Lost love

Revelation

Weeks passed and I was still sick. It wasn't as bad anymore. I only threw up after midnight, but the rest of the day I felt tired and icky. I hated being sick. There was no way around it, though. No matter what kind of medicine I took, I never felt better.

Today is the fourth of July and we're having a cook out. It's just going to be us and a few of Austin and Minnie's friends that live close by. I got a free pass on helping because I was an 'invalid' according to Jake. He wouldn't let me do anything but sit either on a sunchair or on an inner tube in the pool. I made sure to apply tons of sunblock every hour incase I fell asleep. I didn't want to have the discomfort of a sunburn on top of being sick.

Jake and the guys were done decorating the outside, so he got to take a break. Minnie convinced the guys to hang red, white, and blue streamers and balloons along the fence. She basically threw a fit when Austin told her they weren't necessary.

I was rested against Jake's side, floating on an oversized inner tube in the deep end of the pool. I was extremely comfortable for the first time in weeks. His arms were wrapped tightly around my waist, my head was nestled in the crook of his shoulder, and my feet were dipped in the cool water. His fingers running through my hair helped, too.

Over the past few weeks, Jake has been on edge because of me being sick. Neither one of us knew why I wasn't getting better. I knew food poisoning didn't last this long. Hopefully, It wasn't something too serious.

I was on the verge of sleep when multiple people jumped into the pool at once. Jake and I were showered with cool water. I jumped in surprise and ended up falling off the side of the inner tube. I wasn't expecting to go under water and my mind was still hazy with sleep, so I ended up swallowing at least a gallon of water. When I resurfaced, Jake pulled me back up onto the inner tube. He patted me back gently until I coughed up the water that was blocking my throat.

"Are you okay?" he asked when I was done.

I nodded and wiped the water from my eyes.

"Sorry, Em." I heard Marcus apologize.

I glared at the six guys that jumped into the pool. "Thanks." I said sourly. "I really needed that."

Jake laughed along with them and pulled me back into his arms. He pressed his lips to my forehead before lying back again. I hid my face in his chest when I heard the guys slashing around.

"How are you feeling?" Jake asked me softly.

"Sleepy."

"Do you want to go inside and take a nap?"

"No. It's too nice out to be inside. I can rest out here."

"Okay."

Jake grabbed my legs and moved them on to his and pulled me closer. "I love you, Em."

I smiled. "I love you, too."

I felt his lips press against my forehead. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll never have to find out. I promise."

He drew in a shaky breath and I lifted mt head to look at him. He was staring intensely at me, his beautiful eyes filled with tears. Sadness washed over me.

"Jake..." I whispered. "Don't. Don't cry."

He blinked and tears rolled down his cheeks. "What if what you have is life threatening?"

"It's not. If it was, I wouldn't be here. I'd be in a bed somewhere, hardly able to move because I was weak."

"Will you go to the hospital?"