Hostage

20: Sick

Later that afternoon, Billie and I are watching a movie. Of course, being Billie, she ends up picking The Babadook. I'm not a fan of horror; I couldn't even handle when Dad would pop out of the corner and scare me suddenly when I was five. I miss them. I sniff, which makes Billie look over at me. I'm not feeling sad about them being dead; I feel . . . off. A little nauseous, actually. I'm probably getting sick.

"You okay, Aubrey?"

I nod. "Yeah, I'm good. Just feeling kind of off."

She places the back of her hand on my forehead. Her hand feels cold, which is weird because her hands are typically warm. I don't think she held ice for ten minutes. So why are they cold in the first place?"

"Aubrey, you're hot!" she says. No wonder why her hands were cold! My temperature is warmer than hers, making it seem cold. "I'm going to get you a wet washcloth for your forehead. I'll be back in a minute."

She walks into the bathroom down the hall. I hear the faucet turn on, followed by cabinet doors opening and then closing five seconds later.

And at that time frame, I feel a strong wave of nausea come up. I slap my hand over my mouth and make a dash to the trash can, letting everything come up. Billie comes up quickly and ties my hair back in a ponytail. When I finish, I wrap my arms around her and begin sobbing hysterically into her arms.

"It's okay, Aubrey. It's okay. Breathe."

"It h-h-hurts!" I whine.

"I know," she says stroking my hair. "It's okay, sweetheart. We're gonna put you to bed. You can sleep through this. Okay?"

I nod. "O-o-okay," I reply with a small sniffle. 

She leads me to bed and sets up a trash can beside the bed. I lay down in the bed as she lays beside me as well, cuddling against me.

"You'll be okay," she says softly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Billie," I croak out. 

She begins to gently kiss me but quickly pulls away, coughing. 

"Uh . . . are you okay?" I ask.

She nods. "Yeah. I just tasted your vomit. And no offence, but it made your breath smell horrible!"

"None taken," I chuckle. "Sorry, Billie."

"Nah, it's okay. I'm fine."

She cuddles closer to me and closes her eyes. I close my eyes as well. I let sleep overcome myself.