Like most things, it started with a whimper and not a bang. Or in this case, with a cough.

Seth Rollins grimaced and rubbed his throat. Then coughed again.

On the other side of the locker room, his Shield brothers, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose glanced at each other with concern.

"You okay, Seth?" Roman finally asked. He ignored Dean's muttered "please no please please please".

"Yeah. Just a dry throat. I'll grab some water and meet you guys at the SUV." Seth grabbed his suitcase and left the locker room.

Dean sighed. "Great. Just great."

"Maybe he does have a dry throat." Roman almost flinched from the glare Dean threw at him. He sighed. "Yeah, this isn't good."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three and a half hours later, Dean opened the back SUV door. "Rise and shine, Princess."

"Let me sleep," Seth grumbled from where he was curled up in the back of the SUV.

Roman popped the back hatch and began unloading suitcases.

Dean sighed. "Rollins, either get out of the SUV or I'll kick your ass all the way up to the room." He wasn't sure what Seth grumbled at him, but he was pretty sure it wasn't complimentary.

"Dean, go ahead with some of the suitcases and get us checked in," Roman suggested. He took one look at Seth leaning against the side of the SUV and knew Seth would be lucky to drag himself into the hotel much less take a suitcase with him.

Dean grabbed as much as he could carry and drag behind him and headed for the hotel entrance.

Roman finished unloading the SUV and shut the hatch. "C'mon, Seth. Walk with me. We'll get you upstairs to bed and get some meds in you."

"I'm not sick."

"We'll figure it out," Roman soothed as he shepherded the younger man ahead of him. Inside the lobby, he saw Dean waiting with a handful of electronic room keys. He also saw Dean's worried glance when he got a good look at Seth under the bright lights of the hotel lobby.

"Short elevator ride," Dean quietly urged Seth who'd stopped and looked around. "C'mon."

"I'm not sick," Seth muttered.

"Right," Dean drawled, rolling his eyes in Roman's direction.

Once they got to their room, Dean piled suitcases and bags against one wall while Roman locked the door behind him. For his part, Seth fell face-first onto one of the beds with a groan.

Roman opened the bag that contained their medical supplies. He rummaged around in it for a few seconds, then muttered, "Dammit."

"What?" Dean quietly asked, stepping closer.

"Nothing in here for a sore throat or cough." He glanced at Seth. "Or anything worse."

"I'm not sick," Seth groaned.

"I'll find a 24-hour pharmacy and get something," Dean offered, ignoring Seth's comment.

"There's stuff in my bag." Seth waved a hand in the air, attempting to point to his suitcase.

Roman's eyebrows rose. "Mr. I-Never-Get-Sick packed cold medicine?"

Dean shoved his own suitcase to one side and knelt next to Seth's. "What's it in?"

"Blue *cough* zippered bag *cough*. And I brought *cough* it in case you *cough* guys got sick."

Dean unzipped the blue bag in Seth's suitcase and stared at the contents. "Seth, what's this shit? Where's the cold medicine? Cough syrup?"

"It's all natural stuff *cough*. Daniel recommended it *cough* *cough*."

Dean glanced at Roman with a skeptical look. Daniel Bryan was a good person and an intelligent man. But Dean preferred to place his faith in cough syrup and cold meds. "I'll go find that pharmacy," he muttered.

"Gimme." Seth's fingers wiggled in Dean's direction. "Don't want that awful stuff."

Roman sighed and nodded to Dean. "We can't make him take the regular stuff," he muttered as he opened the room mini-fridge to get a bottle of water.

"The hell we can't," Dean grumbled as he put the bag on the bed next to Seth. "Okay, Rollins. Choose your poison before you get any sicker."

"I'm not sick." Seth managed to sit up and examined the contents of the bag. He chose two small bottles and tried to open one.

Dean sighed and took them from him. He opened one then read the directions. "Okay. One of this."

Roman opened the bottle of water and held it out to Seth who swallowed the first pill.

"And one of this."

Seth swallowed the second pill.

Dean put both bottles on the side table then rezipped the bag and replaced it in Seth's suitcase.

