Ronan: To the Moon and Back

18. A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

AN: First, thanks for reading. Second, this was the comment I left when I posted this chapter the first time.
"I do not. Like. This chapter was hell. Why? Because I was typing and editing and merging chapters together to form this long one (4,000+ words) and THEN MY FUCKING COMPUTER WAS LIKE HEY LET ME RESTART FOR NO REASON. I about flipped everything in my house. Like, I cried, as does a 26 year old at the time when her hard written work shuts down. Cried those "are you fucking kidding me" tears of blood because all my fucking hard work, right? But thank you the program I was using while I typed because it SAVED IT ALL. Now here it is. It is 4:44 fucking am. Goodnight. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did not."

Now here's the chapter. (yes, it's a Panic! At the Disco song)

Rae knew it was coming, in fact, she felt it coming. Despite all her precautionary medicines, vitamin C and these little Zinc chewable pills that swears fights of the beginning symptoms, she still catches a cold. She felt it two nights ago, when she was working and suddenly felt a tickle in her throat when she talked to Evan, who yet again was there trying to convince her to go on a date with him. Tea hadn't worked. 

She had no time to sleep it off because sleeping it off meant taking off of work and taking off of work meant even more bills unpaid. Which meant that the heat was still shut off even though their electric was turned back on. She also, again, declines the date offer and drives herself home because Jasper would rather her take care of herself than cough all over his hard cooked food. Even though he forced her to go home, he sent her with several takeout containers of his homemade, chicken noodle soup.

So by the time Friday rolls around, it's a full on head cold (at least that's what she tell herself because it cannot, absolutely can not be anything worse than a head cold, though it feels a lot like the flu). Her nose is stuffed up, and she swears it feels like knives lodge in her throat whenever she talks or swallows. Her head feels clogged and muffled, like someone shoved cotton balls into her ears until they filled her brain. Her neck and shoulders ache, and she would much rather be buried underneath her blankets at home by the fire in the sitting room. Sure she has no heat, but fire is heat in itself and that'll always do for her.

However, she made a promise to read to the kids during story time, so she sits in her car, willing herself to suck it up. Because no matter what, her pain, the aching muscles and headache, her sickness, the stuffy nose and knife lodged throat, never compares to that of Hummingbirds patients. Rae makes it as far as the main doors to the Children's ward of the terminally ill, when she's stopped. Doctor Ramsy was just coming back from his lunch break when he sees Rae, and immediately knows.

"Raelyn," He reprimands, "you know better to come here when you're sick."

Rae blanches. "I'm not...that sick. Just a case of the sniffles." She talks through the pins in her throat.

Doctor Ramsy fixes her with an incredulous look. "I'm sorry, Rae. I have to send you home."

"But I promised them I'd read today! I haven't seen Ronan for two days because of work. He needs me and I promised!"

"He'll be just fine, but not if you walk in there like this. Their immune systems aren't strong enough to fight off even a small cold. I'm sorry."

He right, she knows it. Rae groans; mainly because she's being denied access, but also because her neck and shoulders start aching worse, and she feels the coming of a cough. She hangs her head and sits down on one of the chairs in the lobby. Doctor Ramsy apologizes once more, then disappears through the doors she's forbidden to go through. She's a bit of an idiot for trying anyway.

***

Liam rounds the corner and spots her first, the boys just arriving to the Hospice and chatting animatedly about how they were sneaky enough to lose Paul again. They're in a secured place, and don't feel the need to be babysat each time they visit. The weather has been much more chilly following the rain, the sharp bite of winter just around the corner, so they're still in the process of shrugging off their coats when he sees her hunched over.