Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 76

Beth awoke to the sweet sensation of a headache, regretfully. Judging by the gentle light streaming through the window, it couldn't be that late in the morning, but she was already awake and not likely to get anymore sleep with her head pounding like it was.

She got up, and immediately noticed two more things. Her nausea had returned in full force, and her bladder was desperately full. It wasn't hard to decide which was the lesser of two evils, but by the time she'd relieved herself, the nausea had also faded.

Sufficiently convinced that she was on the mend from whatever sickness had befallen her, she shuffled back to bed and cuddled up against Liam once more. But she'd been a little too rough in her shifting around, or a little too loud on her trip to the bathroom, because she heard Liam groan quietly as he woke up.

"Beth?" she felt even worse to hear how groggy he sounded. He was working so hard and he needed all the sleep he could get, and here she was waking him up.

The guilt hit a little harder than it should have.

"Yeah, Liam?" she whispered, looking up to meet his sleep-blurry gaze.

"Why are you up so early? You should be resting." It was clear, even in his bleary eyes, that the worry from yesterday had never properly left him. Maybe she should go see a doctor to ease his worry, no matter how she felt.

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep." She smiled softly.

"Are you sure?" his eyes were already drifting closed.

Thinking of her pounding head and the faint, lingering traces of nausea, she was almost tempted to confess, but he was already worried enough. It was easier to just convince herself and everyone else that she was getting better. It was just some Viscordian stomach bug...

But just then, a bout of dizziness overwhelmed her, choking out her words and sending white stars spiraling across her vision. She inhaled and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling and dreading the acid-hot sensation that was slowly starting to creep up her throat.

Knowing full-well that it might just convince Liam once and for all that she was slowly dying or some other nonsense, she leapt to her feet and rushed to the bathroom to once again barf up everything in her stomach. The sour taste of bile did nothing to help.

Liam, of course, was close behind. Not even a single trace of the sleep was left behind in his eyes, and she could hear him insisting before he even started.

She offered a shaky smile, crouched there over the toilet.

"Beth..." he crouched beside her, his hand warm as it gently rubbed against her shoulder blades.

"I know." She swallowed the bitter taste and sat back on the floor.

"We need to get you checked out. Even if it's nothing." His words were gentle, but insistent. He would allow her to get out of it this time, no matter what lie she concocted to make him think she was feeling better.

"Okay." She knew she had to concede. She smiled softly.

Even if the worry might be a little stifling at some times, she had to be thankful that he cared at all. She should be thankful that she even had someone half as wonderful as him... tears sprang into her eyes, unbidden.

"I'll call in later and explain. Let's get you to a doctor." He slowly, ever-so-carefully, slipped one hand beneath her knees and the other around her back before he lifted her from the floor and carried her bridal-style back into the bedroom.

She snuggled into his warm chest, reveling in the soft, very subtle scent that only he had. She couldn't image she'd never realized how wonderful it was before now... there was that word again; wonderful. Everything about him, her Liam, was absolutely wonderful. The soft yet thorny tears returned to her eyes.