Andy's POV

We got Reya to a room finally. Ive been so worried and this makes it worse, watching her become a living pin cushion. I hold her unconscious hand as the ER nurses place an IV in her other arm. It makes it worse as I see they place two separate drips in place. I stare at her peaceful, flushed face.

The nurse glances up at me. "Don't worry sweetheart. We will take good care of her. Are you her boyfriend?" the kind older woman asked.
"Fiancé actually," I said smiling. "Just as of last week."

The nurse glances down at Reyas left hand and carefully admired the ring. "It's a beautiful set of stones. I bet that cost you quite a bit, young man. But you did well on that one," she added with a wink. "Alright, now this is just some medication to hopefully stop the vomiting and this one is to replace all the fluid she's lost. She's definitely dehydrated, I could barely find her veins. I'll be back to check on her in a few minutes. Is there anything I can get for you sweetie?"

"No thank you. But I appreciate it," I replied tiredly. "Let me know if you do, there's a red call button on the wall." She closed the curtain behind her.

I stroked Reyas hand with my thumb. As the minutes ticked by, I slowly watched the drips empty. Reya remained asleep, but the nurses told me that was a good thing. It was giving her body the chance to rest and repair. It just worried me that she wasn't able to be awake and talk to me. We'd been in here for three hours, and it was now 6AM.

The nurse came back and checked Reyas temperature and blood pressure. She returned with the doctor. He was an aged man, balding, in blue scrubs.

"Well sir, we have some good and bad news. We've been able to help restore her hydration levels, but her fever is still high as well as her blood pressure. We believe it would be best to admit her," he said.
"Admit her then," I said as I stood up, "I just want her to be OK." I leaned over and kissed her feverish forehead. "Just do what needs to be done. Oh by the way, call me Andy."

"Alright, Andy. We will move her up to a private room."

At 6:30 her bed was moved upstairs to the second floor to a small room, with white walls. She was given two different IVs, one they hoped would boost her immune system, the other to hopefully help break the fever. A nurse brought me a cup of coffee which helped me to shake the exhaustion a bit. My worried mom called around seven. I told her about Reyas condition and was able to spend a little time catching up with her and my dad. I called Siren after and told her what was going on. She promised to come by later with Ash whenever he finally woke up. I leaned back in the wood chair I was sitting in.
I snapped open my exhausted eyes to hear a phone ringing. It was Reyas. I dug it out of her purse that I had on the chair next to me. It was a number I didn't know.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice still sounding thick with the small time of sleep I had.
"Who is this?"
"I could reply the same question. With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" I asked.

"Jack Chance."
"Jack," I said, realizing who I was speaking with.
"Now who the hell is this answering my daughters phone?" he growled.
"Andy."
"Andy?"
"Yes, this is Andy," I replied.
"You're...you're...still together?" he asked.

"Yes we are. Now why are you calling?"
"Uhh..oh...can I speak with Reya?"
"Not at the moment."
"Why the hell not?" he started. "She's my daughter and I-"

"She's in the hospital right now. She has the flu and we are trying to stabilize her. She's asleep," I answered bluntly.
"Oh,...oh my god."

"I'm taking care of her, like I always said I would, unlike you guys. She's getting medication as we speak and she's been very happy lately. I would not be entertained with the idea of her happiness being smoldered by you two, parents or not."

"Now you young man have no right!" he shouted in my ear.

"Damn well I do!" I stepped into the hallway so I wouldn't wake Reya. "Almost four years ago she wanted one thing, to chase her dreams like any teenager. I can understand not wanting you to have her with me, but you had no right to tell her I would leave her and use her for sex. You have no idea who I am and it enraged me that you would even consider destroying your daughters happiness because of your own selfish agenda. She's an adult now and free to make her own decisions. I don't want to be stuck dealing with the aftermath again of you twos abusive comments to her and messing with her head again. But if she wants to speak to you I won't stop her. I'll just be left cleaning up your fucking mess again, Jack."
The line was quiet. I paced in the empty sitting room, clutching the phone with a death grip with my seething anger. That's when I froze. I heard choking gasps on the other side. A grown man, breaking.

"I never meant to..." he sobbed, "I thought I was protecting her."
"You went about it the wrong way. You already failed once not realizing she was depressed. You didn't know she has mild depression did you? Did you know Reya used to self harm? Or that she tried to commit suicide multiple times?"

"I-I-I...I d-didnt..."
"Exactly. You had no idea."
"Andy...I..." he choked on his own sobs, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

I brought myself down a few notches, "Don't tell me."
"Can I speak with her when she wakes up?"

"I don't think that's the best idea. I give you my word that when she's more stable I will tell her you called. I need to get back to her now, in case she wakes up."
"Andy?" he asked. "Thank you. Please take care of her."

I hung up, my head reeling. Placing her iPhone in my pocket I walked back to her room, the exhaustion of being up for 24 hours straight. Peeking in, she was just beginning to stir. Slipping her phone back into her purse, I picked up her hand, resuming my place at her bedside. She groaned and ever so slightly shifted. Eyes still closed. I gave her hand a tender squeeze, and her eyelids twitched slightly. She mumbled something and took in a sharp breath.

"Reya," I said quietly, "I'm here, sweetie. It's all OK."
Drowsily, her green eyes revealed themselves to be finally. I could see how disoriented she was.
"Hi baby." My thumb stroked her weak hand.

Her voice was barely a whisper, "Hi."

Standing, I kissed her cheek, slightly relieved to feel her temperature coming down. A knock on the door made me return to my seat. A nurse came in the door, she was young, blonde, and looked like a hollister model.

"Hi there! I'm Mindy, I'll be on shift for the next few hours so I'll be taking care of you...Reya? Is there anything you need?" she asked as she crossed the room and pulled down the blood pressure cuff. She pulsed the cuff and inflated it.

"Drink." Reya half choked.
"I'll speak with the doctor and return with a refilled drip for you too. I'll be right back." She began to walk out the door when she stopped and glanced at me, "Is there anything I can get you either?"

"I think I might take a walk down to the cafeteria. Where would I need to go?" I asked politely.
"If you head down the hall to the left, go to the first floor. Take a left out of the elevator and up the ramp, then just follow the signs."

"Thanks," I answered as she left the room. My thoughts returned to Reya, even though I now was aware of the feeling of my stomach eating itself. "How are you feeling hun?"
"Mmmmmm...drowsy. Tired," she mumbled again.

"OK, Reya!" the nurse said as she walked back in with a tray. "We've got you some ice chips, some crackers, and you can choose a flavor of Popsicle. You should be able to go home this afternoon. Your body temperature is still a little raised, but not concerning. Your blood pressure has returned to mostly normal ranges. Now, what flavor?" She placed the tray in front of Reya.

"Blue Raspberry," I said with a smile, remembering her favorite flavor. She gave me a weak smile and a nod.
The nurse brought Reya her Popsicle and I couldn't help but crack up at her now bright blue tongue and lips. I'm glad she finally had a touch of a smile on her lips. That was all I could ever ask for...to always look at her and see her happy. That's all any man could ever want.

Notes

A long chapter for you guys :)
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