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I trudged down the halls, my eyes and body dragging me down.
Two days ago, Snow had unexpectedly fallen sick. Though I had figured she was acting unlike the usual, I didn't say anything and she ended up collapsing during lunch.
It was terrifying.
All of us have been taking turns taking care of her since then, but I visited her whenever I was free. I probably stink right now, I cringed when I remembered I haven't showered in three days.
I walked into the infirmary, where Lucky was taking her turn and occupying herself with rewrapping some gauge.
"Hey." I waved.
"Parker! You're supposed to be eating lunch!" She exclaimed with narrowed eyes.
"I did." I grinned. "I came so that you'll be able to go eat."
"That's okay, I-"
"Arianna told me to do it. She said that you shouldn't miss lunch since you were unable to eat breakfast." I explained.
Lucky hesitated when she heard Arianna's name. Then she glanced at me with an odd look. "If I were to stay here, what would you do?"
I scrunched my eyebrows. "Stay here too?"
A thin smile spread on her lips and hurt expression filled her eyes. "Snow will be fine even if you're not here. She doesn't even know that you're here, so why are trying so hard?" She grew quiet. "Why am I trying so hard?"
"What?"
Lucky shook her head in silence. Suddenly her usual chirpy smile appeared again. "I'll head out then. Thanks P!"
She practically ran out of the infirmary without another word. I scratched the back of my head, that was weird.
Dismissing the issue I grabbed a stool and sat down next to Snow.
She slept deeply and quietly, as though she were dead. Her hair clinging to the bottom of her ears.
I smiled slightly. It grew.
She had officially been with us for three months, and her messy pixie haircut had turned into something similar to a mullet. It fit her feisty yet quiet personality well.
Drops of sweat on her forehead caught my attention, so I stood up to replace the cloth on her head.
The feeling of dread grew inside me again.
Simmons had warned us that if her fever were to worsen, she could immediately enter a critical state. One in which she could easily die.
It was the only thought that kept protruding in my mind. Over and over again.
For now let's just take care of her, I thought in an attempt to calm myself.
As I was cleaning the cloth, Snow began to groan as though she were in immense pain. Dropping everything in my hand, I rushed over to Snow who kept turning with a pain expression.
"Snow? Snow, are you okay?" My voice trembled and a reached to touch her forehead.
I wasn't sure if the hot she felt was normal. It was hard to tell since I was always warm.
"I'll-I'll get Simmons!" I exclaimed to myself over the beating of my heart.
However, just as I turned away from her, something slightly warm grabbed my hand.
"Don't go. Please, don't go!" Snow mumbled, the pained expression still on her face.
I froze.
Her small hand grabbed my tightly, no matter how much I tugged. I felt my ears abnormally heat up.
Taking in the defeat, I sat down on the stool after replacing the towel on her forehead.
She groaned again while gripping my hand. Responding with a firm grip, I whispered in her ear, "I'm right here Snow. I won't leave."
She didn't express her emotions easily. I had to study her intensely in order to find out the slight changes in her face and what they meant.
Her lips twitched when she enjoyed something and her eyebrows scowl when she doesn't. The corner of her eyes crinkle when she's wondering about something she doesn't know. If you asked her about her past, her eyes change slightly. People who do not know her wouldn't notice, but her eyes get colder. More distant. And a slight melancholic glint came over them.
I was able to figure out all of that, but I had never seen such an expressive emotion in her face.
She was clearly in so much pain. Anyone could tell.
Why didn't I notice this when she got sick before? Just how much pain was she in then? What is she dreaming about that hurts her so much?
I squeezed her hand.
Would she be hurting less now?
Her face distorted once more, her eyes squeezing and her eyebrows furrowed deeply.
She began to pant rapidly.
"Snow?!" My heart was racing and I stood up, letting go of her hand.
I turned around to call for Simmons but before I could a large gasp stopped me.
Snow grabbed my hand once more, except this time she was fully awake. She pulled me closer with force, her small hands wrapping around mine as she hugged her knees.
Her shaky and haggard.
