Chapter Four: Clary and the Patient

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Jace's eyelids were glued shut. Still, red-orange light was glowering into his eye sockets. On top of that, they were on fire. He was aware that he was lying down, but he was still trying to recollect where he was.

He exhaled because of the sudden splash of coolness on his forehead. He felt a few drops of water spill to his temples. However, as soon as the coldness came, the heat soon returned. The damp rag rubbed over his face. He felt himself smile with pleasure. It was an oasis in the middle of a blazing desert.

In the oasis, he saw someone splashing in the water. A girl with fiery flames for hair, leaning on the only tree. She beckoned him over to the sanctuary of icy waters. He obediently made his way over to her. He suddenly didn't want to wash his burning body in the water. He was mesmerized by the girl's beauty. His feet walked through the cold pond and stopped in front of the girl. His scorching palm cupped her face. He was surprised to be awarded with a freezing touch. He leaned into her, his chest and arms now cooled from her skin. He heard her whisper to his ear, "Wake up, Goldilocks."

Jace's eyelids were open now. He was in an unfamiliar room. The walls were lavender and had mostly simple furniture. Drawers, mirror, fan, chair, and other typical stuff you'd find in a bedroom. It was then when he noticed that he was lying on a purple bed.

His eyes stopped on Clary, who was in the center of the room, facing the other way. He hadn't realized that he bolted upright, ignoring the pain in his head, at the sight of her taking off her uniform. Her shirt dropped to the floor, and so did Jace's jaw. Her bra strap was a dark shade of pink, like his flushed cheeks. Her fingers dropped to the waistband of her skirt. For a second, he believed that he was still dreaming. The sound of his gulp must have been loud, because Clary peeked over her shoulder.

She shrieked and her hands went to her chest, much to his disappointment. He cringed as his head ringed. Clary whipped up a t-shirt and marched over to Jace, one arm covering herself. She lashed it across his chest and yelled, "You perverted alien!"

He put his hands up for protection, "What? How was it my fault! You're the one who decided to strip in public!"

She quickly threw on her shirt and retorted, "This is the thanks I get for dragging your half-dead body all the way up the steps, rather than letting you get run over by a car? And actually, this wouldn't be considered public, since it's my room."

"You didn't have to bring me to your room."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you prefer my parents' room? Or perhaps the bathroom. At least there, I can put you in the tub and drown you, so I wouldn't have to put up with your whining."

Jace was about to stand up, when dizziness washed over him. He grunted with pain and his hand went to his burning head. Clary rushed over and pushed him down onto her pillow. She picked up the cloth and dunked it into a bucket of cold water. She wringed out the excess water and gently placed it over his face. He heard, "Don't move that."

Her footsteps led away, followed by the sound of clothes shrugging off. Jace had the strange urge to whip the cloth of his eyes, but his energy was completely lost. After a while, she had returned to his side, taking off the cloth. She had changed out of her skirt into a pair of fading shorts.

The cloth was warm in her palm. His fever wasn't going down. "You had a breakdown while we were racing." He watched her as she prepared for another wash. "Your exhaustion turned into a fever, you're burning hot right now." She winced a little, waiting for a sarcastic remark.

All she got was, "How long was I out?" His voice was different. The sarcastic confidence drained out of him.

The cloth came down on his head, taming the flames under his skin. She replied, "About three hours." Jace painfully peeked outside the window and noticed that the sun had already finished setting.

"And you've been trying to rid my fever ever since you brought me here?" He asked, a lump stuck in his throat. She nodded and rubbed the cloth against his arms. "I- Thank you, Clary. I mean, no one's ever done anything like this for me. It must have been a lot of trouble for you." The only people he could remember that took care of him when he was injured or sick with exhaustion were their house maids. They refused to treat him unless they got a large salary, even if it was a crucial situation. But Clary…all by herself…

The rag caressed his neck, leaving a blissful trace wherever it went. "Well, don't thank me yet. This seems like a serious illness. I don't think I can maintain your condition much longer. We may need to call the hospital or your parents-"

"No." His hand caught Clary's, which was resting on the cloth beside his neck. "This will pass eventually. I was just tired from working all night."

