A Star for Baby (boyxboy)

Serpens

All the chapter titles are constellations if ya'll haven't noticed. They were all picked specifically for each chapter ^-^

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Oliver couldn't stand it.

It was only five minutes of his life, but it felt like five hours. He could see Baby in there, lying on the cold metal table, biting his cheek to keep from shivering. The machine around him made him look tinier than ever, and Oliver wanted nothing more than to scoop him up and take him home. They'd been at the hospital all day. Oliver was tired, and he couldn't imagine how Baby must feel. And now he was going through radiation on top of it.

"Can I talk to him again?" Oliver asked Dr. Williams.

The man shook his head. "Darley needs to be talking to him right now. He's going to be okay, Oliver."

Oliver took a deep breath, and wrung his hands together. All he could do was wait. At least he wasn't in the waiting room. He imagined getting into the ambulance and then having to wait outside the cancer wing for a whole night and then the whole following day, without seeing Baby or knowing anything that was going on. This was better, he reminded himself. This was was as good as it was going to get.

After the excruciating five minutes, it was over. Dr. Darley went in to help Baby up, and Baby stumbled with her towards the door. Oliver was waiting with a wheelchair ready. Baby looked at him gratefully, but didn't sink right into it as Oliver expected. Instead, he leaned forward to give Oliver a hug.

"Hey, you alright?" Oliver asked.

Baby nodded. "Not as bad as chemo," he mumbled into Oliver's chest.

Oliver grinned. "Good. Thank god."

"Thank god," Baby echoed.

Oliver kissed the top of his head, and Baby slipped from his arms into the wheelchair. He slumped down, exhausted, and Oliver sighed. It was nearly eight pm. They probably were going to get back to the apartment and go straight to bed.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Williams asked Baby in a gentle voice.

Baby gave a wicked cough before answering. The motion made his entire body contract, and Oliver winced at how painful it looked.

"Tired," Baby said. "Can I get the cannula back?"

Dr. Williams sighed. "I'd really prefer you not going on oxygen until absolutely necessary. Carrying around the tank will be an extra exhauster, and insurance will be a nightmare. You can still breathe fairly easily without it and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"But he's in pain," Oliver interjected. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"There are several breathing exercises you can try, and menthol often helps, if you have any."

"Breathing exercises," Oliver repeated incredulously. "He has cancer."

"And sometimes they can be extremely beneficial," Williams said.

"How can--"

"Oliver," Baby interrupted him quietly. "It's alright. I'm fine. I just want to go sleep."

Oliver felt the frustration building in his throat but he swallowed it down.

"Fine, okay. Can we keep the wheelchair?"

Dr. Williams must have felt awful, because he sighed and nodded his head. "Bring it back tomorrow."

So Oliver rolled baby back out to the car, finally. Baby was already dozing where he sat, feet tucked up under him. Getting him into the car took minimal effort because Baby was so damn light. He was as easy to move around as a rag doll.