Golden Boy

34. Fear of the Unknown

Camellia awoke to Fred quietly changing for work in front of his dresser. She propped herself up on her elbow and winced, letting out a small groan.

Fred turned around and looked at her, then came around and sat on the edge of the bed. He put a gentle hand on her leg and said, "Hey, Cami... how are you feeling?"

How was she feeling? She hadn't even been awake long enough to process it, but it didn't take long.
She shifted positions slightly and a wave of pain coursed through her entire lower half. Any movement she made that used her abs or her legs felt like she was getting hit by a cannonball from the inside- it was extremely unpleasant.

She winced again, but she didn't want Fred to know how much pain she was in. She knew he'd feel absolutely horrible and think he'd seriously hurt her, when all it was was a little bruising and achiness.

"I'm fine, Freddie, it's-" she began, but as she looked into his worried eyes, she realized she couldn't lie to him, and she sighed. "I'm not fine, actually... I'm in a lot of pain, and I don't really feel like moving, but please don't be worried or upset with yourself."

Her last few words were pointless to say, as Fred's brows furrowed in concern. "How much pain? I mean, are you going to be alright? Should I take you to St. Mungo's? I-"

"Fred," she interrupted in a soothing voice, bringing her hand up to his cheek. "It's probably just a bit of bruising, it happens, and I'll be okay. I just need to be very still for a while, and it'll be alright."

The muscles in his jaw tightened for a moment.
"I'm just... after seeing the blood yesterday, I was so worried that I'd actually hurt you. I barely slept all night, just in case you needed me for an emergency... but what about, erm... emotionally, though? Are you okay?"

Camellia smiled sweetly at him. "Of course, I'm just a bit tired right now. If you're asking about my feelings towards last night, I don't regret it at all. I can't exactly handle it again anytime soon, but I quite liked you 'taking a jackhammer to me' like that, as you'd call it."

A hint of a smile crossed his face, but he soon bit it back. "That's not funny, Larke. I'm being serious, I'm worried about you."

Camellia grinned and said quietly, "It's a bit funny."

Fred couldn't resist, and he gave a short laugh at her teasing. "Mad, you are. And no, you can bet I'm not going to be that... rough... anytime soon."

"Awww!" Camellia whined jokingly, and Fred rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I know... not getting plowed all the way to the hospital is going to be hard for you..." he said sarcastically, and he held her hand as she laughed at his joke. "But seriously, Cami, I'm really worried. I hate that today is a work day for me... I don't know if I want to leave George by himself knowing how hard it is to run the shop alone, but I promise I'll be up to check on you every hour."

He sounded like he'd love nothing better than to stay with Camellia all day, but she knew he needed to work, and she wasn't about to keep him from his job.

"I got you some breakfast, I'll bring it to you if you want it," he said, and Cam smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, I'll take it in a bit... if you could maybe help me to the bathroom first?"

He nodded and got to his feet, offering his arms for her to lean on. She sat up, groaning as a stabbing pain suddenly hit her lower stomach, and she slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. She grabbed onto his arms and pulled herself up, but almost immediately, her legs trembled and another jolt of pain coursed through her. She gasped as her legs gave out, and Fred swiftly wrapped a supporting arm around her middle to catch her.