[FIC] - Together- M

[Guest Eventide]

Hi...

This is my first fiction post, so I hope I'm doing it right! Crash Into Caliginosity is my own little invention, but liking sick/comfort stories, I decided to write some to go along with it. Because the idea of my original story is complicated and some aspects of the sick/comfort stories I post here will not make complete sense, I posted a 'short' explanation of what's going on. Here's the link to that if you don't want to be a little confused: http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forums/in...showtopic=15270

Um, this is one of my very few male stories. It doesn't have a ton of sneezing in it, like all my sick/comfort stories, it was written for the plot rather than the sneezing just to warn you... Also, my sick comfort stories, though short for me, can be pretty long.

I'm sorry if there are some errors, I try very hard to get them all out, but I'm sure there will be a few. Feedback is very much appreciated, I like encouragment, constructive criticism, all that good stuff to make me a better writer! Thank you!

Together

Ben walked inside the house. It was past midnight and he was tired. After checking downstairs for Beth, Ben headed up. He found her in the bonus room with Judith. “Hi there,” he smiled.

Beth turned from the papers on the table in front of her to smile at Ben. “Hey.”

As he gave Beth a kiss, he sat down next to her. “What’s going on up here?”

“I just finished reading over a proposal of hers for the neighborhood garden party. How was your day?” she asked, helping him out of his coat.

“Long,” he sighed. He closed his eyes, leaning against the couch. He didn’t feel quite himself but he couldn’t put his finger why.

Judith stacked the papers and stood up. “You husband is good at what he does,” she smiled.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Beth shrugged, but she winked at Judith.

Ben glared at her through narrowed eyes. “You guess so?” He leaned forward, putting his arm around Beth’s shoulders the way bad guys in movies did whenever they were about to lecture the good guys that got caught up with them. “Let me tell you something, buster, I work darn hard to put food on the table and a roof over your head!”

It was hard for Ben not to laugh as Beth looked at him haughtily. “Well I’m getting a college education and then I can put food on the table.”

Judith didn’t try not to laugh, she just did. “Good night, and thank you, child,” she waved as she headed for the stairs.

As soon as Judith left, Beth turned to Ben sympathetically. “I’m sorry your day was long!”

“Oh, it’s all right,” shrugged Ben. He smiled slyly and pushed Beth down on the couch. “Do you think you can give it a happy ending?”

Beth pulled Ben down and kissed him. “I already hunted so, yeah, I think I can try.”

“And so he said ‘That’s fishy!’” laughed Rico as he finished a joke.

Everyone else laughed as well. Beth, Ben, Jamie, Rico, and Swane sat together outside a café. They were having coffee and talking for the evening. Beth and Ben sat on the bench against the decorative outside railing and the others sat in chairs. Ben had his arm around Beth’s shoulders and she was leaning on it.

“Chloe was telling me about her cousin who lives in Austria,” Swane began.

Ben tuned out. He’d felt off-color all day. A headache had come and gone, he’d been tired, his throat was scratchy and he’d been sneezing. He hadn’t said anything to Beth yet since he wasn’t sure if he was getting sick or not. He hoped not! It wouldn’t be any fun for Beth and she’d have a lot more work to do.

Beth wasn’t really listening to Swane either. Ben had been strangely quiet. She knew he was tired since it had been a hectic time at Swane Inc. She was glad that it was Thursday. She took Friday evenings off totally from hunting so that she and Ben could spend time together without that disruption. She planned on having him rest over the weekend.

“So how goes school, Beth?” Swane asked. He’d been in England for a couple of weeks on business and had just gotten back.

“Just fine. Majoring in physical education was a really good idea! Then I can do defense classes for people who want to learn defense. I’m actually really enjoying learning all these different skills that they teach you when you major in PE.”

Ben smiled at her. “She’s doing really good! Top of her class,” he said proudly.

Jamie smirked. “Of course, it’s not really fair because you have advantages the others don’t.”

“I don’t show off, if that’s what you’re implying. Nobody would know that I’m different. I’m strong and flexible but I don’t do near as much as I could.”

