#juvenile diabetes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

faofinn · 1 year

Text

Day 12 - "Just One More Sip"

@mediwhumpmay

Kieran had, all things considered, settled in well at secondary school. Sure, he had Alfie, who helped no means to an end, but they both had their own struggles the other couldn’t understand.

Tai helped, able to break everything down and explain their diabetes in a way he understood. He hated that his son had diabetes, but he was glad that he could help.

It had been a long day at school, maths first thing followed by history and english and then double PE. Ever the worrier, Kieran was already convinced he was coming down with something, but it was football so he didn't want to sit out. He adjusted his insulin, grabbed some dextrose tablets and headed out of the changing room with Alfie by his side.

They had fun, still off the age where they enjoyed PE and causing chaos. The class were in high spirits as they headed back in to get changed. The twins had verb getting slightly more independence too, much to the fraying of Harrison's nerves. They were allowed to walk to the carpark at the end of the street by themselves, but the pair would be picked up by someone from there.

Kieran was lagging as they left school, a headache starting to brew. He kept chatting away to Alfie though, figuring he probably just needed a drink when they got home. There was no point worrying his brother when their dads were just around the corner.

"Kieran?" Alfie tried for the third time. "Kieran!"

He turned to him, snapping. "What?!"

Alfie pulled a face. "Don't yell at me. You've just stopped walking and you're ignoring me. Are you alright?"

"Just don't want to talk to your stupid face." He spat, arms folded with no intention to move.

"Kieran? What have I done? You don't look too great. Where's your phone?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're my brother, idiot." He muttered, grabbing Kieran's phone from him and swiping his arm.

"Hey! Give it back."

"No. Where's your glucose tablets? You had them in PE."

Kieran frowned. He'd left them in his pe kit, and the kit was in his locker. "School."

"Idiot. Do you have any more?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He spat.

"Because it's your bag!" Alfie replied, exasperated. He knew it wasn't his brother, that the hypo was messing with his head, but it always hurt when he spoke to him like that.

"Here, drink this." Alfie shoved a can of pop in his face, rummaging through his own bag - he always kept spares somewhere.

"I'm not thirsty."

"I don't care. Drink it." Alfie snapped, authority in his tone.

Kieran was slightly taken aback, and did as he was told. He screwed his face up at the taste, moving to put it down. "I'm not drinking it. I don't like it."

"Kieran, please. You're having a hypo. Just keep drinking it, just one more sip, yeah?"

He grumbled, tears suddenly overwhelming him. He felt rubbish anyway and now Alfie was yelling at him and making him drink things he didn't want to and it just wasn't fair. Kieran shoved his bag away, not caring as the contents spilled across the pavement.

"Kieran!" Alfie hissed. "Just drink your drink, it'll make you feel better. I need to call dad too, he'll be able to help."

With one hand calling their dad, the other continued to rummage through his bag. He gave a triumphant noise as he grabbed his tablets, shoving several into Kieran's hand. "Chew these."

They seemed better than the drink, so he did as he was told, the wall propping him up more than he was sitting. "Fine."

"Thank you. Keep chewing them and then swallow, yeah? They'll make you feel better." Alfie continued muttering, though he wasn't sure who he was trying to comfort. "Let me check your levels again, hopefully they'll be better."

As he swiped, the phone connected, and relief rushed through him. "Dad." He breathed. "Kieran's having a hypo. I need your help."

Tai had been waiting for the boys, on an early finish at work. When he saw Alfie calling, he assumed it was just to say they’d been caught up or forgotten something and they’d be there soon. He didn’t even get a chance to speak before his son did, and frowned.

“Okay, where are you?”

"By the shops."

“I’ll be a minute, yeah? Have you got some sugar into him?” Tai asked, already getting out of the car.

"I'm trying!"

“It’s okay, you’re doing great.” He said, tucking his phone under his ear as he grabbed his stuff from the glovebox and headed in their direction. “I’m coming, just hold on a minute, yeah?”

"Okay." Alfie turned abxk to Kieran. "Come on, have another tablet, another drink."

Kieran groaned and swiped at Alfie's hands. "I don't feel well."

"Yeah, cause you're having a hypo. This will make you feel better, honest. Please, just one more sip?"

Kieran let himself rest against Alfie, absolutely exhausted. He did as he was asked, though, chewing on another dextrose tablet as he drank. "What am I at?"

"You were 2.8 the second time."

"That's low."

"It was lower. Drink." He encouraged, praying for his dad to hurry up. "You need to finish it all."

