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Roland shuffles his feet as he stands outside Halsin's bedroom door. He knows Halsin doesn't mind being woken up if he needs him, Halsin told him as much, but he always gets nervous about it anyway. It feels wrong, for some reason. He doesn't know why.
Quietly, he opens the door a crack to peek inside, tail flicking behind him like a cat's. Halsin is sleeping, sprawled out on his back. A thin shaft of light from the hall illuminates his face. He looks peaceful. The tiefling pads across the soft carpet until he's standing next to his bed.
“Halsin?” His voice is low, just above a whisper.
No response.
He reaches out to give his shoulder a gentle shake, whispering his name again.
Once again, nothing.
He's starting to lose his nerve. He'd be okay until the next morning, surely? He didn't really need Halsin right now.
It was fine. He could wait, probably.
He'd been regressed for the last day or so. It was unusual for it to last that long, typically he'd be out of it after a good night's sleep. But it did happen sometimes - unexpected stress could trigger it, and make it last days. It was nothing Halsin hadn't seen before.
As he turned to leave, he heard Halsin's voice in the dark room. “Roland? What's wrong?”
“I threw up…” He can't help the whine that creeps into his voice. Even in his adult headspace he didn't handle being sick well, and especially not something that caused him to throw up.
“I'm sorry, cub. Did you make it to the bathroom in time?” Roland nods and Halsin pushes himself upright, reaching out to put the back of his hand against Roland's forehead. “You're a little warm.”
“Can I sleep in here with you? Please?”
“Of course you can.” Halsin gets up to get a small trash can to put next to the bed for Roland, just in case.
Roland climbs into the bed, quickly cuddling up to Halsin's side when he lays down and holds his arm out. Halsin tucks the covers around him, giving him a little squeeze.
“We'll see how you feel in the morning. Wake me up if you need anything, okay?”
“I will. Thanks, Halsin.” He was already feeling drowsy. It didn't take long before he was asleep again, pressed against Halsin.
—
Unfortunately, he didn't feel any better in the morning. He woke up with a sore throat, along with a mild cough and some body aches. When he'd told Halsin he still wasn't feeling well, Halsin made him take some cold medicine.
He hated the medicine - it tasted awful and the taste lingered. Since he couldn't swallow pills well when he was little, he had to take liquid medicine. At least Halsin always had some water for him to chase it with, which helped a bit.
Halsin also insisted on taking his temperature before he ate the breakfast he'd brought him: dinosaur egg oatmeal. Something about getting an accurate reading. He stared at the bowl while the thermometer rested under his tongue, waiting for it to beep with more and more impatience as it felt like it was taking forever.
As soon as it beeped that it was done, he took it out of his mouth and handed it back to Halsin. He was barely listening as Halsin told him he had a mild fever and should probably stay in bed and rest. All he could focus on was his breakfast. The oatmeal was made perfectly, with a spoonful of brown sugar on top just how he liked it.
“Cub?”
Roland looked up from mixing the brown sugar into his oatmeal, “Hm?”
“Would you like me to put anything on the TV for you? I have to do some work, but I'll be just in the other room if you need me for anything.” Halsin smooths a hand over his hair soothingly.
Usually, when Halsin had to work while Roland was regressed, Roland would stay in the room with him. He preferred to be near Halsin as much as possible and he was happy to read or draw or play games on his Switch quietly, as long as he could be nearby. Halsin preferred it as well so he could keep an eye on him more easily.
“You have to work?” He pouts, disappointed. He'd been hoping that Halsin would be able to cuddle with him in bed all day.
“Sadly, yes. But I'll be able to hear you if you call for me, and I'll come check on you when I can. Okay?”
“Okay, I guess… Can I watch Bluey, please?”
“Of course.” Halsin turns on the TV and pulls up the show, selecting the most recent episode he'd watched.
“Thank you.” Roland starts to eat his breakfast, eyes glued to the show as soon as it had started.
Halsin smiles and leaves the room.
Roland eats his breakfast while watching the show, setting his bowl aside when he was done with it. He hadn't the appetite to actually finish all of it, but he'd eaten a little over half.
Once he didn't have the distraction of food, he started to miss Halsin. Would he have to work all day? He hoped not. It wasn't fair.
He wiggled deeper under the blankets, trying to focus on the show for a while. He kept dozing off and on. Every time he woke, he hoped that he would find Halsin there, done working. Every time, he wasn't there.
