Ravvi
Cove makes it through her bout of vomiting, but she’s miserable. The whites of her eyes are red, and her cheeks have burst capillaries. We keep most of the lights off because, when they’re on, all she does is squint.
By some stroke of luck, we don’t have a sound check today since we’re performing at the same venue again tonight. It gives us the opportunity to lounge around the hotel. Hopefully the extra few hours will give her time to recover.
I don’t even bring up McMillan.
Mostly because I can feel in the bond that she knows she needs to see him and soon. There’s no point in rubbing salt in the wound. Having a mainline connection to her thoughts and emotions helps.
She’s not blowing off our fears. She’s scared too, and that might be why she’s put off seeing the doctor for so long. She’s afraid of what he’ll say and if it’ll end our careers.
I have some doctor trauma of my own. If I didn’t trust my family completely, I would have refused to talk to any of the doctors they brought me to when I was younger. Multiple physicians said that I should be committed because of the voices, but my mom was the first to politely tell them to gofuck themselves. Which is funny because she rarely cusses. She’s normally pretty reserved, right up until someone messes with one of her kids.
It makes me ache to call her and see if she has any advice, but that feels like it would be a betrayal to Cove and her privacy.
Once Damian lets him know Cove is sick again, Declan runs out and brings back a bunch of sports drinks, crackers, and other foods that will be easy on her stomach.
Cove doesn’t fight it, and I can tell by the concern vibrating off Declan in waves that he’s even more worried that she doesn’t fight his care.
He’s used to being the one to look after her when she’s not feeling well, but my instincts need this right now. With our bond being so fresh, I can’t be away from her just yet.
We’re all going to have to share the role of caregiver for now.
After Cove finishes half a bottle of Powerade and a few crackers, Declan seems satisfied. Maybe he knows that’s as good as it’s going to get at this point.
He gives Cove a kiss on her forehead and disappears into his room to shower and change.
It leaves a sour pit in my stomach, and I go right back to beating myself up.
I don’t want to keep them apart, and I don’t want to make him feel left out. I’m sure he already does, since we’re all bonded. If I were him, I’d probably feel like I was on the outside looking in. Then again, I’m more sentimental than he is.
The bottom line is, Declan is going to have to get better about sharing. We can all undertake the task of looking after our omegatogether. That’s really all I can offer at this point.
Not ten minutes later, the twins stagger out. I’m not sure where Bellamy is, but if I had to guess, I’d say she’s still asleep. It’s getting late in the day, but we’re all basically nocturnal at this point. Not to mention, touring is draining.
The twins take either end of the love seat, and they’re fully focused on the three of us. Cove snuggles closer to my side, and I can’t help but smile.
“I hate to say it, but you look like shit,” Riot says, nodding at Cove.
She grunts, flicking him off with her hand that holds the cracker. “Thanks. You’re beautiful first thing in the morning too.”
“I wasn’t trying to be a dick,” he says, grimacing.
“We’re wondering if you’re up for performing tonight or if we should plan to cancel our part of the show.” Creed leans toward, pointing at my omega. “None of us want to disappoint the fans or leave the label in a lurch. That being said, we’re a team.”
Riot nods. “If you need a break, all you have to do is say the word. We know how hard you’ve tried to stick it out. Creed and I talked about it last night. We’re a united front. We can let Rook know we need to take a break until your system regulates.”
Rook is mine and Damian’s dad, which makes everything a weird gray area. I know my dad well enough to understand that he wouldn’t penalize any band on his roster for needing to take time off for a legitimate health emergency. I also understand why Cove is worried about disappointing him and the other execs that signed our contract.
Rook just became her father-in-law, adding another messy layer to everything.
Damian reaches over, patting Cove’s thigh as he sends steady comfort through the bond. While it’s hard to pick out each emotion with the connection being so fresh, I believe he’s asking if she’s ready to let the twins in on the fact we’re bonded.
They haven’t gotten close enough to any of us to pick up the change in our scents. Damian’s bite is covered by her T-shirt and hair, while mine would only be visible if she pulled down her lip to show them.
“I appreciate that.” Cove leans forward, dropping the cracker on the package. She grabs the neckline of her shirt, stretching it out enough that the twins can see Damian’s claiming bite. “The three of us bonded last night.” Chaos erupts as they congratulate us, but she gets back on track as quickly as possible. “We have the show tonight and another here tomorrow night. I’d like to try to play those out. We have a small break afterward, and I plan to see the tour doctor then. I don’t know if I can even stop a pack of suppressants in the middle, but the side effects are getting worse.”
Creed stretches back against the cushion of the love seat, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’ve already played more than half the tour. If we have to take a few weeks off for your health, then so be it.”
