Never Say Die- Chapter 16

 

Chapter 16

 

 

            By the time Flan had gotten back from the store Rhys had pretty much puked himself out. He was exhausted and needed help just getting out of the bathroom. I tucked him into my bed layering blankets on him and making sure that he had a bottle of water and a bowl next to him in case he needed them.

            He took his time with the chicken broth but managed to keep it down while we laid together and watched cartoons. I realized that he felt a little warmer than usual and went down to hunt down a thermometer; If he felt hot to me then it probably wasn’t a good thing.

            “Flan, I might need that Tylenol!” I called to her as I came down the stairs.

She walked into the bathroom and grabbed the bottle she’d just put in the medicine cabinet, handing it to me.

            “Thanks, um do you have a thermometer?” I felt silly asking but I’d never needed human things for illness.

She rolled her eyes at me with a smile and reached back into the medicine cabinet to pull out a thermometer.      

            “Thanks Flan, you’re awesome.” I said with a grateful smile.

            “Have you thought about what you’re going to tell him about last night?” She asked carefully, hoping not to make me angry.

I looked at her for a moment and pondered my answer.

            “I’ll just tell him I sent you a picture message of the ring, you drew your own conclusions; I’m pretty sure he’s probably forgotten all about it by now though.”

            She raised both eyebrows, clearly impressed with my quick thinking, “That would work, hopefully you’re right though and he’s forgotten all about it.”

            I gathered up the Tylenol and thermometer before heading back upstairs, Rhys was still in the bed which was a good thing. I handed him the thermometer to avoid poking him in the tongue, turned it on for him and waited for the beep.

            When I pulled it back it read 102.4, “Looks like you need this.” I said reaching for the bottle of Tylenol and tapping 2 capsules into my hand after reading the instructions. He took them without argument and then lay back against the pillows.

            “Some way to end a vacation huh?” He smiled weakly at me and I gave him a small smile back.

            “I hope that you just caught the flu from someone on the plane or something, I’d hate to think that all of that wonderful seafood would have anything to do with it.” I said, the food had all been so great, it would truly be a shame if something had been wrong with it and others were sick now too.

            “That’s probably all it is, just my time for the flu.” He assured me and I cuddled up close to him, holding his hand, not wanting to get all tangled together in case he had to make a sudden dash for the bathroom.

            I decided to change the subject while I was thinking about the new topic “I was talking to Flan downstairs, she said she’d help out with the auction if Hadley did, I was thinking about calling her and seeing if they want to get in on it. I’d be more than happy to back any funds that got out of anyone’s price range.”

            “You’re really that into all this?” He asked incredulously.

            “Of course I am why wouldn’t I be?” I turned my head up to look at him.

            “Well it’s just that you were so shy about being around people when we met, you’re really coming out of your shell Saydie, I’m proud of you.” I blushed, at least he’d noticed that I was making an effort, and I was truly enjoying having friends.

            “Thanks.” I replied and smiled at him.

            “You know what this all reminds me of?” He gestured to himself in the bed.

            “What’s that?” I asked, even though I had an idea of what was coming.

            “This is what my mom used to do when I got sick as a kid, load me up with chicken soup, tuck me in and turn on cartoons.” He chuckled at the memory and I smiled to myself.

            “I guess I’m doing something right then.”

            “Thanks for taking care of me, I really appreciate it.” He smiled down at me lovingly.

            “That’s what I’m here for.” I said, kissing his cheek.

            Flan appeared at the door just then, “How’s the patient doing?” she asked as she came to sit on the edge of the bed on my side. She looked like she was trying to stay as far away from him as possible while still expressing her concern.

            “He hasn’t gotten up in a while so hopefully this stuff will stay down and he can move up to crackers.”

            “Crackers, yay!” he said sarcastically and Flan and I both laughed at him.

            “Hey you’re the one who went and got sick pal, you’re just going to have to deal with it.” She told him and he laughed.

            “Saydie if you don’t need me for anything else I’m going to go have lunch with Hadley. We’ll be close if you need something.”

            I nodded, “Okay, thanks Flan.”

            “See you guys later.”

            “Bye!” Rhys and I both replied.

            When she was gone we cuddled back up to watch some more cartoons but shortly into the first show I realized that Rhys had fallen fast asleep. I smiled as I looked at his face, it was like having an angel next to me, he said he couldn’t get over how beautiful I was but I really felt like I’d gotten the better end of the visual stick on this one. I could sit and stare at him for hours, taking in every line in his face and never get tired of it.

            I knew where every freckle, dimple and laugh line was, I knew exactly how the lines would change when he went from being serious to laughing, or when he was sad. I still wondered how I’d gotten so lucky, despite my tremendous efforts to be human, was any demon truly deserving of such an amazing gift? To love someone as completely as I loved him and to have him love me just as much in return? It was sure looking like it.

            I took advantage of his being asleep to tidy up a little, clearing his empty water bottle and mug of chicken broth and taking them downstairs to put the mug away and grab another bottle. Just then the house phone rang and I rushed over to grab it before the sound could wake Rhys up.

