A/N – Emily is at the hospital getting help but she's kinda sick and just about everyone is worried… I wrote this chapter on a 14h flight and it is sort of a filler chapter but I promise a lot more Naomily-interaction in the next chapter, which has yet to be written, unfortunately!

Chapter 13

Naomi's POV

I drove like a mad person off my meds to get to Bristol in less than the hour-and-a-half the drive usually took. It being four in the morning saved me some time and I only remember passing two trucks on the entire way here. I drove all the way up to the emergency entrance, ran out in search of a wheelchair and someone to help us. About half an hour earlier, Emily had stopped answering Mum's questions and had for all intents and purposes, lost consciousness. I was freaking out and despite making the trip in record time, I wasn't feeling confident that we had done the right thing by driving ourselves instead of calling for an ambulance.

They took her in immediately, several doctors and nurses working simultaneously in order to stabilize her. They asked Mum and me questions about what she had been in contact with, how fast she had fallen ill and if she was allergic to penicillin. The only thing I had been able to answer was that she had cut her back open and that she didn't get a lot of sleep last night, something that made Mum send a curious look my way. Mum filled out some forms and they moved Emily into an examination room, closing the doors behind them. I hadn't realized tears were streaming down my face until Mum pulled me in for a hug and for once, I grabbed onto her and let myself feel.

After about half an hour, a doctor with a stern look on his face came back out with some follow-up questions that neither of us could answer and Mum decided to call Kieran for advice. Emily had begged Mum not to contact her parents who were of course sleeping in their beds only miles from here but the doctors needed answers that neither of us could give. Kieran had just told Katie the news and she of course threw a fit about why no one had thought to bring her along. Once she had calmed down, she called their parents who showed up almost immediately.

Katie seemed like a silent, shy lamb compared to Jenna Fitch, who really handed it to Mum about recklessness and responsibility but Mum let her get it all out, nodding in understanding and agreeing with the accusations and accepting full blame. I really don't take after Mum because despite possibly being to blame for Emily's condition, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to speak to me the way Jenna did Mum. My attempts at defending Mum only seemed to spur Jenna on and when I started losing my temper, Mum squeezed my hand and shook her head almost unnoticeably. I suppose you have to be a parent to understand what it's like to have a sick child and needing someone to blame for it. Jenna screamed at us for about ten minutes before her husband and a boy of about thirteen, James, joined us in the waiting room. Rob was Jenna's polar opposite and I took an instant liking to him when he pulled Jenna away, hushing her and apologizing to the both of us for her verbal abuse. The boy looked half asleep but I recognized the shape of his eyes, despite their color differing significantly from Emily's dark-brown, and the curve of his mouth. She had never mentioned a younger brother but then again, we didn't really spend that much time actually talking. I made a mental note of correcting that in the future, if Emily was allowed near us again, that is. Jenna had thrown a lot of things in our faces, one of them being that Emily would not be allowed anywhere near Ogmore-by-Sea or either of us ever again.

A nurse came out and led Emily's parents and brother into the examination room in order to get the answers they needed and Mum and I went to grab some coffee.

"She's quite a character, that Jenna", Mum said with apprehension as she took a careful sip of her steaming coffee.

I rolled my eyes and let out a loud snort. "She's a bitch. Like mother, like daughter I suppose."

Mum almost spat out her coffee and looked at me, aghast. "How can you say that? Emily is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met!"

I frowned. "I was talking about Katie, Mum. She's the bitch."

"Ah!", she exclaimed, nodding. "Regardless, you shouldn't say such things, Naomi." A smile spread on Mum's lips, "but you can't really blame her, growing up with that devil woman as a role model!" I giggled along with her while we walked back to the waiting area.

Despite the two cups of coffee she had consumed over the past hour, Mum fell asleep after waiting for news from either the doctors or the Fitches. She didn't get any sleep at all last night and worrying about Emily had depleted her of any remaining energy. Falling asleep was quite the accomplishment really, since I was having trouble finding a comfortable sitting position on the hard, plastic chairs. Emily's brother had joined me in the waiting room, toying with an iPad and generally being a sulky teenager. Every now and then, I would look up and catch him staring at me, only to shy away when I smiled at him. After a little while, I noticed Rob coming out of Emily's room and I decided it was time to get some information.

"Excuse me, Mr. Fitch?" He turned around and met my eye, worry laced deep within. "How is she? Do they know what's wrong with her?" I bit my lower lip in nervous anticipation of his response.

