Prompt: Chloe comes down with the stomach flu during the Bellas retreat.
Ship: Triple Treble
A/N: Feel free to send prompts for this series. I can't guarantee that I will do all of them, but I'll try to tackle anything that sparks my interest. They can be Chaubrey, Bechloe, Mitchsen, or Triple Treble prompts.
The Lifespan of Mayflies
Chloe doesn't get motion sickness – or sick at all really. So, when she started feeling kind of nauseated on the bus, yeah, that was a little weird. But, it made sense. It was a long ride from Barden to Aubrey's retreat due to a lack of bridge to just go over the lake, and Fat Amy managed to hit potholes on newly paved roads, and Beca and Lilly liked gas station food a little too much – enough to pass up on a real restaurant that served actual meals, because 7-Eleven had $1 pizza slices. And she was stressed – like more than she's ever been. So, when she leaned her head against the window, and passed out for a good portion of the ride to rid herself of the minor stomachache, it made sense to her. And everyone else just assumed she was tired and left her alone.
She had felt a lot better when she woke up. Really, she did. They were somewhere in the woods, pulling up on the Lodge of Fallen Leaves, and she was ready to get out and stretch her legs and tackle Aubrey, who she didn't see nearly enough these days. But Aubrey had an entire schedule laid out for them from the very moment they arrived – and it started with building tents.
xxxxx
"Welcome to your first uncompleted teamwork building task," Aubrey announces, a few yards away from the actual retreat, "You need to set up these tents before sundown. I'll be back to check on you. Good luck."
Chloe stares at the bags in front of them as Aubrey walks away, essentially leaving them to fend for themselves in the woods. It's hot and why did she decide it would be a good idea to wear wedges and, honestly, she thought they would take a break before jumping into things and they could catch up. But Aubrey never did believe in downtime, and Chloe finds herself rather eager to build the tents so maybe they can call it a day. She turns and watches Aubrey's back until she's out of sight, tempted to follow her and see if she has air conditioning in her house, but this was her idea and the Bellas will kill her if she bails out before they even get started.
"Alright, here's the play!" Fat Amy grabs everyone's attention and takes charge before Chloe can adequately assess the situation. "Fat Amy, you lie on the ground. Okay. You guys build the top half around me." She claps her hands together. "Let's do this!"
Chloe blinks and watches as the Bellas spring into motion like they can't feel that it's roughly two-hundred degrees outside. She isn't going to admit it, but she's feeling some regrets. Mostly because she realizes that even after napping on the bus, she's still tired enough to be feeling slightly cranky. There has to be something she can sit down and do that will still be contributing to the task at hand. She wrings her hands together, looking at where everyone else chooses to get started.
"This helps us beat Das Sound Machine how?" Beca asks, and Chloe can't let her bring the rest of the team down while she's momentarily not feeling quite up to par herself.
"Look, Aubrey told me while her methods might be a little unconventional, she gets results." Okay, so maybe the conversation had been a little more one-sided than that, and Chloe had begged her to help – to which Aubrey responded she gets results from business men who had never set foot outside of the big city before, and the Bellas were a whole other territory. But no one else needs to know that. "And, I, for one, am very excited to see what happens when a bunch of college girls who have lost their way have to bond together to build something with their hands out in the middle of nowhere." That should sound appealing enough. "Aren't you?"
Beca stares at her like she's lost it, and, okay, maybe she came across as a little too frantic. "You're lucky you're that pretty," Beca states. Or a lot too frantic.
Fat Amy sets up a space for herself on the ground and lies down like she's on the beach, sunglasses on, bag for a pillow. Chloe wishes she could be that lazy for a few moments. She steps out of the sun and looks around as the Bellas start pulling out poles and ropes and various parts of the first tent. They need to build two of these.
"I build tents all the time, Guys. We can do this twenty minutes tops." Emily looks confident and the kind of excited that Chloe wishes she felt right now. She unravels rope from one of the bags and wraps it around her hand.
It would be a lot simpler if they all knew what they were doing. Chloe rolls up her sleeves and scans the area. "Has anyone seen the instructions?" That's something she can relax and do – bark orders. If Aubrey can do it, why can't she? Someone has to tell them how to build this. But everyone is pulling random items out of bags, and no one is listening to her question.
"Lilly, you're kinda blocking my breeze," Fat Amy complains and motions her out of the way.
"Of course, she builds a pole," Flo is suddenly complaining as well, watching Stacie be the first to build anything at all. "I'm the only one doing the hard labor."
"Seriously, Guys, where are the instructions?" Chloe asks again.
"Dude, she probably didn't give us any." Beca looks at the tent pegs she's holding. "That's probably part of the whole teamwork thing."
Chloe sighs and rubs her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.
"Are you going to help?" Beca asks. "This was your idea."
