Cold air woke me up early Sunday morning. I instinctively jerked the blankets back over to my side of the bed, correctly assuming that my boyfriend had cocooned himself in them and stolen all the covers. The movement woke him up and he immediately groaned, hiding his face in the pillows and surrendering the blankets to me. I shuffled closer, moulding my body around the shape of his and locking my arms around his waist. The duvet settled over both of us as he cuddled back into me.

I slept on and off for a few more hours, put back to sleep by my boyfriend's gentle breathing each time I woke up. With my arms against his chest, I could feel his heartbeat through his shirt, and it struck me after a while that his pulse was actually rather fast. I pressed a kiss against the back of his neck, my chin on my shoulder. "Your heart is racing." I flattened my palm over his heart, frowning, but I wasn't a doctor and really couldn't tell.

"Need to sleep," he murmured, half ignoring me as he rubbed my hand.

Going back to sleep sounded good to me too, but I was still sure that something was off with him. "Are you anxious?" I really didn't want to deal with a panic attack at this hour, tightening my hold on him again.

"My head is getting bad again and my allergies aren't going away," he mumbled to me. Very carefully, he shifted in my arms to be able to face me. He buried his face in my shoulder as I rubbed his back. "I really don't feel well; I think maybe going out wasn't a good idea yesterday."

I kissed his forehead, sighing as I held him there. Allergies still didn't make sense.. Over the next few minutes, I was very aware that he was still coughing, so at least he wasn't over dramatic. I slowly realised that he was wearing different clothes than what he'd gone to bed in, and his hair was damp. "Did you have a shower?" I asked, confused now. He nodded, but didn't elaborate so I guessed. "Did you get sick again?"

This time he sighed quietly, using my t-shirt to hold me closer. "Yeah, I can't move very fast and I had to throw up and I couldn't get to the bathroom in time, and I had to clean up." He let me comfort him for a while until his body violently tensed again. He didn't have to tell me what was about to happen.

I was on my feet in an instant, grabbing the trash can from the bathroom and somehow getting it in his reach as he managed to sit on the edge of the bed. The colour had blanched from his face, and he snatched it off me as he started to gag. "Don't get up," I murmured, my hand on his shoulder to stop him standing. "Jesus, Carlisle, don't move. Are you in pain?"

He groaned and leaned his forehead against the rim of the bin, panting to try and catch his breath. "Sorry, it's only water, I haven't eaten." His voice trembled, his knuckles white as he held the bin. "I don't have any pain killers left."

"Migraine again, huh?"

He just nodded again.

"We can go to the doctors, then, you can't stay like this." Playing with his hair, I rubbed the back of his neck. We would have to go to an after-hours clinic, seeming as it was a Sunday, but he wasn't going to be able to stick this out until the doctor's appointment anyway.

He shook his head. "It's expensive, Gar, I really don't want to," he told me softly.

"That's what you have health insurance for; we'll just have to deal with the excess." Once I thought he wasn't going to puke again, I put the trash can back on the floor, pulling him into me for another hug. It was a struggle not to let my eyes fall closed as I stood like that, still half asleep and only in my underwear.

"I can't see properly; I'm going to pass out if I try and walk that far." Panicking as much as he was able to in his incapacitated state, he was holding onto me again.

"We can go slowly," I promised. I knew he really just didn't want to go at all, but we were going to have to do something; I couldn't have him in agony and vomiting all day. "Stay there while I get dressed and stuff, okay? Please don't fall." I rushed around our apartment to pull on clothes and shoes, snatching the keys off of the table before going back to him. I had to help him get dressed too, tying his shoes when leaning forward made him want to puke. "Come on, it'll be alright."

He winced as he started to stand up, needing to sit on the edge of the mattress again. The smile he attempted quickly fell. "I'm okay. I think I'm going to get abs from throwing up all the time; my stomach muscles are so sore." The joke quickly sank as he got dizzy again, and I sighed as he had to put his head between his knees. To make it worse, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and judging by the texts she'd sent me yesterday, I didn't have to guess who it was. This was going to be a long day.

.

.

