Storm and Silence Fanfic

A Tied Game Means No One Wins

~ Early January 1841~

Rick and I have been married for officially two months. It's been an interesting time. He's been true to his word and let's me continue to be his secretary during the day. Even when he works in his home office at night he "allows me" me to help him.

But I don't mind. As much of a demanding tyrant as he can be, I do enjoy spending time with him. I always thought if I had to deal with him during the day and at night it would be too much and I'd want to die, but it's the moments when I'm without him that I realize how much I enjoy his stony company.

Everything is going normal.

Until...

I try to keep as quiet as possible. Wiping my mouth with my hand, I push myself up from the floor and tiptoe back into bed. Groaning softly, I lie on my side with my arms wrapped around my stomach. I feel so nauseous. I must have eaten something off last night.

I close my eyes and try to keep the contents of my stomach in my stomach.

A few seconds later, I rush into the bathroom again. When I come back out, Rick is standing in the door.

"Rick, gosh, why did you scare me like that?" I jump and it makes my stomach roll again. I lean against the door frame.

"Lillian, what are you doing?"

"I..um, just was using the bathroom."

"That was not-"

"I'm fine, Rick. Really."

I try to push around him so I can lay back in bed, but he grabs my arm.

"Lilly," he tries to hold my face, but I duck around him and run to the bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet.

"I knew you weren't fine." He says.

"Yeah, okay, whatever." I don't have the energy to fight with him. I can't even get up right now.

"I'm taking you to the doctor."

"NO!" I remember the last time he took me to 'the doctor'.

"It won't be like that, my love. I told you I'd take care of you." He runs his hand down my cheek and I smile up at him. "If you're sick, you can't fetch my files for me and I don't have a replacement yet." I scowl, pushing his hand off me. Of course that's why he's so concerned.

After I feel able to stand, I get up. He wraps an arm around my waist and helps me walk.

"Rick, I can walk on my own." I tell him.

"I know." He says, grabbing a towel from the cabinet. He lets go of me for a second to turn on the water and wets the towel. He hands it to me so I can clean my face and leads me to the bed, helping me sit down, which was quite unnecessary as I have my own legs, but for some reason, I don't protest.

He walks over to my armoire and I watch him pick out one of my dresses. He walks over and sits down next to me.

"Can you get dressed?"

"I am quite capable, Dick, of getting dressed by-"

"I know what you're capable of, wife. But you're sick. I'm asking if it will be too much for you to-"

He stops when I reach over and dry heave into the waste paper basket next to the bed.

"Too much? All I have to do is put on one dress. How hard can that be?" I rasp, looking up at him.

His eyes flash and he drops the dress on the bed next to me. He gets my corset and throws that at me. The laces whip my face.

"Meet me downstairs in five minutes. I'll have Karim bring the carriage." Him and his stony behind march out of the room, leaving me alone.