Sunflowers

-•- Eight -•-

She wakes up with his arms around her. She's curled into his front, laying on her side. He's also on his side, facing her. He's still asleep, and she pulls her arm out from between them. She puts her hand on his cheek and twists a couple of long strands of his hair around her fingers.

He opens his eyes slowly, his thick lashes giving way to the oceanic blue of his eyes. He smiles at her and turns his head to kiss her palm. She smiles shyly at him as she runs her fingers through his hair. His eyes flutter shut again when she does that and she knows he like it.

The morning air makes her shiver. It's just now getting light out, and the air hasn't been warmed by the sun yet. He feels her shiver and pulls her closer, wrapping a blanket tighter around her at the same time.

She smiles at him and snuggles further into his side. He kisses the top of her head and she freezes. "What's wrong?" He whispers.

"Look, about last night-"

He tenses. "Do you regret it?"

She's shaking her head before he even finishes his question. "No, of course not. I just," she pauses before continuing, "I just don't know if I'm ready for another relationship."

He hugs her tightly against his chest. "That's okay, Faithy. I'll wait for you."

Her expression says all he needs to know. She's surprised, happy, and she's sure he can see love in her eyes. He leans forward and kisses the top of her head again.

The sun rises faster than they would both like, and soon it's time for them to get up. She sits up and stretches. He stays where he is, too content to move. She jumps down from the bed of the truck and shakes his arm. "Come on, lazy bones, lets go. I'm hungry and we've gotta figure out what we're going to do for breakfast."

He stretches out and then sits up. "But I don't want to get up."

"That's too bad for you," she teases. Suddenly she looks around. "Where's Pepper?"

That gets his attention. "What?"

"Where's Pepper? She isn't sleeping down here anymore."

He hops down from the truck, landing beside her. "She was sleeping here last night."

Faith stands up and whistles for the dog, but no barking or whining can be heard. She hurries off through the field, calling the dog's name and whistling for her to come. Corbin takes off after her, but only gets a few feet before he stops and turns around. He opens the door and grabs her inhaler, shoving it into his pocket as he runs after her.

They hike for hours, searching the field and the wooded area, but Pepper is nowhere to be found. Exhausted, they return to the truck. She'd had to use her inhaler twice after running around, and now she was too tired to keep looking. She wants Pepper to be found, she really does, but she wouldn't be able to keep looking herself.

Corbin looks defeated. He can't find his dog, and now Faith is exhausted. He wants to keep looking, but he won't risk Faith's health for it. He opens her door and she gives him a small smile, but he can't return it. What is he supposed to tell his mother? He lost their dog? His mother would be destroyed. She loves that dog with all her heart, and he couldn't bear to tell her that he lost her.

He starts the truck and drives back to the main road. The mood in the truck is no longer light and happy; now it's somber and quiet. He can feel Faith's eyes on him, but he can't bring himself to say anything.

Eventually, she turns away with a sigh. The sad look on his face is more than she can stand. She coughs, still not completely recovered from running around for hours, and he takes her hand. She glances at him, but his eyes are still trained on the road.

Her lungs continue to burn and she wheezes, though she tries not to. The harder she tries to take deep breaths, the more uneven and raspy they become. She tries to stifle it and calm down, but after nearly five minutes, she can't do it anymore. She dissolves into a coughing fit, her eyes watering as the coughs come too quickly for her to be able to catch her breath.

"Stop the truck," she wheezes. It doesn't seem that Corbin heard her, so she turns off the music. "Stop," she tells him.

He steps on the brakes immediately and pulls over to the side of the road. She's out the door before it even fully stops and on her knees, coughing. She rests her forehead on her arms as she hunches over. Corbin hurries out of the truck and over to her side, but before either of them can say anything, she throws up.