Content warning: intense medical scene depiction and blood. Reader discretion advised.

~

Alina didn't make it behind the stall in time.

Her stomach leapt, her throat suddenly engulfed by the hot acidic taste of bile. She collided against the sink, her feet sliding out underneath her. She threw her head downward just in time.

There was a loud bang, pounding footsteps as Dr. William and Dr. Carlton barged into the bathroom. Blue and pink scrubs flashed behind them, two nurses hot behind them. Alina didn't notice though, her face burrowed deep in the sink.

"Alina!"

Dr. Willam's alarm wasn't heard, her body spasming. She retched horribly, the floor rushing up beneath her. A pair of arms caught her, looping around her to keep upright. A white coat, outlining green scrubs and teddy bears, appeared behind her. Dr. William latched onto her, supporting her as she heaved. Her body trembled.

Alina gripped the side of the sink, retching. Her head lowered, her vision doubling. Again she threw up, shaking. Tears blurred her reflection, blinding her from seeing Dr. William behind her, his face grave.

"Alina, oh!"

Something itched the inside of her nose. She swabbed underneath her nostril, gasping when red stained the tip of her fingers. She dared a glance in the mirror, a trail of blood appearing.
Dr. Carlton let out a curse underneath his breath. Dr. William quickly turned the sink on, gently ordering she not move. Alina choked back a sob. Panic swelled in her chest, her heart racing. She wiped at the blood again.

"Alina, no," Dr. William caught her hand. "Don't touch anything. Please."

Alina wiggled. More blood appeared, dripping into the sink. Again, she tried to wipe her nose, Dr. William tightening his grip and, again, reassuring she was okay and not to touch anything. She didn't want to listen though, breaking out into tears, blood covering her lips. The water turned ugly copper.

Alina's stomach flipped at the copper water, her blood staining. She hunched forward, Dr. William cupping her chin to support her, gagging. Crimson touched her tonuge, the coppery taste of blood revolting. Tears glistened, her face pale. She made the mistake of sniffling, but too congested, gurgled wetly. More blood gushed.

"Alina," Dr. William instructed, frightened by the terrifying noise. "Head down! Keep your head over the sink. Over the sink! That's it, honey." His arms tightened around her, the hand underneath her chin pulling her forward. "Don't open your mouth."

Her legs buckled, and he quickly caught her again. He lifted her upright, propping her into a standing position again. Alina jerked, hunching over the sink, throwing up again.

Behind them, the blue scrubs of Dr. Carlton disappeared, his figure leaving the room, Nurse Will following after him. They reappeared a few moments later, a small blue first aid kit dangling between Dr. Carlton's fingers. He set it down next to the sink with two small clicks, snapping it open. Pink stood next to Dr. William, Nurse Edward joining him on the other side of Alina's small figure.

He looked down at her, his gaze heavy. "You're okay. Just get it out. Take your time, love."

Alina didn't want to get it out of her system, everything but okay. Her stomach churned, and she retched. Again. The sound and sight of her throwing up was awful, her crying loud, her tears bright. Dr. William watched her, listening and feeling her tremble as she went on puking, hating himself as he started patting her back firmly.

He patted her back, setting a firm, yet rhythmic pace he hoped but dreaded at the same time, would encourage, unpleasantly, she kept gagging. He didn't want to, but she needed to empty out her stomach completely. Blood continued from her nose, leaking profusely, and afraid she'd choke on it, he, again, discouraged her from speaking, whispering she needed to keep her cries muffled.

"You're going to be alright," he shushed her. "We'll get you better, baby. We got you." And when I know you won't choke, you can cry all you need. Promise.

Alina's shoulders quivered.

He went on patting, and she threw up a few more times before, finally, she gagged and nothing came out. A few more gags, dry heaving, and she hoped, desperately, she was done. After one last heave, she was, tired, worn, and ready to become one with the floor. She wiped at her nose, or tried, but Nurse Edward intercepted with a small white towel.

