A/N: I've said it before, but I'll say it again – this story never would have seen the light of day if it hadn't been for Moon Fox's timely assistance and sarajm's fantastic beta skills. Thank you so much!

The frightened young warlock flew along the castle hallways and up the stairs towards Gaius' rooms, terrified at what he would find. Merlin rushed into the room, pushing the door open with such force that it bounced off the wall and nearly hit him on its rebound.

Gaius was lying on the bed, still - too still. His hands had ceased their restless movements and now lay quiet on the counterpane; his skin was pale and waxy-looking, except for two bright red fever spots on his cheeks. If it wasn't for the raspy inhalations as he breathed, Merlin would have believed the old man to have passed.

Gwen was sitting at Gaius' side, her hair coming out from its clasp and curling due to the hyssop steam that enveloped the head of the bed. She had tears on her cheeks and a look of frustration on her face.

The bang of the door had startled the girl and on seeing Merlin hurrying towards her, she ceded her place at Gaius' side.

"Oh, Merlin. Thank goodness you're here. Gaius' fever has been rising steadily for the last little while. I've already given him another dose of the yarrow, but it's not doing any good. Neither are the cool cloths I've been laying on his forehead. Please tell me Geoffrey was able to help!"

Merlin placed his hand on the old man's fevered brow and then felt for his pulse. It was weak and far too slow, while his breathing was shallow and far too rapid. "Hold on, Gaius," said the warlock fervently as he stared at his mentor's face. "Please hold on."

Turning to the young m, Merlin said, "Keep applying the cool cloths. Geoffrey was able to help and I've now got the necessary ingredients for two more remedies. Is there any water boiling?"

Gwen nodded her head towards the fireplace and said, "I've kept the large pot boiling, and there's fresh cold water as well." As she wiped down Gaius' face and neck, she continued, "What remedy are you going to try next?"

"Well," said Merlin from the worktable where he was haphazardly plucking basil leaves off their stems and putting them in a large pot, "it turns out one of the remedies is actually a mixture of basil leaves and ground cloves. I have to mix the ingredients with four large ladles of boiling water and then let the mixture boil until reduced by half. Once it's ready, we can give some to Gaius every two hours."

Once he had a large handful of leaves in the pot and had added a pinch of the ground cloves, Merlin took the whole thing over to the fire, ladled in four large scoops of boiling water and then set the pot over the flames to continue cooking.

Returning to the worktable, he grabbed the bottle that contained the thyme tea he had prepared earlier and set it in the same pot for a few moments. Once it was warmed, he came over to the bed and raised Gaius up by propping some more pillows under this head and upper back.

"See if you can get some of this into him," he said, handing the bottle to Gwen before turning to his next preparation.

Merlin frantically searched around their stores cupboard and, once he had located the sugar that Gaius kept hidden, he placed it on the table next to the pile of vervain he'd gathered. He poured some sugar into a large goblet, nearly spilling it all over the table in his haste to get the potion ready.

When Gwen had finished dosing Gaius and had replaced the cool cloth on his forehead, she stepped over to the table to watch what Merlin was doing. Merlin was so intent on his preparation that, though he sensed the girl standing near, he didn't look up from his hands. "This one is a cough remedy," he said as he continued to strip the vervain leaves from their stems. "It should also help clear out Gaius' lungs. I have to make a tea of equal parts vervain and sugar and then have Gaius drink it." Indicating the goblet and the pile of greens, he asked, "Do these look to be about equal amounts?"

"Merlin, do you think any of these will work?" asked Gwen, worry evident in her voice.

"They have to work Gwen; they simply have to," said Merlin as he looked up at his friend, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with fear. "If they don't, I don't know what else to do," he said in a small voice.

"Well then," said Gwen firmly, "we'll just have to have faith, won't we."

Merlin gave her a watery smile. "Funny you should say that," the dark-haired lad responded. "Rhys said the same thing. He said that the medicines were great, but you also have to believe they will work."

Merlin scooped up the leaves and added them to the sugar, poured some boiling water over the resulting mixture and gave it a stir. The two young people stared into the swirling liquid in the goblet.

"How do you know when it's ready?" asked Gwen.

