"Okay, I think that's the last of it," Maz sighed, acknowledging the sound of her niece's feet shuffling over the living room's carpet before Rey entered the kitchen. Cupping a hand over her cheek, her eyes shifted over the contents in the travel bag for a final inspection prior to closing it up. "Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything."

"At least it's just for the four days this time, right?" Rey sniffed, her voice laden with fatigue as she advanced straight to the fridge. Reaching for the half gallon of orange juice that was snuggled between the syrup bottle and coffee creamer on the refrigerator door bottom shelf, she continued to add for Maz's reassurance, "And you'll be at the seminar for the most part, anyways."

Maz nodded, "Yes, but I'm talking about the numerous times that I've forgotten prescriptions, shirts – underwear."

Rey snorted loudly, though the act made her  wince in reaction to the sharp sting from the sore throat she'd woken up to. She'd been in a slight daze the entire day before, exerting a sniffle here and there with a scratchy throat. Now, the pain was ten times worse after taking a sip from the small glass of pulp-free vitamin C that the content had been poured into, rendering a concerned gaze from Maz as she looked to her niece from the bag on the dining room table top.

"Are you alright there, kiddo?" Maz asked, her furrowed brows triggering a genuine look of concern to spread over her features.

Rey nodded, grimacing, "just a little sore throat is all. I'm sure it'll pass."

"Huh," Maz hummed, pressing a forefinger knuckle to her lips in thought. "Do you have a lot of drainage? Or a fever?"

Rey shook her head, regarding the latter half of the question. She did wake up to some chills that morning, but quickly blamed it on the fact that Maz refused to turn the heat on even though the evening temperatures had been dropping into the mid 30s. And Rey might have stubbornly worn a tank top with a pair of cherry-garnished sleep pants the night before, so being a little chilled was certainly to be expected.

Plus, she and Ben had discussed going to the ranch later after school.  No school meant not going to the ranch, and not going to either meant not getting to see Ben. Which for Rey, it wasn't an option, considering if she was on her deathbed she'd willingly crawl to school if it meant getting to see him.

"Yes, and no – to the fever that is," Rey affirmed, shrugging. "It could just be allergies though, I guess?"

"True," Maz agreed with a curt nod. "You've been spending a lot of time in the countryside as of late. It could just be  that you're not use to getting so much open fresh air. Plus, it's the beginning of harvest season. You could be allergic to whatever is floating around in the air at this moment."

Rey nodded, abruptly inhaling a sniff, "I'll just eat some oatmeal or something. Maybe it'll help my throat."

"That may be a wise choice," Maz concurred as she heaved the zipper up on the travel bag. She paused, hands settling over the bag's closure as she contemplated a certain notion in a brief moment of silence. "Do you want me to stay home?" she asked tediously. "Just in case?"

"Don't be silly," Rey called from over her shoulder. Her voice sounded strained as she rose up on her tiptoes, hand extended high above her head to reach the box of oatmeal packets placed at the back of the cupboard's top shelf while the other steadied her balance on the counter top. "You've been planning this trip to Maryland for months. There's no way I'm asking you to stay home because of a silly sore throat that'll amount to nothing," she breathed, exerting relief when the item she'd been coaxing to the edge with her fingers was finally obtained.

"Yeah," Maz replied knowingly, feeling apprehensive. "But there is an early strand of the flu going around that starts off nice and sound, like what you're having."

"I'm fairly certain that I can take care of myself, auntie dearest," Rey countered, cocking an accusatory brow toward Maz before pouring the packet of flakes into a bowl. "You always do like to assume the worst in things, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Maz affirmed, waving a hand to the air. "It comes with the territory of being a nurse. Plus, you're my only niece. It's my job to be a little more paranoid than usual."

Rey snickered lightly, stealing a momentary glimpse at the clock above the stove as she moved to towards the microwave that was located next to the large appliance. "What time did you say that you had to be at the airport?"

"What time is it now?" Maz asked, narrowing her eyes towards the device.

"7:30."

"Ah, well, I have to be there by no later than 8:30. So, as soon as you're finished eating," Maz countered frankly. "That should give you plenty of time to get back to school, also."

Rey nodded, ignoring Maz's sharp gaze as she stared blankly at the bowl that was revolving in a continuous, circular motion inside the microwave.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to stay?" Maz asked, again.

"Yes," Rey huffed, impatiently drumming her fingers on the countertop. "I'll be fine, I promise. Just don't forget to bring me one of those cute heart stuffies with bendable arms and legs this time," she asserted, wielding a smile to cover up the fact that the tenderness in her throat was getting worse.