“Still,” Jamie rolled his eyes. “You do have advantages.”

“HUH-CHOO!” Ben suddenly sneezed into the crook of his arm.

“Bless you,” Beth said, running her hand down his back. She then turned back to Jamie. “I do because I don’t get hurt like other people do and I’ve been in shape for years so it’s not a strain. At least I don’t flaunt it.”

Swane grinned. “Jamie can’t really talk. You don’t brag about your abilities but he certainly likes to give you a hard time about not understanding computers.”

“Thank you!” Beth gave Jamie a triumphant smile. “You tell me things like ‘this is so easy, Beth, come on!’ when I’m stumped by a computer. Ben hardly ever does that.”

“I give her a hard time about other things,” Ben raised his eyebrows up and down at Beth. He sniffed and turned to Jamie. “I’d be careful, Rush, or the kid might start making you run with her every morning.”

“Like you’d let me,” retorted Jamie.

“True, I wouldn’t.” Ben took a drink of coffee, hoping to soothe his throat but it didn’t work. He groaned inwardly because he had to sneeze again. He brought his sleeve up to his face for a second time and sneezed. “HUH-CHOO! HUH-CHOO!”

“Bless you again,” Beth said, a slight frown on her face.

“Thanks,” Ben sniffed and rubbed his nose with his wrist.

Rico pointed at Ben. “Molds,” he said matter-of-factly. “Back in Tuesday, there was a girl that I had in English every single year that had an awful time in the fall.”

Knowing this would lead to other stories, Ben turned to Beth. “I think it’s time we call it an evening, sweetheart.”

“Ben’s right. We should get home. It’s great to have you back, boss,” smiled Beth. She stood and kissed Swane’s cheek.

Ben got up and tossed some money on the table for his and Beth’s part of the bill. “Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “See you all later.”

“Bye,” smiled Beth.

Ben and Beth had both been quiet the ride home. As Ben parked the car in the garage, Beth finally spoke. “You go ahead and go to bed. I’m going to hunt for a couple of hours.”

“I’m coming with you.”

Beth shook her head. “You’ve been working sixteen hours five or six days a week for the last month! You got home early tonight so you should go to bed and catch up.”

“But I haven’t hunted with you in a couple of weeks and—”

Cutting him off with a kiss, Beth smiled. “I’ll be fine. You’re exhausted and you need to sleep,” she said firmly. It was unusual for her to fuss like this. She only did it when she deemed it truly necessary.

Ben actually did really want to go to bed, but he felt guilty for leaving Beth alone so much. “Are you sure?” he asked, but he was caving.

Beth got out of the car and nodded. She guided Ben through the door. “I’m sure.”

Judith greeted them in the foyer. “I didn’t expect you two so early.”

“I’ve got a tired husband. I’ll be going out again though. I’ve still got some things to do but I’m dropping him off.”

“You’ve been working far too hard,” scolded Judith.

Ben sniffed and gave Judith a smile. “Thankfully I’m almost out of crunch time.”

Judith turned to Beth. “Take him upstairs and put him to bed.”

“You heard the lady,” grinned Beth as she led Ben upstairs.

As Beth was putting an extra knife in her boot, Ben kissed her neck. “Do you really have to go hunting tonight?” he asked.

“Yes. But tomorrow’s my night off so we’ll spend all evening together if you get home on time.”

Ben smiled suggestively. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Beth turned around, her hands on her hips. “Are you going to go to bed when I leave, Benjamin Hayden?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to wait up for me, are you?”

“No.”

Beth planted a kiss on his lips. “Promise?”

Ben shook his head, exasperated. “It’s not fair! You always get your way!”

“Good,” Beth smiled. She left the bedroom.

Sitting on the bed, Ben ran his hand over his face. Fatigue washed over him. Something about Beth gave him energy, but now she was gone and he felt burned out. He sniffed and pulled on his pajamas. It was only nine but he was ready for bed. He coughed a couple of times as he turned off the light and got into bed. Maybe Rico was right. Maybe he had allergies.