Kieran grumbled at his brother. “Can’t you drink it if you’re so obsessed with it?”

"No, I'm not having the hypo. Have another tablet."

He huffed, rolling his eyes, but sipped his drink and obediently reached for another tablet.

Tai arrived after a few moments, crouching next to his sons. “I’m here.”

"He was 2.2 and he's 3 now but he's all grumpy still."

“That’s good, it’s going in the right direction.” Tai told him.

"We were playing football and he didn't eat his biscuits at lunch."

“Well, that was daft, wasn’t it?” Tai said gently. “We all make mistakes.”

"Alfie won't stop pestering me." He grumbled. "And he stabbed me? I have my arm thingy for a reason."

“Oh my god, did he?” Tai couldn’t help but tease. “That was mean.”

"I had to!" Alfie protested, suddenly doubting himself. "Because the arm sensor is delayed and he might have been even lower. Right?"

Tai turned to him. “It’s okay, you’re right. You did the right thing.”

"Is he gonna be okay?"

“Of course he is, his sugars are coming up. You did good.”

"I was worried." He whispered to his dad, trying to keep Kieran from hearing it.

“You did great, kid. Don’t worry.” Tai told him quietly, but turned his attention back to Kieran. “I’m gonna need to stab you again in a bit, I’m sorry.”

"You're kidding me."

“I wish I was. I don’t like it much either, but we need to make sure.”

"I feel rubbish."

"Yeah, because you're an idiot." Alfie nudged him.

"You're the idiot." He replied with a grin.

“You sound better.” Tai joked. “Can you have some more drink for me?”

"Can we buy better pop? I really don't like this one."

“What’s wrong with it?” Tai asked him. “I’ve got some orange juice?”

"Tastes bad."

“Here, try the orange juice.” He offered it to him.

"Mm, okay."

“Are you starting to feel better?”

"My head is pounding." He admitted.

“Not surprised. We’ll get you home soon.”

"Am I gonna have to stop PE?"

“No, you’re just going to have to be careful.”

"I didn't mean to."

"Accidents happen."Tai said softly. "I still have them."

"But you're old." Kieran frowned, before blushing. "Not like that!"

"I see how it is." He laughed.

“I know.”

After a few minutes, letting Kieran sip at the orange juice, Tai squeezed his leg. “Need to check again, and then we’ll get home, alright?”

"Okay. I feel better now, though." He said, offering his hand as the other reached to squeeze Alfie's.

“Good, that’s good. It’s gonna be a bit of a stab.”

"I know." He sighed heavily, overly dramatic as his dad took the sample.

“Sorry, I know it sucks.” Tai said, watching the machine. It had come up more now, to a nicer level, and he grinned. “Much better.”

Alfie breathed a sigh of relief from beside them, passing Kieran his phone too. Kieran grinned back. "What is it?"

“Nearly 4, now.”

"So I can stop drinking?"He asked hopefully.

Alfie shook his head. "You gotta finish it, right dad?"

“He’s right. Finish it please.”

"Okay." He dragged it out, quickly downing the rest of it. "Finished."

“Thank you.” Tai said. “Where’s your stuff?”

"He kicked it over the road." Alfie admitted. "I got most of it back, here."

Tai shook his head. “Of course. Give it here, I’ll carry it.”

"Thanks, dad." Alfie murmured.

“It’s okay. You’ve got plenty to carry, I’ve got my hands free.”

"Alfie?" Kieran asked quietly.

“Yeah?” Alfie asked, his attention on his brother.

"Thank you." He said softly. "Means a lot you were there."

“I’m always gonna be there, idiot. I’m your brother.”

#mediwhumpmay2023 #mediwhumpmay #mediwhumpmayday12 #just one more sip #fic #oc #alfie cunningham-cole #kieran cunningham-cole #taidgh cole #whump #whump of a minor #type one diabetes #juvenile type one diabetes #hypo #hypoglycemia #the brothers being so sweet #low blood sugar #agitated hypo

11 notes · View notes

elevenfifths · 1 month

Text

one thing you have to know about me is i’ve been in/had to control whether i lived or died since i was like 6 with very little outside help.

