#poor Caitlin | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

themetaphorgirl · 2 years

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So we’re seen Emily, James, and Big Sis and Bro. Could we see JJ and Penny caring for Spencer? Maybe during their junior year?

listen their junior and senior years are such a rough time because Spencer doesn't have either of the twins and the other kids are like "we're not prepared for this much responsibility."

(also I decided to put this during senior year because it's just the three of them)

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JJ checked her watch. “Okay, so all we have to do is get through the history midterm and then we’re done,” she said. “It starts in twenty minutes so we might as well start walking now.”

“And then after the test we have about an hour until-“ Penelope started to say. JJ elbowed her sharply in the ribs. They were supposed to keep it a surprise that James, Alex, and Aaron were flying home for the St. Thaddeus spring break to visit. As far as Spencer knew, the three of them couldn’t miss any classes and couldn’t make it.

“An hour until lunch,” JJ said hastily. She glanced over at Spencer. He walked behind them staring at the ground, his thumbs tucked into the straps of his backpack. Most likely he was running through their study guide in his head.

The three of them walked across campus towards the lecture hall. It was a gloomy day, with patches of blue sky and sunlight scattered here and there, but the threat of rain hung heavy overhead. JJ checked her watch. They were doing fine on time, but the sooner they got the test over the better. It was hard to keep up the secret from Spencer that his siblings were coming to visit. He’d been so sad since they told him they couldn’t make it for his spring break.

The lecture hall was crowded but quiet. JJ claimed her usual desk, but didn’t sit down until Spencer sat down next to her and Penelope took the seat on his other side. They were seniors now and nobody really tried to mess with them anymore, but old habits died hard and they weren’t about to take any chances. Especially since it was painfully obvious that Spencer didn’t belong in twelfth grade. He was thirteen now but his growth spurts had yet to kick in; he was still small and skinny for his age and his toes barely touched the ground when he sat at his desk.

JJ dropped her backpack on the floor and set out her pencil. She still wasn’t the best at staying organized, but she was capable when it counted. “Do you think there’s going to be an essay question?” she asked.

“God, I hope so, those are my strong suit,” Penelope said. “I can’t remember any years, but I can bullshit an essay. But boy genius over here is my exact opposite.” She paused. “Right, boy genius?”

JJ frowned. Spencer slumped in his seat, his eyes glazed over. “Spence?” she said. “You okay?”

He sat up, rubbing his right eye. “Yeah, sorry, I’m fine,” he said.

“You don’t seem fine,” JJ said. “Are you stressed out? It won’t be that bad, I promise.”

“No, no, I’m okay,” he said. “Just…headache.”

“Headache or migraine?” Penelope asked.

“Just headache,” he said, blinking hard. “I’ll be fine.”

He wasn’t fine. JJ could tell. She spent the duration of the test watching him out of the corner of her eye. All the color slowly drained from his face, leaving his lips gray and his eyes ringed in dark circles. He clutched his pencil in his hand until his knuckles turned white, but his fingers were shaking. When he completed his test he walked up to the teacher’s desk, his steps visibly unsteady, and when he dropped back to his seat he rested his forehead on his folded arms. Clearly his headache was more severe than he told them.

As soon as they were dismissed JJ gathered up her bag and picked up Spencer’s purple backpack. “How’s your headache?” she asked as she slung it over her shoulder. He didn’t look up. “Spence?” She gave him a little shake.

Spencer half raises his head. “Don’t so that,” he mumbled. “Hurts.”

JJ met Penelope’s wide eyed gaze over his head. “What hurts, kiddo?” she asked. “Just your head?”

Spencer pushed himself to sit up; the only color in his face was the red creased lines where his cheek had been pressed into his sleeve. “It’s just a headache, I just feel kind of sick,” he said, but he was slurring his words.

Penelope slipped her hand under his arm and helped him up. “Are you going to puke?�� she asked.

