fourteen
Milton didn't feel great. His nose was running and his head felt it had been filled with thick cotton. Callum was currently wiping his skin with a cool cloth, humming quietly to himself.
The doctor was going to come and see him again, only a day after they visited him at his office. While Milton wasn't dying or running an overly high fever, the two wolves thought it would be best to ask the man to come take a look, just in case.
"Are you feeling a little better? The cool water helping?"
Milton nods against his pillows, body slack as Callum continues to wipe the soft damp fabric against his forehead, cheeks, nose and even his neck. His skin would prickle with tiny goosebumps, but it was a welcome feeling.
"After Doctor Perin comes, we can get you into a nice cool bath. That should help keep your temperature down."
Milton nods again, eyes struggling to stay open. Cal only frowns, hands running over the boy's slightly sweaty hair before placing the washcloth to the side. Whispering quietly that he'll be right back, Callum leaves Milton's room, taking his dish of water and cloth with him back into the kitchen.
Aldric had left to attend to something at the rehabilitation clinic, Cal knowing his love needed some space to breath after the last few weeks.
He hadn't spent enough time with the rest of the pack, and Cal could see it wearing thin on his husband.
As much as he wanted Al to stay here with him and Milton, it wasn't fair to keep the gentle giant locked away in their apartment.
A knock sounds on the door, Callum hurrying to answer it, tucking his wild hair behind his ears as he unlatches the lock and pulls it open.
"Hi Doctor Perin."
The short human smiles, a small bag in hand as he enters Cal's home with a nervous sort of twitch. "Morning, Mr Wright."
He's dressed in a brown knitted sweater, the top of his white collared shirt peeking over the top. The outfit is paired with dark slacks and shiny brown shoes
"Oh, you can just call me Callum."
Dr Perin nods. "So, I hear Milton's not feeling too well?"
The wolf shakes his head, gesturing for the doctor to follow him towards the bedrooms. "He woke with a slight temperature and has been feeling rather miserable all morning. It's- it's probably nothing, but with everything else going on with him..."
Dr Perin offers an understanding smile. "It's no trouble, I'm glad you called."
Callum watches with nerves fluttering in his chest as the small human settles beside Milton, speaking softly as he takes his temperature and presses his fingers against his glands with a concentrated frown.
Milton barely stirs, eyes a little glassy as he scrunches his fingers in his soft covers before relaxing again.
Cal only smiles softly at the behaviour, the little human in their care taking comfort in the multitude of blankets given to him.
"He is a little warm and his gland are swollen. I'd say he's caught a bit of a cold, but nothing too serious."
Cal nods, wringing his hands as he shuffles closer. "Do you think he picked up from someone here?"
The doctor shakes his head as he places his stethoscope back in his bag. "I think it may have been brought on from stress. Humans are more susceptible to illness when their emotions are heightened."
"Oh." Callum didn't know what else to say. Had they been unknowingly stressing the boy?
Dr Perin smiles, patting the wolf gently on the arm. "It's nothing you've done. He's probably been carrying the virus for a while and it's only now raising its head. Keep him comfortable, hydrated and try and keep him eating. If anything changes, give me a call, okay?"
Cal sighs in relief, thanking the man profusely as he leads him back through the apartment to the door. As he opens it, he pauses, glancing back to the doctor waiting patiently to be let out.
"Um," Callum begins. "I don't know how much you hear this but thank you."
Dr Perin tilts his head in confusion, his small polite smile still dressed on his face. "What do you mean?"
"Thank you for staying. In the pack, I mean. I know it's difficult being around wolves, but for what it's worth, I- I I'm very thankful you decided to stay in the pack despite everything."
Dr Perin's smile cracks as he blinks in shock, his eyes flashing with something akin to sadness before his smile is back and he nods at the man before him.
He leaves quickly with his hands tight around his medical bag as he darts down the hall, no other words spoken as Callum closes the door behind him with a sigh.
There had been rumours and silly gossip of the human who resided on pack lands as a sort of honorary member, keeping to himself in his clinic based in town. Callum hadn't realised at the time is had been Dr Perin, but after meeting the man... it made sense.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Callum heads to the kitchen to warm a bottle of formula, flicking the ever-full kettle on to boil as he goes about sorting some fruit for his own little human, the stress ebbing away as he cuts up fresh strawberries and apples.
