85

"You're staying?" Luella questions.

"Obviously."

"You-"

"Luella, kindly, get out."

August is very grumpy today. Not with me, he just tucked me into bed. But with Luella and Trev.

I close my eyes and immediately feel better wrapped in blankets.

"August." Luella sighs. "Okay. I've been giving her painkillers every four hours pretty much and she is only drinking water. I can't get her to take anything else. She had some soup today but I think that's what's making her feel so sick."

Oh god, why is she mentioning it?

I place my hand on my stomach, feeling my skin. I did feel a little warm to be honest.

August leaves with Luella and I am alone. Which sort of makes me sad.

I dunno why I'm sad. I didn't want him here until he came and now, I want him here and he's left.

I could message Rayne actually. Get him here.

That would be nice.

And I could cuddle him.

I reach for my phone and send him a message. But then forget as soon as it's sent.

And then I place my phone down on my bed and I cuddle into the blanket. Luella has taken my duvet away from me. Which made me sad but apparently, she was worried about my temperature.

I rest, and I sort of doze in and out of sleep for a while.

"Hey you need to wake up for me, just for a second." Leo whispers, he was sat on the edge of my bed, tablets in hand. "It's time for you to take some medicine."

"I thought you left." I whisper, confused. "You did-"

"I just went to get my stuff. I'm here."

I blink at him, slowly sitting up, August helps.

"You being nice to me is weird." I whisper, taking the tablets from him and he holds out for me a glass of water to take too.

"Emersyn you say this, but I have literally been nice to you for months."

"Mm." I hum, swallowing the tablets. "These don't do anything."

"They might be, who knows how sick you'd be if you stopped taking them." He says. "I was just studying in the front room with Lue, I am coming to bed now though."

"You should go home." I say.

"You want me to go home?"

Well no.

"I just-"

He takes the water away from me and places it on my nightstand.

"You need anything else?" He asks. I shake my head.

He nods and looks down at me. "What is it?"

I suppose I was staring up at him in apprehension.

"Things are weird between us."

He breathes a laugh. "Emersyn you are sick. None of this counts."

"It doesn't?"

"No the only things that count is when we're both fine."

I nod slowly. "So I can ask for a hug?"

A small half smile crosses August's lips and he nods. "Yes."

"Please."

He chuckles and nods, lifting my blanket and I move over, August gets in bed properly, taking my warm spot. But then we opens his arms and I roll into them, pressing myself to his side, my head snuggling into his warmth.

I am shivering.

"Here." August says, pulling me more so like half of my body was on him and he sits up only a little, letting my head fall onto his chest. He strokes through my hair with one hand, another wrapped around me as he pulls the blanket up to cover us both.

God this is what I wanted. Damn it Emersyn.

It doesn't count, I'm sick.

He is so warm.

"You are so warm." I mumble my head tucked under his chin.

"You always say that." He whispers, comforting me and my heart feels sick.

She's like what the fuck do you think you're up to?

"I wanna sleep." I whisper.

"Sleep then."

"But you'll be lonely."

A small laugh moves his chest as I lay on it. "I won't be."

"You will."

"Impossible." He says and I sigh, closing my eyes.

"I feel really bad." I admit quietly.

"I know."

"Night." I whisper.

"Night Em."

I wake up coughing, moving away from him so I wouldn't literally cough on him and he sits up, me having woken him up. It was late, I could tell by the quiet outside. Usually, you could hear some traffic.

I was just dying as he watched.

Nice.

"You want water?"

I nodded.

His voice was deep, throaty. That tired boy voice that sort of easily melted me.

"You are going to get sick." I say when he comes close to give me some water.

"Nah." He says. "Drink."

I take the bottle and bring it to my lips, then the coughing starts again and I frown because I feel sick again. Like you know when you're so much that it cramps your stomach?

"Ima be sick." I whisper after I stop coughing and he nods, moving out of bed.

"Have you been being sick as well?"

"Mainly when I'm coughing so much." I whisper and August helps me out of bed.

