Requested by LuckyBelle and Lunarblader
When they arrived on angel island they thought that the chameleon's condition was going to better almost instantly, which it did in one way
but even with the added sunlight, the chameleon's attitude was not as sunny
the chameleon was bored, stressed, and obviously unwell
mighty and knuckles did their best to provide the best health care and follow the instructions from the nurses and doctors
but it was clear Espio was going stir crazy, he could sit in one spot for a time, but he couldn't obviously do it for this long
it had almost been a full week after leaving him to bask in the sun they saw the first signs of the chameleons tried patience, finding him doing handstands, balancing on one hand at times, and walking on his hands back and forth
it was hilarious as it was impressive, but even more so a worry and risk of Espio getting hurt, especially with all that blood rushing to his head being upside down could not be good for him
although the chameleon could have more serious side effects, it didn't mean that what he was suffering wasn't worrisome
he was finding it hard to stand, having a general weakness and the two knew he was finding it hard to focus,
as kids when Espio was annoyed at the two he would always shoot his tongue at them to spook them
this tradition hadn't left as they grew older but the times he tried recently it was off by a lot, sometimes accidentally hitting a tree in the process
so doing handstands and out of their eyes, they could even see the chameleon manually moving his eyes around so they were in opposite directions was not going to help, especially when he was supposed to be resting and keeping it easy
if this wasn't the sign of a mental breakdown, they didn't know what was
and yet this was just the bare minimum of their concerns
"Espio! for the love of chaos, would you stop being so stubborn and take the medicine" knuckles pleaded as he held a squirming chameleon in a towel in his hands
the towel was the way to protect the chameleon from harsh movements but also keep him in place where he was practically being held in place to take his medicine
he tried hiding it in the chameleon's food, but thanks to his lack of appetite they had to do it the hard way
with the added help of mighty holding a syringe of the appropriate amount of medication to the mouth and doing his best to make him eat it, they tried to cover his nose holes to make him open his mouth but he was scarily great at holding his breath, so they had to result in using a spatula to part his lips they eventually got the chameleon to comply
"Close your mouth, don't think I won't notice you spitting it out!" knuckles instructed whilst holding the ninja head tilted up higher than the rest of his body to help them swallow the medication
which was responded with an eventual gulp and growl
this was the most unpleasant part and even worse was that this wasn't the first time they had to do this, meaning that Espio had no intention of making it easier for the two as the time went on, fighting them tooth and nail each and every time
"I hate you" Espio grumbled once the medicine was taken, allowing himself to be freed of the towel's hold that was being used to prevent him from thrashing
"Now we know that isn't true, once this is over you're going to be back on your feet, healthy and brooding as your usual self, just trust me on that will ya" mighty assured with sympathy and a tiny bit of impatience
the chameleon simply rolled to meet the two figures' eyes, glared, and land back on the rock that was nice and warm thanks to the bright sun, curling into himself with a huff
the two merely sighed as they allowed the chameleon space
it would be the only time of peace before the two would have to bother him again for his once a week calcium dust meal which the ninja despised, as well as helping him into a knuckles hut to sleep where a temporary UVB was placed
but they were grateful at least they weren't on their own during this
vector made plenty of face times to check on their progress and even came over to visit with the inclusion of vanilla sometimes to check on the chameleon's leg was recovering
it was understandable that the croc missed the smaller reptile, but two couldn't help but notice how the croc always stood close to the chameleon when he was there, yes they were all worried, but the look on the crocodile's face was the pure dictionary definition of guilt
seemed vectors inner demons were torturing him endlessly about the chameleon's condition, they told him that it wasn't his fault and that he shouldn't be beating himself up. even the chameleon himself tried to persuade him, but regardless the crocodile wanted to do all he could to make amends
this seemed to be in the method of giving more information on how to better the chameleon's situation, learning more about chameleons in general and their biology
not that knuckles or mighty would ever say this to Espio, who they knew would simply not like it and find it like they were trying to say he couldn't take care of himself and that he was lacking in his biological understanding
they simply stated that vector was asking the doctor many questions and how to help him, regardless of the ninja's huffs of annoyance he didn't object to it
they understood the basics, keep him warm and have him close to sunlight, try to give him enough space until they have to, such as giving him water, medicine, and food
but to their surprise vector did give some helpful tips to help Espio's progress increase and stress levels decrease
such as giving him plenty of calcium-based food and insects such as crickets, mealworms, and roaches...