Eventually, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He got out of bed, gathering up a blanket and pillow, and left the room to go to Halsin's little office space. It didn't have much furniture, just his desk and chair, and a comfy recliner in the corner that Roland liked to sit in. Potted plants were scattered across the room, some hanging from the ceiling and some on shelves along the walls.
The door was mostly closed, open just enough to let Halsin hear Roland if he called for him. Roland nudged it open and shuffled into the room, curling up in his chair. Some knot in his chest loosened at being able to see Halsin. Knowing he was right there always helped make him feel better.
Halsin was on the phone and couldn't say anything to him, but he turned to give Roland a gentle smile. He wasn't surprised to see him at all - if anything, he was surprised it had taken as long as it did. Roland had held out for over an hour.
Halsin was grateful that he was able to work from home sometimes, doing some administrative work for the animal rehabilitation program he ran. It helped immensely on days where Roland needed more attention than usual. It was just luck that he hadn't needed to take any work home with him recently. They often had at least one injured animal staying with them, when the animal needed some extra care.
Roland dozed in his recliner while Halsin kept working, snuggled under his blanket. He was aware of Halsin talking on the phone, or typing on his computer in bursts. He was glad that Halsin was able to work from home so he could stay with him. How would he handle this situation if he couldn't? It wasn't like Roland could go with him or anything. Not while he's sick, anyway.
A while later, Halsin woke him enough to take some more medicine - this time with an apple juice chaser. It didn't help much, but it was better than plain water. That wasn't going to stop him from wrinkling his nose at it and complaining about it.
“Don't they have anything that tastes good?” He quickly drank the medicine and then the juice right after. “Ugh.”
“I'm afraid not, cub.” He smiles with amusement at the face Roland makes right after taking the medicine. “I'm almost done with work for the day. Do you think you'll want a bath before or after dinner?”
Roland pretends to think for a moment before answering. “Neither. I don't want a bath.”
“If you don't pick, I will.” Halsin raises his eyebrows, waiting.
“Why do I have to when I don't feel good? It's not fair.” He slouches down in his chair to sulk, arms crossed over his chest.
“I know, but you'll feel better after, and be all clean when you go to bed tonight.”
“Fine… after dinner, I guess.” He sniffles, getting up and wrapping his blanket around his shoulders to follow Halsin into the kitchen.
Roland sits at the kitchen table, slumped forward and resting his chin on his folded arms. His eyes are closed as he listens to Halsin moving around the kitchen. The sounds are comforting. He hears Halsin get a pot out, filling it with water and then setting it on the stove. Halsin is humming softly as he starts to cook.
He's done almost nothing but sleep today and he's still so tired. Exhaustion dragged at his limbs and made just sitting up at the table difficult. He probably should have stayed in bed like Halsin said to, but he didn't like being alone. Even if he would have gotten better rest in bed.
Roland feels the back of Halsin's hand touch his forehead briefly, blinking open his eyes to see him looking at him with concern. “What is it?”
“Let's take your temperature again, cub. You feel very warm.” Halsin leaves for a few moments to get the thermometer from where he'd left it in the bedroom. He turns it on and hands it to Roland who puts it under his tongue.
It's not long before it's beeping and Halsin is frowning at it in his hand. Roland definitely has a fever. It's not very high yet, but he'd need to keep an eye on it and try to get it under control. In the meantime, he gets a different bottle from his medicine cabinet - this time it was a fever reducer.
He was glad he kept things like this on hand. They had discovered a while ago that Roland couldn't swallow pills when he was little. He'd nearly choked and scared Halsin half to death when he'd tried to. The liquid stuff might not taste good, but at least he didn't have to worry about choking.
Roland makes a face when he sees the bottle, anticipating another round of nasty tasting medicine.
“Don't worry, you'll like this one. It's bubble gum flavor.” He pours out a dose and leaves it with Roland while he fetches a glass of water for him.
Roland waits until he's back with the water anyway - even if the flavor isn't awful, it isn't something he wants to let linger. Not right before they have dinner.
Halsin makes sure he takes the medicine, going back to cooking once he has. It should help to reduce his fever before it gets too much worse. Hopefully.
A few minutes later their dinner is ready. Halsin had made chicken noodle soup for Roland, along with some crackers. Halsin was eating the same thing just for simplicity's sake. He didn't want to spend any more time cooking than was necessary. He wanted to get Roland into bed as soon as possible, especially now that he was aware of his fever.
Roland tried to eat, but he just didn't have much of an appetite. He ate a few of the crackers and a little bit of the soup before he was pushing the bowl away from himself, done.