"Working?" Clary stopped moving the cloth.

He grimaced as the heat was on its way again. "I know you know more than you think I think you know."

Clary tilted her head, her brain suddenly breaking. "How did you know I know more than-" His hand went up before her brain broke in half.

"I heard you talking with Dorothea last month." He said. Clary's heart hammered with guilt and even fear. His eyes were lowered, but lazily, as if he didn't care.

She pulled her hand away in shame. "Jace, I didn't mean to pry-"

"It's fine. You were going to find out sooner or later. I mean, everyone else knows about it." He assured. Clary still felt at fault. "But I can tell you more if you want." Clary opened her mouth to object. He interrupted, "Too bad, I'm telling you anyway." She pursed her lips and dunked the cloth into the icy bucket. "What Dorothea said is true. She didn't mention how I'm already starting to work with my dad's company. I sort of work with the finances and stuff, like an accountant."

Clary clenched the rag in anger. "That's hardly fair. You're only seventeen."

He sighed. "I know, it sucks. But because of that, I'm always occupied at home, whether it's another private session of class or doing work." Though her opinion didn't matter, she believed it was unreasonable to make him perfect at everything when his job has already been decided. "I was up all night doing calculations, so that's probably why I collapsed."

He saw her eyes lifeless with pity. It pierced him to see her feel sorrow for him, something no one else has given him. He wasn't sure when, but Clary had wrapped her fingers around his. They were trembling with either anger or sadness. Or both.

"It's too much for you. I can try to convince your father to stop making you work so hard." Clary said.

Jace chuckled and rubbed his thumb across her soft skin. "My dad isn't one to be influenced so easily. But I'll be alright as long as…" He trailed off, lost in Clary's two emerald jewels. As long as I can see you every day.

"You must have no energy left. You need to rest up more to rebuild your strength." Imagine that. Jace, the one who is helpless and weak. Her hand left his, leaving it hollow and empty. Clary put the cloth on his forehead. She stood up and spun around. "Get some sleep-"

"No, Clary!" Clary whirled in shock and saw Jace upright. His chest was heaving very visibly. Sweat mixed with water fell in single droplets onto the sheets. "When I fall asleep, you'll call my father and tell him to get me." Clary didn't answer. She admitted to herself that that was what she was considering. "I swear, Clarissa. I'll get better if you take care of me."

Clary saw something she had never seen in him before. A pleading sense. He must be tortured at home. She didn't want to send him back until he was well. It wasn't that she didn't want him to stay, but her voice came out with annoyance, "Fine, only if you do exactly as I say. No being stubborn. My room, my rules, got it?"

Jace muttered into the wall, "She's worried about me being stubborn."

Clary glared at him. "What was that?"

Jace shook his head, which gave him a blurry vision. He fell back onto her pillow, the pain pinching into his warm skull. He grimaced and arched his back. Sweat stuck his hair onto his temples. Jace felt Clary's cold fingers press against them. "Oh my God, Jace. This is insane, you're burning up."

"For you, baby." He sung. Clary stared agape at him. He chuckled, "What, not a fan of the Jonas Sisters?"

"The Jo-" She stopped herself, slapping her head with her palm. "We need a way to bring your temperature down." She placed the damp cloth onto his head. His breaths were like a dragon's. She wouldn't be surprised if smoke came out. His eyelids were only half open and struggling to stay open.

Without thinking she began to unbutton his uniform vest. "Clary…" Jace said in surprise.

Clary stopped herself and felt her cheeks warm up. "What? I have to cool you down somehow." She said with her eyes averted.

He smirked, his old personality flooding into him slowly, "If you wanted me to take my clothes of, you could've asked."

She rolled her eyes, skin getting redder. "Don't make me wear a blindfold." Normally Jace would continue the perverted conversation, but he was silent. With shaky fingers she finished unlooping the black buttons from each string. Jace sat up so she could remove his vest. When he put his head back down, her palms rested on his white undershirt, the only thing that separated her hand from his bare stomach. She wanted to be elsewhere so badly.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Well don't stop there, we were just getting to the juicy part." Clary wondered why she bothered with this boy.