He dapped her face, the fabric cool and refreshing. "It's okay," he said, pressing at the corners of her mouth. Dr. William kept his arms around her, the pink nurse light and gentle as he cleaned her face up. The towel (stained with blood and bile) was exchanged for a new one, Nurse Will handing him a clean towel. Her flustered skin relinquished his soft touch, kind, light and cool.

"Alright," Dr. William muttered when he was finished and she was cleaned. "Lift your head for me, sweetie. Slowly." The hand underneath her chin moved, shifting. Her head was slowly bent backwards, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. Alina swallowed, blinking as blood dripped down her chin as she was positioned back. Her neck pinched.

"Very good," she heard him say. "Don't swallow any blood. Keep your lips nice and sealed. Good girl. Timothy."

Gloves were snapped on, Alina flinching at the noise. Nurse Edward left her side, Dr. Carlton taking his place. Fingers touched the bridge of her nose, pinching firmly. Alina squirmed.

"Alina, you need to hold still for us."

She tried to moan.

"Lips sealed, Alina," Dr. William told her firmly.

The fingers holding her nose squeezed, Dr. Carlton increasing the pressure he was applying. She tried moving, but was stopped with a small no, Alina. Be good for us, honey. We're trying to help, stop the bleeding.

She didn't want his fingers clamped over her nose, tightly pinching her nose and adding more to her misery. Again, she squirmed, and again, she was hushed, comforted by Dr. William and given a soft apology she didn't believe. Dr. Carlton stayed fastened, quiet in concernation (and silently praying), his free hand holding a towel underneath her red nostril. With the angle her head was in, kept in place by Dr. William, all she could see was the ceiling above them, not the four men huddled around her in worry.

"You're doing really well," she was praised, Dr. William gentle with his voice as he tried his best to keep her calm. "Good girl."

Dr. Carlton kept his grip, monitoring the bleeding. Nurse Edward stood next to him, equipped with more towels. When a fresh one was needed, he handed him a new one, the white cloth quickly stuffed underneath her nose before too much blood escaped. Nurse Will took the dirty ones, disposing them into a pile to throw away later, silently alarmed by the amount of blood that soaked them.

Her nose was held for a little longer, Dr. Carlton tightening his fingers again in hopes of finally getting the blood to stop. She was promised she was going to be okay, but the longer they stood there and the more towels that became red, the less she believed Dr. William, doomed to bled out. However, Dr. Carlton kept firm, and the nosebleed (finally) started to slow. The towels became less red and when he touched underneath her nose, no new blood appeared. He loosened his hold, both men watching for the bleeding to start again.

It didn't.

"Will you look at that?" Dr. Carlton exclaimed, relieved. "No more bleeding."

Alina's neck cracked as she, with Dr. William's guidance, moved her head down, sore. A whimper escaped, and blinking, she dared a look in the mirror.

Her lower face was splotched with blood,  her purple gown also targeted, speckled with dark spots of red. Her pale complexion was stained, her reflection paler than she liked seeing, drained from its natural color. Her eyes were tainted, slightly pink from tears she'd withheld. She looked terribly, looked just as she felt, weak, small, and sick.

Behind her, Dr. William stood, still keeping her alright with his arms on either side of her, holding gently. She didn't even reach his upper chest, the top of her head meeting just roughly halfway to his lower abdomen. He was a wall behind her, colorful, white and green with teddy bears, his eyes, downcast, dim with angst. The ends of his coat were dotted with red.

"It's okay," he whispered. Alina couldn't believe him.

Dr. Carlton got a small paper cup, filling it with water to place next to the sink. "Rinse your mouth out," he directed kindly. "Let's make sure we've all the blood out and you can't accidentally swallow any."

Her hand trembling, she lifted the cup to her mouth. The taste of copper washed over her tongue as she gurgled, spitting into the sink a few seconds later. She rinsed a couple more times, repeating the action until she was certain the last of the copper was gone. When she couldn't taste anything, the last of the blood down the drain, she handed the cup back to Dr. Carlton. She closed her eyes briefly.