“Are you full?” Halsin was glad that he'd at least eaten something, but it wasn't as much as he'd have liked.
Roland shrugs, “No. But I'm not hungry, either.”
“That's alright. I'll be done in a couple minutes, then you can have your bath and get back into bed.” He made a mental note to bring some crackers to keep near the bed, just in case Roland woke up and was hungry during the night.
“Really gotta have a bath?” He whined. He already wasn't feeling good, and he was so tired, and Halsin was going to make him take a bath on top of that?
“You can take a shower if you'd prefer that, but you do need to get clean before bed. Especially in my bed,” he teased, “Sorry, cub. I know you're not feeling your best.”
“Fine, I guess. Only ‘cause I want cuddles.”
“And cuddles you will have. Come on, I'll get it started for you.”
“Mkay.” He let out a huff as he got up and started toward the bathroom. He's not sure if he'll have the energy to stand for a shower, but a bath would take even longer.
By the time he gets to the bathroom, Halsin had the water running to get it warmed up and he was going to gather a set of clean pajamas for Roland to change into.
“Alright, you're all set here. Did you want me to stay?” Halsin made sure a towel was within reach of the shower as he spoke.
“No, I'm okay.” He pulled his shirt off and tossed it in the hamper, hearing Halsin leave the bathroom shortly after. The door clicked closed behind him.
Even once he'd gotten undressed, it took him a few minutes before he got into the shower. He enjoyed showering, he liked being clean, but he always ended up needing a little time to mentally prepare himself before getting in.
Once in the shower, he got cleaned up as quickly as he could. He stepped out again about ten minutes later, drying himself with a towel before getting dressed.
He wanted to be done with all this already. At this point all he could think about was getting into bed and having Halsin hold him. His hair was still damp when he left the bathroom, but he didn't care to dry it further.
The relief he felt when he was finally able to crawl into bed with Halsin was overwhelming. He curled up on his side, a hand fisted in Halsin's shirt. He could barely keep his eyes open anymore.
The last thing he was aware of was Halsin tucking his favorite stuffed bear under his arm and kissing the top of his head.
—
Roland woke up feeling even worse the next day. He let out a groan that turned into a coughing fit, whining softly when the fit was over. He buried his face into his bear. Being sick was the worst. He could feel Halsin's hand rubbing his back gently, trying to soothe him.
“My poor little cub.”
Roland sniffles, “Don't feel good, daddy.”
“I'm sorry, cub. I'll get you some medicine in a minute, but would a hug help at all?”
“Dunno. Maybe.” Roland wriggles closer anyway, his bear squished between them.
Halsin wraps his arms around him, holding him close and murmuring soothing things in his ear. He hated seeing Roland like this - he was normally so energetic and cheerful while little. “I'm going to go get you that medicine now, and some juice. Do you want anything else? Breakfast?”
“Mmn.” Roland is pressed as close to him as he can get, a hand gripping his shirt. He didn't want Halsin to leave.
“I'll take that as a no.” Halsin starts to gently peel Roland off him, getting up from the bed. “I'll be back before you know it, I promise.” He leaves the room.
He didn't like being by himself. Being by himself and sick was even worse. Halsin wouldn't lie to him, though, so he knew that he really would be back soon. Knowing that didn't make the waiting much easier. He ran his hand over the soft fur of his bear, trying to soothe himself.
A few moments later Halsin was back. He coaxed Roland into sitting up to take the medicine, which prompted a lot of whining and grumbling about it. He didn't want to sit up and he didn't want to take the medicine.
Halsin didn't give him much choice in the matter. Soon he was sitting up in bed, his bear hugged to his chest. He looked miserable.
“Don't want it.” He sniffled and wiped his nose on the back of his hand.
“I know, cub, but it'll help. I promise.” Halsin hands him the small medicine cup and waits for him to take it.
Roland thinks about refusing briefly, but he doesn't have the energy to even try. He grimaces and drinks it quickly, accepting the cup of apple juice from Halsin right after and taking a big drink. “Yuck.”
Halsin lets out a soft sigh of relief - he'd thought that was going to be a fight. The relief didn't last long once he realized that Roland usually made more of a fuss. He must really be feeling awful if he was barely arguing about taking the medicine. He fetched the thermometer from the nightstand, turning it on and handing it to Roland.
The tiefling accepts it without question, putting it under his tongue and slumping back on the bed. After a few seconds it beeps, though Roland doesn't move to give it to Halsin. His eyes were half closed as he laid there.