Beth crept quietly into the house just after midnight. Everything seemed to be asleep, and she made sure she made no noise as she went up the stairs and into her dark bedroom. She was relieved to find Ben asleep. She got ready for bed, still being almost completely silent.

Ben turned over and mumbled, “I’ll take the garbage out in the morning, Judith.”

Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Beth slid in next to Ben. She pressed her lips to his cheek. “Sleep well, Hayden.”

When Ben woke up, he glanced at the alarm clock. He moaned. It was a little after 3:30 in the morning. He looked over at Beth. He didn’t even remember her coming in. His head hurt again, his throat was worse, and his chest was a little tight. He prayed that he was just allergic to something.

For a few moments he tried to fall back asleep. He felt like coughing. He decided he would be better off in the bonus room so he didn’t disturb Beth. Just as moved to get out of bed, he sneezed. “HUH-CHOO!”

The sound startled Beth out of sleep. She sat up as Ben coughed once. “Bless you,” she said sleepily.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” sighed Ben.

Beth turned on her bedside light. “It’s all right.” She took in her husband’s appearance. He looked worn out. “Are you okay?” she finally asked. It was a question she’d stop herself from asking all evening, but now she needed to know.

Ben rubbed his nose and sniffed. “Yeah, just tired.”

“Do you feel sick?” Beth felt his forehead. He didn’t have a fever.

“I think Rico’s probably right. I’ve never been in this type of climate in the fall before. It must be getting to me.”

Beth wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead she turned off the light and shifted so she was behind Ben and rubbed his shoulders. “You’re tight!”

Her strong hands felt good on Ben’s back and shoulders. “Stress,” he answered. “That feels good...”

For several minutes Beth worked on Beth, gradually pressing softer and softer, lulling him into a sleepy state again. “Can you go back to sleep?” she asked quietly.

“Mmm-hmm...” Ben was too relaxed to say more. He laid down, Beth’s hands barely touching his back.

Beth turned on her side, facing Ben who was already asleep. She wouldn’t say anything more unless he got worse. She had an inkling he was getting sick but saw no point in making a big deal of it yet.

Ben sighed as he stared at his computer. He should have listened to Beth and taken the day off. When he’d woken up, he’d felt just as bad as he had earlier that morning. Beth had suggested that he take the day off, but he had ignored the gentle advice, still unsure what was wrong with him.

Eight hours later, he was knew he was sick. He’d shut himself in the office, hoping to get more orders figured out, but he’d spent the time coughing, sneezing, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head, the soreness of his throat, and the desire to sleep.

Glancing outside, he was startled to see that in the last few hours the snow had turned into a storm. He quickly checked the weather and saw that his main ways home were blocked. “HUH-CHOO!” he sneezed suddenly and then groaned as he laid his head on the desk. It was six in the evening, Beth was waiting for him, he was sick, and now he couldn’t get home.

“Rough day?” Beth’s soft voice came with an equally soft pressure on his back.

“Am I delirious?” Ben asked, not turning around in case she wasn’t really there.

Beth laughed. “No, I came on over when the storm got started. I figured that you’d be stuck here so I might as well be stuck here as well.”

Ben lifted his head and faced her. “I love you!”

The laughter on Beth’s face disappeared when she got a look at his face. He was flushed, exhausted, and sick. She laid her hand on his cheek and then his forehead. “You’ve got a fever.”

The chill of her hands felt good on Ben’s hot face. “I don’t feel good,” he admitted.

Beth’s concern showed on her features as her hands slid down to rest on his shoulders.

Then came a knock on the door and it opened. Swane smiled when he saw Beth. “I see you’re here. I was just going to tell Ben that those of us stuck here are camping out in the lounge. We’ll probably be here all night.”

As Swane left, Ben rested his head against Beth. “At least you’re here with me...”

“Let’s go to the lounge where it’s more comfortable for you.” Beth held her hands out to Ben who took them.

