S a l e t é I V

XLIV - Vœux - Douze

"Here you go."

"Thanks, cutie."

Cassia handed Spears a fresh bottle of water that she had uncapped for him now that he was sitting up against his arm of the sofa again, whilst she remained perched on the arm opposite. 

The arrangements that they'd made for him in the backroom may have been as comfortable as they could have been - without dragging everything down from the bedroom, something that the other factory kids would have surely been alright with, if it hadn't been something that would have absolutely annoyed Spears to no end - but he simply didn't look well.

Cassie could tell that he was struggling to appear better than he was, the thought of him spending what little energy he had to spare on such an effort disheartening at best. His hair had grown messier due to the time he'd spent resting, he'd steadily grown more pale - something she could notice even by only the light of the fire in there - and his cough might have been more frequent. It was difficult to tell if it had gotten worse, or if his ability to mask it had slipped, and things had always been as rough as they now were. 

One cough nearly escaped him as we went to drink. He managed to stifle it, starting with a few small sips. Cassie had stepped in to keep an eye on him whilst Sleeves got some rest in, and whilst Sunshine took some time to tend to the others.

"Have you eaten anything today?" She asked, speaking quietly, as if even her regular volume would somehow be damaging.

"Yeah, I uh, I had a sandwich. I wasn't really hungry, but I ate it."

"Good."

He'd only had a bit of the water she'd helped him to drink, the young man setting the bottle down beside the sofa after working the cap back on, even that small move causing him a disturbance.

"Not thirsty either...?" She asked cautiously.

"It's not that, it's... Well, you know. Getting to the old restroom ain't so easy. The walk out yesterday damn near did me in."

He chuckled, only for that sound to descend into more coughing, his attempts to reel it in resulting in unpleasant wheezing for a few seconds. 

Like Sleeves and her tears, every instance of his discomfort renewed Cassia's fears, though even then she kept her distance, allowing him the space that he needed, sensing that he would appreciate that above anything else that she could have tried to do.

"What you been up to, anyway?" He asked as he settled back down, one of those sly little grins of his breaking through the fog that was his strain.

"Are you guys all playing together? Driving Chief up the wall yet? Anyone been whooped by Sunny?"

Each of his ideas as to what could have been happening made her smile, his presence the only thing that really allowed her to do so. 

"No, no trouble yet." Cassia replied as she looked down at him from her chosen seat.

He was there. He was talking. He was alright. He'd been doing well, and he could get better. He would get better. He would.

"I..."

She trailed off especially quickly this time, collecting herself after only a short pause.

"Don't tell her I told you this, but... Sleeves is really worried about you. She's been upset this morning."

"Ahh, Cass, you don't have to tell me that. I can see it in her face every time I look at her." He replied, waving off her concern this time around as he became a touch more serious, glancing off to the side.