"S-Snow?" I was so surprised it was the only word coming out of my mouth.
She didn't respond, but only squeezed my fingers, as though I would disappear in any second.
"Snow? Are you okay?" My voice was barely a whisper as I leaned in close to her.
My hand was wedged in between her chest and her thighs as she grasped it. I could feel her heart trembling and her cool breath as her breath shuddered.
I wanted to comfort her, but due to our position it would've been hard to do so physically. So I just whispered lowly while tightening our grasp, "It's okay. I'm here Snow. I'm right here. I won't go anywhere."
We stayed in that position until she began to relax, her shoulders coming down and her breathing calmed.
She squeezed my hand once more before she straightened her back. I leaned forward as she did, peering at her slightly disoriented expression before she settled on her hands.
Snow's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly unlocked our fingers, looking at me when she did.
I only smiled, my hands already missing the coolness of her touch. "Are you feeling better? Should I get Simmons?"
She seemed to be stunned, unknowing what to say or do next.
She's so cute. I held in a chuckle.
My hand reached over to touch her forehead but she quickly slapped it away.
"What are you doing?" She snarled. I was a little disappointed her defenses were back up but glad she was feeling better.
"Your temperature? I wanted to make sure you were doing better."
Her fierce eyes wouldn't lower as she slowly raised a hand to her forehead. After a bit of thinking, she looked back at me. "I'm a little warm but I'm fine."
I frowned. "If you're warm it means you're still sick."
"I'm fine."
I felt a rush of frustration come over me. "You always say you're fine. It's okay to speak up when something hurts or feels wrong!" She looked at me oddly but I continued. "You don't have to bare things alone anymore! I- we're here, we care about you and it pains us to see when you're in pain or when you keep yourself shut in!"
"Why?"
Her question was sudden and I was caught off guard. "Why what?"
"Why do you care so much?"
Her words stung me. A part of me understood she had no concept of how friendships worked or what it meant to become friends, but the other part of me still felt hurt.
"We're your friends. That's what friends do. They care for each other and get mad when there's no trust."
She looked at her hands, pondering for a moment.
"You don't have to use long sentences or be specific." I spoke softly, "All you have to say is 'It Hurts' and we'll help."
"All of you-" She started, "no never mind."
What was she going to say?
"Next time you feel even a tad bit sick, tell us okay?"
After hesitating a bit, she nodded slowly.
"Pinkie promise?" I stuck my pinkie out towards her.
She stared intensely at my hand, the corner of her eyes crinkling slightly. She thinks it's pointless, I thought with a slight chuckle.
Regardless of what she thought, she slowly hooked her pinkie with mine. The coolness of her small finger sent chills down my spine.
"It's a promise!" I chirped. "Now, would you like some water? Something to eat?"
She shook her head gently.
"Are you still tired? Do you want to go back to sleep?"
She shook her head again so I furrowed my eyebrows and gave her doubtful look.
"I'm okay." She sighed before glancing behind me.
"I'll be the judge of that."
My body turned to see Simmons walking in, his hands sitting comfortably in his pockets.
"Hey Simmons!"
"Parker, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought you glued yourself to that stool." Simmons chuckled in his deep voice.
I grinned. "Should I do that next time?"
"I don't think Miss. Roux would appreciate that."
Snow was sending me a hard look, as if she was daring me to do it.
An awkward laugh escaped my lips. "Maybe I won't then."
"Let's see." Simmons waved his hand to move me and once I did, he looked over Snow. His hand slowly moved over her forehead and she flinched softly when they touched. "You're doing much better compared to an hour ago, however, like last time, I think it's best to stay here overnight."
Snow nodded obediently.
"Good. Parker, go get Snow a cup of water and something light to eat." He ordered with a glance before going back to Snow.
"Yes sir!" I saluted and leaned to look at Snow. "I'll be right back."
Before I could take a couple a steps away from the infirmary my body bumped into someone else.
"Excuse m- Ugh." I stopped when I realized who was standing in front of me.
Tristan brushed himself off before throwing me a dirty look.
