The whole thing started out slowly. The day was going by like normal. Well, as normal as it could get on the biggest tour of the summer. Yes, I’m talking about the No Strings Attached Tour. Once again I was asked to choreograph for the guys. (Really, you’d think I wouldn’t need to be asked seeing as I have a contract with them). Of course I jumped at the chance to hang out with my boys again and for the whole summer. That’s the best vacation I’ve ever had.

The guys were doing a run through of the show like normal. As usual Chris was joking around and trying to get everyone else to laugh at him or to mess up. I let it slide this time, only because I missed being around them. Damn you school. (Yeah, I said it).

“Ok, ok, Chris knock it off,” I called. Chris was currently acting like a bull holding two white pointy paper cups to his head, kicking his foot on the ground, ready to charge Justin who was waving his towel in front of his face. “Chris,” I called, wincing at the sudden scratch in my throat. “Put the cups down and take Just Got Paid from the top,” I ordered pacing at the very front of the stage. I winced again and rubbed my hand across my throat.

Lance must’ve caught my movement because he was at my side in a second. “Mack, are you feeling ok?” He asked putting a hand on my shoulder; his green eyes seemed brighter with his concern.

“Yeah,” I replied, nodding. “I’m fine, just a little stressed. I forgot how hard it was making a tour for other people.” I smiled brightly when the concern didn’t leave his eyes. “I’m fine, Lancelot, really. Like I said, I’m not used to this work load and having to –“

“Deal with us again?” Lance joked.

“Exactly. You boys aren’t in the same condition as you were when I choreographed you last. You’re going to regret bringing me back,” I joked.

“I regret not bringing you back sooner. Now I actually have something to look at instead of these broads,” Joey said from where he was sitting at the edge of the stage, adjusting his headmic. A big flirtatious smile graced his lips. I have to say that I missed it.

“That’s not going to get you out of your conditioning once this is done, but nice try,” I said with a gracious smile. “Come on guys, Just Got Paid from the top! Let’s go.” I started clapping to get them going because I knew it got on their nerves.

“Geeze, still the slave driver I see,” Justin commented, tying his bandana down over his curls. I hated seeing them only because I missed out on watching them grow again. I missed curly-haired Justin. He reminded me of a poodle.

“Still a whiny brat I see,” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest. I cleared my throat at the sudden scratchiness but it wouldn’t go away. “Come on, I just need you guys to go through that song and then the rest of the show and you’ll be done and you can do whatever you want. If you don’t mess up, we won’t be here forever. If you do, we will. It’s your choice, take it or leave it.”

Justin grumbled under his breath but a playful smile remained on his face as the guys got in position. They were rehearsing without the band so watching them keep their own time was interesting. JC was great at keeping them on beat, signaling another in just in case they were too early or late.

I concentrated on watching their footing and their movements as much as possible but it was hard when fatigue suddenly washed over me as if someone had turned off a light switch. Suddenly my eyes wouldn’t stay open and I was moving slower than normal. After spending more minutes practically rocking on my feet I called for them to take a break. Really I needed it, I figured if I took a little nap I’d be fine.

‘Why are their voices so…stuffy? Am I underwater or something?’ I stirred and tried to roll over but I didn’t have the energy. I tried to sit up but the room started to spin so I lay back down. I pinched my shirt and pulled it away from myself and made a face. I hate the feeling of sweat-soaked clothes. I tried to sit up again but grabbed my head and flopped back down. My head pounded and my stomach churned. “Gosh, do they have to talk so loudly?” I mumbled, wiping sweat off of my forehead.

I finally managed to roll over onto my side, reach my hands out, and grasp the edge of the armrest of the couch that I had crashed on. I barely heard the footsteps that approached the door of the room as I glanced at the clock. 5:30 pm? Why didn’t anyone wake me? I wiped more sweat off of my forehead and tried to get enough energy to sit up all the way. After a few unsuccessful attempts I finally managed to sit up all the way but I had to grab onto my knees to steady myself as the room swayed.

 “Hey Sleepyhead. Taking tips from JC now?” Justin laughed, pushing open the door to my room. I barely even had the energy to muster up a glare, a sarcastic remark, or lifting my middle finger. Justin’s smile instantly faded when I mumbled a groaning response. “Are you ok? You’re pale,” Justin commented.

“I’m always pale,” I replied sniffing at my sudden stuffy nose and blinking rapidly at my sudden water eyes..

“You’re paler than usual,” he corrected. “Come here.” I leaned over a bit more and looked at him through half-lidded eyes. As soon as his palm rested on my forehead I sighed at how cool his hand was. He placed both hands on my cheeks and tilted my head back, looking at me. He searched my face a few minutes before saying, “I’ll go get the doctor. You go back to sleep. You’re going to need it.”

