Love The One You're With

Chapter 37-New Year's Eve

"You're wearing the sweater I got you," I beamed as he cuddled closer. I leaned into his chest, inhaling his scent as much as I could with my stuffed up nose.

"I didn't get to thank you for it.." he replied as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"It's vintage! And so soft! I was hoping you'd like it," I rambled before I turned just enough to see him smiling down at me.

He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "Thank you, Quinnie. I love it...and you." I tried to tease him by dragging out a dramatic "awh," but I sputtered into a fit of coughing. "Shit, hold on," he said as he wiggled out from under me and ran to where we kept the medicine above the bathroom sink. "Here," he held out a plastic cup full of grape cough syrup and 2 Tylenol. I groaned, but did as he asked, gulping down the sticky syrup and taking the pills dry as he grabbed a glass of water for me. "Maybe no more whiskey..." he tsked me as he made the trade before returning to cuddle and watch more tv as he held me.

"I missed you, Sammy," I said softly as I laid my head in his lap. He smiled down at me and played with my hair until I started to fall asleep. I knew he missed me, too.

Sam's POV
I felt like an absolute creep watching her sleep, but my eyes kept drifting down to the beauty in my lap instead of the show on the tv. It was nearly 3am, and I knew I should carry her to bed...but I didn't want to wake her.

As carefully as I could manage, I slipped out from under her, balancing her head as I bent down to pick up her legs. I held my breath as I lifted, but thankfully she didn't stir. PM tylenol was a lifesaver. I tiptoed through the hallway and laid her in bed, being sure to tuck her in with both blankets in case her fever returned. I ran back to the living room and grabbed her glass of water, refilling it before placing it on the nightstand and backing out the door.

"Sam!" Jake's voice boomed from the other end of the hallway. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He asked in a horrible British accent that drunk Jake liked to adopt.

"Shhh! Quinn is asleep," I hissed at him. It's bad enough that he was being an obnoxious drunk, but to do it after leaving her sick and home alone...it really irritated me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He half whispered still maintaining the accent and goofy swagger as he walked towards me.

"I live here, dumbass," I rolled my eyes and laughed as he clapped my shoulders in a hug. "I hope you have a good reason for leaving Quinn home alone.." I added sternly, crossing my arms as I pulled away.

"Well, if you must know, I went to another meeting that you all missed..and she didn't feel well enough to go-I tried to cancel, but she practically forced me to leave!" He explained dramatically. Knowing Quinn, that's probably accurate, so I let it go.

"She's too sick and you're too drunk, so you can sleep in my room," I pointed towards my bedroom door and placed my other hand on his back to guide him in.

"Whoa whoa-you come home and just kick me out of her bed?" He protested while slurring his words. I wanted to tear into him-to defend Quinn's honor-but it wasn't worth the hassle.

"I'm taking the couch, stand down," I patted his shoulder before turning to walk back towards the living room. My bedroom door clicked shut, and I breathed a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about. I pulled out my phone and sent a text letting my family know I had made it home safe, and apologized for the delay.

RonniestKiszka-did you get your New Years kiss? 😏

-I don't know what you mean..

RonniestKiszka-whatever! Tell Quinn I said happy new year, and tell our shithead brother to stop drunk texting me pretending to be Oliver Reed

I cackled with laughter before clapping my hand over my mouth trying to stifle the sound. I listened for a moment to see if it woke anyone, but I didn't hear anything, thankfully.

After I stripped down to my boxers, I stretched out on the couch and closed my eyes, trying to ignore how uncomfortable I was. I guess I eventually dozed off because I woke up to hear Quinn blowing her nose loudly in her room. I rolled off the couch and hurried to check on her.

"Do you need anything?" I asked sleepily as I walked in and stopped abruptly. She looked like hell. Her usually vibrant and glowy skin looked pale and dull while her eyes looked tired and bloodshot. She groaned and threw herself back on the pillow, and I walked over to feel her forehead with the back of my hand. Warm. Way too warm. I picked up the thermometer off her nightstand and held it out after clicking it on. "Open up, Quinnie," I said softly as I placed my free hand on her cheek, using my thumb to gently coax her into opening her mouth and closing it once the thermometer was under her tongue. It trilled a beep and the numbers read 102.7. Fuck.

"I'm so cold," she shivered as she pulled the blankets up to her nose.

"I know, baby, I know," I cooed as I debated the options. A cool shower would lower her temperature, but that seemed cruel when she was already shivering. I grabbed another dose of cough syrup and Tylenol, and smiled weakly as she took both. I climbed in bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her trying to help her fever break. She shivered for a few more moments before settling into sleep.

The next morning I snuck out of bed, being careful not to wake Quinn now that she was finally sleeping peacefully. She had been up and down all night, coughing, sniffling, blowing her nose, and just whining because she felt so bad. It broke my heart seeing her like that, so I had set up a grocery delivery for this morning. I met the driver at the steps and helped him carry everything inside, slipping him a $10 bill on his way out. Our usual order was put away in the fridge and pantry, and I got started on Mom's special chicken noodle soup recipe.

"That doesn't smell like breakfast," Jake mumbled as he came walking out of my room around noon, holding his head.

"I'm making chicken noodle soup for Quinn," I admitted as I stirred. He nodded in understanding but offered no response. "There's food in the fridge if you're hungry," I cocked my head towards the fridge as I worked.

"Mmm, hair of the dog is the best breakfast," he joked as he took a swig of whiskey.

"Now you're going to get sick," I stifled a laugh at his surprised face. "Quinn drank nearly a third of that bottle before I got here last night," I explained.

"Alcohol is a disinfectant," he shrugged before taking another sip. Silence fell over us for a few moments as he dug through the fridge before finding an apple to munch on. I sat the wooden spoon down and sighed.

"We need to talk about what happens once Valentine's Day gets here," I blurted out anxiously. It had been weighing on me lately, especially now that it was only a little over a month away. Jake sat down at the kitchen table and looked up glumly. "Personally, I vote we just try to make Valentine's Day as perfect as possible for her. No pressuring her to choose or even mentioning the deadline or what comes after.." I said smoothly. I did my best to keep calm and cool despite the anxious energy roiling through me at the thought of losing her.

"Then what? We do a bachelor style elimination the next day?" Jake asked incredulously.

"I mean, kinda? We just let her pick the time and place to let us know her choice.." I explained nonchalantly as I sat down in the chair opposite him. He propped his chin up on his hand, thinking about it before smiling.

"Okay, but when she picks me, no pouting about it," he teased. I stuck my tongue out at him defiantly like when we were kids.

"Pretty confident for someone who has technically already lost her once," I shot back with a laugh. He frowned. Too far. "Sorry," I mumbled as my head dipped.

"It's fine, Sammy. Enjoy it while it lasts. Josh is picking me up so I can go get my car...tell Quinn to text me," he waved a hand before heading out the door, tossing the core of his apple in the small patch of a yard.