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When Evangeline began to stir, she found herself in that perfect space between sleep and reality. Her mind registered that she was starting to wake, but it longed for her to simply roll over and drift back off into her dreams.
She had been having a rather pleasant one; running through tall grass with three different colored dragons chasing after her. She didn’t remember much else about the dream but she had been happy and the feeling had warmed her chest as awareness tugged against her mind.
Deciding to choose sleep, she rolled to her left side, hands reaching out for the familiar body she knew lay next to her. Yet all she found was cold, empty sheets.
Her eyes flickered open, sleep still clinging to the edges of her mind, but when she confirmed that the bed was empty, she was instantly more alert.
She sat up, listening to the gentle sounds of night as creatures stirred in the forests around The Hollow. Yet everything else was quiet.
Almost.
A few soft sounds came from the door to the left of the room and she could see that it wasn’t entirely shut as it had been when they’d drifted off earlier that night.
“Jacks?” She called gently, slipping from the bed and shivering as her feet hit the cold wood. It was clear that fall was beginning to creep in and while it was still warm and sunny during the day, a chill crept through the air at night, dropping the room down several degrees. They would have to start lighting a fire at night soon if they were going to stay warm during winter.
She rounded the corner of their bed, worried that her call had gone without a response. She gently pushed the wooden door open, a soft creak filling the air as she peered inside. It was dark, the small window to the left hardly letting in enough moonlight for her to see past a few shadows, though she could tell that Jacks was there, and it appeared that he was kneeling on the floor.
She was instantly worried as she fully stepped into the room, wondering what kind of mischief he’d managed while she’d slept peacefully. Her fingers twisted the two lanterns on the wall to life and she immediately realized that there had been no mischief involved in Jacks’ state.
She stepped to his side, dropping to one knee as her hand rested against his back, his skin warm which was jarring, as he had never been warm. His muscles tensed under her touch and Evangeline felt helpless as his stomach sent him hurling for what was clearly not the first time.
Seeing as there was not much she could do at the moment, she placed a soft kiss against his shoulder and stood. She dug through the draws of their marble counter, finding two small grey rags that she immediately started heating with warm water.
The warmth felt good against her own chilled skin and once she was sure they were completely damp, she turned off the faucet and rang them out. She placed them at the edge of the counter where she could reach them when needed as she once again dropped to Jacks’ side.
His breathing was heavy when he finally slumped back and Evangeline didn’t waste a second in pulling him into her arms. He was clearly exhausted as he didn’t try to fight her, he simply rested his head against her chest, his left hand fisting her thin nightgown.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered softly as she held him close, running a hand over his back as he shivered from the cold. Her other hand drifted to his bare stomach, tracing soft circles against his skin.
“What for?” His voice was hoarse as he spoke.
“That you don’t feel well. I wish there was more I could do.” She reached for one of the warm rags.
Jacks shook his head, “This is enough.”
A tender smile tugged at her lips, but before she could even use the cloth, Jacks tensed and then flew back to empty his stomach once more.
For a while they were stuck in the same loop; Evangeline would hold Jacks in her arms before he was heaving again, his stomach long since empty as his body grasped for whatever it felt the need to rid itself of. In between his bouts of sickness, Evangeline would gently trace the warm cloth over his face, feeling him relax into her touch and the heat of the cloth.
Eventually, when it seemed that Jacks’ stomach had finally settled, she helped him to his feet and led him back into the bedroom. He twisted onto his side as soon as he was back in bed and had it been any other day, Evangeline would have giggled at how fragile he was able to make himself appear, since he was anything but fragile. Tonight though, it sent a pang of concern through her chest as she knew he was only curled so tight because of the pain.
She pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek, feeling him sigh. “I’ll be right back.” She told him, slipping from the room as quietly as she could.
She stepped into the kitchen as the candles around her flickered to life, the tiny blue dragon that often followed her around blinked its sleepy eyes open at her presence. She gave the creature a soft smile, rubbing its scaly head as it shook its tiny body out.
The ingredients she had come for were not hard to find and as if The Hollow knew exactly what she needed, a small vial of purple liquid appeared in the middle of the counter. She lifted it, turning over the small paper attached to it to read the label.
For Fever & Pain
She had no idea where medicine had come from, but The Hollow was not a malicious place and so she knew that the liquid would not harm Jacks.
Evangeline then filled a small cup with water and turned to the dragon.
“Will you heat this, little friend?” She asked and the dragon jumped to its feet.
The creature looked rather excited to be needed for a task and Evangeline made a mental note to ask the dragon for help more often. The dragon's fire burned bright for a few moments, a few embers falling to the counter as the water bubbled with heat.
