That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Parleying 2

"He's got asthma," Doc informed them, glancing up from his notes, confirming Chêne's suspicions. Ciel was still unconscious, and his breaths were still a little wheezy, but the worst seemed to have passed. Doc had had them move him to the medical tent for his convenience, since that's where all of the medical equipment and medicine was kept.

Chêne let out a heavy sigh as she collapsed onto a chair. Words could not begin to describe how relieved she was that the doctor had been able to calm Ciel's attack so effectively, despite the lack of modern inhalers and medications from her world. Even in the future, asthma attacks could be very dangerous. After all, it was how her paternal grandfather had died. She had been so afraid she might have to watch another person she cared about die like that, that now all the tension had gone, she was suddenly feeling exhausted. Ciel was going to give her grey hair if he kept this up!

"Asthma... you say?" Sebastian asked, glancing at Chêne. It seemed her suspicions had been correct, but... "In the three years we have been with him, this is our first time seeing him in this state."

"If he hadn't had an attack in three years, I'd think the asthma was just about cured, but—that being said, being exposed to sudden cold or stress... or catching a cold could trigger a recurrence," Doc explained patiently.

"He's caught a cold once or twice before, but he's never had an attack like this..." Chêne said thoughtfully, still trying to figure out how she could have missed that Ciel had such a serious condition. He might not look it, but the young earl was actually quite tough. "Shouldn't we have been able to see signs of his asthma before?" she asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion and concern. She knew that sometimes asthma might seem to develop out of nowhere in some people, and if Ciel's asthma had been dormant for so long, then he probably only had a more mild, intermittent form, but... for all of her background knowledge and experience with knowing someone who had this condition, she had never felt so helpless before.

"I would say the buildup of many factors must've caused this," Doc told her. "First off, I hear he bathed in the open air with our resident meatheads? Of course he'd catch a cold." He huffed, furrowing his brow slightly in disapproval.

"Yeah, well—ah! He's awake!" Chêne exclaimed excitedly when Ciel gasped softly and slowly opened his eyes again, immediately moving closer to his bedside in case he needed her. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?" She asked calmly but urgently. "Can I get you anything?"

"Wonderful! You've come back to us!" Doc said brightly, smiling as he watched his patient regain consciousness. Normally he would have told Chêne to keep her distance and give the boy space, but she seemed to know what she was doing, so he decided to let her be for now.

"... Water..." Ciel gasped a little pitifully, causing Chêne to flinch slightly at his raspy voice and Sebastian to perk up and step into action.

"Here you are," the demon butler said with a ghost of a smirk as he approached his bedridden master and offered him a small, glass kettle full of warm water, to soothe his throat, so he could take a sip from the spout without having to sit up or spill any on himself. Chêne smiled softly as she replaced the cold compress on Ciel's forehead with a fresh one, relieved.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she told her adopted younger brother with genuine affection, but then her expression hardened slightly, and she frowned in disapproval as she gave him a flick to the forehead. Ciel was too weak to do anything other than scrunch up his brow and frown back at her in annoyance and confusion. "You scared the life out of me! Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear!?" She scolded the young boy sternly, crossing her arms as she huffed in irritation. He should have mentioned this years ago, back when she had asked him background questions about his health to make sure they didn't accidentally serve him something he might be allergic to! Did Ciel have a death wish or something? Chêne glanced at husband. Actually, it most likely had to do with the fact that Ciel probably just hadn't wanted the demon to know he ever had such a weakness...