I've decided to just keep posting in this story because there's really no need to separate into another sequel. Also trying something new: the first part of this in from jaiden's point of view
By the time I wake up, it's dark in the apartment and I can feel Stacie's warm breath against my neck. Every two seconds or so, she exhales steadily and the rhythm is comfortingly calm. Afraid to wake her up, I roll over in her arms as slowly as I can and turn so that we're face to face. Stacie stirs a bit, but her eyes stay shut and she falls still after a few seconds. Even though she's sound asleep, I can still see the stress of the past few days in her features. The slightly furrowed brow and the tiny pout in her bottom lip show are enough to give it away. The realization comes with a small pang of guilt, but I don't feel much else other than the burning in my stomach.
The past few days were mostly filled with vomit, mild interrogations that were labeled as "interviews", and IV bags filled with fluids. Those tiny blue tablets I had swallowed completely destroyed the lining of my stomach, and my doctor had warned me that I was going to have a difficult few weeks as it rebuilt itself. In one swift movement, I stand up and dart to the bathroom. The back of my throat stings as I dropped to my knees in front of the toilet and throw up a stream of bile. Over the string of dry heaves that follow, I can hear quiet footsteps behind me.
"Hey, you okay?" It's surprisingly Chloe who kneels down beside me and I can't help but tense a bit when she puts a hand on my back. I know she must hate me for what I did to Beca, especially after she told me to do better. It wouldn't surprise me if they had already been fighting because of it, and in the back of my mind, I know she's going to tell me to move out soon. She won't do it in front of Beca; that's for sure. It'll be just her and I when she brings it up, which will probably be for the best. The last thing they need is for me to come between them again.
"Fine," I pant out. Getting to my feet, I move over to the sink and turn the faucet on. I put my tilt my head to the side to rinse my mouth out and spit the last of the nauseating taste out.
"Can I get you something? I know you're probably not hungry, but they said to make sure your stomach is empty for too long-"
"Chloe, don't," I cut her off before she can offer anything else and meet her gaze for the first time since I got out. She looks a bit shocked, and maybe hurt, but she removes her hand from my back apologetically.
"Sorry," She mutters. Before I can excuse myself from the situation, Stacie pokes her head through the doorway, suppressing a yawn. She gives me a questioning look and I move towards her reassuringly.
"Are you okay?" She asks worriedly. The concern on her face is enough to cause another flare of guilt, and I try a weak smile.
"Yeah. Sorry I woke you up." I tell her. Glad to be away from Chloe, I walk out into the hall and she follows closely. Her hand finds mine again and we move back towards the main area of the apartment lazily. By the time we get back to the living room, my sister is curled up in one of the two arm chairs with a blanket and her laptop.
"Hey," She greets me. She perks up just a tiny bit, as usual when she first spots me, and I offer the same half smile I gave Stacie. I know that they're all still on edge; it's clear in the way they look at me. They're trying to get inside of my head with everything I say and do and that's why I need to be careful. The threat of getting placed in an inpatient facility was mentioned more than once during by 3 days in the hospital, and even the slightest indication of a suicidal thought could send me back. My doctor had made that very clear.
When Stacie and I drop back onto the couch, her arms wrap around my torso and I lean back against her chest comfortably. Since getting discharged, she's been the most soothing thing I've found. Chloe makes me nervous, and Beca's high strung demeanor is tiring to be around, but Stacie is a constant safe place.
"You need to eat, so I made you a, um, dinner," Beca points out the plate on the coffee table as Chloe comes to sit in the other arm chair. Two pieces of toast and a banana are the aforementioned "dinner", but they're bland enough for me to swallow and not half as bad as hospital food.
"Thanks Beca," I lean forward and grab the plate before peeling the banana slowly. Before a tense silence can creep in, my sister leans forward and grabs the remote control off of the table. The dry audience laughter of a sitcom fills the lack of sound and it's easier to relax as I slowly make my way through the piece of fruit. By the time I finish my toast, I'm tired again and I can see by Stacie's expression that she is too.
"Are you going to spend the night?" Tilting my head up, I meet my girlfriend's gaze and she nods immediately. She doesn't quite hide the fact that she's relieved that I asked, and before I know it she has my empty plate and has pulled me to my feet.
"You ready for bed?" She asks. I nod once, grateful she suggested it, and just barely catch myself before we walk out of the living room. Tugging on Stacie's hand, I stop us both and turn back around to look at Beca.
"Goodnight. I love you." Her eyes drift from her laptop up to mine and I can see the subtle surprise in them.
"I love you too. Let me know if you need anything." Beca says. Content, I turn back around and follow Stacie into my room, where my bed waits. Someone-probably Chloe-must have come in and cleaned up the place while I was still admitted, and even my bed is neatly made. Well, it is for a few brief seconds, until Stacie flings back the covers and lies down.
