Warriors

Chapter Seven: Impossible

I jump out of bed early in the morning and sprint for the bathroom. I barely make it to the toilet before I start vomiting. Onyx calls my name and walks in. He sounds worried.

"Are you ok?"

I can't answer him. I feel more bile racing up my throat. I hurl into the toilet again, and he holds back my hair and rubs my back. I retch a few more times, then sit back and wait for it to pass, breathing heavy and covered in sweat.

"Better?"

"Yeah. I don't know why I got sick. It came on so suddenly. I haven't gotten sick like this in years. I was fine, and before my eyes opened, I had to run to the bathroom."

"Let's go back to bed. You should rest."

"Will you hold me?"

"I'll never let go."

He holds my hand as we walk back into the bedroom together and lie down. I rest my head on my pillow. I feel completely drained of energy. Onyx lays behind me, puts his arm around my waist, and caresses my stomach softly. I lay here for over an hour, but sleep refuses to take me. I start to feel sick again and do my best to stay still and breath steady, hoping it'll pass.

"You feel tense. Everything ok?"

I don't want to risk opening my mouth, so I just nod.

"You feel sick again?"

I nod my head a second time.

"Do you want some water?"

I grimace and shake my head.

"How can I help?"

I groan and speak slowly, trying to fight nausea.

"I just... gotta let it pass."

"Maybe you have the flu or ate something bad."

"Neither of us has had so much as the sniffles, let alone the flu. And we eat raw animals daily, so it's not something I ate either. It'll pass."

He sighs and gets out of bed, and I pout.

"Come back."

"I'm worried. I'm going to call and see if Doc can come out."

"Don't bother him again. I'm fine, or at least I will be. Like I said, It'll pass."

"Fine, but if it doesn't, I'm calling him."

"Don't worry. It will."

Hours pass, it's been all day, and I can't eat or drink anything without bringing it back up. I can barely move without vomiting. All I can do is lay as still as possible and fall asleep for about fifteen minutes at a time before my nausea wakes me back up. Onyx is getting more worried and anxious as time goes on, and now, he's at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed and pacing.

"I don't like this, Mallory. It's been all day, but you're only getting worse. I'm calling Doc. I don't give a fuck what you say."

He walks out of the room, and I hear him talking on the phone. Five minutes later, he walks back in and lays beside me, smoothing my hair back.

"That feels nice."

"Doc is on his way. He'll be here in about an hour."

"Ok."

He caresses my hair softly, making me drift off again after a while. When I wake back up, I slowly stretch and groan. I feel a lot better than I did earlier, the nausea is gone, and my appetite is back with a vengeance. I rub my eyes and sit up and notice Onyx sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He's resting his arms and head on his knees and staring at me.