(Just a note, this book is still fiction :P) 

Fri-

Waking up wasn't something that I thought would happen. I'd been ready to go, even though I'd planned on trying, my body had decided that it wasn't up to the task. Yet here I am. It was a shock, but I was proud to be able to open my eyes again and see Hice waiting impatiently beside me. 

He looked calm on the outside, but I knew him better. My head was in his lap, his left hand gently settled atop my head as if we had been in such a situation hundreds of times. My heart gave an odd thump at the idea, but then I pushed it away. Hice wasn't like this normally. I've probably stressed him out horribly being so ill. 

I did feel better. Not perfect, but the strange pressure in my head that's been causing me to feel so tired has eased up quite a lot. I almost felt like I could stay awake for more than a few minutes. 

Turning my attention to what Hice was looking at, I saw that the human's television was turned on and a news show was playing. They had put it on several times in my hospital room, but I was usually too tired to pay it any mind. 

Opening my mouth a small amount, I tried to speak, but my voice refused to work. No surprise. I'd been unwell for some time, so it didn't come as a shock, but I needed Hice to know that I was still with him. He looked so tired beneath his stoic expression. 

Thinking for a moment, I tested out my body. My fingers moved a small amount, but my hands and arms refused to do much. My feet were no better, though it was a relief that I had no pain from trying, just the feeling of exhaustion from far too much swimming. 

"Fri?" 

Blinking, I refocused my attention on Hice, but he was just starting to look down at me. Glancing around the room as best I could, I saw Oliver standing near a wall, a glass of water in his hand. Before I could figure out a way to respond, my body was roughly pulled into Hice's lap, my head dropping onto the armrest as he leaned down so that our noses were only an inch or so apart. 

Hello, Hice. 

I wanted to talk to him, but I just couldn't. Instead, I forced what I hoped looked like a smile, though I could tell that my lips weren't moving very much. 

"Fri?" He asked, the disbelief in his eyes making my heart hurt. 

"How many times have I told you not to jerk him around. He needs to stay as still as possible to rest." Oliver said as he limped over. His leg seemed to be bothering him quite a lot considering the way he was moving. 

Hice wasn't paying him any mind. His sole focus was on me, and I couldn't complain. I'd missed seeing him. He'd been around when I was in the hospital, but I never felt well enough to interact with him and could rarely stay awake. Now, with his rough hand hesitantly settling against my cheek, I couldn't help but feel lucky. 

"I'm sure you're too tired to reply right now or move much, but I'm glad to see you finally awake, Fri. Micah did quite a lot of research on you that we didn't know about, and well, he kept most of it to himself until recently. He'd done some things under the director's nose, and quite honestly, is saving your life in a round about way. He gave us access to the research files in his personal email before passing out again a few days ago." 

Looking up at him where he stopped beside where I was lying, I tried to give him some sort of gesture to continue. Of course, I couldn't move, but he seemed to understand. 

"He suggested we do a transfusion between you and him before that. He wasn't technically wrong saying that his cells, even with the disease that would be transmitted, could help if yours managed to mutate them. Your body did wipe out the small amount that was transferred and use his good cells to your advantage from what the small tests I was able to run on you two days showed, but we'd needed to do two more transfusions using Callem, and Mellac to boost your system more." 

Wait, they gave me a disease to try and cure my disease? 

"You don't look like you understand. And honestly, I don't, either. Micah seemed to realize some sort of reaction mer blood had to human blood and general diseases and tried to use his sickness to help your body grow a stronger immunity. It's something along the lines of what happens when injecting a killed virus into a system as a vaccine, except that it was live and you were already sick, but the details in his notes were extremely complicated to put together as to why it could possibly beneficial to do that, likely to keep the information out of the director's hands if he ever got access to it." 

I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened then, trying to convey a nod. 

"Well, either way. Your body is doing better. You're not cured, by a long shot, but I'm thinking that you aren't feeling nearly as bad as you have been recently." I gave him a small smile and he returned it. 

If I'm doing okay, and they gave my blood to Micah, then how is he doing? 

I wanted to ask, but I couldn't, and there was no way to show my curiosity through my tired eyes, so I just turned my attention back to Hice. You're adorable when you worry, but I wish you wouldn't any longer. I'll be okay. I wasn't positive of that, at all, but if it would remove his cautious expression he wore as he carefully touched my face and replace it with the frustrated frown I knew so well, I would be very happy.  