“Shall I call you Ember?” Evangeline scratched its tiny head once more and when the dragon licked her hand, she considered it a yes. “Thank you for your help.” She scratched under its chin and when she pulled away, the creature curled up, resting its head against its tail.
Ember’s tired eyes watched as Evangeline gathered an assortment of petals and spices, mixing them within the heated water before she was satisfied. When she slipped from the room, taking the small vial of medicine with her, the dragon closed its eyes and fell back asleep.
Evangeline climbed back up the stairs, finding that Jacks had not moved a single inch in her absence. She placed the objects on the table next to where Jacks lay, sitting at his side as her hand rested against his shoulder.
“Jacks,” she called to him, her voice soft as she traced her fingers along his shoulder.
All she received in response was a small grunt but at least he had acknowledged her.
“I brought some things that will help.” She gently tugged at his shoulder, urging him to roll to his back. After a few seconds, he begrudgingly did. She picked up the small vial, pulling out the cork, “You need to drink this.”
Jacks gave another grunt, “Don’t want to.”
She nearly rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t ever truly be upset with him. “You’re even more stubborn when you’re sick.”
“Because I don’t get sick.” He answered and Evangeline almost chuckled.
“Obviously that is not true my love.” At the name, Jacks’ eyes finally fluttered open and while they were still brilliantly blue, they were grey and dull from his exhaustion. Evangeline gave him a soft smile. “I promise it will help.”
He held her gaze for a beat before he finally gave a sigh and let her pour the liquid into his mouth. He immediately grimaced as he swallowed.
“That is the most vile thing I’ve ever tasted.” Evangeline couldn’t hide her growing smile. “Did you purposefully make it taste as awful as you could?”
“Now why would I do that?” She asked, reaching for the tea she had made. “I didn’t make the medicine, I found it.”
Jacks’ eyes widened. “It’s probably centuries old, Little Fox. If I wasn’t going to die from this sickness, I’m surely going to die now.”
This time Evangeline did roll her eyes. “You are not going to die. The medicine is not centuries old, it appeared because The Hollow knew I was looking for something to help you.” She held out the cup of tea, “This one will taste better.”
He gave her a skeptical glance but after the first sip he seemed to relax, taking several larger ones before he settled back into the bed. She placed the tea at his side before standing, though she had only made it a single step before Jacks had grabbed her wrist.
“Where are you going?” he asked, sounding almost scared that she was going to leave him. Her heart twisted a little at the desperation in his voice and she gave him a soft smile.
“I’m going to turn the lanterns off in the bathroom and then I will get back in bed.” His grip loosened and she stepped away, quickly distinguishing the lanterns before rounding the bed and crawling back to his side.
His hands were wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer before her head had even hit the pillow. She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he rested against her chest, holding her as if he were scared she were going to disappear.
“So sickness makes you stubborn and clingy.” She said, wrapping her hands around him as she threaded her fingers through his hair.
“I’m always clingy.” She felt the vibration of his words against his skin and she smiled. It was true, but she wouldn’t have changed that for anything. “And it will probably end with you getting sick.”
Evangeline couldn’t have cared. “Then you’ll get to take care of me.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to make the tea as delicious as you did.” She felt his lips press against her collarbone and she shivered.
When he did it again, she gave his arm a gentle wack. “Quit that, you’re supposed to be resting.” She could feel his lips tug into a smile. “And you will just have to ask Ember to help you then.”
His head pulled back from her chest, his brows knit as he stared up at her. “Who’s Ember?”
“The little blue dragon that likes to follow me.”
Jacks’ lips ticked in amusement. “You named that creature?”
“That creature heated your tea for you.” She kissed his head and then tugged him back against her. “Now go back to sleep, you need to rest.” He nipped at her collarbone and she wacked him again. “I’m serious.”
This time, he elected to listen as he sighed, resting into her arms.
She continued to hold him close as the time ticked on, Jacks’ breath evening out as he finally relaxed. Even once she knew he was asleep, she continued to trace soft circles across the side of his ribs, secretly wishing that she would never have to move from this moment.
She wanted to hold him and watch him for eternity, but eventually she too grew tired and when she could no longer keep her eyes open, she let her dreams lull her back to sleep.
It was only three days later that Jacks found himself skeptically asking Ember for help with the tea, the small dragon eagerly jumping to his assistance. He didn’t know how the creature suddenly knew how to make tea, but he added each ingredient the dragon's scaly nose pushed his way and when Evangeline didn’t complain about the taste, he figured he had to have done something correct.