Her head felt heavy, too heavy, pounding with a headache. Her world spun, swaying as she struggled to hold her own weight. Her stomach felt beyond empty, her nose caked with dried blood. She sniffed, still congested.

A cool towel touched her chin. She opened her eyes, heavy with exhaustion as Dr. Carlton began clearing the blood off her. A few minutes later, the last of crimson was soaked up, her face cleared and slightly damp. Her knees buckled.

"Woah!" Dr. William caught her, but instead of bringing her upright again to stand, slowly lowered her to the floor. Dr. Carlton quickly peeled his coat off, placing it on the ground for her to be laid upon. Dr. William crouched next to her, half cradling her. He started brushing his hand through her hair.

"Hey," he said. "We got you, Alina. We got you, love."

As they laid there, Nurse Edward joined them, kneeling beside them with a small bundle. Quietly, and carefully, he slipped the ruin gown off her, slow and gentle. If she weren't feeling so weak (and she wasn't being blessed by fingers that felt exquisite in her hair), she'd had shrieked at being stripped. However, she stayed unmoving, silent, her eyelids drooping. A new gown was pulled over her, Nurse Edward lifting and guiding her arms through. Her old gown was bagged up, her hands washed with some wet wipes, and then, on the count of three, she was hoisted upward.

Dr. William lifted her up, the white coat bundled around her. Quietly, Dr. Carlton holding the door open, he carried her out and to her room. The two nurses followed, Nurse Will grabbing the first aid kit to put away. In her room, she was laid down on her bed, Dr. William replacing the white coat with the bedsheets. She turned onto her side, her knees going up to curl to her chest, fetal position and sad, her arms hugging her empty stomach. Dr. William sighed.

"Edward," he said.

"Yes?"

"Let's get an IV started. Get some fluids going to prevent dehydration."

"On it," he nodded, disappearing to get an IV kit.

Dr. Carlton came to his husband's side. "Poor lamb."

"She's not doing well, Timothy."

Dr. Carlton heard the deep concern in his lover's voice. "No, she isn't. But, we'll get her better."

The door opened, Nurse Edward stepping into the room with Nurse Will, a small kit in his hand. Dr. William smiled at the two nurses, moving aside to let them approach the bed. Warm fingers slipped through his hand, and Dr. Carlton gave him a small smile. Together, standing out of the way, they watched the two nurses get Alina hooked up. When the IV needle was ready, the puncture sight cleaned and prepped for insertion, she made not a peep as Edward slotted it in, asleep. Will connected the IV to a pole, squeezing the bag of fluids he'd prepared gently to start the flow.

"All good?" Dr. Carlton asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Dr. William nodded. "We need to keep very close tabs on her." He was about to say more, but his hand was squeezed tightly, Dr. Carlton interrupting him. "Yes. Monitor her for the next couple hours. Get some monitors started so her vitals are constantly observed. No oxygen, not yet, but stay alert for any changes if necessary. When she awakes, be ready in case she is sick again, which we hope won't happen. The most important thing she needs right now is rest. If anything changes, anything at all, get us. ASAP. Understood?"

Both nurses nodded.

"Yes, sir," Edward said.

"Good. Dr. William."

Dr. William started. "Dr. Carlton?"

His husband gave him a serious, but knowing look. "May I have a word with you? In my office?"

Dr. William blinked. It was never good when their office because one office, when our became my, and Thomas William was addressed as Dr. William by his lover. Oh, and also when a word was wanted, which he, in a different time and place, easily could've excused himself from, but not now, not with the cool stare he was giving him. No. Dr. Timothy Carlton required his attention.

"Of course," he said quickly and quietly. He looked between the two pink and blue nurses by Alina's bed. "Anything happens, you page right away. No diddle daddling."

"We will," Nurse Will said.

