‹ Prequel: The Bird and the Worm
Status: I'm not sure if I'll be able to update this story again, considering Jimmy was crucial in the story and it just doesn't feel right to write about him at the moment. Just an fyi for anyone that still takes a glance at it.

Beyond the Sun

nine; worries

We spent our two weeks the same way we’d spent the first day- shopping, flirting, talking, laughing, eating, making love, staying up late, watching television, watching movies, playing games, walking the streets…everything we could think of. This was just another excuse to connect for us, and I could tell that Brian was taking it to heart. He didn’t let the time slip by without making sure we were enjoying as much as we could, and I had to admit that I was a little sad when we packed up our suitcases and checked out of our room on the final day.

But the flight home wasn’t too bad- no one disturbed us, no one asked if he was Synyster Gates, no one sheepishly asked him for his autograph, and no one looked me over as though I didn’t deserve a man like him. We were ordinary people to everyone on our flight, and when we landed at LAX, greeted by Vengeance and Gina’s smiling faces, I missed Venice.

Being back in Huntington was great, it really was, but I could have gotten used to spending forever in those gondolas.

“So. Bri. How was it?”

“It was great, man. Almost nobody knew who we were. It was awesome. Heather and I could have fun without having to worry about the cameras.” He smiled over at me as he loaded our suitcases into the back of Gina’s Jeep. “Best two weeks I’ve had in a while.”

“I was a little sick, though, during the last few days.” I smiled sheepishly as I crawled into the backseat, Brian right behind me. “It was probably the fish I had that didn’t taste quite right.” Gina smiled back at me, and Vengeance slid into the driver’s seat, taking her hand and closing his door, buckling his seatbelt before starting the car and backing it out of the parking space. “Brian was worried for a while, but it’s passed for now.”

He took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, offering me a small smile.

“Well I’m glad you guys had fun. I was kind of surprised though…Gina’s phone was going off like crazy for two days straight.” He smiled, looking at Brian and I through the rear view mirror. “Women, eh, Bri?”

Brian smiled, bringing our hands to his lips and gently kissing my knuckles. “Yeah. Women.” I shivered a little at the tone in his voice, blushing a little, and looked away from him, biting my lip and staring out the window, feeling my stomach growl a little. “You okay, love?”

“Yeah. Just hungry is all.”

“Again? We ate on the plane.” I nodded. “Okay, well…I’ll make you something once we get home, okay?” I nodded before returning my gaze to the passing road, leaning my head against the window. He sighed, his thumb running over the back of my hand, but he otherwise fell silent too, most likely deep in thought, trying to figure out what was up with me…the same thing I was doing.

And maybe Gina and Vengeance were a little miffed by our silence, but it really couldn’t be helped. They were silent, holding hands and watching the road together, and that became enough for them. I knew it was enough for Brian and I- all we’d had was each other for the last two weeks, and it was nice to be in the company of others that we knew, even though neither of us was much up for socialization.

The car ride passed quickly, and before long, we were parked in our driveway, and Brian and I were hefting our luggage from Gina’s car, waving and smiling as they backed out before turning to pull the suitcases inside.

Brian passed his keys to me, and I walked to the door, unlocking it and walking inside.
And then suddenly, a strong wave of nausea washed over me. I closed my eyes, placing my hand over my mouth, trying to fight it down, but it was too powerful for me. My eyes widening, I ran to the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet just as I began to retch horribly, the vomit flying from my mouth and into the porcelain bowl.

Brian must’ve heard me, because I heard the sound of suitcases being hurriedly pushed against a wall, the front door being closed in a rush, and his footsteps practically jogging through the house before he was beside me, one hand on my arm and the other pulling my hair out of the way, his breathing heavy with worry. “Heather? Love?”

I groaned, coughing a little as I waited to make sure that there was nothing more, and then I accepted the tissue that he handed me, wiping my mouth and offering a shifty smile. “Sorry. It kind of…came over me.”

He blinked, his brow creasing with worry, and he pressed his hand to my forehead. I winced slightly- his wedding ring was cold against my skin, even though the touch of his hand felt the same as it always had. Finding nothing wrong with my temperature, he settled for wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest, and I sidled closer to him, clinging to him as his lips met the top of my head. “Heather, love, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m just worried about you, that’s all. Are you okay?”

“I am now, with that out of my system.” He sighed, stroking my hair. I thought it was kind of silly that we were both kneeling on the bathroom floor, but I was comfortable like this, my body close to his. “I don’t know what happened. It just, well…came up.”

“Yeah. I heard that. Damn near gave me a heart attack.”

I lifted my head from his chest. “Sorry.”

He sighed, brushing my hair from my face and gazing into my eyes. “It’s not your fault, hon. I was just scared for you.” He seemed to think for a moment, and then his voice softened. “How about I take you upstairs, to our room, and I’ll bring some soup up to you? Does that sound good?” I nodded, and he smiled. “Okay.” He rose, and then he helped me stand up before he picked me up into his arms, carrying me bridal style up the stairs and into our bedroom, lying me down carefully on the bed.

I curled my hands around the blankets, turning onto my side and staring blankly at the wall, trying to analyze my sudden sickness from all angles, and, assured that I was comfortable, Brian kissed my forehead before walking out of the bedroom, heading toward the stairs.

((Brian’s POV))

I’d spent so much of my time obsessing over telling her that she was beautiful that I hadn’t noticed how slight circles had appeared under her eyes within the last couple of days, and the fact that she’d been sleeping and eating a bit more hadn’t really fazed me- we’d done a lot, and the food was addicting, so there wasn’t much to suspect.

But now that we were home, it was clear that something big was up. It didn’t matter at the moment what it was, though, because I was just focused on making sure that Heather wasn’t deathly ill or something from any of the food she’d eaten on our honeymoon.

I simply made her soup, listening to the local radio station, and when I was finished, I put the bowl on a tray, along with a glass of water and a few chocolates that I had left from what I’d bought her at the airport in Venice. And despite my hard exterior as I sat beside her, setting the tray in her lap once she’d sat up properly, I was freaking out on the inside. Since I didn’t know what was up with her, I didn’t know how to help, and this was a first- I always knew how to help because she had never gotten so sick so suddenly. She’d never gone from being completely fine to vomiting her guts out within seconds, and because of that, many different reasons were swirling inside my head.

She seemed calm, though, and it was her ability to keep from becoming nervous that kept the smile on my face as I watched her eat, my hand folded into hers. She probably thought that I was making too much of a fuss over her, but that didn’t matter. I just wanted to make sure that she had something to eat. Maybe the plane’s food hadn’t been enough. Maybe the food before that hadn’t.

It was possible.