Tears burned his eyes as his lower lip trembled, another shiver shaking him. He slouched a little further into the bed, tugging the covers higher. Suddenly, he wanted Ava to be back immediately. He wanted her to crawl into bed with him and hold his hand so he could tether himself to this world.
He swallowed hard, pulling his laptop closer and watching the feeds from the hospital. People filled the rooms and halls, spilling into any space they could find.
He couldn’t become a casualty of this war. He had to stay out of the hospital. If he could just beat this…
His eyes started to feel heavy again. He struggled to keep them open, now afraid to fall asleep because he may never wake up.
With his insides twisted into a tight knot and tears burning his eyes, he grabbed the sheets, squeezing them between his clenched fists as he rode out another wave of nausea.
Ava popped back into the hotel room a few moments later just as his stomach started to ease. “Hey, babe, how are you feeling?”
He couldn’t answer, too afraid he’d break down after his conversation with Kyle.
“Alex?” she asked as she ripped the packaging open and pulled out a thermometer.
“Yeah, umm, okay.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “You don’t look okay.”
“Yeah, I feel a little nauseous,” he said, doing his best to act like it wasn’t dire.
“Maybe from the pills. I brought you some cheese balls and some orange soda. Even some candy. But how about if we start with a protein bar?”
The thought of food made him want to vomit. “Ugh, pass.”
She grabbed the tip of his ear and tugged it upwardbefore she slid the thermometer inside his ear canal for a few seconds until it beeped.
“Well?” he asked.
“Still pretty close to one-oh-one.”
The words hit him like a physical slap, leaving him raw.
“It hasn’t been that long since you took the meds, though. Let’s get some food into you and see if we can get them working, okay?”
“I don’t want to eat, Ava.”
“Well, tough, Alex. You need to eat.” She unwrapped the chocolatey protein bar and shoved it toward him. “Eat it.”
He tugged it from her hands with a shake of his head. “Fine. Only because you can beat me up.”
He took a bite of it, his saliva thickening as it turned his stomach. “Ugh, it’s awful.”
“Sorry, babe. I got the best flavors they had.”
“You should eat one too,” he said as he munched on the chewy granola. “You need to stay healthy.”
She nodded as she climbed into bed next to him and opened another bar, biting into it. “Ew. These are gross.”
“I told you. It’s literally nasty. You can tell its health food.” He took another bite of his, a deep grimace etching lines into his face as he chewed.
“Well, we are suffering together here. For lunch, I’ll go into town and try to get you real food.”
“Real infected food. Maybe we should order from the next town over,” Alex suggested.
“Maybe,” she answered as she checked her phone.
“I just talked to Doc. Gave him hell over that wrong test. It sounds like he has his hands full.”
