Pulse

Ivy pulled out the bottle of Advil and dumped three into her hand. She grabbed the thermometer and a cup, and with one last glance at the puppies, she headed for the living room.

“Daniel, sweetie?” she cooed, grabbing his hand. That was awkward. “Daniel, I need to take your temperature so I know how much medicine to give you.”

Daniel opened his mouth quickly, and Ivy shoved the thermometer inside before making her way over to the kitchen and filling the cup with ice water. When she got back to the living room, the thermometer was ready to be checked.

“One-oh-four!?!” Ivy shrieked. “This is bad!” she clapped a hand to her forehead, wondering what to do. Finally, she decided that the best thing to do, for the time being, was to fight the fever as best as they could right there in his own house. There was no need to involve the paramedics. Yet.

Ivy quickly, quicker than she thought she could, sat Daniel upright and handed him the Advil. “Take these and drink all of this water. Every drop, do you hear me?” She curled his fingers around the medicine so he wouldn’t drop it, then got up and bounded to the kitchen. “They have to have some, somewhere!” She cried, exasperated, rummaging through the freezer for some sort of Popsicle.

She gave up, throwing her hands in the air, and got some orange juice out of the refrigerator. She found an ice cube tray in the freezer. It was full, but that was easily fixable. The ice cubes clattered coldly in the sink as Ivy’s shaking arms poured a bit of orange juice into each slot.

She ran over to the microwave, where the last two things she needed were. She stretched a piece of clear plastic wrap over the top of the tray, and poked a toothpick carefully through the center of each indentation. She threw the tray back into the freezer and raced back to Daniel’s side.

“Daniel, honey, you’re pale… are you feeling alright?” She asked, quietly screaming at herself on the inside for sounding exactly like her mother. She put her hand on his forehead. It was still hotter than it should have been, but he was definitely cooling down.

“Ivy…” he murmured, grabbing her wrist and placing her hand on his cheek. “I love you so much right now…”

Ivy was shocked, then relieved, then concerned. Shocked because he said he loved her. Relieved because he said ‘right now’, probably referring to the fact that she was taking perfect care of him. Concerned because he probably wouldn’t say that unless he was delirious. That made the crease in her brow deepen, and the little knot of worry in the pit of her stomach grow considerably. Ivy tried to stand up, but Daniel wouldn’t let her.

“No.” He half whispered, his eyes closing. “Stay here. Stay with me. Please.” He was falling asleep.

Ivy sat down on the couch next to him. It was wide enough for two. Her eyes softened their worry lines, seeing him all vulnerable like that. She brushed the hair out of his face with the hand he wasn’t holding captive. “I’ll always stay with you. Forever.” She promised in a whisper. Then, Daniel’s eyes closed.