MICHAEL
I am the first person awake in the morning. I wake with a start, my arms wrapped tightly around Kate’s body on Luke’s too small couch. She is leaning away from me, desperate for separation even in her sleep. I don’t dare move for fear of waking her. The thought of what will happen when she does wake up is terrifying.
Suddenly, as if reading my thoughts and making me pay for them, she stirs. I keep my arms loosely around her but lean away, observing her face.
Kate blinks blearily, reaching a hand up to rub her eyes. She is confused and lethargic; when she tries to sit up she seems to have trouble supporting her own weight.
“Where—Michael?” She groans, laying back down.
“How are you feeling?” I whisper, pressing my palm to her forehead. It is still way too warm.
“Pissed off,” she whispers, turning her head away from me.
I chuckle a little. “Kate, can we—“
“Don’t talk to me,” she says, turning her body completely away from me. I stay silent for a moment, unsure of whether I should let go of her or not.
“Why?” I breathe quietly.
“Because I’m mad at you,” she snaps. Her voice is tired and weak, but at least she is coherent, unlike last night. “It doesn’t just go away because you decide you want to hold me.”
“That’s not what I—“
“Michael! Don’t talk to me!”
I snap my mouth shut, desperately hoping that she doesn’t pull away from me. She stays quiet for several moments, and I think she’s fallen back asleep until she abruptly sits up. My arms fall away from her as she moves, and I sit up as she stands.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“To wake up Luke,” she says offhand.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because I need to go home.”
“I will take you home, Katherine,” I say, slightly irritated that she would assume otherwise.
“Oh really, Michael?” She says, her tired voice heavy with sarcasm. “You’re going to leave and actually take me with you this time?”
“Kate, I—I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking, and I’m so sorry, I—“
“Michael, I can’t do this right now!” Kate cries, frustrated.
“I’m sorry,” I say again, unable to think of anything else.
“Do you want me to say ‘it’s okay’?” She asks angrily. “Because it’s not.”
“I know it’s not, and I know that we have to talk about it—not now,” I add when she throws me a glare. “But please let me just take you home, let me get you in bed. A real bed, okay? You might even have to go to the doctor, Kate, you’re still really warm. And it doesn’t look like you’re keeping your balance too well, either,” I add as she sways on the spot.
“I don’t want to go to a doctor,” she mumbles. I reach out to grab her arm as she sways dangerously again. She reluctantly allows me to pull her back down onto the couch.
“Let’s just go home, then,” I plead with her. “I’ll leave you alone, I promise.”
Kate reaches up to rub her temples, then heaves a deep sigh. “Fine,” she whispers. “I’m still waking Luke up, though. We can’t just leave.”