"Of course, I'm going to help." Chloe is starting to feel irritable now, and still too hot. She grabs the pegs out of Beca's hand and walks over to where Jessica and Ashley have placed the tent on the ground so she can start hammering them in.
xxxxx
"You should stop to eat," a few of the Bellas tell her at one point. Chloe knows that she should, but the more she works, the faster the tents will be built. Plus, Aubrey split their food and water into rations, and Chloe would rather have more later when she's actually hungry than a little now when she still feels way too full from gas station pizza. Someone rolls a water bottle her way and she puts it aside, essentially building the entire second tent on her own. It's a lot simpler once they figure out how it goes together with the first tent.
She steps back to admire her work once it's done.
"That only took six and a half hours," Emily says dryly.
"Seriously?" Chloe pulls out her phone to check the time.
"Seriously," Emily deadpans.
Chloe wipes the sweat away from her face with the back of her hand then crosses her arms. Well, that explains why she's even more exhausted than she was earlier. She puts her phone back in her pocket, waiting for Beca to choose a tent so she can choose the same one.
"I think we actually did a good job." Beca walks up beside her, hands on her hips. She elbows Chloe in the side. "You can stop to eat now."
"I'm not hungry." Chloe looks around, trying to remember where she put her bottle of water. It was probably scooped up by someone who didn't know how to ration out their own supplies by now.
"You haven't eaten since we stopped the bus," Beca reminds her.
"I had a big breakfast." Chloe takes a deep breath of the pine scented air. "Which tent are you sleeping in?"
"That one, I guess." Beca nods to the one Chloe built, and Chloe feels herself swell with pride
Aubrey arrives like clockwork and admires their work with a surprising amount of approval. "Wow, I'm impressed." She places her hands on her hips and looks both tents up and down.
"It took us all day," Chloe says (six hours and ten minutes more than Emily claimed it would take to be exact), "But I think we did an awesome job."
Aubrey nods in agreement.
"Yeah." Fat Amy lets herself out of Chloe's tent, apparently done with her self-appointed 'job' of examining them both for sturdiness and ventilation. "Partnership of equals." She partially zips the tent and looks at Chloe and Aubrey. "You're welcome."
"So now what?" Beca asks.
It didn't occur to Chloe that it might still be early enough that Aubrey has more work for them. She tries to cover her feelings with a forced smile and does her best to ignore the weak feeling in her legs. She needs to remember to ask Aubrey for more water. She'll understand if Chloe tells her that either she lost hers or someone swiped it, because Aubrey is always reinforcing that the Bellas stay hydrated.
"Now, you rest," Aubrey tells them, and Chloe shoots her an appreciative gaze, "You've got an awful lot of work to do tomorrow."
There's a crackling noise that Chloe can't quite identify.
"What's that sound?" Cynthia-Rose is the first one to voice what they're all thinking.
Chloe looks around, trying to pinpoint where it's coming from.
"Look out!" someone gasps, and Chloe looks just in time to watch one of the trees effectively smash her tent to the ground. Her hands fly to cover her mouth as her hard work becomes crushed beyond repair.
"Man!" Cynthia-Rose yells.
"Crushed it!" For once, Fat Amy's catchphrase is literal.
Chloe's hands fall to her sides and she gapes at the aftermath, tears immediately welling up in her eyes.
"Well, look at that." Aubrey is amused if anything. She doesn't take her eyes off the destroyed tent. Doesn't notice Chloe's disappointment. Disappointment is an understatement. It feels a lot more like devastation. "Guess you're doubling up," she says, "Don't go shoulder to shoulder; head to toe, there's more room that way." She places a basket of more water and supplies in front of them before she turns to leave. "Nighty-night!"
Chloe watches her go then looks once more at the tent. Her features crumble and she wraps her arms around her chest, hugging herself as her tears begin to leak down her face.
"Well, shit," Cynthia-Rose says, "This sucks."
"You think?" Beca elbows Chloe again. "Guess we're sleeping in the other tent tonight, Chlo." She turns to look at her. "Woah, hey."
"That took forever!" Chloe sobs, thrusting a hand out in the tent's direction. Now that it's destroyed, she feels the amount of work and time it took by a tenfold. "How does a tree just randomly fall out of nowhere?!" Her eyes burn with exhaustion and she presses her fingertips against them to ease some of the pressure behind them. She realizes how hard she's about to cry and quickly turns to face Beca, taking a few steps toward her and pressing their bodies together until Beca is forced to wrap her in a hug.
"Sorry, Chloe," Fat Amy says and pats her shoulder. "Guess it didn't really pass the sturdy inspection. It was well-ventilated though." The other Bellas follow suit and mumble apologies to her as they head towards the tent that's left standing.
Beca awkwardly rubs her hand up and down Chloe's back. "We can rebuild it tomorrow," she suggests, "Aubrey has to give us some free time at some point."
Chloe shakes her head. It was all too draining the first time. She sandwiches her arms between them and tries to stop crying over it like crying will rebuild it for her. "How does that happen?!" It had to be rigged. It had to be. The same nausea she felt on the bus returns, and she presses her face into Beca's shoulder. They're supposed to be bonding, but she's just ready for bed.