Dr. Carlton tugged at his hand, pulling him with him as he moved from the room. The curtain was pulled back, and he was tugged gently through the sliding door. Before they left completely though, he sent one last glimpse at Alina, asleep and worn out, and in terrible distress. His heart gave a very heavy sigh, twisting at the painful sight.

Oh, Alina. I'm sorry.

*

One shower later and in a new pair of scrubs, Dr. William was sat behind his desk, his lips pressed silently against his knuckles, his eyes narrowed and focused on the piece of paper with Alina's handwriting on it. He'd read it a few times, his heart deflating each time with worry, certain phrases and key words circled in red he and Dr. Carlton both believed could help figure out what was going on with Alina.

They weren't surprised by her gagging. They'd expected it to happen, sooner or later, especially on an empty stomach. However, the nosebleed had come out of nowhere, and now, as he thought everything over, kicked himself for not checking to see if there'd been any blood in her bile before the nosebleed. He was puzzled by what triggered the bleeding, the top of his list being because of a burst vessel because of the severe vomiting. The fluids would help, but they still needed further testing and close monitoring.

They had some other working ideas on what was going on, but would require further tests to be ordered and done, none that could be completed today. No, right now, their main concern was making sure she got some sleep. It was all too clear how badly she needed it without interruptions. Tomorrow was another day.

Dr. William sighed. An anxious buzz was gnawing at him, worried over Alina. If it hadn't been for Dr. Carlton wanting to have a word with him, he'd still be in her room, by her bedside, watching her like a hawk. However, he was dragged by his husband's demand to their villa, told not to worry (easier said than done), then ordered to take a shower that didn't last less than ten minutes and ended with him slipping because he was in a rush. He appreciated him looking out for him, but at the same time, felt like snapping at him to leave him alone. Good grief, he was worried!

Across the room, off to the side by their large conference table, a whiteboard was hung, and Dr. William glanced at it. On it, a list of possible diagnoses were scribbled. In red, the term EPISTAXIS was written, surrounded by question marks. Arrows curved from it, each pointing to different possibilities. Another arrow, in blue, pointed to dehydration, an awful cause and effect from vomiting and her nosebleed. Bullet points were listed, already filled with the next steps they needed to do. Both men hoped and prayed, after a few tests and intervention, nothing too serious was going on.

A door clicked opened, and Dr. Carlton appeared, smiling.

Dr. William looked away from the board, returning the grin. "Enjoy your shower?"

"Yeah," he replied, walking over to the whiteboard. "However, it could've been better."

"Oh?"

Dr. Carlton chuckled. "We're out of my favorite shampoo."

Thomas laughed. "Tragic."

Sure, buddy. Whatever you say.

Dr. Carlton came around the conference table, Dr. William watching him stride closer to him. He looked very handsome in the new scrubs he wore, a dark blue that was his signature to-go attire. His hair was wet, and in a few hours, would be curly and soft, cool and perfect for Dr. William to massage his hand through later. He wasn't wearing his white coat, both of their coats thrown in the laundry, but if he was, how beautifully his figure would be outlined. White was a handsome color on him.

Dr. Carlton came to the desk, coming to stand behind his chair. Dr. William leaned back, an arm, warm, safe, and strong, looping around his collarbone. He closed his eyes, inhaling his lover's scent.

Evergreens and warm fire kissed the side of his forehead. He turned into the kiss, Carlton's lips nuzzling his sharp checkbone. Another kiss, then another. Soft and tender, and silent with the unspoken words of comfort. Don't worry, my dear. Please. I'm here. I got you.

Thomas kissed his arm. And I got you.

"Babe?" Timothy said in his ear.

"Handsome?"

There was a moment of silence. Dr. William turned in his embrace to look up at him. Carlton broke out into a smile, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Where in the world did Alina learn to say the word 'shit'?"

*

^unedited

AN: Ahhhhhhh! Baby Alina! 💔 *sends a get well card with an 'I'm sorry'  balloon and flowers*