Dr. Shannon called to say that there had been an emergency at the hospital and he had been called in to help. He reassured Dermott that he'd be there as soon as possible. So, when the doorbell rang at 4 am, Martin greeted the doctor with a hot cup of coffee.

"Just what I needed, Martin," he said with a weary smile. "Thanks. So, how has Declan been doing this evening?" Martin shrugged as he turned toward the stairs.

"Well...there's something new going on. I can't really explain it but...well...you just need to see it for yourself," he said with amusement very evident in his voice. Just as they entered the bedroom, the doctor could hear singing coming from the bathroom as well as the sounds of the shower going. He raised his eye brows and entered the bathroom then put his coffee cup down on the vanity, all the while taking in the sight of Ant cradling Dec, just as he had many, many hours ago...with just one exception. Rather than a limp, unresponsive Dec, there was a more active Dec, his legs draped over Ant's left leg, bouncing his heels on the shower floor, his body leaning against Ant's chest...and his hands in the air, mimicking falling rain. "Want...want...to sing...it...again...Anth," Dec said, his voice quiet. Ant looked up to see the doctor, then rolled his eyes while listening to Dec's attempts to sing the Winnie the Pooh classic, "The Rain Song."

"The...rain, rain...rain...came down...down...down, and...down and...down..." Dec frowned then looked up at Ant. "Anth...help...can't...remember...can't," he pleaded between sharp coughs. Dec grabbed at his chest and moaned while Ant pulled him in tighter.

"Shhh...okay, Deccy...I'll sing," he said quietly before slowly rocking his friend back and forth, the motion soothing for both of them, as he sang the song he was all too familiar with after watching the dvd innumerable times with his niece when she had been fairly young.

"The rain, rain, rain, came down, down, down in rushing rising riv'lets. Till the river crept out of its bed and crept right into Piglets...for Piglet he was frightened with quite a rightful fright..." he continued singing until Dec had lowered his hands into his lap and was quietly sleeping in his arms.

Dr. Shannon gripped Martin by the elbow. "How long has this been going on?"

"First time was at about 6 last night and Dermott's got that on his phone. Second time was about 11. It's been happening with each dose of medicine we give him. The only bright side is that he's been able to rest more and the coughing hasn't been quite as bad," Martin said, crossing his arms, watching as Dermott poured a beaker filled with cool water over Dec's head then another over Ant's, much to his relief. He was incredibly uncomfortable in the heat and starting to feel slightly nauseous but he pushed those thoughts to the side as he concentrated on his friend.

It wasn't too long before Dec was dried off, dressed and carried back into the bedroom while Ant, intent on cooling off, headed down the hallway to his bedroom. Not even bothering to strip out of his clothes, he stepped inside the large enclosure then leaned against the shower wall when a small wave of dizziness suddenly hit. He shook his head then carefully turned on the water and made it only slightly warm. He made a move toward the steady stream falling when his vision suddenly tunneled and he was out cold before he even hit the shower floor, his head bouncing off the tiles before landing under the falling water...a trickle of blood swirling down the drain.

Back in Dec's bedroom, Dr. Shannon was discovering that he had only got a small taste of the young man's odd behavior when he sat straight up in his bed with a very surprised expression on his face as he stared at the covers over his feet as he moved them. Dec shot a hand out and grabbed at Martin as he brought his gaze back to the bedcovers. "Marty...there's something under there...it's right by me," he said in a stage whisper. Martin and the others looked to see that Dec was indeed pointing at his feet and, each time he moved them, he'd jump as if startled. Dr. Shannon watched with a bit of a stunned expression on his face as Martin rolled his eyes and scrubbed his face with his free hand while Dermott just shook his head.

"What...there's something...I'm scared, Marty..." Dec said, his face screwed up in fear. With a tired sigh, Dermott came around the bed and gently pulled the covers to the side so that his little brother could see that it had been his feet all along. "It was just your feet, titch, that were moving," Dermott said with a tired smile.

"Nothing to worry about, littlen," Martin said, his words suddenly drowned out by a shriek from Dec as tears began to fall down his face as he honed in on Dr. Shannon.

"Me legs!! Fix 'em...find 'em!! he yelled, his Geordie accent coming in loud and clear through his panicked sobs.

Dr. Shannon reached out to him as Dermott let out a tiny growl as he jerked the bedcovers completely off the bed in a mixture of frustration and concern. It had been amusing the first time around when they had witnessed Declan's fascination with his fingers but now...Dermott could feel the heavy weight of exhaustion and fear pressing down on his shoulders and he took a deep breath. "I'm going to the kitchen to make us some bacon sarnies," he said before excusing himself and leaving the room, needing a moment to compose himself.

At the same time, Dec fell back against his pillows as a moment of clarity hit along with a cough that seemed to rip right through his chest. Martin sat down heavily on the bed at his brother's side, holding  the wash bucket for him to spit into. In a voice almost too quiet to be heard, Martin looked up at the doctor and said, "it's time for re-enforcements...I'm calling in the troops."

As Dermott walked down the hallway, he passed Ant's open bedroom door he decided to check in on the young man to see if he'd like some breakfast too. He walked into the bedroom then over to the bathroom door and knocked on it.

"Anth? Anth? I'm going to make bacon sarnies...want one?" Waiting for a response, Dermott slightly frowned when there was none and he knocked on the door again.

