Mia stretched her arms and threw her duffel bag down on the floor as she stepped into the apartment. She'd ended up spending the night at Julian's house after he texted her last minute to ask her to stay over. Mia pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at it. Though she had remembered to text Leila to let her know, Leila hadn't responded.

Oh well. She was probably asleep, Mia thought. It doesn't matter much now since I'm back home.

She found it strange that the kitchen didn't smell like the eggs and bacon Leila often cooked on a Saturday morning. Usually, Leila was already awake when Mia returned from staying over at Julian's, but the apartment was eerily silent. Perhaps she'd gone out for breakfast with friends and hadn't mentioned it to Mia.

Mia poured herself a bowl of cereal and ate quietly at the kitchen table. Julian had still been sleeping when she'd left, but Mia was hungry and didn't have time to stick around until he woke up. She had been excited to tell Leila the news. She was planning to attend a drawing class at the community center later in the afternoon. It had been advertised on one of the pamphlets Leila had given her earlier in the week.

As Mia finished her bowl, she heard some meowing down the hall, followed by a faint cough.

Oh. She is home, Mia thought.

As she headed down the hall to her own room, she noticed Fuji meowing more than normal, almost as if it was his meal time and he hadn't been fed yet. The door to Leila's room was shut. Normally, Mia wouldn't bug her, but again she heard a faint cough, and in her gut, she sensed something was wrong.

"Leila?" Mia asked. No answer. She turned the doorknob slowly, watching as Fuji bolted from the bedroom into the kitchen, once again yelling for breakfast.

"Leila?" Mia said again.

Leila's room was dark. Her curtains were drawn shut, and all the lamps were off. As Mia's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed Leila lying in bed, looking half-awake. Once again, Leila gave a small cough and slowly moved her head up to look at Mia.

"Morning Mia," she said quietly, sounding exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked. "Has Fuji been fed?"

Leila slowly sat up, wincing as she did so. "I'm f-fine," she said, shivering some. "Just a little tired."

Mia walked over closer to her. Leila most certainly did not look fine. She had bags under her eyes, her face was pale, and despite being covered by blankets, she was shivering slightly. Mia winced slightly as the memory of her mother in a similar state came back to her.

Mia slowly reached out her hand and pressed it lightly to Leila's forehead.

"You're burning up," Mia said.

"I'll be okay," Leila said. She turned her body and set her feet down, attempting to get out of bed. "I've got to feed Fuji."

"No," Mia said. She placed her hands on Leila's shoulders and forced her back down into bed. "You need to stay in bed. I'll take care of Fuji. Have you taken any medicine?"

Leila shook her head. From down the hall, Fuji was still screaming.

"I'll feed the cat. You stay in bed," Mia said, almost in a demanding tone.

Mia returned to the kitchen and quickly silenced Fuji with some food. Her heart rate was pounding as she headed into the bathroom to grab some ibuprofen for Leila. Rummaging through the medicine cabinet, Mia knocked over a bottle of pills and cursed to herself. When she glanced down at her hands, they were trembling.

She'll be okay, Mia told herself.

She returned to Leila's room. Leila luckily hadn't attempted to get back out of bed, but she was still sitting upright.

"Didn't I say to lie down?" Mia asked. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Here," she said, handing Leila a glass of water and some pills.

Leila quickly gulped them down.

"Hopefully that will bring your fever down. Have you eaten yet?" Mia asked.

"Not hungry," Leila murmured.

"You need to try to eat something, at least to help the medicine sit better," Mia said. "It won't be fancy, but I can run by the store and buy some soup to heat up for you."

"D-Don't you have stuff to do today?" Leila asked.

"I was going to go to a drawing class, but it's okay, I'll make the next one," Mia said. "Lay back down, okay?"

Leila once again got nestled under her covers and looked up at Mia with a pouting face.

"What's that face for?" Mia asked.

"Don't miss your drawing lesson. I'll be okay," Leila argued. "And also you shouldn't be in my room. I'll get you sick."