#neglected juvenile diabetic team wassup

1 note · View note

lizbethart-blog · 6 months

Text

The Love of a Parent

Dressed as Spiderman for a Halloween party his sophomore year. My son Daniel, was a huge Marvel movie fan. Primarily, Dan’s high school wardrobe consisted of loose-fitting tees and cargo pants, so a close-fitting costume was telling. He was looking quite slender. By early November he had lost 20 lbs. with no clear explanation as to why. I feared my initial gut reaction. Worried and nervous we…

View On WordPress

#all things running #dick and Rick Hoyt #Hoyts #JDRF #juvenile diabetes research foundation #parental love #parents #sprint tri #t1d #triathalon #type 1 diabetes #what we won&039;t do for our children

0 notes

type1bodybetes · 7 months

Text

Sometimes I'm not even mad at my blood sugars for being so low, because I get to have the sugariest tea known to man

#diabetes #type one diabetic #t1diabetes #diabetes mellitus #juvenile diabetes

1 note · View note

12percentspider · 1 month

Text

Info time: Diabetes and related issues [this is long but I highly suggest reading]

Do you ever see something and you go "that doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about diabetes to dispute it"? Well, I can help you there. I can help you know enough about diabetes to dispute it if need be. Especially because well, there are seemingly a lot of scams going around where people claim to be diabetic [in my experience it's maybe 3 scammers that just remake] and the information is not very correct in most cases. Not to mention this type of scam pisses me off because I am in fact diabetic, and not only are people preying off of others' lack of information about the chronic condition, but it's also trivializing a serious lifelong condition that can be fatal. If you have now or have lost a loved one to diabetes complications, you are already aware of how dangerous it can be as well as how dangerous misinformation is as well.

What is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic condition related to the endocrine system- the pancreas specifically. However, if complications get serious enough other parts of the body will be affected. In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells have become resistant to insulin, which is a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows cells to use glucose from the blood- your body's energy it needs to function. When someone is 'type 2', the food that person is eating is not able to fuel them, regardless of caloric content. Glucose is commonly called "blood sugar". It's a type of sugar that is processed and then transported via the circulatory system to your cells where it's needed. With type 1 diabetes (which used to be called "juvenile diabetes"), the pancreas does not produce any/enough insulin for some reason or another, generally because of autoimmune or other damage. [For me personally, I was diagnosed as an adult and had to have it confirmed as type 1 due to the presence of autoimmune antibodies, also apparently my pancreas hadn't quite given up at that point.] As we've seen before, insulin allows your body to use the food you are putting into it. As a double whammy, you can have type 1 with resistance, so not only is your body not producing any/enough insulin, what's there can't be used properly. [RIP Spider who has this] So to explain the effects, think about what happens when you're literally starving. Now imagine that's happening no matter how much you eat. Your body may go into starvation mode and store fat. This can be misleading, which when combined with fatphobia has people concluding that "well, you have diabetes because you're fat, duh". Heck, I have/had diabetic relatives who believed that eating too many carbs will automatically cause the condition because that's what everyone is told/assumes. Eventually, you'd starve and your body would start deteriorating as so. HOWEVER because you would have so much glucose that just sits there because it can't be used, your kidneys are going to work overtime to try and correct this- and they can't do it alone. Your liver can also suffer severe damage. That's not to mention a whole host of other complications that can occur.

So what about it? Well, obviously there are treatments. Insulin injections have existed since the 1920s. There are also medications that can help your body actually use the insulin it's being provided, be it naturally or artificially. So yes, people with diabetes are dependent on prescriptions to survive. My grandma lost a sister in childhood due to insulin treatments apparently not being available in the extremely rural area they were living in at the time. More recently, the israeli occupation has banned insulin from being distributed to Palestinians. [Insulin has also been used historically in psychiatric hospitals to force low blood sugar in psychiatric patients, but that's a whole other rabbithole about psychiatric abuse.] There are resources for the US and beyond if you or someone you know and/or love are in dire straits financially and need help with insulin or other diabetes medications/ related medical help. That's only one aspect of treatment, though. Because pain, stress, hormone changes, other medical issues, and plenty of other factors can raise your blood sugar to dangerous levels, other kinds of treatment to manage other factors may be necessary.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to specifics. So the most common problem you're going to see mentioned is high blood sugar. We've already covered what the effects are, but what is considered high? For the most part, "high" is 200 milligrams per deciliter. My CGM (continuous glucose monitor) lists "high" as anything 181 or higher but stops giving an exact number after 350. This is why I had a good laugh that time I saw a scammer using an image of a meter reading glucose in the 120s- that's good blood sugar. If you're going to get even more specific you want your pre-breakfast blood sugar to be 80-130. So when you see an accompanying image reading in the 500s, that's extremely dangerous. That's "you're in danger of going into a coma" dangerous.

