Secrets in A Small Town

8

Brooke suddenly feels her heart start racing, face burning, embarrassment. As if she has made a mistake. Cade is still in her arms, feeling so weak, she is mostly holding him up. His head is rested on her shoulder. She wonders if this is how we feels all the time.

The piss is already starting to get cold and she can feel her legs burning. She pulls Cade off, trying her best to be strong.

She doesn't say anything, just looks him in the eyes. He smiles.

They strip and shower per usual. Brooke squirts the soap into her hands and surprises Cade when she kneels down, scrubing his legs, waist, and crotch. If wasn't so exhausted from the events prior, he would definetly have a boner right now. But he is, and he doesn't, thank God.

She then takes the same suds and starts scrubbing herself.

They finish with a little kissing, the cute kind, not the horny kind. The 'I am grateful I have you' kind.

Brooke slips back into her clothes, minus the underwear which she inconspicuously deported into the garage can. They probably would have washed, but she honestly doesn't need any reminders.

Cade watches her, looking a little down.

"What's wrong, babe?" She sits on the plastic on the bare bed next to him. They had stripped the sheets, but never got around to putting new ones on.

Cade shrugs.

"I don't like it when you leave." He bites his lip, exhausted eyes glimmering.

"I know, honey." She kisses his forehead.

"But I have to work tomorrow and so do you." She runs her hand through his hair.

"Yeah..." Cade sighs.

"Come on over after, I will cook you supper."

Cade nods and she walks out the door.

"Brooke!" He calls out after she is halfway down the hall.

She comes jogging back and stands in the door way.

"I love you..." He says shyly.

She smiles, kisses his lips, and says "I love you too."

She gives him one last squeeze and makes her way all the way out this time.

It is pushing 8pm by the time she actually returns to her own house.

She eats some boxed mac and cheese and settles into bed a little earlier than usual.

She falls asleep in an instant. She can't help it, she loves Cade, but he is a full time job in and of himself. Like taking care of a newborn. She honestly is the least qualified person ever to be doing this, but she knows she cant turn back now.

It's 2:26 when she hears her phone ring, her first instinct is family emergency. Nobody calls anymore, her heart starts pounding.

It's Cade, though.

"Hey, babe." She asks trying not to sound like she was dead ten seconds ago, though she isn't sure why. It's a normal thing to be asleep in the middle of the night.

Cade doesn't even respond from the other end. All she can hear is sporadic breathing.

"Cade, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called." He chokes out.

"No, no, it's okay. What's wrong?" She asks, already getting up and throwing a hoodie on.

"I just can't sleep, I---"

Then he cuts off

"I am coming over."

Cade doesn't respond.

She grabs her laptop bag on the way out the door. Something says she is going to be calling in again, at least this way she can get some work done.

The drive feels even longer than usual.

She pulls up to Cade's house, hands shaking.

She runs in without knocking and instantly is struck by the worst odor she has ever smelled. She nearly gags, choking on her own breath.

Cade isn't in the living room. She kicks her shoes off, holds her breath and makes her way down the hall way.

She knocks on the bedroom door. It's closed, but not all the way. It falls open but there is no response. She peeks her head in, but Cade isn't on the bed either.

It's then she hears gagging coming from the bathroom. Then it hits her, the smell. Vomit and...fluids...

She turns back and knocks on that door. It takes a minute but Cade opens it, looking like he can barely stand.

The smell comes even stronger, like a punch in the face.

"Are you okay?" She tries to talk.

Cade shakes his head, hitting his knees.

She goes to the kitchen, getting him a glass of water. She takes a deep breath before she enters again. Cade is sitting in the same spot. She sits next to him, handing him the glass. He takes a swig, swishes it, and spits it into the toilet.

"Flu?" She asks, still trying not to gag.

"I don't know."

"You should go lay down, get some rest." She touches his leg. It's hot to the touch.

He nods but doesn't actually attempt to move. So she stands up, holding her hands out. She expected her to take them, but instead he leans forward. She hooks them under his armpits, pulling him up, with all her strength.

He is barely able to walk and she catches him a couple times on the short walk to the bedroom.

"I need to---" Cade grabs the little office trash can, placed in the corner of the bedroom and starts heaving again. Not much comes out. Which makes Brooke think this was probably going on for a while before he called.

She pats his back as he falls down again. He sits there, this time, unable to stand up at all. Brooke holds her hands out again and Cade falls into them. She manages to half drag and carry him over to the bed.

She runs back to the bathroom and grabs the glass of water to bring back to him. She sets it on the nightstand.

"Can I get you anything?" She places her hand on his forehead. He is burning up.

"Can you..." His voice trails off.

