Pacifica didn't always fall ill. But when she does, she falls hard.
The feeling had and never will be all that pleasant. Being confined to a bed, suffering through the list of symptoms and simply just watching the hours tick by with the hope of recovery. It got very lonely and very boring. Entertainment was difficult, but not impossible. The difficulty came from those distracting symptoms. The high fever, the pounding headache, sore throat, stuffy nose and cough. They were all annoying and distracting. The doctor said that she should be fine in a couple days, though that didn't help to make her misery go away.
And damn did she feel miserable.
Not tired enough to fall asleep like instructed, the Northwest heiress decided to pass the time by watching a Pretty Little Liars rerun. The contrast between the cold ice pack and her burning fever would've been startling if not for the thick layer of her perfect blonde hair coming in between them. Her coughing fit drowned out whatever the characters were saying; though that didn't matter much since she already saw this particular episode anyway and knew the plot forwards and backwards. Paying little attention to what's happening on the screen, the blonde took another sip of her orange juice.
"Nngh..." she mumbled, slightly annoyed at how nasally her voice sounded. Still beats the stillness that came with her not talking. Granted she can and has complained about her cold online, though with everyone else at a party she had to drop out of, there wasn't really anyone to have a conversation with. Her father was out for a business trip (as per usual) and her mother was occupied as well with errands as well. Granted Michelle Northwest offered to stick around to take of her daughter, but Pacifica insisted that she doesn't ditch all the important people she scheduled stuff with previously. For the most part Pacifica was alone. True there was her butler Jeeves hanging around, ready to get her whatever she requested. Pacifica's crystal blue eyes wandered to the answering machine. All she'd have to do is hold the button, state her demands and he'd come running in with said request. But what was there to ask for? She had a perfectly cold ice pack. She her orange juice and soup. Her supply of tissues wasn't going to run out anytime soon, and the trash bin full of discarded tissues still had room for more. She didn't need him to get her anything. Despite this, there was that strong urge to request something. There was just nothing to request; at least not that she could put her finger on.
Lowering the glass of OJ from her mouth, Pacifica looked at the container. It's contents hasn't gone down too much, there still being plenty of juice to last her. The face that stared back though. She didn't like it too much. Even though the reflection was quite orange, she could tell that she was a bit paler. The bags underneath her eyes were dark and heavy. Her hair was a tangled and untamed mess; even without the extensions. The few blemishes her makeup usually covered up looked terrible when contrasting with the sickly complextion. And was that mucus leaking from her nose? Pacifica proceeded to blow her nose furiously. Satisfied with her temporarily cleared nose, the preteen shut off the tv program, bored with it. Laying down, ice pack on her forehead, she decided that the ceiling was the most fascinating thing to look at right now.
Another hour ticked by quite tediously. Other than a bunch of pictures on Facebook of her friends going nuts (and apparently Kirby beat Lola up over a guy), the hour has gone by uneventfully. Groaning from boredom, Pacifica reached for her orange juice, hoping to soothe the aching throat that responded to her groans. Instead she got an empty glass cup. "Jeeves, I need an OJ refill, stat!" she ordered in her nearly whispery hoarse voice accompanied by nasal. Gawd she hated how that sounded. She bursted into another coughing fit.
"Is there anything else I may get you?" her butler asked politely upon bringing in her requested beverage.
"*cough* *cough* no. There's nothing" I reported. "Unless I say otherwise, don't bother me until it's time to take my medicine"
"Understood. I hope you get well soon"
"Me too. Gawd, it's like my throat hates me" she whined before taking another swig of her orange juice as Jeeves exited the room.
Setting her glass down, Pacifica opened her eyes to find that she wasn't alone in her bedroom. The other occupant stared back at her with his big brown eyes. "Did you sneak in here when Jeeves came in?" Pacifica asked, not getting a response. "Welp, I'm not hearing a no" she shrugged. Her Prince only stared back at her. He was always like that. He didn't speak much, and had an odd habit for staring unblinkingly. It wasn't uncommon for her friends and pretty much everyone to just poke fun at him. But Pacifica still kept her Prince around.
