Faces (Lannan Eacott) *Under Editing*

Twenty-Seven

     Sammie

     "Lannan, what do you think of doing another fear pong video?" Nathan sat across from us on the floor twiddling with his thumbs. The group had been going on and on about what they wanted their next video to be but no one had any brilliant ideas. As Nathan was about to speak again, Lannan lunged forward. His hands clasped against his stomach. "You okay, mate?" he nodded and slowly leaned back against the couch. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder, keeping my eyes locked on him.

"Lenny, are you okay?" once again, he slowly nodded. "Don't lie to me, baby. What's wrong?" he sighed and lifted his shirt. There was a small bump, no larger than a golf ball near the hem of his jeans. I gently pressed a finger against it and watched as he winced in pain. "Okay, we need to get you to the doctor." he shook his head.

"I'm fine." I rolled my eyes and gently touched his stomach once more. Again, he winced in pain.

"You don't seem fine." he sighed and pulled his shirt down to cover his skin.

"I will go tomorrow, but please Sammie, let me go alone." his words stunned me. It worried me that he wanted to do this alone, but what worried me more was the fact he might not go if I refuse to let him go alone. I nodded and rested against the couch again. I spent the next few hours keeping a close eye on him. Looking for signs that he was getting worse. Everyone had decided on a video idea and it involved quite a bit of drinking. They had decided they would ask each other questions about members of Click and if the question was answered wrong they took a shot. Kath was the first to tap out. Compared to how tiny she was to the boys I wasn't surprised. She took a seat next to me and continued to watch the shit show unfold in front of us.

"Lannan!" Nathan's voice echoed around us in shock as Lan guessed the question wrong. Lannan chuckled and downed the shot. Within seconds he was racing inside the house leaving each of us with a confused look on our faces. After a few minutes I made my way into the house in an attempt to find my boyfriend. No matter how many times I stepped foot in this house, it seemed as if I still needed a map to find where I was. Finally I slowly pushed open the bathroom door and found Lannan sitting up against the wall. I sat down on the side of the tub and sighed.

      "Lenny, please tell me what's going on. It's been almost a month since we got back together and I'm worried something could really be wrong." he sighed and pushed himself up further against the wall.

      "I've been having really bad stomach pains, babe. It's really nothing to worry about. I'm sure it's just a nasty virus going around." I nodded at his words and he slowly opened his arms to me. Without hesitation, I sunk into them. Our bodies almost melting together. He was my perfect puzzle piece. "I appreciate you worrying about me, but baby, please don't stress yourself out. I promise I will go to the doctor first thing tomorrow." his eyes looked dull now. I could tell something was wrong, but I knew Lannan would never tell me. He always worried about my feelings before anything else. That's the way he was. He always gave more than he was given and I adored that about him. No matter what cards he was dealt, he always played them with ease and even helped the other players along the way. "I love you, Sammie."

      "I know." he shook his head.

      "No. I mean, I really love you. I was empty. Nothing about my life the past few years has felt real.  The only real moments I've had have been with you. I felt so empty. The parties, the girls, the alcohol, none of it ever filled that void. When I'm with you I don't feel empty. I feel the love you have for me and I'm so thankful you chose me when you never had to." I felt his heart beat gently in his chest. The rhythm slowing and then speeding up only to slow down again. Lenny was truly the man of my dreams. He held every piece of my heart and that terrified me. I glanced up to notice his eyes completely shut and his mouth slightly ajar.

      "Lenny, lets get you to the guest bedroom." he awakened just enough to help make the journey to the room. I watched as he collapsed onto the bed and immediately snuggled up under the covers. "I love you, Lan." I turned to leave when I heard him grown.

      "Don't leave, love." a small smile crept onto my face and I crawled under the covers with him. He pulled me as close as physically possible and rested one arm under my head and the other on my stomach. "I love you, baby girl. So much that it scares me." and with that, he was asleep. I laid next to him for the next hour just watching him. I watched how his nose would scrunch up as he dreamt of the unthinkable. How little snores escaped his lips and whispered in my ears. I loved this man. After I knew he wouldn't feel the movement of me getting up, I went to search for everyone else. By now they had all gathered in the living room and were watching an anime series on netflix.

      "How's Lannan?" I shrugged unsure of what to tell them.

      "He's feeling a bit better, but I'm not sure what's wrong." Nathan nodded as I sat down next to Brodey. I tried to enjoy watching the show with them, but my mind was elsewhere. All I could think of was Lannan and how dull his eyes looked. I knew something was wrong, I just hoped he would tell me once he found out.