“But I don’t…” I started to protest but he rushed out of the room. Suddenly sleep seemed like my best friend. I had my eyes closed for what felt like an hour when my shoulder was being shaken. “Hmm?” I mumbled without opening my eyes. They felt like lead was resting on them. “Whaaaaat?” I grumbled when the shaking didn’t go away.

“You gotta get up, Honeybee,” JC said gently. I forced open an eye and looked at him as he knelt by my side.

“Let me sleep,” I groaned, closing my eye again. Not like I’d be able to sleep with this damn headache.

“And you can in the car. You have to get up to get there, though, honey.” Ugh, I must really be sick if I wasn’t in the mood to fight back at him calling me ‘honey’ again. “Come on, don’t be difficult.”

“Jace, in the eight years that you’ve known me, when haven’t I been difficult?” I mumbled without moving. Need sleep. Neeeeeeed… “I’m not moving. Let me sleep.”

“Fine,” he sighed.

And here I thought that would be that. But it was JC after all and he doesn’t let anything I do go. Really. He held the fact that I didn’t get my permit until I was seventeen over my head for months. Months. Just because he got his on his first damn try at fifteen. The little fucker. So I should’ve known that he wouldn’t just let me sleep.

No, instead he slung me onto his back like he was giving me a piggy-back ride and carried me out of the room. I was even too sick to protest so I just tried to sleep with my right cheek pressing against his shoulder. Huh, has he always worn that woodsy cologne? I shook my head a bit. This sickness was starting to make me delirious.

“Is she ok?” I heard Lance ask. I couldn’t open my eyes, not that I wanted to. My limbs felt heavy and slightly achy. I’ve never felt this crappy in my life before. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and die I felt so bad. Lance said something else but I couldn’t hear him that well. Something about a doctor and pills and syrup.

Yuck. I’d rather chew off my own arm. My head swam as I faded in and out of sleep. I kept getting warm and then I would get cold and then I would get warm again. Why in the world is my temperature like a bitch and wouldn’t make up its mind?

I woke up briefly in the car when my temperature spiked again. I guess I let out some sort of pathetic whimper ‘cause the guys exchanged nervous glances. I felt about ready to cry. I was so miserable. I could hardly move and I felt overall crappy.

“I hate being sick,” I whined.

“We know, sweetie, but you’ll feel better soon,” Justin said soothingly, running his fingers through my hair as I tried to get to sleep with my head on his lap. He gently rocked me by moving his knee from side to side in a steady rhythm, much like my dad used to do when I fell asleep in church when I was younger. “Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”

“I hate it here,” I grumbled, clearing my throat for about the tenth time that minute. Was it me that sounded like a duck? Maybe it was Chris trying to cheer me up. I looked at him and noticed he was playing with his Gameboy and sighed. No such luck. “I wanna go home.”

“She’s even more pleasant than usual,” JC commented dryly.

“Let the doctor do his job and then we can go,” Justin said as he rubbed the back of my hand. “We just need to make sure it’s not pneumonia again.” I nodded and leaned against him, trying to fight off sleep so I could actually find out what was wrong with me. Lance guessed a cold, JC said the flu. Either way I just wanted to get better.

“She’s had pneumonia before?” Joey asked, slightly alarmed.

Justin nodded. “When she was eight. We didn’t know it until Momma took her to a doctor because she was coughing a lot more than usual during winter. She had to stay in the hospital for a week because of the fluid in her lungs.” Has his voice always been that soothing? I wanted to sleep so badly.

Finally the doctor came in and did the normal tests, blood pressure, eye check, ear check. Like getting my ears checked could determine if I have the dang flu. I bet he had a hell of a time trying to pry me away from Justin to get my ears and eyes checked. I wonder why he doesn’t worry about me being contagious. Then I wiped that thought from my brain. It’s Justin, he’d rather suffer with me than let me suffer alone. I love that kid.

So, Doctor Know-it-all finally deduced it was the flu after poking and prodding me for minutes. I was about ready to slap that cold stethoscope out of his hands if he stuck that on me again. The others could tell and looked about ready to tackle me to the ground. What can I say, if I’m sick I might as well make others know how miserable I am.

“Ok, sweetie, we can finally go home,” Joey said as he rubbed my shoulder. “Can you walk?”

“Do you want me to try?” I replied.

“No, that’s ok. C’mere.” He hooked his arms under my legs and underneath my shoulders and easily lifted me up into his arms. I’m flying. Geeze, bring on that medicine, Doc.

“You guys don’t have to bend over backwards for me,” I commented as I watched them move around the suite, making sure they had medicine and things for me. We got back to the hotel around 8pm last night and I was conked out. Partially because I still wasn’t used to the tour schedule and because I was sick. The whole night passed by and felt like I only slept for an hour but I knew I slept longer. Ordinarily I’d have one of the suite rooms to myself while two of the guys delt with sleeping on the pull out couch and the other on the floor but they made me have the pull out this time. Probably so they could keep an eye on me.

