Slow Down | ✓

29. HOT SOUP

29. HOT SOUP

IF THERE IS ONE WORD to describe Aliyah Pryce in this very moment, it is sick.

She's curled up on her couch, her nose stuffy and red and her eyes watering every couple of seconds. The two had gotten rained down on at the picnic, and surprisingly, Aliyah was the only one to feel the after-effects of having rain pelt down on her.

Of course, Elijah had covered her head with his jacket but apparently, that didn't really make a difference because, somehow, she's sick and he's not.

She rubs her nose for the third time in one minute, her eyes trying their hardest to focus on the re-run of Girlfriends on BET.

Her eyes flutter closed, her brain lagging to the point where all she wants to do is sleep.

That moment of serenity doesn't last long before she's rudely awakened by a knocking at her door. A groan escapes her as she rolls off the side of the couch.

A loud thud can be heard as her body collides with the carpeted floor. She hisses, a force in her pulling her to stand.

She fixes the head scarf on top of her head and approaches the door. Already knowing who it is, she doesn't even bother to check the peephole.

"What?" Aliyah grumbles as she comes face to face with the familiar blue eyes that always leave her weak in her knees.

"Well, damn," Elijah's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at her snippy tone, "Thought you would be happier about me bringing you food."

She hadn't even noticed the soup and pack of Emergen-C cradled in his hands. Narrowing her eyes at him, she takes a step back, allowing him to step over the threshold and make his way to the kitchen.

Aliyah watches as he rests the things on the island.

"I hate you," She groans, ambling over to the couch after closing the door.

He furrows his eyebrows but doesn't face her, too busy sorting out her water and soup, "And what did I do for you to hate me?"

"You didn't get sick."

Now, Elijah faces her with an amused pout, "Aw, you just don't have the badass immune system I do."

"Are you accusing me of being jealous of your immune system?" Aliyah questions, oddly, as she plops down onto her current habitat ━ the couch.

"Uh, I don't think that's a thing," Elijah trails off as he puts the bowl of soup and glass of vitamin water on a tray, "I didn't have time to make you soup, so I just picked some up from that restaurant down the road."

A chill shoots down Aliyah's back as the fan turns on ━ blowing right on her. She grabs her blanket and throws it over her legs.

As Elijah arrives in front of her, she sends him a sickly smile, her lips chapped and nose red. He places the tray over her lap before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She groans in protest, "No, Eli, you're gonna get sick."

"I thought you hated me because I wasn't and now you don't want me to?" He questions, jokingly, "I'm confused."

She narrows her eyes at him, "Kiss away. Thank you, by the way."

He just plops beside her, his eyes scanning her as she blows on the spoonful of hot soup.

After slurping it, she turns to him only to find his eyes already on her. She arches an interested eyebrow, "You just gonna stare at me the whole time I'm drinking my soup."

"Am I not allowed to?" Elijah chuckles as he brushes his hand against Aliyah's knee, "Did you even eat today?"

Aliyah shrugs with a fake innocent look on her face that's she's mastered around Elijah, "Define eating." The blue-eyed man rolls his eyes at her words, making her continue, "Look, I ain't had an appetite for anything today ━"

"Except for soup."

" ━ Except for soup," Aliyah confirms with a forced smile, "How was work?"

Elijah's eye seems to twitch, "It's... work."

Aliyah takes another sip, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means if I didn't already spend a decade of my life dedicated to getting where I am today, I would've walked out a long time ago."

Aliyah narrows her eyes in thought, "Did you lose someone else?"

Elijah shakes his head, a sigh of relief leaving his lips, "Thank God we didn't, but she was getting pretty damn close. I'm just tired of telling patients and their families bad news ━ the look on their faces is disheartening."

"Hey," Aliyah takes a moment to remove the tray from her lap and onto the coffee table. After freeing her body, she turns in order to curl into Elijah, her head resting on his chest as he wraps his arm around her waist. He rests his chin on top of her head, "There might be bad outcomes ━ nothing is ever guaranteed, but one way to go about it is to think of all the good outcomes. All the lives you've saved ━"

"And all the ones I didn't ━"

Aliyah shushes him, "You're bad at this."

Hearing the sorrow in his voice told Aliyah all she has to know about the man laying under her. He's compassionate and caring and hard-working. Elijah is the type of man to stress himself out over things he can't control ━ as much as he likes to act like he doesn't, he does. And that's one of the many things Aliyah loves about him.

"Just let me comfort you, Eli," Aliyah whispers, her eyes drooping as she tunes into the doctor's soothing heartbeat. She twiddles with a piece of thread sticking out from his hoodie, "Just think of all the good you've done, all the lives you've saved, how many people are seeing their high school graduation or their wedding or their retirement because of you ━"

The woman is interrupted by the sound of steady breathing coming from above her. She tilts her head up to see Elijah's eyes closed and his body fast asleep.

An appreciative smile grows on her face ━ he's been working all day, every day and the first thing he does when he's off shift: he checks up on her.

This sticking-to-my-resolve thing might be harder than I thought.

okay yes i haven't updated in two days like 😱😱 who am i and what have i done to myself???

but like ive been drowning in school work (i haven't even watched grey's in like almost a week) but here's a chapter for y'all cause i couldn't leave y'all hanging like that :)

hope y'all enjoy!!