He wavered on his feet, catching the back of his chair. “Maybe,” he mumbled.

JJ took his other arm. At seventeen she was a full head taller than him, but carrying him was out of the question. “Let’s get you back to your room, okay?” she said. “What have you eaten today? It’s almost time for lunch, we can pick something up for you.”

Spencer coughed. “‘M not hungry,” he said.

“I know you had coffee this morning, have you had water?“ Penelope pressed.

He didn’t answer. JJ supported his weight as they walked out of the lecture hall and mentally ran through what she was going to do next. They had to get him back to his dorm, that was the most important thing. Getting him to lie down was the biggest part of the battle. The next step would be to force him to take painkillers and drink something. That was going to be a nightmare, but she chose not to think about it. Focus on getting him back first.

It was painfully slow going. He kept his eyes covered against the sun, staring at the ground instead, and his steps were wobbly and unsteady. JJ kept a tight grip on his arm.

The migraines had started during his sophomore year and were only getting worse and more frequent. There didn’t seem to be any specific cause- stress, most likely- and nothing seemed to prevent them either. He would simply be fine one minute, and then dizzy and nauseated the next.

Penelope unlocked the front door to Lincoln House and JJ helped Spencer inside. “What wouldn’t I give for an elevator right now,” Penelope sighed.

“It could be worse, at least they moved him from the seventh floor to the third after Derek graduated,” JJ sighed. Penelope took her bag and Spencer’s off her shoulders so she could focus on hauling him up the stairs.

“Where’s your keys?” JJ asked, keeping her arm around Spencer’s waist.

“Don’t worry about it,” Penelope said as she popped a clip out of her hair. “I got it.”

“I should be worried that you learned to pick locks, but honestly I’m more impressed,” JJ said.

“Alex taught me this,” Penelope said. “Aha! There we go.”

JJ dragged Spencer into his room and without thinking turned on the lights. He groaned and doubled over, pressing his hands over his eyes. “Sorry, sorry, I’m sorry, Spence,” she said, hastily switching them back off. “Let’s get you to bed, okay?”

Spencer sank down on his bed and tried to kick his shoes off. “JJ, my head really hurts,” he slurred. “Like it’s gonna explode.”

He fumbled with the buttons on his uniform shirt; JJ gently swatted his hands away and unbuttoned them for him. “We’ll get you comfortable and then you can lie down, okay?” she said. “We’ll get you medicine too.”

Spencer knuckled his eyes like a sleepy child. “Took ibuprofen,” he said petulantly. “Didn’t help.”

“I know, honey,” JJ said. “We’ll get your prescription stuff. I know you don’t like taking it, but it’ll help.” She touched the back of her hand to his forehead. “You’re not running a fever at least. Are you cold or hot?” He didn’t answer her and she squeezed his shoulder lightly. “Are you feeling cold or hot, Spencer?”

He curved his hand into a C shape, touched his fingertips against his chin, and gestured like he was throwing something away. JJ bit back a sigh. “You’re feeling hot, okay,” she said out loud. “We can fix that.”

Usually he only signed with Alex and Aaron; she’d learned enough to understand the basics. And she’d learned that if he was signing, he really wasn’t feeling well.

She helped Spencer out of his uniform, getting him down to his boxer briefs, and grabbed a tee shirt out of his drawers. It was one of Aaron’s old ones, soft and well washed, and it fit loose on Spencer’s slight frame. JJ eased it over his head and his arms, trying not to jostle him too much, and helped him sit down on the edge of the bed.

“Okay, angel, I know you hate it, but you have to use it,” Penelope said in a soft voice as she held out his nasal spray. “You’ll feel better if you use your migraine medication.” Spencer made a face, but took it in a shaking hand.

JJ sat beside him, her hand on his knee. “Do you need any help?” she asked.

Spencer started to shake his head and then grimaced in pain. “Mm-hm,” he said instead, and he managed to use the nasal spray himself as she watched him. JJ took the bottle back before he could drop it and snapped the cap back into place.

