Today is supposed to be the shoot for Perfect Harmony. And I wake up sick.
I don't get sick that often, but when I do, I feel miserable. Today is no exception. Once I open my eyes, all I want to do is close them again. My head hurts so bad that light hurts.
Owen is still asleep- he's curled up right beside me, with his head resting on my shoulder. I'm always the one who wakes him up in the morning, and I am one hundred percent sure that he'd always be late if it weren't for me.
We still haven't talked about what happened a week ago. I don't even know what to call it. An almost-confession? I talked with Sav about it, and after freaking out, she told me she thought for sure he was about to confess his feelings. She felt super bad about interrupting, but honestly, I was okay with it. I'm still super scared to admit my feelings and procrastinating it just seems like the better option.
I wait a few minutes before I try to wake Owen up. I have a raging headache and I feel a little nauseous, but I'm still going to try to go to set. I'm supposed to be helping with Perfect Harmony, and I don't like letting people down.
"Owen? You need to get up," I whisper, trying to nudge him awake. He just buries his head farther into my shoulder.
"Can't I just stay here?" he mumbles.
"I wish, but no," I say, and he slowly picks his head up so that he's looking at me. His face slowly turns concerned, making me concerned for the state that I'm in.
"Jenny, are you okay? You look super pale."
"Um, I think I might be sick. I don't feel very good, but I'm gonna try to go to set today anyway because I'm supposed to be helping," I tell him.
"But you need to take care of yourself. I'm sure Kenny and Paul would understand."
I shake my head. "They're counting on me being there, I want to go. I'll take some medicine, hopefully I'll start to feel better once I'm up." He acts like he wants to say more, but decides against it and gets up from the bed.
"Just promise me you'll go home if you still feel bad?"
"Promise. Now go get ready, or else we're gonna be late," I say, and he gives me a little smile before walking out of my room.
My headache gets worse as soon as I stand up. I get super lightheaded and nauseous, but I try to get ready anyway. I take some medicine in hopes that it'll help ease the headache some.
Both Charlie and Sav ask if I'm okay once they see me. I didn't think I looked that bad, but I guess I'm looking a little more rough than usual.
I got some more concerned looks as I arrived on set, but no one asked questions. Owen was hesitant to leave me, but he had to rehearse a scene with Booboo today, so I forced him to.
The set of Perfect Harmony was breathtaking. Once Charlie and Madison arrived all in costume, I was so excited to see the final product. The two of them work beautifully together, and you can see Luke and Julie's chemistry shine through this scene. This song and dance sequence are just perfect.
Even though I'm currently witnessing one of the most beautiful dance sequences ever, I'm still very nauseous. The medicine I took this morning helped a bit with the headache, but not the nausea. I try my best to push through it because I really want to be here to watch and help.
After a few hours, I start feeling worse. I can feel my medicine wearing off and I'm getting more and more nauseous by the minute. Soon enough, right in the middle of shooting, I feel something start to come up. I sprint out of the room and try to get to the bathroom as quickly as possible.
Somehow, by sheer luck, I make it to the bathroom before everything I ate for breakfast comes up. I always end up crying when I throw up, just because I hate it so much. My throat is raw by the time there's nothing left to throw up.
I sit on the bathroom floor for a few minutes, still crying and processing what just happened. I know people probably don't want me on set if I'm this sick, and I also remember I promised Owen that I'd go home if I got worse. I feel horrible, but I know I'm probably going to have to go home.
I do my best to clean myself up before I go out of the bathroom, and as I make my way back to set, I run into someone. Literally.
"Whoa, Jenny," I hear Owen's soft voice say. I look up and instantly see his face go all concerned. "Oh no, are you okay?"
I look back down at my feet. "I might have just thrown up."
"Oh, Jenny," he says as he pulls me into a hug. He has one hand on the back of my head and the other on my back. "I'm taking you home," he tells me as soon as he pulls back.
"No, you can't," I object. "You're supposed to be rehearsing with Booboo. And I don't want to get you sick, we both know your immune system is utter garbage."
"No objections, Jenny. Come on," he says, taking my hand and leading me back to the set of Perfect Harmony. He explains to Paul about what happened, and that he's going to take me home. Owen got all of my stuff for me, and walked with me to the parking lot, still holding my hand.
Apparently we're stealing Charlie's car, so I don't know how he and Sav will get home. I'm too tired to ask questions. As soon as I get buckled up, I rest my head against the window and close my eyes. My headache got so much worse after throwing up, and all I feel like doing is sleep. Owen still holds my hand throughout the entire car ride, but doesn't bother me.
When we get back to the apartment, Owen gets my stuff and walks me back to my room. He carefully helps me into bed and fixes me water that he forces me to drink. I also take more medicine, hoping that it'll help with the headache. At least my nausea has kind of calmed down since I threw up.
"Is there anything you need?" Owen asks once I'm all settled into bed. I shake my head no. "You want me to play with your hair until you go to sleep?" he offers.
"I don't want to get you sick, though."
"I think we're far past that point, bugaboo. Plus, you've taken care of me every time I've gotten sick. It's my turn to return the favor."
"Fine," I oblige. He smiles and climbs onto the other side of the bed, and runs his fingers through my hair until I fall asleep.
When I wake up, Owen's no longer beside me, but I'm tucked in perfectly under Owen's favorite blanket. Luckily, my head isn't pounding as much as it was before my nap.
"Hey, you're up," I hear Owen say softly, walking into my room. "How are you feeling?"
I sit up a little bit. "Kinda better, my head doesn't hurt as bad."
"Good. You slept for a while, I went to pick up Charlie and Sav while you were asleep, I hope you don't mind."
"No, it's fine," I reassure him. "What time is it?"
"Around seven. You can go back to sleep if you want, I'm still gonna sleep with you tonight."
"You don't have to, you know."
"But I want to. I want to take care of you, and I don't want you to start having nightmares again."
"Thanks, Owen. Can you do me a quick favor, please?"
"Anything."
"Can you fix strawberry milk for me?" I ask, and he immediately nods and heads out of my room.
A few seconds later, he walks into my room with a cup in hand. "I had it in the refrigerator ready for you. I wanted to make sure I had it fixed before you went to bed tonight. I know you don't like going a night without it."
"Thank you, you know me too well," I grin, taking the cup from him.
"I try," he shrugs. "I still gotta go back to my room to do a few things, but I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" I nod, and he gives me another smile before walking out of my room.
I chug my strawberry milk, which I'm not sure will be good on my stomach, but oh well. I can always tell when Owen fixes it because he always puts in an absurd amount of strawberry syrup.
I fall asleep before Owen gets back to my room, but I wake up once during the night and feel his arms wrapped around me.
