He's gone.

Not to disappoint, but Noah and I hadn't done what you'd think we did last night. We did not do what most couples would most likely do in that situation in any other story. We did what we needed at that moment, just laid together with his arms wrapped around me. The warmth from his body and softness as his breath washed over me like waves of comfort lulled me into a deep sleep. Up to that point, I'd never slept better than I did that night and felt safer and happier than I'd remembered.

I was slightly concerned about Noah when we woke up. I was curled in a ball on my side away form him and his arm was cradled around me. At some point during the night he'd discarded his t-shirt, and I woke up to feeling a hot warmth from his bare chest onto my shoulders and neck. With a slight frown, I reached over and placed the back of my hand against his forehead. He felt a bit warm, which I hoped was just from the sleeping proximity.

"Good morning," he mumbled, sighed softly, and pulled me closer to him.

"Morning," I smiled. "I'm... glad you stayed."

"Me too." With his eyes still closed, he hugged me closer. I think both of us would've been content to stay like that, but he had a scheduled departure.

Before either of us knew it, we'd eaten breakfast, took Noah to the train station, and stood awkwardly outside his boarding platform.

"Promise me you'll take it easy for ten days," I'd said as we passed his suitcases over to the train's porter. "And don't visit Gram either."

He reassured me that he would, as well as send me some pictures along the trip and let me know once he reached home.

"And make sure to get your weekly blood work!"

"Okay, mom," he'd said as his palms rubbed the tops of my arms. His eyes twinkled mischievously at me, like two tiny stars had built up residence there. I smiled and we shared a kiss that I wished would last forever.

"I want you to have this." He placed something small in my hand. I uncurled my fingers and saw his Gram's necklace. The silver cross glinted as I shifted my palm.

"Noah, I can't, this is too -"

"Before you say important, I want you to have it. Maybe it'll bring you luck or something." He closed my fingers around it and squeezed my hand with both of his. Then he kissed me one last time, stroked the side of my cheek, and got on the train. The last thing I saw was a forced smile on his somber expression from his window seat.

The goodbye felt like it'd happened in a blink of the eye. Then, he was gone. I gave him credit though, as my phone buzzed with a text message before I even left the station.

Noah: Miss you already.

me: Me too.

I sighed then placed my phone in my purse. I adjusted the straps on my face mask over my ears, fastened the necklace on, and headed home.

Once I got there, I noticed how quiet my flat was. From my head to my toes, my entire body felt numb, almost as if I were in shock. I sank down into my bed, placed my palm on the spot where he'd laid last night. With a sigh, I removed my shoes, and tipped over sideways until I laid down. After I'd curled myself into the same position I woke up, I closed my eyes and slipped back into sleep before the tears caught up with me.

When I woke up later, Noah had fulfilled his promise, sending me pictures along the way. I understood what he meant about beautiful scenery, but I was still grumpy at him for taking public transportation. He also texted me once he got home, joking that his mom stripped him down of all his belongings and threatened to have him sleep in the garage for a week. I fought the urge to call him, figuring he needed the time to talk with his family, and instead texted him a potential Face Time call tomorrow. We hadn't exactly mapped out how this was going to go, or even defined what our relationship was, but there was no way I wasn't going to keep in touch. I needed and wanted that.

"Hi Maggie," Amy greeted me quietly. We worked shoulder to shoulder in the lab, silently as we resequenced some Ebola samples.

"Hmm..." As I bent forwards over a microscope, my braid swung over one of my shoulders.

"How are you doing?"

"Just about done." I didn't look up from my microscope. "Thirteen and fifteen are behind, sorry."

"No, not work." I looked up with a sigh. "How are you doing?"

"Look, it's been three days," she continued, "I know you don't say much but you haven't said anything since Noah left."

"I miss him," I admitted quietly. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah, you look terrible." I flashed her a scowl, which she returned with a wink. "That's generally a good thing though. I think you two are cute together."

"Thanks," I looked back in the microscope. I'd felt warm and flushed all morning, moved sluggishly, and a sensation of knives stabbing me now built up in my stomach.

"Maggie..." Amy placed the back of her hand against my forehead and frowned. "I think you've got a fever. You need to get to phlebotomy."

"Great," I groaned.

Lab protocol was blood work for any signs of illness, pandemic or not. The rule was quite pointless, as twenty-four hours were needed to get the full panel results. Nevertheless, I stood up, felt a rush in my head, and wobbled a few steps on my feet.

"Maggie!" She grabbed onto my shoulders and sat me down into a chair. "I'm pushing you down in this chair to the second floor for stat bloodwork and you're going to a hospital if something comes back not okay."

I didn't answer Amy right away, just slumped over in the chair as she pushed me to closer to the doors. Then I realized we probably looked pretty silly.

"It's okay, I can walk -" I stood up, taking a few wobbly steps. The lab room spun violently, then I felt a hot flush run down my body, followed by shivering chills. Amy helped me walk a few more steps, out of the lab, when I doubled over in pain and vomited profusely all over the lobby.

"Oh shit." I collapsed onto the floor in embarrassment.

Pretty sure I'm sitting in my own vomit now.

"Tucker! Adam!" I barely heard as Amy called them in a muffled voice before my eyes closed.

"Margaret?" A gentle shake bumped my shoulder. "Are you awake?"

"Mmmm..." I blinked my eyes open. A harsh white light surrounded me and blurry image hovered over my face.

"Margaret, you're in the hospital." A doctor's face came into view. Well, his eyes came into view. His face was half covered with a surgical mask.

"What happened?" I sat up and an instant dizziness rushed into my head. "Is Noah okay?"

"Lay down, Maggie." The doctor gently guided my shoulders down. "You're very sick."