He sighed and rubbed his face with a large palm. "She's septic. They think they've got it under control now but she was very bad off when you brought her in." He locked eyes with me and his expression changed. "I know Jenna gave you and your mother a hard time but really, thank you for being quick on your feet and getting her here as fast as you did." He patted me awkwardly on the shoulder and shot me a half-smile.

Septic, Jesus Christ! I tried smiling in return but the room was spinning and I felt a desperate need to sit down. Rob must have noticed since he flexed his arm and kept me steady. "Whoa there, are you alright yourself?"

I managed to nod and sat down hard in one of the chairs. He slid down in a chair next to me and tapped me lightly on the knee. "She's a fighter, my Emsy.", he said proudly. "Always has been. What I don't get is how she got those cuts on her back." I felt my cheeks redden but Rob was lost in thought and didn't notice. "You were, there, did she try to summersault or something off those rocks? How else would she hurt her back like that?" He held out both hands in question and all I could do was shrug and pray he wouldn't notice my blushing cheeks.

We sat in silence for a few moments before he slapped himself on the thighs and abruptly got to his feet. "We are going to go get some breakfast while Emsy rests. You don't have to stay, you know." Jenna was on her way out of Emily's room, carefully closing the door behind her and he walked over to greet her with a peck on the cheek, James leaping up at the mention of food. Jenna looked our way and I managed an earnest, or at least I think it was, smile but received a sneer in response. Causing the apple of their eye to become septic was probably not the best way to make a good first impression. A lasting one, sure, but not a good one.

I glanced in Mum's direction, found her still sound asleep and pondered for a moment before rising and running to Emily's door. I cracked it open and found no remaining doctors or nurses, so I slipped in. She was lying on her side, sleeping and connected to several machines I didn't know the name of by an array of tubes and wires. I felt tears form at the sight of her, not sure whether it was guilt, worry or relief that she was at least getting the much needed help. I walked to her side and smiled at her peacefully sleeping before reaching down and brushing a few strands of red hair from her beautiful face. She stirred at my touch and opened her eyes, locking them with mine in an instant.

Emily's POV

If waking from what had felt like imminent death was great, waking up to Naomi's face and concerned eyes was divine. The last thing I remember was begging Gina to only wake Naomi before driving to the hospital and even though I searched my mind for memories of Naomi or of the drive itself, I came up blank. I was not even sure where I was at the moment, although the tubes and beeps from the surrounding machines were a dead giveaway that I was in a hospital bed. I smiled at her and she sat down on the side of the bed, taking hold of my hand.

She intertwined her fingers with mine and enclosed our fingers with her other hand, squeezing tight. She bit her bottom lip and wouldn't meet my eyes. She sniffled a little and turned her head away. She's crying? I wanted to reach out and make her turn to me but I was too weak to move, really. I tried to speak but had to clear my throat first in order for anything to escape me.

"Where am I?"

She wiped a few tears from her cheeks and turned to face me. "Bristol. Your parents and brother are here."

"What? Why?" Fuck! "I told Gina not to call them." I could just imagine how my dear, sweet mother would have treated Naomi and poor Gina. She always had been short-tempered and had a desperate need for placing blame anywhere other than where it should be directed. Technically, I suppose if blame was to be placed, it would have been directed at both Naomi and me. I sighed. "Why did you call them?"

Naomi tugged a few strands of my hair behind my ear, taking a minute to gently caress my cheek. "They needed answers regarding your medical history and you were very, very ill, Emily, we were worried sick." I believed her, remembering how awful last afternoon and evening had been and still feeling too weak to move. "You look a little better though", she said and smiled lovingly.

I wanted to laugh but couldn't find the energy to. "Yeah, I bet I look just lovely." I managed a grin.

"You do…" Naomi's expression was as serious as ever and my grin vanished. She rose from the bed and knelt down in front of me without unravelling our intertwined fingers. She placed a soft kiss on my forehead, and I closed my tired eyes and relished in it. I felt so safe with her, like nothing else mattered and the world could end this very minute, leaving me forever in utter bliss. I felt her lips move to mine as she kissed me sweetly, making me wish I had the strength to pull her to me for more. She pulled away and I opened my eyes to find her smiling at me, a look of pure, unmistakable adoration on her face. I shivered, but this time it wasn't caused by my feverish body but by Naomi's overpowering, affectionate gaze.