"I don't know. You okay?" Beca asks and places her hand on Chloe's back where her shirt has ridden up. "You feel overheated."
"Because it's hot out," Chloe whines, "This was a mistake." She shakes her head again, sobbing into Beca's shoulder. "It was a stupid mistake being somewhere with, with trees!"
Beca pries her away and places both hands on her shoulders. "It's been a long day and we're all tired." She bends down and grabs a water bottle from the new basket of supplies. "Here," she says and presses it against Chloe's palm until she takes it. "Drink that. I'm going to put my pajamas on and go to bed, and you should too." She keeps her eye on Chloe as she backs up toward her suitcase, looking away once she gets there to open it and dig through her clothes.
Chloe sniffles and brings the bottle of water to her forehead, trying to cool herself down, but it's room temperature and does little to provide relief. How does a tree just randomly fall like that? She uncaps the bottle and takes a few sips of water, but it doesn't sit right in her stomach, so she recaps it again. It isn't fair. Beca is beside the tent changing, and Chloe walks over to her suitcase to pull out her pajamas. She changes in front of the tent, even more upset that she had expected it to be chilly at night and brought warm pajamas.
"Ready?" Beca asks, walking back around the tent to her suitcase.
Chloe nods. She grabs her pillow and blankets, stuffs her dirty clothes and the bottle of water haphazardly into her suitcase, then zips it up.
Beca unzips the tent, then holds open the flap and waits for her.
Chloe scrubs her eyes with the back of her hand and climbs inside. It's crowded, but she finds space between Lilly and Emily. Her muscles are starting to feel cramped, but things aren't so bad once she's lying down. She sniffles and closes her eyes, grateful when Beca finds space with their heads next to each other. Things might not be so bad here. She just needs to sleep off the weirdness she's feeling right now and then she can go back to being excited in the morning.
"I don't understand camping," Flo mumbles once they're all situated, "We're voluntarily living like dogs."
Chloe tilts her head against Beca's and tries to fall asleep.
"This is the worst," Beca whispers and leans her head away, "The air we're breathing right now is at least 90% fart."
Those statistics do nothing to calm Chloe's stomach. She opens her eyes and forces herself to smile through their complaints.
"That reminds me," Fat Amy pipes up, " I need to see a man about a horse." She sits up.
Everyone is making too much noise, and Chloe rubs her face. They're giving her a headache.
"Did anyone happen to pack a spare roll of toilet paper?" Fat Amy asks, "Or a moist towelette? Anyone have, like, a t-shirt size extra small?" No one answers. "Okay, side of the tent it is."
Chloe cringes, her stomach actually rolling at the thought. She swallows thickly and rolls over to face Beca so she can distract herself until everyone is quiet enough that she can go to sleep.
"What are we doing?" Beca asks, turning over to look at her.
"We're bonding," Chloe whispers. At least that's the idea anyway. They are bonding, if she really thinks about it. They're bonding over how much they hate Chloe and Aubrey right now. She feels a twinge of disappointment. "You seem so tense." Somehow, she's going to make this all work out. She lifts her hand and brushes her fingers over Beca's hair. "Do you need a back rub?" Her disappointment intensifies when Beca moves her head away from Chloe's hand.
"Several body parts are rubbing my back right now, thank you," Beca snaps in a harsh whisper.
Nothing about this trip is going how Chloe wants it to. They're supposed to be enjoying themselves. "You know, Beca, we're very close, but I feel like this retreat is really gonna let us discover everything about each other."
"Is that right?" Beca asks, and Chloe can't determine whether she looks amused or angry. She chooses to be optimistic and latches onto the idea of the former. She focuses a moment on breathing, starting to feel a little spacey.
"You know one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't do enough experimenting in college." Chloe regrets it once her thoughts somehow managed to verbalize themselves out loud. She always regrets things with Beca.
"You're so weird," Beca ends the conversation quickly.
And Chloe doesn't understand. She never does. Because she could swear that Beca has feelings for her, but she's always wrong. "Thanks," she covers for herself with a tight smile, not letting it turn into a frown until Beca is facing the other way.
"I wanna go home," Beca says, and Chloe isn't sure this retreat was her best idea again.
Chloe rolls on to her back again and closes her eyes, managing to block everyone out as they continue whispering.
"Oh, Guys!" Fat Amy yells, breaking her back out of her daze, "I've got a little… It won't… I just need a little help getting it out… Can you sing something? The pipes a bit blocked."
It's going to be a long night, and Chloe just picks the first song that pops into her head. She falls asleep while everyone is still singing, listening the sound of their voices. It's the best part of the retreat so far.
xxxxx
It's too hot to stay asleep for more than twenty-minutes at a time. Chloe tries rolling up her sleeves. Turning onto her side so she isn't pressed up against anyone else's body. Stretching out. Curling up. Sitting up. And everything else she can think of. The problem is, she feels cold too. And her stomach doesn't want to settle, no matter what position she's in. Eventually, she decides that she can handle whatever the Bellas will think of her if she skips out on camping and goes to sleep with Aubrey. But her phone is in the pocket of her jeans, and her jeans are in her suitcase. And she doesn't want to get up.