"You are warm again." He says quietly.

I agree. "I feel disgusting."

He laughs a little and helps me out of bed, I actually feel a little stronger than before so he doesn't need to help me much to the toilet.

I am sick, it takes me a few moments, but I could feel it there and ready, so it comes.

He curses a little as he perches on the table, watching me heave.

"Em I'll stay off tomorrow and I'll rearrange your meeting, you have Eliot and Freya tomorrow right?"

I nod.

"Yeah I'll give them a call."

He sounds like my parent.

I just flush the toilet and I close the lid. "We are too comfortable in front of each other."

He just blinks at me. "You created this dynamic Em, can't take it back now."

"Well now I'm the one being sick and I decide it sucks."

"Alright moody, get back in bed."

I just pout at him.

He smiles back.

Like a genuine, tired but meaningful smile and my eyes widen a little.

"Woah don't smile at me." I mumble, getting back on my knees to slowly get up. August comes and helps me up.

"Why?" He chuckles.

"Because my brain can't cope."

"Dramatic."

We walk back into my room and I wince at how tidy it was. "Did you clean?"

"Yeah, sorry I can't stand mess."

"We shouldn't be friends." I mutter, falling back into bed.

"Agreed."

"That's rude." I whisper and August moves into bed next to me.

"You should brush your teeth." August says.

"Can't really taste anything anyway." I mumble, upset.

"It's still bad for your teeth,"

"Go away." I groan.

"You seem better." He says gently and I roll away from him, reaching for my book and flicking the light on.

"What are you doing Em, it's like four?"

"I have to read this book for next week." I mumble, trying to open it and find my spot.

The words are just blurry. Great. I rub my eyes and focus them, then they start to hurt, making my headache increase to the point where it's not just there anymore; it's actually bothering me.

August is on his phone, facing me as he lies down, he has the duvet.

Bitch.

I reach for it. He bats my hand away and I make a sad noise so he rolls his eyes and lets me pull it over me too.

I try and read.

My headache increases and I drop the book in frustration, squeezing my eyes together in pain.

"Emersyn stop trying."

"I just need to read it." I mumble, upset.

"Come here." August says, lifting his arm for me and I move under it, laying my head back down on him. "You need to let your body rest."

"It's just reading." I whisper.

"Reading is effort."

"No it's not." I complain, closing my eyes away from the light.

I turned it on, I am the idiot.

"What's hurting?" August whispers and I lift my hand to press it against my head.

His warmer, bigger hand presses over my little one and I slide my hand away, August presses his fingers into my scalp. "Like tension?" He whispers and I nod.

He starts to massage my scalp like he was earlier and I curl into him, locking my arm around him and my leg too.

August just turns into me more and then the next thing I know he's reading.

"Verbena would never be happy because she couldn't let people go. If only people saw themselves as others saw them, how differently they would view the outside world."

August stopped placing pressure on my head, instead he moves his fingers through my hair and I tilt my face up.

"But at least Marie has touched her child, he has accepted her, even seemed pleased to see her. That was one victory she had gained."

August's voice was soft, reading the lines easily, almost lazily.

"She wasn't crying and even that fact pleased her. She was stronger than she'd thought and that meant maybe, just maybe, she might cope with living on the outside."

His eyes flick down to me.

"Where was she?"

"Prison." I whisper.

He nods. "If only she could make things right with Tiffany as well as keep in contact with her son; little by little she could right some of the great wrongs she had committed..."

August carries on speaking and I listen, his voice slowly falling into a natural rhythm as he gets immersed in the story he is bringing to lift for me. I lean back, and watch as he speaks, his lips moving through the dark.

I move my hand under his top, spreading my palm over his skin and smiling at the warmth.

His eyes flash to mine. "Behave."

I look a little shocked. "You're just warm." I whisper, frowning and he sighs and he moves his own hand under his top to hold mine.

I frown because that meant he stopped stroking my hair.

"My hair Leo." I mumble in a sulky tone and he laughs, shaking his head and he returns to the way he was and I absorb warmth from his skin and he carries on reading.