The doctor just gave him a script for some more tylenol after a four hour wait in the waiting room, telling him he needed to drink a lot of water and start going for walks regularly. I thought Carlisle was going to cry. He fled the office without saying thank you, screwing up his prescription into a tight ball and attempting to throw it in the paper bin as he passed it. His vision was so blurred he missed completely. I quickly snatched it off the floor and shoved it into my pocket - we literally didn't have anything else. "Hey, slow down," I urged, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back into my chest.

"Drink water- what's the point of ruining my insurance if he's just going to tell me to drink more water," he pleaded with me, angry and fighting yelling but in too much pain to have much strength in his voice.

"I know," I murmured. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital, Carlisle? We can try again with a different doctor-"

"I just want to go to bed," he told me miserably.

We did just that; I took him home and put him to bed, trying to coax water and crackers into him with little success. I called my mother, hoping she'd have some magic cure for all this. She didn't of course, but her sympathy was comforting anyway. All I could do was hope that the pain would pass soon.

She also broke the news that my grandparents were visiting. My stomach sank immediately; they had moved down south when I was a little kid, and I had barely seen them since. They were notoriously strict, and I'd always been scared of staying with them. God knows what dragged them back into the city. Mum wanted me there to greet them, and I floundered for an excuse as to why I couldn't come. "I doubt they really want to see me," I told her hesitantly.

"They love you, Garrett, even if they don't say it. Eleazar and Carmen are going to be there too, it won't be so bad," she tried to convince me. It was a lie; they didn't approve of Carmen, and hadn't even bothered to come and meet Kate when she was born, despite her being their first and only grandchild at the time. "But we never said anything when you came out; they don't know about Carlisle." Her voice was softer now, nervous, and I wanted to be sick. "I'm not sure that it will be a good idea for him to be there for the first few days, but we'll have to say something."

I groaned. "How long are they staying? I don't think he'd want to come anyway, especially while he's not feeling well." I wanted him there, though, as somewhat of an emotional buffer between me and them. "Maybe we shouldn't tell them at all; they never had much faith that I'd ever get someone to tolerate me, so they probably won't even ask."

"Love, you're engaged. You can't pretend that your boyfriend doesn't exist; they'll find out eventually," she reminded me.

"Yes, but it doesn't have to be now. I'll send them an email or something once they've gone home."

She chuckled under her breath. "God, they'd have a stroke."

"Mum, I'm not subjecting him to them while he's already feeling crappy. I'll come, but I'm not bringing Carlisle." Annoyed, I picked at the surface of our table, gritting my teeth. I really couldn't be bothered dealing with that right now; I just wanted my boyfriend to get better. I barely tolerated the rest of the conversation, slamming my phone down on the table once it was done. Sneaking back down the hallway, I crawled into bed beside my him.

He winced at the movement of the mattress, not as unconscious as I'd hoped. He had been hugging a pillow in my place, buried under a mound of blankets, but the light in the room was still bothering him. I carefully closed my arms around him, kissing his cheek as he shifted back into my chest. "Thanks for coming with me this morning," he mumbled.

"I wouldn't leave you on your own while you're feeling this awful," I murmured. The coldness of my hand against his forehead made him relax ever so slightly, and I sighed. "You still feeling sick?"

"It's not so bad if I don't move. I'm really sorry." He sounded sleepy, having taken as much medicine as he was allowed just to try and manage.

"When is the doctor's appointment you booked? You kept it, right?"

"I still have it; it's for Wednesday."

"Do you need me to come with you? I'll try and get whatever time it is off work and take you." I had absolutely no idea how I'd manage it, but I couldn't really have him out on his own in this state - he'd never get there in the first place.

"You can't, Gar, I don't want to upset your job again; I'll be alright on my own."

Hating the thought of it, I scrambled to figure something else out. "I can get Carmen to go with you." She was very fond of him and I knew she'd be nice about it if I asked her, and she would be able to make sure he got there and back in one piece.

"I'm an adult; I'll cope on my own," he argued. "She's heavily pregnant, Garrett, don't stress her out with my crap."

"Carlisle, you could barely walk to the car this morning; if you're that bad, you're not going to make it on your own. Maybe I can swap a shift with someone-"

"Stop it; I'll be fine." He wouldn't. He really wouldn't. "Was that your mother on the phone before? How is she?"