"Come here," She coaxes, patting the space beside her. I take the time to turn off the lights and slip off my sweats before crawling in next to her. She presses against my back and once again, her body heat makes its way over to me. The brunette's hands are soft as they come to rest on my hips and I settle back into her; finally finding a comfortable position.
"Jaiden?" Her voice catches me by surprise and I force my eyes to stay open.
"Yeah?"
"Don't get mad at me for asking," her voice is strung with anxiety and I almost feel bad that she's nervous to ask me anything at all. You're not supposed to be nervous to ask the love of your life anything. "We spent the whole day together before you…you did that and I just need to know if I caused any of it." The question makes my already sore stomach twist and I hope that she doesn't feel the small wince as I clench my eyes shut.
"No. You didn't." I choke out hoarsely. Her arms wrap around my waist tighter and I know she heard the strain in my voice. But, Stacie doesn't say anything; I only feel her nestle against my bare back a little tighter.
"Okay." She mumbles eventually. From the slight slur in her voice, I know that she's close to sleep. So, before I can let my mind run too much, I follow her lead and drift off to sleep.
"Beca?" Chloe spoke up right after she saw the lights go out down the hall in the guest room. The complete way that Jaiden had just avoided looking at her left a dull ache in her chest.
"Hmm?" The brunette grunted.
"I think she hates me." Chloe admitted. The seriousness of her statement broke Beca's attention away from her laptop and she shut the device quickly.
"What do you mean?"
"She won't even look at me. I went to check on her when she got sick again and she wouldn't let me touch her." The redhead's face contorts into an expression that completely gives away the tears she's fighting.
"Then you're going to have to talk to her." Beca's reply was blunt and not at all sympathetic to the situation. And Chloe knew that she was tired; she really did. But the last few days had been hard on her too and she only had so much left to give.
"It didn't work out the last time I did!" She snapped. Realizing the severity of the situation, Beca straightened up and worked to soften her gaze.
"Chloe," Beca ran a hand back through her hair, trying to hide her stress. "Please don't do this again. We talked about it before; you didn't do this. But if you think Jay's got an issue with you, you really do need to talk to her about it. I can't do anything."
"I don't even know what to say. She hasn't been the same since she got home," Chloe said.
"Of course she hasn't. We all have to help her get back to that." Beca replied earnestly. Chloe passed for a moment; staring at her in a way that caused her face to redden after a few seconds. "What?" She shifted uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry, I've just…never seen you like this before. You're getting so good with her." Chloe explained. Beca shifted her eyes away from her for a few seconds; trying to figure out a good way to respond.
"Well…I should have gotten better with her sooner." She mumbled finally. Chloe's concern for herself quickly evaporated and she tilted her head at Beca.
"Maybe we should just go to bed," The older girl suggested. She kept her tone light and the opposite of disciplinary, hoping that Beca wouldn't refuse. To her relief, the brunette stood up and nodded, yawning all the while.
"Yeah," She muttered. Extending her hand, she pulled Chloe up and the two young women found themselves face to face. Chloe couldn't help herself before her eyes had flickered down to Beca's lips. Fighting the urge, she cleared her throat and backed away awkwardly. Beca wasn't oblivious to the action and sighed. Chloe had barely touched her since she had gotten home, outside of helping her around for the first few days, and she knew that the other girl was just scared of hurting her. So, she tightened her grip on Chloe's hands before she could pull away completely and brought their faces back together.
"Kiss me," Beca breathed out lightly. She watched as Chloe's eyes widened in initial surprise and then flared with uncertainty.
"I don't want to-"
"Hurt me," Beca finished for her. "You won't."
After a few seconds of hesitation, Chloe finally leaned down and pressed her lips against Beca's as lightly as she possibly could. She barely grazed Beca before the brunette put her weight onto her good leg and arched onto the ball of that foot. Her arms found their way around Chloe's neck and she willed the caution she could feel in the redhead's movements away. Eventually, a pair of hands landed on her waist and a tongue ran along her bottom lip questioningly. Beca willed it in immediately and couldn't help but moan contently against Chloe's mouth. As always, the redhead made her heat up from the inside out, and Beca's chest burned with love for the older girl. And despite the building need that nagged at Beca, she knew she was far too sore to go any further.
"I love you. We'll get through this, okay? All of us. I'm not losing any of you." Beca pulled back and stared up into her girlfriend's eyes seriously. Chloe's head twitched in the hint of a nod, and her breath came out in little pants as she tried to compose herself from the kiss.
"I love you Beca Mitchell."
Don't forget to review and let me know what you think. I've also been considering bringing Emily into the story as a "new" character. Thoughts?