Obsession||BWWM

XV. Look at me

As the days grew into weeks, Nadia took the liberty of not only calling in sick to Elijah's workplace but also fetching his medication from his house.

She has fallen into a routine of sorts. First thing in the morning, Nadia would make him breakfast and put it at her bedside. The proper pills would be laid out for him to take and a fresh pair of clothes would be waiting for him at the foot of the bed.

Then, when she gets home from work (school was out for the holidays), Nadia takes away the untouched platter and grinds up the medication to put in a glass of water for Elijah to drink (she'd definitely picked up on his strong dislike for taking medication). She makes sure he eats at least half a packet of saltines or a piece of toast before cleaning him up with a wet rag.

Nadia let out a sigh as she loads up the clothes in the washer. She wasn't getting much sleep. All her focus lately has been on Elijah.

Bipolar disorder.

It was something Nadia only had basic knowledge on. So, she read up on it all while trying and miserably failing to nurse Elijah back to health.

For a while, Nadia blamed herself. How could she not notice the signs when they were all staring her right in the face?

The award for the world's most oblivious girlfriend has Nadia's name written all over it.

She heads toward the parlor with a basket of clothes in need of folding. Setting them down, Nadia pulls out her phone. She barely registers the text from Adrian asking to come over.

She types in how long do manic depressive episodes last and is met with several articles from multiple sources.

Bipolar I disorder.

Bipolar II disorder.

She didn't even know there were different types. Nadia groans wanting to give up just as quickly as she started.

"Am I interrupting something, babe?"

Her head immediately shoots up to the direction of the familiar voice.

She blinked, unsure of if her mind was playing some sort of trick on her.

Nadia is positive her jaw had hit the floor. There Elijah was, freshly shaved and showered, walking towards her, practically glowing with a slight bounce in his step and a smile on his face.

Frozen in place, all Nadia feels she can do in that moment is watch. She yelps when he wraps his arms around her and holds her tight.

His still damp hair gets her shirt wet when he buries his face in her shoulder. Elijah plants a soft kiss there before looking his lover right in the eye as he says, "thank you".

Although slow to do so, Nadia eventually wraps her own arms around him too. He's thinner, she notices, but says nothing. It's to be expected seeing as he hasn't had much of an appetite.

Nadia gives him a small smile. "No need. I'm just happy you're feeling better". She studies his face for a moment. "You are feeling better, right?"

"Yep," he exclaims. His eyes are bright but there are slight bags under them. For thirteen days, all Elijah did was sleep yet he was clearly tired.

"How about I cook you up something real quick?" Nadia gets up and enters the kitchen, dropping her cell phone on the counter. "What're you feeling like? Pancakes? French toast? Eggs? Take your pick".

Elijah trails behind her as she ransacks her fridge. "I'm honestly not all that hungry".

She stops. Nadia closes the fridge and turns to face him. "Oh — okay," she gives a forced smile. "I can make you a smoothie, if you'd like".