"ha! the look on your faces!" vector practically cried in laughter through the communicator as he saw the three's faces turn to pure disgust and horror
no, he was messing with them, but since their evolution, there were plenty of alternatives to those to help Espio's diet improve
and as much as the chameleon was making it hard to accept the help and being reliant on others the croc trusted that knew the two red mobians were up to the challenge, but it didn't mean he couldn't make it any easier on them
"Hey guys" Vector greeted as he arrived on angel island via warp ring
"hey vec" Knuckles waved as he saw the green reptile walk onto the grass of his floating temple
"how's the patient," Vector asked curiously
"how'd you expect, mighty is trying to stop him flinging his stars into the air" Knuckles chuckled sheepishly as he pointed to the scene displayed in front
a frantic looking armadillo scolding and ranting at an annoyed and bored looking chameleon
"well I got something that might help stop him from being killed by kunai" Vector sniggered held a brown box and hinted at what was inside
waisting no time in explaining the crocodile walked towards the scene
"Hey you two" vector greeted as he interrupted the argument
"oh hello vector" the two simultaneously addressed with surprise, not expecting him to visit this late in the day, he usually came earlier
"Just thought I'd check-in, found these too and I thought you'd like em, something to do while you've got all this free time" vector stated as he placed the box on the floor where espio shuffled through, where he found some sudoku books and colouring books, along with new looking colouring pens
the chameleon squinted with question, not sure if to either thank the crocodile or be annoyed that he thinks bringing him activities to do as if entertaining a child
regardless he still gave thanks as he inspected the books, intrigued at the patterns that seemed quite intricate and delicate
"should probably save those for tomorrow, getting dark now" Knuckles commented as he joined the others
at to the knuckles words, the world around them was indeed showing signs of the nighttime, stars and the moon slowly appearing
espio sigh could be heard clear as day as he plopped the items back into the box, earning a light chuckle from the croc
"come now, you need to rest" vector soothed as he scooped the chameleon into his arms with ease
"Soon as you get to sleep the sooner you can wake up, sides the more rest you get the quicker you'll be back on your feet" Vector continued, ignoring the chameleon's face of protest, simply walking into the echidnas base and towards the chameleon's temporary bedroom
"but please stop giving the boys a hard time, they're only trying to help" Vector tried to convince as he placed the chameleon on the bed
"I can't promise anything vector, I hate having that calcium poison being forced down my throat and not even being able to walk simply from bed to outside" Espio grumbled
"it won't be forever, just keep occupied and it'll be over before ya know it" the croc reassured as he helped the chameleon lay back on the mattress
"ok" espio simply responded as sleep engulfed him, clearly too tired to argue
"sleep tight kid" vector whispered with a smile, arranging the covers so the UV light could get to the chameleon's scales but also to cover him so he didn't get cold, a tricky pattern but he did his best, soon as he was done he tiptoed out the bedroom, closing the door and allowing the chameleon to sleep in peace
"you need to teach me how you just did that, had a fist to the face the last time I tried to take him to bed" Mighty commented as the crocodile walked back to the main living area of the hut, surprisingly it used to only be a one-person living space, but due to the echidna now having many visitors that would come and stay the night, extensions were fitted and now could fit up to 10 people if needed to stay
"It just comes with being a leader" Vector shrugged with pride
"Yeah but anyways thanks for the help, any chance you can help out with the calcium feedings" Knuckles thanked as he tried to convince the croc for more of his leadership skills
"I'm good but I ain't that good" vector chuckled, although it came out bittersweet
the two knew what the croc was thinking, and it was a thought that they desperately wanted to leave his mind
"we'll keep you updated on esp, and we'll be sure to tell you how the books hold up, with the look he gave them before, it's the happiest we've seen him in ages" Mighty mentioned
"Really?" vector asked with surprise and hopefulness
"yeah totally! he isn't really social with us, comes and goes, but it'll be good to know he's got his mind off his leg for a bit" Knuckles added with a genuine smile
that was all the crocodile needed to hear, almost bringing tears to his eyes
"I'm glad you guys think so," Vector said as he held his happy tears in
"Good to know, now get off my island, we all need sleep" Knuckles proclaimed with hands on his hips
"Rodger that" Vector nodded as he threw open a warp ring to his living room
"remember-" Vector began as he took a step within the ring
"call you if anything happens, we know" the two simultaneously stated
with that and blushing grumble the crocodile left, waving a hand behind and leaving two teens laughing
"he really worries too much" knuckles sighed with entertainment
"eh, it's his job, he does it with any of us chaotixs" Mighty chuckled
"well he doesn't need to worry, as he saw himself, despite the feeding esps he's been alright, even getting to sleep with no problem" Knuckles stated as he and the armadillo headed off to bed themselves, happy another day was over
unknowing to them how wrong they were as the chameleon was getting started with the sudoku in the bright purple-blue light
Most take-home medications are meant to be given orally (by mouth) and giving this can be challenging and potentially stressful to both the chameleon and the owner. The easiest way to give oral medication to your chameleon is to inject the proper amount of medicine into a feeder insect and then feed it to your chameleon immediately. This eliminates the need to hold your chameleon, force its mouth open and cause undue stress on a sickly animal. However, this only works if the chameleon is hungry and accepts the insect right away. Medications hidden in food may have delayed absorption and/or degrade before being eaten and utilized if not eaten immediately. In the case of stubborn or non-feeding chameleons gentle restraint is sometimes needed. Wrapping the chameleon loosely in a towel will stop the struggling and fighting. In many cases gently rubbing the nose or placing your fingers over the nostrils will elicit an open mouth response and the medications can then be administered into the back of the mouth. If that doesn't work gently slide a credit card, soft spatula or another thin pliable utensil between the jaws until they open up enough to insert the syringe and administer the medication. Be careful not to injure sensitive lips and teeth when doing this. After dosing, wait for your chameleon to close its mouth before letting them go. This will allow the medications to stay in the mouth, swallowed and not be expelled or spitted out on release. Hold your chameleon with the head tilted up higher than the rest of the body to help them swallow the medication.