Whatever It Takes

The sound of movement across the hardwood floor caused Arianna to stir in spot. With her eyes still closed she rolled over onto her side, her body searching for the warmth of another she cared about so dearly. As she reached her arm out to touch him, it fell clumsily onto the empty space beside her in bed. She felt around with her arm absentmindedly, sure he was there somewhere.

She opened her eyes and looked to see the vacant spot where he should be. Where had he gone? Before she could even come up with any ideas or panic she heard the sound of coughing coming from the washroom adjoined to his bedroom. She felt her body relax as she began to close her eyes again.

Before her lids were fully shut though, the sound of coughing turned into the sound of gagging. Arianna’s eyes flew back open as she sat up in bed quickly and threw the covers off. Without a second thought she hurriedly moved to the washroom where the door was shut.

She stood tentatively outside the door, lingering in front of it not sure what to do. Should she knock? Should she just open it and walk in? The sound of Patrick heaving and vomiting caused her to quickly knock on the door.

“Pat? Are you ok?” she asked cautiously, feeling dumb knowing the answer was quite obvious. She heard the sound of deep inhales as the vomiting came to a stop.

“Ari?” his voice meekly whispered, so quiet she wasn’t sure she had heard it. The sound of his weakness and uncertainty scared her to the core. Before she could change her mind she turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Patrick sat on the tiled washroom floor, his body positioned next to the toilet with the seat cover lifted. His posture was sloppy, almost as if it was taking everything in him to remain somewhat upright. His face was white like a piece of paper while his eyes were swollen and sunken into their sockets.

“Oh my God, what happened? Are you ok?” Arianna asked as she rushed to his side. She knelt down beside him, her hand instantly cupping his face while the other felt his forehead. She cringed when the heat touched her skin, instantly realizing he had a fever.

Patrick closed his eyes in relief as her cool hands touched his face. His body shivered as he moved himself closer to her for heat. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and slid it down his back to give him comforting rubs.

“I don’t know…I dropped off my sisters at the airport…and then I just got this feeling…I came home and before I knew it…” Patrick began, suddenly stopping and pulling away from Arianna. His eyes watered as he began to cough, quickly moving himself back over the toilet as he began to vomit.

Arianna stood up and grab the hand towel next to the sink as she opened the faucet to retrieve cold water. She soaked the towel with the water, glancing back at Patrick beside her on the floor as he continued to throw up.

As much as she hated the smell and sound of vomiting, none of that mattered as she saw him in pain. He gagged one last time before pushing himself away slightly from the toilet. The pain was evident all over his face, as he had become even paler than before; if that was even possible.

She squeezed out the excess water from the towel and knelt back down to put it against his head. His body fell onto hers, looking to her for the support he no longer felt within him. He no longer had the strength to keep himself upright.

Arianna tried her best to reach his level without moving her legs that he was using for support as she kept the compress to his head. She reached down to the top of his head and gave him a light kiss.

“Babe, how about we move you into bed ok?” she asked him sweetly, as she rubbed his back again. He looked up at her with those eyes she loved so much, only to see them filled with pain and fear.

“I don’t know if I can move Ari…” he began as his body began to shiver again. She took her hand and rubbed his arm in attempts to warm him up.

“Yes you can, I’m here and I’m going to help you sweetie. I promise. Let’s get you into bed and you’ll feel much better,” she told him as she moved her arm underneath his. He looked up at her one last time as she gave him an encouraging nod.

“Nice and slow, okay?” she told him gently as he inhaled deeply. She could see him wince as he moved his legs slowly, curling them up beneath him. His arm trembled above hers as he pushed himself up. Arianna leaned down and put his arm around her shoulder to give him some leverage. Her other hand grabbed his opposite arm to give him more strength.

When they were finally standing, she began to lead him to his bed, holding one of his hands around her neck while they other held him by the waist. She scrunched her nose up in discomfort as he pulled on her hair that was caught beneath his arm. That didn’t matter to her though, what mattered was getting him better.

Once they reached the bed Patrick flung himself onto it with whatever energy was left within him. He began to shiver as he closed his eyes and twisted and turned, trying to find a comfortable position. Arianna grabbed the covers from the end of the bed and pulled them up, covering him past his shoulders. She rubbed his arm from above the covers, letting him know she was still there.

“I’m going to be right back okay?” she told him sweetly as she moved her hand to touch his head lightly. He gave her a small head nod as his face scrunched up in discomfort.

She rushed out of the room, heading towards his linen closet. That’s where he would keep extra covers right? She opened the door and let her eyes skim the content of the closest, frowning, as she didn’t find what she was looking for. Obviously boys were not as organized as girls.

Arianna contemplated for a moment what to do when she heard Patrick groan from his room. Quickly she ran over to the guest bedroom, instantly shredding the bed from its duvet cover. I’ll remake the bed later, she thought as she hurried back to his room. The duvet felt like it weighed 10 pounds as she lifted it up and put it on his bed.