Milton hums when the man enters his room, a flicker of happiness rumbling through his tried brain as Callum takes a seat on the bed beside him, gently lifting him to be tucked against his chest.
"I've got fresh fruit for you to munch on once you've had a drink."
Milton pouts at the sight of the bottle. Cal laughs, bringing it to his mouth. "I know, sweetheart. It's not for forever, just until you get your strength back."
He hoped. It would still be a while until they knew whether Milton could eat and drink like normal again, but for now, he didn't mind giving him a helping hand.
Tilting the boy a little, Milton relaxes into Cal's arms, the warm vanilla flavoured drink easily sliding down his throat with not much effort.
He really wanted to eat the fruit Callum had prepared for him, but as he continues to drink, all he really wanted was to bask in the warmth of the bed and the heat that came from Cal's body as he lay beside him.
It was like being wrapped up in a nice warm hug or cuddled into a mother's embrace.
Sighing through his nose, Milton doesn't register the action of Cal taking the mostly empty drink from his lips, his body naturally leaning further into the man, face pressing against his soft shirt that smelt of fresh laundry and something sweet.
Callum smiles, holding him a little closer as he hums quietly in his throat, his wolf coming to the surface with the soft sound, his sweet scent enveloping them both as Milton falls back to sleep.
It's sometime later that Milton wakes again, the sound of Callum talking stirring him from his sleep. Aldric is crouched beside the bed, the little bowl of fruit in his hand as he munches on it, chatting to his husband.
"Oh, you're awake. Feeling, okay?"
Milton sniffs, nodding against Cal as he watches Al eat a slice of apple. His apple.
Callum chuckles, brushing a hand over his head. "Aldric can make you another bowl, sweetheart."
Al pauses in his chewing, smiling at the little frown on the boy's face. "Sorry, Milly. Thought I could replace the bowl before you woke."
The nickname makes the boy blink, but he doesn't hate it. He often heard the two men giving each other nicknames, it was kind of nice to be included.
Callum moves him in the bed, propping him up against the headboard as he lifts himself from the bed. Milton swallows a whine.
"How about we get you into a nice cool bath and then Al can feed you some snacks?"
He's carefully lifted from the bed, his body automatically tucking his newly healed arm against his chest as Callum tucks him into his body, carrying him on his hip, careful not to bump his foot on anything as he takes him into the bathroom and deposits him on the bathmat.
Aldric enters the room as well, leaning over to turn on the tub as his love carefully begins removing Milton's pyjamas.
"How's you arm?" He asks softly, hands gently guiding it from his sleeve.
Milton makes a noise in his throat, nodding his head as he opens his mouth to speak, only to shut it again. It was frustrating, not being able to get his words past the knot in his throat, but the gentle men caring for him smile and carry the conversation as if he were really talking.
"That's good, sweetheart. I'm glad you're feeling better. Once you're over your cold we can look at introducing some exercises. Does that sound good?"
Milton's head pops out of his shirt, hair flying around as he nods again. Aldric takes out his plastic bag and tape, once again wrapping his cast and tapping it shut, tapping his knee when it's done.
"How's the leg feeling? Painful?"
Milton shakes his head. It ached a little, but nowhere near as much as it usually did. He suspected the formula he had this morning had been laced with painkillers to help with that. He was thankful for it too.
Sniffing at the snot attempting to make its way down his face, Callum puts a tissue to his nose, asking him quietly to blow, to which Milton does with bright red cheeks.
The man doesn't make a fuss about the otherwise childish moment, instead focusing on placing him into the luke-warm bath water with the helping hand of Aldric.
Together they settle Milton in the water, Aldric tactfully leaving a washcloth in the boy's lap for some decency as they begin tipping cups of water across his skin.
Milton sighs, sinking into the arms holding him as the cool-ish water cocoons his hot skin, the flush in his cheeks slowly dissipating to his usually pale colour.
"Your hands are looking a little less bruised." Aldric comments with a smile as he tips water over Milton's chest.
Milton blinks, looking down at his hands in the water to take in the slightly less amount of black and blue. They still didn't look great, and moving them around too much left them aching, but perhaps the man was right. Maybe he was getting better. Just a little.