Diving Deep (UK Crush #2)

Chapter 51

I woke up after eleven the next morning, feeling decidedly odd, kind of hot, but chilled. I made myself some more tea, and went back to my nest of sweaters and sweats. I slept, off and on, with Lucy and Molly coming and going, little bundles of warmth here and there on different parts of me.

    At some point I figured out that I was sick. I lost track of time, but I did have the presence of mind to text Richard and cancel my attendance on the France trip. I found some cold medicine in the cabinet, took some, found some of Geth's pain pills, took three for good measure, went back to my nest and buried myself in it, and knew no more for who knows how long?

    I woke up to Teddy's muffled voice, and couldn't figure out where I was. I could barely hear what he was saying, but his smell was all around me. Then I remembered the nest of clothes. But he didn't sound like he was talking to me. His voice was sing-song, like he was talking to a baby.

    "I know, little ones, you miss her too, don't you? It's horrible, isn't it? But we have to love her enough to let her go, you know?"

    I moved, causing a small landslide of clothing and kittens to cascade to the floor.

    "What the fuck?" I heard Teddy jostle the coffee table as he jumped back.

    "Birdie?" His voice was full of shock. "What the fuck are you doing under all that shit? I thought you were in France?"

    "I canceled France. I think I'm sick," I answered. I took a deep breath, which ended in a volley of coughing.

    "You think you're sick?" He repeated incredulously. It wouldn't have done any good to tell him that that was the first time I'd coughed, as he wouldn't have believed me anyway.

    I felt his hand on my forehead, fingers so cold they made me flinch. "Holy fuck, you've got a raging fever. How long has been since you've had anything to eat?"

    He reached for his phone. "I'm calling an ambulance."

    "No, no, the press will be all over it." I reached for his hand.

    "I don't give a fuck, Birdie, are you off your head? What am I saying, of course you're off your head." He was talking to himself.

    "No, listen. Listen. You're always saying you're crazy rich, swimming in money. Just get a doctor in here to look at me. It's just a cold, I'm telling you. A little fever and a cough." I looked at him. "Please. It's not like you can't afford it, right?" I smiled. "Think how much easier it will be."

    He pressed his lips together, looking at me. He finally nodded. "Okay." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, and in spite of how awful I was feeling, I relished it. It was the first time he'd touched me in weeks.

    "First though, let's get you comfortable, hmm? Grab up, love." And he reached under me at my knees and my back as I looped my arms around his neck.

    He took a step back, almost losing his balance. "Whoa, you're so light! Have you lost weight?" He looked at me with concern. I shrugged.

    He put me in bed, tucked me in, forced a glass of water on me, then sat on the edge of the bed and made some calls. I faded in and out and didn't really hear what was going on. Truthfully, I was feeling better than I had in days. This, at least, was the Teddy I knew. I tried not to think about his hands on her, hanging on her leg. I tried not to think about her hands on him, showing possession, ownership.

    Finally he turned, bending over me, pushing my hair off my forehead. "All right, help is on the way. He'll be here in about half an hour, okay?"

    I nodded, reaching for his hand. "Thank you," I said.

    "No thanks required," he said with a smile that was so beautiful it hurt my heart.

    "You'd better wash that hand," I said, letting go of it. "Who knows how contagious this is?"

    "Don't worry about anything," he said soothingly. "Just lie there and close your eyes."

    The doctor came and examined me, telling both of us in that reassuring way that doctors have that it was indeed just a bad cold, but that I had a lot of congestion in my chest, and that it could have turned into pneumonia if it had gone untreated much longer. He said he'd have some antibiotics and various other medicines sent over, wished me well, and was on his way.

    "You see?" I said, sitting up. "Aren't you glad you didn't get an ambulance in here and have me at a hospital and all that? It would've been a mess, and all over nothing, a little cold."

    He turned on me. "Didn't you hear what he said? He said it could've turned to pneumonia if it had been left alone much longer! How's that 'nothing'? People die of pneumonia, Birdie, all the time. Then where would we be?" He glared at me. The cats raised their heads from where they'd been curled up on the bed. Voices were rarely raised in this house.

    "I guess you'd be right where you were before, then, wouldn't you? Living alone, enjoying life by yourself," I said, finally dissolving into the tears which had been threatening all morning. The crying brought on a coughing fit, which I could tell was going to make me throw up. I flipped back the covers and ran for the bathroom, banging my hip into the corner of the wall on the way.

    I barely made it in time, falling to my knees in the WC. Teddy was right behind me, holding my hair out of the way, rubbing my back, murmuring something in a soothing voice.

    There was really nothing to come up except the water he'd given me, but the cramping in my stomach as it tried to expel contents that weren't there was intense and painful and went on for what seemed like forever.

    When I was finally finished, I was exhausted. I flushed the toilet and just rested my arms and head on the commode for a moment. I finally started to push myself up off the floor, and he reached out to help me.

    "I got here by myself, I can get back by myself," I said to him. Leaning on the wall for support, I made my way back to the bed, with Teddy hovering next to me. I ignored him and got into bed.

    "You're bleeding," he said to me hesitantly.

    "What?" I asked, tired out from the trek back.

    "You're bleeding," he repeated. "Your hip, where you ran into the wall." He looked at the walls, hands on his hips. "I'm going to need to see, it, okay?"

    I bit my lips, and nodded, pulling down my pajama bottoms on one side. The cut was very small and could be covered by a square band aid, but the bruise was going to be huge, a real beaut.

    "Oh god, that looks awful," he said in a soft voice. "You poor thing. I'll go get the first aid kit, hold on a tick."

    He returned, and I let him disinfect the cut and put a bandaid on it. He then brought me clean undies and pajama bottoms. He moved as though he was going to help me change, but I took them from him and turned away. He left the room.

    He returned a short time later with the medicine from the pharmacy, and helped me decipher what I needed to take when.

    I pretty much slept for the next three days, only waking up to take medicine or eat the soup and toast which Teddy made for me. The cough went away, and as November turned to December I recovered, began to shower, and started to feel human again.