Colds on Tour

Alex woke up at a strange noise outside his bunk; he pushed back the curtain to see Jack’s bunk opposite his was empty. He reached for his phone to look at the time, thinking he’d overslept but it was only 9am. How odd, Jack was never normally up this early. Alex sat up and out of his bunk with the intention of going to find the younger boy to make sure he was okay. He searched the us only to find Jack lying, curled up on the couch at the back, a blanket half way across him and the bus teddy bear (Joe) lying next to him.
“Jack...Jack are you okay buddy?” Alex knelt down next to him, but Jack just turned over, burying his head in the back of the couch.
“Jack, what’s wrong?” He didn’t get an answer but Jack started coughing, even through the muffled blanket they sounded loud and painful.
“Jack?” finally giving in Jack rolled over to face him.
“Don’t feel good” Jack whined.
“I can see that” said Alex, taking in the pale appearance of his best friend.
“Come here” Alex moved under Jack so the younger was cuddling against him.
“Better?” Jack nodded his head against Alex’ chest before he started coughing again.
“What hurts?” Alex asked.
“Head, throat, chest, all stuffed up” Jack listed off.
“Sounds like a nasty cold you’ve got there” said Alex, resting the back of his hand on Jack’s forehead.
“Hitting fever too”
“Feel shitty” moaned Jack, shuffling closer to Alex.
“Go back to sleep, you’ll feel better” Jack nodded his head as Alex wrapped the blanket around both of them. Soon the two were asleep, cuddled up on the couch together.
“Surprised to see you two up so early” said Rian as he comes to the back lounge that morning to see his two band mates cuddling together.
“Shh he’s sleeping” said Alex, who was staring at his phone. Jack moved in his sleep, his head now resting on Alex’s stomach.
“What’s up with him?” Rian asked.
“He’s got some cold; we’ve been here since about 9”
“I’m right here you know” said Jack, sounding more ill than he did earlier.
“Are you feeling any better?” Alex asked, Jack just groaned and buried his face in the blanket.
“I’ll take that as a no. Ri, could you go grab Matt? Ask him to pop out and get the meds for him?”
“Sure thing, we’ve got to get him on stage somehow” Jack groans again which turns into a coughing fit, he sits up as he tries to get air back into his lungs. Alex rubs his back, taking in his friends appearance; his skunk coloured hair falls limply across his forehead, his skin pale, nose all red and eyes watering, he just looks plain sick.
“Atchoo, Atchoo, Atchoo” Jack goes into a sneezing fit, Alex gets up from his spot his place next to Jack and finds some tissues for his friend. Jack who’s finished sneezing has curled up in a ball on the couch sniffling miserably.
“Thanks Alex” he said, blowing his nose.
“I’m going to go shower, will you be alright here on your own for a bit?” Jack nodded, coughing a bit. Alex fronted but went off to shower.
When he came back Jack was asleep again, Alex noticed his hair sticking to his forehead and reached over to feel the heat coming from the younger boy.
“Matt” he called “Matt” soon the tour manager appeared in the door way.
“Do we have a thermometer or anything? He’s getting worse” He said.
“Okay hold on” Matt disappeared coming back a minute later with the thermometer and a few types of medicine.
“Jack, Jack I need you to wake up” Alex said, shaking his shoulder slightly.
“Go ‘way” came Jack’s muffled replay.
“I’ve got drugs, come on” Jack pushed the blanket back and sat up slightly, leaning against the back of the couch.
“Open” Alex said, holding out the thermometer. Jack rolled his eyes but opened his mouth just enough for Alex to slip the device under his tongue.
“102, that’s high Jack”
“Just gimme drugs so I can go back to sleep” he said before breaking off into a coughing fit. Alex poured out the right amount of medicine and Jack drank in down like it was shot.
“Yuck, vodka next time?” he asked, Alex just laughed even when ill Jack could make a joke.
“No vodka till you’ve stopped trying to cough your lungs up” he laughed.
“Hmm alright” he grumbled, his eye lids already closing. Alex gets up to leave Jack to sleep curled up the couch.
“Wait” called Jack, his voice sounding strange due to his blocked nose.
“Stay with me” Alex smiled, happily agreeing and claiming back into his spot next to Jack as he cuddles into him, resting his head back on Alex’s chest.
