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Robby was sick. He knew it from the moment he woke up that morning. He felt cold, but was sweating, so Robby knew that he had a fever. It was a high one too, judging by how sick he felt. His head hurt and his stomach ached.
When Robby’s father, Johnny Lawrence, walked into the room to remind Robby that Johnny had to leave for work that day, he noticed his ill son. Many think that Johnny is incapable of having mercy and letting small things, such as a cold, go and is known for pushing himself through such conditions to continue his own workouts. Despite the truth in that statement, Johnny also would never push his son in this way. He had just gotten him back after all. Johnny simply wanted to make sure that his son would be alright.
“Hey, Robby,” Johnny said.
“Hi, Dad,” Robby responded, his voice sounding like he had swallowed a whole driveway full of gravel. He hadn’t even noticed that his throat was sore until he had tried to talk.
“Are you sick?” Johnny asked. He was trying hard to be more attentive towards his son and towards his needs, now that he knew that that is what Robby needed from their relationship.
Robby nodded, but said, “I’ll be fine.”
Johnny touched Robby’s head gently to feel for a fever. Robby meant to pull away, but he couldn’t bring himself to. This kind of close intimate connection is what he had always wanted from his father, and he was still getting used to any kind of physical affection being given and offered.
Johnny felt the fever and knew that Robby should stay in bed today. He also knew that someone should stay with Robby when his fever is as high as it was, but he couldn’t very well skip work either. He was already behind on this month’s payments because of the extra, and very unexpected, expense from their trip to Mexico to find Miguel.
That’s it! Miguel could come over and help take care of Robby while Johnny was at work. While the two boys were still in a somewhat rocky place with their relationship, it is much better now than it was before the trip. Johnny was sure that he could talk Miguel into taking care of Robby. It’s not like teenage boys do anything on Saturdays. Besides, maybe they can bond over watching TV or something.
Johnny left his son for a moment to get him some water and a wet cloth. He had heard somewhere that those could be used to decrease fevers. When he placed the towel on Robby’s forehead, Robby leaned into the cool touch. “Better?” his dad asked.
Robby faintly nodded “Much,” he whispered. Whispering hurt less than talking.
Johnny touched Robby’s hand. He wasn’t sure how to do this physical affection thing that Robby so desperately needed after being touch starved as a child. He wanted so badly to stay and take care of Robby himself, but there was work to be done, and Robby would be okay.
He hesitated before he said, “Hey, Robby.” Robby turned his tired gaze to his father. “I need to go to work soon. I really wish I could stay, but I’m already behind on rent for the month and…”
“It’s okay, Dad. I understand,” Robby said. Robby put on a poker face in hopes that his father wouldn’t know how desperate he was for his dad to stay.
“I’m going to get Miguel to come over and look after you until I get home,” Johnny said, rushing the words out so that they would come out of his mouth easier.
“Not Miguel,” Robby said, whining. “I don’t like Miguel.” Robby barely held back from adding, "and he doesn’t like me either".
“I’m sure that it will be fine,” Johnny said. “In fact, I’m going to go get him right now.”
Johnny left before his son could say another word.
A couple minutes later, someone walked into the apartment. The footsteps weren’t heavy, like his father’s, so Robby assumed that Johnny had, in fact, convinced Miguel to look after him.
To prove him correct, Miguel came into the room and stared at him for a long time. It was beginning to get awkward when Miguel broke the silence, saying, “You look like shit.”
“I feel like shit,” Robby responded honestly. Robby always ends up being more honest when he’s sick. Must be the fever.
“I’m only here because Sensei asked me to make sure you don’t die,” Miguel said. Robby nodded. He felt like he probably should have been more upset about Miguel’s apparent apathy, but he could not bring himself to care.
“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I’ll be alright on my own for a few hours. I’ll even cover for you if you leave now,” Robby suggested. Not only did Robby not want to deal with Miguel, but he also couldn’t afford to make Miguel angry. Robby didn’t have the strength to defend himself. What didn’t occur to Robby is that Miguel would not attack a person who was ill, no matter how much Miguel disliked the other person.