"Beca," she whispers and nudges her shoulder. She slowly maneuvers herself into a sitting position and turns to face Beca. "Beca." She's a bit louder this time, but hopefully not loud enough to wake anyone else.
"What?" Beca grumbles and rolls onto her side.
"I think I'm sick," Chloe whispers. She pulls her knees up and rests her chin on them. "Can you text Aubrey?"
Beca props herself up on her arm and rubs her face. "What?" she asks again.
Chloe swallows to convince her stomach to calm down. "I said I don't feel well." She inches herself into the space beside Beca and Fat Amy. "I need you to text Aubrey."
Beca sits up and pats her blanket and pillow for her phone until she finds it. "What should I tell her?" She sounds confused, her voice hoarse from sleep.
Chloe tucks her face against her knees and just shrugs. She realizes now how shivery she is, despite feeling like she's trapped in a desert with no water. Her stomach rolls and she slides her arms around her midsection, willing it to stop. This is the worst, and she imagines herself back at Barden, in her own bed. "Just tell her to come get me." Tears start to sting her eyes, because Beca is taking too long, not realizing how much she needs to get out of this tent. She can see Beca's phone light up from behind her knees, and she mentally urges her to text faster so Aubrey can just get here and take her somewhere that has an actual bed.
"Did you bring water in here?" Beca asks.
Chloe shakes her had. She wishes she had, if only to rid herself of the sour taste in her mouth – but, on the other hand, trying to put anything in her stomach doesn't seem all that appealing. She slouches sideways against Beca's side, because trying to hold herself up feels too hard. She half expects Beca to lean away from her, but Beca doesn't move. The phone lights up again.
"She asked if you can make it until morning," Beca says.
It probably isn't even midnight, and the thought of being on the hard floor in this stuffy tent for even just five more minutes causes her to crumble. She sniffles and shakes her head, not bothering to wipe away a few tears that manage to escape down her cheeks. "Tell her no," she pleads and lifts her head.
Beca and Aubrey exchange a few more brief texts before Beca calls her and wraps an arm around Chloe in order to lift her free hand to press it against Chloe's forehead. Her fingers are cold, and Chloe wants to grab her other hand to hold against her face too. "Dude, yeah, she's burning up," she whispers into the phone, frowning at Chloe. "Do you want us to wait outside?" She exhales and hangs up the phone. "She said give her a minute to start up one of the golf carts." She places her phone down and presses her other hand against Chloe's cheek. "You feel like a furnace."
Chloe sighs in mild relief and closes her eyes. She feels like she's inside of a furnace. A furnace inside the tilt-a-whirl at a fair that won't stop spinning, even though she just ate lunch and she's begging to get off.
"Uh, Aubrey said to meet her outside." Beca moves her hands and the relief is immediately gone. "You have anything you need to take?" She turns to look behind her at Chloe's things. "Your pillow?"
Chloe shakes her head and rests her forehead against her knees again. Aubrey will have pillows. She just needs to find the willpower to stand so she can go meet her outside.
Beca taps her fingers on the ground. "Do you need help up?"
Because she has to get up in order to meet Aubrey outside. Right. Chloe rubs her face with the palms of her hands and shakes her head. She just needs a few seconds to convince herself she isn't going to throw up. Not in the tent. And, most definitely, not in front of Beca. But her stomach feels like it's being tied in knots, and she totally is going to if she doesn't move. She quickly moves to her hands and knees so she can get to the zipper on the tent, accidentally crawling over Fat Amy and kneeing her in the stomach in the process of trying to get out.
Fat Amy yells and bolts upright, just as Chloe manages to unzip the tent and let herself out. "Bear!" she screams, effectively waking up the Bellas and everyone else in a five miles radius.
There aren't bathrooms. How can they be in a place that doesn't have easily accessible bathrooms? Chloe panics and walks swiftly for the tree line in her bare feet, grabbing the first tree she comes across for support. She can hear the Bellas leaving the tent, but she can't go further into the woods – her feet aren't going to take her that far. Her fingers dig into the bark of the tree and she scoots closer to it, trying to hide herself from view as she dry heaves.
"Chlo, you okay?" Beca asks slowly, the concern in her voice almost tangible.
"At least she made it out of the tent," Flo announces dryly.
Chloe can't help it; she bursts into tears.
"Dude, seriously?" Beca snaps at Flo. She walks across the grass. Chloe's legs are shaking, and Beca grabs her arm and helps her to her knees before her stomach tries to throw up nothing a few more times. Beca gathers her hair back for her and lets out a sigh. "Where is Aubrey…"
"She probably has a bug," Fat Amy says, "There are more of them in the woods."
"What?" Cynthia-Rose asks.
"You know, like, when you get the twenty-four hour bug, because a Mayfly crawls inside of you and that's just its lifespan," Fat Amy explains.
