He drags his body up to sitting on the bed as I return to the room after heading out to stock up on supplies.
Julian scrubs his face with his hands. “What is this misery?” he groans in drowsiness.
I really do hate seeing him like this, but I also can’t help biting my lip to keep any humor from showing, given his stubbornness today. “What we common people call a virus. You’re down for the count.” I come to sit on the bed and drop a cloth shopping bag on the duvet. “Here.”
He digs out the items in the bag. “Medicine for headaches.” He tosses it on the bed. “Medicine for a sore throat.”It lands next to the other box of pills. He pulls out a bottle of green liquid. “Nighttime sleep.”
I point to that one. “That’s a classic and a goody. It’ll knock you out all night, and you’ll wake feeling refreshed.”
“And this?”He holds up a pink bottle.
“Yeah, they were out of the option for fever and only had the kids' bubble gum flavor, so I figured we could just double or triple the advised amount.”
A smile breaks out on his face. “Am I supposed to take all of this?”
I shake my head. “Don’t be silly. We’ll do like three. We needed options. This is all new to you.”
He continues examining items in the bag, and his brows furrow when he sees a green glass bottle.“This doesn’t even have a label.”
I snatch it from his hand and begin to unscrew the cap. “It’s from my aunt. She makes it herself. Rosemary and thyme, and a bunch of other things from her garden. Apparently, it’s great for sore throats.”
“And today we needed muffins, a thermos, and I think a bag of fruit snacks?”He is pleasantly confused.
“My aunt sent over some things, in case you get hungry. I thought I deserved a box of fruit snacks for my nursing skills.”
He chuffs a sound and leans back against the headboard. “Your aunt sent over things?”
I shrug before I begin to move the items to the side. “Of course, you’re in my life. It’s what families do for one another. We take care and help make someone feel better.”
His face becomes unreadable. “Family,” he whispers. The way he says it makes it feel as though it’s a foreign concept to him, far off in the distance.
I get it. The idea of it all is still unnerving for him, and I scoop up his hand in mine. “Yeah. You’ll have to get used to that.”
The twitch at the corner of his mouth signals that he seems to be succumbing, in little pieces, to the idea, and it warms me to the brim.
As I begin to adjust the blankets, I make it my mission to care for him. “Come on. Let’s get you recovered.”
His arm swoops to the side and around me, guiding me close until my ear rests against his chest. I feel the heat of his fever through his t-shirt. But when he kisses the top of my head and I peer up to see that his eyes begin to hood closed, I don’t care, and I cling to him.
“You are an overbearing nurse that under normal circumstances, I would lose my cool with until they were fired, but with you, I’m lucky,” he voices, with lethargy taking over.
The balance of power is how Julian is with most people. And he always wins.
But on the lucky scale, I thinkI’mthe luckier one.
25
JULIAN
Looking at Savannah’s desk peculiarly, I study the contents as she sets up her desk as if it were a typical day. A circular tin with flowers on it, a bottle that appears to be medicine, and some bizarre pair of knitted socks.
“What the hell is all of this?”
She grabs the tin and presents it to me with her usual cheery morning smile, and I reluctantly accept it.“Elodie went to Everhope over the weekend, and she was sent back with the cookies you like from my aunt, and also, my aunt wanted to ensure you keep your cold away, so there is a natural remedy with rosemary, and the knitted socks…” She brings her finger to her chin. “Well, she thought they would be good to keep your feet warm, but I realize you will look ridiculous in them, so I’m saving you, and they are now mine.” She snatches them up and tosses them aside.
I open the tin and grab a cookie. “That was thoughtful of her. Why would she do that?”
Savannah sputters a laugh. “You know the answer. Practice saying it with me. Because that’s what people do forfamily,” she articulates, and with her hands, encourages me to say it in sync, which isn’t happening. “Since you are attached to me, it means that you’re family.”