"Alright," Maz sighed, conceding to her niece's accord. She proceeded to grab the piece of luggage by the leather-covered handles to set it on the tile flooring of their entryway. "Well, I left you fifty bucks on the counter in case you need anything while I'm gone. Try not to spend it all in one place, okay?"

"I'll try not to," Rey teased, feigning a look of hurt when Maz's demeanor proved that she was far from having been persuaded. "Okay, I promise."

**

Within a matter of hours after dropping Maz off at the South Bend International Airport, the nagging pain in Rey's throat went from feeling like she'd been stabbed continuously with needles to swallowing glassy shards. Her eyes were watery and glaringly more sensitive to the building's interior fluorescent  lighting. There was a surmount of pressure building within the hollow cavities behind her eyes and cheeks, making the piercing sound of the period bells feel like her face was on the verge of spontaneous internal combustion.

Then, along came the frequent fit of coughs that typically accompanied the stream that was flooding her esophagus, which never ceased to stroke her gag reflexes as it became worse throughout the first few morning classes of her day.

By the time third period's Music Ensemble ended, Rey was more than ready to crawl inside a dark hole that was far, far away from anything remotely capable of producing any type of noise – and light. She began to realize the short getaway later in the afternoon with Ben was looking to be far bleaker than she wanted to admit.

This is definitely not allergies...

"God damn," Finn remarked, coming upon his locker alongside Rey's. "I can't believe you're still here. You look like –."

"Shit," Rey muttered shortly, saving Finn from having to state the obvious. Her muscles trembled in response to the cold chill that abruptly swept over her shoulders: one of many that appeared sporadically throughout the second and third hour classes. "Trust me; you're not the only one that's told me today. I plan on leaving here after fourth period."

"What's so important about Agriculture that's worth continuing to pollute the place?"  Finn goaded, extending a hand to the locker's top shelf to swap the third hour books in exchange for those needed for fourth. "I would've been long gone after first period if I was looking that – sick," he added with a grimace.

Rey knew better than to tell Finn the real reason why she insisted staying at school (or anyone for that matter) after hearing multiple versions of the same question all morning. Chewing on the inside of her bottom lip, she pondered for a better excuse that didn't wander too far away from the truth entirely. But considering how much the sickness had started clouding her thoughts, having to pique her brain for more excuses was exceedingly harder than usual.

"I got a job last weekend," Rey fibbed, adding more propaganda onto the growing list of tall tales that seemed to be endless as she deflected Finn's question. "Today is supposed to be my first day, so to speak. I didn't wanna have to call off, but I guess I don't exactly have a choice now."

"A job, huh?" Finn asked, cocking a curious brow to Rey when she nodded. Minding her sickly-looking appearance, he gently nudged the door to his locker shut before joining her on the walk down the jam-packed corridor of students. "Well, I'm sure they'll understand your reason the moment they hear you speak over the phone," he quipped, scoffing. "Where you working at?"

"Oh, um," Rey frowned, firmly pressing her lips as she attempted to focus on swallowing without gagging for a moment. "Some sort of lawn equipment store that happened to be hiring part-time. I've been talking about it with my aunt off and on so I could earn some extra money, saving for college and all."

Finn eyed her skeptically. "Weaver's?"

"Yes!" Rey exclaimed; attempting to appear somewhat enthused about the so-called 'job' she'd obtain. She only hoped that Finn would never feel the need to pay her a visit. "That's it. I forgot the name of it."

"You actually wanna work where they sell nothing but lawn and gardening supplies?" Finn chuckled, nudging her elbow jokingly with his. "Shit, Solo's class must be rubbing off on you."

In more ways than one, she replied within her thoughts.

"It's actually not that bad of a class," Rey countered defensively, shuddering when another cold tremor swept through her torso. She hugged her textbooks closer to her chest, hoping it would provide a little more warmth to make up for what the heather grey Billabong hoodie was lacking. "There's a lot more to it besides the usual talk about dirt and farming."

"Hey, I won't argue about what appears to be striking your fancy at the moment," he shrugged. "You ladies tend to do some pretty confusing shit sometimes, so I don't ever try to figure it out unless I have to."

Rey chuckled, cocking her head as she turned to give Finn a lighthearted smile. "At least I can thank you for not being like Poe."

Finn puckered his brows at the comment, refraining to see it as a compliment. His features quickly took on a more grim appearance as he pressed his lips in thought. "Rose kinda told me a little bit about what happened at the party," he admitted apologetically. "I hope this doesn't stop you from wanting to hang out with us anyti–."

