SHE TOOK CAREFUL STEPS towards the door, a wooden baseball bat in her hand as self-defence. Her mother had said that they would be back at eight, and she wasn't expecting anyone at that moment.

So who could it be?

She took a deep, encouraging breath, and twisted the doorknob, opening the door almost immediately.

And to her surprise, it wasn't a person she didn't know.

It was her boyfriend.

And he looked like a mess.

His face was paler than before, and he looked like he was about to vomit his insides out any minute. Tears streamed down his face as reached for his aching stomach, and let out a loud groan of pain. He felt like he couldn't breathe properly while his body just kept trembling and shaking.

"M-Mal, hey, please h-help me..." he begged, wrapping his arms around her in a tight, desperate hug. Mal let out a small gasp of surprise, then closed the door behind them, and hugged him as tight as possible.

"Noah...! Baby, what's wrong?"

He let her go, still holding onto her. "Babe, something's wrong! I feel like I'm dying. I can't breathe, and-"

She shook her head and planted her lips above his. He let out a moan, kissing her back almost immediately.

"You're going to be okay, Noah. I promise."

She led him to the big couch in the middle of the room, then helped him sit down on it. She took her seat next to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, reassuring hug.

"Babe, we have to get you to a hospital. You're not doing well, you're burning up! This isn't even a cold anymore, okay?"

"No! Please, Mal, no hospital! Please."

She shook her head again, running her hand through his soft, curly hair. "Babe. Please listen to me, you're not okay..."

"No, I'm fine! Please, Mal, I don't want to go to a hospital. I'll be fine. I just need rest, that's all." he begged again, hugging her waist tighter. Mal allowed one tear to stream down her face while she hugged him closer to her body.

"I love you, Noah, I don't like seeing you like this. I'm just worried about you..."

"Please don't worry about me. I'm okay, really. I need some rest. I just want to be with you."

Her heart sank at those words. She relaxed her body, and squeezed his hand through hers gently. She hoped that blinking might make all the pain go away, but unfortunately it didn't.

It seemed like hours had passed with them cuddling like that. Noah closed his eyes and tried to relax his aching body, but his stomach ached in unbearable pain. Fluids slouched through his stomach over and over.

He couldn't.

He had to-

He let her go gently and stormed to the guest bathroom. Kneeling at the toilet, he began vomiting his intestines out. A few minutes had passed, and he felt a pair of arms wrapping around his waist, helping him stand up straight.

"Sorry, I..."

"No, baby, that's it. We're going to the hospital. I know you don't like being in a hospital, but this is for you. I want you to feel better. Please." she spoke in a soft, reassuring tone, staring into his deep, chocolate brown eyes. He nodded helplessly, then followed her back to the living room.

"Come on, I'm going to call an Uber."

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