“Okay, bug, lie down,” JJ said. Spencer signed again as she pulled back the covers and draped just the sheet over him. “You want your blanket? Okay, give me a second, where’d you put it?” She found it half hidden under his pillow and tucked it into his chest as he curled into a tight ball on his side. “There you go.”

Penelope leaned around her and draped a cool damp washcloth over his eyes. “Hopefully that’ll help,” she said. She beckoned to JJ and pulled her aside. “I called Alex.”

“And?”

“They’re off the plane but traffic is really bad,” Penelope whispered. “She said not to tell him she’s coming because she doesn’t want him to get his hopes up and then get delayed.”

JJ raked her long blonde hair away from her forehead. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll take care of him in the meantime. He’ll be all right.”

Penelope nodded. “I’ll get him Gatorade,” she said.

JJ closed the blinds and sat down at Spencer’s desk. There wasn’t much they could do to help with his migraines except give him medicine, make him rest, and wait it out. At least he had a private room for his senior year and they didn’t have to worry about a roommate bothering them.

She scrolled on her phone, glancing up every so often to make sure he wasn’t in distress, and Penelope flitted in and out of the room as she ran errands. Spencer stayed still, his eyes covered and his blanket clutched to his chest. JJ watched him carefully, and when she heard him start to cough she pulled him to sit up and forced a trash can under him in just enough time for him to throw up.

“I know, bug, I know it sucks,” she said as she squeezed his arm. “You’ll feel better though, I promise.”

Spencer leaned back, his eyes watering, and signed Alex’s name sign. JJ smoothed his hair back. “I know you want Alex, but she’s not here,” she said gently. She wanted so badly to tell him that she was on his way, but she knew it would upset him more to know Alex was close but wasn’t quite there. “Lie down and go to sleep, okay?”

Spencer signed Alex’s name again, his lower lip trembling, but he allowed JJ to help him lie down and tuck him back in. She kept her hand on his shoulder until she felt his breathing start to slow down and deepen.

“Poor baby,” Penelope said softly. “I hate this so much.”

JJ trailed her fingertips lightly down Spencer’s arm. “Hopefully the meds will kick in soon,” she said.

She curled one leg against her chest and sat on the edge of Spencer’s bed. It stressed her out more than she wanted to admit, but if he was sleeping that was a good sign at least.

Someone touched her shoulder lightly and she jumped. “Hi, sorry, it’s just me,” Alex whispered.

JJ’s shoulders sagged. “Oh, thank god,” she said. “He stopped talking and he threw up a little while ago, but he dozed off.”

She scrambled out of Alex’s way. “That’s good,” Alex said. “That’s really good. You did great. Thank you for taking care of him.”

“Yeah, always,” JJ said.

Alex bent over Spencer and kissed his forehead. He scrunched up his face and whined a little bit, but he cracked open one eye to squint at her. His mouth dropped open and he signed her name, bewildered.

“Hi, baby,” Alex said softly. “Surprise.” Spencer’s face crumpled. “Oh! Oh, honey, don’t cry, it’s okay.”

He forced himself to sit up and fell towards her. JJ held out a hand to balance him as Alex gathered him onto her lap. “Aaron and James are downstairs too,” she said. “We’re here for the whole week, all three of us. We’ll take you home to the Blakes’ house. Are you surprised?”

He nodded, his face half hidden in her shoulder, and Alex kissed his cheek. “I have his bag all packed,” Penelope said as she set the duffle down on the bed. “Do you need a hand?”

“We can probably take it from here,” Alex said. “But I’m so glad you two were to take care of him.”

JJ smiled. “Any time,” she said.

#au: patron saint of lost causes #patron saint: jj #patron saint: spencer #patron saint: penelope #caitlin writes things #spencer's migraines kick in at some point between his sophomore and freshman years #so he's like ten when he starts getting them #it's the stress #poor baby

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