"That's definitely something that you don't need to worry about," Rey stated firmly, purposely cutting Finn off mid-sentence. Turning to face him, she placed a halting hand to his upper bicep, encouraging Finn to pause in the middle of the busy walkway. "And you better not apologize for Poe's ability to act like a pompous douchebag at times either."

"Okay, okay," Finn relented, holding a hand up in surrender while the other remained occupied with books held at his hip. "But I will apologize for not noticing what he did to you, Rey."

Rey's expression softened. "I can take care of myself when it comes to Poe," she added, feigning a wounded appearance. "I'm not that helpless. Anyways, I have to get to class."

"Alright," Finn replied, cocking a smirk. "I better not see you at lunch today just so you know."

Rey rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I will, I'll see you – whenever," she added with a casual flick of her wrist.

"I'm holding you to that, then," Finn warned with a pointed finger as he took a step towards the stairwell to the right. "I'll see you later, Rey. Hope you feel better soon."

Rey smiled and gave Finn's back a lazy wave with a free hand, lying crosswise over the other holding her books before making the trek towards the Ag hall. What was typically an easy walk (for any normal day) turned out to be like running a full-fledged cross country marathon when one's health was slightly under par. She could feel her lungs putting forth the extra effort from having to breathe through embarrassing desiccated lips.

It felt like hiking through the stifling Sahara Desert rather than being in school with a climate-controlled temperature.

By the time she managed to make it inside Ben's classroom, Rey was already feeling her body temperature skyrocket – and not because she was eyeing a certain teacher wearing a berry-colored oxford with a pair of dark, fitted jeans. Who of which was standing hunched over his desk reading an opened agriculture textbook as layers of hair shielded half of his face from her view.

"Hey," Rey breathed, exerting a nasally timbre from having her nasal's airway clogged when she spoke.

Ben lifted his attention from the page he'd been studying for the fourth hour's lecture, giving Rey a genuine look of concern. "You sound –."

"Like shit," Rey uttered in a dry tone, depositing her books at her desk before turning to Ben. "If it's any consolation to you, I plan on going home after class," she assured whilst folding her arms tightly over her chest, smiling warily in a worthless attempt to ease his worry.

Ben frowned as Rey drew closer to the front of his desk. Her eyes were detrimentally pekid while her face took on a flushed-out, ghostly appearance. The healthy tinge of blush that typically powdered her cheeks was replaced with a heated shade of red. "I was actually going to say 'healthy'," he replied as a lighthearted joke.

Rey snorted at the comment, but the act only brought upon another fit of coughs into the crook of her arm. "Liar," she croaked, grimacing when the notion finally passed.

Ben regarded her sympathetically. "Rey, you need to go home – now," he insisted gently. "I honestly can't believe that you came in today like that."

"Would you believe that it all started with a tiny sore throat when I woke up this morning?" Rey asked tediously. "It got worse after I dropped my aunt off at the airport and came here."

Ben heaved a sigh, leaning further over the desk to press a palm to her forehead. His face quickly adopted a more somber appearance when he felt the fever's heat radiating from her skin onto his. "Jesus, you're hot."

Rey smiled coyly, cocking a brow with hooded eyes. "Is that your new way of trying to flirt with me, Mr. Solo?"

Ben snorted as he withdrew his hand, smiling crookedly, "Not this time, Miss Kanata. Go home and get some rest, or I may purposely fail you on today's assignment."

Rey scoffed, jaw dropping in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

Ben nodded, standing firm with the threat, "You're welcome to call my bluff if you'd like."

Rey rolled her eyes and huffed, expressing her contempt of having to relinquish freedom through gritted teeth, "Fine."

**

– Rey Kanata 3:45 PM –
You were right
It definitely wasn't allergies

– Aunt Maz 3:46 PM –
I told you!
Are you okay?

"Not really," Rey mumbled to the phone. Her fever had spiked to a whopping 102° shortly after Ben sent her home from school. Her muscles ached, her nose was a leaky faucet, and she was dead-set with the belief that she looked like an unhealthy blend of Morticia Addams with a hefty dose of Lurch and Cousin It.

After changing into a pair of black polka-dotted sleep shorts with a cream-colored off the shoulder sweater, Rey was more than content with the idea of taking up residence on the sofa for the remainder of the afternoon. Sleep was considered a no-go at this point, considering the multiple failed attempts at catching some much needed sleep from having to blowing her nose, shortly followed by a hacking fit of coughs.

The worst part about it all was that Rey couldn't find a single ounce of cold medicine anywhere inside the apartment.

