Sick Day, Rangers apprentice by Elfpen (Fanfiction )

Chapter 5: Fever

"Good Lord, Will, you're burning up." He said quietly, not really speaking to the boy who was clearly paying no attention to him or anything else beyond each breath he took. Gilan looked down at the bright red face at his shoulder, then sent a worried look up at Halt. He didn't have to say anything.

"Get him laid back down, and keep him breathing." Halt said, rising. He left the room and returned a few minutes later with something in his hand. He held it out to Will.

"Eat this." Halt said. "It'll help with the fever." Will bit into the medicinal biscuit, ignoring the bitter flavor. After he was done, Halt handed him a glass of tea. It was cold and quickly brewed, and Will could taste the medicine mixed in with the tea leaves. He'd had this particular medicine before, and knew it would help with his cough. He was grateful for the fact that Halt kept the medicines handy. It could never be said that Halt wasn't prepared. After he'd finished gulping down his tea, Halt looked him in the eye.

"You alright?" He asked. Will nodded.

"I think so. Thanks, Halt." He said quietly, hoping he wouldn't start coughing again.

Halt simply nodded. "Good." The ranger straightened. "You've had your breakfast and your medicine. Now lay down at get some sleep. Lord knows you need it." After getting Will situated under more blankets and putting a damp cloth across his forehead, Halt darkened the room with a second set of curtains made for the purpose. He gestured Gilan out of the room and shut the door behind them so that Will could finally sleep. He hadn't told Will, but Halt had added a sleep-aiding drug to the tea.

Once out of the room, Gilan was babbling on apologetically.

"Halt, I'm so sorry - I shouldn't have made him laugh, I didn't know what to do - I didn't know he was that sick, and he had a fever that bad and I just-"

"Gilan." Halt interrupted, firmly. He made sure the other man was looking him in the eye. "It's not your fault. You didn't know. It was an accident. Just be aware that we have to be careful - we don't know just how sick Will is." Gilan nodded. Halt nodded back, and then turned his gaze back to Will's bedroom door. "I just pray that he won't grow any worse. If he can last a day without falling back into another horrible fever like last night, I think he'll be on his way back to health. But we need to keep a sharp eye on him. Halt said. He gave his former apprentice a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then moved over to sink down into his designated chair by the hearth. "But in the meantime, we'll have to wait."

The rest of the day passed relatively smoothly. Gilan and Halt shared a late lunch consisting of light sandwiches, and Gilan composed a letter to Crowley while Halt went out to fetch water and cut firewood - The grizzled ranger hadn't realized how useful the boy had been around the house until he was unable to do his chores. Will awoke once or twice, usually asking for water to quench his dry throat. Gilan tried to coax him to eat something, but he maintained that he wasn't hungry. Much to Halt's relief, Will's fever had gone down, and was now only a lingering temperature. The sleeping draught that Halt had gave Will earlier seemed to be doing its job well, as Will slept soundly at varying intervals throughout the day. Gilan commented on how easily the boy was sleeping and Halt had admitted to drugging his apprentice. Gilan had looked at him as if he'd committed a crime in not telling the boy he'd been drugged, but then shrugged and conceded that it was for the best.

Late in the evening, Gilan was setting up his bedroll on top of the couch in the living area, and Halt was helping to get Will situated for the night before all three rangers went to sleep. Will had had a meager but filling meal of stew broth, and despite the amount of rest that he'd had already, was exhausted. A yawn split the young face for a few moments.

"I've been sleeping all day, but I'm so tired." He said, his voice hoarse.

Halt nodded. "Your body needs the rest. If you're tired, sleep. It'll help your recovery." He touched his hand to Will's forehead for the umpteenth time and was satisfied that it hadn't changed from the miniscule fever that had been present for the better part of that day. "With any luck, your fever will dissipate entirely by tomorrow."