Home Sick, GG, AU Taken In 'Verse, PG, Chapter 6 of 6
Title: Home Sick, Chapter 6, Taken In 'verse
Author: Piratelf
Rating: PG
Fandom: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Gen AU
Disclaimer: I have no claim upon Gilmore Girls or any GG characters, or any characters stolen and re-molded from any other television shows. I have no medical training and very little medical knowledge.
Beta: Nadnewraid
Xposted to: deanfest_2007, gg_fic, narcoleptics
Author's Notes: This fic is complete. Thank you all for your feedback! Even just one word is appreciated!
Summary: Dean comes home. Luke is home.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Luke intended to make it an early night and got right into bed. He was tired, but after 45 minutes, sleep still hadn’t come. He decided it was too quiet, so he relocated to the couch and turned on the TV. But his eyes kept straying to Dean’s bedroom. He didn’t know why. He’d already straightened the mess he’d made of the drawers when he’d looked for clothes to dress Dean in to take him to the hospital. And he’d removed the wastepaper basket and changed Dean’s sheets. Everything was all ready for him to come home.
But he wasn’t home yet, and soon Luke realized that was what was keeping him from sleeping. He was used to hearing Dean’s soft breathing from across the apartment. The rustle of bedclothes as the teen invariably got them tangled around his long legs. He found himself unconsciously listening for any signs of the horrific nightmares that occasionally disturbed Dean’s sleep. He didn’t know how to sleep in complete privacy any more. After midnight, he got up and went downstairs to check the grill and the gas lines. He didn’t think for a minute that there was anything wrong, but he thought maybe if he followed Dean’s nightly ritual, it might help him relax. It didn’t, but it killed some time. Ultimately, he did get two or three hours sleep.
When he got to the hospital at seven the next morning, Dean was trying to cajole his doctor into releasing him.
“Mr. Danes!”
“Dr. Duquette,” Luke took the doctor’s offered hand and shook it.
“This young man is not at all impressed with our sumptuous accommodations.”
Luke looked at Dean. “You causing trouble already?”
Dean just looked at Luke and sighed. He didn’t look as if he’d had a good night either. It wasn’t just the dark circles under his eyes, but his slumped posture and general air of exhaustion.
“So, what would I have to do to bust him out today?” Luke asked the doctor. Dean perked up immediately.
“Well,” Dr. Duquette consulted Dean’s chart. “He is coming along just fine. There hasn’t been a reoccurrence of fever, and there don’t seem to be any secondary infections. We gave him soft foods last night and he tolerated that well, so I suppose, if you agree to keep him on the diet I give you, learn how to change his bandages and keep him off his feet, I’ll agree to release him.”
“I can change my own bandages,” Dean said, grumpily.
“Or you could just stay here,” the doctor shrugged.
Dean sat back and pressed his lips together in an expression which, were he not seventeen years old, and therefore way too old for such things, could be called a pout.
“I can handle it,” Luke said. “Just show me what to do.”
“I’ll send a nurse in for that, while I get the release paperwork ready for you to sign, all right?”
“Sounds good,” Luke said, patting Dean on the shoulder.
A nurse was there momentarily. “Hi, I’m Isobel, and you need to know about bandage maintenance?”
“Apparently,” Luke answered.
“Okay,” she briskly pulled Dean’s hospital gown up, protecting his modesty with his sheet. She removed the tape and gauze to reveal the incision closed with steri-strips. “Well this looks just fine, what I’m going to do now is put this clear bandage over the top. Don’t get it wet for two days. Just check it periodically to see if there is any seepage between the strips or if the incision becomes red or swells. Other than that, you don’t need to do anything to it, as long as you’ve made an appointment with your GP for a week from today. Have you made an appointment with your GP for a week from today?”
“Uh, I’ll get right on that,” Luke assured her.
“Good, then your GP will check it in a week, if everything looks good, most likely the clear bandage will be removed and you will be told to leave the steri-strips on until they fall off. Any questions?” she asked Luke.
“Nope, I think we can handle that.”
“Dean?” she asked.
“Don’t do anything, got it.”
“Okay, you guys are all set! His clothes are in the locker. Dr. Duquette should be back within the hour with the forms.” She took her supplies and left.
“How can I not get it wet for two days?” Dean asked. “I have to shower! All I wanna do right now is wash the smell of anti-septic out of my skin.”
“I’ll douse you with cologne and leave the windows open. We’ll get through it.” Luke pulled the plastic bag of Dean’s clothes out of the locker and put it on the bed. He reached behind Dean’s neck and untied the strings to his gown.
Dean looked up at him. “Luke, I can dress myself.”