"I don't think that's what catching a bug means," Stacie says.
That makes it worse – the knowledge that some poor creatures live and die in the span it might take her to feel better, and suddenly she's crying over Mayflies too. "How can it just die after one day?!" Chloe wraps her arms around her stomach, as it feels like it's twisting itself tighter, and leans forward so she doesn't throw up on her shirt. "That's not enough time to do anything!" And suddenly Beca's hand is on her forehead again, rechecking her temperature.
The sound of the golf cart rolling over the gravel and then the grass brings even more relief than the coolness of Beca's fingers. She manages to rope herself more under control as she listens to the sound of Aubrey's footsteps walking swiftly over to them.
"Move," Aubrey tells the Bellas and pushes past them, kneeling down once she gets to Chloe. "Chloe, it's the middle of the night. You better be dying. What's wrong?"
"All the Mayflies are dying!" Chloe sobs. Her stomach churns, reminding her that that's not the initial problem here. "And I'm going to throw up." The headlights from the golf cart are shining on her like a spotlight and she tries to move in front of Aubrey and use her as a shield from everyone staring at her.
"Okay." Aubrey takes on a gentler tone, and slides her hand under the back of Chloe's shirt, rubbing the length of her back. "That's okay. It happens."
"She's barely had anything to eat or drink today," Beca calls her out, moving with her. "She has nothing in her stomach to throw up right now."
"Why wouldn't you eat or drink anything, Chloe?" Aubrey scolds her. "That's probably why you're sick. You've been working outside all day and it's hot out."
Chloe adamantly shakes her head and tries to defend herself. "I didn't have anything, because I didn't feel well!"
Aubrey sighs. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" she asks. "You could have texted me or told Beca."
Why didn't she tell anyone? Because they were supposed to be having fun! Bonding over team building, not this. Her stomach lurches again, and Beca was wrong about it being empty, because gas station food is even worse coming up than it is going down.
"Yeah, I can't watch that," Cynthia-Rose says. "This is worse than that video of Aubrey. At least that was a video."
Fat Amy shakes her head. "Remember when everyone was fighting over Beca? Can't get worse than that."
"Like I said, at least it was not in the tent since we only have one now," Flo deadpans again, as if Chloe doesn't feel disgusting enough puking up dollar pizza in the grass with both Aubrey and Beca rubbing her back and trying to keep her hair out of the way.
"This is not a sideshow," Aubrey turns to them and snaps, sounding absolutely livid, "Go to bed." She turns back once Chloe can hear their footsteps walking away. "Okay, Chloe, it's okay. You're okay." Aubrey soothes her with calming platitudes until her stomach really is empty.
"You good now, Chlo?" Beca asks a minute or two after she stops throwing up, and lets go of her hair.
The answer really depends on Beca's definition of 'good'. Chloe shakily wipes off her mouth and nose with the back of her hand and tries to collapse into Aubrey when Aubrey puts her arms around her, but Aubrey lifts her to her feet and forces her to stand.
Aubrey keeps one arm around her, holding her steady, and feels her forehead. "You are really hot, Chloe," she says.
It's not the first time Chloe has heard that before – but it's definitely a first coming from Aubrey. "Thanks," she mumbles and tries to cuddle in closer to her, her stomach still not feeling settled. "You are too. I think I'm going to throw up again."
Beca snorts.
"We're going back to my place, Beca," Aubrey says, and lowers her hand from Chloe's forehead to rub her stomach. "Get her stuff, and your stuff."
"Wait, my stuff?" Beca asks.
"Are you deaf?" Aubrey asks. "Let's go."
"On it." Beca salutes her and walks back toward the tent.
Chloe lifts her hand to her face, finding it difficult to concentrate on what they're saying or staying upright. "I need to sit." At the same time, she doesn't want to move at all, because Aubrey rubbing her stomach is easing most of the discomfort.
"Okay, come on." Aubrey leads her to the golf cart and climbs into the back seat with her, still rubbing her stomach. "When did you start feeling sick?"
"The bus." Chloe lays down and curls up on the seat with her head on Aubrey's lap. She closes her eyes and buries her face against Aubrey's leg, realizing Aubrey is still in her pajamas. Everything around her feels slightly distant. "That was really embarrassing." She reaches for Aubrey's hand that isn't rubbing her stomach and laces her fingers. "I'm sorry you threw up in front of more people than I did. That must have been awful. You didn't deserve that."
Aubrey hesitates then squeezes her hand. "It's fine."
"I didn't feel embarrassed in front of you." Chloe just feels like she should know. "I felt better. Did you feel embarrassed, because I was there?"
"No, Chloe." Aubrey sighs. "I felt a lot better with you there." She's quiet for a moment. "I'm glad you were there."
"Good." Chloe smiles and absently plays with her fingers. "I'm glad we have each other."
Beca tosses their things into the front passenger side of the cart, and Chloe cringes at the rocking motion it makes. "Do you want to switch spots?" she asks Aubrey.
"You're driving," Aubrey says. "Do not destroy this; it's company property."
