┏━━━━⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚⋆━━━━┓

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO TATE?

THE CALM LASTED FOR ABOUT ANOTHER WEEK BEFORE TATE GOT SICK AGAIN.

Though no one in the home outwardly said anything, Nelly could see the nervous looks on her mother and grandmother's faces whenever the poor boy let out startling coughs that usually descended into wails of pain.

She'd caught the women on numerous nights talking in hushed voices in the kitchen, Grandma Greene rubbing her daughter's back while her mother's head remained in her hands. It was on nights like that when Nelly would sneak into her brother's room, just to sit by his bed in an act of letting him know that she was there.

Word always travelled fast, especially by the second day of Tate's reprised illness ramping up. Their first visitor was Billy Black, a dear friend of her grandmother's, but the visit only lasted for half an hour before the man was summoning Tabitha outside for a talk.

Once again, it seemed as though something was going on, and once again, it seemed as though Nelly hadn't the slightest clue as to what. This time, however, she found she wasn't angry.

Before he did leave, he made sure to say goodbye to both Nelly and her mother, saying he'd be back tomorrow to check on the boy once the wedding festivities at the Cullen residence ceased. He gave Nelly a reassuring pat on the arm before he wheeled out of the home, and was soon out of sight just before another coughing fit sounded from Tate's bedroom.

"He'll be fine," Mary–Anne said, wrapping an arm around the girl, but Nelly didn't know if her mother was trying to reassure her or herself. "I'm gonna go check on him."

And then, she was gone in pursuit of her son, leaving Nelly standing in the foyer with her stomach relentlessly churning. She wasn't angry, no; she was feeling defeated, because in that moment, she realized that there was absolutely nothing she could do to help.

She merely pulled herself together and started for her own room, hoping a bit more painting with ease her mind.

˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚

It didn't ease her mind— not even a little.

Nelly tried immersing herself into her summer project, but it was getting harder as the days began blending together and visitors from the reservation were coming to drop off foods and supplies for the sickly boy.

That was why she was using the backyard as her sanctuary while the visitors in the home fretted over the Sequoias inside. She couldn't tell with the I'm so sorrys and the never ending spiels of if you need us, we're heres; she needed to be alone.

She was sat against a nearby tree, its branches shaking steadily due to the subtle flow of wind, and had her eyes closed. She hadn't been sleeping well, her anxiousness and dread over her brother's evident deterioration forbid her from it. So, she was resting her eyes, not even bothering to open them when she heard the sound of the sliding door open and close.

The footsteps that trailed up next to her didn't bug her, but she did peel her eyes open to look at the figure that had just sat down beside her.

There Embry Call was, his eyebrows furrowed in sympathy at the sad sight before him, but he'd made sure to leave some space between them— that was the least he could do.

There was a beat of silence, the pair just looking at one another. "Does anyone know what's wrong with him?" he asked, tone low and hesitant as if she'd bite his head off at a moment's notice.

In hindsight, if it had been any other day she would've, but not that day. "Doctors think it's some sort of virus," she supplied, voice scratchy with disuse.

But because Embry knew her just as well as she knew herself, his head craned forward slightly. "But?"

"But it looks like my brother's on his death bed."

Quiet loomed over the pair once more at her revelation. During these past few days, Tate was looking like one bad cough would send him over the edge. He was constantly running a fever, could only get out a couple sentences a day, and when he did, he'd always say the same thing first.

"Everything hurts."

Nelly wished she could take all of his pain and add it to her own. She'd happily carry it all if it meant she could hold his hand without scorching her palms due to the unbearable heat that spread across his entire body.

"He's a tough kid, Nell," Embry's response broke her from her thoughts. "He won't go down without a fight."

Nelly scoffed, her eyes shutting for a brief moment. "There shouldn't even be a fight at all," she snapped, though there was an absence of her normally heated tone. Embry's frown deepened at that, somehow, and she was quick to dismiss whatever he was thinking. "I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

"You haven't been sleeping," he deduced.

She couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "No, Sherlock, I haven't," was her reply. "What's with the questionnaire right now?"

"I just—" he started, and there was a momentary pause that had Nelly's gaze averting back to his. He shook his head, like he was opting to say something else. "I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you."

Nelly bit her cheek, annoyance creeping up her throat.

"Those are some big words for someone who didn't have time to deal with me anymore."

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚⋆

[ wyn's note ]

little bit of a shorter one with some angsty filler in preparation for the next two chaos specifically...

my only piece of advice for yall is to just know that it's DEFFO gonna get worse before it gets better! apologies in advance for the next two chaps LMAO

all my love xx THANKS FOR 8k!!