“Oh. Right, yeah, I know. I just didn’t know if you could reach up, you know.”
“I can reach,” Dean grinned and took the bag into the bathroom, shaking his head a little at Luke.
Fifteen minutes later he emerged, fully dressed, and wearily sat back down on his bed.
“You okay?”
“This is sort of a weird outfit.”
“What? It’s sweatpants and a football jersey.”
“It’s the red and white sweatpants with the orange and blue Bears jersey that’s weird.” Dean eased himself down on the bed.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, for one thing, your shoes are untied.”
“I’m getting to them.”
“You need to delay your shoe tying?”
“Doesn’t matter, they’ll make me go out in a wheelchair anyway.”
Luke bent down and began tying Dean’s shoes.
“No, no, you don’t have to. I got it, really. I’m gonna do it,” Dean protested.
“Uh-huh,” Luke said, finishing one shoe and tying the other. “Why don’t you take a nap?”
“`Cause I’m not tired, all I did was get dressed!”
“It’s a good thing you’re not supposed to shower for two days, I’d have to send a lifeguard in with you.”
“Don’t mock me, I’m missing a major organ . . . and really really tired,” Dean admitted, closing his eyes. “Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. The doctor said you’re gonna get tired easily, and you’re not supposed to push yourself, so just relax.”
“I promise I won’t be pathetic for long.”
“Sleep.”
Dr. Duquette returned twenty minutes later with the paperwork, followed by Nurse Isobel who was pushing a wheelchair. “Here you are, just sign on the line and Izzie will roll you outta here!”
“Thanks,” Luke took the paperwork, and bopped Dean on the head with it to wake him up.
“Huh?” Dean blinked up at him.
“Walking papers. You ready to go?”
“Definitely.”
Luke read through the papers quickly, signed and returned them to the doctor, while Dean got off of the bed and into the chair.
Dr. Duquette shook his hand. “Don’t let me see your face here again.”
“Deal,” Dean grinned.
The doctor turned to Luke. “Now remember, keep him home from school a full week, no matter how sick of him you get -”
“Hey!” Dean protested.
“No driving for two weeks, and four full weeks of no heavy lifting, no gym, and no sports. I’ve written you out four excuses, not sure how many you’ll need. One for his gym teacher and he said he’d need one for work, for the heavy lifting.”
“Oh yeah, Taylor will need an excuse,” Luke affirmed.
“Taylor loves paperwork,” Dean explained.
“Sounds like a fun boss,” Dr. Duquette grinned wryly. “So you have two extra in case anything else comes up. They’re signed and dated, because, can you believe this, some kids will hand them over, especially to coaches, and say. ‘Oh, hey, you were supposed to get this two weeks ago, but here’?”
“Clever,” Luke commented, taking the excuses.
“I would never do that,” Dean told them.
“That’s what they all say,” the doctor told him.
Luke shook the doctor’s hand. “Thanks for everything, Doc.”
“No problem. Take care.”
“We will.”
“Would you like to bring your vehicle around front to pick him up?” nurse Izzie asked.
“Oh, yeah, good idea,” Luke nodded, taking his keys out of his pocket.
“We’ll meet you out there, then,” she said.
Luke jogged ahead of them to the elevator leading to the parking garage. When he pulled up in front of the hospital, Dean was waiting for him, leaning against a pillar. He walked the few steps to the truck and opened the passenger side door before Luke had a chance to get out and help him.
“She dumped you pretty fast,” he commented as Dean buckled his seat belt.
“I told her to. Sitting in a wheelchair feels really creepy.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look like much fun.”
Dean was quiet for a few minutes. “So, you know how much this whole thing is gonna cost, yet?” he asked, tentatively.
Luke glanced over at him. “You don’t worry about that. I’ve got insurance, anyway, it’ll be fine.”
“Luke, my dad owned his own business, and he had to pay for his own insurance and the co-pays were enormous.”
“Well, that’s very interesting information. You hungry? Didn’t look like you got breakfast this morning.”
Dean sighed.
“That doesn’t exactly answer my question.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I’ll check this diet thing when we get back and see what you can have.”
“Okay.”
Half an hour later, Dean was on the couch in the apartment, propped up on his and Luke’s pillows, in front of the TV, eating Cesar’s cherry Jello.
“You need anything else?” Luke asked, handing him a glass of water, and a pill for the pain and the swelling.
“No, nothing, I’m great,” Dean smiled. “It is just so good to be home!” He didn’t realize, but it was the first time he’d called the apartment home.
Luke noticed, smiled back and put his hand on Dean’s head. “It’s good to have you home, kid. It’s good to have you home.” Silently he added, ‘it’s not home anymore without you.’