"You'd think a nurse would keep that shit around here," Rey grumbled.

At least there was Tylenol and Ibuprofen to keep the fever at bay. In the meantime, Rey was forced to suffer the other consequential side-effects of whatever in the hell this God forsaken illness was that she'd acquired two weeks into the school year.

– Rey Kanata 3:48 PM –
Got the fever down to 100 so far
But the rest sucks

– Aunt Maz 3:50 PM –
Mmhmm
Just make sure you're drinking plenty of liquids

– Rey Kanata 3:50 PM –
I know
How's the convention?

– Aunt Maz 3:52 PM –
Getting ready to check-in at the hotel
Get some rest kiddo

– Rey Kanata 3:52 PM –
I'll try to
Love you

"Yeah, definitely not happening," Rey grumbled, setting the phone onto the end table alongside the couch. A shuddered sigh turned cough escaped her lips as she ran her hands over her face, palms firmly pressed into her eye sockets before her phone buzzed again. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips when she saw who the message was from.

– Ben Solo –
Still mad at me?

– Rey Kanata –
Nah
It's safe to say that you're forgiven :)

– Ben Solo –
Good to know
How are you feeling?

– Rey Kanata –
Horrible
Finally got the fever to come down a bit though

– Ben Solo –
That's good
I still can't believe you lasted that long
I never would've passed up the opportunity to stay home when I was in school

Rey snorted at a particular thought.

– Rey Kanata –
You just wanted the excuse to stay home and ride

– Ben Solo –
True
Now that I've been called out there's no point in denying it

– Rey Kanata –
For what it's worth....
I'm glad that I got to see you

– Ben Solo –
You see me every day
I'm definitely not that interesting

– Rey Kanata –
Whatever, I never grow tired of it

– Ben Solo –
I guess that's a relief then

Rey scoffed at the screen.

– Rey Kanata –
Why?

– Ben Solo –
Open the door and you'll find out

Rey blinked at the screen, allowing her brain a moment to process the fact that Ben was talking about the door to her apartment. Her heart did a funny flip in her chest when she opened the door to see Ben gripping a couple plastic bags of groceries in one hand with a 2-liter of 7-Up safely tucked into the crook of his arm, while the other hand was busy shoving his phone inside a back denim pocket.

"It's about time," Ben goaded sweetly. "I hope I didn't wake you up or anything."

"Not even close," Rey sighed, grateful to see him. She gestured with a slight cock of her head for him to come in, giving the doorknob a slight tug that would allow him enough room to enter the tiny foyer. "I'm surprised that you would wanna be around me like – this," she admitted, gesturing a hand to herself.

Ben shrugged, his eyes doing a quick sweep over the apartment whilst showing little to no indifference over the fact that she was still contagiously sick. "I'd like to think that I have a hardy immune system," he explained with a smirk, remembering to discard his shoes on the tile. "It's one of the perks, I guess, from growing up on a farm: you hardly ever get sick. You've got a nice place here though."

"Thanks," she smiled, escorting Ben to the kitchen so he could free his hand of the bags. "It's okay I suppose. We haven't had much time to unpack anything else besides the necessities. Feel free to ignore the mound of boxes that are in the corner still," she added, flicking her wrist in the direction of said corner.

Ben chuckled, playing along as he started ridding the bags of their contents on the counter by the stove. "I hardly paid attention," he teased, glancing knowingly in her direction. It was enough to bring about a wave of blush to her colorless cheeks. "What does your aunt do?"

"She's a nurse at Kindred," Rey grunted, hoisting herself up on the counter alongside where he was unpacking, leaving her legs to dangle over the edge. "Sometimes she travels to these educational seminars to help broaden her knowledge in the field. This one was for cardiology in Maryland."

"I see," he replied. "So is that her specialty?"

Rey shrugged, scoffing, "Kinda. She's the head nurse on the cardiology floor during the day. What in the world did you bring?" She asked, nodding her head to the package of raw chicken breasts with celery, egg noodles, and carrots.

"These," Ben stated frankly with a grin, "are some of the ingredients needed for the best chicken noodle soup that you'll ever taste."

Rey considered him, smiling anemically, "You seriously didn't have to do this. I would've been more than happy with a couple cans of Campbell's."

Ben scowled at the thought, "That shit's garbage. This is my mother's recipe, so I'm fairly certain that you'll love it."

"So you're a teacher, horse trainer, and a cook?" Rey goaded, cocking a brow. "That's a pretty impressive resume."