He leaned down to nudge his nose against my cheek, the faint sound of sniffing telling me that he was taking in my scent. I probably didn't smell all that great after being in that human hospital for so long, but when he leaned back just enough to lick my nose, I couldn't help but give a weak chuckle. It was mainly just the sound of air escaping from between my lips, but when Hice closed his eyes and a rare smile found his its way onto his face, I knew that I wanted to be sure to laugh around him as much as possible when I felt better. 

"Kipper, could I borrow a small bit of that?" Oliver asked, drawing my attention over to where the young mer had just stepped out of the kitchen with a plate of food. I didn't want it. At all, but I knew what was coming. 

You need to start eating again. 

Biting back the sense of nausea that came from the idea, I tried to keep myself from stressing as Oliver took a small piece of fish and walked over. It looked like he was going to try and give it to me himself, but Hice had no interest in letting him. He reached up and swiped it from Oliver's hand in a blur, then sniffed it before moving it to his palm and scratching it to shreds. 

You would probably try to drown me if I told you that you looked cute right now. 

When he reached up with a little pinch of fish, I forced my lips to part just enough for him to slip it between them. I didn't bother trying to chew, since he had torn it up into nothing and I could barely work my jaw. Thankfully, my tongue wasn't up to its usual task either, so I couldn't taste the food as I swallowed. 

"Perfect. Keep doing that. Just make sure he's sitting up a little more so he can swallow well." Oliver said. Hice didn't reply, but he did shift me a bit more, then put a pillow under my head before pressing another piece of shredded fish to my lips. 

I ate what he had, then drank a little bit of water from a cup that Oliver brought over. 

"That will be fine for now. We don't want to push his stomach too far so soon." 

After licking his fingers, then my lips twice to likely remove any stray bits of fish, Hice got himself comfortable lying down beside me. "Because I would think he'd want to know. What is going on with Micah?" Hice asked, his voice nearly a growl at the mention of the other man I was curious about. 

Oliver didn't look happy with the question, but he ended up sighing and taking a seat across from the sofa we were resting on. "He's not doing great. When we did the transfusion, we didn't think about blood types or how transferring from different species would work. We got lucky that when we finally got some stuff to run the blood type tests. You guys don't seem to go by the same standards, though. Basically, humans are only comparable to transfer blood to certain other humans. Similar blood types and what not. But you guys don't seem to have that issue when receiving, but giving..."

Then what was the problem? Why didn't my blood help him? 

"Well, it's complicated to give you an answer you'll understand. You're very smart, for a mer or human, but even my head hurts trying to think about what's going on with him." 

Silence took over the conversation, but I could be patient. And Hice didn't care, so I knew that he wouldn't try to rush Oliver into replying. 

"All I can say is that your blood did help, some. Micah's body seems to consider it a danger, however, and has been attacking the cells that were transferred like what happens when the incorrect blood type is used. The fact that your cells were already fighting a much stronger version of his sickness probably prolonged his life a great deal, since Micah got lucky and it doesn't seem like we transferred enough infected cells to be damaging, however..." 

However, what? 

If I could have growled at him to continue, I would have, but I had to wait until he was able to decide what to say before he replied a few moments later. 

"With his cells attacking yours, and yours attacking the disease, his defenses are running very thin. We're going to try and do a transfusion later for him from Ocar, if I can get clearance to take a blood sample off-site and he'll agree to give it, but we're just running out of options. Human blood won't do nearly enough to bother with at this point and I won't draw from Kipper with him being so young, so it's down to Ocar's cells."

But can't Callem or Mellac help anymore? Can they only do it once?

"If it doesn't help enough, I'll do it, too." 

Hice's words had my tired eyes widening and Oliver's mouth dropping open slightly. I knew that he wouldn't willingly let them take anything from him, and probably let Callem and Mellac get forced into donating first, but to hear him offer his own blood up to save Micah...

He turned on the sofa, his back pressing against my left side as he grumbled. "Fri would never stop bugging me as soon as he could talk if I didn't offer." 

Nodding slowly, Oliver got himself up from the chair. "I appreciate the offer. We'll try Ocar first, then have you as a last resort. Thank you. Both of you get some rest now, if you're up to it later, Fri, I'll get you another small piece of fish and some more water." 

I gave him a little grin before allowing myself to relax. As my eyes gladly drifted shut, I couldn't help but widen my smile the slightest amount. 

Hice is so sweet. But I want to keep my bones from being broken by mistake, so I'll just keep that thought to myself and try to get some rest.