The next chapter is already mostly written, so it should be up in a few days as well, all going well. Let's put an end to slow updates!
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The kitten wasn't just grey. She was a smokey silver, cream smudges on her little mouth, her small paws and along her stomach, a white tip on her tail. The woman let me hold her while she prepared the carry crate for her, and she began purring the moment I touched her. I hadn't cuddled an animal since I was a child, and I felt more than a little awkward with her in my hands, but that didn't make me want her any less.
"She really likes your friend," the shop clerk commented. "She can be quite timid with some people."
"She can stay with him when he's home by himself," I mumbled without thinking about it. She would have no idea what I was talking about, and my cheeks flushed as I hoped she wouldn't ask. Thankfully, she didn't. I cleared my throat to get rid of the tight feeling. "It's his birthday today." Again, I groaned internally; I was a socially incompetent idiot.
The lady smiled at me though. "Birthday present, then?" She looked faintly excited at the thought of it, and it made me feel a little better about the decision.
"Yeah, I guess." After today, I'd come to the conclusion it would be a long time before he was well enough for us to be able to do anything special, and I didn't want to let the occasion pass unmarked. Not after he'd been so sweet to me. That, and seeing Carlisle smiling with a kitten was definitely something that I wanted to see every morning.
She smiled and gestured for me to hand her the cat, and I ran my credit card through the machine. We'd already gathered whatever stuff kittens apparently needed - I didn't have a damn clue - and I just watched as the woman put it all in the bag.
The tiny creature started crying as soon as she was put in the dark box. It had holes on the side for ventilation, large enough for that pink nose or tiny feet to peek through as she tried to find her way out. I felt bad for her as I put the crate on the front seat of my car, pausing for a second as I contemplated locking the seat belt around it. It seemed rather stupid, but at the same time, I would hate myself if I injured my boyfriend's kitten before he even knew he had one. I reached across and clicked it into place.
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I wasn't a cat person. Not at all. I'd never had pets in the family, and I never thought that I would own one.
Still, having the little scrap of fluff purring on my knee helped to fill the void that Carlisle not being home created. I took her to bed with me after dinner, settling on her my chest. She really was quite cute. Pulling the blankets over both of us, I let my eyes fall closed and switched off all the lights. Part of me wondered if it was safe to bring such a tiny creature to bed, but I was too tired to worry about it too much. She would get out of the way if I rolled near her. I hoped.
A few seconds passed, and the kitten shifted. Whiskers brushed over my face, and she pressed her nose to mine with a soft meow. I covered her with my hand, unable to hold back a smile as she settled again. My palm could cover her entire back, she was so little.
She stayed with me all night, purring and curled up on top of me, and followed me at my ankles into the kitchen the next morning. Forget cute, she was bloody adorable. I couldn't wait until Carlisle got to meet her. We ate breakfast together, after she whined at me as I struggled to get the can of cat food open. Knowing my incompetence, the woman from the pet store had carefully explained to me when she needed to be fed, how I should set up her litter box, stop her from climbing the curtains, and the rest of it. It seemed to be going well so far.
It would be better once Carlisle was home. I knew he had more experience with small furry creatures than I did, and he would know how to look after her properly. I frowned as I thought about him; I wanted him home so badly. It was still too early in the day for me to go to the hospital and see him - the kitten had woken me up before eight AM - and I didn't want to text him in case he had managed to sleep. "Come here, puss," I murmured, scooping her up to hug her, burying my face in her fur. I wondered what he would name her.
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It was another two days before my boyfriend got to come home again. He'd called me to tell me that he would get out in a few hours so there was no need to rush, but I went straight away anyway; he sounded so anxious and tired, and I didn't want him to be by himself if he wasn't feeling well.
Sure enough, he looked terrified when I got to the ward, anxiously fidgeting with the blankets and his clothing, watching the floor. I hadn't told him that I was coming early, and the shock registered on his face as I crouched in front of him. "What's wrong?" I asked softly, gently tilting his chin up so he would look at me.
He hugged me immediately. "...I missed you…"
"I missed you too, but you'll be home soon." My confusion only heightened as he grew more and more anxious, starting to hyperventilate a little. "Carlisle, what happened? What's wrong?" I asked again. Caius immediately came to mind, and I hoped to god that he hadn't been here while I wasn't.
"I can't do anything by myself," he mumbled. I could hear the hurt in his voice, and immediately tightened my arms around him. "...I don't want to be a burden…"
My stomach clenched uncomfortably, and I sat on the bed next to him, pulling him into me. "You aren't going to be a burden; it's not forever, and I'll make sure you're okay while this is happening." I felt him shudder at my words. "I love you, Carlisle, we just have to get you better now."
He nodded and fell quiet. It was a while before a nurse came around to removed his IV and cut off his ID bracelet. She asked all the usual 'do you live alone?' questions, which he responded to with slightly irritated yes and nos.
"Please consider the counselling, Carlisle, it will do you good," she murmured at the end. The pamflit she set on the bed was labelled 'help for sexual abuse victims'.
