Beca groaned as she turned over in her bed, her entire body engulfed in a dull pain as she moved. Even after sleeping the majority of yesterday away thanks to cold medicine, she felt even sicker than she had before she fell asleep last night. Tears stung her eyes as she grabbed the water bottle next to her and chugged the rest of it in an attempt to soothe the searing pain in her throat. Even though she was wrapped in a massive pile of blankets and the thermostat read 72 degrees, her body shivered feverishly and her stomach threatened to empty what little content it contained.
"Well, at least it's a good enough excuse to skip classes," Beca sighed to herself as she pressed her face back into her pillow. Just as she was beginning to drift back to sleep, a knock came from the door.
"It's open," Beca mumbled faintly, hoping the visitor wouldn't make her get out of bed to answer the door.
"Good morning, babe," Chloe smiled brightly, walking over to Beca and placing a kiss on her cheek.
"Careful Chlo, I'm probably contagious." Beca's voice was barely over a whisper, the soreness of her throat making it difficult to talk.
"Like that would stop me from kissing my girlfriend," Chloe smirked, pecking Beca on the lips before sitting next to her on the bed.
"Seriously, babe. I really don't feel good and I don't want you catching whatever I've got and feeling as miserable as me." Beca barely made it to the end of her sentence before breaking out in a vicious coughing fit. Chloe's hand immediately moved to the small of her back, rubbing small circles under her shirt in an attempt to ease the smaller girl's discomfort. Beca clutched at her throat, gasping for air as she looked around her side of the room for water. Chloe procured a bottle from her bag, uncapping it before handing it to her girlfriend.
"Thanks," Beca breathed, taking a massive swig of the water before handing it back to Chloe.
"Looks like rehearsal is definitely out of the question for you today," Chloe chided, repositioning herself as she lied down next to Beca.
"No kidding," Beca snorted, placing her head on the taller girl's shoulder and intertwining their fingers together.
"You should probably see a doctor or something. Maybe visit the on-campus health clinic," Chloe suggested.
"But I hate doctors," Beca pouted, her face attempting her best rendition of the puppy dog look. Chloe laughed at how ridiculous she looked, nudging her softly as she kissed her forehead.
"Will it make you feel better if I go with you?" Beca's face lit up instantly.
"Well…I mean I guess so," she joked, faking disinterest. Chloe nudged her again, chuckling softly as she rolled her eyes at the brunette.
"I'll be back here at 5 after rehearsals with some soup and we'll go to the clinic then, okay?" Chloe started to get up from the bed, but found she couldn't move when Beca grabbed her by the arm.
"Don't leave me," Beca whined, tucking her head further into the crook of the redhead's neck.
"I have to, baby. Aubrey's already gonna have a field day with you not being there, and I don't have a reason to skip rehearsal," Chloe sighed, running her slender fingers through Beca's chocolate tresses.
"Tell them your girlfriend is sick," the younger girl replied bluntly. The two had been keeping their relationship a secret from the Bellas for the past three months, per Chloe's request, and Beca was tired of the façade.
"Can we not do this right now? Not while you're sick," Chloe shot back, using her free hand to unwrap Beca's fingers from her arm.
"I'm sorry," Beca mumbled, instantly regretting bringing up the subject. She knew Chloe would say something when she was ready to be public about their relationship, but Beca couldn't help but be a little impatient.
"Don't be," Chloe said, shaking her head softly as if to chastise the younger woman. "I know it's hard on you trying to keep this a secret, but I promise it won't be much longer. I just…I don't want to tell them like this."
"Okay," Beca agreed, grabbing Chloe's hand again and squeezing softly.
"I really do have to go though. I'll be back in three hours, okay? Get some rest." Chloe got up from the bed and grabbed her rehearsal bag before leaning in to kiss Beca.
"I'm contagious," the younger woman reminded her, turning her head before Chloe could kiss her.
"I already told you I don't care," the redhead replied, kissing Beca full on the lips. Just as Beca ran her tongue along her girlfriend's lower lip, Chloe pulled away.
"Jeez, every time," the shorter woman said, groaning at the loss of contact.