"A damn sight better than you right now." Weaving my fingers through his hair, I hoped he might fall asleep again. My eyes fell closed, and I focused on each breath I took. "My grandparents are visiting," I said after a bit. I had mixed emotions on him knowing about it, but withholding the information wasn't going to end well for me.

"I didn't know you had any; you've never mentioned them," he mumbled. He was barely listening to me, sinking into the blankets and trying to sleep again.

"They were never the best to me and Eleazar when we were kids. I'm not sure that you should meet them, Carlisle; they were bad enough to Carmen the few times they met her, and I think they're going to be even worse with you. I never told them I was gay, and I don't want them to be cruel to you just because you're a guy." My words prompted him to squirm in my arms until he could see my expression.

"If they aren't nice to you, I don't want you to have to face them on your own, Gar."

I didn't want to see them on my own either, but I wanted them to be horrible to him even less. "I don't think I'm going to see them at all; they never cared about me anyway."

"Your mum wants you to, though?" His fingers brushed my cheek as his hands came to rest behind my neck.

"Yeah, she's pretty determined," I sighed.

"Then I'll come with you."

"Then I'm taking you to that doctor's appointment."

.

.

Carlisle tried hard to do what he had been told. He drank the water and started going for walks in the morning when he was well enough. The second appointment didn't go much better; they just took some blood, poked and prodded him and told us they didn't know. The doctor had been as confused as we were by his allergies, telling him to get in contact with his insurance company to pay for allergy shots. They managed to give him some stronger pain relief at least.

"You okay?" I asked carefully as we got in the car. Heidi had been after me all day, and I tried to be as casual as I could as I dropped my phone into the pocket of the driver's door when we got in the car, not wanting it in the center console where he'd inevitably notice the name on the screen. As if on cue, it vibrated loudly against the plastic, but he thankfully didn't react.

He nodded, picking at the loose threads on his jeans. Disappointed maybe. "Are you going to work after this?"

"Yeah, I have to, Carisle, sorry." Glancing at him in the rearview mirror, I tried to gauge how upset he was about everything. I really couldn't tell. Leaving him alone all day didn't seem like a good idea though. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I think so," he mumbled. "I think I'll go to the office too, then."

"Are you well enough?" I frowned. I'd expected him to take the pills and go to bed, so it came as a bit of a shock that he wanted to go out again.

"Yeah; it'll be better than sitting at home by myself."

"I tried to get the whole day off, but they wouldn't let me and I didn't want to push too hard while I'm new there," I sighed. "Sorry, I promise I tried."

"I know, Gar, I didn't expect you to even take the morning off; I really appreciate you coming with me." He still didn't look happy, watching the busy streets out the window as he struggled to keep it together. "I'm really alright; I just need a distraction." I wasn't sure which one of us he was trying to convince.

"I'll drop you off on my way into town, and I'll be back as soon as I've dropped Kate home. Please come home if you're not doing well."

.

.

The rest of the day passed in a blur until I found myself at the school. Heidi and I had been texting on and off since Saturday, and she beckoned me over as soon as she caught sight of me. I was pretty sure she'd wanted something with me today, and had ended up outside her room a good ten minutes earlier than usual. A trainee teacher was in her place in front of the class of kids, and Kate still hadn't noticed me as she led me away, murmuring about needing to talk to me as she held my wrist, a coy smile on her lips. It didn't shock me all that much as she ran her hand down my back, loosening my shirt where it was tucked into my pants, but I'd always assumed I'd had more self control than this when it came to women. Carlisle would murder me if he could ever find the energy.

I knew I was in trouble long before her leg was locked around my waist and my lips were against hers. She had me pushed up against the wall in an empty locker room, her hand brushing the front of my pants as I raked my fingers through her hair. Her breath was hot against my neck, and I found myself continuously brushing my hands over his figure as I tried to get used to holding a woman like that. I was paranoid about someone walking in on us, but I'd lost the ability to make a coherent thought a few minutes ago. "Don't leave a mark; my partner will kill me," I told her breathlessly, feeling her teeth against my throat. "Jesus, Heidi, we can't be doing this."

"No one is going to find out," she teased. Her nimble fingers weaved my belt undone, tugging my fly down. "Just keep quiet; the kids are busy, and your boyfriend isn't here, is he? What's his name, again? Cameron?" She was grinning, purposefully baiting me now.