He immediately shoved it in his pocket. Heat flooded his face and he wouldn't make eye contact with either of us. "I said I would," he snapped at her.
"Hey," I murmured, reaching over to squeeze his hand. I was surprised that he had the energy to be pissed off with anyone. Perhaps it was more born out of shame than annoyance.
If she was hurt by his outburst, she covered it well. "You can go when you're ready," she told him, smiling patiently.
He didn't need her to say it twice. His movement off the bed was too quick, sending him stumbling into me and dropping his phone on the floor in the process. Whatever pain it caused was promptly ignored as he picked it up and fled into the corridor to get away.
She sighed and looked at me. "You don't live far? He can't be sitting long, and the medication will make him nauseous in the car."
I shook my head. "No, but we can stop if he needs to. Thanks for being so good about everything." Quickly following him, I risked wrapping my arm around his waist in case he fell again. Even though he looked like he was about to come apart in the elevator, I didn't dare ask what was wrong.
We didn't speak again until we been driving for a good ten minutes and I snuck my hand onto his leg. "...I've got the rest of the week off work...if it takes longer than that, then I'll figure something out."
"...you're sure…?" His eyes flicked over to me, the apprehension never leaving his face.
"...I know you're scared, Carlisle, I'm not leaving you on your own…" My fingers found his, and I gently squeezed his hand. I was still waiting for him to freak out.
He seemed to realise that I needed more of an explanation about what was going on, and he took a shaky breath. "...The doctor recommended that I go to counselling to, ah, 'get over' Caius...they think it'll help the anxiety," he explained softly.
"Will you go?" I asked, inwardly pleased.
He quickly looked away. "...will you come with me…?" As soon as he noticed me hesitate, he continued. "Please, Garrett, you don't have to come in, but please be there?" he pleaded.
"Yes, Carlisle," I reassured him. "Do you think it'll help your eating?"
The question made his shoulders stiffen, and it was enough for me to know that it wasn't an appreciated line of conversation. He started to answer me a couple of times, but couldn't see to get the words out and gave up in the end.
"Are you...okay?" It felt like a dumb question, but he looked so terrified, so nervous and afraid, that I couldn't stop myself.
"...I just yelled at someone who was trying to help me, and I don't know if I can face Caius if we have to go to court…I don't know anymore..." Something seemed to break inside him. The urge to stop the car was almost overwhelming, but if he wasn't going to be able to sit long the last thing I wanted was to prolong our journey. I just squeezed his hand instead.
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He was quiet for the rest of the trip. His fingers dug into the upholstery of the seats every time the vehicle hit a bump wrong. There were no complaints, but a sigh of relief escaped as we pulled into the carpark. I didn't trust him to get up by himself. I locked my arm around him as he carefully got to his feet, holding him steady as he bit his lip.
He stumbled blindly in the door once we finally got to our floor, already exhausted and sore from the short journey. "Sorry, Gar, I gotta lie down…" he mumbled apologetically. "I know we haven't really seen each other, but-"
I interrupted him with a quick kiss, already starting to ease his jacket off him. "Bed is the best place for you, Carlisle." That was all it took for him to admit defeat. His shoulders slumped and he nodded. I knew he wasn't going to be able to undress himself without aggravating his injuries, and that he wouldn't ask me for help, so I followed him to our room. The effort left him on the brink of tears. "I'll be back in a minute," I promised with a forced smile.
Somehow, the kitten hadn't gotten in the way as we came in the door, taking cover out of sight for the time being. My heart rate picked up when I couldn't find her anywhere; I was seriously starting to doubt my pet-parent ability.
Thankfully, she pranced over to me as soon as I touched the tin of cat food, and I captured her before she could run off again. She mewed softly in protest as I scooped her up, and I stroked her to keep her quiet as I took her down the hallway. "Close your eyes," I instructed Carlisle as I came back into the bedroom, knowing he'd hear the purring anyway.
"...Why?" he asked hesitantly, doing as I said. Too caught up in his anxiety, he didn't seem to pick up on the foreign sound. He'd managed to curl up in the time I'd been gone, wriggling under the blankets but not looking comfortable.
I sat next to him on the bed, gently taking his good hand. Before I could guide hm into touching the kitten, she cried, her wet nose pushing at his fingers. It was too much; he couldn't resist peaking. I put her in his lap before he could say anything, kissing him gently. "Happy birthday. I know it's late, but I didn't think your nurse was forgiving enough for me to bring an animal into the ward."
"...we're keeping her...?" It was barely a whisper, and he was clearly nervous.
"Yeah, she's yours; I wouldn't bring you a kitten just to take it away. She can keep you company when you're home by yourself." I let our lips meet again, rubbing his leg. "You have to name her, though."
"Are you really okay with having a cat, though? She's not a present, Gar, she's a little creature that needs food and attention-"
"Just like you then, right? I've kept you alive long enough," I teased, chuckling. I shuffled down the bed and lay back, pulling the pillows closer behind him. "Come here, Carlisle."
