beautiful

chapter 13: i hate this

That night, after everyone had left, we tried to figure out sleeping arrangements.

"Can Fabian stay in my room?" Nina begged her Gran, but her Gran just shook her head.

"Where will Amber sleep, then?" she argued.

"Oh, Mrs. Martin, I'll be fine," Amber shrugged, "I can just sleep in the guest room down the hall; I don't mind."

"Amber, you don't have to do that," I spoke up feebly, "I don't want to uproot you or anything."

"Fabian, I want you with me," Nina stared at me, and I swallowed hard. Her Gran didn't seem to like the idea, but finally gave in to Nina since she wasn't backing down.

"Thank you," Nina sighed, closing her eyes. She suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"I feel dizzy," she said softly, holding her head. I immediately scooped her up and laid her down on the sofa.

"Thanks, Fabes," she whispered, wincing.

"Are you alright?" I made sure I spoke just as softly as she had, especially considering that she replied, "I have a really bad headache."

After a while, I ended up carrying Nina up to her bed. I left for ten minutes to retrieve my luggage from downstairs (as Courtney brought it in the house before she left) and change. I lay down gently beside Nina, who already looked like she was fast asleep. I gingerly kissed her forehead before staring straight up at the ceiling above me. Soon, a dreamless sleep consumed me.

At about 4:30 that morning, I felt Nina get up out of bed and rush out of the room. I sat up when I heard her vomit, and called her name softly.

"Bathroom," she replied weakly before vomiting again. I rushed to her side, holding back her hair as she emptied the contents of her stomach once more. She coughed a few times, and wiped her mouth before beginning to sob violently. I pulled her close to me in a tight hug, and leaned against the counter so I could cradle her in my lap. We just sat there, and she cried into my shoulder.

"I hate this," she sobbed, "I hate it so much…and it's only going to get worse after treatments start."

I rubbed her back and tried to soothe her, but I knew right now, all I could do was let her cry. I couldn't tell her it was going to be okay, because I didn't know if I would be right. The sobs racked her body wickedly, and she was shaking terribly in my arms. I almost wanted to start crying myself, but knew I had to stay strong for her.

"Fabian, I'm scared," Nina whispered, her voice broken, "I am so scared."

"I know, love," I replied, "We all are." I echoed Courtney's words, wondering where that magical healing kiss was that Emma-Lee was talking about just yesterday.

The week passed slowly. Nina's treatments wouldn't start until next Wednesday, but she was already in agony. I wished that I could do something, but there was nothing for me to do. We all wanted to help, but couldn't. It seemed every night, Nina would get sick and just cry into my shoulder while I held her and wondered what she could have done to deserve this.

One night she suddenly stopped crying, and lifted her head off my shoulder.

"Nina?" I said softly, caressing her jaw. She kissed me, and I kissed her back with everything I had.

"I love you," she told me breathlessly after pulling away, "I love you so much and I'll never say it enough."

I held her tight and whispered "I love you, too" until her breathing evened out and I carried her back to her bed.

Nina slept hours longer than she should have that day. I sat beside her, just waiting for her to wake up…after a while, I sat there hoping she would wake up. Amber came in, and asked me if I was okay.

"I…" I began, not sure how to finish, "I don't…I don't know."

She sat down next to me, looking at Nina.

"If she doesn't make it, none of us will," Amber whispered, and I snapped my head up to look at her.

"Sorry…" Amber looked down at her lap, a tear falling. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think I could live without her," I confessed, "I can't even imagine it…"

A few tears escaped my eyes, too. Nina stirred, and I got up from my side of the bed, kneeling next to her.

"Hi, Fabes," she whispered, blinking a few times. I stroked her cheek gently.

"Good morning," I said softly, and she smiled at me. She brought up her hand to lace her fingers with mine; I kissed the back of her hand.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

"You need to eat," I prodded gently. Nina's stomach growled, and she winced.

"What time is it?" she asked me.

"It's one o'clock," Amber replied, "You've been sleeping for twelve hours."

"I've just been so tired lately…" Nina trailed off, "I hate this." She started to cry again, and Amber and I comforted her the best we could.

A/N: "What up world? It's...MONDAY! Another day, another challenge!" If you know who says that, tell me in your review! This chapter is heartbreaking...I actually hit a little block while writing because I can't imagine this. I'm glad I switched out of Nina's point of view, because I'm not sure if I could accurately capture her pain. However, I feel confident in writing Fabian's feelings...all he can do is stand to the side and watch; it's a situation a lot of people can probably relate to. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I don't own House of Anubis. kthxbai.