Parenting 101 at 1 AM

Let me preface this entry with a note to my mother: I get it. E doesn't feel well. We should all get some slack when we are sick. I am NOT being too hard on him. Honest.
At midnight, I hear crying. It's been a long time since I've heard crying in the middle of the night, and now, quite frankly, I find it disorienting. I stumbled into the hall only to find E stumbling toward me. His ear hurt. I understand. I spent every other week of me pre-k life with an ear infection. I have sympathy. I trot downstairs, fetch the Motrin and some Chamomile oil that is allegedly useful for easing ear pain. (The list of things that Chamomile "treats" is long. I don't dismiss ALL homeopathic remedies, but still...ear drops of Chamomile??) I figure at least it has the placebo effect going for it. When I bring them back upstairs, E gives me the look of death: "I will NOT take that disgusting medicine." It's grape chewable Motrin junior strength, so he only has to take two. I figure this is not so bad. Patiently, especially given the unholy hour, I explain that the sooner he takes it, the sooner he will feel better. I administer the drops, and lie down next to him to pat him back to sleep.
For the next HOUR, he is periodically yelling at me. Telling me that medicine only made him worse, that he hates me for making him take it, and that he is probably going to die. The highlight, I think, is when he moans, "Mom. I don't think I'm going to make it..." I was tempted to ask if he wanted to bequeath his Han Solo to his brother, but in my maternal kindness, I refrained from sarcasm.
He doesn't think he's going to make it?? That's my brave soldier. Way to gut it up, kid. I mean, yelling at me? Did I do this to him? Am I not awake at a single digit, dark hour trying my absolute best to ease his discomfort? I brought a microwaved towel up and covered his ear, it always seemed to me that warmth eased the discomfort. Of course, E whisper-screams (after all we wouldn't want any one else to be awakened by our festivities) that warm is all wrong. Only cold will make it better. I trot ( a little slower now) down the stairs, grab an ice pack and wrap it in a towel. I return, gently lay it on his ear only to hear that is WAAAAAY too cold.
I lay there for an hour. I worked to get his ear soothed for an hour. I did everything I could think of. For AN HOUR.
This morning, when E wakes up, he is still in a foul mood. I told him that despite his illness, he could remain civil and respectful to me. He snaps back, "it's because you kept me up all night with your stupid medicine."
In any event, if any comment to this post includes the words "AWWWWWWW" or "POOR THING," I will be unhappy. The kid's ear will recover with his super germ killing antibiotic/liquid gold. My parenting motivation may not.