"Anthony?" Still, all he could hear was the sound of the shower but it didn't sound as if a person were moving about beneath the water. "Anthony, I'm coming in..." he said as he turned the doorknob and glanced into the bathroom only to race inside while shouting for help.

"Need help in here!" he yelled loudly over his shoulder while quickly running into the shower where he made fast work of grabbing Ant by the ankles and jerking his still body out from under the shower before turning off the water and kneeling down at his side. He lay a hand on Ant's chest as he leaned over the still figure, putting his ear directly over his mouth and nose. He was more than relieved to feel his heart beating and him breathing, especially since his head had been under the steady fall of water. Seconds later, Dr. Shannon  and Martin were next to him. "His face was under the shower...it was under the water...I pulled him out from under it," Dermott said breathlessly before adding, "thank the dear Lord he's breathing and his heart's beating!"

"Let's get him on his side," Kerry said as he and Martin knelt at Ant's side. They gently rolled him onto his right side and Martin cradled his head in his hands. Immediately, a small trickle of water escaped out of Ant's nose and parted lips.
"Need two dry body towels and a few flannels," the doctor said as he opened Ant lax mouth and turned his head slightly so that any trapped water could escape. Seconds later, Ant's still body had been covered by the large towels and the flannels were being pressed to the back of his bleeding head. As the flannel was being held firmly to his scalp, Ant groaned and began moving his arms and legs as he slowly began regaining consciousness and coughed hard, expelling more water from his throat and lungs.
"Try not to move, Anthony," the doctor said as he looked at the young man's eyes, watching as they seemed to be momentarily unable to focus on anything...they wandered about for just a moment, before focusing briefly on Kerry's face, all the while coughing hard.
"Do you know what happened to you?" He asked, taking in the brief flash of confusion before getting an answer.
"I fell...I think," Ant stated through a harsh cough before attempting to sit up, squeezing his eyes shut as a sharp throbbing pain took up residence in his head. With a groan he reached for the back of his head only to have his hand gently move back down by Martin who was wearing a relieved smile on his face.
"Dermott found you on the floor with your face under the water shower. What happened? Did you slip?" he asked, taking in Ant's minute shake of his head.
"Dizzy...got too hot...maybe...just really tired...I'm still so tired like...sorry, Mart...Kerry," Ant said, his eyes sliding closed only to pop open again as the doctor pressed the flannel against his head wound.

At that, Martin stood up and pulled out his phone, thumbed through his contacts then, seconds later..."Eamms...it's Mart...we're really needing some help now. It just can't wait until next week. Can you, Nolan and Seamus come down to help?" Not a moment later, he gives the small group and thumbs up before going back to Dec's bedroom to explain what all they had been dealing with in the last few days.

"Eamms?" the doctor asked as he helped Ant to sit up, watching for any signs of distress...more than relieved to see none.

"Eamms...Eammon is our oldest brother and Nolan and Seamus are his sons. Nolan is a nurse at Great North Children's Hospital in New Castle and Seamus is working his way up from the very bottom in Martin's company. They'll be good help, that they will. And...speaking of those boys, I best be making sure we have enough to eat downstairs. Might have to get Lisa's help on the food, too. Wait until you see our nephews...they make our Declan look like one of Snow White's dwarfs," he said with a laugh.

At the mention of his wife's name, Ant started slowly shaking his head at Dermott, wincing at the headache taking up residence behind his eyes.

"Don't tell her...about this...please, Dermott. Tell her I'm taking a kip or something," he said. "Don't want to worry her anymore than she already is."

For a moment Dermott considered the request then nodded in agreement knowing that he wouldn't tell her but that didn't mean Martin couldn't, or the doctor, for that matter.
"I won't tell her, Ant," he said, patting him gently on the shoulder, a little worried that Ant didn't catch the loophole that he had left in his statement.

"If you're feeling up to it, Ant, we need to get you into some dry clothes," the doctor said while he and Dermott each took him by an arm and carefully lifted him to his feet. "Let's take it real slow. After we get you dressed, I want to do a quick exam. The trio walked very slowly into Ant's room where he was able to change into warm, dry clothing before the doctor had him sit on the edge of his bed. After checking for a concussion with his penlight and taking Ant's vitals and finding everything within normal ranges, Kerry stood back and put everything away into this medical bag.

"Don't think we have to worry about a concussion or stitches...looks to be a very shallow cut that'll be okay in a few days. The bleeding has nearly stopped," he added lifting the flannel to see that it had indeed already stopped. "You need to let someone help you clean your hair in the morning...wash it in the sink."
Ant simply nodded his head and closed his eyes. "I'd like to lay down for a bit," he said, his voice quiet as he carefully lay back on the bed. "Is there any paracetamol?" He asked. "My head is banging."

Dr. Shannon nodded as he reached into his medical bag and pulled out a small bottle then poured 2 tablets into his hand. Moments later he had been given a beaker of water and he swallowed the tablets.

You get some rest Anth," Martin said as he entered the room. "We've got the reinforcements coming by the day's end," he added with a relieved smile.
"There just might be a light at the end of this tunnel, after all," Dermott said with a sigh of relief as he helped Ant settle in his bed. "Sleep well, Anth," he whispered as he followed the others out of the room.