Cottage on the Hill (MxMxMxMxM)

Chapter Forty-one

6:12am, Thursday November 19th

Someone nudged me gently. I grunted. They nudged me again and I rolled gingerly onto my side, hissing as I put pressure on a bruise. I heard them sigh and pull the blankets down a little.

"El, Darling. You're sweaty and clammy. I promise you'll sleep better after a quick shower," James said softly.

I grunted again.

"Come on. I'll help you." He hooked an arm under my shoulders and lifted me gently. I groaned and curled into his chest, pressing my face into the crook of his neck and sighing deeply. He rubbed my back for a few moments before helping me unsteadily to my feet. He shoved a small cup into my hands and I downed it without a second thought. Meds, ick.

When I finally opened my eyes, Cas was standing beside Hale at the dresser, looking like they stopped to watch me halfway through a conversation. Neither could look more concerned if they tried.

Ollie came out of the wardrobe fixing his overall straps over the jumper he'd picked. Pretty sure that's my jumper, but whatever, I thought, scowling slightly. James put his hand on my forehead and narrowed his brows, moving into my line of vision and tilting my chin up to look a him.

"Doing ok?"

I hummed and followed him blindly into the bathroom, unable to fix my expression into one of comfort. I heard Cas mutter something to Hale, but missed exactly what he'd said because James turned the water on a exactly that moment.

James moved towards me, slower than usual. His hands were warm against my skin as he helped me to undress, stripping his trunks off and kicking them aside. I stared at the running water for several minutes before stepping in, hissing at the extreme heat but making no move to get out from beneath it.

James rolled his eyes and turned the heat down, then got in beside me and pulled me against him. "You look tired. Did you sleep ok last night?"

I hummed again, nodding.

"You were very restless. You don't remember any of that?"

I shook my head.

"That's ok. You only have one thing to do today." He kissed the top of my head. I stared at his chest for a minute, trying to organise my thoughts. One thing? What thing? I shook my head and sighed, rubbing my eyes. Oh. That thing. "You're three weeks on chemo today," he added in a quiet voice I almost missed.

I hummed, nodded slowly, brows knitted together into a frown. Three weeks seems like such a long time, but in reality, it's short. I thought the first six weeks of chemo would take forever. But I'm already halfway through. Halfway to my bone marrow transplant. Halfway to being cured. Or maybed a quarter of the way. How long does it take to heal after a bone marrow transplant?

I looked up at James and pressed a kiss to his lips. His brows jumped in surprise, but he hid it quickly and kissed me back before I could question him. I felt his hands wandering, rubbing soap across my back and shoulders, down over my hips. He manouvered me beneath the stream of water and rubbed shampoo into my hair, then conditioner.

"Ready to hop out?"

I hummed and stepped out, reaching for my towel.

By the time I was dressed in a pair of tracksuit pants and a long-sleeved top, James had put on his shirt, pants, shoes, and a jumper that I haven't seen in a long time. I watched him tie his laces, leaning heavily on the dresser. He glanced up, sensing me watching.

"What's that face for?"

"Dizzy," I murmured, blinking at him.

His face broke and he got up, putting his hand on my forehead again. "No fever. Any pain?"