The End
The Taken In 'verse
Author: Piratelf
Rating: PG
Fandom: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Gen AU
Disclaimer: I have no claim upon Gilmore Girls or any GG characters, or any characters stolen and re-molded from any other television shows. I have no medical training and very little medical knowledge.
Beta: Nadnewraid
Xposted to: deanfest_2007, gg_fic, narcoleptics
Author's Notes: This fic is complete. Thank you all for your feedback! Even just one word is appreciated!
Summary: Dean comes home. Luke is home.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Luke intended to make it an early night and got right into bed. He was tired, but after 45 minutes, sleep still hadn’t come. He decided it was too quiet, so he relocated to the couch and turned on the TV. But his eyes kept straying to Dean’s bedroom. He didn’t know why. He’d already straightened the mess he’d made of the drawers when he’d looked for clothes to dress Dean in to take him to the hospital. And he’d removed the wastepaper basket and changed Dean’s sheets. Everything was all ready for him to come home.
But he wasn’t home yet, and soon Luke realized that was what was keeping him from sleeping. He was used to hearing Dean’s soft breathing from across the apartment. The rustle of bedclothes as the teen invariably got them tangled around his long legs. He found himself unconsciously listening for any signs of the horrific nightmares that occasionally disturbed Dean’s sleep. He didn’t know how to sleep in complete privacy any more. After midnight, he got up and went downstairs to check the grill and the gas lines. He didn’t think for a minute that there was anything wrong, but he thought maybe if he followed Dean’s nightly ritual, it might help him relax. It didn’t, but it killed some time. Ultimately, he did get two or three hours sleep.
When he got to the hospital at seven the next morning, Dean was trying to cajole his doctor into releasing him.
“Mr. Danes!”
“Dr. Duquette,” Luke took the doctor’s offered hand and shook it.
“This young man is not at all impressed with our sumptuous accommodations.”
Luke looked at Dean. “You causing trouble already?”
Dean just looked at Luke and sighed. He didn’t look as if he’d had a good night either. It wasn’t just the dark circles under his eyes, but his slumped posture and general air of exhaustion.
“So, what would I have to do to bust him out today?” Luke asked the doctor. Dean perked up immediately.
“Well,” Dr. Duquette consulted Dean’s chart. “He is coming along just fine. There hasn’t been a reoccurrence of fever, and there don’t seem to be any secondary infections. We gave him soft foods last night and he tolerated that well, so I suppose, if you agree to keep him on the diet I give you, learn how to change his bandages and keep him off his feet, I’ll agree to release him.”
“I can change my own bandages,” Dean said, grumpily.
“Or you could just stay here,” the doctor shrugged.
Dean sat back and pressed his lips together in an expression which, were he not seventeen years old, and therefore way too old for such things, could be called a pout.
“I can handle it,” Luke said. “Just show me what to do.”
“I’ll send a nurse in for that, while I get the release paperwork ready for you to sign, all right?”
“Sounds good,” Luke said, patting Dean on the shoulder.
A nurse was there momentarily. “Hi, I’m Isobel, and you need to know about bandage maintenance?”
“Apparently,” Luke answered.
“Okay,” she briskly pulled Dean’s hospital gown up, protecting his modesty with his sheet. She removed the tape and gauze to reveal the incision closed with steri-strips. “Well this looks just fine, what I’m going to do now is put this clear bandage over the top. Don’t get it wet for two days. Just check it periodically to see if there is any seepage between the strips or if the incision becomes red or swells. Other than that, you don’t need to do anything to it, as long as you’ve made an appointment with your GP for a week from today. Have you made an appointment with your GP for a week from today?”
“Uh, I’ll get right on that,” Luke assured her.
“Good, then your GP will check it in a week, if everything looks good, most likely the clear bandage will be removed and you will be told to leave the steri-strips on until they fall off. Any questions?” she asked Luke.
“Nope, I think we can handle that.”
“Dean?” she asked.
“Don’t do anything, got it.”
“Okay, you guys are all set! His clothes are in the locker. Dr. Duquette should be back within the hour with the forms.” She took her supplies and left.
“How can I not get it wet for two days?” Dean asked. “I have to shower! All I wanna do right now is wash the smell of anti-septic out of my skin.”
“I’ll douse you with cologne and leave the windows open. We’ll get through it.” Luke pulled the plastic bag of Dean’s clothes out of the locker and put it on the bed. He reached behind Dean’s neck and untied the strings to his gown.
Dean looked up at him. “Luke, I can dress myself.”
“Oh. Right, yeah, I know. I just didn’t know if you could reach up, you know.”