Insulin pricing? How come I'm seeing people saying they need $300? In the US, pricing cap was set to $35 somewhat recently. What this means is that per insulin pen (as far as I've experienced, the above-linked resource post should have links with better clarification) it's $35. Can't be more than that for one pen. How many doses that provides is very up in the air. It absolutely varies from person to person. I have relatives with type 2 that have to inject a dose of very long-acting insulin weekly, one has gone back and forth with daily doses on top of that. I'm type 1 and have to take one dose of long-acting nightly with injections of a short-acting insulin before every meal, with the exact dosage amounts varying per meal. Insulin is measured in units (there's probably an actual mL amount, both of mine are 100 units per mL with a 3mL pen). How many units someone needs is determined with their medical provider (or care team? When I went to 'diabetes education' after diagnosis I was set up with a "care team").

But at any rate, if someone is in an emergency situation in the US should be able to get an insulin pen for $35 pretty much when they get to a pharmacy. Yes, I get that this can be difficult in some situations, but that's outside the concept of insulin prices.

If someone's blood sugar is over 500 though, they almost certainly need a hospital more than they need an insulin pen. Yes, alright, the actual real single mother on twitter who was the source of the profile images/meter images that whatever the current url for vero-og has stolen and been using for months... that was actually months ago and I'm sure she doesn't need to be told to go to the hospital right now. [That said, if you get an ask from someone and the url is a variation off of 'vero-og' that is a confirmed scammer.] And then on top of that, yes, why would you block people that can get you free or discounted insulin? If someone was offering to save your life for free or find you what you need for far less than what you were expecting to spend, why wouldn't you take it? Unless what you're actually after is money.

SO TO RECAP: Insulin does not cost $300, $350, $370, whatever someone is sending you an ask about. In the US, it is federally capped at $35 per pen, with further resources available, as well as further resources being available internationally. If you need help, please be honest about it. I promise there are people who care, you don't have to try and explain yourself- but it absolutely does not cost that much and if it did, there are ways to lower the cost by quite a bit if there aren't resources to make it free. Diabetes is a lifelong chronic condition that is not caused by "being fat" or "eating too much", it is caused by your body not functioning right and your body can starve no matter how much food you eat. Unfortunately, people have been lying on this site for months if not years claiming to have type 1 with an insulin emergency. These people cannot possibly have diabetes, or they would be well aware that they do not need hundreds of dollars to get their insulin. They are counting on you not knowing this so you will donate to them. The 'vero-og' scammer had been harassing someone who donated and threatening them with the intention of bullying more money out of the donor.

#refdesk

370 notes · View notes

wellhealthhub · 11 months

Text

Let's get cracking and understand this Diabetes in Youth, shall we?

Welcome to our super-duper guide on Diabetes in Youth, folks! At Well Health Hub, we totally get how important it is to give you accurate and reliable info to help you make sense of this condition. In this here article, we’ll dive deep into what causes Diabetes in Youth, the symptoms to watch out for, and how to manage it like a champ. We’re all about empowering parents, caregivers, and young one…

View On WordPress

#Adolescent diabetes #are diabetic socks the same as compression socks #Childhood diabetes #Childhood type 1 diabetes #Children with diabetes #Diabetes awareness for young people #Diabetes education for kids #Early onset diabetes #Future implications of diabetes in youth #Juvenile diabetes #Pediatric diabetes #Preventing type 1 diabetes in youth #Type 1 diabetes in children #Type 1 diabetes mellitus #Youth diabetes management #Youth-onset diabetes

0 notes

thecuriousquest · 7 days

Text

Twisted Fate but Finally Free

Yan!Katsuki Bakugou x Fem!Reader

Warnings: SFW, implied kidnapping, doctors/hospitals

Synopsis: You get sick…but then Bakugou notices your health is declining. He has no choice but to take you to see a doctor.

@palesweetscherryblossom

Master List

—————————————————————————

Unfortunately for you, you got the flu. You were sick for two weeks, and Bakugou took care of you by himself.

But then, he noticed a change. You started losing a lot of weight. You were thirsty constantly. You had to pee a lot and always had a stomach ache, but you were always hungry as well. You were always tired, sluggish, moody, but then there were your bursts of high energy only to come crashing back down and fall asleep.

It wasn’t normal. Something was wrong.

As you kept losing more weight, he finally couldn’t handle the stress of not knowing what was going on.

Katsuki had to take you outside.

Outside into the world he fucking needed to protect you from. How else could he get you to a doctor, though?

“You say one thing to them, and it’s all over for you. Got it?”

