Chapa notices first, always unusually attentive when it comes to her teammates. "Bose? Are you okay?" Slowly Bose raises his head and grimaces, "I'm-I'm-" he frowns and starts again, "I'm, I'm okay," he stops to blink before clenching his eyes shut. Ray walks over in concern, "Let's sit on the couch, okay kid?" Bose swallows harshly and nods, raising his hand to his face and blanching as it comes back drenched in blood.
"Alright, kid, you're ok, It's just a nosebleed. Can you blow a bubble to change? You were wearing sweats when you came, they'd probably be more comfortable." Bose pauses for a minute before breathing out, "Yeah, yeah I should be able to do that." "Alright here's your gum," Ray presses the gumball firmly in the boy's hand, and slowly Bose brings it up to his mouth without opening his eyes. The bright flash of light signaling detransformation emerges causing him to squint.
Ray waits a minute before checking back in, "Can you tell me what's going on?" Bose waits another minute before he answers, swallowing a mouthful of blood, "Uh I keep seeing like... spots? And-and uh," he has to pause again and Chapa looks at their other friends in fear.
"Alright kid, sit on the couch, there you go. Lean forward and try not to let it get in your mouth, thanks Chapa," he thanks as the girl hands him tissues. Bose's nose keeps bleeding for a few minutes as the other kids watch in fear, slowly it stops and Ray asks Bose to tell him how he feels again.
"It's hard-it's hard to talk. I think-" Seemingly giving up Bose lets his sentence trail off. "Alright kid, did you hit your head at all recently?" Ray questions patiently. Bose shakes his head, "I think I should get some uh...water," he murmurs. Bose gets up to walk before Ray or Schwoz can stop him but doesn't make it make it more than two steps before his legs give out as he faints. Miles dives forward to help him fall, not catching him to avoid injuries.
"What-what just happened?" Chapa stammers. "He just fainted, we need to run some tests as soon as he wakes up," Schwoz murmurs worriedly. "Did he get hurt during the fall?" Miles dutifully checks over his friend silently thanking Ray for making them keep up to date on their first aid training. During this Bose's eyes start fluttering before he opens them slightly, "What...What hap'n?" His words slur slightly causing Miles to stare at the adults in fear. "It's ok, it's ok guys, get him up on the couch so Schwoz can take his vital signs," Ray instructs.
Schwoz sighs as he finishes checking Bose over, "Right now I think the most important thing for Bose to do is rest but I'm going to ask you some questions when you wake up, ok?" Bose nods miserably before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.
Bose sleeps fitfully for about an hour before he sits up with a groan, "I think I'm-I think I might puke," he warns. Miles disappears to grab a bucket and gets it under his best friend just in time, he grimaces a bit as Bose wretches into it but stays put, it's nothing grosser than the stuff he's seen fighting crime. Ray worriedly comes up with a thermometer he sticks in the poor boy's ear.
After a few more minutes of miserable retching, Ray pulls the thermometer away. "You don't have a fever!" he exclaims in shock causing Bose to moan pitifully, "Head...hurts," he whispers quietly.
Schwoz pipes up from where he's been anxiously watching the sick boy, "Where does it hurt Bose? What does it feel like?" Bose groans at the questions before mustering up the energy to answer them, "It's like this throbbing right behind my right eye. Can we please turn off the lights?" Obligingly Mika walks over to turn off the lights and Bose sighs in relief.
"You done dude?" Miles questions Bose, moving the bucket away and setting it aside to be washed later now that Bose isn't in danger of actively puking in it. "Bose I know you feel really bad, but I need you to answer us so you can feel better," Ray says.
Bose gives a shaky thumbs up from where he's positioned himself face down on the couch letting Schwoz continue his questioning from earlier, "Has this ever happened to you before?" Bose pauses a minute to think but eventually mutters a negative. Schwoz nods and moves on, "Do you know if your Mom or Dad have ever had migraines? It'd be like what you're experiencing now," quicker this time Bose confirms neither of his parents have a history of migraines causing Schwoz to grimace.
"What?" Miles demands, "What does that mean?" Schwoz hesitates before answering but eventually sighs and starts talking, "Well it seems likely that Bose overusing his powers caused this migraine."
Hearing this Bose slightly uncovers himself, "So this could happen again?" the boys' eyes are teary from pain, and when Schwoz nods they finally start falling. "Hey," Ray jumps in to soothe quickly and quietly, "I know you're in a lot of pain right now and this feels like the end of the world but this is treatable," he assures. "Really?" Bose questions softly and Miles feels his heart twinge at how defeated his normally upbeat friend sounds.
"Yeah, we'll get you some medicine specifically for migraines but for now, I'm going to grab you an ibuprofen, a water bottle, and an ice pack okay." It takes a minute but Ray returns with the aforementioned items allowing Bose some temporary relief with the ice pack. "Do you think you could get back to sleep?" He asks. Bose thinks about it for a minute before nodding. "Okay, we'll be here, and promise to be quiet. Just ask if you need anything." Bose nods, settling down for a hopefully longer nap as the rest head a bit farther into the Man's Nest. "This is bad," Mika cries in distress, face falling even further when everyone shushes her, "Sorry!"
"It's just...what if this happens out in the field? Or at school? Or at-" "Mika." Miles' tone is harsh but his face is understanding. "Schwoz is running some tests right now just in case, but we're all pretty sure this is just a migraine. And those suck, and they hurt a lot. And they'll probably knock Bose out for a day or two. But there's treatment. There's medication and prevention. You guys have been fighting nonstop and it probably strained his powers. Even with your abilities, you are still human at the end of the day." The others all nod at Ray's words, today a terrifying reminder.
"How do we-how do we help Bose when he gets one?" Chapa asks and Ray smiles lightly. "First make sure there's not a lot of light, he's probably going to want to sleep so see if he has anything comfortable to wear, get a cold compress, and some medicine. Schwoz is synthesizing some now so he should always have some on him, okay? This is treatable." The other kids nod watching Bose sleep peacefully as the pain medicine starts to kick in.