"Cool, first time behind the wheel since that Barbie car my dad thought I would like in Kindergarten!" Beca responds with exaggerated excitement, and Chloe doesn't even want to see the look it earns her from Aubrey. "Relax, I have a license to drive an actual car; I think I can handle this."
"For serious?" Aubrey asks, "Chloe is sick, and you're making jokes?"
"She has a stomach bug," Beca says calmly, "At worst, appendicitis."
"What?" Chloe asks, having not even thought about that.
"You already had your appendix out, Chloe," Aubrey reminds her, "You don't have appendicitis. Don't listen to Beca; she's making things worse than they are."
"But this is what it felt like." It may have been third grade, but Chloe definitely remembers how miserable she was. She feels panic building up in her chest, and she props herself up with her arm. "What if they thought they took it all out, but they left some?"
"See what you did, Beca." Aubrey presses down on the side of Chloe's stomach then releases the pressure. "Does it hurt there?"
Chloe pauses to think. She shakes her head.
"Then you don't have appendicitis," Aubrey says, "You don't have an appendix. You're fine."
"Oh." Chloe slowly lays back down with her head on Aubrey's lap again as Beca gets in the golf cart and starts it up. The vibrating of the engine is no good. "Aubrey, let's just walk."
"Then Beca would have to carry all your luggage, and I would have to carry you. No, thank you." Aubrey shifts around sideways so she can hold Chloe more securely on the seat as the golf cart starts.
Chloe buries her face in Aubrey's lap and tries to curl up her legs as Aubrey gives Beca instructions to her house. She rolls over onto her stomach and pulls her legs up underneath her, settling in that position as Aubrey keeps her from falling off the seat. The golf cart moves, and Chloe tries to focus on Aubrey's voice giving Beca directions more than the feeling of them actually getting there. The breeze is nice, but the motion is almost unbearable. It's bumpy and she can feel every turn. She's forced to sit up to try to ease some of the discomfort, but no position she can sit in helps, and she turns and leans into Aubrey, absolutely miserable. "Aubrey?" she mumbles when the golf cart stops, but she immediately forgets what she's going to ask her.
Aubrey looks over at her, frowning hard. "You're going to take something for your fever and your stomach, Chloe, and then you're going to go to bed," she says. She positions Chloe upright so she can step out of the golf cart, then she holds out her hand.
Chloe nods and lets Aubrey help her up, following her to her house as Beca grabs their stuff. She knew Aubrey had a house at the retreat. She's seen pictures. But it's even nicer than she expected. It's like a cabin on the outside, and somewhere between modern and cozy on the inside. It suits Aubrey somehow. But Chloe thinks it seems too big for her. She, at least, would be lonely living there by herself. "Do you have a boyfriend?" she asks, following her into the kitchen.
Aubrey doesn't say anything. She lets go of Chloe's hand and walks over to the cupboards beside the sink.
"A girlfriend?" Chloe guesses again.
Aubrey looks taken aback by the question. She opens the cupboard above the sink and starts rooting through her things. "You would know if I was dating someone." She pulls out a tupperware container and holds it out in Chloe's direction. "If you're going to throw up again, do it in this."
Chloe nods and takes it from her. "Aren't you lonely here?" she asks.
Aubrey gives her an unreadable frown then looks over as Beca walks into the kitchen.
"What'd I miss?" Beca asks. "I put everything by the door."
Chloe silently looks down at the floor and absently scratches at the plastic container with her thumbnail.
Aubrey grabs a glass out of another cupboard then walks over to the refrigerator and fills it with water and ice. "You're going to drink all of this, Chloe," she tells her, "I don't care if you feel too sick to drink it; it all needs to go in you." She walks over and briefly holds the cold glass against Chloe's forehead then cheeks before giving it to her.
Chloe takes it and holds it back up against her forehead.
"There's a thermometer in the bathroom attached to my bedroom, Beca," Aubrey says. "It's upstairs on the right. Take Chloe with you. I'll be there in five."
Chloe slowly lowers the cup so she doesn't spill it and follows Beca to the stairs on the other side of the kitchen.
"At least we get to sleep in a bed now," Beca says, slowing to walk up the stairs beside her, "Although, this is Aubrey and she'll probably make me sleep on the floor. But, we're inside, so that counts."
Chloe nods, missing half of what Beca is saying before she can process that she's supposed to be listening. The hallway at the top of the stairs is disorienting, and she follows Beca's lead into Aubrey's bedroom. It looks similar to their shared room in college, which Aubrey took it upon herself to decorate and organize. And, honestly, Chloe wouldn't be surprised if Aubrey's bedroom looked the same since she was a kid. She's thankful though, because she knows where everything is.
Beca walks into the bathroom, and Chloe places the container and water on the nightstand beside the bed. She walks over to the dresser and pulls open the second drawer, grabbing Aubrey's Barden Bellas t-shirt from their sophomore year of school. She strips off her shirt and pants and folds them on top the dresser, then pulls on the t-shirt and hovers in front of the air conditioner for a few seconds before walking over to the bed. It might be the first time she's ever seen Aubrey's bed unmade without Aubrey in it. The blankets are silky and cold, and she's tempted to lie down, but Aubrey will kill her if she doesn't drink water.
