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Selene lay still in her bed, her body curled inward beneath the familiar weight of her favourite heavy blanket. A desperate sigh escaping her mouth as she did her best to ignore the morning light that was slowly filtering through her curtains.
If she had been scheduled to work that day, Selene would have simply forced herself to ignore the discomfort that had slowly crept from her abdomen to her lower back, however, in recognition of her work securing a collaborative project with a firm in Vietnam, Selene and her team had been granted a three-day break from work.
When she had received the news, Selene had imagined spending the time visiting her favourite aquarium, stopping off at her favourite antique bookstore that always appeared to have an excellent selection of books or engaging in a simple walk around the coast, with a thermos of her preferred tea blend.
All of those dreams had vanished, as soon as she had stirred and felt an invisible force pressing down on her uterus like a vice.
It was an almost insistent pain, as frequent as the rolling tide that crashed against the beaches and clifftops of her home city. It wasn’t unbearable by any stretch of the imagination, but it was simply exhausting to deal with, as it pulled her from her intended long rest and frequently hit just as she was relaxing.
Almost as if teasing her, a fresh wave of pain passed through her and she found herself tightly gripping the edges of her blanket in an attempt to alleviate some of the discomfort that she was experiencing, a few laboured breaths leaving her as she internally screamed and deeply regretted waking up that morning.
With a grunt, Selene shifted onto her back and immediately regretted every choice she had ever made in her life, as the pressure against her abdomen deepened and a fresh wave of nausea nearly threatened to overwhelm her. In a flash, she returned to her side and brought her knees towards her chest, as if returning to the fetal would provide her some element of comfort against the pain.
It didn’t, however, it was an improvement compared to the pain that she had just experienced, so she chalked it up as a minor victory, and settled on ignoring the gentle buzzing of her phone in the background, as fighting against waves of pain simply to be confronted with a notification from one of the countless apps that she ignored was not an attractive prospect.
Of course, a far larger part of her knew that she should get up to take some of the painkillers that she kept in her kitchen for this occasion, however, once again the relative comfort that she had been able to secure for herself lulled her into a sense of security and she doubted that she even had the strength to stand.
Instead, Selene remained in place, her eyes shut against the gentle light that was filtering into the room, as she tried to rest.
Selene didn’t know how much time passed until she heard a noise that she vaguely registered as the unlocking of her front door, a very small number of people knew the code to enter her apartment and her mind swirled with possibilities, as she considered who among this group had seemingly sensed her dire state from her lack of communication.
A few moments later, footsteps followed soft and deliberate, a sign that whoever entered had put on the guest slippers near the door, another sign that whoever entered was part of a very small group that Selene had trusted.
It didn’t take long for Selene’s curiosity to be sated, as her ears were soon filled with the soothing voice of her girlfriend.
“Selene, my love,” Eleanor said, gently brushing her partner's head, “I-I am sorry for entering without knocking but I was really worried when you didn’t respond to my messages.”
Selene groaned slightly, the younger woman leaning into her partner's touch, “Sorry,” she mumbled, “It’s just bad today.”
“You don’t have to apologise for anything, Selene,” she replied earnestly, “...just wait here I won’t be long,”
Selene whined as Eleanor withdrew her comforting hand, however, any momentary annoyance was filled with curiosity, as she heard the low bubbling she associated with her electric kettle and the soft thud of cabinets being opened.
Slowly, Selene moved, so that her head was slowly angled in a way that allowed her to get a glimpse of those who entered her bedroom. She was shortly rewarded, as Eleanor returned, a small box in one arm and a small glass of water in the other, the older woman setting them down carefully on Selene’s bedside table.
“I told you I wouldn’t be long,” Eleanor said, her hand returning to comfortably stroke her girlfriend's head, “I got you some hot water, please drink it.”
Selene smiled, as Eleanor helped her take a large sip from the glass. It wasn’t as effective as medicine and was often joked about, however, the warm water worked to lessen the pressure she had been feeling.
