Hypochondria by sweet18_2003
Chapter 1 by sweet18_2003
Author's Notes:
Response to the March Challenge. Please let me know what you think!!! Enjoy!

   “I think I’m sick…”

 

    AJ looked up from the magazine he’d been reading to find Nick walking slowly into the room hunched over and hugging his stomach. The look on his face was of pure misery, the blonde appearing to be on the border of pathetic.

 

  “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

 

    “My stomach…and my joints… ache too. My… muscles feel all weak. I feel like I… am going… to throw up.”

 

  Backing up slightly when he saw Nick advancing towards the spot on the couch right next to him, AJ looked at his friend warily. He was half tempted to run before the younger of the two breathed on him, infecting him with whatever germs he was carrying. Instead though, AJ stayed put, scooting over to the far end of the couch, hoping his friend would get the hint and back off.

 

   “Don’t come near me…I don’t want to catch whatever you have,” he demanded, but felt a pang of sympathy when he saw Nick waver a bit, having trouble keeping his balance. Scooting aside, and hoping he didn’t regret his decision later, AJ made room for Nick, “How long have you been feeling bad?”

 

  “About twenty minutes…” Nick moaned, “I was watching this…medical show on TV and this guy… was hospitalized for these… symptoms, and the doctors… didn’t know what it was. Then I noticed that… I had the same ones…” his eyes grew wide in fear, “You don’t think…I need to go to…the hospital…do you?”

 

    AJ shook his head, chuckling at his friend. He relaxed, realizing he was in no danger of catching Nick’s ‘bug’.

 

    “Dummy, it’s all in your head.”

 

    With eyes growing wider yet, Nick gasped, “Come to think of it…my head does feel funny too…”

 

  “No, no, no…” AJ laughed, greatly amused by Nick, “You think you’re sick because the show made you think you are. There’s nothing wrong with you. Relax.”

 

  “But I really do feel awful.”

 

    AJ rolled his eyes, losing his patients with Nick’s nonsense, “Maybe you should go to the hospital.” He stated sarcastically, Nick completely missing the point of the comment by his next one.

 

    “You really think so?” Worry was evident in his eyes, Lord only knowing what he was conjuring up in his head.

 

    “Yeah!” AJ exclaimed with mock enthusiasm, deciding if Nick really going to be this foolish, than he could at least have some fun messing with the kid, “And maybe you’ll have a hot nurse who is a huge Backstreet fan and you’re her favorite. Her name will be…Mel…and you’ll fall madly in love and live happily ever after. And she’ll have four single, hot nurse friends for me, Howie, Brian and Kevin to fall in love with and live happily ever after also.”

 

    Nick rolled his eyes, “Aje, that is  so cliché.”

 

    “And you are being so moronic.”

 

    “I’m being serious here…I really do think something is wrong with me.” When he didn’t get a response, Nick continued, “I’m starting to sweat and itch…”

 

    “Oh no! Maybe you have chicken pox!”

 

    Nick whimpered, sticking his lip out in a pathetic pout, “Don’t baking soda baths cure that?”

 

    Letting out a huge sigh, AJ felt like banging his head against the wall, the floor…anything hard that would take his mind off of the headache that Nick was giving him. His gibberish had gone on long enough. It wasn’t even fun messing with him anymore, for Nick was simply taking his paranoia too far.

 

    “Listen to me carefully…” AJ said slowly, knowing the next step would be spelling things out for him, “There…is…nothing…wrong…with…you.”

 

    “But what if there is?” Nick whined, ignoring AJ completely, “What if it’s serious? What if I have cancer?”

  

    “I swear, I am going to ban you from watching, reading or seeing anything medical related if we have to go through this bull shit every time.”

 

   For a moment, AJ honestly considered the thought that Nick was just doing this to get some sort of attention. When he really took a second to look at the boy though, really staring into his eyes and read him, AJ realized that Nick was quite serious about all of this. What worried him more though, was that he could tell that Nick was honestly scared what he could ’have’.

 

   “I’m worried…” Nick mumbled meekly, “I haven’t been sick since I was little. What if I’m dying? I never get sick…”

 

    “Nick, you’re not sick. I told you, that show you watched made you think you feel things that aren’t there.”

 

    “I’m not paranoid.” Nick mumbled defensively

 

    “I never said that.”

 

    “I’m not making this up.”

 

    “I believe that you think you’re not.” AJ mumbled before saying more clearly, “Do you want me to get a thermometer out to prove that you don’t have a fever?”

 

    “This isn’t funny…” Nick whined, “Besides…you don’t have to have a fever to be sick. This is a non-fever sickness. It’s something more…I need to get help before I die!.”

 

    This comment caused AJ to crack up laughing despite his attempts not to. His laughter quickly died though when he saw the glare that Nick was shooting him. If looks could kill, AJ knew that he would be nothing but a singed pile of ashes at that point.

 

    “Nick, you’re not dying.”

 

    “You wont be saying that when you fine me dead tomorrow morning because you didn’t take me seriously.” His lip went out in a pout again.

 

    AJ was about to respond again, but before he could, there was a knock on the door. A smirk formed upon his lips and before he could control himself, the words spilled from his mouth.

 

    “Maybe that is your future wife, Nurse Mel, to take you to the hospital now.”

 

    “Fuck off.” Nick scowled, hating that AJ was making a mockery out of his illness.

 

    Shaking his head, AJ went to the door, opening the door to find Brian standing before him. He was thankful for the save.

 

    “Hey Aje, what’s up?”

 

    “Not a whole lot…just dealing with Nick and his mental illness.”

 

    “What?” Brian rose an eyebrow, confused.

 

    “I think he’s got hypochondria.”

 

    Both men heard a gasp in the background, “Oh no! You mean I have that too?!?!” Nick exclaimed in fret, “Is it fatal?”

 

    With a groan, AJ stated, “Get me out of here.”

 

    Brian shrugged, and the two men walked out of the door, the last thing Nick hearing was the door shutting behind them as they left him in silence.



This story archived at http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=8883