"She labels everything," Beca says, walking out of the bathroom. "It's helpful, but weird."
"I bought her a label gun a few years ago for Christmas," Chloe says and reluctantly picks up her glass of water. "Sometimes, she goes a little overboard with it." She takes a few sips of water, her stomach immediately protesting.
Beca laughs and walks across the room to sit beside her. "She has a label on her label maker that says 'this is not an adequate substitute for xanax'."
Chloe lowers her glass and points at herself. "I put that there," she says, "She never took it off, because she had a panic attack over sticky residue or something." She shakes her head and tries to give her glass to Beca. "I can't drink this."
Beca pushes the glass back her way. "I'd tell you I would take it if you label me 'illegal to murder', but I can see she doesn't care about your labels." She pulls her legs up to sit crisscross and focuses on turning on the thermometer.
It only takes a few more sips of water for Chloe to logic that she feels like she's dying anyway, so Aubrey killing her would just be putting her out of her misery. She replaces the glass with the plastic container, holding it on her lap just in case. "She's taking a long time downstairs."
"Yeah, with all the labels, you'd think she'd have an easier time finding what she needs." Beca places the thermometer in her ear.
"I heard that," Aubrey says, walking up the stairs.
"Speak of the Devil." The thermometer beeps and Beca pulls it back to look at it. She puffs out her cheeks and turns to face Aubrey as she's walking in the room. "Hey." She holds the thermometer out to her. "She's pushing 103. Should we drive to a clinic?"
Chloe glances at her in panic. A few minutes on the golf cart was bad enough. She looks at Aubrey and shakes head, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Aubrey, I just want to lay down."
Aubrey glances at the thermometer as she puts some medicine bottles and a wet flannel on the stand next to the water. She pours pink liquid into a spoon, then cups her hand under it in case it spills as she walks over to Chloe. "Open," she commands.
Chloe sniffles and opens her mouth, letting Aubrey give her the medicine. She grimaces at the taste and forces it down.
"One more." Aubrey returns to the stand, then comes back again with a spoonful of something else for Chloe to take. It tastes even worse than the first one. "Now you can drink the rest of that water." She places the spoon back on the stand and holds the cup out to Chloe.
Chloe takes a few miniscule swallows to wash the taste of medicine out of her mouth, then pretends to be overly interested in looking at the ice.
"You have two choices," Aubrey says and holds up two fingers, essentially talking to her like she's a child. "One." She holds up one finger. "You drink the water so you don't get dehydrated. Or two." She holds up two fingers again. "We go to a clinic, and they stick a needle in you so you don't get dehydrated. Your choice."
Chloe finds herself actually considering her options, wondering if an IV will make her feel as miserable as just the thought of drinking anything does. It's knowledge of the car ride that helps her make up her mind. She lifts the glass up to her lips again and drinks smalls sips until it's empty.
Aubrey takes the empty glass from her and places it on the stand, picking up the flannel before she returns and sits down, scooting back so she's against the wall. "Lay down and I'll put this on your head." She glances at Beca. "You're sleeping by the edge." She leans forward and wraps her arms around Chloe, sliding her across the bed, into the middle.
"Remind me why I'm here again?" Beca props up a few pillows then leans back.
Aubrey ignores her and pats the pillow between her and Beca. "It's time to go to bed."
Chloe slowly eases herself onto her back, and Aubrey moves the container from her lap to the space between her and Beca. She closes her eyes and tries to sleep as Aubrey dabs her forehead and cheeks with the cold flannel. "I feel bad," she mumbles, scrunching her forehead in discomfort as her stomach starts to feel like an off-balance washing machine again.
"Bad how, Chloe?" Aubrey asks, "Like you're going to puke again bad?"
Chloe manages a small, miserable nod.
"Tell me of you need to sit up." Aubrey presses the cloth to Chloe's forehead again.
Chloe swallows hard. "I need to sit up."
Aubrey helps her up, still holding the cloth against her forehead. "Be-"
"Already on it," Beca cuts her off, "Here, Chlo." She holds the container under her chin.
"This is humiliating," Chloe mutters, trying to take the container from her. Her hands are shaking and Beca ends up needing to keep one hand underneath it to balance it for her. She sniffles, tears welling up in her eyes and clinging to her eyelashes.
"Dude, why?" Beca asks. "It's literally just me, you, and Aubrey here."
"Because she likes you, you blind halfwit," Aubrey lets slip, her irritation with Beca prominent in her tone.
Chloe is convinced this night cannot possibly get any worse.
"What?" Beca asks. "Oh." She pauses. "Oh."
It can get worse.
"Wait, how when she likes you?" Beca asks.
So much worse.
"Me?" Aubrey shakes her head. "Chloe, what?"
