths, trying to suppress his nausea.
He should head inside and take a break. Maybe eat some chips and take a cooling shower before trying to eat something more substantial. There's still work that needs to be done but he tells himself he can allow himself an hour or so before picking up where he left off. He wants to check on Amy and baby Theo anyway. He's been fussy the whole weekend but even if he wasn't it is way too hot for him outside which means that Amy has spent most of her time inside with him, leaving Dennis to take care of most things outside and around the farm.
As Dennis starts making his way back to the house he can hear shouting and as he stops in his tracks and looks around he can see a neighbour sprinting across the field that separates the two properties. Dennis half jogs towards him because whatever it is it seems urgent.
Mr Kendrick is in his late fifties and the closest neighbour to the Miller farm and he, his wife and their two kids run their farm together. He is wearing a large hat on top of his bald head and just like Dennis he's drenched in sweat.
“Is everything alright Mr Kendrick?” Dennis asks.
“Two of the calves are loose” he pants and leans forward with his hands on his knees. “Some idiot ran down the fence and didn't even stop. Luckily Fred heard the commotion but two of the babies escaped and now we have two panicking mothers and two loose calves running around by the main road. Do you mind helping?”
“No no. Of course not,” Dennis says and shakes his head, the motion making it split open with pain. “I'll help. We can take the quad! It will be faster.”
“Thank you! I really can't thank you enough!” Mr Kendricks says, still panting.
“Let me go get it and we can get going,” Dennis says and hurries back to the quad bike that is parked by the shed.
-
It takes well over an hour before the calves have been caught and returned to their worried mothers.
By now Dennis' headache has intensified to sharp hammering that matches the beat of his heart and he feels utterly exhausted. His skin feels hot as he wipes at his forehead and the sweat has dried on his skin. He can feel his own heart beat rapidly and his breaths are quick and fast.
The dizziness is worse than before as well and he struggles to see straight.
“I can't thank you enough,” Mr Kendricks says for the fifth time.
“Any time,” Dennis says and ignores the way his stomach turns. “I'm always happy to help!”
He should really head back, take the coldest shower of his life and-
“Amy is lucky to have you. God knows you've been a life saver since that horrible horrible accident. You are a true blessing.”
“I should probably head back,” he says and watches Me Kendricks frown.
“Are you okay?” Mr Kendricks asks. “You don't look so good!”
“I'm fine,” Dennis mutters and waves the other man off but the frown on Mr Kendrick's forehead deepens.
“I think you should sit down!”
Mr Kendricks takes a step toward him, his arms outstretched as to offer his support but Dennis shakes his head. He doesn't need help. He just needs to get back to the house so he can have that icy shower.
“At least let me get you a ride home!” Mr Kendricks insists. “You don't look good!”
“I said I'm fine!” Dennis snaps and stumbles backwards dizzily but manages to make it to the quad.
His fingers shake as he turns the key to start the engine. His head is pounding and it feels like he's going to throw up any second and he does not want it to be on their property.
-
He doesn't remember the short ride back to the Miller farm but by the time he makes it to the small road leading up to the main house he's so dizzy he can barely see straight. The engine comes to a stop and he nearly falls forward on weak, shaky arms.
His head hurts more than it ever has before and half falls, half stumbles off the bike before throwing up violently on the ground.
He blinks dizzily and can barely remember where he is or what he was just doing.
The quad is not parked by its usual spot by the shed but further down the road and he doesn't really understand why.
He should probably ask Amy about that. See if there's anything else that needs to be done. The animals have been fed at least. And their water should last a couple of hours more.
He stumbles forward and the world is spinning and his head is hurting so bad he can barely see anything at all. His panting so hard he can barely breathe and he can feel his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
-
He makes it half the way to the house before his legs collapse and he falls to the ground. The grass is dry and sharp against his hot cheek. Not soft and nice like it should be. But his body is too heavy and he can't move even an inch. Can't even turn his face.
Can't even open his eyes.
-
He can hear shouting.
His head is spinning even if his eyes are closed and his eyelids heavy. As if they are made of lead.
“Dennis!”
The shouting is closer now and the voice is familiar.
“DENNIS!”
There are hands on him.
“HELP! PLEASE. ANYBODY! HELP!”
The hands are rough, tugging at his clothes and pushing at his weak and tired body. A cool hand on his cheek, the one that is not pressed into the grass.
He wishes they would stop shouting so loudly but when he opens his mouth the faintest of noises is all that makes it past his lips.
Just a weak moan.
-
Then there are more voices. More shouting. Louder. A man. Sounds of food steps. More hands. He's no longer on his stomach.
“DENNIS!”
A hand across his cheek. It stings.
“Wake up!”
But he's so tired.
He's too tired to listen to their shouts. It feels unimportant. Even if their voices carry a sense of urgency and panic.
He should probably help them…
If he wasn't so damn tired he would…
…Help…
-
There are still voices around him when he opens his eyes. He's lying on his back and he can see Amy's face swimming above him. He can feel her hands on his face and she's pressing something cool against his forehead. And she's crying.
“Easy!” Someone says. “Stay still, we are getting you help!”
He blinks and realises that Mr Kendricks is also there. He has a phone to his ear. His lips are moving.
Then someone pours something cold over him. It feels nice but compared to the hotness of his skin it makes him flinch in surprise.
“It's alright, Dennis” Amy says and he realises his head is in her lap, resting against her soft cotton dress that is spread out like a blanket across the coarse grass.
One hand is pressing against his forehead and the other is touching his cheek, her thumb running over it lightly.
“It's going to be okay,” she says but her eyes are full of tears and her voice is thick.
He recognises Mrs Kendricks as well. She's staying right next to him. She smiles at him but she looks so very sad, her lips tight and serious.
“Stay awake!” She says. “Stay with us!”
Where else would he go? Dennis thinks.
The pain in his head is blinding him and he closes his eyes tiredly, ignoring their begs for him to open them again.
The last thing he hears is Amy's piercing panic as his body seizes.
-
He wakes up again. Just briefly to a roaring sound above him. Amy is still there. So is Mr and Mrs Kendricks. Amy's face is pale. She's clutching his hand tightly. She's saying something but he can't hear anything.
All he can see above her is the tree crown. All he can hear is the loud but familiar sound.
He's heard it before.
Helicopter, he thinks.
The chopper landing on the helipad on the roof.
Another sick patient being brought in to the PTMC.
Another trauma case.
“Stay with us!” Someone says.
“Please Dennis! Please be okay!”