When the reached the teacher’s lounge, they saw Swane, Jamie and Rico all sitting around, talking to each other.

“Everyone else had already left,” explained Swane. “It’s just us.”

Beth led Ben to the couch where he collapsed. “Are you all right?” Rico asked, the first of the group to take notice of Ben’s appearance.

“He’s sick, poor baby.” Beth hugged Ben as he rested his head on her shoulder.

“Great,” Jamie said sarcastically. “Now that we’re cooped up all together, the rest of us are going to get sick.”

“Don’t worry,” glared Ben, “I’m planning to stay away from you.”

Swane raised his eyebrows. “Why don’t we make the best of our situation?”

As he said it, the power went off. Rico laughed. “Very typical. Someone says something like ‘make the best of our situation’ or ‘look on the bright side’ and things get worse. But...we can tell ghost stories now!”

“I’ll go get some candles and, Jamie, you build a fire,” instructed Swane, nodding at the fireplace.

“Here you go.” Beth handed Ben a mug of tea that had been heated on the fire.

“Thank you,” Ben said, giving her a smile as he took the mug. He coughed for a moment and then took a drink. He couldn’t really taste the tea, but it felt good as it slid down his raw throat.

Rico came in the room triumphantly. “I just dug us up a poker pack! We can play poker by candlelight.”

“Nice,” grinned Jamie. He took a seat at the card table that had been set up next to Swane.

After sitting down, Rico shuffled the cards. “You playing, Ben?” he asked.

Ben shook his head. “No thanks.”

“The man is definitely sick if he passes up a rousing game of poker,” tutted Rico.

It had been a couple of hours since the power had gone out. Ben had tried to read but he couldn’t. Beth had been working on a paper for school. It was not how he had envisioned their Friday night together. “I’m sorry, baby,” he sighed as he reached for Beth’s free hand.

“Whatever for?” Beth looked at Ben, surprised.

“This is not what I had hoped for tonight.”

Beth set her pencil down and smiled. “It’s not your fault!”

Rico, Jamie and Swane paused their card game to glance over at the couple. “What exactly had you been hoping for tonight?” Rico asked interestedly.

Ben turned to them, his eyes brightening a little. “I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

Glancing over at the men at the table, Beth said shortly, “Ben and I usually have dinner and watch a movie together.”

“Oh,” Jamie said, trying not to seem putout that they did in fact spend time together like any normal couple.

“Jamie, it’s your turn,” Rico pointed out. The game resumed.

Before returning to her paper, Beth gave Ben a smile and kissed his cheek. “I love you,” she said softly.

“And I love you,” Ben whispered.

Beth entered the lounge. She had been in search of food and more tea, but the box was empty and the only food in the fridge was stale pizza and beer. Not good things for someone who was sick. “Nothing,” she mouthed in response to Rico’s questioning look.

Swane was on his cell phone, his expression grave. “I see. Yes, we’ll be there as soon as we can. Thanks, Eve.” He switched off the phone. “We’ve got a problem.”

“What did Eve want?” Rico asked.

Sighing, Swane put the phone on his belt. “Wesley’s behind this snowstorm and is planning to use it to get at Beth. We can’t stay here. This is one of the first places he’ll come. We need to go someplace where we won’t be found. Eve’s at the Motel in Saton, just a couple of miles from here. We have to go there. It’ll be safe.”

Beth shook her head. “We can’t get there. The cars won’t work in this snow, all public transportation is shut off—”

“We do have legs,” Swane cut in.

“No, boss!” She pointed at Ben who was asleep on the couch. “He’s in no condition to walk two miles in a blizzard! You three can go meet Eve, but we have to stay here.”

“We have to go...all of us! Ben’s better off going to the hotel than staying here,” Swane said firmly, leaving no room to argue.

Beth walked over to the couch. She shook Ben gently. “Ben,” she said softly.

Ben’s eyes opened blearily.

“I’m sorry to wake you,” Beth apologized, throwing Swane a nasty look, “but Wesley’s coming for us. We’ve got to go meet Eve at a hotel a couple miles from here. Do you think you can walk?”