"Come here boy!" Pacifica commanded, the Golden Retriever padding up to his owner obediently. "Did you get bored in your room?" she asked her dog. Yep. In the Northwest household, even the dog gets his own room. Prince's room is pretty nice as well, with a plush bed made from the finest materials. Decor and furniture to make the space feel more inviting. Not to mention toys upon toys upon toys for days. Pacifica wasn't the only one who was spoiled. Getting no response as per usual, Pacifica only continued her one sided conversation, scratching Prince behind the ears with her perfectly manicured finger nails. "Yea, I'm bored with all of my toys too" she laughed before going into yet another coughing fit.
She continued her one-sided conversation with her dog, never getting a response. It sure as hell beat staring at the ceiling all damn day. While Prince never gave the slightest response, it still felt nice to have someone to talk to. "Ya know, all my friends are right; you do have a really creepy blank stare" she admitted with a joking smile. Prince just briefly closed his eyes. "You blinked. Now that's a first" she laughed lightly. "But you know, whatcha gonna do? You got Grumpy Cat, and now there's Blank Dog" she continued joking, remembering the day they adopted him.
9 year old Pacifica looked through the pen of pure bred dogs. The puppies were all adorable and beautiful. You cannot expect anything less from pups bred from show dogs. Among the many puppies that jumped at the opportunity to get adopted, there was one that sat to the side. Unlike his brothers and sisters, this one sat on it's own, yet it was like he stood tall and proud. His golden fur glimmered in the faint sunlight, and was perfectly groomed to perfection. He stared at her with unblinking brown eyes. Pacifica couldn't decide whether the staring was creepy or cute. Nonetheless no matter how much she played with the other dogs, she kept going back to the loner of the group. "I want to hold that one" she pointed to the lone pup. The breeder obeying, in a matter of seconds she had the puppy in her hands. He continued to stare, not barking much. Even the way his face and muzzle was structured was beautiful. The puppy gave her a soft lick to the nose.
While all the other dogs were jumping up onto Pacifica, giving her more affection and more licks to the face than she was comfortable with, this one on the other hand respected her boundaries. He also followed her around everywhere, which is always a joy. While everyone agreed that the blank stare was a bit disturbing, this only led to plenty of jokes and the Northwests just getting a really good laugh out of it. There was just no denying it. Pacifica only liked this puppy. Thinking that he behaved and looked like one, she named him 'Prince'.
"Let's see if your training is still holding up. Sit" she commanded, the full grown dog obeying without a second thought.
"Lay down"
"Roll over"
"Shake hands"
"Play Dead"
Prince performed each trick obediently with perfection. "Good boy. High five" Pacifica praised, holding her hand up. Prince sat back up, lightly smacking his paw against her hand.
The hours ticked by, Prince keeping his owner company. Seeing how happier she seemed, Jeeves decided to let the dog remain with the sick girl. If Pacifica wanted the dog gone, she would just tell him. She is the Princess of the Northwest family, and her Prince kept her happy during this difficult time.
By morning the sun bled through the glass windows and into Pacifica's bedroom. In the actual bed was a peacefully sleeping blonde duo. Prince was curled up next to his owner, offering her warmth and company. Pacifica herself looked very peaceful in that position. Though her lack of any makeup left all her teenage blemishes exposed, though this cold left her a bit pale, and though her hair was a hot mess, she was beautiful. While Pacifica normally would make others miserable and was easily comparable to the devil during her healthy waking life, in this moment, she looked like an angel.
Cracking his big brown eyes open, Prince yawned and directed his infamous stare at his owner. Pacifica was waking up as well. Prince gave his cheek a couple soft licks as her eyes opened up. While Pacifica was for the most part unamused by this display of affection, she did crack a small smile. "Morning" her still hoarse voice greeted. Pacifica felt a bit better than the previous day, though considering her head still felt like it took a sledge hammer along the other lingering symptoms, it was clear that she was still sick. Nonetheless, during these boring miserable few days confined to her bed, it was nice knowing that there was always someone there to keep her company. To comfort her and be there for her. Prince was loyal, and a very special dog; despite his little quirk that was beyond worthy of a few memes. And to be willing to stick by this bitch's side, this golden retriever wasn't just man's best friend; he was Pacifica's best friend. He was her Prince.
