Chapter 10

 

It scares the shit out of me when Sookie passes out mid-orgasm. I’ve made girls cum hard, but never this hard. I gently extract my finger and cock. I roll her onto her back and say her name a couple times with no response. If she wasn’t breathing so hard I’d think she was dead. Fuck.

 

“Angel,” I say a little louder, stroking her hair back. “Wake up, Sookie.”

 

The longest minute of my life passes before her big, blue eyes pop open.

 

“Eric?” she mumbles.

“Are you alright?” I ask, dipping to kiss the tip of her nose.

 

“You broke my brain,” she answers.

 

My eyes go wide before I let out a soft chuckle. “I’m sorry, Angel. You felt so good I couldn’t help myself. I promise no more than two orgasms in a night from now on.”

 

She nods and closes her eyes again. I give her a light kiss on the lips and then turn to go to the bathroom to get a washcloth to clean her up. I didn’t get another orgasm, but that’s fine. I don’t need it. Once I have the warm cloth in my hands I go back to the room and climb up between her thighs. I push them apart and softly swipe up the inside of her thigh, moving from one to the other. The last wipe is through her glistening folds. She lets out a little whimper when I wipe her clean. Poor baby. I think I broke more than her brain.

 

I go back to the bathroom and to rinse the cloth. I wash my hands and go back to bed. I crawl in next to Sookie and pull her against my chest. It takes less than five minutes to fall asleep to the sound of my angel’s soft snores.

 

***

 

My eyes snap open with the sun. Sookie’s face is two inches from mine and she’s watching my face. It’s a little creepy if I’m being honest.

 

“Morning,” I croak.

 

“Morning,” she whispers. She caresses my neck and gives me a soft kiss. “Breakfast is ready. I hope you don’t mind I borrowed a shirt.”

 

“You can have whatever you want,” I reply. I make her squeak when I hook her hip and roll onto my back so she’s lying on top of me. “You’re the best. I can smell breakfast.” It smells divine.

 

“Apple cinnamon turnovers with bacon and cheddar cheese. Well, yours has cheese,” she says. “And I made us a veggie frittata. All I want is a hug.”

 

I hug her to my chest and kiss her temple. “I’m going to fall in love with you, Angel,” I whisper.

 

“Ditto,” she whispers back.

 

I smile and let her go so we can get up. Once we’re standing, Sookie surprises me when she reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck and gives me a real hug. I hug her back for a few minutes, rubbing her back softly.

 

“Are you okay?” I whisper when we finally break apart.

 

“Yeah,” she nods but I can see tears making her eyes glassy.

 

I take a seat on the bed and tug her to stand between my legs. “You wanna try this again, Sookie?” I ask quietly. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I reach up to wipe an escapee that’s trickling down her pretty face.

 

“I’m really fine,” she says. “I had a lot of time to think last night while I was waiting for you to get home and I started thinking about the Eric I never met. He seems like a very sad and lonely man. So I guess I just thought maybe he could use a hug, even if it’s a few years too late.”

 

I give her a little smile and say, “He was a very sad and angry boy, Sookie. That Eric would’ve ruined you in the worst possible way and I’m so happy you didn’t meet him. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about him, though. And either one of us will always be happy to get a hug from you.”

 

“Good. You’re going to get a lot of them,” she tells me.

 

“Thank you,” I smile. I hold up the talisman she gave me and say, “This will make sure old Eric doesn’t come back to haunt us.” I haven’t taken it off once and I don’t plan on it.

 

She smiles at me and leans in to kiss my forehead.

 

“Come on, let’s go eat before it gets all dried out,” she says.

 

I nod and get up from the bed. I find some shorts to pull on and follow Sookie to the kitchen. I go straight for a turnover and take a big bite.

 

“I’ll wake you up with morning head and you can wake me up with these,” I say with my mouth full.

 

“I’m glad you like it,” she says. She pulls out a plate and cuts up the frittata to put some of it on my plate. “Do you want more cheese to put on that?”

 

“Sure.” It sucks that she can’t have cheese. Cheese is so good on everything.

 

“I miss cheese,” she sighs as she sprinkles shredded cheddar on my eggs.

 

“I don’t think I could live without it,” I admit.

