Like,sicksick.
It started with that sneeze and some general congestion. I assumed—or maybe hoped—that it was my allergies acting up. I always had bad allergies in the fall back home in Texas, so it made sense they would pop up in Chicago, too.
But I slept horribly that night, and woke up the next morning with a tickle in my throat. After a cup of coffee, my throat outrightburned. By that afternoon, I had a fever.
Now it was Cash’s turn to bring me soup and medicine. I resisted going to the doctor; my insurance sucked, and I didn’t want to pay the copay unless I wasreallysick.
“He’s going to try to perform,” Cash told me when I asked how Riot was feeling. “The doctor’s going to give him a steroid shot an hour before the show. Hopefully he can power through and then crash after.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I replied in a voice that shocked me. “Ugh. I sound horrible. I haven’t been able to breathe out of my nose since I woke up.”
“You sound fine to me,” Cash said with a wink. “But I’m going to let you rest. You need another dose of the cough medicine at eight o’clock tonight.”
“What, I don’t get a goodbye kiss?” I asked.
Cash blinked, then hesitated.
“I’m just kidding. You don’t want any of these germs right now. Thanks for the soup, and have a great show tonight.”
“I’ll give you twice as many kisses when you’re healthy,” he promised.
I felt bad about missing the show, but there was no getting around the fact that I was too sick to leave my hotel room. I barely had the energy to get out of bed.
I took another dose of NyQuil at eight, then quickly fell asleep. When I woke up, Riot was sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Oh. Hello.” I sat up a little. “Why aren’t you at the show?”
“Show ended an hour ago,” he replied. His voice sounded rough.
“You were able to perform? Cash told me you got a steroid shot.”
Riot’s dark hair fell across his face as he nodded. He brushed it away and said, “I pushed through the show. The shot helped, but my voice started failing halfway through. The sound guys turned up the backup vocals, so Vi and Cash helped carry me. We had to skip the encore, though.”
“Sorry I missed it. I wanted to be there, but…” My throat was raw, and I paused as a coughing fit came over me.
“You’re not allowed to be sorry,” Riot insisted. “You missed the show because you’re sick, and you’re sick because you took care of me. Thanks to you, I was able to do the show instead of cancel. I owe you one, Roxie.”
His comments made me smile. “Well, okay. I like that version of events.”
“One thing Iamsorry about,” he said, “is that we’re not taking full advantage of our hotel beds.”
“I’m sorry about that too!”
He glanced at his watch. “I’m gonna crash soon. Can I get you anything before I do?”
“I’m good. I’ve got NyQuil.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What about some ice cream for your throat? I’m going to get some for myself, so it’s not an inconvenience.”
I sat upright like I’d been given a shot of adrenaline. “You have my attention.”
“Chocolate or vanilla? I think those are the only two options for sale in the hotel lobby.”
“Chocolate! Always chocolate.”
He went downstairs and returned with a pint and a spoon for me. “You have no idea how happy this makes me. Where’s your ice cream?”
“I, uh…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t actually getting any for myself. I just said that so you wouldn’t feel bad about me getting it for you.”