"Clamp it, will you?" She said in exasperation. She felt the heat from underneath his shirt. Clary climbed over his lap nervously, refusing to look at his eyes or she'd do something stupid. Jace sat upright as Clary stretched her arms over his back. She clutched the hem of the fabric so tightly that her fingers blended in with it. Clary pulled it over his head and threw it onto the floor. As if she were walking on a thin rope over an endless abyss, she repeated in her mind don't look down, don't look down, don't look down…

A voice cut through her thoughts, "Um, Clary why are you shutting your eyes?" With a gasp, she opened them immediately. She found her hands in fists on either side of Jace's pillow. He was staring at her lazily. Or lustfully. Clary sat up abruptly and swooped up the cloth. She splashed it in the cold bucket again and placed it cautiously on his clearly-visible abdomen. She felt Jace's whole body tense up under her. Just don't look, Clary. She dragged the cool rag over his chest, which was moving with his short breaths. His stomach was glistening with wetness, the outlines of his abs were dark.

Clary was biting her lower lip, which was about to drive Jace crazy. He sat upright, almost colliding their heads. Clary held his gaze for a second, then rested her chin on his shoulder. She washed over his back, which could've set fire any moment. Clary could see muscular indentations even in his back. Perfect muscular structure, remember? Her movements were gradually slowing. She subconsciously rested her head on the side of his neck. She caught her eyelids drooping and blinked to wake them up.

Jace turned his head slightly, his hair tickling her neck. "Are you tired?" She nodded and suppressed a yawn. It was probably fatigue from taking care of him for three hours. Jace was almost positive that she hadn't realized that she'd stopped moving the cloth. He knew it was probably wrong, but she deserved rest too. Jace lowered them onto the mattress, careful not to disturb her.

Before her hand could be pinned behind his back, she moved the cloth onto his forehead. Clary wasn't even aware of their skin pressing onto each other. Before she drowned in her sleep, she muttered, "What do you think you're doing, perverted idiot…"

Jace saw her eyes close completely, and her fast heartbeat had faded. God, she was beautiful. He'd have to thank her in the morning for ridding his fever. If only he could stay snuggled here with her forever… But he knew the next morning would come and she would jump out of bed and scold him and make him smile like she does every time. And then he would get back to his busy routine then next day. He shook it off. He definitely wasn't going to spend this luxurious night thinking about the next. Jace took one last look at Clary, who was smiling just a bit and curled up on his left arm. He closed his eyes and saw her in his dreams. The girl with fiery flames for hair in the oasis of his desert.

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Clary's eyes cracked open and saw her purple wallpaper. She yawned despite her resistance. She stopped halfway when she caught sight of a fair skinned hand beside her head. Clary's head whipped to the side.

Jace was staring intently at the ceiling. When she turned, he flickered his golden eyes at her. "Good morning, beautiful."

It was obviously a dream. There was no way he could be in her bed…or actually. Her memory jogged and broke into a race. The goosebumps found their way to her skin. That was real?!

"AHHH!" Clary flung up and untangled herself from him. She stumbled out of the covers and onto her rug. Jace propped up on his elbows and laughed. Even with her hair tousled, she looked amazing.

Clary saw him half naked and…well… looking sexy. She made a noise of frustration and shook up her hair to prevent erotic images from coming into scooped up the rag, forgotten on the floor and lashed at his chest. "You perverted alien!"

Hehehe, the Jonas Sisters…What? We're not allowed to put non-fictional celebrities, so, you know… :) And it's official! I'm going to Comic Con in October! Yay yay yay yay! I think I might cosplay as Ash Ketchum… Wacha thaynk? Anywho, you know the drill. Follow/favorite and more importantly, leave a review por favor. Thanks for the company, my luvz!

~Beanie

P.S. I'm so nervous for volleyball tryouts, wish me luck!