Dangerous Territory [Completed]

11. The Room

A/n: Just a bit of a filler chapter, to show how Mashal felt at the news of her Uncle's death.

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The headache clasped my head again and I didn't feel like getting off the bed in the morning. Our group of closest friends were going horse riding today, after breakfast and what the rest had planned I didn't know and neither wanted to know. 

When Ramsha came back from the washroom and found me still in the bed, she pulled the duvet off me and putting both her hands on her hips regarded me with a glare. 

"Don't you dare freaking tell me you don't want to go, Mashal." 

With a grey button down and khaki, and boots, it was hard to miss that she was going for anything other than horse riding. Brown curls up in a ponytail that swung lightly behind her neck as she spoke, I felt a rush of fondness for her and smiled instinctively. "No, I don't." I spoke slowly.

"Come on, Mashal, tell me you're joking?" She said and came to sit beside me on the bed. 

"I'm not, Ramsha." I sighed and felt a searing pang of pain resonating inside my skull. "I really don't feel like it. I'll be in the room." 

She didn't say anything for an entire moment and only regarded me with a mingled expression of deep concern and worry. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I don't-"

She cut me short. "I know there's something going on with you, I'm not stupid Mashal, nobody is. Bilal knows you're not okay, I know you're not okay. But we can't understand what could be so wrong that you can't even share with us."

Now she was making me feel guilty.

"But we don't want you to let us in if you don't want to, but we also really desperately want to help you out of this. Tell me what can I do?" 

Her tone, the warmth in her voice and her gaze brought tears to my eyes, but I had to swallow them in. I couldn't cry and ruin her trip. Shaking my head kept against the pillow, and trying my best to not sound broken, I said, "I'm sorry, Ramsha. I really am, but-I just don't feel like sharing it with you yet. I feel like sharing it with anybody would somehow, I don't know, make it more humongous to bear than it already is."

She scooted closer. "Is it," for some reason she hesitated, "is it too bad that-that you can't let it go and enjoy your time here. I mean it won't be coming back." 

"It's really hard, but I am trying." 

A faint smile came up on her lips, and she gave a nod. Covering my hand with hers, she opened her mouth to say something but stopped and looked at me with eyes wide. Quickly she brought her hand up to my forehead and I realised she was checking my temperature. "Oh my God, Mashal you're burning!"

Oh. I thought I felt like it. "I'll be fine." 

"Do you have a tablet?" She demanded, taking her hand away.

"Yes, I do." 

"When do you plan on taking it?"

"After eating something." I provided. 

"Good. Now go wet your limbs, stay in the bed, and do not cover yourself with duvet no matter how cold you feel, got it?"

I laughed morosely. "Got it. I know, I'm as much of a doctor as you are."

"You're more of a patient right now. Though I hope you know how to take care of yourself."

"Yes, I do. And now you can go."