It had been several hours since medic Daniel Johnson had administered the corticosteroid injection into Dec's IV port to help with the swelling in his throat due to the sores now taking residence there. He had entered into, what Dermott described as, a rather fitful sleep. Disturbing images plagued his unusually vivid dreams and, more than once, he had awakened with a frightened yelp, his eyes darting about before slowly closing as sleep pulled at him.

Dermott had chosen to again take the late evening watch and had been able to calm his brother time and time again with quiet words and gentle touches but he was starting to become concerned. It seemed that with each episode, Dec's temperature seemed to be slowly, but surely, climbing. Dermott finally decided to wake Martin up and have him help in cooling Dec down. Dermott wet a large bath towel then squeezed out as much water as possible while Martin was busy stripping Dec down to his boxers. It was a little bit worrisome that he wasn't getting much protest as he quickly undressed him. He was explaining what he was doing and why and it seemed that Declan was just barely aware enough to understand what he was saying and even help, somewhat, by lifting his hips when Martin pulled his pajama bottoms off him. "Not going to be pleasant, titch but we need to get your temperature down..." Martin said, sitting down at his brother's side before grasping his left hand, watching as Dermott entered the room then lay the damp towel on his brother before making a quick call to Dr. Shannon to let him know what was going on, cringing when he saw that it was nearing 5 am. Once off the phone, he went down the hallway to get Ant, who had just been lying in the dark, staring at the light shining underneath the bedroom door.
About 20 minutes later, he let the doctor in and they quickly ran up the stairs to Dec's bedroom.

"What's happening," Kerry asked, sitting down at Dec's side. He could see that although Dec seemed to be asleep, his flushed features were pinched. He gently grasped Dec's overwarm wrist to check his pulse, noting that it seemed to be racing.

"Nightmares...he sleeps for a bit then shouts himself awake," Martin answered, watching as the doctor reached into his medical bag for his stethoscope, b/p cuff and thermometer strip. After checking Dec's blood pressure, listening to his heart and breathing, Kerry placed the stethoscope behind his neck then gently fingered the younger man's neck before checking the thermometer strip. "Okay...between 101 and 102," he said with a shake of his head.

"It was actually higher...103, when we called you," Dermott said, pointing to their own strip that Oliver had supplied them with.

"It's on its way down then," Kerry said with a nod before witnessing first hand what had been described to him. For a few seconds, Dec moaned as he squirmed under the bedcovers before jerking and shouting out in fear, his eyes popping open then darting about before recognition hit then he reached out and Dermott grasped his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze while glancing up at the doctor who nodded in understanding. Dec murmured something...his voice so quiet and the words too jumbled to be understood as his eyes slowly slid closed once again. The group quietly remained in place and it wasn't 2 minutes later when the same thing happened again. Hearing the cry and seeing the confusion and fear prompted the doctor to make some quick decisions especially after rechecking Dec's temperature only to see it higher than it was just minutes earlier.

"Okay...I'm going to sedate him again, lads," he said, quickly standing up to look at the brothers and Ant. "If he keeps this up, his temperature will spike and I'll be forced to take him to hospital," he added before looking through his bag, insuring he had what he needed.

"Has he had much to eat or drink?"

"He's had a glass, or two, of water and half a bowl of chilled cucumber soup," Dermott answered, glancing over to see Ant standing with his arms crossed, worry clearly written on his features.

"Let's see if we can't get him to relieve himself before I give him the injection."

Dec wasn't much help in the bathroom, once his brothers had carried him in there. Martin finally sent Dermott out so that he could take care of business, knowing that he would be more comfortable with how he'd have to help Dec than his younger brother. Fortunately, Dec was barely aware enough to relieve himself while seated, much less understand exactly how much help his brother was having to give him. Minutes later, Dec was back in bed with the doctor leaning in over him, speaking quietly to him, urging him to open his eyes for just a moment.

"Declan...I'm going to help you get the rest you need." Dec simply nodded as he shifted on the bed, struggling to keep his eyes open. He was so uncomfortable, his body feeling as if an army of ants was marching its way from one end of his body to the other.  He was also more exhausted than he'd ever been. He wanted nothing more than to sleep without the incessant itching and the horrific dreams.

"Dreams...no...?" he asked, his voice slurred and so quiet that it was nearly nonexistent.

"You won't have any more dreams once I've helped you...okay," the doctor said while making quick work of rechecking Dec's vitals.

"I'm going to sedate you and once you've rested sufficiently, you'll wake up feeling much better."

Upon hearing that bit of information, Dec slightly frowned before nodding again. With the last nod, Dr. Shannon made very quick work of preparing the injection while Dermott sat down on the bed at Dec's side to gently grasp his hand. "I'll sit with you tonight, titch...you're going to be okay," he said very quietly, brushing a tear that escaped Dec's tired eyes. Martin bent over Dec and gave his head a caress. "We'll all be here, Deccy," he said with a sad smile before glancing back to see Ant grasp Dec's ankle. "Rest well, Doolittle."

Dermott stood up, making way for the doctor to sit back down again. "I'm going to give you the sedative and you'll wake up once you've had this much needed rest, Declan." With that said, the doctor made quick work of administering the sedative. Almost immediately, Dec's half opened eyes rolled about before finally closing, his features becoming lax and his head slightly lolled to the side as the medication to full hold. Kerry checked Dec's vitals and remained at his side, watching as the younger man further fell into a deep sleep...his breathing deepening. Once he was confident that Dec was stable and resting comfortably, the doctor turned to look at the three men, taking in how tired they all looked, especially Ant, who looked beyond exhausted as he rubbed his forehead with a pained expression.

"When did you sleep last, Anthony?" he asked, standing up then walking over to the young man.