“Ari, I’m so cold,” Patrick told her as she saw him tremble beneath his covers.

“I know sweetie, that’s why I brought you an extra blanket. Don’t worry, you’ll feel better soon,” she promised him again as she spread the duvet across his bed. Once she had it tucked into the bed corner she pulled it up to cover him. Instantly his quivering started to slow down, until it completely stopped.

When she was sure he was okay she rushed back out of the room. She walked into the kitchen and went to the fridge praying that he had some ginger ale so she could give him. As she looked around she sighed as she realized he had none. Obviously he would have everything from Gatorade to beer, but no ginger ale.

As she made her way back to his room she spotted a small metal trashcan with an empty bag inside. Perfect, she thought as she grabbed it, just in case he pukes again. As she entered his room she walked quietly towards the bed where he lay perfectly still, on the verge of falling back asleep.

“Patrick, where’s your thermometer?” she asked him as she kneeled down at the head of the bed where he lay, placing the trash can beside her. She doubted she would be able to find it on her own.

He opened his eyes slightly to look at her, his eyes squinting from too much light even though his room was dark. “It’s in the drawer, next to the sink, on the right,” he mumbled as he closed his eyes again. She looked so beautiful with no makeup on; he wished he could keep his eyes open longer so he could look at her. But it was a fight he wasn’t winning, as his eyelids felt heavy.

Arianna nodded even though he couldn’t see her anymore and went to retrieve the thermometer. When she got back to the bed she could tell he was about to fall asleep by the way his chest rose and fell in a rhythmic motion.

“Patrick, I’m sorry to wake you up sweetie, but we need to take your temperature,” she told him quietly as she sat down beside him on the edge of the bed. Without opening his eyes he opened his mouth, signaling her to take his temperature. She tried not to laugh as she put the thermometer in, watching him as he closed his lips.

She took it out once it beeped, glancing down at the number as her heart began to race. That’s definitely too high, she thought as she went back into his washroom. She opened the cabinets and rummaged through them, looking for some Tylenol to help break his fever. She did a mental dance of joy as she found them, grabbing an empty cup from beside the sink and filling it up with water.

“Do I have a fever?” Patrick asked her as she walked back into the room. “Just a small one,” she lied as she sat back down beside him. “Just take these two Tylenols and go to sleep ok? And I left you a trash can next to your bed in case you have to throw up again,” she told him as she placed the Tylenols in his hand.

He forced his head up as he threw the pills in his mouth, struggling to keep his head afloat. Arianna slipped her hand behind his neck to give him some support as she brought the glass of water to his lips. He took a sip and leaned back, letting his head fall back against the pillows. She placed the water glass on his nightstand beside his bed and stood up.

“Where are you going?” he asked her groggily as he started to feel sleepy again. “I’m right here, don’t worry. Just sleep baby,” she told him as she leaned down and gave his cheek a kiss. She saw a small smile creep onto his face as she pulled away. Within seconds he was fast asleep.

What to do now? Arianna thought as she glanced around at the mess all around her.

***

The scream from the TV made Arianna jump out of her skin as she pulled the blanket further up. The room was still and quiet, enveloped in a sea of silence with all the lights turned off. Only the glow from the city lights outside and the TV screen dimly lit up the room. The movie hadn’t even started yet and she was already terrified. Maybe watching Scream alone in the dark wasn’t the best idea.

After Patrick fell asleep Arianna decided it was time to clean up. She went and cleaned up after Patrick in the washroom, sterilizing and disinfecting every inch of the washroom until it was sparkling. She folded whatever few pieces of clothing he had left on the floor and did the laundry which he had left pile up in his hamper. Every so often she’d go back and check up on Patrick, who was still fast asleep except when he rarely woke up and asked her for some water.

It was only after she loaded the dishwasher that a great idea suddenly came to her. She dialed Jon’s number and explained the situation of that morning to him. Just like she expected he offered his assistance if she needed it. Why, yes she did, thank you so much for asking. She gave him a long list of groceries that she needed, everything she could think of that Patrick would need once he woke up. Jon sighed as he realized he had been set up but obliged anyways.

Once Jon delivered everything to her she put them all away, putting the crackers in the cupboard and the ginger ale and apple juice in the fridge. She made chicken soup for Patrick in case he was hungry when he woke up and even baked some cupcakes to cheer him up.

By the time she looked at the clock, it was already 7 pm, the whole day already having passed her by. She sat down at the table alone and ate some of the soup she made. She was disappointed that she didn’t have a chance to go out and explore the city more. But she didn’t care to be honest. All she wanted was for Patrick to get better. She would give up every shopping day she had here just to make sure he was back to himself 100%.

It was only then at 8:30 pm that she decided it would be a good idea to watch a movie. After carefully ruffling through Patrick’s movie collection, she decided on the classic thriller of “Scream”. Now as the movie started, and she was all alone in the empty house with nothing but a blanket and a bowl of popcorn, did she begin to regret her decision.