She waits for him to finish his sentence, but he doesn't. Like he is embarrassed.

"What is it, babe?"

"Can you...hffdmee" He bows his head at end.

"Can I what?"

"Hold me..." he looks up at her with unintentional puppy dog eyes.

She can't help but laugh a little.

"Of course I will hold you, honey."

"Give me one second." She says.

She opens up a window and grabs the trash can to pull closer to the bed.

"Come here." She lays down on the bed. Cade lays in her lap. She runs her fingers through his hair. He falls asleep quickly. He lays like a stone for at least an hour. Brooke passes the time scrolling though f*******: and i********:, until she too nods off herself.

She wakes up to Cade throwing himself off her lap and rummaging for the garbage can. He finds it and heaves. Again, nothing comes out. When he stops he puts his head down.

"You okay?"

Cade shakes his head.

"It hurts." He is gently crying.

"I know." She soothes.

"I have to go to the bathroom." He whines.

"Okay...Can you walk?"

Cade shakes his head, looking like he is beginning to panic.

"Come on." She slings his arm over her shoulder and holds all of his weight on one side, hobbling to the bathroom. She is suddenly grateful for thier mere 2" height difference. Anything more and this would be impossible.

She sets him down on the toilet. He struggles to pull his boxers down. It's only then she notices he has on his pull up underwear, already heavily used. He whips his p***s out, already letting go. He pees a little on himself then on the rug before he is able to aim it into the toilet.

It doesn't last more than five seconds.

Brooke looks at him, hoping he will say something, but he has the same idea.

"Well um...let's clean you off." She says.

She pulls his shirt slightly wet over his head and tosses it into the corner of the room. Then she slides down to his legs, easing the diaper off the rest of the way.

"What do I do with this?"

Cade points to a cabinet under the sink. Inside is a small hamper looking basket. She drops it in careful not to drip on anything.

Cade suddenly feels very exposed. Naked, wet, stinky, and weak.

Brooke tries to think. She thinks back to when she was sick when she was little. How her mom would clean her off and carry her back to bed.

She grabs a wash cloth and rinses it with luke warm water. She presses it against his burning skin. She wipes him down, knowing he doesn't have the energy to bathe.

She walks back into his bedroom and grabs a new T shirt and a pair of boxers.

She walks back into the bathroom. She pulls the shirt gently over his head, then bends down to try and slide on the boxers, but Cade pushes her arm away.

"I--I want the other ones." It sounds like the sentence completely knocked the wind out of him.

"Where are they?"

Cade points back to the same cabinet as the hamper bin, she opens it up to see a small wicker basket she didn't notice before. Inside lays two pairs of the underwear, folded.

They crunch a little in her hands, she can feel a thin, plasticy material underneath the cotton outter layer. It's puffy in the crotch area. She hands it to Cade. His face is red and something tells Brooke it's not just from the sickness.

Brooke plants a kiss on his forehead before helping him back to bed.

"Mmm feels so much better." Cade nuzzles into his sheets.

"Go to sleep, I am going to clean up."

"You don't have to do that." Cade tries to argue.

"It's okay. Just get some rest."

Cade feels a little bad, but closes his eyes.

"Brooke?" He calls back a moment later.

Brooke pops her head back in the room.

"Can you d....o something for me?" He murders.

"Of course, what is it?"

Cade feels his face flush again.

"Can you wash...that...basket..." He says almost in a whisper.

"What basket?"

"The one with the...wet stuff in it....I only have one left and I don't think I am going to be able to make it..."

Brooke nods and then makes her way back to the bathroom. She digs for some cleaners, finding a bottle of Spic N Span. She douses the whole bathroom. She then collects the pieces of clothing, scattered among the floor. There is the shirt from earlier, and the gray sweatpants and a hoodie, with a small vomit stain dribbled down the front.

Her gag reflex must finally be taking a rest because she doesn't even flinch. The pants are cold and wet. Probably the outfit he had on the first time he threw up and lost control of his bladder.

She tosses all of them in the washer, along with the rug.

Then she remembers the basket. She goes back in and grabs it. The odor is strong but she holds her breath and dumps them in the washer. It must be 10 or 12 pairs that fall out.

She rinses the basket in the shower. She finds her way to the kitchen, getting another wash cloth, wetting it, and putting it in the freezer. Another thing her mom used to when she was a kid.

Cade doesn't have much to eat, not that he is probably in the mood anyway. She brings a glass of fresh ice water on the way back.

She is surprised to see Cade laying on the bed, eyes wide open.

"What's wrong?"

Cade doesn't say anything. Brooke lays down next to him, opening her arms.

She runs her hand up and down his back. He is already asleep. Then she falls asleep too, holding him tightly.