"Carlisle," I corrected. My hips jerked involuntarily as her hand slipped into my boxers. "Heidi-"

"Whatever, Kate might like him, but I'm sure I can do better. We don't have to tell him; he won't get his feelings hurt." She rolled her eyes, ending our conversation with another kiss.

I couldn't help myself, pulling at her clothing and fumbling the clip on her bra. My fingers were clumsy in my rush to get this over with before the bell rang, my hands brushing over her chest. "Fuck." It was automatic, flipping us so I could hold her, supporting her weight as she hiked up her skirt, pushing her stockings down to her knees as she dropped my jeans.

I was screwed.

I was so totally screwed.

.

.

My hands were shaking all the was to my brother's house. I'd finished with Heidi just as school ended, throwing my clothes back on and rushing to meet my niece before she panicked that I wasn't there. She ran to throw herself into my arms as usual, but I felt dirty the whole way home. Washing my face and rinsing my mouth out helped, on the pretense of using the bathroom at Eleazar's place, and I hoped I'd calmed myself down enough that Carlisle wouldn't ask questions. Thank god he wasn't feeling well; he was far too observant otherwise.

He called out to me before I'd even dumped my stuff on the kitchen table when I got home, his throat sounding raw and irritated. I sighed and tried to compose myself, tracing his voice to the bathroom. "What's up?" I asked as I rounded the doorway.

He was sitting on the closed toilet seat, holding something out to me as I leaned on the doorframe. The other arm was wrapped around his stomach, his face pale and washed out. Someone obviously couldn't handle their whole day at work - not that I blamed him. He'd stolen one of my sweatshirts, almost drowning in the fabric as he tried to scrape his hair off of his face.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You know, it looks an awful lot like your about to tell me you're pregnant while you're sitting like that," I teased.

"Funny." He rolled his eyes at me, trying again to hand me the object. "It won't go down," he said softly as I took the thermometer from him. The little machine was beeping, 102 flashing on the screen. "I feel like crap."

"You look like crap; you're a mess," I chuckled. The reading did worry me a little, but my afternoon with Heidi was obscuring my view of things.

"At least I showered." The smile he attempted turned into a violent coughing fit, shortly followed by a groan as he leaned forward against his knees. He'd still only managed to get half dressed, and his hair was still wet. "I don't know what to do, Garrett. I only lasted a couple of hours at work."

I handed him the thermometer back. "Have you taken the pills the doctor gave you?"

"Yeah, but it's not pain, I just don't feel good and my fever won't come down." Standing up to put the device away, he suddenly looked like he was going to faint, his knees collapsing under him as he quickly sat down again. "I'm so dizzy."

"Have you eaten today? We both know what happened last time you starved yourself, and this is looking awfully similar." Sighing, I ran my fingers through his hair, getting annoyed by watching him fail at stopping it sticking to him.

"Lunch stayed down. Are you mad at me?" he asked bluntly. Unsteady, he carefully sat himself on the floor, resting his forehead against his knees.

"Why?" I perched on the edge of the bath, drumming my fingers against the porcelain. The tapping sound reverberated around the bathroom, and it wasn't until he stilled my fingers that I realised it probably wasn't the best thing to be doing right now.

"Because you're being rough." He winced the next time I touched him, a reminder for me to soften my hands.

"Am I? Sorry, I don't mean to be." Careful this time, I gently rubbed the back of his neck. "How long have you been stuck here?"

"Awhile. I thought showering would be okay, but the hot water made me want to pass out," he admitted. "I feel so bad for everyone at work; I need to pull my weight, and I'm scared they'll get upset with me."

We'd just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. "I need to have a shower still; are you going to sit there the whole time?" It wasn't something I wanted him there for; I really wanted to check that Heidi hadn't left any marks that would come back to bite me in the ass later.

He frowned a little, slowly pulling himself up on the bath to get to his feet. "I'm going to faint, Gar, I can't do this." His words slurred and he stumbled into me as I stood up.

"Jesus, Carlisle. Pee before you get in bed then, yeah? I don't want you falling during the night." I caught hold of his arm, pulling him steady. He shook his head at the request, just leaning against me. "Come lie down then; that's enough for one day," I sighed.

Hopefully he could just sleep this off now that we had painkillers for him.