Three days after the rose ceremony, Emily could not move from her bed. She thanked whatever higher being was watching over her that she had Shaena and Taylor because both women had catered to her every whim while she lay sick in her bed. Emily was not a very good patient. She groaned at the knock that sounded on the door. All she wanted to do was sleep and she couldn't do that with them virtually hovering. She was glad to have them, but they checked on her constantly. "Go away!"
Shaena poked her head in. "It's me. I don't think you want me to do that."
"Is it life or death?" Emily asked, allowing her eyes to fall closed again. She snuggled further into the blankets in an attempt to ward off the shivers.
"It's a date box."
That caught her attention and her eyes flew open again as her body reacted without the conscious permission of her brain. She shot upright. "What?" She promptly emptied her stomach into the nearby bucket. "No, no, no, no," she groaned as Shaena rubbed her back. Eventually, she settled back against the pillows, accepting the glass of water Shaena and Taylor kept filled on her bedside table.
Shaena picked the box up from the floor, setting it with the glass of water on the bedside table. She pulled the note out from the inside.. "The note says: Time to let someone else take care of you."
Emily groaned. "I look like hell."
"I don't think Aaron cares," Shaena replied, stroking her hair. "We'll find you a pair of really nice lounge pants and a pretty but comfortable shirt. You'll look beautiful and still comfortable."
"I'll still look sick."
"Unfortunately, there is no amount of makeup that will fix that. Come on Em. Let's plop you into a bathtub and leave you to soak for a few hours."
Emily sighed as Shaena made her way to the bathroom. She heard the bath start. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I'm not as cruel as the rest of them?" Shaena replied. "Look, Em, contrary to what you want to think I've been watching the two of you and if anything, he's very intrigued. I think he's very quietly falling for you, if he hasn't already. For someone who can read behaviours so well, you're being remarkably blind."
"But what about you?"
"Barring smear campaigns, I'm doing everything I can to get him to like me. If he eliminates me, it's because he fell more strongly for someone else." She came back into the room, leaning against the door frame.
"You're one of a kind, Shaena," Emily whispered.
Shaena smiled. "Yeah, tell me that when I'm not about to drag your aching butt into a bathtub. Come on. Sit up."
"Shaena," Emily whined.
"You'll thank me in an hour," Shaena said. "And this'll only be more painful and complicated if you're not going to cooperate."
Emily groaned.
It was odd for Aaron to actively seek someone out when he walked into a room, but as he walked into the house, into the living room, his eyes sought out Emily's dark head. He didn't even hear the chorus of his name. Sure, she was much paler than he would have liked, but she was there, waiting. And she was awake,
"How are you feeling?" he asked, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
"I've been better," she replied with a smile. "You don't have to do this."
He smiled down at her. "I'm ready if you're up for it." He'd been upset to discover that she was sick, even more so since he wanted her for a one-on-one date. So what he had planned was almost overly relaxing to give her a chance to recover. Because he really didn't want her to be sick. It was yet another strong feeling she evoked in him. Along with the butterflies she brought out in his stomach, apparently she evoked an over-protectiveness too. He wanted to take care of her.
"She's really weak," Taylor spoke up, looking worriedly at Emily. "Shaena and I both had to help her down the stairs."
"I think we cna handle that," Aaron responded with a mischevious smile. He made his way towards her.
"What are you planning?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.
He kneeled down, presenting his back. "Get on," he said. "I'll carry you out to the car."
"No, Aaron, really. I can make it out there by myself, I just need a little bit of extra support is all," Emily argued. "You really don't have to carry me."
"Just do it, Emily," Shaena said with a roll of her eyes.
Emily glared, but slowly moved forward, discarding the blanket. She slid her legs around his hips and felt his hands slip under her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and had to resist the urge to squeak as he easily lifted her off the ground.
"I hope you're this light because you're sick," he said.
Emily felt herself blush.
"Do you have a bag?" he asked.
Shaena pointed to the bag at Aaron's feet. This time, Emily did squeak when he leaned down to pick up the bag. Laughter broke out among the other women. Emily was just impressed.
"Have fun," Shaena said as Aaron headed towards the open door.
Emily waved back, trying to snuggle into his back. These chills were going to kill her.
"Everything okay?" he asked as he approached the car.
"I have a fever," she sighed. "I get cold."
He opened the passenger door and deposited her inside. "Do you have a blanket?" he asked.
"In the bag. I'll be fine so long as we're not going that far."
He seemed to stop and consider getting the blanket out of the bag for a minute, before simply tossing it in the back seat. "We're not going to that far," he promised. "We're going to the house I'm staying in."
Emily felt her heart jump. "Oh?" she asked as he climbed into the driver's seat.
"Quiet night in," he said. "I figured you weren't up for being wined and dined."
"I prefer nights in," Emily answered, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I'm not the fancy party type of girl."
"That doesn't surprise me. The way you talk about your mother's politics makes me think fancy things really aren't your style in general."
Emily smiled widely. "Maybe I don't hate your profiling skill after all," she joked. "Not if it means I don't always have to tell you every inch of my life story on national television."
"I can't always tell what you're thinking," he admitted. "You have a very good poker face."
"It took years to build," she replied. "My mother needed the perfect family picture. It wouldn't have helped if I made a fuss when I wanted to."
"Ah yes, that picture," he said.
Emily caught the sarcastic smile that floated across his face. "Mmm, you too. It's been a long time since I've found someone who understands what it's like."
"It's a nice difference," Aaron agreed.
She leaned her head back again. "I think politics makes people distrustful. I think it makes them hate themselves. I think it tears families apart and damages people."
"That's a very strong view," he said quietly.
"I tend to have strong opinions," she answered. "I can't explain how much I hate politics."
He reached over and took her hand. "This isn't politics, Em. You don't have to hide."
"It's a hard habit to break," she replied, squeezing his hand. "Over thirty years of doing something... It's difficult to change it."
"It doesn't mean you can't try," he said. "You're not used to someone else taking care of you, are you?"
She bit her lip but shook her head. "You're used to taking care of everyone else, aren't you?"
"True," he conceded. "Over thirty years of doing something... It's difficult to change."
"It's annoying when people throw my own words back at me," Emily said, opening her eyes enough to glare at him.
Aaron chuckled. "It isn't fun."
"Then why did you do it?"
"Because you made it sound like my protective instincts were terrible things to have," he replied. "Right now, you really need someone else taking care of you."
"I'm not usually sick," she pointed out. "In fact, I'm rarely sick."
"But can you stop being strong and stubborn, even after your illness, to let someone else shoulder some of the bad things?" he asked wisely.
They were pulling up to the house so she smiled over at him, using it as a reprieve. "We're about to find out, aren't we?"
His gaze was intense as he opened the door. "We're about to find out."