"I'll see you soon," Chloe smirked, walking out of the room before Beca could stop her again. Sighing heavily, the deejay let her head fall back into her pillow and yawned, already exhausted from the brief interaction with her girlfriend. She grabbed the Nyquil bottle from her desk and took a swig before closing her eyes and drifting off into a restless sleep.
Chloe was practically running to the Bellas' rehearsal hall, crossing the doorway just before Aubrey began rehearsal. She sat in her seat and grabbed her water bottle, taking a few sips before turning her attention to the group.
"About time you showed up, Chlo. Where's Beca?" Aubrey asked rather impatiently.
"Sorry Bree, my class ran longer than usual. She texted me something about being sick and that she couldn't make it today," Chloe lied.
"Well isn't that just perfect," Aubrey retorted. "Whatever. Let's just get started."
The group ran their set over and over again, the routine burned into their memories so deeply they all could probably perform it in their sleep. Even still, Aubrey was unsatisfied with each run through, demanding that they do it again just seconds after they would finish the set.
"Can we take a break Aubrey?" Fat Amy panted, doubled over as she tried to catch her breath.
"Yeah seriously, I have to pee so bad it's ridiculous," Stacie chimed in, her legs crossed awkwardly in an attempt to hold it in.
"Let's just call it a day," Aubrey sighed, glancing at her watch. They'd been at it for two hours and weren't showing any signs of improvement and if Aubrey had to watch Stacie grab her boobs one more time, she was going to go postal.
The girls cleared out of the rehearsal hall in record time, leaving only Aubrey and Chloe to clean the mess everyone left before locking up.
"We still on for Girl's Night tonight?" Aubrey asked, turning to face Chloe.
"Oh shit, I totally forgot!" Chloe exclaimed, smacking her hand to her forehead. "I'm so sorry Aubrey, I kinda made plans."
"Oh, that's okay I guess." Aubrey tried to mask the disappointment in her voice, her face looking slightly crestfallen.
"I'll make it up to you, I swear," the redhead pleaded, wrapping her arms around her best friend and pulling her into a tight hug. Aubrey nodded against her shoulder, but couldn't shake the feeling of being replaced that sat deep in her stomach. They finished reorganizing the room and locked up, mumbling quick farewells before parting ways. Aubrey couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, watching solemnly as Chloe walked quickly in the direction towards Beca's dorm. She turned on her heel and continued her trek back to their shared apartment, trying her hardest to ignore the gut-wrenching feeling of abandonment unknowingly caused by her best friend.
Chloe could feel Aubrey's eyes on her back as she walked towards Beca's dorm, but she didn't care enough to stop. Passing quickly through the quad, she made a pit stop at the café closest to Beca's dorm to pick up the soup she promised for the sick girl before continuing on through the campus. She made it to Beca's room in record time, knocking lightly on the door before letting herself in. She was greeted with the sounds of an intense coughing fit, Beca doubled over on her bed as she tried and failed to stop the attack. Chloe rushed to her side, alternating between gently patting her back and rubbing circles as her coughing ebbed.
"How are you feeling?" Chloe asked timidly, her eyes glued to Beca as the younger girl eased herself back into her pillows.
"Like shit," Beca croaked, her sides sore from the constant coughing attacks.
"I brought soup," Chloe offered.
"I don't know if I can eat that," Beca cringed, her nose wrinkled as her stomach lurched. Chloe placed the back of her hand against Beca's forehead, her eyes growing wide as she felt her girlfriend's burning face.
"Beca, you're really warm. You really should go to the clinic." Before she could manage a reply, Beca leaned over and threw up into the trashcan next to her bed. Chloe held her hair back as she emptied what little contents remained in her stomach, her own hand wrapped tightly around her midsection.
"Come on, Bug. It's not that far of a walk from here. You can do it." Beca moaned in pain as she stood up for the first time that day, leaning against Chloe for support as she slipped on her shoes and a jacket. Placing her arm around the redhead's waist, Beca took a few tentative steps forward.
"Okay. Let's go."
They walked slowly to the clinic a few buildings away from Beca's dorm, Chloe's arm wrapped tightly around Beca's shoulders to keep her from collapsing. Chloe whispered encouraging words in her ear throughout the walk, Beca concentrating solely on getting to the clinic before another round of coughing could stop her.