"C'mon." Roman pulled Seth to his feet. "Let's get you into something comfortable to sleep in. Shorts or sweats?"

"Shorts," Seth mumbled as he began to undress.

Five minutes later, Seth lay on his bed, curled into a small ball and breathing through his mouth.

Roman sighed and looked at Dean. "Flip for the other bed?"

Dean waved a hand in his direction and turned towards the couch sitting in the corner of the room. "I got the couch."

Roman glanced at the couch. "That's not going to be comfortable," he warned.

Dean shrugged. "I've slept on worse." He flopped down on the couch and wiggled to get into a more comfortable position. "Better get some sleep. Gonna be a long night."

Roman grunted in agreement.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Roman was startled awake by someone hitting his arm. He sat up, realizing someone was half in the bed with him. He reached out and flipped on the light, causing Dean to mutter curses.

"Ro…can't breathe…Ro…"

"Dean! Wake up! Now!" Roman shouted as he grabbed Seth who was precariously balanced on the edge of his bed.

Dean jerked fully awake and glanced towards Roman's bed. Seconds later, he was supporting Seth, allowing Roman to sit up.

"Can't…breathe."

Dean gave Roman a panicked look.

"Yes, you can," Roman soothed him. "You're getting enough air to talk so you can breathe. But you need to calm down. We're going to get you help."

"Breathe with me, Seth," Dean urged. After a minute, he saw the panic in Seth's dark eyes start to disappear. "Good…good job." He glanced at Roman who'd hurriedly dressed. Thankful that he'd decided to sleep in his clothes, he caught Roman's eyes. "911?" he quietly asked.

Roman shook his head. "I remember seeing a hospital a couple of blocks away when we were driving in. We can get him there faster."

Dean nodded. "Okay, Seth, we're going to get you to the hospital so they can help you. All you gotta do is breathe with me. Let Roman and me help you, okay?" He glanced at Roman again. "Grab those bottles."

Roman nodded and shoved them into the pocket of his hoodie. Then he reached down and helped Seth stand. "Lean on us. Just breathe with Dean and put one foot in front of the other. We'll go as slow as you need."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dean wasn't a coffee devotee like Seth but neither was he a fan of vending machine coffee. However, at three in the morning, the hospital cafeteria was closed; and he didn't want to leave the hospital. He grimaced as he sipped from the cup in his hand, thankful that Roman had dealt with the hospital personnel.

Roman had given the doctor in the ER the bottles and explained the situation. They'd put Seth on oxygen and he'd calmed down once it started taking effect. Dr. Channing then took the bottles to the lab to have them immediately tested.

"Any good?" Roman asked as he joined Dean.

Dean shrugged. "Had worse."

Roman put money into the machine and got his own coffee. Sipping it, he grimaced. Leaning against the vending machine, he took a deep breath. "As soon as we know what happened, I'm calling Daniel about those pills."

"He meant well," Dean quietly spoke. "And you know Seth's a bitch about taking cold medicine."

"Bitch or not, next time he's taking actual cold medicine," Roman grimly promised.

Dean tapped his cup against Roman's in silent agreement.

"You did good with him," Roman complimented him. "Getting him calmed down so he could breathe better."

Dean shrugged. His blue eyes had a far-away look. "Been there, done that before."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Seth looked up as several medical personnel suddenly entered the ER cubicle.

"Mr. Rollins, we need to know what you took," a young man firmly said.

"My friend gave…the doctor…"

"I'm not talking about that. What sort of steroids are you on?"

"I'm not…" Seth saw the badge on the white coat. "Dr. Carson…"

"I'm going to draw blood and give you something to calm you down." Dr. Carson glanced at a monitor. "Your blood pressure is starting to shoot up." He turned to one of the waiting nurses. "Prepare a shot of Zoloft."

"No…no…I don't need…where's Roman? Dean?" Seth began to gasp.

"You need to calm down. Lay down now." Carson tried to physically lower Seth from his sitting position.

"No…I can't breathe that way," Seth protested.

"You're getting plenty of oxygen," Carson retorted.

