Reality of Darkness

Chapter 20

Elle pov

"I don't want to go.."

Rolling my eyes, I look over to Zak, who is stood at the base of the bed, looking unsure.

"You're going.."

"But you're not well."

"Understatement.." I mumble.

We were due to go on another investigation but this time, I wasn't going due to the side effects of the new medication. I felt like death... Warmed up.

"What if you need me here?" He asks, kicking his bag in spite.

"You can't do anything, I just have to ride this out, we talked about this remember. We read the side effects."

Zak frowns "But I didn't expect them to be this fucking bad. You look awful, maybe we should ring the doctor, or I could take you to a hospital."

"They can't do anything, my body is adjusting." I tell him, closing my eyes as the room begins to spin.

"You can't keep a single bit of food down, you are barely managing water, I've been watching you.. I'm going to cancel the lockdown-."

"You're not!" I bite, cracking an eye open to see him. "You will be going. It's in California. If I need you, I'll ring you. You can get a flight if you're that desperate, but as of right now, you are going..."

Pushing his glasses up onto his head, he rubs at his tired face.

"The break will do you some good." I add.

For the past few days, things were bad.. I woke up at all hours, wandered the house, had bouts of dizziness, sickness from out of nowhere and tiredness. All reasonably common, the moment it turns is when I have to ring the doctor,  but until that point, I have to hold on.

Looking at Zak, I can see him emotionally and physically drained. I just hoped he would be okay mentally and spiritually. He needed some sleep and a four hour RV ride to California will get him that sleep, as well as some downtime from being my nurse that he had appointed himself.

Last night I had gotten out of bed to be sick and I thought I was stealthy enough to avoid waking him. But by the third gag, he was at my side, putting my hair up and rubbing my back. We both slept on the bathroom floor for two hours before Gracie padded in and woke us. Zak had been sleeping upright and my head was on his lap...

We were exhausted, but this was my battle and it was beginning to effect him, which in my eyes, was not okay.

"A break?" He asks. "I'm going to be thinking about you the whole time I'm away."

He gives me a harsh sigh and crawls onto the bed behind me, collapsing against me. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I couldn't bare any contact from him when I was feeling so gross, but I kept quiet. He needed this before he left.

"I didn't think you'd be so poorly." He whispers.

"Me either. But they are stronger pills. It's what I wanted, now I just have to wait for the adjustment period to pass and then it will be smooth sailing."

"What if I cancel the lockdown and move it until you're better."

"No." Please, just leave me to wallow in this, so I can be ready for when you come home..

Like a child, he grumbles into my back, I know his concern comes from a good place, but this is his job, people are relying on him..

"I got Gracie, your mom is gonna stop by every day, plus I'll be on camera most of the day when I sleep on the couch."