wave after wave 🌊 [rini au]

winter ; 34

Nate held his sister's hair up as she threw up into the toilet bowl, all of the little that she had eaten for dinner emptied from her stomach. A tear slid down her cheek as she wiped her mouth with a piece of toilet paper, which she brushed away when she gargled the foul taste away at the sink. This was the third time she'd puked that day, once after each meal; it was needless to say that she was drained of energy and lifeless. Her brother had called Ricky to inform him of her sick state, so that he wouldn't expect her for lunch and their planned date after work. It was a rare weekday that Nini wasn't scheduled for a gig and she hated that she was sick so they couldn't go through with it. She refused to let him see her, asking Emma to tell him that she'd be fine and she would see him the next day; Nate had insisted that Ricky was worried and wanted to visit but Nini's sad eyes and his wife's stern ones told him no and he decided he would back off this once.

Nini slumped right into bed after her post-dinner vomit fest and was almost out like a light when her phone pinged, lighting up with a message from Ricky.

Ricky
Hope you're doing okay baby, Nate said you're still throwing up pretty badly. Promise me you'll drink more water and see a doctor tomorrow, please. I love you, Nina, please get better soon.

She barely read the preview message on her lockscreen, unable to muster the strength to hold the phone up to unlock it. Another tear escaped her eye, falling onto her pillow, forming a wet spot. All Nini wanted was cuddles from Ricky but she hated the state of gross she was at that moment, she wasn't ready for Ricky to see that side of her yet. Nini knew that Ricky would embrace all of it, the pretty and the ugly but something in her stopped her from calling him over. As she thought about her boyfriend, she fell into a slumber, dreaming of their date that was supposed to happen that night, wishing that it would have happened.

Little did she know that Ricky had been sitting on the couch in her living room since she'd retreated into her room for the night, after her poor attempt at dinner. Nate had called him over so that he could see her when she was conked out for the night; Nini didn't want him to see her but if she didn't know he came, it was just as good, right? Emma almost cursed when she saw the curly-haired boy sitting on the couch, almost going off on her husband; she only calmed down when she saw the state of worry that Ricky was in. He was talking with Mr and Mrs Roberts in hushed whispers about the day's events when they heard scampering and retching sounds that followed. Mrs Roberts rose to her feet, following the siblings to the toilet to check on her daughter, her heart aching for the poor girl. Mr Roberts let out a sigh, head in his hands until the heaving stopped. "Nini, drink some water, please," Ricky could hear Nate's voice, he also could picture the guy shoving the glass and straw into Nini's face. It was clear when he heard him say "Nins, don't be stubborn, you have to drink some water", that his girlfriend had refused to ingest the liquid, probably out of fear that it would come out the same way it went in. He heard Mrs Roberts' gentle voice, cursing her daughter to comply with Nate's orders, "Ni, come on, you wanna get better for Ricky right?" A silence followed her question, followed by a "There you go, you can go lie down now", Ricky assumed it was when she finished the whole glass of water.

"I really hope she feels better soon," He said to no one in particular; perhaps to himself, not wanting to see or imagine her suffering anymore. Mrs Roberts had rejoined them in the living room, talking about how worried she was about her youngest child. It was uncommon for Nini to get sick this badly, or at all. The girl had a robust immune system, and rarely even caught the common cold, so it hurt their family to see the baby of the family so ill. "I think we should cancel that business meeting tomorrow, I'm going to take her to the clinic to find out what's going on," The older woman clasped her husband's hand, and he immediately took his phone out to make the necessary arrangements. "Mrs Roberts, if you guys have an important meeting tomorrow morning, I'll bring Nini to the doctor's and take care of her until you guys can come back." Mrs Roberts eyes widened, "Ricky, son, aren't you on duty tomorrow?" He nodded but opened his mouth to explain that he could make the necessary arrangements so that he could care for his sick girlfriend. The older woman shook her head, "We can't take you away from your job, even Nini wouldn't want you to do that because of her." Ricky leaned into the couch, frustrated that the Roberts were one-kind of people — selfless. "Don't worry, Ricky. For now, just focus on your job and I will focus on my role as a mother to make sure Nini is well, okay?" Mrs Roberts pat his back just as Nate walked into the living room.