Halsin takes the thermometer and checks it, cursing under his breath. His fever was higher. Still not dangerously high, but not far off from it. He might end up needing to take him to the doctor if it kept going up.
That was not something he wanted to do. He had no doubts that Roland wouldn't like the idea, and neither of them would be having a good time.
For now, he'd keep monitoring him and make sure he took the fever reducer.
Roland made grabby hands at Halsin, wanting to be picked up and held. Halsin obliged him, holding him on his hip and swaying in place as Roland buried his face against his shoulder. He was nearly limp in Halsin's arms, sniffling softly every now and then.
Halsin carried Roland over to his phone, picking it up to make a call to Nettie, his co-founder at the wildlife rehab center. He'd be needing another day to work from home, possibly the day off depending on how clingy Roland ended up being. He opened up her contact and hit call, waiting through a couple rings until she picked up.
“Hi, Nettie… Mhm, he's still sick… I'll let you know after lunch if I'll need to be out the rest of the day… Thanks, Nettie, I appreciate it. I'll talk to you later.” He hangs up the phone, turning his attention back to Roland, “Cub? I need to do some work today. You can rest in my office with me if you'd prefer, or I can leave you in here and come to check on you as often as I can.”
Roland's grip on Halsin tightened at the thought of Halsin leaving him alone again. “With you, please.”
“Of course, cub. Let's get you settled in, I have to start working soon.” He grabbed Roland's bear and a blanket, leaving the bedroom and heading to his office. He tried to put Roland down in his recliner, pausing when he wouldn't let go. “Cub?”
“Little longer…” Roland whined, needing the contact. He knew that once he was as comfortable as he could get in his chair, he'd probably fall asleep again. He wanted to stay where he was for just a bit longer.
“Alright, as you wish.” Halsin sits down in Roland's chair with Roland in his lap, rubbing his back softly. “A few minutes, then I need to get to work.” He rarely, if ever, denied Roland something when he was little. Now would be no exception.
It was all too soon when Halsin had to get up again. Roland whined and fussed, but he knew there wasn't really any way around it. Halsin gave him his bear and covered him with his blanket, giving him a forehead kiss before moving over to his office chair. Roland watched him go with a pout, holding his bear close.
He slumped in his chair, trying to find some comfort in just being near Halsin. It was hard. All he wanted was to be held right now. He rubbed his cheek against his bear, though it didn't help as much as it usually would.
With a huff, he starts to suck his thumb. It's a little better, it calms something in him. He listens to Halsin talking on the phone quietly, presumably to avoid disturbing Roland. His eyelids droop as he lets Halsin's voice wash over him. Soon enough, he falls asleep.
—
Halsin wakes him up a while later - he has no idea how long it's been. “Huh?” He blinks at him blearily, confused.
“Sorry to wake you, cub. You're due for some more medicine and I'd like to take your temperature again.” Halsin holds up the thermometer and Roland obediently puts it under his tongue.
Halsin frowns at the reading. It was too high. There really wasn't any way around taking him to the doctor, assuming he could even get an appointment for him today. He hands Roland the medicine cup as he thinks, noting that he takes it without any real complaint, just a shudder.
“Roland, I think you need to see Dr. Davis. Your fever is getting worse.”
“No. I don't wanna.” He hides his face against his bear as if that might help him avoid it.
“I thought you liked her? You said she was nice when you saw her before.” Halsin puts a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Don't wanna.” His voice is muffled.
“I'm afraid there isn't much choice. If we wait too long, you might end up having to go to the hospital instead, and I know you don’t like that. But we can get you something special on the way home, if you'd like. Food or a toy, maybe?” He was not above a little bribery to get him to cooperate. It was much easier than dealing with Roland fighting him every step of the way.
“... maybe.” He was reluctant, but the promise of a treat of some kind after was motivating. That, and not having to go to the hospital. He’d been once before, for an outpatient surgery, and hadn’t enjoyed the experience. Everything was too loud, too bright. He wasn't able to relax.
“Good, thank you. I'll give the office a call and see if I can get you in today.” He glances at the time, just after noon, “Hopefully I can.”
Halsin took the medicine cup back, leaving to give it a rinse as he called the office.
Which left Roland alone again. Normally he'd follow Halsin around the house, trailing after him like a puppy, but he simply didn't have the energy for it right now. Luckily, Halsin was back in a couple minutes, finishing up his call.