Mia ignored her. "I'm going to go to the store and get some soup and meds. You stay in bed. Try to sleep if you can."

"Okay," Leila murmured, already appearing to sink back into a state of drowsiness.

Mia's trip to the grocery store was speedy. She practically raced through the aisles to grab the flu essentials. The entire time, she felt sick with worry over leaving Leila alone in the apartment. As Mia stood in the check-out line, impatiently stomping her foot, she felt her phone ring in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe, you left without saying good-bye," Julian said on the other line.

"Did you just wake up?" Mia asked.

"Yeah. What's with all the background noise? Where are you?" he asked.

"Grocery store. Listen, can I call you back later—"

"Do you want to go out tomorrow?" he asked. "You're just working the morning shift, right?"

Mia glanced down at the soup and medicine in her shopping basket and frowned.

"I can't. Leila's sick," Mia answered.

"I don't mind if you're contagious," Julian said.

"No, that's not me trying to be considerate toward you. I'm taking care of her. Can we reschedule?" Mia asked.

She heard Julian sigh on the other end of the line. "I guess. Talk later?"

"Yeah. Love you," Mia said, hanging up the phone.

When she arrived back at the apartment, Mia was upset to find Leila sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Fuji was lying beside her on a couch cushion, purring as Leila scratched around his chin.

"Didn't I tell you not to get out of bed?" Mia asked.

"I was feeling a little better. If I'm sitting up, you can go to your drawing lesson. I can make the soup myself," Leila argued.

"Nice try. I can just go to the next session, and I already cancelled my plans with Julian tomorrow. Don't frown at me like that. I don't mind," Mia said. "I want to make sure you're okay."

"I'll be fine," Leila argued. "Besides, don't you have to go work tomorrow? You're not going to miss your shift, are you?"

Mia ignored her as she poured a can of soup into a pot on the stove. She didn't want to admit that she had been considering it, but hearing Leila say it back to her, she realized how silly it sounded. Leila was twenty-three years old. She could take care of herself, and yet, Mia still felt it necessary to make sure Leila was okay.

She watched as Leila hobbled over to the table, still clutching the blanket to her body. Mia poured the warm chicken noodle soup into a bowl and set it gently in front of Leila.

"Blow on it. It's hot," Mia warned.

Leila nodded and shakily reached for a spoon. She gave a few small blows and then took a sip and hummed.

"Thank you," she said.

Mia smiled at her. "You're welcome."

Quickly, Mia found a routine in caring for Leila over the new week, despite not meaning to. She found herself constantly at Leila's side, leaving only to go to work and run errands. Otherwise, she routinely made sure Leila took her medicine, made Leila frequent meals, and most importantly, kept Fuji fed so his yowls wouldn't wake Leila from her naps. Leila's fever would only break for a few hours at a time, leaving Leila to nap the rest of the time. Though Leila assured Mia she would be better in no time, the longer she remained unwell, the more worried Mia became.

One afternoon, after Mia had delivered yet another bowl of warm soup to Leila in her bedroom, she began to gather the dishes to bring them into the kitchen.

"Mm...can you stay longer?" Leila asked.

"Really? You look tired. You should rest," Mia said. "The more you rest, the sooner you'll get better."

"It's boring," Leila murmured. "I haven't been able to work all this week. I'm going to be so behind when I go back into the office."

"Don't stress about that. Just go to sleep."

"Can you talk to me for a little bit?" Leila asked. "That always helps me fall asleep sleep faster. My mom used to sit at my bedside when I was a kid and would just talk until I fell asleep."

Mia stared at Leila oddly. She knew Leila was still slightly delirious from fever. She hadn't been acting like herself all week. In a way, ill Leila reminded Mia strongly of the Leila she had grown up with as a kid. It was like she had reverted back to her childlike nature with the way she needed Mia's presence, only liked a certain type of chicken soup, and watched the same sitcom episodes on repeat.

"Okay," Mia said. She grabbed Leila's armchair from her desk and took a seat beside Leila's bed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you like it here in Maine?" Leila asked.