 

“I haven’t had pizza in six years. I miss that too. My favorite was white pizza with ricotta crumbles on it. I’d give my right boob to be able to eat cheese again without getting sick.”

 

“Honestly, if I was in your boat I’d just say fuck it and eat it no matter what. It’s… cheese is the best invention ever.”

 

“You’d get used to not having it,” she shrugs. Sookie makes her own plate and takes it to the table.

 

I take a bite of my eggs and let out a little moan. “Seriously, if you weren’t such a sweet girl your cooking would make me fall in love with you. This is so fucking good.”

 

She chuckles and cuts into her pastry. “I put some of these in your freezer. You’ll just have to pull them out, brush some egg whites on them and bake them.”

 

“See, angel,” I say, shaking my head. “I wish I could think of sweet things to do for you.”

 

“You do sweet things for me.”

 

“What? I’m a perv that makes you strip in my office and then I make you pass out. That’s not sweet,” I chuckle.

 

“You bring me flowers and give me back rubs,” she says.

 

“That all end up with sex,” I point out.

 

“So? It doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them.”

 

“Good to know,” I smile and take another bite of my turnover. “What are you doing today?”

 

“I have no idea. I didn’t make any plans.”

 

“Do you want to hang out here with me? I need to get some laundry done and start thinking about what to do for Grams’ birthday next month.”

 

“I can hang out,” she nods. “What kind of stuff does she like? I know Gran is damn near impossible to buy a gift for.”

 

“Same with Grams. Last year I bought her a new purse I saw her checking out while we were shopping. I don’t like getting her things though. I like doing things with her or sending her places,” I shrug.

 

“Hmmm…” Sookie hums and taps her fingertips on the table. “You know there’s a website where she can rent designer purses and accessories. You could get her a gift card for that and she could buy herself presents throughout the year. Maybe have her over for dinner or something.”

 

“That’s a good idea,” I nod. Grams says she’s happy with anything I give her, but I can tell when she’s not so excited. “She once told me she’s just happy to have me here still. That’s all the present she needs. Grams isn’t so good with sweet words, and I may have cried,” I chuckle. “That was after I’d made it a full year sober.”

 

“Awwww. Then definitely have her over for dinner,” Sookie says. “Last year I took Gran to that new fondue place in Shreveport and then we made terrariums.”

 

“Mmm, fondue… The last time I went to a fondue place was on a date and the chick I was with spent the whole time watching me eat with disgust. I ate ninety percent of the food and didn’t get a second date,” I laugh.

 

Sookie shakes her head.

 

“I think this year I’ll take Gran to one of those Teppanyaki restaurants. I think she’d get a kick out of watching them cook. Plus teriyaki chicken is amazing,” she says.

 

I laugh and say, “Grams would spend the whole time yelling at the guys to not hit her and then tell me she feels greasy from being so close to the grill.”

 

She laughs and says, “I don’t care if I get hit with a shrimp. The food is delicious and it’s fun to watch. Maybe I’m just easily amused.”

 

“Or you’re perfect to date me,” I grin. “When is your birthday, Angel?”

 

“July first,” she answers.

 

“Coming up, huh?” I smile.

 

“Two weeks from now.”

 

“Do you know what you want?” I ask. My brain is already going, trying to think of what to do for her.

 

She shrugs and says, “I usually have to work on my birthday. I don’t make a big deal of it. The only person to get me a gift in five years is Gran, and it’s only because she makes me a quilt.”

 

“That’s going to change this year,” I inform her.

 

“Mmm… not exactly. I work on my birthday.”

 

“Then we’ll celebrate another day,” I say. “And I’ll stay over so I can get up and make you a big birthday breakfast before you go to work.”

 

“That’s sweet. You don’t have to do anything more than that,” she says with that blush creeping up her neck.

 

I lean over to kiss her cheek and whisper, “I’m going to spoil you rotten, Sookie Stackhouse. You deserve the world, and I’m going to give as much of it to you as I possibly can.”

 

The blush gets deeper and she smiles at me before turning her attention back to her food.

 

Such a sweet girl. When I first saw that little blush I wanted to eat her alive and I still do. Only now I want to do so much more. I want to give this sweet woman everything I can to keep her happy. The best part is, I only need to give her hugs and kisses to keep her happy. Most girls find out I own a business and try to milk as much of it as they can from me. Sookie’s genuine affection for me makes me feel great. When I told her I was going to fall in love with her that was no lie. I have a feeling it’s going to happen a lot sooner than I expect.