'We're almost there baby," Chloe murmured. They walked through the doorway and Beca immediately sat down in a chair, sighing with relief. She closed her eyes as she sunk lower into the chair, her hand moving over her eyes to block out the light.
"They're gonna move you to a room, Beca. C'mon, you've gotta get up." Chloe pulled at her girlfriend's hands, gently easing her into a standing position as they followed one of the nurses to the patient rooms. The whole experience went by in a blur for Beca. She rattled off her symptoms for the doctor, didn't blink when he swabbed her throat for testing, barely flinched when a nurse came in and drew blood to take to the lab. Chloe's eyes were transfixed on the smaller girl, her hand resting on Beca's knee as a reminder that she was still there. Beca leaned against the wall for support as she fought to stay upright, her arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to keep herself warm.
"You're doing great, Bug. We're almost done," Chloe encouraged, squeezing Beca's knee lightly. The doctor knocked lightly at the door before entering, his clipboard tucked under his arm.
"So, Beca, the good news is that you aren't dying, the bad news is that you have mononucleosis." Chloe's face fell as she processed the doctor's words.
"Mononucleosis…as in the kissing disease?"
"More or less, that's the one," he said, scribbling on his clipboard. "I'm prescribing amoxicillin, it should clear up in the next ten days or so. Avoid sharing any water or utensils, and definitely avoid kissing anyone for the next few weeks."
Beca glanced at Chloe. "Uhm, it's a little late for that…"
The doctor looked up from his notes, looking at the two women before going back to his clipboard.
"If your partner shows any symptoms, have them come in to the clinic and we'll start them on the same medicine. I'll need to see you back here in the next week and a half, ideally once you've taken the last of your medicine. Stop by the front desk on your way out to get your prescription and make your appointment." He handed Beca the prescription slip and exited the room.
"I'm so sorry Chloe," Beca mumbled as she got up from the hospital bed.
"Oh please. You warned me plenty of times and I ignored you anyway. It is so not your fault. Plus I'm not sick yet, so who's to say I will be?" Beca simply nodded her head, knowing Chloe would be quick to take back her words tomorrow when she woke up feeling as shitty as Beca had all day.
Sure enough, Chloe woke up the next morning with a dull ache throughout her body. Her throat felt as if it were on fire, and coupled with her nodes it felt as if hell had relocated to her neck. Unable to speak, she sent a text to Aubrey. I feel like shit. I think I caught something bad. Can you take me to the clinic?
The blonde appeared in the doorway to her room, knocking lightly before crossing the threshold. She walked over to Chloe and wordlessly placed a hand on her forehead.
"Jesus, Chlo, you're burning up." The redhead groaned in response, turning over to face Aubrey.
"Are we going then?"
Aubrey sighed, crossing her arms across her body. "Yeah, let's go."
The car ride was silent. Chloe pressed her face up against the window, the cool glass soothing her feverish cheeks. They arrived at the building shortly, Aubrey pulling up right next to the door for Chloe's convenience.
"You aren't coming with me?" the redhead asked solemnly.
"Sorry Chloe, but you look terrible and I really don't want to catch whatever you've got. I'm gonna go home and sanitize the apartment, just text me when you're ready to be picked up, okay?" Chloe smiled sadly and nodded, shutting the car door behind her as she walked into the clinic.
"Back so soon?" the receptionist greeted, recognizing her from the day before.
"Unfortunately, yeah," she sighed, filling out the necessary paperwork at the front desk before sitting down. Within minutes she was called in and taken to a room next to the one she sat in with Beca less than 24 hours ago. The same doctor from yesterday walked into the room shortly after Chloe, recognizing her immediately.
"Well, at least this time we can skip all the tests. I'm assuming you're in here cause of the mono, yes?" She nodded silently, mentally cursing herself for ignoring Beca's warnings. "Alright, well I'll just send you on your way with a prescription then. No kissing for the next couple of weeks, okay?" Chloe nodded again, her throat growing increasingly irritated.
"Feel better soon," the doctor offered, closing the door behind him as he walked out of the room.
Chloe reached in her purse and grabbed her phone, hitting the call button when she found Beca's name. The line rang three times before being answered by the younger woman.
"Hello?" Beca's voice was groggy and hoarse.
"Hey babe, it's me," Chloe mumbled softly.
"What's up?"
