Friction

The shape of Kate

Avery's hotel door unlocked and someone walked in. She assumed it was Marco. She could always depend on Marco and she trusted him. She knew his husband Price from highschool, she dated him but they both came out to each other.
Marco was the best thing to happen to him. She hired Marco to assist her in her first film The Seven Lies I Told Myself. That movie was so highly critically acclaimed that she won her first Golden Globe for best supporting actress in 2005. She was only 22. She almost got to meet Kate but she chickened out. She mentally kicked herself for that ever since.

"Marco?" She groggily called out from beneath the blankets.

"No, it's Kate. I heard him talking to Lacey about how sick you were. He was there to grab your phone charger from my trailer. I stopped him on his way out and he said he was just doing a quick store run for you. So I got you everything on the list. I wanted to be the one to come see you." Kate walked over and pulled the covers back. "Avery darling you look really ill."

"Yeah I used all my strength puking and now I can barely move. I've thrown up on two shirts so I'm shirtless. It's just stomach bile at this point. I can't eat anything or drink anything. My headache is killing me and my nose is stopped up. Please, kill me. It would be kinder." Avery opens her watery eyes and sees Kate squatting down next to her she leans forward and rests her chin on the mattress and runs her fingers through Avery's hair.

"I can't leave you. I'm staying." Kate whispered.

"Hey, imagine if I started puking right now." Avery tried to give Kate a clue. If she started puking right now, it would be right in Kate's face.

"I can handle it. I'm a mum." Kate shrugged. "I'm quite tough."

"Okay but look where your face and my face is." Avery basically spelled it out and the look of horrifying realization came over Kate's face. She lifted her head and leaned back.

"Noted. I'll just put that away in my dumb mum folder in the depths of my brain."

"You're not a dumb mom. You're not dumb in general." Avery reassured Kate and Kate stood and laughed.

"All mums have this folder. Embarrassing moments, blonde moments, moments of irritation and exhaustion, common sense disappears momentarily and you look and feel like a huge idiot. But I've realized it's not a me thing it's a generalized universal mum thing." Kate  moved the blanket off of Avery. "Okay let's get you cleaned up. A bath will help you." Kate held her hand out for Avery.

"I'm too tired." Avery took Kate's hand anyway as Kate pulled her up to a sitting position.

"That's fine, let me do the hard stuff okay?" Kate stood Avery up and pulled her into Kate's embrace. "All you have to do is walk with me okay?" Kate took a step and Avery weakly copied her steps into the bathroom. Kate sat her on the toilet and turned and began running the bath. Avery tried wiggling her pajama pants off but it took too much energy so she gave up. Kate then stood and lifted Avery up from under her arms. "Hold onto my shoulders okay?" Kate bent down and pulled Avery's sleep pants and underwear off. Kate tried to keep her eyes everywhere but on Avery's naked body. She was there to take care of her not seduce her. Avery used Kate's shoulders as support to step out of the pants and Kate stood and helped her into the warm bath. Immediate relief came over Avery.

"Ahh so warm." She settled down into the sudsy water. Kate handed her the rag.

"I'll let you do your bits but I'll wash the rest of you."

"Sounds like a plan Stan. I don't know why I said that. I feel so loopy." Avery kept eye contact with Kate as she washed between her legs and handed the washcloth back to Kate. Kate put the other rag in the sink and got a fresh one.

"It's the lack of sleep which I'm going to make sure you get." Kate got on her knees next to Avery and began washing her arms and chest and stomach. Avery leaned forward and Kate washed her back and then her legs and feet. "All done. Don't you feel just a little bit better?" Kate helped Avery stand and step out and dried her back and butt then sat her back down onto the toilet lid. She finished drying off the rest of Avery and helped dress her again except for the shirt. Which Avery knew she would puke on anyway. Instead of Kate taking her straight to the bed, she sat her down in a chair and began stripping the bedding off. She changed the sheets, pillow cases and the blanket before getting Avery back between those sheets. Kate then gave Avery NyQuil and anti nausea medicine and then spread vapor rub onto her chest.

"Will you stay longer? While I sleep?" Avery's question sounded so sad and pitiful but Kate had made up her mind the moment she pulled the cover back from Avery.

"Darling I said I wasn't leaving and I meant it. Want me to play with your hair?" Kate smiled and Avery couldn't help but smile back at this savior and nod yes. Kate went to the other side of the bed and got in and scooted over to Avery. "Come here." Kate put her hand out to help Avery scoot closer and she put her head on Kate's thigh and her hand on Kate's knee. "Do you mind if I watch the telly? I'll have the volume low."

"I don't mind. What do I do if I need to puke?" She glanced up at Kate who was resting her back against the headboard.

"Oh I've got a little bin over here for you. Shush now, rest." Kate began to comb her fingers through Avery's dark hair. The sensation was so soothing that Avery drifted off to sleep very fast.

The rest of the day felt like a fever dream. She only woke up once to puke and the second time she woke up she realized her arm was wrapped around Kate's leg and the blonde didn't seem to mind that her hand was on her upper thigh. So close that Avery could feel the heat from that area. She would be more excited or maybe embarrassed about where her hand was if she wasn't so doped up on codeine right now. Kate wasn't playing around with this medicine. The next time she woke up it was dark outside, Kate was now asleep too still sitting up, her hand placed softly on the back of Avery's head. Avery weakly rolled onto her back, waking Kate up.

"Lay down with me. Is it too much to ask you to be big spoon?" Avery knew that asking wouldn't hurt anything. All Kate could do was say no if she wasn't comfortable.

"Of course I'll be big spoon. But first." Kate reached behind her and then leaned over Avery putting the small garbage bin on her side. "Just in case." Kate laid down and Avery scooted back into the shape of Kate and felt her arm circle her waist. It wasn't minutes and Kate was softly breathing heavily behind Avery letting her know she was asleep.

"Kate?" Avery whispered just to make sure. When she heard a slight snore she knew Kate was asleep. "I think I'm falling in love with you."