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It was the Monday after Jeremy had gone home sick, so just a little under a week ago. He was admittedly, feeling a lot better, aside from a lingering cough. He strode into the cafeteria and slid into his seat. He was promptly met with Brooke’s body slumped onto his chest.
“Wh- Brooke? Are you okay?” Jeremy asked, startled and worried. Brooke just shrugged in response, and Jeremy heard a soft sniffle. Immediately thinking she was upset, he quickly wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close. “Hey, Brookie, it’s okay. What’s wrong?” Brooke wrapped her arms around Jeremy’s waist and hugged him close, looking up at him with tired eyes.
“I don’t feel good,” she whined, her soft lips forming a sad pout. Jeremy frowned at her tired blue eyes, and soft pink flush. He noticed the way her hair was lazily tied up in a messy bun, like she didn’t have the energy to actually brush it.
“Aw, geez. You must’ve caught this from me,” Jeremy said, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry, babe,” he said, gently pressing his lips to her forehead. “Oh, you feel warm. I think you’re running a fever,” Jeremy murmured, replacing his lips with the back of his hand. “I’m gonna take you home. Up you go,” he said, pulling her up into his arms. She was small enough, and he was just strong enough to carry her.
“Mm, no, I’m fine,” she muttered, tiredly squirming in Jeremy’s arms. It took all of his strength to hold onto her.
“Nuh-uh. If this really is what I had, you need to be getting rest,” Jeremy replied, pulling Brooke close into his chest so she’d stop struggling. Reluctantly, she gave up and curled up in Jeremy’s arms, burying her face in his chest.
Apparently, Jeremy had picked the right day to take his Dad’s car to school. He quickly made his way down the hall and out the door, miraculously, without being seen. As soon as the cold winter air touched them, Brooke let out a sharp whine and hugged Jeremy closer. He picked up his speed to get to the car faster. He unlocked the door, quickly and carefully placing Brooke in the passenger seat and buckling the seatbelt. He ran to the other side and got in the driver’s seat starting the engine and turning the heat on. He spared a glance at the poor girl shivering in the seat. Without a second thought, he pulled his cardigan off and draped it over her like a blanket. He put the car in reverse, pulled out of the spot, and drive out of the parking lot.
Jeremy gently picked Brooke up out of the car and carried her to the front door. He carefully set her down on her feet at the door, grabbing the spare key from underneath the flower pot by the door. They slipped inside and the two made their way up to the living room.
“You get comfortable on the couch. I’ll go get some blankets and stuff.” Jeremy said, before leaving to run around the house to gather supplies. He came back a few minutes later, arms full. “Uh, okay so, I’ve got some blankets, pillows, uh, some tissues, medicine, all that jazz,” he said, rambling, as he dropped the items on the couch next to Brooke. “Oh! And there’s some water on the stove for tea.” Brooke laughed softly at Jeremy. “What? Why are you laughing at me?” She cleared her throat and winced.
“I’m not laughing at you, silly. You’re just cute,” she said causing Jeremy to blush, but also simultaneously cringe at the congested, raspy quality of her voice.
“O-oh. Well, uh. S-so are you,” he managed to stammer out, causing Brooke to giggle at him. Jeremy shook his head to clear it. “Okay, but, no more talking. You should save your voice,” Jeremy said, reverting back to caretaker mode. Then they heard the kettle from the other room start to whistle. “I’ll be right back,” Jeremy said, leaving Brooke and coming back with a mug in his hands. “Careful. It’s hot,” he said quietly, handing it to her. She took a small sip before setting it down and pulling a blanket up to her chin. She suddenly scrunched up her nose, quickly burying her face in the blanket and sneezing. Jeremy had to suppress a laugh.
“Hey,” Brooke said, tapping him on the arm. “Don’t laugh at me!” Jeremy burst out laughing.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He laughed out.
“Stop it, Jer!” She whined.
“You’re adorable,” Jeremy said, climbing onto the couch and sitting close to her.
“I’m sick and miserable is what I am,” Brooke said, only half joking. Jeremy frowned at the way her expression dropped before burying hoarse coughs into her arm.
“Alright, okay, I’m sorry, baby,” Jeremy cooed, carefully pulling her onto his lap. He began to rub her back as she began to fall asleep with her head on his chest.
A little while later, Brooke began to shiver and whimper in her sleep. He looked down at Brooke, who had a deeper flush and a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Jeremy cupped a cool hand on her cheek, drawing in a sharp breath.
“Oh, my poor dear,” he whispered to himself. “I think your fever spiked.” He gently shook Brooke awake. She stirred gently, coughing. “Hey, Brookie,” he cooed. Broke just groaned in reply. “Hey, hey, hey, no, don’t go back to sleep. Your fever went up. I need you to take some medicine, m’kay?” Brooke just shoved her face into Jeremy’s chest. He would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so worried. He plucked the thermometer from the coffee table, and quietly instructed her to put it under her tongue. With a huff, she did as she was told. When the thermometer beeped, she took it out and handed it to Jeremy. He bit his lip as he looked at the temperature on the small digital display. “That’s a bit high,” he muttered. He put the thermometer down and picked up the medicine. He poured a little into the cup and handed it to Brooke. She sleepily drank the contents and gave the cup back to Jeremy, promptly falling back asleep.
Brooke slept for another hour before waking up again, this time on her own.
“Hey, Jer-Bear,” she murmured sleepily.
“Hey,” he responded, smiling. “How’re you feeling?”
“Sick. But better,” she said, sitting up slightly.
“That’s good. I was scared for a minute there,” Jeremy said, attempting to gauge her temperature by touch. “You feel a bit cooler, though I don’t think your fever broke yet.” Jeremy locked eyes with Brooke, and Brooke smiled at him tiredly. “I’m really sorry I got you sick, Brooke,” he said, rubbing at his neck.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Brooke said, lifting his chin to look at her. “I mean. I got to ditch school with my boyfriend so, it can’t be that bad. And it’s kind of my fault. I insisted on cuddling with you, even though you told me not to,” she finished, laughing softly.
“Mm, okay. I still feel guilty though,” Jeremy said, giving Brooke a kiss on the cheek.
“Well you shouldn’t,” she countered, returning the kiss. “I wanna watch a movie.” Brooke quickly changed the subject, grabbing the remote from the table. Jeremy laughed.
“Okay, okay. Whatever you want,” Jeremy laughed, pulling Brooke back onto his lap. “Anything for you.”