"Right now is the time you both want to talk about this?" Chloe asks, her voice thick from being on the edge of crying. "I feel like this is a 'when Chloe isn't throwing her guts up' kind of topic."
"Honestly, it feels like a very pressing topic right now, Chloe," Aubrey states matter-of-factly.
So. Much. Fucking. Worse.
"Oh my god," Chloe mouths and pulls her legs up as close to her body as she can get them with the container in the way. "I think me about to throw up is a bit more pressing right now, Aubrey."
"That feeling will go away by morning," Aubrey says.
Chloe dry heaves.
Aubrey drapes the cloth across the back of Chloe's neck, so she doesn't need to hold it, and gathers her hair back.
"So, you like both of us?" Beca asks, sounding completely confounded by this new information.
"This is not the time!" Chloe's stomach rolls, and she sobs quietly under the weight of the nausea. "Aubrey," she pleads at her to help, and gags again, spitting out some of the water that Aubrey forced into her. Honestly, she's grateful, because it's so much less painful than just dry heaving over and over again.
"Sorry." Aubrey starts rubbing her back. "You'll be alright in a minute."
If there is anything worse than Aubrey and Beca both discovering she has feelings for them, at the same time none-the-fucking-less, it's throwing up. Actually, no, they both might be the same level of awful. Either way, she starts crying as her stomach clenches and she throws up the rest of the water.
Aubrey doesn't fret about vomit. At all. "You're fine, Chloe. It's just a stomach bug. You're alright." She pulls her closer and talks her through it until her stomach settles again.
Chloe slouches against her, all of her muscles tired and aching.
Aubrey takes the cloth from her neck and uses it to wipe off her mouth and nose, then hands it to Beca. "You asked what you were here for," she says, "It's to clean up vomit."
"Great," Beca mutters and stands up.
"I am so sorry," Chloe mumbles, trying to find the strength somewhere to get up and clean up after herself. Her stomach and chest cramp as she tries to move, and she collapses further into Aubrey's embrace.
"You have nothing to be sorry about," Aubrey says, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Aubrey is public enemy number one," Beca adds, "You're fine, Chlo. I'd rather this happen here with us than you being alone or something."
"Beca, get some more water too," Aubrey commands.
"Yes, Sargeant," Beca responds, earning herself a death glare from Aubrey. She grabs the empty cup from the nightstand and carries it into the bathroom with her.
Aubrey takes the remote from her nightstand, then lies down on her back, pulling Chloe down sideways so she's using Aubrey as a pillow. "Infomercials?" she asks and turns on the TV.
Chloe nods and gets comfortable against her. It's been awhile since she's watched any Infomercials. It's something she used to do in college with Aubrey on nights when Aubrey was up all night vomiting from stress. She could never figure out how else to distract her.
Beca walks out of the bathroom with a clean container and a glass of water. She sits down on the edge of the bed, and offers Chloe the glass.
Chloe sits up before Aubrey can prompt her to and takes the glass. She only manages to drink half of it, but Aubrey doesn't say anything as she hands it back then curls back up.
"Infomercials? Seriously?" Beca asks as Aubrey settles on a channel. She places the glass and container on the nightstand, then situates herself on her back and drapes Chloe's legs over her. "Why do I feel like you watch these every night for fun?"
"Your head makes a better door than it does a window, Beca." Aubrey takes the pillow that Chloe isn't using and props herself up higher.
"Which would explain why you think I need your comments like I need a hole in the head, Aubrey," Beca retorts.
"Guys, can you just stop?" Chloe asks, already exhausted of their banter. She exhales quietly and looks at the TV, trying to decide whether or not she needs Ginsu Steak Knives. Maybe she could use them to cut through the tension between Aubrey and Beca. Her head lulls to the side and she feels around on the bed until she finds the stuffed rabbit she won for Aubrey at the fair a few years back so she can sleep with it.
Aubrey stops talking. She wraps her arms around Chloe and stares at the TV.
Beca eyes the rabbit with a smirk, but keeps her mouth shut.
Chloe locks eyes with her, and gives her an exhausted frown.
Beca rolls onto her side and presses her palm against Chloe's forehead again, letting it rest there.
"Still burning up?" Aubrey asks, glancing down.
"Yeah." Beca scoots closer, using her fingers to cool down Chloe's forehead and cheeks again.
Aubrey sighs. "Close your eyes and try to sleep it off, Chloe," she instructs her.
Chloe does as she's told and closes her eyes, listening to the guy on the television drone on and on about knives that can slice anything like it's butter. The three of them in the same room (the same bed, even), not ripping each other's throats out, is comforting and she finally starts to feel her body relax. She reaches up before she realizes what she's doing and rests her hand on Beca's, holding it against her cheek. She expects her to pull away, but Beca stays still. Aubrey rubs her upper arm in a way that reminds her just how soft and gentle Aubrey can actually be.
She slowly drifts off, wondering if she can convince them in the morning to just admit they all like each other. This doesn't have to die as quickly as a Mayfly.