 

SPOV

 

Two days later I wake up at home feeling like complete shit. I have cramps, I’m congested, my throat feels like I swallowed broken glass wrapped in razor wire and my eyeballs feel like they’re on fire. Everything aches from head to toe. The cramps I expected since it’s that time, but the nasty cold is another story.

 

Since I work in a hospital I get tons of germ exposure. As a result, I wash my hands often and I have a pretty well-tempered immune system. I don’t get sick often, but when I do it’s always a bear to get over. Last time was four years ago and I ended up with an upper respiratory infection that put me in the hospital as a patient for three days.

 

I force myself out of bed and locate my digital thermometer. Despite how warm I feel, I’m shivering. That’s a bad sign. I feel like I’m floating in my own body as I shuffle to the bathroom to pee. The thermometer beeps and just as I suspected, I’m running a fever… of 102.4. This is no good at all.

 

When I’m done in the bathroom I get myself some water going for tea and I text Eric to tell him to stay away. If he’s not already incubating this I don’t want to pass it to him.

 

Me: Running a fever and feel like shit. Stay away so you don’t get it too. Xoxo

 

I set my phone on the counter and go to my linen cabinet where I keep the medical supplies, hoping to find something for a cold that’s not expired. I come up empty handed and settle for some ibuprofen to ease the cramps. I find some ginger tea in my pantry and take my pills. Once the kettle begins to make noise I add water to my mug and dunk my tea bag a few times.

 

Armed with tea and the only box of tissue I have in the house, I take my phone back to my bedroom with me. I climb into bed and rearrange my pillows. I turn on the TV and sip my tea. It hurts to swallow. Ugh.

 

Within half an hour I’m asleep again. The chiming of my phone on the bed next to me wakes me up. I blindly grope around for my phone and discover a text message from Eric.

 

Eric: Awww poor baby. I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well. I’ll be there in 30.

 

Ugh.

 

Me: Sweetie, no. I don’t want you to get sick too.

 

It’s sweet of him to want to see me but I’ll feel worse if he gets sick because of me.

 

Eric: I’ll be there in 30.

 

I sigh heavily and it makes me go into a coughing fit that lasts for almost three minutes. Since I’m awake I get up and go to the bathroom to run the shower at full heat so I can breathe the steam. I sit down on the closed toilet seat and lean against the vanity. I’m not sure how much the steam helps, but I’m woken from my dozing by someone pounding on my front door.

 

I groan and that makes me cough too. I turn off the shower and shuffle to the front door. My sweetheart boyfriend is standing on the other side with a surgical mask on his face. It makes me laugh, which means it makes me cough.

 

Eric walks in and closes the door behind him. He pulls me into a hug and pats my back as I cough into his chest.

 

“Come on, let’s go lay down,” he says quietly and starts leading me to the room. “I have some supplies for you.”

 

“Thank you, babe, but you don’t have to st–”

 

“Sookie, hush and lay down. I’m a big boy, I know what I’m doing,” he says as sweet as possible while cutting me off.

 

“Nurses and doctors make terrible patients,” I warn him. I let Eric tuck me into bed.

 

“It’s a good thing I have the patience of a saint,” he tells me. “I have Thera-flu, NyQuil, DayQuil, orange juice, chewable zinc, cough drops, and tissue. What can Dr. Northman get for you?”

 

“Whatever will knock me out,” I answer.

 

Eric produces a canvas bag and pulls out the NyQuil. I watch as he pulls the plastic off and carefully pours me the exact dose into the provided cup.

 

“Here, do you want more tea?” he asks as he notices the tea bag on the nightstand.

 

“Not right now, thanks.” I take the shot of NyQuil and hand back the little cup. A chill runs through me and I ask, “Will you get an extra quilt from the linen closet?”

 

He nods and gets up to go to the hallway. When he comes back he has two quilts. He sets one at the foot of the bed and spreads the other one over my body. He sits on the edge of the bed again and brushes my hair back, gently rubbing my forehead and temple with his thumb.