            “Hello?” I asked.

            “Hello is this Saydie?” a pleasant male voice asked on the other end.

            “Yes this is, may I ask who is calling?”

            “This is Todd Davis, I heard that my wuss of a brother might have food poisoning.” He chuckled in response.

            “Word travels fast in your family I see.” I replied.

            “Oh yeah, you should expect a call from my sister and probably both of our parents before the night is over.”

            I laughed, “Obviously you know that I spoke to your mom already, she said she’d call back so I didn’t have to tell Rhys that I’d called his mother. Marlene asked me to, otherwise I’d never have thought to do it.”

            “Marlene is very caring like that, she babies us all as if we were her own, like she doesn’t have her hands full enough with her own little monsters.” He laughed again, clearly joking about Marlene’s girls being monsters, even I knew that wasn’t true. He seemed to be a really easy going guy and so far I genuinely liked him.

            “She’s a good person; I have a great deal of respect for her and her amazing coffee.” I replied smiling.

            “Oh that’s right you guys met at her shop didn’t you?” he asked, sounding curious now.

            “Yeah, we ran into each other at the door, love at first sight and all.” I tried to sound nonchalant about it but he wasn’t fooled.

            “You try to be casual about it but that’s exactly what happened to my brother. He hasn’t talked about anything else since the day he met you. Getting him to talk football is almost impossible, he changes the subject to how you came to one of his games and then he gets all mushy about how much he loves you and all that.” I blushed bright red, glad that nobody was there to see it.

            “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.”I said laughing.

            “Oh just wait, you’ll hear all about it when you come to visit. You’re coming for Thanksgiving right?”

            “As far as I know, that’s the plan, but I’m not coming to make him the object of ridicule for the whole trip.” I teased.

            “Oh he’d have been that anyway, even if you weren’t around, we’d find something to pick on him for, that’s what being an older sibling is all about.

            “By the way how do you like the ring?” He asked casually and shocked at his words, I sat in stunned silence for a moment.

            “Hello?” he asked.

            “I’m sorry, you knew about it?”

            “Of course I did, Rhys and I are obviously closer than you realized, he talks to me about everything. When he told me that you were the one, I admit that I was skeptical but he’s extremely sure of himself, more than he’s ever been about anything else. It was my idea to go with a promise ring this early into it, I worried for him that an engagement ring would freak you out.” My mouth hung open in surprise.

            “Still speechless huh? There’s a lot you don’t know about Rhys but he’s a good guy and he’s crazy in love with you, you’ll never have to wonder about that.”

            “Well thanks Todd, I appreciate that.”

            “You’re very welcome and before I forget, can I talk to the little wuss man?”

            I laughed, so that’s what having a brother was like. “Actually he’s finally sleeping so I’d rather not wake him up, he’s been up for hours throwing up, he really needs to rest now.”

            “Did you turn cartoons on for him?” he asked, and I was surprised by the question.

            “Yes, why?”

            “Knocks him out every time, chicken broth and cartoons, he’s still just like he was as a kid.”

            “Well we all deserve some babying when we’re sick I suppose.”

            “That’s the truth, there’s nothing like having a beautiful woman to take care of you when you’re sick either.” He teased.

            “Oh so he’s been sending pictures of me then?” I teased back.

            “Way to get a grip on your ego there Saydie.” He laughed, “But yes, he has and I will be the first to admit that he couldn’t have asked to have a more beautiful person taking care of him. I know we don’t know each other at all but you make my brother happy and when he talks about you it’s like he’s talking about an angel, even in the pictures of the two of you he radiates pure happiness just being by your side. So, being beautiful inside and out is a huge bonus in my book.” I blushed yet again.

            “I see that being charming runs in the family.” I replied trying to keep my tone light despite my unbelievable embarrassment.

            “Yes it does, but I’m serious Saydie, I’m not sure he could find anyone who makes him more happy than you do.” I could hear a fondness in his voice that seemed strange coming from someone that I’d never met but he talked about me as though he’d known me this whole time. Like he knew me as well as Rhys did. I was going to have to learn a bit more about his family before I met them. 

            “That’s very kind of you.” I said, blushing even more furiously than before.

            “Nothing kind about it just being honest.” He replied. “I should get going though, I’ll try his phone later, you don’t have to tell him I called if it spares you the embarrassment of letting him know that you called our mom.”

            “I appreciate that but I might just have to tell him anyway, if everybody calls he’ll know something’s up on his own.”

            “Well good luck with that. It was nice talking to you Saydie, I look forward to seeing you soon.”

            “Thanks me too.” I couldn’t help smiling as the line went dead, those Davis men sure knew how to talk to the ladies.

            I wandered back upstairs with a fresh bottle of water and laid back down with Rhys. It wasn’t long before he woke up again looking for something to drink. I handed him the water that I’d forgotten to put on his side of the bed and he drank it gratefully.