Mia hesitated. "Of course I do. I wouldn't have moved back otherwise."

"You're not just saying that?" Leila asked.

"Look, you're tired. Quit wasting your energy talking and get some sleep," Mia told Leila. She reached for Leila's covers and pulled them over her body. Leila was pouting at her again. "I'll stay until you fall asleep, but I'll need to feed Fuji in an hour," Mia reminded her.

"Okay," Leila murmured.

Mia watched as Leila's eyes closed, and her breaths became deeper. Watching her sleep made Mia cognizant of her own exhaustion. She'd been slaving over Leila day and night that she hadn't been getting much rest on her own.

As the sun began its descent, shards of orange sunlight filtered through Leila's room. The songbirds were chirping quietly outside, and the soft duvet cover of Leila's bed suddenly looked more cozy than ever to Mia. She looked up at Leila again, unsure if she was asleep. She didn't want Leila to pout again if she left.

Slowly, Mia's arms gravitated toward the side of Leila's bed. She crossed them and laid her head on top, half-slouched over onto Leila's bed.

I'll just stay for a little while. Then I'll go back to my room, Mia told herself. Quickly afterwards, she slipped into darkness, only finding herself pulled out what felt like hours later when she felt fingers running through her hair.

Mia quickly shoved her head up. The sun had nearly set, and Leila's room had darkened considerably. Mia turned her head, finding Leila staring at her. Her fingers were near where Mia's head had been resting.

"Shit. Sorry. I fell asleep," Mia said, smoothing out her hair and shirt.

Leila shook her head. "Your hair is soft."

Mia guessed she still had to be feverish judging by that response. Mia leaned forward and felt Leila's forehead again. Warm, but not burning like it had been a few hours earlier. Mia sighed and sat back down on Leila's chair, trying to will herself awake.

"How long was I asleep?" Mia murmured.

"I don't know. Forty-five minutes maybe? I only woke up a little while ago," Leila said.

"You should still sleep more," Mia said.

"You should sleep," Leila argued. "You've been taking care of me so much this week. I didn't know you were so good at taking care of sick people."

Mia shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I have experience."

Leila's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh! Sorry Mia, I didn't mean—"

"It's fine. I'm sorry if I'm overbearing," Mia murmured. "I get worried when...when people close to me get sick."

"Oh," Leila said quietly.

"I should probably go feed Fuji and give you some alone time," Mia said. "I'm surprised he isn't yelling at me by now. I'll make you some more soup, but stay in bed for now."

As she rose from her seat and went to turn the doorknob, Leila spoke up again.

"Mia?" she asked, her head sinking into the pillow once more.

"Yeah?"

Leila was quiet for a moment.

"Don't waste energy talking if it's too much," Mia warned. "You still have a fever—"

"I gave you the seashell on your nightstand," Leila said quietly. "I gave it to you the night that you left. Did you really forget?"

Mia stiffened.

"No. I never forgot," she said.

"Okay," Leila murmured.

Mia turned back to look at her, but Leila appeared asleep once more. With those words, Mia stepped outside Leila's bedroom to feed the cat and prepare dinner.

By the following afternoon, Leila's fever had finally broken for good. She was practically jumping around the house with new energy and excitedly wolfed down a chicken dish that Mia made. Mia was happy to see her healthy once more. Finally, she could stop worrying.

Leila graciously thanked her for taking care of her, and that night, Mia had some of the best uninterrupted sleep she'd had in a week. When she woke in the morning, feeling refreshed and renewed, she turned her head to the nightstand that the seashell lay on.

Leila had not asked anything else about the seashell. Mia had answered her question, and they had left it at that. Perhaps Leila was too feverish to even remember asking it, or at least that was what Mia hoped.

Mia reached for the seashell and twirled it in her fingers once more.

Did you really forget? Leila had asked.

"No, but sometimes I wish I did," Mia murmured to herself as she placed the seashell back on her nightstand. With those words, she stood and readied herself for the day.