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“Sorry,” I mumbled as Ally pulled the blanket over me.
“Don’t worry about it.” Ally sat on the edge of the bed, stroking my hair tenderly. “What’s happened? Why are you here?”
I shook my head, closing my eyes. “Matthew,” I said, my words getting mumbly.
“Matthew? What about Matthew?”
What about Matthew, indeed? That question was way too hard to answer. It was much easier to fall into the sleep that was pulling at me, demanding I give in.
I woke I don’t know how many hours later, opened bleary eyes to see the late afternoon sun receding from the window. Ally was there, trying to get me to sit up and drink something. I shook my head, pushed her away, dropped back into a fitful, feverish sleep. I woke again, hours later in the middle of the night, calling out, pushing the blankets away. I was hot. So hot. Everything hurt. Ally was there again, forcing me to sit up and swallow something this time. “Aspirin,” she said.
“Matthew,” I whispered softly, brokenly, tears scalding my cheeks while Ally stroked my forehead and occasionally put a cool, damp cloth to it. The next time I woke, bright sunshine was streaming in through the windows, hurting my eyes. I could hear my phone beeping, tried to get up to answer it before I heard Ally’s footsteps hurrying across the living room downstairs.
“Matt, hi.”
I sank back onto the pillows.
“Yeah, she’s here.” A pause. “I don’t know. She’s not at all well. Got a fever. Let me check.” Ally’s footsteps coming up the stairs had me turning onto my side, facing away from the top of the stairs, closing my eyes. “No, Matt, I’m sorry. She’s asleep.” A pause. “Yes, maybe later.”
Ally went away and I slept again. The next time I woke, I felt like I was dying of thirst. There was a glass of water on the bedside table and I reached for it gratefully, flinching at the pounding in my head. I sipped it cautiously.
“Are you alive up there?” Ally called from downstairs.
I cleared my dry throat, croaked out, “Yes.” I smiled weakly at Ally when she came up the stairs, a tray in her hands. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea I was sick. I wouldn’t have come here if I’d known.”
“Don’t start that. Where the fuck else would you have gone?” She put the tray carefully on the bed, reached over and touched a hand to my forehead again. “A bit better. Now, you need to eat this. You haven’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. Longer, I’m guessing, by the state of you.” She handed me a mug of chicken soup, watching intently as I took a tentative sip. It tasted terrific, felt comforting. Ally nodded, satisfied. “I’ll get you some more water, then we’re going to talk, if you’re up for it.” I took another sip, then another as Ally came back with a jug of water, putting it on the bedside table and looking at me sternly. “Now. Are you please going to tell me what the fuck is going on?”
I stared down at the bedspread, shaking my head.
“Matt has called your phone a dozen times. I don’t know what to tell him. What should I say?”
“Nothing.” I downed the rest of the soup.
Ally gave me a long, searching look, taking the soup mug from me, handing me a glass of water and two aspirin. “I’m going to let you off the hook for now, because you still look like death warmed up. Here, put this on, the other one’s all disgustingly sweaty.”
I sighed gratefully as I pulled my shirt off and put Ally’s fresh one on. “Good. Now lie down, try and get some more sleep. Hopefully no more fever dreams for you.” She leaned down, kissed me on the forehead, pulled the comforter over me and went downstairs. I slept for the rest of the day, and when I woke again, it was to the sound of Ally’s voice.
“I’m so sorry, Matt. I just don’t know. She’s been really sick. I nearly took her to the hospital.” A pause. “Yes, of course, I’ll check.”
I pulled myself to a sitting position as Ally came to the top of the stairs and shook my head vehemently when Ally held out the phone to me. She gave me a long, searching look before putting the phone to her ear.
“She doesn’t want to talk to you, Matt. I’m sorry. Yes, okay, bye.” She threw the phone on the bed, plunked down next to it, and looked at me. “Zara, please, for the love of all that’s holy, tell me what thefuckis going on.”
I leaned back against the headboard, closed my eyes to try and fight back the tears that persisted, shaking my head.
“Why not?”
“There’s nothing to say. The house is finished, it’s on the market. It’s done.”
Ally heaved a sigh, stood up again. “Well, that’s completely fucking ridiculous.” Her tone was steeped in frustration. “Look, I’m going to get you more soup, then I have to go to work. Will you be okay here by yourself?”
I nodded.
“Okay. I’ve brought your suitcase up. It’s in the wardrobe. If you feel you want a shower, there’s some spare towels in the bathroom.”
She went to turn away, but I reached out, grabbing her wrist. Ally turned back with a hard, frustrated look still lingering in her eyes. “Thank you.”
Her gaze softened instantly, and she leaned over, dropping a kiss on my forehead. “Don’t mention it.”