Bakugou spills threats into your ear the entire way to the doctor.

They run a few tests, prick your finger, and read the monitor: 650.

Your blood sugar is 650.

“She has juvenile diabetes or type one diabetes.”

Katsuki grabs your hand.

“She’ll need to go to a hospital and be emitted in the ICU.”

He can barely stand this.

“You’re her husband? You should be able to stay with her.”

You’re not legally married.

This is your way out. It might be a sick and twisted fate, but you’re finally going to be free. You’ll finally be free of the man who locks you inside all day and night, never lets you do anything without him, forces you do to things you don’t want to, punishes you for whatever “wrongdoing” he can think of…

He won’t be able to stay with you in the ICU. He won’t be able to even see you outside of emitting you if you don’t want him to. You’ll tell the doctors and nurses how you were kidnapped, and justice will prevail.

You feel tears welling up in your eyes, and Bakugou thinks it’s due to the news the doctor just gave you.

He gives your hand a gentle squeeze.

“It’s okay, Teddy Bear. I’m here for you. We’ll get through this together.”

You suppress the urge to smile as you nod at Katsuki.

“Okay.”

This is it. You’re finally free.

#yandere #triggering content #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere x y/n #triggering themes #yandere x darling #yandere themes

76 notes · View notes

redshift-13 · 9 months

Text

The United States is the only country in the world that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Generally speaking, American children’s rights are adequately protected, but considerable problems still exist regarding health care, child abuse, juvenile law, etc.

Who opposes the Convention in the U.S.? The same people shrieking most loudly about abortion: conservative Catholics and evangelical Christians.

The Right to Health More than 8 million children in the United States have no health insurance, meaning about one in ten children. Thousands of others are underinsured, which impedes their right to quality health care services. Statistics show that these children are ten times less likely to receive treatment for conditions such as diabetes, asthma, oral diseases, and obesity. Children of ethic minorities (African-Americans or Hispanics) are more at risk than others : almost a quarter of them are not vaccinated against the most common serious illnesses.

...

Child Labour Although child labour laws have been well enforced in the US, thousands of children, especially Hispanics, work in arduous agricultural environments. They work 14 hours a day during the harvest season, and usually end up abandoning their studies. They are also exposed to pesticides and other agrochemical treatments, which can cause serious health problems.

More at the link.

#rights of children #children's rights #the convention on the rights of the child #realization of children's rights index #social measurement indices #well-being measures

61 notes · View notes

vintagecelebrityslides · 11 days

Text

Michelle Burk, Marlice Andrada, Kelly Packard, Traci Bingham, Angelica Bridges - Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Celebrity Monopoly Party & Gala, Rio Suite Hotel, Las Vegas, 30 May 1997

Photographer: Gilbert Flores

#Baywatch #Michelle Burk #Marlice Andrada #Kelly Packard #Traci Bingham #Angelica Bridges #Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Celebrity Monopoly Party & Gala #1997 Slide #Gilbert Flores

0 notes

faofinn · 2 years

Text

29. Lethargy/Exhaustion

@sicktember

The whole family had been rundown as the kids started school, but Kieran never seemed to pick back up. Even the promise of his after school football club picking back up didn't excite him, asking his dads to bring him back home every time.

Tai did his best to reassure Harrison, but his partner ouldn't listen. He couldn’t. There was something wrong with Kieran and everything, every inch of his body screamed they had to do something.

The GP brushed him off, telling him that he was just putting ideas into Kieran's head and making him think he was sick. Harrison struggled to hold his tongue, and when the doctor started suggesting Harrison needed therapy for missing Tai’s illness, he stormed out. Kieran cried the whole way home, convinced his dad was upset at him for causing all the problems.

Tai had been at work for the appointment, unable to get the time off. He’d happily let Harrison go, though. His other half was the one so convinced there was something awry. His clinic was busy, he barely got a chance to catch up on his notes, let alone look at his phone, and when he got in that evening he sought Harrison out. Hopefully the GP had made at least some helpful suggestions.

They hadn't, of course, and Harrison wasn't impressed. Despite wanting to rush out and get another opinion, or beat the doctor up, they'd ended up having a quiet day at home. Even Alfie and Levi had been quiet around Kieran, choosing to let him stay on the sofa with Hars while they caused chaos elsewhere.

In the kitchen, away from the kids as they played before dinner, Tai leaned on the counter and looked over at his partner. “So, how was it? Kieran’s quiet.”

"Ridiculous. Told me I need therapy."

Tai frowned. “You need therapy? Because your kid is sick?”