"Where are you headed?" The question came out of my mouth but a feeling of mine told me where he was heading already.
"I don't think that's any of your business Parker." He snarled.
I smirked. "Come on, aren't we friends?"
Tristan scoffed. "You wish. I only talk to you because Snow talks to you."
"What makes you think she's your friend?" I asked.
He smiled and an unsettling feeling erupted in my stomach.
"Well I can at least call her my teacher, unlike you."
My eyebrows furrowed. This is the second time he says this.
"What?" He asked with a nasty little smirk. "Didn't she tell you? She's teaching me how to fight. Been teaching me since she got back."
What? Since she got back?
"Is that so?" I tried to play it cool but inside a new anxiety formed.
"Yep. Too bad she hasn't offered to teach you."
A polite smile escaped my lips. I won't let you get away with this Tristan.
"Well, I've got to go. Snow asked me to bring her a cup of water and something to eat. I can't keep her waiting can I?"
His facial muscles twitched but he quickly recuperated. "She's awake then? Good, I'll pay her a loooong visit."
I nodded forcefully. "Go ahead."
We separated, and the moment he entered the infirmary, I sprinted for the kitchen.
"Excuse me! Please move out of the way!" I shouted down the hallways.
A familiar figure stood near the cafeteria. "Hey Parker!"
"Not now Uncle!" I shouted, speeding past him.
I bursted into the cafeteria, able to maneuver through easily as lunch was almost over.
"I need a cup and something light to eat!" I panted the moment I busted through the kitchen doors.
My sudden movement caused the cooks to pause momentarily in unease but they continued when they saw I wasn't a threat.
"I take it the girl's alive." Louis said roughly.
"She's always been alive Louis. The correct term is awake." I corrected with a playful eye roll.
He let out a loud snort before pulling out a small pot. "Whatever."
"So, how long will it take?" I asked impatiently.
"As long as it takes."
"Okay, can you make it quicker than that?" My question must've struck a chord in him because he stopped to glare at me. "I'll uh, wait outside then."
Fleeing from the kitchen, I decided to take a seat nearby. But no matter how much I tried to distract myself my eyes kept going towards the kitchen doors.
"Someone's anxious." A familiar voice chuckled behind me, causing me to grin and turn. My uncle smiled at me cheekily. "Simmons told me by radio that Snow woke up."
I responded with a nod.
He let out a heavy sigh. "I wonder what's causing such a thing."
My eyes observed my uncle carefully. Without a doubt, Simmons has presented him with some ideas as to why Snow was experiencing such a thing. I doubt he'll tell me though. My fingers interlocked.
Snow hasn't hasn't spoken to me about personal things. I doubt she's spoken personally to anyone about those things. Unless talking about sceneries was considered personal. Still, anyone close to her can tell, she's been through a lot. And has experienced a lot of pain. It's clearly messing with her.
But how do we help her?
Although Simmons remains calm, I've known him for a while and I can tell even he's starting to get frustrated.
"I'm sure it'll all be better soon." My uncle hoped calmly. "I believe so."
I smiled softly, He's always been like that.
My uncle's words were enough to make one feel like they could overcome anything. It's the only reason why this whole base was still standing and united. He meant everything to me. My uncle had become my pillar. After all, he was the only thing I had left after losing my parents.
After a small conversation with my uncle, Louis came out carefully with a small thermo flask in his hands.
My body bounced up at the sight. "What'd you make?" I quickly grabbed it out of his hands and twisted the top open. A mouthwatering smell touched my nose and I gasped. "Louis. Why doesn't your regular chicken soup smell this good?"
"Close it!" He snapped. "You'll make it go cold."
I narrowed my eyes and frowned.
"Make sure not a single drop goes to waste. If it does, I'll make her go hunt for twenty pigeons."
My mouth gaped open. "You used twenty pigeons?!"
He raised his hands to hit me and I flinched as he stopped above my head. "Just leave."
My uncle and I watched as he trudged back into the kitchen.
With a smile, I held the thermal close to me.
People are starting to warm up to you Snow.