"I'm at the clinic," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I've got mono." Beca was silent, not daring to say what she so badly wanted to.
"Just say it," Chloe groaned, admitting defeat.
"I told you so." Beca's smirk was audible even over the phone, and Chloe couldn't help but smile.
"Whatever, you're such a goober," the redhead laughed.
"Correction: I'm your goober," Beca said, smiling into the phone. "Wanna come over and suffer in quarantine together?"
"I guess I could manage that," Chloe teased. "I'll be over in a few, I just have to call Aubrey real quick."
"Can't wait to see you, babe." Chloe smiled softly at Beca's words.
"Me too, Bug." She hung up the phone and slid off the bed. As she walked out of the clinic, she typed a quick text to Aubrey. Caught mono from Beca, gonna go hole up in her dorm so we don't get anyone else sick. She wrapped her jacket closer to her body in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the wind, her pace quickening as she neared Beca's dorm building. Her phone buzzed, and she saw that Aubrey had responded to her text. Isn't mono the kissing disease? That's fine I guess, let me know when you guys are good to come back to rehearsal.
Chloe placed her phone back in her bag, deciding to postpone responding to her best friend. She walked into Beca's dorm room, setting her purse at the foot of Beca's bed before climbing in next to her. Wrapping her arms around the brunette's petite frame, she sighed into her neck.
"Hey baby, how do you feel?" Beca asked, interlocking her fingers with Chloe's.
"Better now that I'm next to you," Chloe mumbled, pressing a kiss against the back of the shorter woman's neck. Within minutes the pair had drifted off to sleep, their bodies entangled in each other.
The two were inseparable for the next few days, Chloe leaving only twice to go home briefly for clothes and to shower. Most of their time together was spent sleeping, the rest spent watching "30 Rock" reruns on television. Four days after Chloe temporarily moved in to Beca's dorm, Aubrey texted both of them. When are you guys coming back to rehearsals? You're missing out on a lot of stuff and we can't afford for you two to fall behind.
"Looks like the honeymoon's over," Beca sulked jokingly. Chloe shoved her gently, a wide smile encompassing her face.
"She's right, you know. We should probably sit in on tonight's rehearsal."
"Ugh, fine," Beca groaned, falling back on to the bed dramatically.
"Get ready. We have to be there in twenty minutes," Chloe ordered, typing out a reply to Aubrey on her phone. We'll be there today.
They walked into the rehearsal hall, the room feeling strangely foreign as they sat down in their chairs for the first time in a week.
"What up, cancers?" Fat Amy joked.
Beca rolled her eyes. "We have mono, Amy, not cancer."
"Mono, as in the kissing disease?" Cynthia Rose chimed in.
"I got mono once," Stacie piped in. "I gave it to the entire high school baseball team."
"You are terrible at listening to your doctor," Fat Amy said, turning to Stacie with wide eyes.
"Wait, if mono's the kissing disease, then you guys must've been hooking up if you both have it!" Denise exclaimed, seemingly proud of her use of deductive reasoning. Chloe froze in her seat as the girls chattered excitedly.
"I knew it!"
"I totally called this weeks ago-"
"Saw that one coming."
"Guys, GUYS!" Beca yelled. "We are not dating, we haven't kissed. I don't know how I caught it, but Chloe probably got it from sharing her water with me. It's not a big deal, we're almost better and I'm not about to go around kissing any of you so we're all fine." While it wasn't the truth, it wasn't entirely a lie and Chloe relaxed as the girls bought into Beca's words without question. Aubrey sat across from them in silence, the wheels turning in her head as she pieced together everything she had just witnessed.
"Can we start rehearsal now?" Beca asked impatiently, anxious to change the topic before the truth was revealed.
"What? Yeah." Aubrey snapped out of her trance, standing up from her seat. "Come on ladies, from the top."
Beca grabbed Chloe's hand and gave it a quick squeeze, smiling softly at her before dropping her hand back to her side and shifting her attention back to the rehearsal. Chloe didn't know how she managed to get so lucky to have a girlfriend as amazing as Beca, but she knew she was done hiding it. She leaned over to Beca, tapping her gently on the shoulder. "Soon," she whispered, grinning at the younger woman.
Maybe being sick wasn't so bad after all.