Labyrinth: A Jeremiah Valeska Story *COMPLETED*

Chapter 52: The Sickness

I didn't sleep very well, the medicine kept wearing off and causing me to wake up in pain every couple hours. By morning I was both mentally and physically exhausted, desperate for the sweet relief of rest. As soon as I heard rustling outside my room, I gave up on sleeping. I went to get out of bed and searing pain hit the entire right side of my body, the simple actions of sitting up and standing up proved to be excruciating. In time, I managed to hobble out of the room and I was very thankful that I was on the first level of the building and wouldn't have to navigate going down the stairs. Jeremiah was talking in a stern voice into a cell phone as I slowly made my way towards him. "I don't care! Just do what you have to do to find out who it is." Jeremiah ordered into the phone before hanging up. He took a deep breath, regaining his composure when he noticed me. "What are you doing out of bed?" He asked incredulously, immediately going to my good side and wrapping his arm around me and offering support. I thankfully leaned into him, having been yearning for his touch. "Here, lets get you back in bed." He said and I was so tired I couldn't fight him. He helped me back into the room and sat me on the bed. "Your job is to rest... Ecco will come in and change your bandages and she will bring you meals. She should be in shortly." He informed me, and his formality hurt more than my physical wounds. He was mad that I had left, and I couldn't blame him... But It didn't make receiving his cold behavior any easier. Ecco did just as he said, she brought me breakfast and lunch, as well as making sure that I had everything I needed to heal properly. She had changed out of whatever costume she was wearing earlier and dawned a more familiar casual outfit. Her blond hair was in a low bun, her features sharp. I hadn't had the opportunity to talk to her since she drugged me, by command of my husband, before he took me to our new house. My bitterness over the event had been building inside me since my kidnapping. I once thought that Ecco could be my friend, but I was positive now that her loyalties lied with Jeremiah and not with me. "Ironic that your trying to help me now..." I finally spat at her after a morning of silence. She seemed surprised at my outburst and she looked to the ground for a second before she responded. "I was just following orders..." She said. her face unreadable. I scoffed. "So you have no problem compromising your morals for my husband?" I questioned, placing emphasis on my husband, curious on her relationship with Jeremiah. "It's all apart of the job." She responded quickly and almost robotically as she checked all my bandages. I couldn't help but wonder how she had not for a moment wavered in her loyalty to Jeremiah. I was jealous of her undying trust in him and I was curious if perhaps there was another reason she was so willing to help my husband. She left the room as soon as she could, presumably to avoid further questioning. I suppose I had no right to feel upset, as I was the one to turn my back on him but I just had this insecurity building up that maybe there was something between them. What incentive had he given her to stay? We hadn't had sex in a month, and perhaps he was taking out his sexual frustration on her all this time. I was just overthinking things. It wasn't helping that I didn't see Jeremiah the majority of the day, he stayed in his study trying to hunt down whoever was responsible for capturing me. But I missed him, and I had missed him from the moment I left him. I needed to talk to him about it, needed to fix everything. I hated this guilt sinking in my stomach and this dread that perhaps he wasn't interested in restoring our relationship. I wasn't used to disobeying him just as he wasn't used to being disobeyed. We always had this mutual respect for one another. When evening came around, I quickly ate the dinner that Ecco had brought me. I allowed her to do her job, giving me more medicine to dull the pain. I obliged to her efforts, just wanting her to leave so I could go talk with Jeremiah. I waited for a few minutes when she left, not wanting to be caught and forced back into bed. I struggled out of bed, slowly making my way back to the main room. This time Jeremiah was looking over a large map of Gotham City, scribbling the names of criminals who were running the different territories of Gotham City. My wincing must have given me away, a product of moving when injured. "I thought we agreed that you would rest today?" He asked plainly, not even turning around. "I needed to talk to you... I haven't seen you all day." I responded softly, crossing my arms in front of my body as a way of finding security. "Perhaps there was a reason for that." He stated and I felt defeated. He truly wanted nothing to do with me. "Jeremiah, I was scared... I thought I needed space to think clearly and to decide how I felt about everything." I rushed out, feeling anxiety build in my chest. He spun around, stalking towards me. I wanted to back up but it would be too painful to move so quickly. Instead I was forced to stand my ground, looking up into his angry eyes. "You lied to me... You pretended that you were falling back in love with me as a part of your escape. You deceived me, and I assure you that I won't let that happen again." He said sharply, and I felt my heart breaking. "Jeremiah I never stopped loving you! When you changed so much, I was confused yes, but I could never fall out of love. I never faked anything, my feelings were as genuine then as they are now." I urged him to understand but by the looks of his tense stature and clenched jaw I wasn't getting anywhere. "I was right about what I said before... Love is weakness, and I won't be foolish enough to succumbed to it again." He declared. I couldn't believe that I had fucked up this badly. Yet I was still frustrated as I felt he wasn't seeing things from my perspective. "Jeremiah cut me some slack! You've killed innocent people and have blown up most the city! How do you expect me to react?" I asked him, and his eyes met mine. The cold and scolding look he gave me told me to stop talking. It was as if we were back inside the new house after my kidnapping, and we were once again meeting for the first time as our new versions of ourselves. I had set our relationship back to a dark and comfortless place, and I wanted nothing more than to bring back the progress we had made and trust we had established. But I had robbed us of that. "Go back to your room, and don't come out for the rest of the night." He ordered, his tone firm and his demeanor unforgiving. Hopelessness filled me and I knew there would be no reconciliation tonight. I turned around and painfully limped back to my room, wishing so badly that I could run. He didn't help me as he had this morning and a part of me hoped it hurt him to watch me hobble away. I willed myself to keep it together, as I refused to let myself cry over my own actions. But damn it was hard, and I was blinking back tears while I shoved my emotions deep into my chest. It was no surprise that I couldn't sleep that night, and I was reaching the point of emotional hysteria from all impending factors. I couldn't get warm in the bed and yet I felt too hot at the same time. It made the pain more unbearable and heightened my feelings. I couldn't get Jeremiah out my head, our memories flashing over my tightly squeezed eyelids, slowly driving me mad. I finally let the tears finally fall and it started an avalanche of emotion. I was soon full on sobbing, the action causing my healing wounds more pain which just made me cry more. It was a vicious cycle and not too soon after it began, Ecco came in to give me more pain medication. But I was inconsolable and I refused her help. "I need my husband. Please get him." I begged her over and over again until she finally agreed. I curled up into a ball, I was both psychically and emotionally sick. It felt like all the walls of my own guilt were caving in on me and I had no escape. I suddenly felt a hand on my body, Jeremiah's. "She's burning up, she must have a fever." He said worriedly before ordering Ecco to get me some Tylenol. He gently wiped my hair out of my face, my skin a sweaty mess. I finally opened my eyes, finding his. The body can force itself into sickness as a result of overwhelming grief. I reached my hand out to him and he kneeled beside my bed, taking my hand in his. I rejected the medicine, knowing that as soon as I was better Jeremiah would go back to hating me. "Take the medicine Lilly... I'm right here." He soothed. "Promise me you'll stay?" I whimpered. The irony of the situation was not lost on me and I was very aware that I was asking him the very thing I had not done in return. He squeezed my hand, his thumb smoothing over my knuckles. "Always." He replied and I felt myself lightly sob in reaction. I took the medicine and held onto his hand for dear life as I waited for it to kick in. Even after my fever spiked and my body began recovering, he remained by my side. What had I done to deserve this man?