The door creaked and Gina stuck her head through the opening. "Is it safe?", she whispered jokingly. Naomi nodded and given her reaction yesterday when her mum had caught us, I expected her to let go of my hand. She didn't though and instead moved back to sit on my bed. Gina came and stood by her, looking tired but relieved. "How are you, you poor, poor girl?"

I smiled and wondered at the amount of energy it took to produce a smile – right now it felt a lot like running a marathon and I would know. "Better, much better, thank you." She nodded and smiled. "I hear you've met my parents then?" I watched them both squirm and once again wished I had the energy to at least giggle.

Gina was the first to compose herself. "They are both lovely. Your brother too, of course." Naomi smothered a snort and Gina shot her an angry look. "I don't believe we made the best impression though and they seem reluctant in letting you return to the excavation."

Naomi had a shocked look on her face, "they can't do that, she's eighteen, she's an adult!" She sounded positively horrified at the idea and I couldn't help but smile and give her hand a little reassuring squeeze. She quickly composed herself, realizing she was being a bit obvious in her affection for me.

"Don't worry, they can't keep me away. Although I don't think I'll be doing much digging until I feel a little stronger." Despite enjoying having both Naomi and Gina close, I was getting exhausted from carrying a conversation, making it difficult to imagine when I would be able to hold a shuffle, let alone take that long walk up the hill to the site. "What's wrong with me, anyway?"

As if reading my mind, a young doctor entered, acknowledging Gina and Naomi's presence with a slight nod. "You, young lady, came in suffering from severe sepsis. Fortunately, you have so far responded well to the IV broad-spectrum antibiotics and your fever has already gone down significantly." He smiled and looked around at us but seemed to linger a little on Naomi. She didn't seem to notice, however, and he carried on with a somber look on his face. "We will have to keep you here for a little while for observation. It shouldn't be more than a few days and if you keep responding this well, we'll have you back to normal within the week." He smiled reassuringly and left the room, smiling once last time at Naomi and making me wish I could pull her in for a kiss, marking my territory. She remained ignorant of the young doctor's attention and gave me a bright smile.

Behind her, Gina took note of her daughter's excessive happiness and I blushed slightly as Gina's eyes fell on me, sizing me up in a different way than before. Naomi was of course blissfully ignorant of her mother's inquisitive gaze and simple kept caressing the back of my hand with her thumb, seemingly marveling at the sight of our intertwined fingers.

"Naomi, I think we should Emily get some rest now." Gina's voice was almost a whisper as she walked towards me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm really glad you are alright, Emily." She smiled and it seemed earnest, without malice, only displaying honest concern and relief. She left the room and let Naomi say her own goodbyes in private, thankfully.

She sat there, a crooked half-smile on her lips, as she marveled at our intertwined fingers, gripping a little harder all of a sudden. Finally tearing her gaze from our hands, she locked eyes with me and climbed into the bed. I watched in shock and awe as she climbed to the other side of me and lay down, without ever letting go of my hand. Her head rested at the cave of my neck as she pulled my into her until my back was pressed against her chest.

"I'll miss you…" She whispered as she placed soft kisses on my neck and pulled our entangled hands up to rest at my chest. "Please get better soon."

We lay like that for a few minutes before she tore herself away, hearing Gina speak loudly outside the door to my room. My own mother's voice was audible as well and I was happy to hear her use a civil tone with Gina because it meant she had already calmed down significantly. Naomi released me but not before popping up on an elbow and leaning on top of me, placing a passionate kiss on my lips. It took me by surprise and I was honestly surprised I found the energy to answer it. I savored every second of the sensation her lips and tongue once again stirred in me, locking it away to be tapped at a later time. She pulled away, her lips still slightly parted, eyes closed and a tranquil look on her face. We heard the door creak and she was up and about in less than a second. Naomi smiled politely at Mum and Dad before joining Gina in the waiting room. She looked back at me once, smiled and caused my heart to spasm, which evidently was picked up by one of the machines I was hooked up to as it started to peep.

Those damn machines, always giving you away! This actually happened to me once, my girlfriend walked in while I was hooked up to a heart monitor, and my heart rate double when I saw her… Anywho! I will be writing on "Solving the Cancer Enigma" for the next while, so it will be a while before I upload again.

Thank you again for reading and for the kind words you send my way! I am forever thankful to all of you :)