Tennessee Summer

Bed Rest

I wake up with the sudden urge to throw up, I realize I'm still in the tree house and Derek is asleep in the chair. I quickly jump to my feet and run to the bathroom throwing up what feel's like my entire stomach, moment's later Derek has my hair pulled back, "You're burning up" he say's as he runs his hand across my forehead.

I lay down next to the toilet exhausted, Derek picks me up, "Is there another way down other than the ladder?" he asks, "Go through that door" I say pointing to the door on the other side of the little living room. He carries me down the steps and to the main house. He sifts me slightly and pulls open the screen door taking me into the living room, "Noah, Ady's sick!" he shout's to my father on our way to the couch.

"Ady, honey are you okay?" dad asks, I groan and jump up running to the downstairs bathroom dad following me, he pulls my hair back as I throw up for the second time this morning. "Nope, not okay," dad says and Stiles come's running in the front door, "What happened is she okay?" He asked, "I'm fine," I say getting up from the floor with dads help. He placed his hand on my forehead, "You have a fever, you are not fine, Stiles call Melissa and Derek do you mind helping me get her to her room?" Dad asked.

"Dad I'm fine all I need is some coffee and I'll be A-Okay," I tell him and stumble as I try to take a step towards the kitchen and I'm once again hoisted up bridal style in Derek's arms. "Yeah totally fine," dad says sarcastically, "What? I totally am, that was a ballet move." I tell him acting like a child, something I do when sick, it's dad's fault why I do, he always babied me when I was sick.

Dad directs Derek towards the stairs, "Uh, huh and you like ballet as much as you like figure skating." Dad pokes at me. I shift in Derek's arms draping one arm over his shoulder and wrapping the other around his neck. I point at my father, "Figure skating is for sissy's who couldn't make it in a real sport so they slapped ice skates on ballerinas and called it figure skating." I say as we ascend the steps to the third floor. 

"So you agree it's a sport!" Dad antagonizes me, one of his favorite things to do when I'm sick, he say's it's the only time I ever get so riled up. "IT"S NOT A SPORT!!" I shout forgetting I'm close to Derek's ear. "I'm sorry," I say, patting his cheek after he winced. He places me on the bed and pull's the blanket up to my chin just as Melissa walk's through my door.

"Tell him I'm not sick" I whine pointing at my father. "OH yes, you most defiantly are, you always whine when you're ill and I come to take care of you," she says,  I cross my arms and pout while Dad and Derek chuckle at my expense. "Gentlemen, will you step out a moment please?" Melissa asks them, they turn to leave my room shutting the door behind them.

Derek smiles at me as he shut's the door and I couldn't help, but smile in return. "Good looking man isn't he?" Melissa ask's taking her turn at antagonizing me, I look at her and squint my eyes, "Just get the poking over with and I don't know what you are talking about" I tell her, "Uh huh sure" she say's, I go to respond, but she shoves a thermometer in my mouth before I get the chance.

Thirty minutes later she lets my dad back in with Derek in tow, "So what's the prognosis?" dad asks Melissa, "she has the flu, she'll need to stay in bed the rest of the week only getting up to use the bathroom with assistance and she'll need to take these twice a day and this one before bed." she say's handing my dad two bottles of pills. 

"The rest of the week??, but I'm needed out there, I need to take knight on a ride, get cattle ready for Wednesday's sale, I can't stay in bed for a week!!!" I exclaim freaking out. "You can and you will, we are perfectly capable of handling the ranch without you, we've been doing so for the last four years." Dad's words sliced through me the tears start to well in my eyes and me wince as though I was slapped in the face.