Into My Arms

Two weeks later:

"Rachael get up. Sound check now, nap later" Anna said, coming into my room and opening up the curtains, sending the bright light in, giving me a migraine.

I groaned and covered my head. "Its already 1:00 in the afternoon. Are you feeling okay Rach? I know u like sleeping in but this is out of your expertise" she tried to joke as she laid down beside me on top of the blanket.

I moaned again. "Hey" she said gently, humor gone. "What’s up?"

"I feel like crap" I told her as she felt my forehead.
"You have a fever...what else is wrong?"

"My head hurts, my body hurts, my nose is runny, my throat hurts and..." I started to say but Anna knew what was coming. She threw a bucket up onto my bed and I threw up in it as she held my hair for me.

Once I was done and I put my hair in a loose bun, holding the, now, clean bucket in my lap. "Its your call Rach. What do you wanna do?"

"I'll go. Just...give me a few minutes..."
"Your sure..."
"Of course I'm sure..."
"Ok ok. you get ready and I'll let everyone no that your sick today and I'll get all the medicine I can find".

She said and walked out. I put my hand on my forehead and pushed my bangs back. I sighed and got out of bed and into the shower.

I got out and I began to dry my hair with the towel as I went on Twitter with my phone.

ReaReaLewis_x2 Sick. U have no idea. But the show will go on

I scrunched my hair and put on my sunglasses to hide my puffy eyes. I got to Anna and we walked out to the car. I slouched as i put the hood of my hoodie over my head. Anna hit a Button on her blue tooth and began to talk.

"Hello? Yea she's right here...she's still standing...barely...yea you can talk to her. Hold on" She picked up her phone and hit some buttons, then she nudged me a few times and handed it to me.

"Its Nick" she said gently. I put the phone to my ear. I coughed first.

"Hello?"
"Hey Rea" his voice filled my ears. It was a sincere tone.
"Hey" I said sadly.
"I saw your Twitter update but when I tried calling u, u wouldn't answer"
"I'm sorry. I'm dozing off"
"What’s wrong?"
"My head is killing me, my body achs, my eyes are puffy and my nose is runny...and I kind of just want to go back to sleep"

"You know you don't have to do the concert Rea"

"I know. But I've never cancelled a concert just because I had a little cold. I don't really want to start now"

"You know I'd be there if I could...maybe I could leave early today..."

"No. It's fine. I'm fine. Go to your meeting. Go to the meet and greet. Do your thing. I'll be fine"

"Okay...rest as much as you can. I'm going to see you as soon as possible"

"Take your time. I'll talk to you later"
"Alright. Love you"
"Love you too" I replied, hung up and went back to sleep.

~~~~~~

"Ugh Anna I feel like crap" I said as I was now in my concert outfit and my hair was done.

"I know you do. It's okay. Here take some more nasal stuff to clear your nose and drink some more tea" I nodded.

I shot the gross nasal stuff up my nose and drank some more tea. "Oh god" I started to say and I began to throw up in the trashcan as Anna held my hair.

“Take a mint too” she tried to joke but I was in no position to even attempt to laugh or even give her an eye roll.

“Hey where is…” a voice said as I heard the door fly open.

I saw it was Nick, Joe, Kevin and Demi. Nick raced to my side to take Anna’s place in holding my hair and he rubbed my back in the most soothing way.

What are you guys doing here?” I choked out.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re going to perform your concert and then I’m taking you home” Nick said.
“Sounds good”

~~~~

The concert started and the plan was to not sing the songs with the big notes. It was an hour, maybe an hour and a half into the concert when I ran off for the fourth or fifth time. I ran right over to Demi who stood there with a bucket, she held my hair as I threw up. I moved down to Kevin who had a water bottle and some mints. I drank some, swooshed and then spit it into the bucket. I moved down to Joe who handed me some tea and the nasal spray stuff. Anna was talking to Nick. I ran back out to finish the song. I finished it and introduced the orchestra so I ran off again to let them play. I put a hand up to my forehead as I walked out to the hallway and put my back against the wall, sliding down and onto the floor.

“Hey…you okay?” Nick asked as he rushed to me and knelt down in front of me.

“No” I cried as tears filled my eyes. Feeling sick was now an understatement.

“Shhh” he soothed as he brought me into a hug and I cried into his chest. “Demi, can you stall?” Nick asked.

“Yeah” she said quickly and rushed off, without giving it a second thought.

“It’s okay” he told me as he put his back against the wall as well, so he sat beside me and put his arm around me, keeping me close.

“You’re almost done. You cant quit now. When we’re finished here, I’ll take you home, make you soup and you get to stay in bed…” I just nodded. He handed me some water and I drank some.

“Now don’t jump around too much. Stay away from super high notes. And try not to spray so many germs” I rolled my eyes at him…and that hurt.

~~~~~~~~

“Nick you really don’t have to do this” I tried to tell him as I laid in my bed, under the covers and he brought in a bowl of soup and a cup of tea in on a small lap table.

“Oh but I do” He placed the small table on my night stand. “I want you to know how much I love you” he said and laid beside me, putting an arm around me and coming close to my face.

“I know how much you love me” I said gently.
“I don’t think you do” he said, lovingly.

Suddenly I became self conscious about him being close to my sick features. I threw face in the opposite direction and I sneezed a high pitched sneeze, away from him. He chuckled.

“Your sneeze is cute” he told me, kissed my cheek and then put the table on my lap.

“But Rachael…you don’t think you’re…” he started to say and at first I was confused but then he looked down at my stomach.

“Oh god no…” I said in a panic but then calmed down because I got a head ach. “I have my period” I added and he nodded, sighing in relief.

I didn’t even think about that.