“Why do you want to know my name?” a young Drew Barrymore asked the man over the phone. “Because I want to know who I’m looking at,” the voice responded as the music suddenly began to play in the background.

Arianna sat up straighter, the blanket now pulled over her face, the only thing not covered was her eyes. She squinted as heard the dogs bark and Drew Barrymore began to look out of her windows. Why is she so stupid for?, Arianna thought as she watched the camera zoom in on her worried face.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Arianna’s shoulder causing her to scream and throw herself off the couch. She found herself caught in the blanket, struggling to get out while turning to look at whoever grabbed her.

“Whoa, calm down, it’s just me,” Patrick said in a raspy voice as he tried not to laugh at his girlfriend who was still on the floor tangled in the blanket.

“Patrick! That’s not funny,” Arianna exclaimed as she threw the blanket off and stood up. She pouted for a second before she jumped and stood up on the couch to face him. Within seconds she had him pulled into a tight hug, her lips resting on his forehead as she was above him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes, enjoying being so close to her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked as she pulled away and put her hand on his forehead before he could respond. She sighed in relief as she felt his head cooler than before, still a little warm but nothing too serious.

“Better actually,” he responded, his raspy voice suddenly making him even more attractive. She took his hand and tugged on it, signaling him to come and join her on the couch.

“Are you hungry? I made soup,” she told him as she sat back down, watching as he came around and sat beside her. “You did?” he said as his tired and glossy eyes lit up.

“Of course, I have to make sure you get better,” she answered him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He starred at her for a few seconds in amazement, wondering when he got so lucky. Most girls would have been miserable being stuck at home all day with nothing to do. Yet she was different; she didn’t care about anything else but him.

“I’m sorry you were stuck home all day,” he told her as he grabbed her hand. “Are you crazy? Do you still have a fever?” she teased him, “all that matters to me is that you get better”.

“Maybe you should go back to bed,” she said suddenly, catching him off guard. “What? No, I want to stay here with you. What are you even watching?” Patrick asked as he pulled the blanket over both their bodies, making sure she was all tucked in.

“Scream,” she said matter-of-factly as she snuggled in closer beside him. “I thought you hated scary movies,” he told her as he gave her a weird stare.

“Not when I have you around,” she told him with a cheesy smile, instantly causing him to laugh. They finally found themselves comfortable and continued the movie. Arianna’s head leaned itself against Patrick’s shoulder as his head fell onto of hers in a perfect fit.

***

“Ari, babe, wake up,” Patrick soft voice rang in her ears. Arianna’s eyes fluttered opened slowly, her neck aching and her body sore. She looked around the dark living room, the only light coming from the TV where the main menu for the movie played. The clock beside the TV gave the time; 12:02 am.

She must have fallen asleep at some point during the movie, she told herself. Ever so lazily she turned her head to look where Patrick’s voice had come from beside her. All of a sudden her chest caught in her throat as she saw what he held in his hands.

Patrick sat beside her with a smile, one of her cupcakes in his hands with a lit candle on top. She could tell he had made it by the way the icing was messy causing her to love it even more.

“Happy Birthday baby,” he said sweetly as he held up the cupcake towards her. She glanced between him and the cupcake a few times; sure her eyes were deceiving her.

“You remembered my birthday?” she said quietly, glancing at him with emotion in her eyes. She had only told him about her birthday once in passing in the past. She hadn’t even mentioned it to him since they started actually dating.

“How could I ever forget one of the most important days of the year?” he questioned her back as one of his hands touched her cheek.

“But you were sick…you still are sick,” she corrected herself as she cautiously accepted the cupcake out of his hands.

“I’m not sick anymore. And even if I were, I would never forget your birthday. I’m just sorry I couldn’t go out and buy you a real cake like I had planned…” he said apologetically.

“Oh my God, please don’t even go there. This…”she began as she looked at the cupcake. “This is so much more than anything I could ever ask for. You woke up me at midnight to wish me a happy birthday when you’ve been so sick all day…I don’t know what to say,…” she struggled to find the words to express herself.

“Don’t say anything, just make a wish and blow,” he told her as a smile spread across his lips. She giggled at his comment and nodded, closing her eyes to make the perfect wish.

After a few seconds of careful consideration she brought the cupcake up and blew out the candle. She opened her eyes to see him gleaming beside her, the happiness he felt written all over him.

“Thank you,” she told him sweetly as she reached over and pulled him in for a soft peck. “This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me,” she told him honestly as she lingered near his face, her hand resting on the back on his neck.

“You deserve nothing but the best,” he told her as he gave her nose a kiss. “I promise you this will be the best birthday ever”.

She looked him in the eyes and smiled, as she suddenly found herself lost in him. She didn’t even need anything else except for this moment to make her birthday special. Without even knowing it, he had just made her the happiest girl ever.