Cottage on the Hill (MxMxMxMxM)

Chapter Thirty-four

7:03am, Thursday November 12th

I blinked, the smell of vomit permeated my nostrils and I breathed through my mouth. James' warm body beside me shifted slightly and I moved to give him space to get up, but the man didn't move. What's the time? I opened my eyes more fully and gazed at the light coming in through the half open curtains over the window, then went to sit up.

My brain went foggy for a moment and nausea rocked me forwards. I vomited bile into my lap, swaying slightly. James sat up sharply and rubbed my back. "You ok?" he asked softly. I hummed and nodded, shutting my eyes again. No more moving today. He pressed the button on the wall to summon a nurse, then slid out of bed and pulled his phone from the table.

"Good morning, Elliot," Nina said, cocking her head when she saw the state I was in. I grunted and watched her clean up. She came back with a cup of water for me after dumping the blanket in the dirty washing basket. "Can I get you anything?"

"Good morning, My Love," James said into the phone. "Can you bring Elliot and I some clean clothes?"

"Is that Cas?" I asked in a small voice. James looked at me and nodded.

"We've had a rough night, I'll explain when you get here." James came back over to the bed and put his hand in my hair. "Alright. We might be in the shower when you get here. See you soon."

James hung up and bent down to kiss the top of my head.

"Want to have a shower?"

I tilted my head back into his hand to gaze up at him. Nina came in with a tray full of medication and set it down. She thrust a cup of orange juice into my hands and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll set the timer once you've gotten that down." She went about checking my vitals while I stared at the orange juice in the bottom of the cup. At least it isn't a lot, I thought, swishing it around a little bit to make sure it was all mixed through. James kissed the top of my head and found some clean underwear for the both of us and one of his shirts for me to wear in case Cas doesn't arrive on time with the clean clothes.

I swallowed the OJ in two gulps, but clamped a hand over my mouth quickly after. Both Nina and James watched me until I got the nausea under control. Nina relaxed when I took my hand away from my mouth and a little colour returned to my cheeks. She started the timer.

"Right. Come on. Can you walk alright?" James peeled back the new blanket and held out his hand for me to take. I gripped his fingers tightly for a moment before moving. Nina kept an eye on me as she bumbled around the room tidying up and doing general tasks. "I won't let you fall. Do you feel faint?"

I nodded, but got up anyway. James wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I closed my eyes most of the way and let him walk me into the little bathroom. I shivered when my bare feet hit the tiles.

"We should get you some new fluffy socks," he said quietly, using one hand to turn on the water and one to hold me up. I just hummed my agreement and listened to the water running while he stripped my clothes off.

"I'm sorry," I croaked as he helped me into the warm stream. When he started to lower me into a sitting position, I just let him take my weight.

"Christ you've lost a lot of weight." His voice wasn't loud, but the statement shocked me into opening my eyes more fully and looking down at myself. The bruises lining my ribs and hips were as shocking as I expected, but the way my hips jutted out, and the way my skin was stretched grey over my ribs and collar bone was what made me flinch.

I looked up and saw my face in the mirror for the first time in a few days. My eyes are dull and quiet, my ears looked bigger and my hair was shaggier than I remember. I told myself that it was only shaggy because I've been lying down a lot and I've got bed hair.