Lucy chen ~ chenford ~ chronic illness

Flare up - 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.

A ringing drowned out her boyfriend's voice almost as if the sounds were at war with one another. Though Tim didn't know about her flares, he did know some of her other symptoms so when Lucy tapped lightly on her ear he nodded with recognition. "Tinnitus sucks." Her hand now reaching for Tim's. "Yeah." He agreed before repeating what was blocked out from the ringing now the sound had faded. "Is there anything I can do? I have the day off now, and though I'd love to nap with you I'd like to try make you feel a little better first." He felt Lucy nod against the crook of his neck where she was leaned up against his shoulder.

"A bath?" The soften tone didn't surprise him, Lucy was always a little hesitant when it came to asking for things. "Yes ma'am." Teasing her ever so slightly. Her pale skin blushed as she shook her head with a pinch of embarrassment. "Come on, I'll wash your hair for you."
"Last time you did that I ended up with a giant mat in the back of it." She said with a laugh which only grew as Tim reassured her he'd been practicing.

By the time Lucy had got in the bath Tim had placed all her hair products on the lower shelf and had changed into a t-shirt and a pair of sandy cargo shorts. Slowly, the corners of Lucy's mouth twitched up turning into a soft smile. "It's a good job you keep your whole wardrobe here." You could practically hear her laugh in her voice. "What?" Tim said, the confusion in his tone matching with his puzzled expression. "Look at your t-shirt." As he looked down his clueless frown instantly flashed to a flustered smile. Tim stood up, showing off his bright red baby-tee that had Taylor's swifts face in contrasting black.

Tim twirled clumsily knocking off a towel from the shower rack. "Whoops" he muttered between their laughter. It was unsure if the exclamation was a result of the towel or his clothing mishap.

As their laughter died down Lucy turned on the tap, warming the bath she had been sitting it. The towel was now rehung with the baby-tee and Tim sat on a chair by the end of the bath pressing his bare chest against the back of Lucy's head, earthy brown hair now draped in his lap.

Gentle fingers pressed into her temples as Tim massaged her pounding head before washing her hair. It never occurred to her that someone else might look after her one day. She'd dreamed of a family, sure. But she was just hoping for the bare minimum and now she had way more than that. Tim felt the same, maybe even more grateful for Lucy than she was for him but he knew if they had that debate she would win. Not because it was true, she was just impressively excellent at debating.

After 20 minutes of Tim cleaning Lucy's silky hair she had fallen asleep. It was so peaceful, all Tim could hear was the faint sound her breathing and the buzz of the air conditioner in the other room. Sadly, he had to wake her. "Luce." With no reply he brought his hand to her cheek rubbing his thumb in small circles. "Lucy." This time her neck swivelled to face him, nuzzling her nose into his before lightly kissing him. "mm, we going to nap now?" A small nod was given in reply before he offered his hand to help her out the bath.

"Mhm, wait." Lucy mumbled as her vision went black, causing her body to sway slightly. "Luce?" Tim said, a little louder than he intended. "Just need a sec." She shut her eyes and leaned a little more against Tim. Finally, light seeped back into her puppy dog eyes and they headed to the bed.

Baby pink pyjamas covered Lucy's body from her neck to her knees. Bailey had bought them for her as a birthday present, she adored them even though the lace had slightly started to fray. "Pretty." Tim's voice broke their comfortable silence. She didn't know if this was at her or the pjs but she said thank you anyway, grateful for either. She looked so small, almost as if she'd been placed on the bed like a doll, or a sleepy child.

"What do you think?" The question caused confusion, but once Lucy had registered Tim's gesture she replied. "Closed please." Metal hoops jingled against the matching silver pole as Tim closed the curtains before heading to lay next to his girlfriend. "Goodnight, I'll wake you up in an hour, okay?"
"You're not going to sleep?" She grumbled. "Nah, I got work to do." Tim's hands reached for his laptop to show Lucy but her eyes were already shut, her head slightly below his elbow.

Little clicks of keyboard broke the quiet ever so slightly, but not enough to keep her awake. So, as Lucy slept Tim began to type in the search bar.
Ways to help someone you love with chronic illness.