I fall asleep soon after that.

But again, I woke up a couple of hours later feeling really really bad.

Like I was back over the toilet, August holding my hair this time as i fell into a mixture of a coughing fit and me being sick every time I coughed too hard.

I was a mess.

I collapsed back on him and he shushed me, holding me as I shook.

Luella knocked on the bathroom door and he calls her in. I felt like I was under water honestly, my face hidden in his neck as he held me.

I haven't been this sick before, I don't think.

"I'm going to call her mum." Luella says. "Like to find out if this is usually how she reacts to a cold or-"

August agrees. "I'll get her back into bed." He says.

I start coughing again and he rubs my back, and I move out of his arms to hang back over the toilet. I feel so bad.

"It's gone to her chest." August says. "She probably has some sort of infection, she'll need antibiotics."

"You wanna take her to the doctors then?" Luella asks.

"They don't take appointments on Saturday, so I might take her into the ER, ring ahead, see what they say. She's dehydrated and they can probably give her antibiotics through IV there."

I don't want this fuss.

But I do want to feel better.

Luella agrees. "It's only five, are you okay to go? I have an exam at nine so I can come for a little bit-"

"No it's okay." August says. "Go get some more sleep. I'll get her there."

"I'll call her mum and let her know?" Luella says and August nods.

I sit back and lean into him again.

"Emersyn, let's get you up and ready?"

"I feel sick."

"I know you do. But literally hardly anything's coming up anymore. Let's get you dressed."

I just start my coughing again and he helps me back over the toilet.

He then stands up and I hear him and Luella talking, the Luella comes back and she pulls my top off me, replacing it with another one and then a jumper.

It's his.

I feel glowy.

"Where is he?" I ask quietly.

"On the phone with your dad."

"Oh." I whisper. "I am sorry I'm a pain."

"Shut up." Luella laughs and I stand up, changing into sweatpants she had brought for me. We move over to the sink and I lazily start to brush my teeth as she tells me to.

"You are lucky we love you." Luella says, smiling at me through the mirror and I smile a little.

I know I am lucky.

"Has Henry messaged you?" She asks out of the blue.

"No." I mumble. "I'll probably call him when I feel better, clear the air."

She nods. "What do you need to leave the flat Em?"

I blink at her. "Where am I going?"

She gives me a sympathetic look. "Hospital. Just to check it all."

I pull a face and shake my head.

"Emersyn." August's voice is by the door and I turn to look at him. I can hardly even stand straight.

"This might be worse than we thought... I am going to take you to the hospital."

"I don't need-"

"It'll make me feel better if you went to see a doctor." August says.

"I'll see a family practice- Go to the University medical center-"

"They aren't open today." He says. "We're going now."

I sigh and walk towards him and August opens his arms and I wasn't going to him for a hug but I wouldn't push him away so I wrap my arms around his waist and her holds me to him.

"You are going to the hospital if you like it or not."

"You can't make me." I whisper.

"Yes I can."

I sigh and he hugs me tighter.

I pull away and nod a little and Luella gets up from her position sat on my bath. "You need a blanket, and you need water and something for her to be sick into in the car."

"Great." I mumble and August moves us aside so Luella can go and get these things.

"Did you talk to mum?" I whisper looking up.

"Yeah, well your dad, he told me to take you to hospital and that they'd meet us there."

"Dramatic." I whisper.

"Necessary. I would prefer to be dramatic than you get worse."

"You don't charm me."

He scoffs. "I wasn't trying to charm you, you freak, get your shoes on."

I mumble in annoyance and pull out of his arms, reaching for my blanket and pulling it around me.

"Will you help me?" I ask quietly, embarrassed. But every time I lower my head I feel sick.

"Of course." He says gently and then he's guiding me into the dark sitting room and I am placed on the arm of the couch and he's sliding my feet into some shoes.

"I feel sick."

"Well wait until I'm not under you." August chuckles and I let out a low shaky breath because I really feel bad, like my cheeks are suddenly flushing, my head spinning, eyes fuzzy.

