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Elyse was awake before Jared the next morning, her head against his shoulder and her mouth open in an unflattering manner as she snored. The girl was beyond exhausted, but a feeling in the pit of her stomach woke her. Her stomach twisted together in a feeling that told her she was going to be sick. She pushed it aside until the last minute and she was having to hurry for her bathroom which was down the hall.
Her knees hit the ground in front of the toilet hard enough that she wouldn't be shocked to find bruises. She wasn't sure what would make her sick due to the fact she hadn't eaten much in the last twenty-four hours. However, everything she consumed was emptied into the bowl and she was finding it hard to ignore the specks of dark red and brown.
"Elyse, you awake?" Jared called from down the hall, his footsteps slowly approaching. She coughed, clearing her throat weakly before reaching up to flush away the evidence that she had been sick. Slowly, she pulled herself up from the ground, taking a moment to breathe as she rested her hand against the wall for support.
"Yeah, yeah I am. Do you need in here? I'm just about to brush my teeth." She called back through the wall, turning on the faucet to go along with her statement. Elyse was quick to brush her teeth and pull her hair back into a much more presentable ponytail.
"No, I was just letting you know that I was going to leave soon. I wanted to know if you wanted to go with me to get coffee?" There was a quiet laugh in his voice as she opened the bathroom door. The paleness of her skin was hard to miss and he reached out to feel her head with the back of his hand. "Are you getting sick?"
Elyse pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to swat his hand away before she turned and headed for her bedroom. "The change in the weather is just messing with my allergies is all. You said you wanted to go for coffee?"
Jared followed after her, head tilting as he frowned in concern. He rested his shoulder against the doorframe of her bedroom, watching her intently. "Uh, yeah. If you're feeling up to it, of course. I'd like to take you, I can have the cab bring you back home after."
Elyse was going through her closet in search of something comfortable to wear as she listened to him through the wall. She grabbed a simple burgundy tee-shirt and a pair of jeans before tossing them on the bed. She turned to the door and reached out to lean against it just slightly as she contemplated her answer. "Yeah, sure. I could use some coffee."
With that, she closed the bedroom door on him and waited before she heard him walk to her living room to dig out her phone. Hurriedly, she dialed her mother's phone, hoping that she would be awake at such an ungodly hour. Even if she wasn't, Elyse knew she would answer. She was such a light sleeper.
"Hello?" Her mother's tired voice came through and Elyse sighed, muttering a quiet apology. "Nonsense. You wouldn't be calling if you didn't need it. What is it, sweetie?"
"Mom," her voice almost broke before she began, "I need you to tell me what symptoms dad went through before he died. Before he was diagnosed."