            “Thanks Say.” He smiled at me.

            “You’re welcome, do you feel any better?” I sure hoped he did, puking was definitely not my thing.

            “Yeah a little, thanks.” I smiled back and curled up with his hand in mine again.

            We were in the middle of a cartoon a bit later when a thought came to mind, “Rhys?”

            “Yeah?” I had this strange déjà vu from our trip in Seattle for a moment.

            “How much do you love me?” I asked carefully, thinking about the things that Todd had told me.

He pulled back to look at me with a very serious and distraught look on his face, squeezing my hand before he spoke.

            “Saydie I love you more than anything in the entire world, more than my own life, you don’t know that?” That explained the freaked out look, and I was quick to reassure him.

            “No, I knew that it’s just nice to hear you say it.” I smiled gently at him and he visibly relaxed. “And I promise there’s no favor or anything coming next, it was just a question.” I added before he could respond.

            “How much do you love me?” He asked curiously.

            “A million times more than you love me.” I teased and he scoffed.

            “Impossible.” He declared very seriously, leaning over to kiss my forehead as I smiled at him. “I love you more than the expanse of the sky, more than the amount of water in the sea. I love you wholly, completely and unconditionally. I am irreversibly and madly in love with you until the day that love no longer exists, at which point my heart would re-create love for you and you alone. If you love me more than that, then we have enough love to outlast eternity, oblivion or any other measure of time.” I sat and stared at him for a moment. He had just described exactly how I felt for him and I felt the sting of tears in my eyes.

            He reached over to wipe a tear from my cheek, “Don’t cry sweet girl, you deserve even more love than I can give you.”

            I found my voice again, “How do I even start to deserve you?”

            “I could ask you the same thing.” He smiled at me.

            “I’m so lucky that I have you.”

            “I’m the lucky one.” He said with finality, pulling me into his arms and holding me tight.

The moment was short lived when he suddenly pulled away and ran for the bathroom. I couldn’t help remembering my assessment of his movement the first time I’d seen him, he really did move more gracefully than any man I’d ever seen, even if he was running for the toilet. I chuckled a bit and then felt bad for being amused at his expense as I went to warm him up some more broth and grab another bottle of water along with a bottle of Gatorade that I spotted in the fridge.

            I gathered everything up and went upstairs to set them on the night stand by the bed before knocking on the door.

            “Are you alright?” I felt stupid asking the question, obviously he wasn’t.

            “Yeah I’ll be okay just give me a little bit.”

            “Okay I have more water, Gatorade and broth when you’re ready.” I sighed quietly to myself as he retched in response. I went to sit back on the bed and wait for him to come back out, thinking of how I’d never do this for anyone else, except maybe Flan. I felt thankful that he’d never have to see me like that, I don’t take to human illness the way that others do, which is a perk. I can get drunk and hung-over- more commonly on wine than liquor- but I never throw up, get colds, the flu or any of that. I felt lucky that this was the case after the day I’d had with him.

            About half an hour later he was back in bed and sipping on his broth when I finally decided to tell him that I’d talked to his mom.

            “Honey?”

            “Hmm?” he asked with the mug to his mouth

            “Um, I talked to your mom this morning.” He nearly dropped the mug and choked on his broth in surprise, not even noticing that my hand shot out much too fast to grab it before he spilled.

            “You spoke to my mother?” he gasped.

            “Yes, Marlene asked me to call her, she said your mom would want to know.”

            He seemed resigned with my answer, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, she’d have called my mom anyway. That’s what I get for not calling myself.”

            I smiled at him, “She said she would have but she didn’t have time being so short handed.”

            He snorted, “Ha! She found time to talk to my mother I’d bet money on it.”

            “Well there’s more.” He looked at me incredulously.

            “How is that possible?”

            I ignored his question, “Todd called while you were sleeping, they’re both going to call you back later.” By this time it was after 6pm in New York and I was sure that they’d be calling soon.

            “I’d like to say thank you but I’m not looking forward to my mother fussing over me, or my brother giving me crap about how un-manly it is to puke in front of your girl.”

            “I understand.” I smiled, realizing that I could hear Todd saying those things to him in my head.

            He sighed heavily, “But thanks anyway.” He tried to smile and I kissed his cheek.

            “You know they love you just like I do.”

            “No you love me way more than they do, they just like to torture me.” We laughed together.

            “Well either way someone should be calling soon, it’s getting pretty late over there.”

Then, as if trying to make my point, his phone lit up and started to ring. I gave him an apologetic smile as he looked at the caller I.D. to see that it was his mother.

            “Here we go.” He muttered and I leaned over to kiss his clammy forehead just before he flipped the phone open. I smiled to myself and went downstairs to find something to eat, realizing that I hadn’t eaten yet today.

            As I prepared my food, I thought of the conversation I’d had with Todd. Despite the good-natured sibling rivalry, I felt that he was lucky to have his family, and that they cared so much about each other. In Todd’s words, that was definitely a huge bonus in my book.