“We want to help,” Lance replied, pulling things out of a grocery bag as Joey put them up in the cabinet.

“But it’s your only few days off. Don’t waste it here with me,” I protested, then started coughing a fit. They all stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Geeze, I’m not going to die by coughing!

“We’re not wasting anything. We want to make sure you get better,” Justin added.

“I want my puppies,” I announced.

“They’ll get sick from you. It’s not a good idea,” JC said as he came out of a bedroom, a large thick blanket was in his hands. “Ok, put these on,” he ordered, holding out a sweatshirt and sweatpants. I looked at him as if he were crazy. “You have to sweat out the fever, Honeybee,” he reminded me.

“Do you want me to float away?” I asked grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

“Don’t make me put it on you,” he said in what was supposed to be a threatening tone but it sounded more like he was a mother tired of arguing with their kid.

“I’m shaking in my bunny slippers,” I remarked sarcastically, flipping the channels. God, why wasn’t anything on? Ooh! Boy Meets World! Yay for Shawn Hunter. “I’m not wearing it. Do you want me to die from heat? I’m boiling.”

“You only think you are but you have to stay bundled.” I ignored him and kept my eyes glued on the hotness that was Shawn. Geeze, if only a person like him were real. “Do you want to stay sick?”

“If it gets on your nerves, yes,” I replied.

“Put them on,” he sighed.

“Fine!” I grabbed the sweatshirt and sweatpants and stood, only to get dizzy and fall back over. I grabbed my stomach as a wave of nausea washed over me. I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut, praying for it to go away. Where’s that porcelain throne?

“Ok, put your arms up,” Chris said as he took the sweatshirt from JC. I managed to sit up and do as I was told. Chris lowered the sweatshirt over my arms and smiled when my head popped out of the hole. “You’re drowning in that shirt,” he laughed as I grabbed the sweatpants from him and pulled them up and over the shorts I was wearing.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Lance asked. “We have oatmeal and cereal. We can make you eggs if you want or we could order room service. Whatever you like.”

“Do they have quiche? I really want a quiche right now,” I responded.

“I’ll check,” Joey said as he moved towards the phone.

Justin came out of the other room, shuffling and rubbing his eyes, his hair was all ready tied back in a bandana. He plopped down on the couch next to me and offered me a smile. “How’re you feeling this morning?” he asked.

I looked around at all of them. “Smothered,” I replied.

Justin just smiled, apparently ignoring my insult towards them. “You’ll feel better soon.”

“Ok, you all don’t have to stay here,” I said as I lifted a spoonful of chicken and dumpling soup to my mouth. It wasn’t nearly the same as my momma’s but it was still good and the heat from it sort of took away the aches in my joints. “I’ll be fine. I’ll take the cough syrup and the pills and sleep. I don’t want to get in your way.” I cleared my throat and made a face at the phlegm that launched itself onto my tongue. Lance handed me a tissue and I spat into it and coughed. I groaned when my head started to pound.

“You’re not in our way,” Joey replied.

“Well, I feel like it. Come on, go out and have some fun. You all don’t have to be here. One of you can stay at least. I won’t be doing much. It’ll be boring unless you guys watch me sleep or something.” I slowly leaned forward and put the bowl onto the coffee table, wincing at the ache in my muscles.

I grabbed a pillow off of the floor and put it on the armrest of the couch, lying down with my legs in Justin’s lap. I faded in and out of sleep as he gently moved his fingers over my legs, working out the ache as they talked about who would stay.

Unsurprisingly it ended up being JC, only because he was the most responsible one and he wasn’t the type to go out clubbing all the time so it fit. I woke up again to the sound of the microwave beeping its obnoxious beep.

“Sorry,” JC said as he closed the microwave door. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s ok,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. Geeze, even my eyes hurt. What next, my fingernails? I forced myself to sit up and made a face at the feeling of sweat that was dripping down my body. “What’s that?” I asked, nodding toward the cup that he held out to me.

“Apple Cider,” he replied. I took the cup and took a sip of the liquid heaven. It instantly warmed me from head to toe and I smiled at the spicy apple taste on my tongue. Oh Apple Cider how I missed you. “How’re you feeling now? You’ve been in and out of sleep all day.”

“Fine, still icky,” I replied, taking another sip, loving how it soothed my sore throat. “I just wish I could—” I stopped and coughed. “Wish I could–” I tried again but, once again, I coughed. “Wish I could—” I coughed one more time. “Forget it!” I cried out in frustration and then I coughed again.

JC laughed and I really wanted to hit him. He was lucky that my muscles were so sore. “Why don’t you finish that cider and I’ll draw a bath for you, ok?”

