CHAPTER 31
Matthew
“Heartburn?” I asked flatly, rhetorically, staring at the wall “how can heartburn turn into a chest infection, huh, Theo?”
He didn’t reply. He shook his head miserably and muttered something under his breath as he pushed off the medical bed and to his feet, accepting the antibiotics off Octavia “how’s Stryker?” He asked in a grating voice, avoiding my gaze.
He was in a private room somewhere at the back and I hadn’t heard anything of him since we’d returned.
She flinched “he wouldn’t let anyone touch him. I think Jack’s with him.”
My brow furrowed. We’d gotten back a day ago and Jack had just left on a side quest with two others- I didn’t know any side quest that took so little time.
Octavia must have read the confused expression on my face, because she murmured “I think it was nothing. False alarm. Or maybe just something to get him to stop hammering Johnathan about Stryker. I don’t know. ”
Theo coughed loudly, chest heaving, slumping back down onto the bed.
I sighed. I should probably feel worried- I had been worried when I’d dragged him here in the middle of the night because he couldn’t stop coughing and he’d collapsed into a heap on the floor by the bed, clutching his chest and gasping- but now I just felt tired and resigned.
“Will he be able to come home?” I asked “Stryker, I mean.”
“If he let’s us get a good look at him, yes.”
Octavia murmured “otherwise he’ll be staying here for however long it takes.”
“Awesome.” I remarked sarcastically, rubbing Theo’s back “come on, lovely. Bed.”
It slipped, the nickname. I rapidly glanced over towards Octavia, beginning to feel the first tendrils of anxiety, but she seemed not to have heard, rummaging through a draw. I relaxed and turned my attention back to Theo, who had pushed himself to his feet.
“I didn’t bring my shoes.” He mumbled sheepishly. I raised my eyebrows, staring at him in disbelief “why?”
“Because I thought I was having a heart attack, I panicked! I forgot!”
I groaned. It had rained last night. Everything was drenched. “Take mine.” I grumbled reluctantly, toeing my boots off.
He smiled brightly- and maybe that smile made the prospect of walking through muddy, wet grass in just my socks a little more worth it- and slipped them on.
“They’re too big.” He whined softly.
I raised my eyebrows. I was doing him a favour enough as it was, I couldn’t exactly shrink my boots, could I?
“Suck it up.” I replied gruffly, patting his back and heading towards the door. “And I didn’t even hear a thank you.”
“Right.” He stammered, chasing after me “thanks. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I replied, mouth twitching with amusement just before my socks began soaking up the freezing water from outside. Ugh.
“Bed.” I commanded as soon as we entered the front door into the thankfully deserted hallway, peeling my soaking socks off. Theo grimaced at me “seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. A chest infection isn’t…something to joke about. Could turn into pneumonia. Go to bed, cough up the gunk in a bucket, take those.” I gestured towards the container of antibiotics in his grasp “get better.”
He huffed “can I have your bed?”
I raised my eyebrow “I mean, yeah. If you want. I’ll bring you something to eat.”
“You on dinner duty again?” He smirked at me. I rolled my eyes at him “no. But I’m sure I can squeeze in to make you some soup.”
His smirk faded and he shook his head “thanks, Matt, but…I’m not hungry.”
Of course he wasn’t. “It wasn’t a question.”
“Matt-“
“Go to bed, lovely.” I murmured dismissively, pressing a kiss to his warm forehead. He leaned against my chest, humming.
“I’ve got duty tonight.” I whispered “border patrol.”
“Okay.” He replied quietly.
“I’m gonna leave after lunch, but, uh…it’s a longer shift. I’ll be back late tonight.”
His brows furrowed and he looked up at me with his beautiful blue eyes, hazed over and clearly confused “why?”
“Because they, uh…want us to keep an eye out for Stadal. They’ll be after us and a lot of soldiers are out for injuries. So…”
“Yeah.” He nodded understandingly “right.”
He pulled away and smiled “I’ll be asleep, I guess?”
“Hmm.”
Theo
Matthew had brought me a mug of tea and a bowl of chicken soup before leaving. It was sweet of him, and I choked down half of it just out of gratitude because in reality the last thing I’d wanted to do was eat.
The bed smelt of him: leather, coffee and sweat. It was comforting in a way only his actual presence could substitute, and soothed my aching body.
My chest was still attacked by sharp pains and my throat felt like sandpaper; the antibiotics made me drowsy enough to ignore it, thankfully, and drift into a deep sleep I was roused from only when Matthew entered the room accompanied by a strong smell of dirt.
I felt exhausted, my head fuzzy as I lifted it from the pillow to get a good look at him- full of mud.
“Hey.” He whispered upon noticing that I was awake “sleep well?”
“Yeah.” I croaked “you stink.”
“We got attacked.” He said softly. My heart-rate picked up slightly at the news, my head clearing enough to form a coherent thought “what?”
“Yeah, we slaughtered a load of soldiers. They slaughtered a load of us. It was a mess.”
“Jesus.” I mumbled huskily, sinking back down into the warmth of the bed.
“Indeed. I’m going to shower. You need anything?”
“No.” I smiled at him, eyes already forcing themselves shut again. His chuckles were the last thing I heard before unconsciousness claimed me once more.