“I can reach,” Dean grinned and took the bag into the bathroom, shaking his head a little at Luke.
Fifteen minutes later he emerged, fully dressed, and wearily sat back down on his bed.
“You okay?”
“This is sort of a weird outfit.”
“What? It’s sweatpants and a football jersey.”
“It’s the red and white sweatpants with the orange and blue Bears jersey that’s weird.” Dean eased himself down on the bed.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, for one thing, your shoes are untied.”
“I’m getting to them.”
“You need to delay your shoe tying?”
“Doesn’t matter, they’ll make me go out in a wheelchair anyway.”
Luke bent down and began tying Dean’s shoes.
“No, no, you don’t have to. I got it, really. I’m gonna do it,” Dean protested.
“Uh-huh,” Luke said, finishing one shoe and tying the other. “Why don’t you take a nap?”
“`Cause I’m not tired, all I did was get dressed!”
“It’s a good thing you’re not supposed to shower for two days, I’d have to send a lifeguard in with you.”
“Don’t mock me, I’m missing a major organ . . . and really really tired,” Dean admitted, closing his eyes. “Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. The doctor said you’re gonna get tired easily, and you’re not supposed to push yourself, so just relax.”
“I promise I won’t be pathetic for long.”
“Sleep.”
Dr. Duquette returned twenty minutes later with the paperwork, followed by Nurse Isobel who was pushing a wheelchair. “Here you are, just sign on the line and Izzie will roll you outta here!”
“Thanks,” Luke took the paperwork, and bopped Dean on the head with it to wake him up.
“Huh?” Dean blinked up at him.
“Walking papers. You ready to go?”
“Definitely.”
Luke read through the papers quickly, signed and returned them to the doctor, while Dean got off of the bed and into the chair.
Dr. Duquette shook his hand. “Don’t let me see your face here again.”
“Deal,” Dean grinned.
The doctor turned to Luke. “Now remember, keep him home from school a full week, no matter how sick of him you get -”
“Hey!” Dean protested.
“No driving for two weeks, and four full weeks of no heavy lifting, no gym, and no sports. I’ve written you out four excuses, not sure how many you’ll need. One for his gym teacher and he said he’d need one for work, for the heavy lifting.”
“Oh yeah, Taylor will need an excuse,” Luke affirmed.
“Taylor loves paperwork,” Dean explained.
“Sounds like a fun boss,” Dr. Duquette grinned wryly. “So you have two extra in case anything else comes up. They’re signed and dated, because, can you believe this, some kids will hand them over, especially to coaches, and say. ‘Oh, hey, you were supposed to get this two weeks ago, but here’?”
“Clever,” Luke commented, taking the excuses.
“I would never do that,” Dean told them.
“That’s what they all say,” the doctor told him.
Luke shook the doctor’s hand. “Thanks for everything, Doc.”
“No problem. Take care.”
“We will.”
“Would you like to bring your vehicle around front to pick him up?” nurse Izzie asked.
“Oh, yeah, good idea,” Luke nodded, taking his keys out of his pocket.
“We’ll meet you out there, then,” she said.
Luke jogged ahead of them to the elevator leading to the parking garage. When he pulled up in front of the hospital, Dean was waiting for him, leaning against a pillar. He walked the few steps to the truck and opened the passenger side door before Luke had a chance to get out and help him.
“She dumped you pretty fast,” he commented as Dean buckled his seat belt.
“I told her to. Sitting in a wheelchair feels really creepy.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look like much fun.”
Dean was quiet for a few minutes. “So, you know how much this whole thing is gonna cost, yet?” he asked, tentatively.
Luke glanced over at him. “You don’t worry about that. I’ve got insurance, anyway, it’ll be fine.”
“Luke, my dad owned his own business, and he had to pay for his own insurance and the co-pays were enormous.”
“Well, that’s very interesting information. You hungry? Didn’t look like you got breakfast this morning.”
Dean sighed.
“That doesn’t exactly answer my question.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I’ll check this diet thing when we get back and see what you can have.”
“Okay.”
Half an hour later, Dean was on the couch in the apartment, propped up on his and Luke’s pillows, in front of the TV, eating Cesar’s cherry Jello.
“You need anything else?” Luke asked, handing him a glass of water, and a pill for the pain and the swelling.
“No, nothing, I’m great,” Dean smiled. “It is just so good to be home!” He didn’t realize, but it was the first time he’d called the apartment home.
Luke noticed, smiled back and put his hand on Dean’s head. “It’s good to have you home, kid. It’s good to have you home.” Silently he added, ‘it’s not home anymore without you.’
The End
The Taken In 'verse