“Can you put bubbles in it?” I asked, lifting the mug to my mouth again.

“Bubbles?” He repeated.

I managed to shrug my shoulders. “Makes me feel better.”

“Bubbles it is, then,” he said with a smile, rubbing my knee.

I heartily drank the rest of the cider and then regretted it when heat rushed from my head to my toes. I pulled off the sweatshirt and sweatpants and sighed at the cool air that touched my exposed skin from my t-shirt and shorts. I managed to get up and shuffle over to the tiny kitchen area of the suite and grabbed the bottle of cough syrup. Making a face, I poured the required measurement into a little cup and stared at it. After a couple of seconds I finally sighed and poured the syrup into my mouth and immediately pulled a face.

“What are you doing?” JC asked. I looked up from the disgusting colored liquid as he left the bathroom.

“I just took that disgusting DayQuil stuff,” I replied, continuing to make a face at the feeling of the liquid moving down my throat.

“Oh. Well the bath’s done. I can get dinner out by the time you’re done if you want it.”

“Yeah, I’m starving. Thanks.”

“No problem,” he said as he ruffled my hair.

“Stop! I hate it when you do that.”

“Which is exactly why I do it,” he shot back, steering me in the direction of the bathroom. “Take your time in there but don’t drown yourself. I’ll be sad.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, ignoring the new rush of heat that reached my cheeks. I closed the door to the bathroom and quickly shed my clothes and stepped into the bathwater, sighing as I slid in until it was up to my neck. I closed my eyes and remained still, enjoying the feeling of finally getting clean. I laid there and let my mind wander about being back and everything. They guys were acting slightly different than they used to when I was around. Joey was more flirtatious than usual, but I found it funny. Chris was crazier than usual but that made me smile. Lance was even more caring than before. Justin was…well, Justin. And JC was…there was something different about him but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Hey Mack, did you drown?” JC’s voice called through the other side of the door.

I rolled my eyes. Apparently the guys still don’t let me enjoy my baths in peace. “I’m coming out in a second,” I managed to call back, hurting my throat. I washed myself and got out, changing into my pjs before pulling the plug of the drain. I pulled open the door and squinted at JC who was grinning at me in a way that freaked me out. “What?” I finally asked.

“Nothing,” he replied.

“Whatever. What’s dinner?” I asked, moving back towards the couch.

“Spaghetti and garlic bread and then ice cream for dessert,” he replied.

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to have ice cream when I’m sick. Lance said so,” I pointed out, dropping down onto the couch and pulling the blankets over my legs. I turned on the TV and flipped channels before I left it at a Friends re-run.

“Don’t you ever eat junk when you’re sick? It sure as heck makes me feel better,” JC said as he handed me a plate and sat down next to me.

“What is this, some kind of date?” I asked, shoving my fork into the middle of the pile of spaghetti on my plate and flipped it over so the sauce was on the bottom. He just smiled and started eating his food. Did his beaver teeth get bigger? More facial hair?eyes get bluer? What. Is. It?

“I missed you,” JC said suddenly.

I almost choked on my noodles and turned to look at him only to flinch at how intense his gaze was. Why is he looking at me like that? “What?” I managed to get out.

“I said I missed you,” he repeated.

“Why…why tell me that now?” I demanded.

“No better time than the present,” he said with a shrug. “Tour wasn’t the same without you.”

My lip twitched. “Stop looking at me like that,” I growled. Well, tried to. It came out like a scratchy wheeze. “You’re freaking me out.”

“You didn’t miss me in the slightest?” He sounded hurt, which was very unlike JC. I teased him and insulted him all of the time but he never took it to heart before. “That’s ok. I know who your friends are. I guess I’m not one of ‘em.”

“Don’t start with the guilt trip,” I sighed.

“No guilt trip. I just now know who you care about, that’s all. I’m not offended at all.”

“Hey, sarcasm is my thing, don’t steal it,” I said as I poked him in the side. He cracked a smile. Suddenly losing my appetite I put the plate down on the coffee table and pulled the blankets up to my neck.

“Not hungry?”

“No, but very sleepy all of a sudden.” JC put his plate down as well and put a pillow on his lap. Gently pushing my shoulder I laid down with my head on the pillow. He kept his hand on my shoulder and rocked his knee from side to side. “Hey Jace?”

“Hmm?” he muttered.

“Could you sing to me?”

“Sure.” I heard more than saw his smile. There was silence for a few seconds before he started singing. “You sheltered me from harm/You kept me warm/You kept me warm /And you gave my life to me/You set me free/You set me free…”

As JC’s soothing voice helped me drift off to sleep I finally figured out what it was about him that was different. He was sweeter than I remembered.

“Sleep tight, Honeybee,” he whispered and pressed a kiss to the side of my head.

Maybe being sick wasn’t such a bad thing.