Disclaimer: Ten Inch Hero does not belong to us.

Unwrapping Life

Epilogue

Tish sniffled and shivered as the warm breeze blew over her nearly bare bikini clad body. Though the air was a bit muggy, she still felt chilled.

"Are you cold?" Priestly asked in surprise as he exited his girlfriend's apartment to stand on the balcony outside. She had been quiet when they had gone to the beach earlier so he could get some surfing in before work. Despite being eager to learn how to surf, Tish had sat listlessly on the shore watching him catch the waves.

Tish allowed Priestly to wrap her in his arms and she burrowed into his warm, sun-kissed chest with a weary sigh as her nose nuzzled the underside of his jaw.

He frowned at the heat radiating off of her. "You have a fever."

She hummed in response. "Throat hurts."

"You got my cold," Priestly stated, "and you've been running yourself ragged sitting with your dad in the hospital."

Tish sniffled and sighed happily as Priestly's warm hands rubbed up and down her arms.

"Come on," he urged. "Let's go inside and get you taken care of."

Tish allowed herself to be led into her apartment where Priestly turned her toward her bedroom. "Go take a hot shower," he urged, "and I'll warm up some soup. That will help your throat."

"You're the best," she yawned as she managed a thankful smile at her boyfriend. Tish showered and dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt before shuffling back into her apartment's small living room. A smile curved her lips when she caught sight of the tissue box and blanket waiting for her on the couch.

"Lunch is served!" Priestly announced as he entered the room carefully balancing a bowl of soup and a mug of hot tea on a tray he had dug from the back of one of the kitchen cabinets.

Tish sneezed then curled up on one corner of the couch as she tucked the blanket over her lap. "Thanks, Priestly," she sniffled as she accepted the tray he placed in her lap.

"I called Trucker while you were in the shower and told him you wouldn't be in tonight," Priestly informed her as she took her first mouthful of soup.

Tish frowned up at him. "I can go to work," she protested just as a giant sneeze made her soup slosh out of the bowl.

Priestly winced. "People won't want you sneezing on their food. Besides, you need the rest. I'll come stay here with you tonight if you want. I'll sleep on the couch."

"You'd come stay with me?" Tish coughed, reaching for her mug of hot tea.

"Yeah, sure," Priestly assured her. "As soon as my shift is over. I'll even stop by the store and pick something up for supper."

Tish took one more bite of soup and made a face. "I'm not sure my stomach will be up for anything. I'm struggling with the soup."

Priestly frowned. "Maybe after some rest you will feel better."

"Maybe," she sneezed.

Priestly frowned. "I hate to leave you. Maybe I should call Trucker back and tell him that I'm staying home to take care of you."

Tish shook her head. "It's just a cold, Priestly. All I'm going to do is sleep while you're gone. Go to work and then when you get back tonight maybe we can watch a movie."

Priestly studied her face for a moment before he finally nodded. "All right, but you have to promise you'll call if you need me."

"I promise," she yawned as she handed him the tray with the half-finished bowl of soup and snuggled down under her blanket.

Priestly returned the items to the kitchen and checked the clock. It was time to leave for work. He checked on Tish one last time and was pleased to see that she seemed to be resting comfortably.

She cracked one eye open to stare at him blearily and he smiled before leaning over to press a kiss to her overly warm forehead. "Get some sleep," he instructed. "I love you."

Tish opened both eyes and gave him a soft smile. "I love you, too." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Have a good shift, and I'll see you tonight."

Priestly reluctantly left and Tish tugged the blanket up over her shoulders. She was so cold. A sudden sneeze caught her by surprise and she grunted as she reached for a tissue and accidentally knocked the box to the floor. With a groan, she leaned over and tugged one from the box before blowing her nose and tossing the tissue haphazardly on the floor. "I hate getting sick," she grumbled before curling into a tight ball and closing her eyes as she hoped to sleep through this miserableness.

When Priestly returned to Tish's apartment after the grill closed at eight, he found the couch empty, but surrounded by balled up tissues. The kitchen, too, was empty, but then a series of violent coughs erupted from the bedroom down the hall. He frowned and hurried in that direction with the bag containing the cold medicine he'd bought in his hand.

He found his girlfriend splayed out miserably in the middle of the bed, clutching her stomach as she coughed so hard that she gagged.

"You sound terrible," he announced from the doorway.

She blinked at him blearily. "I feel terrible."

Priestly held up the bag he carried. "I picked up some cold medicine at the store."

"Gimme," Tish held out both hands for the bottle that Priestly produced from the bag.

He opened the box, broke the seal on the cap, and poured the recommended dosage into the little plastic cup that came with the medicine.

Tish took the tiny cup and swallowed the medicine, making a face at the nasty taste it left in her mouth. "Gross," she sputtered before she flopped back on the bed miserably and began rubbing her stomach.

"Does your stomach hurt?" Priestly asked as he toed off his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed to reach out and feel Tish's forehead.

"The muscles are sore from all of my coughing," she groaned as she turned her head to look at him. "Want to lie down with me? I promise not to breathe on you."

Priestly stretched out next to her on the bed. "You still feel warm; that fever is hanging on."

Tish began coughing once again and wrapped an arm around her stomach miserably. When the tickle in her throat finally subsided, she rested back on the bed with a moan and closed her eyes. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a large, warm hand rested on her belly over her t-shirt.

"Maybe this will help," Priestly murmured. "Close your eyes."

Tish did as he instructed and found that the circular motion of his hand against her belly was relaxing. Her eyes popped open with a start as she felt Priestly's hand touch her bare skin when her t-shirt rose above her belly button.

"Is this all right?" he asked softly, pulling his hand back until Tish nodded at him with a small smile.

Priestly resumed the circular rubbing motion on her tummy, the feel of her warm skin beneath his hand making his heart rate speed up.

"How did I get so lucky to find you, Priestly?" Tish murmured sleepily.

"I keep asking myself that question about you," her boyfriend admitted as he pulled his hand back. Tish groaned at the loss of contact. Reaching out, Priestly brushed her hair back from her eyes tenderly.

"Will you hold me?" she asked with a sniffle. "I'm cold."

He smiled. "Come here."

Tish scooted across the bed and settled against Priestly's chest with a happy sigh. She hummed her approval as his arm wrapped around her and began to rub her back. "Love you, Priestly," she yawned.

"Love you, too," he replied as he placed a kiss on her still-warm forehead. Priestly felt like pinching himself. He had the girl of his dreams in his arms and she actually loved him.

"I feel like this is all a dream," Tish murmured, half asleep.

"What do you mean?" Priestly asked, his brow scrunching up in confusion.

"I'm in your arms and you love me," she replied.

Priestly huffed a laugh. "I was thinking the same thing except I'm the lucky one because you love me."

Tish sniffled and then tightened the arm she had slung across his stomach. "G'night, Priestly. I want you to teach me how to surf tomorrow."

"Only if your fever is gone," he cautioned her. "Now go to sleep."

Priestly stayed awake until his girlfriend's breathing evened out and she was snoring with congestion against his shoulder. "I'm the luckiest man in the world ," he whispered to Tish before placing a kiss in her sweaty dark hair and closing his eyes to join her in slumber.

The End