Underneath the Sycamore Tree(82)

Using his chest as a pillow, I refuse to acknowledge the pain from the hip I’m resting on. It shoots up my body and causes a tear to slip down my cheek, but all I can do is hold Kaiden tighter as the movie plays.

Right before I fall asleep, I whisper, “I love you, Kaiden.”

He brushes my hair back and kisses the crown of my head. “You’re feeling warm, Mouse. Try getting some sleep.”



I wake up feeling my stomach churn so violently that I vomit all over the blankets. The abrupt illness and sour taste of dinner, mouth wash, and stomach acid has me too distracted to be embarrassed. Kaiden swears and nearly falls when his foot gets caught as he tries getting out of bed.

Groaning and clutching my stomach with one hand and my back with the other, I feel a second wave of nausea coming on strong. Tears stream down my face as I lurch over the bed, this time into the waste bucket Kaiden puts in front of me just in time.

“Jesus, Em,” he murmurs, staring wide-eyed at me. He cradles my head, but his touch doesn’t ease me.

I empty my stomach and cry. If Kaiden wasn’t holding the bucket, I would have dropped it. My arms feel like lead at my sides.

“S-Something’s w-wro…” I whimper when I’m finally able to breathe. All I want is water to rinse my mouth, but my body is completely drained of everything.

“Shit. Okay.” He looks around. “Do you think you’re going to get sick again?”

I shake my head, letting the tears hit my thighs. The room smells horrible and I need to change before I do puke from the fumes alone.

He quickly gets rid of the bucket in the bathroom, the toilet flushing and the shower turning on soon after. My eyes slowly drift to the clock.

Two twenty-seven.

I groan again and feel the need to close my eyes, my body swaying to the side that I know is covered in something I don’t want to lay down in.

“Whoa,” he says, catching me. “I need to get you cleaned up. Can you walk to the bathroom?”

I’m barely able to nod but stand with his help and shakily walk to the bathroom with him. My right leg drags behind, leaving Kaiden taking a brunt of my weight. He supports me as he peels off my pajama pants and tries getting my shirt over my head. I attempt to help him, but my arms aren’t moving easily on their own.

“My right arm,” I cry, realizing that my entire right side is numb and unmoving.

He keeps cursing as he practically picks me up and carries me to the tub. He steps in fully dressed, instantly getting soaked. The water isn’t too cold or too hot as he grabs the loofa and starts rinsing me off. My back sinks into his front, one of his arms wrapped tight around my waist as he lets the water run through my hair.

He’s talking to himself, but I can’t make out his muttering. I should be embarrassed that I’m completely naked and smell, but I can’t muster the energy to care.

That’s when I know.

“Wrong,” I repeat. “S-somethi…”

“I know, Mouse,” he rasps, reaching over to the faucet and turning it off. We’re both dripping wet as he carefully grabs a towel and starts drying me. I’m not sure how he manages it since I’m no longer standing on my own.

He ignores drying himself off as he carries me out of the tub and sets me down on the closed toilet lid. Once he sees I’m not going to tip over, he quickly peels off his drenched shirt and pajamas pants until he’s just in his boxer briefs.

“Hold on,” he says, rushing out of my bedroom. I hear him rustling the blankets and sheets, probably peeling them off the bed.

Closing my eyes, I rest my head against the wall, slumping down. The bathroom is cold and the towel he wrapped around me does little to warm me up.

Kaiden starts shouting for Dad and Cam. I flinch over the desperation in his tone but do nothing about it but sit there.

Helpless.

Did Lo ever feel this way?

So defeated? So…

Warm hands are on my arms, then soft material slides over my head, shoulders, and torso. He’s careful to slide my arms through the holes, then kneels and slides sweatpants over my feet one at a time.

“Not…used…to…this…” My tongue is heavy in my mouth.

Having you dress me, I want to elaborate.

I can’t though.

Once I’m dressed, I hear Dad’s booming voice from my bedroom. Cam gasps loudly, probably seeing the state of disaster that my room is in. Kaiden tells them we’re in the bathroom, and suddenly everything gets chaotic.

“What happened?” Dad demands, replacing Kaiden’s position in front of me. He puts his hands on my face and forehead, looking frantic. “She’s burning up. Emery? Baby…”

“I tried rinsing off the puke,” Kaiden tells him, his fingers dragging through his wet hair. His voice is hoarse as he stares, Cam next to him with her hand on his shoulder.

“She needs to go to the hospital,” Dad says, carefully putting one arm behind my back and the other underneath my knees. He huffs when he picks me up, holding me to his chest and walks us through my bedroom.

Cam and Kaiden are close behind as he walks downstairs. Kaiden has the car keys to Cam’s vehicle in one hand and my jacket in the other. When we get outside, the night air brushes against me and feels oddly welcoming to my overheated body.

“D-Dad,” I croak, not knowing what to say.