The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 48

It was still dark when I woke up two days after my initial COVID diagnosis. The first thing I noticed was that my throat felt slightly better than it had the day before, when I'd struggled with swallowing anything and ate soup for both lunch and dinner. The second thing concerned me; Shawn was holding me in his arms and he was hot. Not hot in the sexy way (though of course he was that, too) but actually burning up.

"Shawn," I said softly as I rolled over. "Wake up."

His eyes fluttered open. "What time is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I think you have a fever."

He looked confused and then slowly sat up. "I don't feel great. I my body feels heavy and my joints hurt."

"Time for you to take the test."

Of course it was positive. So far four of my family members had tested positive, too, and I was sure more would crop up as the week went on. Briya and Fallon were negative and said they felt great yesterday, so hopefully they stayed that way. My dad was also healthy, which was a relief since he'd had lung issues since he was a child.

Shawn had been in frequent contact with his parents, and once the sun came up, he called his mother. She was worried, but he assured her he'd be okay. Then he called his manager and they discussed his upcoming plans which obviously had to be rescheduled. The phone calls exhausted him, so he went back to bed afterwards.

Since I was feeling somewhat better, I took the opportunity to do some light cleaning. Next I went through the fridge and tossed the remains of the food from Saturday. I'd just finished sterilizing Inky's food bowls when Shawn shuffled into the kitchen, looking a bit like a zombie.

"I need to hydrate," he said with a scratchy voice.

"Definitely. Go sit down and I'll bring you some water."

He looked so defeated as he slouched on my loveseat, but he drank the whole glass and then I got him more.

"I can't believe it got me," he said defeatedly.

"Did you really think you were immune?"

"Sorta. I've stayed healthy so far even though I've probably been exposed a ton while touring."

"Sorry. I guess I'm good for other things than causing you stress."

"Not your fault, baby. I'm frustrated with the situation but not with you," he told me.

"You're stuck here at least five days. Are you okay with that?"

He tried to muster a smile. "Yeah. I like being with you."

I loved it, even if we were both sick, but there was one problem. I hadn't gone number two since Monday and I needed to. Badly. While Shawn slept, I'd had a large mug of coffee, which made me need to go even worse. I knew I couldn't fight it.

"I'll be back in a sec," I said as I stood up. I went into the bathroom, locked the door, turned on the fan, and started both the faucet and the shower. "He knows you poop," I told myself. "Everyone poops. Get over yourself!"

It took awhile for me to relax, but eventually I was successful. After spraying the room with a strong scent, I went back to the living area.

Shawn looked up at me. "I heard the shower."

"What? No. I didn't take a shower."

"But it was running."

I couldn't make eye contact with him. "I turned it on for a sec."

He chuckled. "You're so quirky."

"I have an issue with certain bodily functions. Please don't make fun of me."