I think I feel faint.

I reach for him and he grabs my arm to steady me. I close my eyes trying to get a grip.

"Emmy." He whispers. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Flu." I mumble, able to open my eyes and I am greeted with his concerned ones.

"Mm." He hums. "Come on, I'm going to call the hospital on the way."

He wraps his hand around mine and Luella comes with us out, she takes my hand when August pulls the phone up to his ear and walks ahead of us.

"He cares about you." She says really quietly, and I frown at her because whatever she was trying to bring up was certainty not the right time. I just squeeze her hand and focus on walking.

She sighs and doesn't bring it up again, instead just helps me into August's car when we get there, securing another blanket around me and then she hands me a water bottle and a sick bowl. I just frown and she gives me a soft smile.

"I swear, get better Emersyn or I will kill you."

I huff.

"Good luck with your exam." I whisper.

She smiles and squeezes my hand and then she shuts the door and turns to August, he was still on the phone with the hospital. They were just asking what I thought was wrong with me and stuff. The reason why we were coming.

I lean my head back, getting hit with the need to cough but I fight it as hard as I can because honestly the energy is just not there.

Like to cough, it hurts my whole entire body.

August gets in and he gives me a small smile.

"I hope you realise that I hate the hospital." He says. "So you are luckly-"

A small upset sound leaves my lips and he pauses, looking at me.

"Shit what's wrong?"

I turn my face away. I just felt bad and the littlest sadness makes me tearful today.

Ha. Oopsies. Guilt because he was having to go to the hospital even though he hates them as they remind him of when his dad was ill and his mum was a mess and Ivy and Jackson kept taking the boys and then giving up the boys over and over again until both his parents died.

And now I'm crying because both of August's parents died.

I would die if my mum or dad were hurt. I love them so much.

Oh god imagine if they got hurt.

Now I'm crying because of that.

"Emersyn, why are you crying?" He asks gently, we haven't even got the car turned on.

"S-so many reasons."

"Are you just feeling emotional?" He asks with a small exhale of amusement and I nod. He lifts my hand and brings it to his lips and I cry more because he just kissed my hand and that was cute and he's literally not allowed to be cute.

Oh god.

I am a mess.

I lean my head against the window and snuggle into the blankets, tears still leaving my eyes.

"Just drive Leo, I can't stop."

He turns the car on and leans his hand over and he pressed it down on my blanket covered knee and I cry, I just let it out because it sort of feels nice to cry, probably in a counterproductive way but whatever.

By the time we get to the hospital I am exhausted, and tear stained and August has to help me out of the car.

We get seen to quite quickly to be honest, which surprises me but then the words pneumonia is tossed around between the nurse to the doctor and August is talking mostly for me. Well until they start asking questions that he cannot answer and my throat and chest hurt to talk so I give short answers, the doctor is listening to me, but the nurse is listening to my chest as I try to breathe.

The doctors nods and then he comes close and August helps to remove my jumper from me and the doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to my chest, tapping harshly on certain parts.

"Healthy lungs sound very different to these." He admits. "When there's excess fluid you can hear it because they sound less hollow when you breath in and tap."

I don't care.

I know that's rude but I moved on from biology a long time ago.

I nod politely and a small laugh escapes August's lifts and when we look at him, he waves us off. I wonder if he knew what I was thinking.

"So you're usually healthy right?" The doctor asks. I nod.

August pokes my head a little and I look up at him in confusion.

He sighs and looks at them. "She is being treated for disordered eating, she's not officially diagnosed but her body goes through malnourishment occasionally. she hasn't been eating or hardly drinking because of this. So I felt like you might need to know that."

I immediately get embarrassed and the doctor nods, writing something down.

"Sorry." August says quietly, reading my body language as he does.

I listen to the doctor.

"Okay we'll get some bloods." The doctor says and the nurse nods, getting things ready.

"We can see if you need any fluids and then we can try and get you started on some antibiotics yeah?"