“I also prepared a heating pad for you which should be ready now,” Eleanor said, working with Selene to press it securely against the area of her body that provided her with the greatest relief, “Better?”
Selene nodded, a faint smile on her face.
“I really don’t deserve you,” Selene said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Eleanor chuckled, as she pressed her forehead against Selene’s shoulders, “You fill my heart with love every day,” she replied, “I wouldn’t be able to live without you, so I think we deserve each other,”
Selene softly murmured her agreement, as she did her best to return her girlfriend's affectionate touch, “I’ll make it up to you,”
“Just seeing you better will be good enough for me,” Eleanor said, the older woman continuing to gently stroke her partner's head, “I am making some congee for you, so you can have some painkillers.”
Selene lightly chuckled, as the idea of eating Eleanor’s cooking a few weeks ago would have been quite horrifying, “It is a good thing that you took to my lessons well, my sweet darling,” she said, “...even if if you did try to distract me,”
Eleanor lightly huffed in response, although the smile on her face hinted at her underlying amusement, “You were wearing an apron that said kiss the chef, so I thought I should take it literally,” she replied, “I also don’t remember you complaining at the time.”
Selene’s reply was interrupted, as a short melodic chime reverberated around, a simple noise that indicated that the congee that Eleanor was preparing for Selene was ready, the older woman pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Selene’s head before leaving the room.
In spite of Selene’s best efforts, she smelled the approaching food before she was able to look upon it, a soft savoury smell that took Selene’s mind back to the hundreds of times her own mother had prepared her this simple meal, and even with the nausea settling within her stomach she found herself feeling a reluctant type of hunger.
Eleanor entered, a small tray balanced on her hands. On it, a small bowl of congee steamed, a pale comforting colour that Selene knew was a sign that her earlier cooking lessons hadn’t been wasted, even with Eleanor’s distractions.
Eleanor set the tray down on the bedside table with care, then with gentle caution sat beside Selene again, the mattress dipping slightly under her weight.
“I made sure not to add too much ginger or other strong flavourings,” she said, one of her hands holding the bowl, as the other was gripped firmly around a spoon, “C-Can I feed you?”
Selene nodded, her words briefly taken away from her as she found herself rendered speechless by her girlfriend's care.
With a smile, Eleanor gently dipped the spoon into the congee, bringing it to her lips to blow softly on the offering before raising it to Selene’s mouth.
Selene found herself hesitating for a small moment, then leaned forward slightly and allowed herself to be fed, the first bite was a gentle mixture of flavour and warmth that tickled her appetite further.
“Is it good?” Eleanor asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice, “You don’t have to force yourself to eat it.”
Selene did her best to smile warmly at her girlfriend, “It’s perfect, darling.”
Eleanor returned the smile and continued to feed Selene, the congee that she had put together using the ingredients that she had found in Selene’s kitchen, of course, she had also sent a few quickfire messages to her sister and mother to double-check that she was using the correct amount of ingredients but she still felt a sense of pride in being able to provide for the woman she loved.
By the time the congee was finished, Selene started to feel the heat of the pad reach its full effectiveness, and the pain that had been hammering against her lower back positively disappeared.
“You can take the ibuprofen now,” Eleanor said, offering a couple of tablets alongside some of the water she had prepared earlier.
Selene gladly accepted the tablets, the younger woman taking them with a generous drink of hot water.
Afterwards, Eleanor wiped the edge of Selene’s lip with a folded napkin set within the tray, then took a moment to return it safely to the kitchen.
After returning, Eleanor gently raised the blanket and climbed into the bed beside her girlfriend, wrapping an arm carefully around Selene’s waist, her palm resting just above the warmth of the heating pad.
“I love you,” Selene said as she closed her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.
Eleanor embraced Selene, allowing her to press her head into the crook of her shoulder for support, “You are my everything,” she replied, “I’ll always love you.”
“Always,” Selene replied, as she let herself lean into Eleanor’s embrace and be carried away into a gentle sleep.