“Yeah, sure...” Ben sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He coughed and looked at Beth. “When are we leaving.”

“Now,” Jamie said shortly.

Beth glared at the three men who were standing up. “Give us a second!” She turned to Ben. “Is your jacket in your office?”

“I think so,” shrugged Ben.

“I’ll be right back.” Beth left the room.

Swane shook his head, a slight smile on his face. “Why ever did you come in today?”

Ben rubbed his temples. “Right now I don’t really now. I wasn’t completely sure I was sick and we’re busy so I thought I’d come in.”

“Beth didn’t figure out you were sick before you came?” Rico asked, knowing that Beth had good intuition.

Chuckling, Ben nodded. “I think she knew. She suggested that I take the day off ‘since I had been working so hard and was tired’ but I didn’t. She asked last night if I was sick but I didn’t know. Beth just let me come and learn from my own mistakes.”

“I assume you learned,” Swane grinned.

Ben sniffed and nodded again. “Yeah, I’ve learned.”

Beth returned with Ben’s coat and a newspaper. “Put this on,” she instructed.

Jamie sighed. “Beth, we don’t have time to read the newspaper.”

“I’m not going to read it,” replied Beth flatly.

Ben had his coat on. Beth quickly took the newspaper apart and began crumpling each piece up. She stuck them in the arms of Ben’s coat. Then she zipped his coat up and stuffed them down his back and stomach. “That’ll keep you warmer.”

“Smart,” admired Rico.

“We have to go,” pressed Swane urgently.

Ben coughed hard as the group got to the hotel. He was frozen stiff, dizzy, his head pounded, his throat was even more raw from breathing in the cold air through his mouth since he couldn’t breathe through his nose, his chest was tight, and he kept coughing. In order to get to the hotel, he’d had to lean on Beth.

Each person stomped off their shoes as they entered the lobby. Swane went up to the desk. “There’s a reservation under Eve Holland.”

The receptionist checked and then handed Swane a key. “There you go. I do apologize now for the lights and heat. The generators are trying to keep everything going but they’re old and wearing out.”

“It beats outside,” smiled Swane.

Beth supported Ben as they got in the elevator, able to see plainly how badly he felt. Swane knocked on the door to alert Eve that it was them and then opened it. The room was a nice suite with a small kitchen, a living area, and a bedroom. Eve greeted them with a smile. “I’m so glad you made it safely!”

“Thanks for calling,” Rico smiled.

Taking Ben’s hands in her own, Beth pulled him to the couch. She pushed back his hood and unzipped the coat. After quickly throwing the newspaper onto the floor, she rubbed her hands up and down his arms. “How are you holding up?”

The man that looked back at her was a much vulnerable looking man than usual. “I...” he broke off to cough.

Beth wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her. “You can rest here,” she murmured.

Jamie had gone to the kitchen and Swane had left to see how reception was for his phone. Eve frowned as she turned to Rico. “Is Ben all right?”

“He’s sick,” Rico muttered.

Ben’s teeth were chattering so loudly that they could be heard across the room. Beth put her hands on either side of his face and kissed his forehead. He was burning up. Then she stood up and went to Eve and Rico. “Are their blankets that I can have for him?”

Eve went to the bedroom and returned a moment later with a couple of blankets. “Here.”

“Thank you!” Beth returned to Ben and draped the blankets around him. “Do you want to go to the bedroom and sleep?”

“I-I’ll st-stay here...”

“Okay,” Beth agreed. “Hang on for a moment.” She stood up and went to the bathroom.

Eve followed her. “How long has Ben been sick?”

“He really started feeling bad last night and has gotten worse as the day’s gone on. Of course Wesley hasn’t helped anything,” Beth growled. “Hunting us down and forcing us to leave in the middle of a storm has been hard on Ben.” Beth opened the medicine cupboard where there were several things.

“What are you looking for?” Eve asked.

Beth pulled off two bottles. “Cough syrup and ibuprofen.”