“-currently, yes. For the past couple days, though it started before he was ill.” Halsin paused as he listened to the other person on the line, “That's perfect, thank you. We'll be there.” He hung up, looking at Roland, “They were able to fit you in today. The appointment is in about an hour.”
Roland scrunches up his face in annoyance, but he had agreed to go in exchange for a treat of some kind. “Can we get food and a toy?”
—
Roland still didn't want to go. There was nothing to be done about it now - they were in the car and nearly to the office. But he didn't want to. The promise of something nice afterwards was the only thing keeping him from whining about it.
It was true that he had liked Dr. Davis when he met her before, but he hadn't been sick then. He'd seen her for a basic checkup a few months ago and that had been it. The whole thing had been brief and he hadn't seen her for more than a couple minutes in total.
Halsin pulled up to the office, putting the car in park. “Ready?”
Reluctantly, Roland nods, trying to release his seat belt and having trouble with it. Halsin reaches over and gets it for him.
Roland holds Halsin's hand as they walk across the small parking lot and into the building. It was a typical doctor's office. There were a handful of chairs and a TV playing some show on a home gardening channel. Halsin sits him down in a chair with his tablet and headphones, an episode of Bluey playing to keep him entertained while Halsin checks him in.
He kicks his feet idly, tail flicking, even as his eyes are glued to the tablet. A few moments later he's aware of Halsin coming back to sit next to him as they wait.
He's a bit nervous. He had never liked going to the doctor in the first place and right now it would likely be worse. Having to tell someone what was going on with him was hard enough when he wasn't little.
At least Halsin was with him. He knew if he struggled, Halsin would help him. Without lifting his eyes from his tablet he stuck his hand out, wanting to hold Halsin's hand. Seconds later he felt Halsin's warm hand wrap around his own, giving him a little squeeze. A few seconds later he lets his head tip to the side, resting it on Halsin's shoulder.
He really was very tired.
Around fifteen minutes later, he was called back to the exam room. He only knew how long it had been because he'd been able to get through two episodes of Bluey while waiting.
Reluctantly, he gets up from his chair and trails behind Halsin as he's brought to the exam room. He focuses on Halsin, ignoring any people they pass. Halsin's hand is still wrapped around his, warm and comforting in its familiarity.
They get put into a room and Halsin directs him to sit on the exam table for the nurse to take his vitals. This means he has to let go of Halsin's hand, as the chair he's sitting in is too far away.
Roland's tail twitches with anxiety as the nurse takes his temperature and other vitals. The nurse also swabs his throat to test for strep, which makes him gag and his eyes water and he hates the feeling of it all. Hopefully this would be over quickly and he could get the treat he was promised and go back to bed.
He hears the nurse leave and the doctor comes in a few minutes later, greeting him cheerfully. He looks at her for a couple seconds before looking at Halsin for help. There was no way he could do all the talking here, not that he even wanted to if he could.
Halsin takes over, letting her know what had been going on, and what his symptoms were. She made some sympathetic comments that Roland didn't listen to, scrolling through episodes of Bluey on his tablet. He wasn't going to watch anything until they were back in the car, but it gave him something else to focus on.
Eventually, the doctor wrote him a couple of prescriptions and they were leaving the office. He looks at the slips of paper in Halsin's hand on the way to the car, apprehensive. “Those aren't going to taste bad, are they?”
“I don't know what they'll taste like, cub, but I know the pharmacy can flavor them for you. They'll probably have something better if you don't like the way they come.” Halsin opens the passenger door for Roland and he climbs in, exhausted.
“I'm tired.” He's whining, he knows he is, but he needs a nap badly at this point. Halsin helps him get his seat belt buckled up before getting in the driver’s side.
“I know. We still need to stop at the pharmacy, though, unless you want me to drop you off at home first?” The car starts and Halsin pulls out of the spot. He's waiting for Roland's answer, though he can be pretty sure of what it'll be.
“No, don't wanna be alone. Please.”
“Then I'm afraid we've got one more stop. If you want, you can pick out your toy while we're there, if you find something you like.”
The idea perked Roland up a little bit. The pharmacy didn't usually have a big selection of toys but there was likely to be a stuffed animal or something that would catch his eye.
Before they left the car, Halsin made him use some hand sanitizer. He said it was so he wouldn't infect someone who touched something after him. Roland had protested, he hated how his hands felt after using sanitizer. Despite him insisting he wouldn't touch anything that he wasn't very sure he was going to get, Halsin didn't listen.