"Because they think I'm putting the trauma of what happened with you onto him." He rolled his eyes, frustrated.

“Well, that’s insane.” Tai huffed.

"He's not well, Tai. I'm telling you, he's not."

“He does seem a little off.” Tai agreed.

"I know he's quieter than Alfie, and everything is quieter than Levi, but look at him. He's just so tired."

“He’s been quieter than usual lately, and more emotional too.” He said softly. “They didn’t even agree to anything? Not even some bloods?”

"They agreed to do a referral for me."

“Fucking hell.”

Harrison rested his head against the cabinets. "I can't do this, Tai. I'm scared for him. I know there's something not right."

Tai moved to wrap his arms around Harrison. “A second opinion? We can afford a private GP appointment, I’m sure.”

"And they'll just say the same. Maybe I am just being stupid." He sighed, slowly leaning into Tai. "Maybe I am just feeling guilty because I didn't recognise the signs with you."

Tai kissed his cheek. “Or maybe you’re a dad worried about his kid, who learned from previous experience.” He pointed out. “It’s okay to feel guilty about what happened with me, but that was more my fault than yours, I knew something was wrong and I ignored it. It’s not like you want him to be sick.”

"I want to see him running around and causing mischief again, trying to blame it on Alfie and Levi." Harrison smiled to himself. "He usually gets away with it too, he's too smart for us."

Tai smiled. “Can tell he’s not ours by blood; way smarter than the pair of us combined.”

"Talk about yourself."

He grinned. “Are you sure?”

Hars turned to kiss him. "Mm. Yeah."

“I’m glad our kids have a dad like you looking out for them.”

"I'm only here because of you. Only a dad because of you."

“I might not be a doctor but I’m not sure me being with you is why we have kids, Hars. Don’t think it works that way.”

Harrison laughed, his troubles forgotten for a moment. "Tai! You know what I mean, you idiot."

“I might be good but I’m not that good.”

"Mm, I don't know, mind."

Tai kissed him again. “Missed you today.”

"You must have been so busy."

“I spent my lunch writing notes because I had no time before.”

"I know the feeling."

“I swear everyone was complex today too. Nothing bloody simple.” He grumbled.

"It's always the way."

“Yeah. I’m sorry the GP was shit, though.”

"I'm just worried about him."

“Yeah. Is there anything we can do?”

"We're just going to have to wait until they can't ignore me."

Tai hummed. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

"I'm scared." He admitted quietly.

“He’s got us to look after him. He’ll be okay.”

"This just hits him how much I can't protect them from everything."

“Part of being a parent. It sucks, doesn’t it? Same as I can’t protect you from everything, as much as I want to.”

"I have to, though. It has to be better for them."

“It’s already better for them. They’ve got, people who care for them, and a nice warm house. Somewhere safe.”

"You know what I mean." He sighed. "I suppose we better get on with tea, else we'll be in the shit for that."

“Riots will start, and I’m starved.”

"We could always get a takeaway?"

“Oh, don’t tempt me. Maybe that would cheer the boys up.”

"We might as well."

“We’ll cook tomorrow.”

Harrison grinned and set about ordering their takeaway. Even Kieran perked up at it, joining in with the rest of them and bringing back a sense of normality. By bedtime, everyone was exhausted, the boys all arguing they definitely were not tired, but their repeated yawns and dozes on the sofa said otherwise. At some point during the night, Alfie ended up in his dads' bed, complaining sleepily that Kieran kept waking him up. They weren't quite sure why, and when Tai checked on him he was curled up and fast asleep, so they weren't sure it wasn't just Alfie's imagination.

Time passed as it always did, and Kieran seemed to get worse. He'd ended up being kept off school, too tired to go to school. He wasn't right at home either, all too lethargic and grumpy. He'd lost weight, too, and he'd never had much to lose in the first place.

The GPs were still no help, but agreed he had lost weight. They put it down to a virus and then washed their hands with him again. The only one that cared even slightly told them to come back in a few weeks if nothing had changed, and then they'd maybe look into bloods and other things.

It had been a week after their last appointment when things reared their head again. Harrison had been unable to sleep, phantom pain making him toss and turn. Tai, as usual, was fast asleep. He had the decency to ask him if he was okay, but he was more asleep than not, and Harrison would have put money on him not remembering it in the morning.

While not unusual to hear the boys going to the toilet, they seemed to be constantly back and forth. Curiosity got the better of him and, after hearing the tap running for the fourth time in an hour, he padded out onto the landing.