He set the kitten on my stomach while he tried to find a way to lie back, quickly becoming upset again as he struggled to do it without it hurting. The cat mewed at him, and I stroked her, barely resisting reaching for him; I knew I would only hurt him if I did. "Are we parents now?" he asked shakily as he finally found a way to lie against me.
I grinned at him. "I guess so...you're happy about having a pet?" I asked cautiously, wondering if he was sure, seeming as I got her without asking him.
"Yeah, she's perfect…" Her tail weaved through his fingertips, and he ran his uninjured hand over her fur again and again. She continued to purr and bunt at him, her claws weaving in and out of my clothing over and over again. "When did you get her?"
"On your birthday. She's slept in bed with me every night since," I chuckled, kissing the top of his head. "I'm glad you're back, though; I don't know how to look after her."
"I'd say you've done a good job, seeming as she's so happy." Getting tired again, his words started to slur together.
I carefully shuffled out from under him, making sure he was wrapped in the blankets as I got up. The kitten was easily settled up against him, made even happier her as he half-heartedly stroked her. "Get some rest; she'll stay in bed with you if you let her." It was far too early for me to want to get in bed, and I needed to clean up a bit - the whole house had become a mess while I was home alone - and I was fairly confident that he would just sleep now.
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It took a good two hours before I'd done it. It reminded me of my mother always telling me off for being such a living tornado, something I'd thankfully grown out of when I met Carlisle and had wanted to somewhat impress him every time he came over. That seemed to have worn off now we lived together, though.
Lying in bed with him was the best thing in the world after the last few days. Despite the awkward brace on his arm and the splinting against his ribs, he was desperate to cuddle into me. I slipped my arm behind him so he could rest his head on my shoulder, and he quickly shuffled in closer to my side. It wasn't as intimate as normal, but it was as close as we were going to get. The soft whimper moving caused didn't escape my notice.
"You okay?" I asked quietly, brushing his hair off his face. "You're sore again?"
"A little bit," he mumbled. "I'm okay."
"We don't have to lie like this if it-"
"No, I want to," he told me quickly. "I want you…"
I hated myself for what I was about to ask, but I had to know. "You won't be going to work for a while...do you know if they're giving paid leave? Sorry, I know you're sick, and that you probably don't want to think about it right now, but we'll have to figure something out if you're not..." I just hoped that he wouldn't be upset with me for bringing it up.
He squeezed my arm as if to reassure me that it was alright. "I know, Gar...they're paying me for a few days while they're arranging a meeting for me to talk to some people in head office. I'm not sure after that..." he mumbled into me.
"Okay, we'll manage if you need time off and they won't pay for it." Somehow. I'd paid for this place on my own for years, and having Carlisle live with me wouldn't cost that much more, or so I figured. I hoped.
He started to sit up to face me, but the pain stopped him. "I'll start work again as soon as I'm allowed; I don't want to push all of this onto you - it isn't fair."
"That isn't what I meant, Carlisle; I'd rather you stayed home until you were actually well enough to go out again than go sooner and make things worse for yourself." It wasn't like it would kill me to have to work a few extra hours if I had to.
"...I love you..." he whispered, kissing my neck.
"I love you too, Carlisle." Rubbing his leg, I suddenly badly missed being able to have my arms around him like I used to. It was difficult to remember where I could touch him without it hurting, not that he would tell me if something I did was uncomfortable anyway. He was freezing no matter how many blankets I wrapped him in, and was already half asleep as I balanced my laptop on my stomach to set up a movie. "Not too loud?" I asked as I pushed play. There was no way I would be able to sleep yet.
"It's alright." He was so sleepy, he didn't care either way, almost unconscious as the warmth of my body soaked into him.
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Carlisle's phone rang early the next morning. From the worried expression on his face, I knew it was someone from his office. I stayed staring at the ceiling as he spoke to them, trying to determine the logistics of him being unemployed for a while. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be awkward; ordinarily, he earned more than I did and worked longer hours, so we would definitely feel it. Thank god he had health insurance, otherwise we would have been screwed.
"Garrett…" His voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Hmm?" I glanced over at him, propping myself up on my elbows. "The company?"
"Yeah...the CEO wants to meet with me," he explained quietly.
"When?" A week would be easiest, I thought, seeming as he could barely move.
He swallowed thickly, glancing at the time on his phone. "...In three hours? Caius needs to be there too, and he won't agree to another time."
"Because he wants to hurt you," I grumbled bitterly. "Are you going to be okay, going this soon?"
"I just want it to be over, Garrett, I have to be."
He wouldn't be able to sit that long, and we both knew it. I was already picturing my hands around the bastard's throat; of course he needed to have one last stab at Carlisle before he couldn't touch him anymore. "Alright, can I come?"
"I don't know…" he shrugged. "I'm not sure what they want."
"Do you want me there? At this point, I don't think it should matter what they want." My tone was too harsh, making him look away from me.
"Yes, of course I do...just don't punch Caius? He doesn't need another excuse to play the victim." The smile he offered was a thin veil for anxiety.