Eve raised her eyebrows. “What’s a hotel doing with medicine like that in the cupboard?”

“I don’t care. I’m just glad to have found it.” Beth walked into the kitchen, got a spoon and a glass of water, and headed back to the main room.

Ben was huddling under the blankets, his head against the back of the couch and eyes shut. He felt Beth’s hand on his cheek and opened his eyes. “Are w-we safe h-here?”

“We’re safe,” reassured Beth. “I’ve got cough medicine and ibuprofen. Which do you want first?”

“What f-flavor is the c-c-cough syrup?” Ben asked fuzzily.

Beth looked at it. “Grape.”

“I’ll t-t-take the first and chase it d-down with the w-water.” Ben took the spoonful of syrup Beth handed him. He made a face as he swallowed it. “Disgusting!”

Jamie entered at that moment and sat down in a chair. “I personally like grape,” he said snidely.

“B-bully for y-you,” Ben shot back. He quickly took the pill and drank the water down. “Thanks, s-sweetheart.”

Beth sat down on the couch next to Ben. “Come here,” she coaxed.

Ben laid his head on Beth’s lap. She ran her hands down his arm and then up and down his back. “You’re an angel,” Ben sniffed. He curled up and soon fell asleep, Beth’s hands soothing the tight muscles in his back.

Jamie watched silently. He wished he was the one Beth was holding. He thought being sick would be worth it. He hated the way that Beth was fawning over Ben, catering to his every need. He cringed when Beth leaned over and kissed Ben’s cheek. He wondered what it would be like to be the one that Beth was so devoted to.

It was about midnight. The generators couldn’t hold their own and all light and heat were lost. A fire had been built to keep the room warm. Eve was asleep in the bed in the bedroom and Swane was asleep in a chair in the bedroom. Around eleven Beth had woken Ben up and pulled the hide-a-bed out. She’d chosen for them to sleep in the living room because of the fire. Jamie and Rico sat together in the two chairs in the living room.

Ben turned over in his sleep, coughing. Without waking up, he moved closer to Beth.

Jamie’s eyes were fixed on the couple, but Rico was the one who finally broke the silence. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side to either of them. I mean, Beth’s always been sweet, but she’s not exactly Florence Nightingale material. Ben’s always been the tough guy.”

“I think he’s taking advantage of her,” Jamie said coldly.

Rico raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“She’s waiting on him hand and foot! She shouldn’t have to do that!”

“The guy’s got the flu, Jamie. He’s not feeling so hot. Beth seems to enjoy taking care of him.”

Jamie glared as Beth’s hand rested on Ben’s chest. “It’s just that...”

Rico grinned. “Men are babies when their hearts are broken and they’re sick. Right now Ben’s sick and your heart’s broken. You’re both being babies.”

Jamie was irritated but decided to leave the conversation there, knowing Rico wouldn’t understand.

Beth quietly got Swane’s cell phone off of the top of the dresser in the bedroom, went into the bathroom and shut the door. Then she dialed Judith’s number. She knew that Judith would be awake since it was almost eight in the morning. The phone rang three times and then came the usual crisp “Judith Garner speaking.”

“Hi, Judith, this is Beth.”

“My stars, child, I’ve been worried about you! I tried Benjamin’s cell phone and work number several times but just got an answering machine for both. I wasn’t sure you got to the office all right.”

Beth felt guilty. “Sorry! The power went out and the phone lines didn’t work. I didn’t think to use the cell phones, but I was sort of preoccupied.”

“Where are you now?”

“We’re in a hotel in Saton. We were at the office but a friend called us, saying that we were safer at the hotel.”

“Probably right,” agreed Judith. “Is it just Benjamin and yourself?”

“No, it’s Swane, Jamie, Rico, and our friend Eve who told us to come here as well.” Beth sighed. “And of course, Ben’s sick and—”

Judith tisked on the other end. “I thought he looked ill this morning. Is it just a chill or is he running a temperature?”

“He’s got a fever. I think it’s influenza, just overwork and that time of year from what I know.”

