Days of Love and Blood

went to bed with a book. At first he came to bed late in the night, long after I fell asleep. But even that habit stopped and he began sleeping on the couch.
    I didn’t know if it was the stress of parenting and finances or if there was another woman involved. Whatever it was, it was getting worse. I prepared by silently looking for cheap apartments.

    I woke up to a throbbing pain in my temples and a warm body snuggled against me. I pulled Ronan close to me and kissed the top of his head. He stirred slightly before his breathing resumed its soothing, heavy pattern. I snuck out of bed to get some aspirin and stopped by the window on my way back. Cooper’s tent was still there. It was early in the morning so I climbed back into bed with Ronan and dozed off. I was awakened by Ivy what felt like minutes later but judging by the sun, it had been hours. She let me know that Ronan had eaten and was outside with Cooper. I went back to sleep, shivering under the blankets.
    I slept through the day and Ivy brought me a tray of food in the evening. I ate a few bites before falling back to my pillows and pulling the blankets up to my chin. I heard Cooper downstairs. I heard Ronan’s voice. But I couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed. My head pounded and I swallowed painful gulps of dry fire. My sheets were soaked through with perspiration.
    I slept through the next day. Gretchen came to see me but I barely remember her being there. She stuck something cold and hard in my mouth and I tried to chew but she swatted at my chin and told me to stop. She took the object out and uttered numbers that I can’t recall. I felt a wet cloth on my forehead and the blankets removed. I kept trying to find them because I was so cold. They said it was the fever that did that. I was burning with heat, but my body shook with chills.
    I felt a hand on my head that night and opened my eyes. Cooper was sitting on the bed, looking down at me. His hand rested on my head. I smiled and fell back asleep. He was there the next night, too. I don’t know how long he was there, but I remember seeing him.
    Two more days and nights went by before my fever broke. I opened my eyes in the early dawn hours and sat up quickly. I knew I had been sick and that days had gone by. But I hadn’t seen my son since the morning of my hangover. There was a chance he could be sick. I ran to his room and found his skin cool to the touch. I sighed in relief and crept downstairs to make breakfast. I was starving.
    Cooper was asleep with his head down on the kitchen table. He lifted his head when I filled the coffee pot with water.
    “You’re up,” he said with half-open eyes.
    “I am. I feel better.”
    “Sorry for being here. I must’ve dozed off.”
    “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
    “I’ll get outta your hair. I was jus’ makin’ sure you were gonna be okay. For Ronan.” He stood up and stretched.
    “You don’t have to go.”
    “Don’t wanna bother you.”
    “Were you upstairs with me? In my room?”
    “I checked on you a few times,” he admitted. “Ronan was - he was upset.”
    “Thank you. For being here.”
    “Yeah. No problem. Glad you’re feelin’ better.” Our eyes never met and before I knew it he had one hand on the door. He hesitated before turning the knob. I hesitated longer and before I could say anything he was gone.
    From the window I watched him vanish behind the folds of his tent. His stubborn will mirrored my own but the tent in my yard told me otherwise. There was nothing I could do if he wouldn’t talk to me.
    The morning slowly drifted into afternoon and as the hours progressed my strength returned. I discovered that Ivy had slept in the guest room and stayed with me the entire time. Gretchen had made Cassie stay at the farm while I was sick. Without proper prenatal care, Cassie’s pregnancy was going to be risky and Gretchen didn’t want to further threaten her baby’s survival with illness. Ronan was thrilled that I was awake.
    “I thought you had the Demon Virus,” he whispered to me over lunch.
    “You don’t have to whisper it, babe. But no, I think that virus has already taken its toll, honey. I think it took the lives of everyone it was supposed to. The rest of us are all immune. I just got sick, that’s all.”
    “I was scared.”
    “I bet you were.”
    “He wasn’t the only one scared,” said Ivy. “I was terrified. You were really ill. And no one knew wha t to do. Gretchen said you’de be fine