oprorsk_sode | What the Hell is Going on Here? We Got to Keep Going....

Mikkel did add a little honey. Though he didn't think it was bitter who knew what an American set of taste buds might experience. He didn't fill the mug more than half either since the Dane was concerned that Dee might be feeling weak from what Ansgar had mentioned.

"Here. Sip slow." Mikkel offered Dee the cup before pouring his own. The tea was a majority ginger and chamomile with a hint of peppermint and other herbs that settled an upset stomach plus a pinch of salt. This was a tradition, though Mikkel didn't know that medically this was to help replenish electrolytes.

He sat down on the edge of the bed just as Ansgar came back with the pan. He slid it under the edge of the bed so Dee wouldn't see it and think about what it was used for. Then Ansgar poured his own mug of tea to join the other two.

Out of sight, out of mind went a long way. Granted, since it had been recently washed, it was safe to assume it had also been recently used. The tea was a very good distraction, and Dee listened to Mikkel explain what all went into it.

"Okay..." He reached out to take the mug with shaky arms. He could feel the steam on his face as he attempted a sip. The taste was pleasant. Even though the ginger was potent, the honey cut off a good part of the bite.

Ansgar has been around Dee long enough to start seeing some patterns. Dee had a tendency to push himself. The more fatigued he got, the more his limbs tended to shake when he used them. Sometimes, if he kept pushing himself, they would just give out. This was all normal. Getting sick wasn't actually normal, but that had yet to really be observed.

"Thank you." he sipped slowly, carefully. Curious, he asked, "Where did you... learn this recipe?"

Mikkel knew that shake too from Rik who, though healthy physically, pushed himself to this point sometimes.

"A lot of us know herbalism." Ansgar shrugged because he was noticing that not everyone had that knowledge, though those who did were teaching others along the way.

"Rik and Vars taught me this one when Fredrik was sick." Mikkel added while drinking his tea.

"...her..herbalism?" Dee wasn't very familiar with the term.

When Jay was sick, his mother would often stop by with a jar of what they both called caldo de pollo. It was essentially chicken soup, but it was orange due to a particular spice. That was the closest thing to folk remedies that he really knew.

Ansgar let Mikkel talk this one out. He might be younger but Mikkel was far more invested in traditions and the things that came along with it than Ansgar was, or ever would be.

"It's the use of plants to treat mild health conditions." Mikkel answered. "Vars has been teaching me a lot more of the Nordic practices and Aarne has taught me some of the Sami herbalism."

Dee sipped on the tea slowly. So far, so good...

"Plants for... you can do that?" he asked with genuine curiosity, looking down into the tea he was drinking. "And it works? ...w..with no side effects?"

"You have to learn how to do it right." Mikkel mentioned but did nod yes to his question. "If you use the wrong things together or the wrong things on the wrong people you can cause more problems. If you use it wrong or too much of some things there can be side effects."

Mikkel looked down at his tea. "Vars helped me pick things that don't have interactions because I don't know what's in the infusions you get." He shrugged. "There's chamomile in here. A little eases the stomach but too much can make you vomit or ginger is good for your stomach but you can't use it if you're going to get surgery or have a baby soon because too much can make you bleed more."

Mikkel liked to learn and this was his focus now that he had the chance to learn something specific.

Dee was fascinated by this. He was still sipping the tea slowly, until Mikkel reached the part about ginger. He swallowed hard. For a moment, it looked like he was going to throw up that tea, but the nausea soon settled again.

"Um... how soon is too soon for ginger?" he asked, quickly clarifying the obvious, "For surgeries, I mean. Not for having a baby."

Mikkel had a worried look when he saw the nausea pass in Dee's body language. It was gone soon and that was a relief. It could sometimes take a little time for the herbal teas to work on nausea.

"24 hours, I think. Most things don't stay around long except.. um.. I don't remember which one but it's a sedative Vars was telling me about that might help me sleep when I have nightmares. I can't use it if I was drinking or drink for a couple days after."

"That's good. It'll still be a couple of weeks, I think, before I, well..." he took a deep breath, clutching the mug in his hands.

He stuttered a little bit as he tried to explain what was going on. Ansgar knew a little bit. He knew the first part at least.

"It's official. We're going on the tour... The Ziggy Stardust tour. But they... they need me to get a... a port put in." he tapped his chest, albeit not in the spot it would actually be in. "So I can get my infusions when we're on the road. It's a... a surgical procedure..."

Dee was looking forward to that about as much as he was looking forward to throwing up again. And thinking about one made the other one feel a lot more likely too.

