Chapter Text
Boys will be boys. This means tween boys will dare each other to do things, even if it’s dangerous. A peanut allergy isn’t exempt from dares, unfortunately. Callum learns this quickly and harshly when one of the boys in his group consumes a peanut butter cup despite his life-threatening allergy to peanuts. He was dared by another boy in the group named Dallon to eat it, and Cole, who was the one allergic, wasn’t going to pass up a dare from Dallon. Cole didn’t want to be a wimp, so he ate it. Immediately, his throat begins to feel funny, and his tongue sits heavy in his mouth. Dallon starts to panic when Cole’s face turns red due to a lack of oxygen. Dallon bolts to where Callum is standing and talking to you in the mess hall.
“Uhh, Mister Callum?” Dallon wrings his hands nervously.
“Yes, Dallon?” Callum kneels down in front of the kid.
“Cole needs help.”
Callum looks over to where some kids are starting to gather around Cole, who is now struggling to breathe. Panic surges through Callum, and the both of you hurry over to the boy.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Callum asks Cole, and the boy weakly points to the candy wrapper.
“He’s allergic,” you say, eyes widening in realization, “Do you have an EpiPen?”
Cole nods, pointing to his backpack on the floor. Callum is rubbing Cole’s back to keep him as calm as possible, trying to keep himself calm as well. You rummage through the bag and find the pen. Luckily, knowing first aid was required to be a counselor, so you know how to use an EpiPen.
“Okay, Cole. You’re gonna feel a pinch in your leg,” you warn, uncapping the EpiPen and then injecting the needle into the boy’s thigh.
“Cal, go get the head counselor. Cole’s gonna have to go to the hospital, I’m afraid,” you grimace, “He could still go into shock.”
Callum nods and jogs out of the mess hall to call the head counselor over the walkie-talkie. He’s an absolute wreck. Watching a kid struggling to breathe was not on his to-do list today. Especially one of the boys in his group, for whom he is responsible. Callum wipes his sweaty forehead as you join him outside as the head counselor arrives and escorts Cole to the nursing cabin. Just as you are about to say something, Dallon walks up to you and Callum.
“It’s my fault, I dared him to eat it,” he frowns, “I didn’t think allergies were that serious.”
“It’s alright, Dallon,” Callum sighs, “But now you know what happens with allergies and not to do it again, right?”
“Right,” Dallon nods, “Am I in trouble, Mister Callum?”
“I think something like this is up to the head counselor, bud. But I don’t think you’ll go home just yet if it was an accident.”
The kids are given an extended lunch and are granted permission to go and play in the field by the lake until the head counselor figures things out. Cole is alert and breathing fine when paramedics arrive. You and Callum are hiding behind a nearby cabin as Callum sucks down a cigarette.
“He could’ve died,” Callum shakes his head, “And it’s because I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Even if you were, boys are gonna do boy stuff. You should know this,” you nudge him in the side, “When you’re that age, you’ll do anything you’re dared to. Cole may know how bad his reactions get and can tolerate them. Or maybe this was the first time he had a reaction to nuts. Either way, he handled it like a champ, and you were there to comfort him. You did great.”
“If anything, you did all the saving,” Callum snorts, “I would’ve chickened out trying to stab a kid with a needle.”
“Yeah, it’s scary, but at that moment, all that matters is helping the kid.”
“True,” Callum says, putting out his cigarette.
You kiss his cheek, “Let’s go before we get caught, or worse, someone gets hurt again today.”