"Well, it's described as a 'tea' so that should mean about five minutes. At least, that's what Gaius always told me" said Merlin.

"That makes sense, I guess," responded Gwen as she sat down on the bench at the table, her gaze every few moments returning to Gaius where he lay on the bed at the other side of the room. Merlin, meanwhile, fiddled with the various articles on the table and then went over to the pot of basil bubbling over the fire to see how it was faring. As the water boiled away, the remaining liquid had thickened slightly and was turning a deep green in colour.

Giving the mixture a quick stir, Merlin said, "Well, it certainly smells a lot better than many of Gaius' remedies." Taking another look at the liquid he said, "I think it's ready; here's hoping it works. Gwen, would you please bring me a cup."

Gwen grabbed one of the many cups sitting at the edge of the table and hurried to Merlin's side. He spooned a bit of the basil mixture into the cup and then stepped over to sit at Gaius' side, Gwen right beside him.

Between the two of them, they got Gaius to swallow the liquid, and after placing the cup on the floor, Merlin grasped one of the physician's hands and held it tightly in his own. If only hopes and wishes could make Gaius better, he thought, then he'd be well on his way to recovery.

"What now?" asked Gwen.

"Now, we wait," said Merlin. "We can dose him again in two hours."

An uncomfortable quiet filled the room as Merlin and Gwen each, in their own way, sought to fill the time until they could give Gaius another dose of medicine. Merlin refused to step away from Gaius' side; instead he sat on the edge of the bed, holding the old man's hand and speaking quietly to him. Gwen, for her part, straightened up the worktable and washed the various bowls, pots and spoons that had been dirtied in the course of the morning. She was one of those people who, when upset or worried, cleaned.

Gwen was sitting on the bench, her left hand supporting her head while she twirled a small jar in her right hand, when Merlin suddenly spoke. "It's time," he said. "We can give Gaius another dose. Would you also bring over the vervain mixture? I think we should give some of that to Gaius as well."

Once again, the two young people dosed Gauis with the fever reducer and the cough suppressant, sat back and prepared to wait. Merlin replaced the cool cloth on his mentor's forehead and Gwen placed another bowl of hot water and hyssop leaves at the head of the bed.

No long after, there came a knock at the door and Morgana quietly stepped into the room.

"Morgana!" said Gwen, as she saw her mistress. "Do you need me for something?"

"Actually, I came for two reasons," said Morgana as she made her way to the patient bed and looked down at Gaius sadly. "How is he doing?" she asked, putting her hand on Merlin shoulder.

"Well, we're trying a new remedy and I am hopeful this one will work," said Merlin with forced cheerfulness. He knew the regard Morgana held for Gaius and he didn't want to worry the young princess. "We just need to wait and see."

"Well, I am terribly sorry to have to do this," said Morgana, "but I need to steal Gwen away for a while." Turning to Gwen, she added, "When you left my rooms yesterday, I believe you still had the key to my jewel box in your pocket. At least, I hope you have the key, otherwise I've lost it!"

Gwen flushed and her hand flew to pat at her dress. Fumbling for her pocket, she reached in a pulled out the small bronze key. "Oh, Morgana," she said, "I'm so sorry. I completely forgot that I had this!"

"It's all right, Gwen," said Morgana with a smile. "Believe me, I understand. But, I've got to get ready for a formal dinner with Uther, Arthur and several visiting nobles, so I'm going to need your assistance." Turning to Merlin she added, "I promise I won't keep her long."

"It's okay, Morgana. Really," said Merlin. He got up from his perch at Gaius' side and walked over to where the two girls were standing near the open door. Merlin gave Gwen a hug and whispered a fervent thank you in her ear. Looking over at Morgana, he said, "Enjoy your dinner."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "If you knew who I'm going to be stuck at the dinner table with, you'd know that's nigh on impossible," she said sarcastically.

Merlin grinned at Morgana, and once the two girls had left, he firmly closed the door and returned to sit at Gaius' side.

It was a long afternoon, and exhaustion was beginning to pull at Merlin. He was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open and several times his head bobbed down towards his chest before he jerked awake.

