Gentle Forest

Chapter 62

If I had known I would vomit in my sleep, I would never have drifted off so peacefully. Shortly after straining my mind, a sudden wave of nausea hit. Aiden, who had been on the phone nearby, rushed over as I struggled to hold back the vomit. As I poured out vomit and gastric fluid, it felt like someone was strangling me, leaving me breathless.

Though not a seizure, tears welled up due to the pain. Perhaps accustomed to it now, Aiden calmly supported my head with his hand, patting my back.

The very situation I described as a burdensome to him earlier had become a reality.

Feeling embarrassed and in pain, I struggled for breath for a while before managing to recover. Looking around, the sheets, patient gown, and even Aiden's hoodie were stained, leaving me bewildered about where to start cleaning.

"Stay still, don't get up" Aiden said, casually tossing his hoodie aside with an unaffected expression.

Carrying me gently in the bathroom, he turned on the hot water, perhaps concerned about the possibility of me feeling cold. While I was looking down at the vomit-stained patient gown with a horrified face, he even smiled slightly and opened the button on the patient gown.

"...Are you laughing now?"

"Why, feeling embarrassed after vomiting?"

Nodding, I let Aiden wipe away the traces on my mouth with the back of his hand. He seemed to have a strong stomach.

"I can handle cleaning this up hundreds of times, so live with me."

"You'll say that every time now."

"If you want."

He wasn't one to heed warnings. Ignoring my unspoken objection, he smoothly removed the patient gown as the steam filled the bathroom from the hot shower.

Convinced it wasn't cold anymore, Aiden took off his thin shirt and reached for my patient gown pants.

"...The vomiting has stopped. I'll take it from here."

"I will clean it before uncle arrives"

"This isn't morning sickness. There wasn't even a hint of food odor."

Struggling to resist seemed annoying, and with forced effort, the gown was removed without a proper rebellion. At this point, revealing my nakedness wasn't embarrassing, but I was still concerned about the possibility of a protruding belly.

Despite not feeling cold due to the pervasive warmth, my body shivered, perhaps from the overwhelming exhaustion. Aiden, who had cleared away the vomit, belatedly directed the shower onto my tense muscles. Once the chaos settled to some extent, my irregular breaths gradually calmed.

Wanting to start by rinsing my mouth, I slowly brushed my teeth. Aiden, oblivious to his own drying body, continued pouring hot water onto me. I realized I was now in boxer shorts, but I wasn't sure when the pants had been discarded.

After rinsing my mouth with some effort, my fingertips lacked strength when I put the toothbrush down. As I released it, a touch enveloped the area just above my hip on the side. When the large hand that had been gripping my ribs let go, I seemed to understand the reason.

"Haah..."

I opened my eyes at the subsequent sigh. In my preoccupation with my stomach, I hadn't noticed how prominently my ribcage protruded. Even in normal times, I couldn't say my body was round, but I hadn't anticipated it being this pronounced.

Continuing to expose my skinny body felt awkward. I didn't have the strength to move the makeshift chair underneath his buttocks, so I pushed his hand away and crossed my arms. Even though Aiden noticed my discomfort and continued washing in an inconvenient position, he refrained from making any fuss.