Seth twisted and managed to pull his arm free of Carson's grasp. "ROMAN! DEAN!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dean's cup was tossed into the nearby trashcan when he heard Seth's scream. He was halfway down the hall when Roman caught up with him, his own coffee cup tossed in the general direction of the trash can. They burst into Seth's cubicle and shoved their way to his bed.

"What the hell is going on?" Roman thundered.

Dean sat on the bed next to Seth and wrapped his arms around Seth's shoulders. "Easy…easy…breathe with me. Just like before."

"You can't just barge in here! I'm trying to treat this patient, and he's being combative," Carson protested.

"You haven't seen combative yet," Roman angrily hissed. "I asked what's going on? Where's Dr. Channing?"

"I'm treating Mr. Rollins now, and I need to know what steroids he's on," Carson argued. "It's obvious whatever he's taking is affecting his breathing. And if you can't provide that information, you and your friend need to leave so I can provide Mr. Rollins with the proper care."

Dean took one look at Roman's face and chuckled. "Stay with me, Seth, and breathe. This is going to be good. Roman just morphed into Papa Bear." He shifted his position slightly so Seth could comfortably lean against him.

"Seth doesn't take steroids," Roman protested. "What he does is spend hours in the gym doing his damned CrossFit! He started coming down with a cold and insisted on taking some natural remedies. I gave those pills to Dr. Channing. Now, I'll ask for the last time. What the hell is going on?"

"Unless you're a family member designated to receive such information, I can't discuss Mr. Rollins' care with you," Carson replied. "I'm quite capable of advocating on Mr. Rollins' behalf."

Dean gently stroked Seth's arm. "This bozo is just begging for Roman to rip him apart," he whispered in Seth's ear. He was rewarded with an almost inaudible chuckle.

"Then I suggest you review Seth's chart, because you'll see that my friend and I hold Seth's medical power of attorney which makes us the ones that you will discuss Seth's care. And we will advocate for him until he's capable of doing it himself," Roman seethed.

Carson glanced at the closed chart in his hand.

"Now, all of you and I are going into the hallway to discuss this matter," Roman ordered.

"I need to calm Mr. Rollins," Carson argued. "His blood…"

"He seems calm enough right now." Roman nodded to where Seth was peacefully lying against Dean who was rhythmically stroking the younger man's arm and whispering in his ear. "So, let's keep it that way, shall we? Outside. Now." When Carson hesitated, he loomed over the doctor. "I'm not asking again," he threatened.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Daniel's really upset about what happened," Roman said the next afternoon while they were waiting for Seth's release.

"Not his fault." Seth stared at the paper in his hand. "Everything in those pills were natural ingredients. Just a lot of them. Something just didn't agree with me."

"Didn't agree with you!" Dean pointed at Seth with his half-eaten banana. "Rollins, eating a burger that's slightly off is something that doesn't agree with you. Eating an enchilada that's highly spiced is something that doesn't agree with you. You damn near stopped breathing on us!"

"Yeah," Seth sighed after a moment. "You guys saved my life. I…I…"

"Don't go getting soft on me," Dean warned, taking a large bite of the banana.

Roman winked at Seth who slowly smiled.

"Well, thanks at least for putting that idiot Carson in his place," Seth said after a few moments.

"Was nothing compared to what Dr. Channing said and did when he showed up with the lab results," Roman chuckled. "Ripped Carson and everybody else up one side and down the other."

"Yeah, well, I pity whoever his next patient is," Seth muttered.

Dean snickered.

"What?" Seth demanded.

"Dr. Channing took him out of the ER and put him in the Records Office to, and I quote, 'familiarize himself with hospital procedures, processes, and how to read charts'," Roman chuckled.

"Next time you get sick, you're taking the damn cold medicine," Dean warned.

Seth started to say something but stopped when Roman held up his hand.

"And if you say you weren't sick or anything even remotely close to that, I will Superman Punch you back into that hospital bed."

Seth grimaced but remained quiet. He saw Dean exchange a satisfied grin with Roman and thought, 'But I wasn't sick.'