A week later,

You would have expected that a week later we would be talking but that wasn't even close to being accurate. Creed was avoiding me and I was avoiding him. Even though I was avoiding him, I was able to see that he was getting a lot better. He could walk a lot better and was taking fewer pain pills. I had returned his gun to his case and replaced the clips I had utilized. I was happy to see that he was getting back to normal.

Today, however, just was not my day. I was feeling terrible. My head was pounding and I felt sickly. The night before I hadn't felt all that amazing either.  I hadn't paid much attention to it, however, because I was busy working last minute in the home office doing some needed changes to the budget. Today was going to be much of the same, once I got out of bed. At the moment, I was just sitting up leaning against the headboard trying to summon the energy to get my body moving.  All I needed to do was get up and have a shower, then I would probably be more than ok. Closing my eyes the wave of sickness that rolled over me was enough to make me start dry heaving over the side of the bed. I hadn't been around anyone and or done anything to cause this level of illness.

Summoning the rest of the energy I had, I made it to the bathroom down the hall. I was quickly regretting my choice to not have my bathroom. I held onto the bathroom counter to hold myself up. My shoulder was burning with a tender pain that I hadn't felt before. I felt like I couldn't trust my legs to hold well I was trying to get undressed.  I tried regardless. Getting to the toilet and sitting down hadn't been as easy as it should have been. I was debating just getting onto the floor and crawling into the shower stall. I wasn't even going to attempt the bathtub. Maybe to sleep after the shower.  I was dizzy after fighting to get my sweat pants off me, but I had managed it.

The biggest job was now getting to the shower and crawling there, wasn't off the table yet. I had already settled that my shirt was not coming off on my own. I was going to shower with it on until I got enough energy to take it off. My boxers were much of the same.
Finally, I gave up on the idea of standing up and walking into the shower. I crawled instead. It felt like I had crawled for half my life before I managed to reach the shower. The handle was low enough that on my knees I could turn it on but only cold.

I sat back against the glass shower wall and just let the cold water cascade over me. It didn't feel all that cold against my skin, but I knew it was beyond freezing to me normally. I really was under the weather with some kind of sickness. Shivers raked over my body suddenly and my teeth chattered. That was a pretty good clue that the cold water wasn't helping me.

I didn't even have the energy to turn the water off. As it was, I was debating crawling down the hall to the kitchen and hoping that Creed would be there. I needed help. Something was very wrong with me.

I hated myself for crawling my wet self across the real hardwood floors. If I ruined the floor I was going to absolutely livid, when I wasn't nearly passing out from illness.  Somehow after several breaks, I made it to the kitchen. Creed wasn't there.  Despite the fact that alone made me want to scream. I didn't have the energy for that. I didn't have the energy for anything.

I just laid on the kitchen floor.  Surely he would be back soon. He couldn't hate me that much.
He just couldn't.

At some point, I closed my eyes. I was too cold and tired, but also too warm to bother fighting the need to pass out.

I heard yelling the next time I actually came to. 

"I gave him antibiotics when he came and seen me a week ago, he should have been taking them!"
"Well, He clearly hasn't been! I haven't seen him taking any pills at all."

Oh, Shit. The antibiotics. I had stuck them in the desk in my office. Deciding now was a good time to open my eyes, It was Caleb and Creed arguing at the foot of the bed. I was in the medic wing. Waiting for my world to stop spinning, I realized I was hooked up to an Iv drip and there was a heated blanket on me. They were too busy arguing to notice I was awake. Trying to sit up had made the pulse thing on my finger fall off and the monitor went off. The alarm on the damn thing made my head sing in pain.

"Make it stop...."

"Alexi!"

I held my head in my two hands, trying to both block out the alarm and stop the pounding. I felt someone grab one of my hands the pulse thing was clipped back on. The alarm stopped ringing. Thank the fucking heavens.

"Alexi, Listen to me, You have a bad infection. You are very lucky Creed found you."

I shook my head from side to side very lightly. It was easier than talking. I slid my hand down to pull out the Iv but it was stopped by Creed's hand.  His hand was warm on my arm.

"You have to leave the Iv in Alexi, It's giving you antibiotics."

"I hate—"

"I know you do. I know you hate being here."

"Alexi, did you take any of the antibiotics I gave you last week?"

"No. desk."

"I told you then I thought it was infected."

"I.. know, I heard."

I heard Caleb take a deep breath before he walked over and grabbed the pile of stuff that was on me before I ended up here. The dog tags were on the top of the pile. I touched my neck where the dogs tags had been, but it was indeed empty. I felt angry about it.

He handed the pile to Creed. Creed saw the dog tags but made no comment about it. If anything he ignored them completely. In my feverish haze, I felt robbed too. My hand twitched on the top of the blanket with the urge to grab them and put them back. But what would I say then?

Oh yeah, Creed, I've been wearing your dog tags for over a week and I would like them back because they are mine now. That would go over well.

After all, I had stolen them.