"Kieran?" He asked quietly. "What are you doing? Is this why you're so tired?"

"Dad?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

"I was asking you the same question, Kit. You've been up and down like a yoyo." He said, crouching down.

"I was thirsty."

"What happened to your bottle? Did you not fill it up?"

He nodded. "I drank it all."

"All of it?"

"And then I filled it up and drank that too."

"And you've been going for a lot of wees?"

"I need to go for a wee now."

Harrison's heart dropped. After everything with Taidgh, every doctor deciding he needed therapy instead of listening to him, he was now faced with a terrifying reality.

"Okay, Kit. Can you do me a massive favour? Do you know daddy's bucket he uses sometimes? Do you think you can use that for a wee instead? And then come and see daddy and me when you've washed your hands?"

"Am I in trouble?" He shrunk back, looking up with wide eyes.

"No, squirt. Not at all. Don't be silly, eh? You've done nothing wrong. I just want to have a chat when you're done."

"Okay." Kieran nodded to himself and headed to the toilet again.

Harrison rushed back to Tai, shaking his partner awake before rummaging through his drawers. "Taidgh, wake up. I need you to call Steve or Sheila or Fao. Any of them. They need to look after Alfie and Levi.

Tai frowned, groaning. “What’s going on?” He asked thickly, still half asleep. “Are you alright?”

"Kieran's got diabetes. I'm sure of it."

He sat up, rubbing his face. “Slow down, what’s happened?” He said, reaching to flick the light beside his bed on.

"I can't find your ketone strips. Where have you moved them to?"

“What’s going on, Hars?” He asked, reaching out to look through the drawer. “They’re the same place they always are. Look.” He found them easily, handing them to him.

"You must have moved them!" He groaned frustratedly, ignoring Tai’s question and returning to look for his pouch. "They need to stay in the same place so we can get them."

“They were in the same place.” Tai pointed out. “Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on? It’s 3am.”

"I've told you." He said sharply, stopping as Kieran pushed their door open.

"Are you and daddy fighting because of me?"

Tai shot Harrison a pointed look, and then turned back to his son. “No, Kit. Dad just woke me up and I was being grumpy. Come here, it’s alright.” He said, patting the bed.

Harrison ignored the glance, on his own mission. He returned quickly, holding the strip to Tai. "See?"

He had his arm around Kieran, frowning at the strip. He sighed. “Alright.”

"Kieran? Can I have one of your fingers? Just to check your blood like we do with daddy?"

He shook his head, frightened. “No thank you.” He mumbled, hiding against Tai.

“It’s alright. It doesn’t hurt, I promise.” Tai said gently. “Let your dad do it to me first, then you?”

"You can even do it to me too." Harrison offered.

"No." He pressed closer to Taidgh, his face fully hidden against his dad's chest.

Tai rubbed his back. “I know it’s a bit scary, Kit. Your dad and I just want to make sure you’re okay. I’m right here, yeah? Not going anywhere.”

"I'm just thirsty. I'm okay." He said quickly, deciding to make a break for it.

Taidgh wasn’t surprised the poor kid was terrified - Hars was like a man possessed, even if he tried to hide it from him. He wrapped his arms around him, grimacing as he tried to escape. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Come on, it’s okay.”

"We don't have to." Harrison finally admitted, reaching to rub Kieran's back. "It's alright to be scared a bit, especially if you're feeling rubbish like you have been for a while."

“Daddy feels rubbish sometimes, and it’s no fun.” Tai said. “And I don’t like having to prick my finger, either. It’s scary, isn’t it? It’s alright not to want to, but your dad wouldn’t ask you to do something scary unless it was important.”

"Is it really, really important?" He asked quietly.

"I think it is, Kit. I think we might have to go and see if Uncle Finn is working in the hospital, too."

“I don’t want to go and see Uncle Finn at the hospital. I’m tired, can I go to bed?”

Harrison glanced at Tai. "I think we really have to go."

“One thing at a time.” Tai said gently. “Can we check your blood first? It’ll take two seconds.” It would be easier if they had all the information before they went in.

Kieran stuck his arm out in a moment of bravery, though tightened his grip on Tai. "Quickly."

“Really quickly. I bet you’ll be much braver than me, eh?”

Harrison did his best to distract Kieran as he pricked his finger, trying to be as quick as he could for the kid. His hands shook as he took the reading, shaking his head as it came up with an error reading.

"Sorry, Kit. Just gonna squeeze your finger a little bit more." Another error. He looked to Tai, desperation clear on his face. "Just one more go."