“Alex, Jack sound check!” Matt’s voice rang through the bus, waking the boy who had been sleeping on the couch ever since.
“Will you be alright?” Asked Alex, sitting up and looking at his friend still curled up on top of him.
“Yeah, yeah fine” came his crocky voice. Alex stood up, straightening his shirt from where it had got crumbled from Jack sleeping on him. Jack tried to stand up but fell straight back down again.
“Err, hurts” he moaned.
“What some pain killers?”
“Please” Alex popped out a few pills and past them to Jack who took them with a few gulps of water.
“Are you good to try again?” Jack nodded and carefully stood up, quickly changing out of his pjs into a pair of sweats and his Ravens hoodie Jack and Alex made their way into the venue, Jack leaning heavily on Alex all the way.
“Shit dude, are you going to be able to do this?” Asked Rian as Alex sets Jack down on one of the boxes on stage.
“Yeah, yeah I’ll fine” he said, coughing into his sleeve. No one was convinced but if Jack said he’d be fine he probably would be... Probably.
They get through sound check, Jack sitting down the whole time with his guitar on his lap but despite his constant coughing his playing isn’t any worse than normal and they decide that Jack should be good to play.
“Come on back to the bus, so I can drug you up and you can sleep so you feel a little more alive for the show” Jack just nodded and Alex lead him back through the venue. Back on the bus Jack was cuddled against Alex again, Home Alone playing the back ground as the sick boy drifted in and out of sleep.
“Alex” came a thick, sick sounding voice.
“What’s the matter? What more medicine?”
“Nah I’m okay, but you’re going to get sick too being here... (Cough, cough) here with me”
“No I’ve got the best immune system”
“Then how come we can’t go to the UK without you getting ill?” Jack laughed.
“Hey! I’m not that bad...” Jack stuck his tongue out, and with his red nose and tired eyes Alex couldn’t lie he did look kind of adorable.
“Okay maybe I am... But that’s not going to stop me from taking care of my best friend” Said Alex, pulling Jack a little closer.
“Thank you” he crocks.
“No problem Jacky” Alex places a light kiss on top of the younger boys messy hair as he drifts back into sleep.
Just before they hit the stage they’re standing waiting, Jack’s only wear a t shirt not his hoodie and he’s shivering.
“Are you sure you can do this buddy?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, yeah” Jack coughs into his fist.
“Played through worse” he said, remembering the time Alex went on stage despite being so ill with the flu he’d barely been able to move all day. Alex smiled but couldn’t help being worried about his friend.
The show goes well, a few less jokes than normal because Jack’s voice shot to hell by the five song so Alex even get’s Zack talking. Jack finds the energy to run about his stage but breaks into a coughing fit half way through Stella and Alex lets the crowd sing why he checks he’s okay. Over all it was good and Alex comes of stage smiling and buzzing.
Him and Zack both grab a bear and start talking about their favourite parts of the show. It takes a few minutes but Alex notices Jack isn’t with the rest of the band and crew. Starting to get worried he searches the venue but there’s no sign of him.
“Matt, have you seen Jack?” he asked.
“Yeah, he was heading back to the bus and he really didn’t look good” he said.
“Thanks” Alex rushes back to the bus, careful not to be seen by anyone.
“Jack?” he called out. “Jack are you here?” he walked to the back of the bus to find Jack curled up on the same spot at earlier, still in the clothes he was wearing on stage and coughing his lungs up.
“Wow Jack” Alex sits down next to him, rubbing his back as he tries to calm his body wracking coughs. Finally they stop and Jack leans against Alex, utterly spent.
“Come on, let’s get you out of those clothes then you can sleep”
“Want to sleep now” Jack whined.
“You stink come on change” Alex helps Jack up and out of his sweaty clothes and back into his pjs, Alex quickly changing himself into sweats and a GK shirt.
“Better?”
“Yeah” Jack snuggled close to Alex, as they lay back on the couch they’d barely moved from all day.
“No more shows till you’ve stopped coughing up your lungs okay?” Alex said.
“Don’t want to disappoint...”
“It’s okay to be sick Jack, and anyway we have a few days off you’ll probably be better by then”
“Okay” Jack agrees sleepily.
“Sleep well Jacky” said Alex, running his fingers through his friend’s hair.
“Love you” he mumbles.
“Love you too” Alex places a kiss on top of his head and soon they’re both asleep once again.