Sunflowers

-•- Nine -•-

"Shit," he swears. "That's not good." He leans down beside her and puts a hand on her back. He can feel her body heat radiating through his sweatshirt that she's still wearing.

She coughs again and he pulls her inhaler from his hoodie pocket. "Here," he murmurs, and she takes it quickly. She takes four puffs before her cough finally calms down. She sits back and brushes her hair from her face.

"Thanks," she says weakly.

"Are you going to be okay to get back in the truck for the ride home?"

She nods. "I'm okay now." She stands on shaky legs and climbs back into the truck. He gets in and starts the engine, easing back onto the road. He doesn't want to go too fast so she won't get sick again. He glances at her frequently from now, taking her hand as he drives. She doesn't even seem to notice. Her eyes are closed and she's resting her head against the window.

He speeds up, not liking the paleness of her face. He knows it's from the asthma attack, but he would feel better when she's home. At least in town there's a doctor if she were to need one. They're still a few hours from town though, and he doesn't like how tired she seems.

Before he knows it, he's going over the speed limit. The three hour drive soon becomes a two hour drive, and the scenery flies by in a blur. He squeezes her hand and her eyes open slightly. "We're almost home," he tells her gently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she says, her voice breaking half way through the sentence. "I'm sorry our little trip ended like this."

"Don't worry about it," he tells her. She shouldn't feel guilty for things that she can't control and he doesn't want her to think that their trip wasn't fun just because of the end. "I still had fun, and I'm happy we went. This isn't how I wanted it to end either, but as long as you're okay, it doesn't matter to me."

She gives him her best attempt at a smile before closing her eyes again. She isn't going to tell him this, but the rocking of the car is making her queasy. She knows he wants to get home though, and so does she, so she doesn't want him to slow down.

She feels like she ruined the end of their camping trip. She knows that Pepper's disappearance put a damper on the mood, but she only made it worse. Now he's worried for her and she hates her asthma. It's always such a problem and it keeps her from doing so many things. If she could change anything about herself, it would definitely be her asthma.

She's exhausted and before she knows it, she's fallen asleep in the seat.

Corbin looks over at her, slightly relieved when she falls asleep. Her breathing is even and steady, a positive change from most of the ride.

He's able to relax a little bit when she falls asleep. He doesn't feel as panicked now that she's breathing normally. He slows down to the speed limit and drives home normally.

He drives to her house first. He gets her things from the backseat before opening her door carefully. She was resting against the door, so he catches her gently. "Faithy," he says softly. "Wake up, we're home."

She wakes up part of the way, enough to put her arms out. He chuckles and leans over, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck. He lifts her up effortlessly and carries her to the front door.

By now, it's late in the afternoon and the sun has begun it's descent, even though it'll probably still be light out for an hour. He knocks on the door, his hands too full to be able to open the door. Her father comes to the door and opens it for him. "Is she alright?" He asks.

Corbin steps inside and nods. "Yes. She fell asleep on the way back. I'll go put her in her room, and then I've got to head home."

Her father nods and pats Corbin on the shoulder. He goes upstairs and sets her down on her bed, tucking the covers around her. He notices that she's still wearing his sweatshirt, but he isn't going to wake her up to take it from her. He'll get it another time.

He goes back downstairs and finds her parents in the kitchen. He sits down at the table and both of her parents look at him expectantly. "I just wanted to let you guys know she had an asthma attack on the way back. We were running around this morning looking for Pepper, and she used her inhaler, but it took a while to get better. I ended up having to pull the truck over and she threw up."

Her mother gasps and her father looks somber. "She's okay now, though?"

Corbin nods. "Yes, she's fine now. She fell asleep on the way back, so she was tired, but otherwise it went away."

They nod. "Thank you for telling us," her mother says.

"Of course," he responds. "I had better get home now, but I'll see you guys again soon."