He held his breath as it beeped at him, finally coming up with an answer. It didn't fill him with any more hope, the reading simply coming back as "Hi". He turned the machine to face Tai, his expression darkening to fear.

“Look at that there now. So brave, braver than me.” He murmured to his son, proud of him for coping so well. He could tell Harrison was worried, and he wasn’t exactly relieved to see the reading. “Is it the machine? Check it.” He said quietly, offering his hand.

"Tell you what, Kieran. Why don't you come and sit on my knee now?" Harrison offered. "Let daddy do his?"

Kieran didn’t want to let go at first, but eventually peeled himself away, reaching for his Dad. “Is Daddy poorly?”

Harrison hesitated. "I think you might be a little bit poorly this time, Kit."

“I feel a bit poorly.” He admitted, snuggling into Harrison.

Taking the kit off of Hars, Tai quickly checked his own, forcing himself to push through the uncomfy feeling. He usually made Hars do it where he could. It read fine, frustratingly, and even matched what his phone was telling him. Fuck’s sake.

"I'm not surprised you feel a little bit poorly. You must have been feeling rubbish for weeks."

“I’ll see if I can get a hold of someone.” Tai said quietly, standing up.

“Am I in trouble?” Kieran asked again.

"No, no." Harrison promised, kissing his hair. "You're the furthest thing from being in trouble. You've been so brave and amazing."

“I’m sorry.”

"I'm sorry you've been feeling so rubbish for so long."

“That doctor was mean to you. I didn’t mean to make him be mean to you.”

"Can I let you in on a secret?" He pretended to whisper.

Kieran nodded. He was good at keeping secrets.

"Lots of doctors are mean to me because I've done some really, really silly things. It wasn't your fault in the slightest."

“But you’re a doctor.”

"I am. But you've seen the silly things I've done. Like when I tripped over Alfie's car and my leg fell off!" He kept soothing. "And I've done loads before you were even born! Grandma Sheila and grandad Fred were always telling me off, and then when I was living with grandad Steve, he had to tell me off every day too."

“I’ve done silly things.” Kieran said quietly. “Will they be mean to me?”

"You've only done a tiny amount of silly things, they don't count. And you're far too cute for them to ever be mad at you."

“You’ll stay? Won’t go away?” He asked, as Tai reappeared.

“Steve’s at work, I couldn’t get through to Sheila, but Fao’s going to come over.” He said, sitting back on the bed.

Harrison groaned quietly. Of course, nearly all of them were busy. No doubt Fao was rota-ed for the day shift after too.

"Of course I'm gonna stay! I'll make sure to hold your hand as long as I can. Maybe I should super glue it to yours?" He pretended to muse. "That way they can't take us apart."

Kieran laughed despite himself. “Don’t be silly, Dad.”

"No? No super glue?" Harrison sighed. "Hmmm. Maybe we could duct tape us!"

Tai set about getting dressed, letting Harrison keep Kieran distracted. He had their grab bag already, but there wasn’t one for the kids (they never thought about the kids getting sick) and so slipped into Kieran’s room to pack stuff whilst they waited for Fao to arrive.

Kieran had already started to fall back asleep by the time Fao arrived, latched onto Harrison like a koala. Harrison wasn't surprised in the slightest, and while he wasn't happy with the explanation, at least it gave them something they could fix, in a way.

Fao pulled Hars in for a gentle hug when he arrived, careful not to squash Kieran. “I’ll do the school run in the morning, let me know how yous get on? Do the boys know I’m here?”

"Taidgh told them, I think. I came down with Kieran, he just wasn't settling. Proven me wrong now."

“Kids exist just to prove you wrong.”

"I've been telling them for weeks."

“It’ll get sorted now, at least you’re on the ball.”

"He's been so brave."

“Gets it from his Dad.”

"Tai has been."

“And you, idiot.”

"I've been a wreck.”

“You’re plenty brave.” He said. “Go on, get yourselves seen to. I’ll hold down the fort.”

"Thank you, Fao. For everything.”

“Anything for you.”

He pulled him in for another hug, kissing his cheek. "I'll call as soon as I know."

“It’s okay. Look after your family, yeah?”

"Someone's gotta." He managed a smile as Tai emerged from the kitchen, snacks and drinks packed for the trip.

Tai stuck his hand out before changing his mind and pulling Fao in for a hug too. After all, they were family.

Fao patted Tai on the back. “Go on, off you go. Get yourselves sorted, look after each other. I’ll be around if you need anything.”

15 notes · View notes