Mikkel saw that look and climbed up into the bed next to Dee, as gently as he could to not jostle him too much.

"I know." Mikkel sat cross legged up near the pillows and closer to Dee. "Rik and I have been in the hospital a lot and sometimes it's still scary to have to go."

He would have hugged Dee if he knew him a bit better. "I've done a lot of things that were scary but after things were better." Mikkel wasn't going to mention most of those things because they were dark or he had to do them to escape the darkness in his past. "I hope it makes your medicine easier."

“Jay said… to just keep telling myself… it’s just one more step I need to take to get Kuro off the ground… just like… like approving a logo, or opening for Svarte Ravner, or having full dress rehearsals… I’m trying to do that.”

He looked like he might actually be sick.

“If I need it to tour… I… I have to do it…” Dee turned toward Ansgar, not about to let him or anyone else in the band down. “I have to.”

Mikkel saw that ill look come back and decided getting scolded for hugging without asking would be worth it if it happened. He scooted up and put an arm around Dee and laid beside him on his side.

"It will be alright." He'd snuggle Dee if there was any indication that the American wanted to. "Right now, we need to work on your belly ache. We can worry about the rest later, when you're feeling better."

It wasn’t that the hug was unwelcome, but Dee was already turning away, looking for some place to put the mug. He could feel his stomach lurching. He didn’t want to actually throw up ON Mikkel. Or worse.

Mikkel felt the lurching and was immediately helping Dee up if he needed it. Ansgar saw what was happening and sprung up to get Dee's tea and the tray. They worked like a machine that was well working. Part of it was Rik, and Fredrik, but also Ansgar looking after Hjalmar too.

Dee didn’t even notice what was happening until a familiar metal basin was thrust under his chin. Even Jay couldn’t move that fast in an emergency.

He coughed and gagged, fully expecting to throw up what he’d managed to drink of the tea. But nothing actually came up. He spit into the basin a few times, but that was it. Eventually, the nausea started to calm down again.

“… f..false alarm…” he dared to jinx it. “I think…”

Mikkel held his hair and stroked his back almost lovingly. He was used to this with Fredrik when they drank too much. "We got you."

“Thanks…”

It wasn’t the last false alarm either. But waves of nausea without consequences was a definite improvement over Dee’s earlier predicament.

Maybe there really was something to this tea of theirs…

"You remind me of my boyfriend." Mikkel continued to stroke Dee's back and would help him lay back when he was ready.

All Ansgar could do was smile at how sweet his brother could be. It meant a lot after all he endured that he was still sweet.

Dee glanced up. "I... I do?"

Hopefully, it wasn't for getting food poisoning.

"Yes." He wanted to help Dee lean back now that it felt like the heaving had passed.

"You need tea and looked after when you have an upset belly." Mikkel took care of Fredrik all the time, and until recently Ansgar too when he needed.

Ansgar was going to have to tell Dee what it meant, how much it meant, for his brother to so easily take care of him.

Dee slid back on the bed with Mikkel’s help.

“You’re going to need to teach Jay and me both how to make that tea…” he whispered, daring a smile in the midst of feeling like utter crap. “Give the Mystic a magic potion… that the Prophet will actually take.”

Mikkel helped him get comfortable. "I can give you the list but you should talk to your doctor about your infusions before using it regularly."

Mikkel wanted to be cautious. Vars had instilled in his the idea that this was like medicine and you needed to compare it with any other medications. "I don't want anything to interfere with what is helping you already."

Fortunately, this wasn’t one of his normal health issues. It just happened to be a very unlucky night.

He smirked again. “For the record… I’d like to avoid getting food poisoning regularly.”

Jay and Dee had shared the important issues with the core band members and others (Tom, Gloria, etc.) who they worked with to prepare for the tour. Most of that was muscular - what exacerbated the disability and helped. Though, to a lesser extent, there were definitely mentions of his bones and his heart. Things to watch out for in the future, and not aggravate unnecessarily.

“….It might be better for Jay to do that.”

The talking with the doctor part. The less Dee had to do that, the better.

The smile was good to see. "I should know. I make tea for us a lot."

Vars had instilled a lot of ethics around teas and herbs in the young Dane, for better or worse. Even the everyday teas the Danes often enjoyed, Mikkel wanted to check on with Dee's doctors.

"I'll talk to Jay when he gets home." And Mikkel would. He, or Vars, might end up talking to the doctors directly at this rate. Mikkel knew that Dee, like himself, had a tension around the medical community. The reasons were vastly different but Mikkel did understand some of the outcomes.

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