Collide in Plain Sight

Chapter 14

Harlow

I'm woken at some point in the middle of the night by a strange sound that I'm not familiar with. It's pitch dark outside, still the middle of the night so I lay quietly in bed, waiting to see if I hear it again. A strangled sound comes from outside my room, making my heart start to pound in my chest. I push up from the bed and tip toe over to the door, pressing my ear against it.  A moment later I recognize the sounds of retching and instead of being worried there's an intruder in the house, I'm worried about Pierce. 

I walk out into the hall and towards his door, knocking gently. He doesn't answer and I hesitate for a moment. 

"Pierce?" I call out. 

"I'm alright." I hear him call back weakly. 

"You don't sound alright." I shoot back, my hand hovering over his doorknob.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm fine." he says before he lets out a tortured groan. 

"That's it. I'm coming in." I warn him, pushing his door open. 

It's dark in his room other than the light filtering in from his bathroom. I've never actually been in here before and the dark blues and greys are soothing in a way and seem very fitting with his personality. It's a stark contrast to the bright white bedding he has that is similar to mine. He groans from the bed and I stop inspecting his space to go to him. He puts his hand up when I get close to stop me. 

"No, Harlow. You'll get sick." he murmurs, rolling onto his side and pressing his face into the pillow as he groans in agony. 

"I'll be fine. What's wrong?" I ask. 

"Just a stomach bug, I think. That's what I get for going in to that petri dish of an office." he says bitterly, clutching his stomach. I grimace slightly at how miserable he looks before my nursing instincts kick in. 

I go into his bathroom and grab a washcloth, wetting it with warm water before going back to his room. There's not much that can be done for a stomach virus, so I resolve to keep him as comfortable as possible. I climb onto the bed next to him and start to wipe the washcloth across his face and bare chest, ignoring the fact that he's only wearing a pair of pajama pants. He lets out a contented sound, his eyes slipping closed. He moves closer to me, resting his head on my stomach and wrapping an arm around my waist. 

"Just give me a minute and I'll make you breakfast." he murmurs, still half asleep. I know he's miserable, but I can't help but smile at how adorable he's still managing to be. 

"It's like one in the morning, baby. Just relax." I murmur, running my fingers through his hair. He lets out a contented sound and burrows further into me, curling himself around me as I continue to try and soothe him. 

We lay like that for awhile, him wandering in and out of sleep as I hold him. I'm just about asleep myself when he groans and darts up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom. I wait until he finishes puking before going in there, wiping his face off for him and giving him some mouthwash to rinse out the taste. He sits on the floor next to the tub and leans his head back against the cool tile, looking up at me miserably. 

"You're very good at taking care of people." he says. I laugh a little and sit next to him, twining my fingers in with his.

"It's almost like it should be my job or something. Maybe I should pursue a career in it." I tease. He huffs out a laugh and leans over to rest his head against my shoulder, gliding his thumb gently along the back of hand, clearly enjoying the connection. 

"I appreciate you, but you shouldn't be around me. I don't want you to get sick." he says. 

"Well, even if I do, you'll take care of me. Right?" I ask. He huffs out a breath. 

"You don't even need to ask. You know I will." he responds, his body slumping further into me and looking incredibly uncomfortable. 

"Let's get you back to bed." I say, standing and helping him up. His feet drag as he forces himself back into his room, collapsing on the mattress and curling his body up into the fetal position. I cover him with a blanket and walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" he asks, a tint of panic in his voice. I walk back over to the bed and lean down to kiss his temple. I can tell he has a fever, but I don't let his clammy skin stop me from running my hands up and down his back gently. 

"Just to get you some water, baby. I'll be right back." he nods and I turn to walk away, but he grabs my hand to stop me. 

"Thank you." he says, squeezing my hand before letting me go. I smile at him and walk out of the room, going towards the kitchen hoping to find something to help me bring down his fever. I bring a pitcher of water back up the stairs with me as well as some medicine. I recognize it as the bottle he had on the nightstand when I woke up here. I smile as I look down at it, rolling it in my hands. 

How things have changed. 

"Here. Take this." I urge, sitting next to him on the bed and handing him a couple of pills with some water. 

"Is it going to make me throw up again? I hate throwing up." he says, like a petulant child and I can't help but grin. I reach out to scratch his scalp gently with my fingernails and urge him to take the medicine.

"No. But it should help your fever." I say, watching as he swallows the pills before getting another wet wash cloth. His skin has a layer of sweat that I know can't be comfortable. I wipe him down again and watch as his breathing evens out. I climb into bed and lay next to him, grinning as he shimmies closer to me and snatches me into his chest. 

"Thank you, love. I'd be miserable without you." he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. 

"You seem miserable anyway." I say. He chuckles a little and nods. 

"I am. But it's bearable with you." he says. I smile and wrap my arms around him, holding him until he slips into sleep. 

Tucked safely in his arms, I manage to fall asleep. He shuffles a few times throughout the night, mumbling things I can't make out. Eventually his fever breaks. As the sun starts to come up he throws up again. Even though he's still not feeling well, he insists on showering. I consider staying in there with him, but he seems steady enough on his feet to handle it. When he comes back out he curls back into bed with me, wearing a different pair of pants but his chest still blessedly bare. 

"You smell much better." I tease. He huffs and pokes my side until I squirm from his tickles. 

"Are you hungry, love? I can make you something." he offers again but I just shake my head and pull him to lay with me. 

"Just relax, honey. I can feed myself if I get hungry." I say. He hums a pleased sound and nuzzles his face into my neck. 

"I like when you call me that." he murmurs. 

"I'm glad." I say back, kissing his temple again. He sits up a little and motions towards the nightstand. 

"Will you hand me that?" he asks, pointing to a remote. I grab it and give it to him, watching as he pushes a few different buttons. A moment later the fireplace clicks on, then a TV starts to rise out of the stand. I watch in shock as he flips it on, flipping through a few options and starting a cartoon. 

"This was always my favorite to watch when I was sick as a kid." he says. 

"That's nice. But why the hell do I not have one of these in my room?" I ask incredulously, pointing towards the set up. He chuckles a little and grabs my hand, skating his lips across my knuckles.

"You want one? I'll order it as soon as I can move." he says. I laugh and roll my eyes a little, relaxing back into the mattress. 

"No. It's alright. Maybe I'll just make you share your room." I tease. His eyes dart to mine, widening slightly in shock before a grin spreads across his face. 

"Don't tease me, love." he says. I giggle and pull him back to rest on my stomach. 

"I don't think your closet is big enough for us to share." I point out.  

"Take it all, sweetheart. The whole thing. It's yours." he murmurs, resting against me as he watches his show, both of us laying in a contented kind of quiet that I've never been lucky enough to experience before.