He held Halsin's hand again as they walked inside, shaking his free hand to try and get the sanitizer fully dry. The weird tacky feeling lingered regardless.
Halsin pointed out the pharmacy counter when they walked in. “Roland, I'm going to stay over there while they fill your prescriptions. You can go look around for your toy, but if you need me, you know where to find me, right?”
“Yes. At the pharmacy.” His eyes were already scanning the aisles for the toy section.
“Can you point it out for me so I know you know?” Halsin had his hand on Roland's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“Uh-huh.” He dragged his eyes away and looked toward the pharmacy, pointing at it. “Right there.” He was losing both his patience and the last bit of energy he had left.
“Alright. I'll come find you when they're ready if you haven't come back by then.” He released Roland, giving him one more concerned look before he walked to the back of the store. He liked to give Roland any independence he could while he was little, but it didn't stop him from worrying.
Roland made a beeline to the toy aisle, though he was a bit less steady on his feet than he usually was. He'd be okay long enough to pick something out.
For the most part, he was able to keep his hands to himself, though he wanted to feel the different fur textures against his skin very badly. They all looked so soft, but in different ways. The store had a surprisingly good selection of stuffed toys.
One caught his eye early on: a plush cow. He really wanted the cow, but he made himself at least walk through the aisle once to get a look at the rest. There could be something even better. He'd walked the length of the aisle and back. The cow was still the only one that had stood out to him.
He picked the cow up and was delighted by how soft it was, the weight of it, and how well it fit into his arms. Thoroughly pleased with his selection, he started to make his way over to the pharmacy counter to show Halsin.
On the way to Halsin, he passed through the baby aisle. Something made him pause and look at the pacifiers. He'd never really thought about wanting one before. Even when he was young, he wasn't typically that young. It could be nice, though, and maybe better than sucking his thumb.
Roland stared at them, tail flicking as he thought about it. He wasn't a baby, he certainly didn't need one. He'd been fine up until now without one.
“Ah, there you are. Picked something out?”
Halsin's voice startled him, seeming to come out of nowhere. “Y-yes. I got a cow.” He held the plush up for Halsin to see.
“He’s very cute.” Halsin smiled and glanced at the display of pacifiers Roland had stopped in front of and had been staring intently at. “Was there anything else you wanted?”
“No.” He was a little too quick to deny it, Halsin could see right through him, though he didn’t say anything about it.
“Alright. Your prescriptions are ready, did you want to see if they need to be flavored before we go?” He held up the white paper bag, “They said they had a lot of flavors that work for these meds, so we should be able to find something at least tolerable for you.”
Roland made a face at the thought of more nasty medicine, but if they could make them at least taste not horrible, it’d be better than nothing. He tried them by putting a drop on his finger to taste. One was okay as it was, but the other was awful. A quick stop back at the pharmacy counter had it flavored to his satisfaction.
Once Halsin paid for his plush and they were back in the car, Roland felt a wave of exhaustion roll over him. He'd definitely pushed himself too far considering how sick he was. He slumped into the seat, holding his new plush close to his chest and not even trying to get himself buckled in. Halsin ended up doing it for him when he saw Roland wasn't going to.
Halsin drove them back home, grateful that they were just around the corner from the pharmacy. Even in the few minutes it took them to get back, Roland had fallen asleep in the passenger seat with his thumb in his mouth.
The car stopping woke him up and made him whine, Halsin shushing him gently. “It's alright, we're home. I'm going to get you into bed, cub.”
Roland felt Halsin's arms go around him, lifting him out of the seat to carry him inside. A couple moments later he was being laid down in Halsin's bed and tucked under the covers with his cow.
“I'll be right back, cub, I need to go grab a few things.”
Roland blinked his eyes open slowly, frowning when he saw he was alone. He didn't have the energy to go looking for Halsin right now. He'd have to settle for waiting, one of his least favorite things.
True to his word, Halsin came back a few minutes later. He'd gathered up some things for Roland - his prescriptions, water, and snacks.
“You need to take your medicine, then you can go back to sleep. Did you want me to cut the tags off your new friend?” He placed everything on the nightstand, getting his doses ready. He smiled when Roland nodded sleepily and held the cow out to him. “Here.” He traded the medicine cup for the cow, quickly snipping the tags off it while Roland took his medicine.
Roland was out like a light almost as soon as the plush was back in his arms.
Halsin sat in bed next to him, knowing that he would wake up needing attention. To keep himself busy, he pulled out his phone and started shopping for pacifiers for Roland.