Little Wonders

9. Aspirin

9. Aspirin

“John, hunny.” Rose whispered shaking her husband slightly.  “John, wake up.”

John stirred and groaned. He wasn’t feeling very well. He looked at the blurred figure that was Rose and groaned again. His head was pounding and he felt really sick.

“John, are you okay?!” She asks worried. John replied with a groan again. Rose noted that he looked really pale and he was in a cold sweat. He had been absolutely fine when she and left him half hour ago, okay he had been tossing and turning a lot that night and Rose found that the cover was being pulled away from her several times. But she had put it down to a restless sleep. “John…” Rose shook him again, only now a bit rougher.

“I…I fine…” He mumbled, worried that once his mouth was open he would throw up.

“Oh god!” Rose panicked. She had never seen John ill before, even when he was the Doctor. “I’ll go get mum!” She rushed out the room yelling “MUM! DAD! COME QUICK!”

Rose ran down the stairs in search of her parents. Pete rushed out of the kitchen closely followed by Jackie.

“What? What’s wrong?!”

“It’s John!” She told them. “He looks really ill!” She saw Jackie’s face relax slightly but Pete looked just as worried as Rose was.

“But he’s never ill!”

“Exactly! And he hasn’t just got a cold! He’s really ill! He looks so pale and green! Oh god!” And Rose broke down crying. Jackie moved over to her and hugged her as she cried on her mum’s shoulders.

“Let’s go see how he is.” Jackie said softly. Rose nodded and then spotted Tony at Pete’s side, his eyes swimming with tears also.

The family made their way up to John and Rose’s bedroom where John had fallen asleep again. Then Jackie realised how serious it was, just by looking at her son-in-law.

“Oh god.” Jackie whispered. Pete moved over to John’s side and placed his hand on his head.

“He’s hot.” He told the spectators. “Rose open a window, Jackie, go get some aspirin and some water.” They all obliged as Pete went to work, waking the poor guy. Tony had climbed onto Rose’s side of the bed and held onto John’s hand. “John?” Pete said loudly shaking him. John stirred almost straight away, groaned and closed his eyes again. “No. John!” Pete said firmly. “Stay awake.” He sat on the edge of the bed as John closed his eyes once again. “Now come on. Let’s sit you up!” He exclaimed. He turned round to see Rose hugging herself, tears falling down his face. “He’ll be okay. He’s just got a bug… didn’t you say one of your colleagues were ill?”

Rose nodded.

“But… She didn’t come in.” Rose mumbled.

“Oh well, come and help me sit him up.” Pete said softly and ushered her over.

“Uncle John…” Tony was mumbling. “Uncle John, wake up Uncle John!”

“Okay Tony. Step out the way a moment.” Pete told his only son. When Tony did as he was told Rose took his place. She linked her arm under John’s just as her dad was doing and together they heaved him up to sit him against the head board.

John groaned as his back his the cold metal and made him uncomfortable.

“No…” He mumbled trying to push himself back into a lying position. Pete and Rose were holding him up.

“I know its uncomfortable John, and I’m sorry…” Pete told him “Go get a towel Tony.” Pete said to Tony before turning back towards John. “But I need to keep you awake. I need you to take some aspirin.”

“No!” John rushed, but regretted it straight away. He felt his stomach take a turn for the worse and held his mouth as he barfed. Rose rushed up and grabbed the empty bin before stuffing it under John’s mouth. John emptied his stomach whipping his mouth with the back of his hand. Tony returned with a white towel and handed it to his dad.

“Thanks Tony.” He took the towel and then placed the sick bin on the floor by John’s bedside before taping his soaked head with it. “Where’s your mum got to?!”

As if by magic, Jackie appeared in the doorway with a glass of water and a couple of tablets in her hand.

“No, no, no, no, no!” John mumbled, not being able to throw up any more.

“Sorry.” Jackie said handing the asked items to Pete. “I couldn’t find them. Someone had moved them.”

“It’s okay. As long as John can still take this, then that’s fine.”

“No! No, no, no, no!” John pushed the glass of water away as Pete lifted it up to his lips. John knew he wanted the water desperately, but he did not need the tablets. He did not want to die.

“John!” Rose begged in his ear. “Please.”

“No!” John said darkly. “I die.”

“What are you trying to say?” Rose asked, louder this time.

“Aspirin… kill me…” He mumbled. “Allergic.”

“Now don’t be silly John.” Jackie said sternly. “Just give it to him Pete!” She encouraged. Rose was looking into John’s eyes and he was pleading silently for her to understand.

“Come on John… just take this, and you can go back to bed… back to sleep. It’ll help honest.”

John refused to open his mouth and after 5 minutes of trying to talk him into taking into the tablets, Jackie got frustrated. She grabbed the glass and pinched John’s nose. His mouth sprung open and Jackie poured the water down his throat. She then went to tip the two aspirin in too when Rose came to her senses.

“No!” She yelled causing Jackie to stop. “He said it’ll kill him!” She rushed as she pulled her mum’s hand off of John’s nose.

“Be serious Rose.” She snapped as she placed the glass of water on the bedside table.

“He’s not fully human mum! If he says it’ll kill him, you better believe him!”

Jackie sighed.

“Okay, if you wish…” She mumbled. “Come on Tony…” She bent down, picked him up (though Pete and Rose knew he was too big to pick up) and went to walk out. “Get better soon John.” She said softly. “I’ll get Tony ready for school.” She told Pete. “I’m sorry…” She mumbled to John as she walked out the room.

Rose put her arms around her husband and hugged him close. She was crying and Pete noticed so was John. He placed a hand on Rose’s shoulder and left the two crying together.

“Rose?” John asked, pulling out of the hug.

“Yeah?” She asked whipping her cheeks.

“Can I ask you something?” He asked softly.

“Course you can.”

“Are you pregnant?”