Merlin was sitting quietly on the floor, leaning back against the patient bed, his mind spinning with uneasy thoughts when he felt something brush his hair. He whipped his head around so fast that it was a miracle he did not strain something. Turning so he was now kneeling on the floor facing Gaius, he could see that the man's eyes were open and were focused on him.

Gaius licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a croak. He coughed and then, quietly and in a cracked voice, asked, "Merlin?"

"Ha!" crowed Merlin. "Gaius, you're back! How are you feeling?" asked the warlock as he sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on his mentor's forehead. It worked! The basil tea had worked! Gaius' fever had gone down substantially in the past hours, and the fever spots were fading from his cheeks.

"I feel as if I've been run over by a cart," said Gaius. "What happened?"

"You've been ill with a fever for several days, Gaius," responded Merlin as he gave the man a shaky grin. "I'll admit I was very scared for a while, but it seems that I finally found a draught that actually works!"

"I am sorry, Merlin, if I worried you," answered Gaius as he slowly grasped Merlin's hand and give it a rather weak squeeze.

"It's all right," said Merlin, as he patted Gaius' hand. "It wasn't your fault. Get some sleep, Gaius. We'll talk later."

"Thank you, Merlin," whispered Gaius as he slipped into a healing sleep.

It was only once Gaius was asleep that Merlin gave in and allowed the tears that he had been holding back to slip down his cheeks. They were, however, tears of relief rather than the tears of grief which the young warlock had been refusing to submit to for days. Merlin felt as if a great weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders. Gaius would be fine; he knew it!

Two days had passed since Gaius had regained consciousness and he was well on his way to recovery. The basil tea had continued to work wonders and the hyssop had prevented his cough from developing into anything truly serious. Gaius was up and around - though not yet ready to leave his rooms or visit his patients - and was feeling much better than he had for weeks.

In fact, he had been feeling well enough that Merlin had returned to his duties as Arthur's manservant that morning. Throughout the entire incident, Arthur had been most understanding and had encouraged Merlin to stay with Gaius until the older man was out of danger. Though he would never say it aloud, Arthur was very fond of Gaius and had been extremely worried about the physician.

It was late in the afternoon and Merlin had just returned to their chambers to have the evening meal with Gaius when there was a knock at the door. Gaius was sitting at the table with a light shawl thrown over his shoulders to keep out the chill. He didn't think it was necessary, but Merlin had been insistent. Once he had heard everything that Merlin had gone through to ensure his recovery, Gaius didn't have the heart to disagree with his ward, so he wore the shawl and let Merlin set out the food on the table.

"Come in," called Merlin, setting aside the ladle he'd been using to stir the stew heating over the fire and turning towards the door.

The door opened and Rhys the Apothecary stepped in. He smiled on seeing Gaius sitting up at the table.

"Gaius," he said, "I am glad to see you up and about! I hear you had quite a time of it."

"Yes, Rhys, I did. But I am feeling much better now," responded the physician, "and I understand that I have you in part to thank for my good health."

"Ah, Gaius, truly it was Merlin you have to thank. I simply gave him a few ideas, but he was the one who nursed you back to health. He's a smart lad, this one. He'll go far, I'm sure," added Rhys with a wink and a grin.

"I know," said Gaius as he gazed fondly at his young ward, who was now sporting bright red cheeks. "He is truly a wonderful young man."

Merlin ducked his head, embarrassed at the praise. He suddenly snapped his fingers and said, "Rhys, I almost forgot. I've got some new information you can add to that book of yours. With some help from Geoffrey, I found out what 'Tears of Isis' and 'tulsi' are, as well as 'asafoetida'."

"That is excellent news, Merlin. When you've got a few moments, come to my rooms and you can tell me everything you learned and how effective the preparations were. I'm always looking to increase my knowledge and update my notes."

As Rhys and Merlin stood by the fire, discussing the remedies and deciding when would be a good time for Merlin to visit, Gaius couldn't help but smile softly. He was extremely proud of the young man. Merlin had proven he was well on the way to becoming an excellent healer and Gaius had no doubt the lad would soon reach a point where he could step into the physician's shoes should it become necessary. In the meantime, Gaius was looking forward to continuing his job as teacher and mentor to the young warlock.