The Client

Chapter 18

The next morning Sam woke up smiling brightly as he looked down at Mercedes, she had her arms and leg wrapped around him. Sam was in awe of how peaceful she looked and waking up with her next to him made him feel whole. He moved some the hair out of her face and gently caressed her face before suddenly stopping at how hot and damp she felt.

"Baby, you need to wake up." Sam said softly while lightly shaking her. He heard her grumble and turn her head to the side, her cheeks were rosy and he started to get worried.

"Mercedes, I need you to wake up." Sam said sitting up and pulling her with him.

"Five more minutes baby." Mercedes said barely above whisper, her head was spinning and her throat was dry. Sam willed her to look at him and to his luck she looked up at him with a small smile.

"You have a fever and we need to break it. I'll be right back but you I need you to stay awake okay?" He said waiting for her to respond which she nodded and sat up more giving him a weak smile. Sam got out of bed and went over to his bag and grabbed a pair of sweats and a shirt along throwing them on quickly before grabbing his phone and shooting Stacey and Stevie a text. He went over to Mercedes' bag and grabbed her body wash she had packed before walking into the bathroom to run her a warm bath when he walked back into the room Mercedes had drifted back to sleep and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Come on sleepy head, let's get you in the bath." Sam said leaning down and scooping her up. She gave him another small smile before laying her head against his chest.

"You know there are others ways to break a fever." She said lazily as he placed her into the warm water, which she happily embraced once it touched her skin. Sam chuckled at her comment before placing a peck on her forehead. When she started sneezing he knew his assumption was right and knew they would have to adjust their plans for today.

"I'm sure there is but you need to get better and you can't do that if I'm tiring you out so after your bath you're getting back in bed and resting. I already told Stevie and Stacey that we needed to adjust our plans... we usually go for a hike then have breakfast but I told them to go ahead without us." Sam replied tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

"You should go, I'll probably be sleeping anyway."

"No, I'm going to take care of you and then when everyone gets back we'll have lunch and head back to the house and once we get there I'll continue to take care of you." He said sternly.

"Sam..."

"I'll be back in about fifteen minutes I'm going to get you some medicine and food. When I get back you better still be in here." He said walking away not giving her a chance to respond. Sam walked out of their cabin towards the mess hall, Stacey and Stevie were waiting for him at the entrance both looking concerned.

"Hey is my girl okay?" Stevie asked.

"Yeah, just a cold for being in the water last night. I'm gonna get her some-"

"Why was she in the water last night? It was too cold for a swim." Stacey asked looking confused before giving Sam a once over then smirking. Sam noticed his sister's facial expression change and shook his head.

"What?"

"You and Cedes got it on last night, didn't you?" Stacey said smiling brightly before slapping his arm in disbelief.

"Wait... what does that have to do with Mercy going for a swim... oh... ohhhh." Stevie said finally realizing what had transpired.

"Look as fun as this conversation is, I need to get her some medicine and food. Are you guys okay with doing the hike without me?"