She was sick. She had the casual cold and the sniffles but not this bad before. According to Evie, she had a temperature over 90 degrees and she couldn't get out of bed because of it. She started the day with a sneeze but she didn't read anything into it as it happened quite often. But after the second period at school, she started feeling dizzy and got a headache so bad she couldn't concentrate on anything.
Later at lunch, Carlos was the one who noticed first that something was not okay with her. She was paler than she usually was and she didn't look well. He poked Evie with his finger and pointed to the sick girl.
Evie turned to the boy, raising her eyebrows in question. Carlos just nodded in the direction of Mal and Evie gazed at her. "Mal, are you feeling ok?" Evie asked worriedly, immediately seeing how sick Mal looked and she inched closer to the girl. She tried to touch her forehead but Mal pulled away.
"I'm fine." She argued weakly and tried to avoid eye contact by looking down at her meal.
"Maybe you should go down to the nurse's office. You don't look well, M." Evie said softly, her eyes full of concern.
Mal puffed and pushed her lunch away, she pushed herself up by her hands on the table but when she was on her feet, she started to feel so dizzy that she had to sit back down on the bench.
"Ok, that' it. I'm taking you to the nurse." Evie stated and Mal noted that there was no questioning note, Evie stopped messing about. She gently helped Mal stood up and supported her on the walk to the nurse office.
The nurse took one look at her and send her home to rest for the rest of the day. Mal tried arguing but two pairs of determined eyes locked onto hers and she couldn't bring herself to deny them anything.
So that's how she got here in her dorm alone as Evie ran out to bring her medicines and she felt awful. Her body felt weak and she couldn't really move much, her throat dry and hurting whenever she tried to swallow and her headache was worse than in the morning.
Fortunately, Evie was not away for long and Mal surprisingly noticed Ben tagging along behind her when she opened the door.
"I thought you could use a cheer-up." Evie smiled and put down the medicines on the bedside table. "I'll go check up on the boys, ok?" She looked between Mal and Ben then left the young couple to themselves.
Ben took a step forward, intent to go to Mal but the girl weak voice stopped him in his track.
"No, don-don't. You're gonna get sick."
Ben chuckled and walked closer. "I don't really care," Ben said and sitting beside Mal, grabbing her hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Like the first time Mother tried to cook something." Mal joked weakly and coughed painfully afterward. When the coughing died down, Ben reached to touch Mal's face but Mal pulled away, shaking her head.
"Ben, you're really sweet to come but… I don't want you to see me right now. I don't really look my best." Mal gestured to her fluffy purple pajamas. She hated the fact that she became the girl who wants to look perfect for her boyfriend but she couldn't help it. Ben made her really happy and she tried to return the favor. She blushed when Ben smirked as he looked down at the pajamas. "These are Evie's." she tried to save herself from teasing but Ben smirk turned into a soft smile.
"I'm sure…" he agreed easily not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
"Really Ben, just go please…I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?" She begged urgently, anything to make the prince leave and her to be alone again to drown in her miserable.
Ben opened his mouth to argue but when he saw the pleading look in Mal's eyes he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. He sighed deeply and stood up.
"Ok, fine. I'll come back later. Get well soon, ok?" He quickly kissed her on the forehead before she could pull away and slipped out the room.
/
The next day, Mal's sickness hasn't approved at all and she still felt awful. Evie and the boys were stuck at school while Mal had nothing better to do than look at the ceiling and feel horrible. Evie wanted to stay with her but Mal convinced her that she'd be fine.
Afternoon, she heard a knock on the door and she sighed, annoyed. Ben has been harassing her a little bit, checking on her every few hours. Don't get her wrong it was a sweet gesture but she felt terrible at that point and couldn't stand anybody near her. She was afraid she would snap at Ben out of anger and make him mad at her.
"Ben, please...leave me al-"
"It's not Ben, darling."
Mal eyes widen at seeing Belle standing on the doorstep, looking as beautiful as ever with a soft smile on her face. "Ben's been bothering you much, ha?" the Queen stepped inside the room and elegantly walked to Mal's bedside.
If the sick girl couldn't see the amusement in Belle's eyes, she would've started to apologize right away, fearing she offended the Queen by criticizing her only son. She still felt a little bit uncomfortable with Ben's mom; she didn't know how to interact with her.
"He will do anything he can to the people he loves but sometimes he could overdo it. Trust me, his father is the same." Belle joked, earning a soft chuckle from Mal and she sat down on the bed. "You don't look very well, dear."
Mal shook her head and yelped a little when Belle suddenly grabbed her face with both hands. When the shock wears off, Mal registered the soft and cool feeling of Belle's hand on her boiling face. She unconsciously leaned into the touch and wondered why she was letting Belle close to her when she rejected everybody else who tried to come near her.
But when Belle gently shifted her away, laid down next to her and pulled her into her arms, she realized what she had been missing. This tender and amazing touch only a mother could give and she couldn't help but melt into the embrace, practically laying on top of Belle. When the older woman didn't pull away but tightened her arms around her, Mal didn't want to leave, ever.
"You'll feel better in a couple of days." Belle whispered, running her fingers through Mal's soft hair. "The doctor said it was a simple cold. Nothing to be worried about."
"I'm so ready for this to be over." Mal confessed, sniffling against Belle's chest.
"Have you been sick before, Mal?" Belle asked softly, humming a familiar tune Mal couldn't for the life of her figure out.
Mal breathed in a breath of air, "Just once. When I was 10." For a second she got lost inside her thoughts, thinking back to that day when the first snow fell in the Isle of the Lost. Every kid was outside playing, including Evie, Carlos, Jay and her. She remembered that they split the team to two. She chose Evie and they built a snow castle which they destroyed at the end by jumping on it, face first.
" – I've got so much snow inside my clothes that it was a wonder I felt anything; that nothing was numb." Mal smiled, unconsciously began to tell this story to Belle. But the Queen didn't mind, she kept humming this soothing melody that Mal was sure if she stopped the storytelling, she would fall asleep to. "I've got sick one day later. I remember that Mother was so angry at me because the others kids didn't get sick. She thought I was weak for being the only one with the cold."
"Oh honey, you're not weak. Not even a little bit." Belle promised gently. She couldn't believe how a mother could say something like that to her child, especially that young. It was no wonder why Mal acted so strange around her; she didn't know how to act around a mom. A real mom who's first priority was to make sure her kids were safe and happy. But unfortunately she couldn't do anything to change Mal's past; she could only try and make her future better.
Falling silent, Belle resumed her singing softly, stroking Mal's hair lovingly. Mal closed her eyes and buried herself deeper inside Belle's arm and just listened. After a particularly familiar note, Mal realized the song that Belle was singing to her was her and Ben's song. When they would lay down together, Ben would just open his arms and wait for Mal to fall in them then start singing this song to her until the girl would fall asleep.
My arms will hold you
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart.
With that smile on her face, tears in her eyes, Mal fall asleep.