"To be honest...I haven't really slept since this whole mess started," Ant replied with a slight shrug, embarrassed by the sudden attention when he glanced at Martin and Dermott who both were wearing frowns, as was Kerry. Dermott and Martin had been able to rest, managing to get enough to allow them to care for their brother but he hadn't.

"Do you have a bedroom here, Ant?" Kerry asked, going back over to his medical bag, glancing through it, nodding when he found that he did have something that might help Ant sleep.

"Aye...down the hall," he replied, slightly confused as to where the conversation was going.

"I want you to get something to eat and take a long shower before I give you a light sedative to help you sleep," was the doctor's reply and Ant was taken completely off guard.

Kerry turned to Dermott and Martin before speaking. "I'm going to give him a light sedative but, with the lack of sleep, he's going to be out probably well into tomorrow. It may be a wise decision if you consider bringing in more help if this doesn't take care of Ant's exhaustion."

"Deccy's not going to have nightmares and should rest well, right?" Dermott asked, watching as the doctor nodded in response. "And Anth should sleep well, too?" Again the doctor nodded in response to the question.

"I say, we give it a go, Mart and we can always call in Pat and Mam to come help, if need be," Dermott said with a shrug. "They can hop on a plane or take the train here if we need help."

"Ant should be feeling much better when he wakes up," Martin replied. "Why don't we wait to see how well he rests then we'll know what we need to do next."

All of this was said with a stunned Ant standing by, listening to how the next possible 24 hours were being planned out for him without his having a say so. He felt as if he should be putting up some sort of protest but his lack of sleep had silenced him and he just stood there, as if waiting for someone to tell him what to do next.

Having answered the brother's questions, the doctor agreed with their plan then followed Dermott down the stairs for a cup of tea while Martin steered a dumbstruck Ant toward his bedroom. He watched as the tired young man gathered a few things together then walked him back to Dec's bathroom.

"Leave the door open a bit, Anth," Martin said with a small smile. "I'll be out here with Decs in case you need anything."

Ant simply nodded in response before going into the bathroom to shower. About 30 minutes later, a freshly showered Ant was handed off by Martin to Dermott who put a steaming bowl of his mam's macaroni and cheese before him at the table with a glass of warmed milk. The delicious treat had been something Ant had often enjoyed when spending the night at the Donnelly's after a busy week of school or on the set of Byker Grove. As he ate, Dermott and the doctor spent the time visiting while standing at the kitchen counter, watching the sun begin to stir on the horizon.

Once finished, Ant was encouraged to go to the restroom as well as clean his teeth before settling down in his bed, under the covers.

Nervously, Ant watched as the doctor prepared the syringe he'd use to give him the injection. Needles had never really bothered him but the odd sensations that came with being put under did. Although he had only experienced being put under a small handful of times, each experience had been quite unpleasant and had left lasting impressions. He had become seriously ill on one occasion and twice had taken a little longer to come to than was liked by the doctor...once so long that he had nearly ended up being taken by ambulance from the dentist to hospital. He hadn't really spoken too often of the experiences and Dec was the only Donnelly he had shared them with so, when Kerry had finished his preparations, he glanced down at Ant and raised his eyebrows in surprise at seeing fear very clearly written on his face.

"Anthony...are you okay?" he asked, his tone concerned while taking in the hitch in Ant's breathing and the sweat beginning to bead up on his brow. Ant didn't take his eyes off the syringe as he shrugged in response. At the same time, Martin walked into the room and immediately saw that there was a definite problem. He could hear Ant's quick breaths and saw that he had a white knuckled grip on the bedcovers. Martin instantly went into big brother mode and he sat down on the opposite side of the bed with an idea that had just come to mind...one that he had forgotten about for quite some time. Long ago, he had given Ant a nickname that the then teenage Ant had claimed to hate but Martin secretly knew otherwise. It was one that he had labeled him with during his early Byker days when Ant would essentially move into the Donnelly home and drive him absolutely batty with all the antics he'd get into with Declan...a nickname that had only resurfaced just moments earlier and he mentally dusted it off. He grasped Ant's arm, getting his attention then gave him a small smile.

" Rest easy, son...we'll keep an eye on you, our wee flitter mouse...you'll be okay...promise." Instantly Ant quietly chuckled at the strange endearment then turned to the doctor. "I think I'm ready for some rest, Kerry...I'm ready, I guess."

Kerry made quick work of swiping Ant's left bicep then administered the sedative. Ant slightly frowned as a wave of warmth lapped up over his feet...then his lower legs...then up to his thighs...his waist...his chest...his neck then he felt nothing at all and his eyes, which had slowly blinked with the progression of the waves, didn't open and his body seemed to melt into the bed as the drugs completely overtook him. Kerry pulled his stethoscope from behind his neck and checked Ant's heart rate then used a b/p cuff to check his blood pressure.

"Everything seems to be within normal ranges," he said, glancing at Martin, who hadn't taken his eyes off Ant. "With as tired as he was, I'd say he'll sleep at least 12 hours, possibly more. It's going to be a restorative sleep so he'll be able to help out once he's had a chance to eat something. I'd leave his door partially open and check on him throughout the day." Martin nodded in response. "If you notice any distress, difficulty in breathing or if he doesn't wake up very easily, you need to let me know."

"Aye. I don't know about you but a bit of breakfast sounds good. Our Dermott can cook an omelet that makes the angels sing," Martin said with a smile. "Might as well eat something before you head off."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. Just let me check in on your brother and I'll meet your downstairs," the doctor replied with his own smile which gave Martin the first bit of hopeful relief he had felt in about 48 hours.

With a shake of his head, he headed down the stairs and into the kitchen all the while thinking, '48 hours...we're only 48 hours into this.'