Drabble #2 - Safe Haven (Modern AU)

Heather felt her back and abdomen flare up. It had been this way for as long as she could remember. She often wondered if it was normal to wake up in the middle of the night from stomach aches, or if it was just her there was something wrong with.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked her sweet, concerned boyfriend for sixth time that night.

Heather shot Freddie a miserable look. "I said, I'm fine," she muttered and then continued on pacing back and forth through the room. "Don't worry about it."

Freddie didn't seem convinced. "Clearly you are not." Heather halted, grimacing. Freddie walked closer, noting how tightly her eyebrows were knitted. "I can't bear to see you in pain, Heather," he said in a sad tone.

Heather broke down at his words, tears filling up her eyes as she clutched around her stomach harder. "It hurts so bad," her voice cracked. "I'm so sick of it!"

Freddie began rubbing his hands over her lower back to ease up some of the pain. "I'm taking you to the ER."

Heather shook her head. "There is no point, I have sought medical attention before and they found nothing out of the ordinairy. Clearly it's just all in my head!"

Freddie didn't agree. "Heather, you are in great pain and this is not normal."

Heather looked conflicted. "I don't want to go to the hospital for something as lame as gas pain."

"Don't think like that," Freddie argued. "What is most important is for you to get better."

Heather sighed and then nodded.

Freddie gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Put on a jacket and take some tylenol. I will go and get the car."

The time in the waiting room was long and insufferable but Freddie did everything he could to make Heather feel better. All from massaging her back, rubbing her tummy, getting her tea and letting her sleep on him.

When they were finally called in, Freddie carefully shook her awake. After the psychians had taken all the tests and prescribed Heather some anti-flammatory drugs, she and Freddie returned home again.

Freddie drew Heather a hot bath and later on gave her an oil massage. Both things combined made Heather sleepy and she managed to get through the night without waking up from pain. Freddie decided then to turn this into a nightly routine for them.

The results arrived by the end of the week and it turned out Heather had lactose intolerance and Celiac disease.

"But these tests never came out positive before?" Heather wondered out loud. "I don't get it!"

Freddie stroke her hair lovingly. "Sometimes these needs to be retaken multiple times. I have a friend who didn't find out he had milk allergy until he was an adult."

Heather nodded in understanding and then sighed. "It's great to finally know what is wrong with me but now I won't be able to eat everything I love."

"There are alternatives," Freddie promised. "We will just have to learn to eat a little differently than what we are used to."

"We?"

Freddie kissed her hand. "I'm not going to eat icecream if you can't eat icecream. You are not alone in this if I can help it."

"But you love icecream!" Heather looked at him bewildered.

"That may be so," he shrugged. "But I might just love you a tad bit more."

This made her smile and she leaned forward to kiss him.