“I was going to leave. I thought Sensei was exaggerating how sick you were. Now that I’ve seen how sick you are, I can’t in good conscience leave you alone,” Miguel told Robby.
“So, you’re not going to leave me alone?” Robby may not have liked Miguel, but the thought of being left alone was almost worse than the thought of being stuck here with Miguel.
“No. I can’t. Not in your condition. What’s your fever?” Miguel said.
“In existence,” Robby responded.
“No shit Sherlock. What number?” Miguel asked.
“I don’t know,” Robby answered.
Miguel rolled his eyes. “Where is your thermometer?”
“In the cabinet in the bathroom. I think. Unless Dad moved it. That’s where I put it.”
“Alright. I’ll be back,” Miguel said, cutting off the other boy’s ramblings.
As Miguel walked to the bathroom and retrieved the thermometer, he pondered how he ended up helping his nemesis. Or maybe they weren’t nemeses at all, at least not anymore. As Miguel walked back to meet Robby, he decided that he would try to be civil, mostly because he had a feeling that Robby would do the same.
Miguel gave the thermometer to Robby, who then put it in his mouth. As they waited for the thermometer to beep, Miguel asked, “Do you want me to bring in the TV? Maybe we can watch a movie or something.”
Robby nodded yes, and Miguel went to retrieve the television. The TV was on a rolling stand, so it wasn’t that difficult to move. After Miguel had plugged the TV in Robby’s room, he went to check Robby’s temperature. The thermometer read 101.8*. Not good, but not terrible either.
“So how is it?” Robby asked.
“Not too bad yet,” Miguel responded.
“Okay,” was all that Miguel got in response.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Miguel pulled Robby’s desk chair up beside Robby’s bed. Then he asked, “What do you want to watch?”
“I don’t really care,” Robby responded tiredly.
“You’re awfully submissive when you’re sick,” Miguel stated.
Robby responded with a simple shrug.
Then the boys lapse into silence. Miguel puts on The Sandlot, which, it turns out, Robby likes as well. As they were watching the shenanigans of the boys, Robby fell asleep. Miguel didn’t notice that Robby had fallen asleep until the movie was over and he went to ask Robby what he wanted to watch next. When he noticed Robby sleeping and saw just how small and defenseless he was in that moment, Miguel felt protectiveness over Robby. It was almost like how Sam described her instinct to protect her younger brother. But Miguel wasn’t related to Robby.
Then again, their parents were dating and going strong, so maybe they would be siblings some day and Miguel’s mind was preparing him for this possibility by giving him protective feelings over Robby.
Miguel was reluctant to wake Robby, so he decided to just pick a movie himself. A while later, Robby stirred a bit in his sleep but settled back down. Miguel gently pushed the hair off Robby’s forehead and noticed that Robby’s fever had decreased dramatically.
“Good,” Miguel murmured to himself.
“What’s good?” Robby asked, a little bit confused as to why Miguel’s hand was on his forehead, but he didn’t pull away either. Robby felt safe in Miguel’s care, like a younger brother feels safe in the care of his older brother.
“Your fever has gone down,” Miguel said.
“Is that why I feel significantly less shitty?” Robby asked.
“Yeah probably,” Miguel responded.
Robby laughed with a nod. “Yeah, that tracks.”
At that moment, the door opened, and Johnny came clomping into the apartment.
The boys were actually kind of upset that their time together had ended, but it was getting late, and Miguel’s mother would be waiting for him for dinner. Miguel went to leave Robby’s room and said, “Bye, Robby,” as he went to walk out.
Before Miguel could fully leave the room, Robby stopped him. “Miguel,” Robby said, followed by a pause. “Thank you for staying with me.”
“Of course. See you around, Robby.”
“See you later.”