 

“I’ll be right here when you wake up,” he promises as he continues to caress my head, rubbing my arm through the blankets with his other hand.

 

“Thank you,” I say in a froggy voice. My eyes flutter closed and I burrow into the blankets. Despite my hot skin I feel like I’m freezing. The chills are terrible.

 

Eric remains there, gently brushing my hair back. Gran used to do that when I was a little girl. It’s incredibly soothing and coupled with the medication; it’s the ultimate one-two punch that knocks me out in no time.

 

***

 

I wake up again when Eric shakes me gently.

 

“Mmm?” I moan.

 

“Sorry, Angel, but you need to eat something,” he says quietly.

 

The last thing on my mind is food, but I know I need to eat and stay hydrated. Getting my body to cooperate with me is another story. My eyes open but as soon as I try to push myself up; I just fall back against my pillows. Eric slides his hands under my arms and pulls me up to rest against his side.

 

“I got you some Gatorade and chicken noodle soup, light on chicken and noodles, heavy on broth,” he says quietly, rubbing my back. “You can go back to sleep after you get something in your belly.”

 

“Mmkay,” I murmur. My eyes are already closing on their own.

 

“Come on, Sookie, this will only take a couple minutes,” he says, shaking me lightly.

 

“I know. I’m just so tired,” I whisper. My eyes do not want to be open.

 

Another violent shiver runs through me and I tug my quilt up a little higher. I hate this.

 

“Do you need me to feed you?” Eric asks.

 

“No, I can do it.” I force my eyes open and my teeth start chattering when I push my blanket away. “Will you get the thermometer from the bathroom?”

 

“Of course.” Eric gets up and slips into the bathroom, coming back a few seconds later with the thermometer.

 

“Thanks.” I take the cap off and put it under my tongue while Eric goes to get my soup. He comes back with a big mug and a bottle of orange Gatorade. When the thermometer beeps I let him take it to check it for me.

 

“102.2, looks like you’re cooling down,” he jokes. “I’m going to get you a cool compress. You’re sweating pretty bad, Sook.”

 

“It’s the fever. Make it lukewarm,” I tell him. “Tomorrow I’ll take a warm bath. It’ll draw the fever down from my head.”

 

“Eat your soup and drink your Gatorade. You need the electrolytes,” he says as he goes back to the bathroom with the thermometer.

 

I smile at that. I set the soup on the nightstand to open the Gatorade bottle. Thankfully he didn’t put it in the fridge. Anything cold would just make the chills worse. I chug what I can before I need to stop to catch my breath. I set the bottle aside and pick up the mug. There’s a spoon resting against the inside of it so I start chasing noodles, veggies and chicken.

 

Everything is soft and goes down as easily as I could expect with my throat so sore. I’m taking my third bite when Eric comes back into the room with more medicine.

 

“Thank you,” I whisper after I swallow my soup.

 

“You’re welcome. Do you need to go to the bathroom?” he asks.

 

“I will.” I drank about a third of the Gatorade. I want to finish it if I can before I go back to sleep.

 

“I have three more bottles of that in the kitchen. You were asleep for five hours before I woke you up,” he tells me. “I need to swing by the bar in a little while. I’ll be back here as soon as I can.”

 

“You know you don’t have to come back, right? I can handle this.” It’s not that I don’t appreciate his help, but I really don’t want him to get sick.

 

“I know you can, you don’t have to though. I don’t mind being here. I like being able to take care of you.”

 

I nod and take another slurp of my soup. I finish it off and Eric helps me to the bathroom. After doing my business and washing my hands, it’s back to bed. I drink another third of the Gatorade before I have to call it quits.

 

“Take my keys. They’re in my purse,” I tell him. “The silver long one locks the deadbolt.”

 

“Alright. I won’t take long, I promise.”

 

“I’m sure I’ll be asleep when you get back.”

 

“Most likely,” he chuckles. “Do you need me to tuck you in again?”

 

“No, I think I got it. Thank you for staying with me,” I say sincerely. It really does mean a lot to me that he dropped everything to take care of me.

 

“You’re welcome. I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he smiles, brushing my hair back.

 

I believe that.

 

I sink back and burrow under the blankets again. Eric waits until I’m situated and comfortable before he takes off. I curl up on my side and in no time at all, I’m out cold again.