“How high is it?”

Beth didn’t know the actual degree. “Um, he’s hot to the touch.”

“Is there a thermometer there?” Judith asked.

Beth searched the bathroom and found one. “Yes, but I don’t know exactly how it works. I’ve seen these kind of TV though. Do you shake it out, stick it under the person’s tongue, wait for it to beep and read it?”

“Correct.”

“I know how to help with this kind of thing with some of my bush remedies, but I don’t have what I need here,” Beth sighed again.

“Just make sure he gets plenty of sleep and liquids, and that his body stays warm and his head cool,” Judith instructed kindly. “As soon as this weather clears out, come home.”

Beth smiled. “We will. Thanks!” She turned off the phone and then dialed Samuel’s number.

“Hello?”

“Samuel, it’s me, Beth.”

Samuel smiled. “Hello, Beth. I take it you got snowed in.”

“Swane, Rico, Jamie, Ben and I all got snowed in at the office. Any word about Wesley?”

“Wesley?”

“Yeah, Eve called us from a hotel in Saton saying that Wesley is searching for me. She had us come here last night since it was safer. Do you have any idea what he’s up to. My senses must not be working right because I can’t tell what’s going on with him.”

Samuel was quiet for a few seconds. “Beth, Wesley hasn’t been able to come out of hiding yet. I think Eve must have gotten a bad connection. It happens.”

Beth cursed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ben’s sick, influenza or something. Swane made us walk two miles in the blizzard at like nine-thirty at night so that we could meet Eve. I told them Ben wasn’t up to that but they insisted. Now I find we could have just stayed there.”

“Don’t worry about Wesley. Tell Eve and the others that he’s still in hiding. I would expect that some crone of Wesley’s was trying to scare you all into taking action that wasn’t necessary.”

Beth ran her fingers through her hair. “All right. At least I don’t have to worry about keeping everybody safe while Ben’s sick. Thanks for clearing that up! We’ll talk to you later. Hopefully this storm will melt away enough that we can get home. And call Swane’s cell if anything happens with Wesley.”

“I will. Beth, just take care of your husband. Don’t worry about other things. You are entitled to have a semi-normal life, and in sickness and in health is part of any normal marriage.”

Beth smiled. “All right. Thanks, Samuel.”

Ben sat up slowly and leaned against the back of the couch. Beth was nowhere in sight. Jamie and Rico were sleeping in chairs. He assumed the others were in the bedroom. Beth must be up and about somewhere. He looked at the clock and observed that it was about 8:30 in the morning. Through the crack in the curtains, he saw that it was still snowing hard.

Pressing against his temples, Ben tried to ease his headache. He felt very out of it and even more so without Beth. Her presence made him feel better. He didn’t feel sleepy at the moment, but he didn’t feel like doing anything either so he was stuck with feeling miserably bored.

A couple of minutes later, the front door opened and Beth came in. She smiled when she saw him. “Hi, I was eating breakfast.”

“No problem... HUH-CHOO!”

“Bless you!” exclaimed Beth.

Ben moaned, “Thanks.” He coughed and moved so he was laying down again.

“I’ll be right back.”

Beth returned with a thermometer and the spoonful of cough medicine. Ben grimaced when he saw it. “More of that stuff?”

“It helped,” Beth retorted as she had him take the medicine. After he swallowed, she handed him the thermometer. “Put that in your mouth.”

Ben obeyed.

For a couple of minutes, Beth stood, waiting. Finally it beeped and she took it from Ben. “101.8˚. I’m sorry you’re sick,” she sighed, her eyes full of love and concern. She left with the spoon and thermometer and then returned to sit on the bed.

“Is there anything you want?”

“Tea,” Ben said hopefully. His throat hurt.

Beth smiled and kissed him. “Of course.”

Rico opened his eyes to see Beth and Ben on the couch. The bed had been put away and now Beth was sitting with a book and Ben had his head on her lap, blankets covering him as he slept. “Good morning,” Rico said quietly.

