At about two am I was seriously regretting my decision to not worry about how warm Cherry was. I had finally fallen asleep when Cherry started crawling over me and sat down on my arm. I had to resist the urge to scream. Instead I let out this weird half scream, half gasp, closely followed by a chorus of cuss words. I sat upright and narrowly missed ramming my head into the top of my bunk. I squinted around trying to figure out what was going just as Cherry threw up all over the bed and the floor and herself and then promptly burst into tears. I carefully slid out of the bunk and helped Cherry get down. I pulled the sheet of my bed and dropped onto the floor in a very sad attempt at dealing with all of the mess. Then I reached up and stuck my hand into Emerson's bunk. I smacked him a few times before he started hitting me back and I realized he hadn't been asleep.
"What? What?" He asked as he pulled the curtain back.
"She threw up. I need some help. Please?" He sighed. I moved back so he could get down without stepping on me or Cherry.
"Uh-oh." Cherry said quietly.
"What? What uh-oh?" But she didn't answer. Instead she threw up again. Emerson was busy with the mess on the floor so I stumbled down the hall with her in tow. I got her in the bathroom and told her to stay there and that if she felt like she was going to throw up to do it in the toilet before going to find clean clothes for her. I could hear her crying. Emerson had finished with the mess on the floor, at least as much as he could in the dark, and was standing by the bunks unsure what to do.
"Is she okay?" He asked.
"Don't know." I pulled out a clean pair of footie pajamas for her and walked back down to the bathroom. She had thrown up again. She was still crying. With a lot of difficulty I got her out of her dirty pajamas and into the clean ones. I left her there again for a few minutes while I went to see if I could find something to help her settle her stomach. I found a can of ginger ale, but that was it. We sat at on the floor in the bathroom for almost two hours. She was too miserable to got back to bed and we didn't have anything like a bowl for her to keep with her in the bunk. She sipped at the soda and cried. Eventually my legs started cramping from sitting on the bathroom floor. So I stood, before carefully and awkwardly picking up Cherry. Barely awake, I stumbled down through the bunks and out to the front of the bus. I carefully sat her down on the couch first and then sat down beside her. She crawled into my lap, curled up against my chest and closed her eyes. I hummed for a few minutes until I was pretty sure she was asleep.
Well, this is it, Remington. Welcome to parenthood. I thought as I sat there. I wrapped my good arm around her loosely, closed my eyes and fell asleep instantly.

———

   I woke up about an hour later when Cherry scrambled off my lap and ran down the hall. She made to the bathroom before throwing up which was great, but she was miserable. I grabbed my phone out of my bunk before joining her in the bathroom, knowing I would be in there for awhile. I sat down and she sat in my lap.
"Feel ucky." She mumbled.
"I know, Stargazer, I'm sorry." Eventually we both fell asleep again on the bathroom floor.

———

    My phone started ringing. I jolted awake and drove my elbow into the wall. Cherry hadn't woken up, but she was stirring.
"What? What? What?" I asked as I answered the phone.
"Excuse me for wanting to talk to my boyfriend."
"Mon." I breathed out and rubbed my eyes. "Sorry. I had a very, very, long night. Cherry's got the flu or some shit and was up all night puking."
"Oh. Sorry."
"I's-" I cut myself off with a yawn. "Is fine. Jus tired 's all." She started talking about something that I really couldn't have cared less about and I started to fall asleep again.
"What do you think? Remington?"
"Mm? What?" It was about then that I noticed my left leg was asleep to the point that I couldn't feel it.
"Nevermind. We can talk later. Get some rest. Love you, baby."
"Mm. Love you." She ended the call and I closed my eyes.

———

"Remington? Remington!" I started and Woke Cherry, who immediately burst into tears. Sebastian was standing in the doorway.
"The fuck do you want?" I mumbled around a yawn.
"It's ten thirty. Some of us need the bathroom."
"Take Cherry." She shrieked when he reached for her, which shocked him. "Go with him. please."
"No wanna." She clutched my shirt with both hands.
"Please, Stargazer. I can't carry you."
"Otay." She let go of me and put her arms up for Sebastian, who picked her up and walked down the hall. I stood and practically fell into the sink as my left leg gave out under me. I shook my leg and stretched and then drug myself down the hall. Sebastian had sat Cherry in my bunk and then brushed past me to get into the bathroom. I sat down in my bunk and kicked leg in an attempt to wake it up.
"How you feelin' Stargazer? Still feel ucky?" She nodded and laid down. I put the blanket over her.

———

Two hours later Cherry was still sleeping, which was what I wanted to be doing too. I'd had a shower and gotten dressed and had some coffee and I was more awake, but I still felt lousy. Which probably explains why I was yelling at Hayden.
"I can't force her to wear it!"
"We can't afford for everyone to get the flu!"
"I know that!"
"Do you? Do you, Remington? Because you're not acting like it."
"I don't know what you want me to do!" That was a lie. I did know.
"Make her wear the fucking mask!"
"If she doesn't want I won't make her, but I'll try when she wakes up. Happy?"
"Just peachy!" And then she stalked off the bus. I dropped onto the couch and closed my eyes.
"You sure you can perform tonight?" Sebastian asked.
"I'm fine." I muttered.
"Remington-"
"Leave me the fuck alone! This isn't a difficult concept!" He sighed, but walked away.