When Darien woke the next morning he felt unusually tired and hot. His head was throbbing in a steady pulse. He groaned only to have dry rasping coughs erupt from deep inside his throat. He managed to crawl out of his bed and stumble into the bathroom. What he saw in the mirror surprised him. He looked horrible. Deciding a Tylenol would help and headed for the kitchen. His breath came harder and with each step everything around him seemed to swirl. He never made it to the kitchen, and he never noticed when he collapsed.
Serena gasped and immediately knelt by the object on the floor, Darien.
"Darien!"
He was unconscious and wouldn't wake even though she shook him. She felt his forehead and exclaimed. He was burning up with a fever. Leaving his coat on one of his hangers she managed to drag him into his bed. She pulled the covers and tucked them in around him as he shivered and coughed. His coughs came from his chest and were dry.
She didn't know exactly what to do. She walked into the kitchen and found some Tylenol and poured a glass of water. As she walked back to his bedroom she found wet clothes hanging on the side of his couch. He must've gotten a cold from being out last night and without his coat. She guiltily sat beside his bed. It was her fault he was sick, so she might as well make him better.
She propped his head up and put the glass to his lips. He swallowed a little water before coughing some more. Hoping he would swallow, she stuck a Tylenol pill in his mouth and some more water. He swallowed, coughed a little, and then was silent.
Serena felt his forehead and frowned. She found a thermometer in the medicine cabinet and got his temperature. 101° Fahrenheit. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes.
A few hours later his temperature steadily rose. He was sweating and restless. Serena worriedly put cool towels on his forehead and wondered whether to call the hospital. Once he opened his eyes.
"Mom… Dad…"
His voice was a cracked whisper. Serena tilted his head and let him have some water. She could tell he wasn't aware of his surroundings. So her surprise was obvious when he said her name.
"Serena…"
Darien definitely wasn't feeling good if he called Serena by her real name. It was always 'Odango this' and 'Odango that'.
"Yeah?"
"Serena… No… don't… leave…"
He clutched at her hand causing Serena squeak.
"Please… don't…
He closed his eyes again. Serena felt her heart squeeze. Poor Darien… Poor annoying handsome jerk… Her baka… Huh! She jumped back in surprise as she realized what her thoughts were. Darien moaned.
"No… Serena…"
A bout of coughing racked his weak body. She quickly grabbed his hand again. He settled down.
Serena left the glass of water on a small table next to his bed with the bottle of Tylenol and went into the kitchen. She talked to herself as she hunted around.
"Something good for colds… Chicken noodle soup!"
She held up the can with triumph and found a pot. Fiddling with the stove she carefully followed the directions on the can.
Darien came to slowly in his bed wondering if he had dreamed getting up. When he saw Serena coming in with a tray of soup he knew he had to be hallucinating.
"Is it me, or did Odango manage to cook something without burning my apartment down?"
The hallucination huffed and set the tray down.
"For your information I'm trying to take care of you so be a little more grateful!"
Darien stared at the hallucination. He suddenly grabbed it and breathed in its scent. It squealed and held stock-still. He let go as suddenly as he grabbed her and lay back sighing.
"You're not a hallucination are you…"
Serena gawked at him for a minute and then indignantly retorted.
"Of course I'm not a hallucination! You jerk! Why can't you just say 'thank you' for once!"
Darien sighed. A bout of dizziness overcame him and he found himself laying down again breathing hard and coughing. Serena placed a cool hand on his forehead.
"I don't know how you could've gotten this worse so fast."
Darien didn't know either. He fell asleep with Serena's hand still caressing him.