Gary was reading his medical book on how to help scared patients on his bed when his bedroom door was knocked on. Without looking up, he said, " Come in."

Shuffle of feet.

Then, a small, shy voice.

" D- doctor?"

Gary looked up from his book. " Doc- Ash? Buddy, is that you?"

" Y- yeah..?"

" Well, hey buddy. What's up?"

" G- Gary... Is my chest supposed to be hurting? Like, where my heart is?"

Gary immediately snapped his book shut, his heart skipping a beat.

Chest pain? Where his heart was?

That wasn’t normal.

Gary sat up straight, eyes scanning his best friend. Ash stood just inside the doorway, his small frame trembling slightly, one hand clutching the fabric of his shirt over his chest. His face was pale, eyes glassy with a mix of uncertainty and pain.

Gary’s stomach twisted.

He patted the bed beside him. “C’mere, Ashy-boy.”

Ash hesitated before shuffling over, climbing onto the bed with a wince.

Gary immediately caught that.

“Ash, buddy, tell me everything. When did this start?”

Ash rubbed his eyes, sniffling. “I dunno… I think… maybe since last night? But it wasn’t bad. Just kinda achy.”

Gary frowned, already reaching for his stethoscope. “And now?”

Ash bit his lip. “… It’s worse.”

Gary sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Alright, kiddo. I’m gonna check, okay?”

Ash gave a tiny nod, still clutching his shirt.

Gary warmed the stethoscope’s diaphragm between his palms before pressing it gently against Ash’s chest. “Deep breath, buddy.”

Ash inhaled shakily and immediately winced.

Gary’s frown deepened. He moved the stethoscope around, listening carefully.

Something was off.

There was a faint, irregular rhythm—subtle, but enough to make Gary’s stomach twist in concern.

That wasn’t right.

He moved the stethoscope to Ash’s back. “One more, bud.”

Ash tried, but his breath hitched halfway through.

That really wasn’t good.

Gary removed the stethoscope and rested a gentle hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Does it hurt when you breathe in?”

Ash hesitated, then gave a small nod. “Yeah… kinda.”

Gary’s mind raced. Chest pain. Labored breathing. And last night…

His eyes suddenly widened as the pieces started clicking into place.

Last night—Ash had been coughing. Not a little cough, but those deep, rattling coughs that made Gary wince just hearing them.

And now, he was pale. His chest hurt. Breathing hurt.

Gary swallowed, his grip tightening slightly on Ash’s shoulder.

He needed to fix this.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he grabbed his otoscope and flashlight. “Okay, bud. I just need to check a few more things. Can you open your mouth for me?”

Ash obeyed, albeit slowly.

Gary leaned in, shining the light into his throat.

Swollen. Red.

He frowned, shifting his focus to Ash’s lips—they looked slightly tinted… almost bluish.

That sent a chill down Gary’s spine.

Ash wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

Gary knew what this was now.

And his stomach dropped.

Pneumonia.

Ash had pneumonia.

And it wasn’t the mild kind.

Gary set his tools down and looked Ash in the eye, keeping his voice calm. “Ashy-boy, listen to me, okay?”

Ash blinked up at him, tired and wary. “Mmh?”

Gary gently grabbed both of Ash’s hands, squeezing them reassuringly.

“You’re really sick, buddy. We need to get you to a doctor. A real one. Now.”

Ash stiffened immediately, eyes filling with fear. “W-what? No—n-no, I don’t wanna! G-Gary, please—!”

Gary hated the fear in his voice.

He squeezed Ash’s hands tighter, bringing him closer. “Hey, hey—breathe, buddy. Breathe. I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you, okay? But you need medicine. This isn’t something I can fix alone.”

Ash trembled, his breathing already shaky from fear—and that only made Gary’s concern spike further.

His body was weak from fighting the infection. If his breathing got worse—if he panicked too much—Gary didn’t want to think about what could happen.

So he did the only thing he could think of.

He pulled Ash into a hug. A tight, secure hug, rubbing slow, soothing circles on his back.

“I got you, Ash.” Gary murmured against his hair. “I promise I got you.”

Ash hiccupped, clutching Gary’s shirt in tiny fists. “G-Gary… I don’t wanna go…”

Gary shut his eyes for a second before pulling back just enough to meet Ash’s watery gaze.

“I know, buddy. I know. But I need you to trust me, okay?”

Ash bit his lip, visibly torn.

Gary softened, wiping away a stray tear from Ash’s cheek.

“You trust me, right?”

Ash sniffled, hesitating… then slowly nodded.

Gary gave him a small, reassuring smile. “Then let’s go, Ashy-boy.”

And with that, Gary scooped his weak, feverish best friend into his arms and carried him out the door.

This was serious.

And he wasn’t going to let anything happen to his Ashy-boy.