"I suppose," Ben admitted, shrugging with indifference. He paused for a moment from opening the sealed pack of chicken, palms pressed to the edge of the counter as he leaned closer to her. "I just remember you saying that you hated eating take-out all the time. So, I figured canned foods went along with the category."

Rey smiled, considering the fact that Ben had gone above and beyond to make her food over a comment that seemed so insignificant in the beginning. "I didn't think you would take that so literally," she admitted, drawing a shallow breath.

Ben gave her a long, contemplative look while his eyes briefly trailed over her face, encouraging the tension to become thicker than it had ever been between them since that morning at the ranch. Clearing his throat, he suddenly remembered the former task before he became distracted. It wound up counting towards the better half of his judgment that day, considering Rey quickly burst into another fit of coughs.

"Sorry," Rey grimaced, pressing a hand to massage her chest where the ache remained from the overexertion.

"I guess it's a good thing that I brought this then," Ben affirmed, revealing a combo pack of Dayquil and Nyquil tablets that he pulled from one of the bags. "Something told me that you might need it."

Rey's shoulders fell in relief, expressing a sigh at the same time. "You seriously are a saint, you know that?" She sniffed, happily accepting the box from his hand.

Ben chuckled, regarding the compliment whilst tending to free the chicken from its packaging. Rey pointed to the precise locations where their pots and pans were stored while Ben continued making the primeval, soul-soothing remedy from scratch. That, also, included watching him slice up an estimated number of carrot chunks and celery stalks while the chicken was busy serving as the maker for broth.

Aside from the fact that Rey wasn't able to put a label on what was happening between them, there was something so domesticated about Ben purposely going out of his way to provide for her in a dire time of sickness. The simple pondering of it was enough to render a new sort of warmth in her chest: something that felt so foreign yet proverbial in essence.

In the end, Rey only wished that she'd been able to appreciate the flavor of Ben's family recipe; no thanks to her nose and head swelling with congestion. However she was more than content as the hot liquid soothed her throat with every swallow. It was during their small dinner at the dining table that they discovered a shared interest in Tolkien's films of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Rey admitted to conveniently owning the extended edition of the latter's trilogy.

While Ben tended to cleaning up his mess in the kitchen, Rey chose to watch the second half of Return of the King. Bearing in mind that it was her favorite of the trilogy, it gave her enough time to enjoy the remainder of the evening with Ben after taking Nyquil's proper dosage.

They started out occupying opposite ends of the couch in the living room, but, slowly, the irresistible pull to the other led to them meeting at the middle cushion. Rey contentedly settled into Ben's side, her head lazily propped against his chest while his arm draped casually over her shoulders, hand resting above her hip. She wished that she could take in his scent whenever she breathed. Instead, she settled with focusing on the firmness of muscle that currently served as a pillow as the medicine's side-effects started kicking in, and how incredibly warm Ben felt being this close to him.

"Do you know what I never understood?" Rey hummed, drawing the extra-large knitted throw blanket under her chin with a fist. "How Legolas can go through the entire trilogy here with unlimited arrows, yet in The Hobbit he's cut himself short."

Ben chuckled in response to her question, causing her head to tremble slightly as his chest shook. "I always wondered that myself," he admitted in a hoarse tone. "I don't think they expected anyone to notice."

Rey nodded, agreeing. Her eyes begrudgingly began to close halfway through the battle of Pelennor Fields, drifting into a light slumber until she felt Ben shift to the side to retrieve his phone from his pocket.

Ben frowned, discontent with the fact that it was quickly approaching 9:00. "It's getting late," he scoffed, stating the obvious.

Rey's eyes fluttered open for a moment, promptly closing them whilst urging her body closer to him – as if it were possible to get any closer without sitting on his lap.

"Stay," she purred softly. "Please."

Ben took a breath, considering the harmless effects of spending the night with her on the couch. "Okay."

Rey smiled, feeling a subtle blend of dazed and giddy that he'd relented so easily. She watched him with weary eyes as he proceeded to set the alarm for the morning on his phone. Powering down the movie and TV, Ben settled as comfortably as he could get into the couch, legs stretched out in front of him.

Rey hummed softly, sighing with satisfaction as his grip around her waist tightened. Having a hand placed on his chest, she focused on the steady rise and fall from his breathing as she succumbed to the medicine's sleep aid.

"Good night," she uttered quietly. The last thing she remembered upon seeing the backs of her eyelids was her ability to feel a pair of luscious, soft lips brushing against the middle of her forehead as Ben spoke in a tone as equally soft as hers.

"Good night, Rey."