Doctor Daze- part three

Gary leaned on the doorframe, smirking as he watched his best friend cough. " C'mon, Ashy, get up. You're not fooling anyone."

Ash coughed harshly and weakly looked at Gary. " M'serious. M'don't feel good."

Gary rolled his eyes. " Oh, c'mon, Ash. Stop-"

Before Gary could finish Ash grabbed the trashcan. All the water which was on his body erupted out of his mouth.

Gary's eyes widened when he saw the one thing which was a red flag.

Blood.

Ash was vomiting blood.

Gary's smirk vanished in an instant. His body moved before his brain could fully process it, launching himself forward and kneeling beside Ash in a flash.

"Ashy," he said, his voice suddenly serious. His hand found Ash's back, rubbing soothing circles between his shoulder blades as his best friend retched again.

Ash coughed weakly, his body trembling. He barely had the strength to keep himself upright.

Gary's eyes darted to the trashcan. The sight of red against the pale plastic made his stomach drop.

Not good. Not good at all.

"Ashy, talk to me, buddy," Gary urged, trying to keep his voice calm even as his pulse pounded in his ears. "How long has this been going on?"

Ash wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his breath shaky. "D-Don't know..." he mumbled. "F-Felt weird since last night..."

Gary swore under his breath. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

Ash gave him a weak, lopsided smile. "'Cause... y'get all... doctor-y."

Gary sighed, shaking his head as he pressed the back of his hand against Ash's forehead. Too warm. Way too warm.

"Alright, kiddo. We're done messing around," Gary said, slipping an arm around Ash's shoulders. "I need to get you lying down so I can check you over properly."

Ash groaned but didn't fight him, which only made Gary more concerned. Ash never gave in without at least a little resistance. The fact that he was this pliant only confirmed what Gary already knew—this was bad.

Gary carefully eased Ash back onto the bed, keeping his head propped up. "Just breathe, okay? Deep and slow," he instructed, grabbing his bag from where he'd left it earlier.

Ash nodded sluggishly, his eyelids fluttering.

Gary clenched his jaw. No way was he letting this slide. He was going to figure out what was wrong and fix it—because there was no way in hell he was losing his best friend.