Feeling Faint (BxB)

Chapter 18

Ben's P. O. V.
I let Jay be for a while, peeking in to check on him every so often. He's fallen asleep on the couch with half his limbs dangling off and his head shoved into a pillow.

I smile softly and go to wake him. "Jay." I whisper. I gently run my fingers through his hair and say his name again. He mumbles incoherently and readjusts.

"Hey, wake up. How are you feeling?" He blinks his eyes blearily and sits up slowly with a pained expression, holding his head. A powerful sneeze shakes through his frame and he falls back against the couch with a groan.

"Not great." He whispers, and I wince at how congested he sounds. "Tell me what's wrong." I say gently.

He sighs deeply and ends up going into a coughing fit which makes him shoot up. I rub his back and he finally manages to catch his breath.

He leans against me and closes his eyes, clearly exhausted. "Jay." I whisper, and he seems to remember my question.

"Killer headache but that's nothing new. I've been a little nauseous since this morning. Cough is new, and now my sinuses are clogged up. I'm also just really tired, can I go back to sleep now?" He mumbles.

I frown. "Why don't we try to get some medicine in you first? Probably food and water too, I don't want you getting dehydrated." I suggest.

"Kay." He says quietly, his eyes still closed. I gently lay him against the couch. "Do you need anything else before I go grab those things?" I ask.

He sits up after a bit of struggle. "I'm going to go grab a blanket from the bedroom." He tells me, but as soon as he gets up he sways on his feet. I quickly steady him and pull him back to the couch.

"Stay here, I'll get it for you." He sighs and ends up coughing harshly. I rub his back with concern until he's finished, then bring him a blanket.

"Here." I say, but he's already fallen asleep by the time I return. I cover him with it and purse my lips, knowing I'll have to wake him again soon.

I gather some medicine, crackers, and water from the kitchen and set it on the living room coffee table before deciding to grab the thermometer too. I add it to the table and slide onto the couch by Jay, feeling guilty that I have to wake him.

"Jay. I know you don't want to wake up but we've got to get some food and medicine in you." His eyes flutter open just as my phone rings. He groans and holds his head as I scramble to find it.

I finally grab it from the kitchen and answer it. "Hello?" "Hey it's Emerson. I tried calling you earlier but you didn't pick up." I can sense a cautious tone to her voice.

"Oh, the power was out for a while, maybe there was something wrong with the cell tower too? Anyway what's up?"

"I talked to River a bit today and they're letting me visit tomorrow. I just..." She pauses. "He said he was worried about you because of the storm and he usually calls you to check in. I guess I just thought maybe I'd do it for him? Check in?" She stumbles out, and I realize this is her own stubborn way of making sure I'm okay.

"Oh, yeah I'm alright now. Jay is here and that helped a lot." I breathe, settling my thoughts and trying not to think too much about it.

"Okay. Do you need anything? I can come over too if you want." "No, it's okay. I think he's coming down with something and I don't want you to catch it."

"Well what about you? Now you'll probably catch it." "That's okay. He needs someone to look after him and I'm happy to do it." I say with a small smile. "Listen, I've got to go check on him but I'll explain more later okay? I'll try to call you again..." I pause, glancing at the clock. "Tomorrow."