the exception

45. emergency

I smile and he helps me open the box. He hands it back to me and I smile, feeling my eyes get teary. I stare down at the bracelet in absolute awe. It was a charm bracelet. The only charms it had right now, were a heart and the letter R.

I smile, "I love it..."

"And I love you.", he replies, kissing my forehead.

Ricky's pov

It's around 1pm now and our friend's had to head back to their houses for their own Christmas get togethers. I'm still here with Nina though. She was just resting while I chilled on the chair right next to her.

"Hey Neens...", I whisper, "You need to take the medicine."

She nods her head and squints her eyes open. I get up, grabbing the bottle. I twist the cap off and dump two of the tablets out. I hand them to Nina, and she pops them in her mouth, chewing them.

It's been a couple days since we were informed of her having the sickness. And I can't help but feel like it's definitely starting to affect her. She's freezing all the time, I can tell she's getting more tired. It's scary...but I trust the doctors and nurses.

"Ricky?", she whispers.

"Yeah angel?", I reply, holding her hand.

"I-I'm really cold-"

"Let me see if they can bump the temperature up, okay?", I suggest.

She nods and I kiss her hand before pressing the button on the countertop. After a couple minutes, a knock sounds on the door and I see Nurse Olivia through the window. I open it and she comes inside.

"Everything okay?"

I nod, "Yeah she's just- uh she's really cold...can you turn the heat up or something? If you can't don't wor-"

"Of course, yes, yes!", she nods, "Also, Doctor Stefan wants to draw just a little more blood to see how fast it's spreading. It seems as though she's already experiencing symptoms so...I'd just- brace yourself."

I take a deep breath, nodding, "Okay- when are you doing it?"

"I'll go turn the heat up then I'll get the supplies and come back?", she says.

I nod and she heads down the hallway while I head back into the room. I walk over to the side of the bed and slightly smile.

"Hey bubs...they're gonna draw more blood, okay?", I quietly talk.

With her eyes practically shut, she manages to nod her head. I sigh and take a seat on the chair, staring off into space. I get pulled back to reality when Nurse Olivia knocks on the door before peeking inside.

"You can come in", I say.

She walks through the door, supplies in hand. She sets it on the counter as she begins to set up.

"Alright...so it'll be quick. We don't need that much.", she explains to Nina.

I stand up, standing close to Nina as she tries to force her eyes open. I feel her hand brush against mine and I gently take it in mine. I squeeze it a couple times, slightly smiling.

"Alright, are you ready?", Nurse Olivia asks.

Nina nods her head while Nurse Olivia begins. I feel Nina squeeze my hand, I assume to try and distract herself.

Not long after, she had finished. Nina let out a breath and closed her eyes again.

"Okay, we'll be back later to talk with you.", Nurse Olivia tells me before walking out of the room.