Beth looked up, a smile on her face. She set down the book as she greeted, “Good morning.”

“How is he?” Rico asked.

Looking down at Ben, Beth said, “He’s still pretty sick. I gave him cough medicine half an hour ago and soon he was asleep.

“You really love him, don’t you?”

A gentle expression crossed Beth’s face. She ran her fingers through Ben’s thick hair. “With all my heart.”

“I hope someone loves me as much as you love Ben someday,” Rico said wistfully. Unlike Jamie, he was not jealous of Ben because of Beth, but he was slightly envious of the relationship they shared.

“I’m sure someone will!”

“Kid?” Ben muttered.

“Yes?” Beth looked down at him once again.

Ben pulled her hand to his lips. “You make the best turkey salsa I’ve ever tasted!”

“Thank you,” Beth bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!” With that, he was out again.

Rico and Beth chuckled together. “Codeine is strange stuff,” Rico grinned.

“Is that what makes him go all loopy? Last night after I first gave it too him—when the rest of you were at dinner—he was going on about monkey’s in outer space, something about a planet of apes.”

“Planet of the Apes is a movie.” Rico eyed Ben. “I guess it hits some people harder than others.”

“I wonder what I’d be like on that stuff.”

Rico laughed again. “Either you’d be wacked out of your mind, which would be amusing, or you’d be dead.” After a moment he said with a grin, “I’d like to try some of this turkey salsa that Ben so highly recommends.”

“So would I!”

Beth cooled Ben’s face with a bathroom towel. His fever had shot up a degree and a half by noon. It was now five in the evening. She didn’t dare give him more medicine since it was possible to overdose.

The others were out eating dinner. Beth had explained to all about Wesley. No one blamed Eve. It was better to be safe then sorry.

Ben coughed and moved closer to Beth. She rested her hand on his cheek and he quieted. She was reminded of when she’d been so terrified he was going to die because of the demon, Kali. That fear had been one of the first clues that she’d cared more for him than she was ready to admit.

She was not nearly that worried now. Even though he had a high fever, she knew that he would be all right. He hadn’t developed any secondary infections, he was just fighting a nasty bug.

Beads of sweat appeared on Ben’s face and ran down his face. Beth smiled when she realized his fever was breaking. “Thank you!” she whispered. He would be tired but not nearly as miserable.

For several minutes, Beth continued to wash his face. He finally opened his eyes and she saw they were not overly bright. “Beth,” he smiled.

“How do you feel?”

Ben realized that he didn’t feel like he was on fire. “Tired but much better!”

“You’re fever’s broken.” Beth leaned over and kissed Ben. “You’ve been a zombie for the last couple of days.”

“It must have been one of those 72 hour bugs or something. Not much fun. I did have a good servant girl though,” Ben grinned.

Beth raised her eyebrows. “I hope you don’t expect me to wait upon you all the time.”

“Why do you think I married you?”

Laughing, Beth held his hand. “Back to your smart comments again, Hayden?”

“You love me for it!”

Beth couldn’t dispute it.

“You know the one good thing about whole snowed in, Wesley mix-up, being sick thing?” Ben asked.

Beth smiled. “What?”

Ben caressed Beth’s cheek. “We were together.”

“We were together,” repeated Beth, her eyes sparkling as she held Ben’s hands.

The End

[Aljana]

Very nice story. I like the interplay between the characters, the little jealousies and kidding around between them.

Aljana

[Jellyfish]

Wow! I really enjoyed reading this. The amount of sneezing in it was fine; I too enjoy the whole sick/comfort/vulnerability thing, a well-written fiction with emotion and the ability to capture my imagination is what's most important, to me! And this definitely did...

It's good! Keep at the writing!

[countless]

Great stuff, and you did not exaggerate the amount of sneezing etc. Go on !

[allergyboy2001]

I really like that you are writing something original rather than fanfiction. (Don't intend to insult fanfiction, just want to encourage originality.) You're creative and brave to share your own universe.

[sneffnie]

lovely story x